Devanagari
पृष्ठे भ्राम्यदमन्दमन्दरगिरिग्रावाग्रकण्डूयना-
न्निद्रालो: कमठाकृतेर्भगवत: श्वासानिला: पान्तु व: ।
यत्संस्कारकलानुवर्तनवशाद् वेलानिभेनाम्भसां
यातायातमतन्द्रितं जलनिधेर्नाद्यापि विश्राम्यति ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
pṛṣṭhe bhrāmyad amanda-mandara-giri-grāvāgra-kaṇḍūyanān
nidrāloḥ kamaṭhākṛter bhagavataḥ śvāsānilāḥ pāntu vaḥ
yat-saṁskāra-kalānuvartana-vaśād velā-nibhenāmbhasāṁ
yātāyātam atandritaṁ jala-nidher nādyāpi viśrāmyati
Synonyms
pṛṣṭhe
—
upon His back
;
bhrāmyat
—
rotating
;
amanda
—
most heavy
;
mandara
—
giri — of Mandara Mountain
;
grāva
—
agra — by the edges of the stones
;
kaṇḍūyanāt
—
by the scratching
;
nidrāloḥ
—
who became sleepy
;
kamaṭha
—
ākṛteḥ — in the form of a tortoise
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
śvāsa
—
coming from the breathing
;
anilāḥ
—
the winds
;
pāntu
—
may they protect
;
vaḥ
—
all of you
;
yat
—
of which
;
saṁskāra
—
of the remnants
;
kalā
—
the traces
;
anuvartana
—
vaśāt — as the effect of following
;
velā
—
nibhena — by that which resembles the flow
;
ambhasām
—
of the water
;
yāta
—
āyātam — the coming and going
;
atandritam
—
ceaseless
;
jala
—
nidheḥ — of the ocean
;
na
—
does not
;
adya api
—
even today
;
viśrāmyati
—
stop .
Translation
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Kūrma, a tortoise, His back was scratched by the sharp-edged stones lying on massive, whirling Mount Mandara, and this scratching made the Lord sleepy. May you all be protected by the winds caused by the Lord’s breathing in this sleepy condition. Ever since that time, even up to the present day, the ocean tides have imitated the Lord’s inhalation and exhalation by piously coming in and going out.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
When the Supreme Lord appeared as Kūrma, a tortoise, he became sleepy when his back was scratched by the edges of the stones on heavy, rotating Mount Mandara. May you all be protected by the winds caused by the Lord's breathing at that time! Even up to the present day, the ocean tides follow the Lord's inhalation and exhalation by coming in and going out, which only appear to be the tides.
Actually the Lord in the form of Kūrma churned the Milk Ocean. Devatās were the cause in name only. Similarly the churning of the ocean of the Vedas to produce the Bhāgavatam was done by the Lord alone. Vyāsadeva only repeated it. That is expressed in this verse. By the scratching caused by the edges of stone of the very heavy Mandara Mountain when it was rotated, Kūrma became sleepy. May the breathing of that sleepy Lord protect you. The Lord as Mohinī, taking the nectar obtained from the churning, cheated the demons and gave it to the devatās, his devotees. Similarly the Lord has churned the Vedas and produced the Bhāgavatam containing the nectar of bhakti. Cheating the demons, may he give the nectar to you! This is in the form of a benediction to the devotees. Because of following a few moments of the breathing of Kūrma, the oceans continually ebb and flow. “But the oceans move because of the tides, not because of the Lord’s breathing.” The tides are only a pretext. Actually it is the Lord doing this.
Purport
At times we alleviate an itching sensation by blowing upon it. Similarly, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains, the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can alleviate the itching sensation within the minds of mental speculators, as well as the itching of the material senses of conditioned souls engaged in sense gratification. Thus by meditating on the windy breath of Lord Kūrma — the tortoise incarnation — all categories of conditioned souls can be relieved of the deficiencies of material existence and come to the liberated, spiritual platform. One must simply allow the pastimes of Lord Kūrma to blow within one’s heart like a favorable breeze; then one will surely find spiritual peace.