FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.12.7

मातुर्गर्भगतो वीर: स तदा भृगुनन्दन । ददर्श पुरुषं कञ्चिद्दह्यमानोऽस्त्रतेजसा ॥ ७ ॥
mātur garbha-gato vīraḥ
[maatur garbha-gato veerah]
sa tadā bhṛgu-nandana
[sa tadaa bhrigu-nandana]
dadarśa puruṣaṁ kañcid
[dadarsha purusham kanchid]
dahyamāno ’stra-tejasā
[dahyamaano ’stra-tejasaa]
mātuḥ — mother garbha — womb gataḥ — being situated there vīraḥ — the great fighter saḥ — child Parīkṣit tadā — at that time bhṛgu-nandana — O son of Bhṛgu dadarśa — could see puruṣam — the Supreme Lord kañcit — as someone else dahyamānaḥ — suffering from being burned astra — the brahmāstra tejasā — temperature.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mātur garbha-gato vīraḥ
mātuḥ
mother
garbha
womb
gataḥ
being situated there
vīraḥ
the great fighter
sa tadā bhṛgu-nandana
saḥ
child Parīkṣit
tadā
at that time
bhṛgu-nandana
O son of Bhṛgu
dadarśa
could see
dadarśa puruṣaṁ kañcid
puruṣam
the Supreme Lord
kañcit
as someone else
dahyamāno ’stra-tejasā
dahyamānaḥ
suffering from being burned
astra
the brahmāstra
tejasā
temperature.
O son of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka], when the child Parīkṣit, the great fighter, was in the womb of his mother, Uttarā, and was suffering from the burning heat of the brahmāstra [thrown by Aśvatthāmā], he could observe the Supreme Lord coming to him.

Death generally involves remaining in trance for seven months. A living being, according to his own action, is allowed to enter into the womb of a mother by the vehicle of a father’s semen, and thus he develops his desired body. This is the law of birth in specific bodies according to one’s past actions. When he is awake from trance, he feels the inconvenience of being confined within the womb, and thus he wants to come out of it and sometimes fortunately prays to the Lord for such liberation. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, while in the womb of his mother, was struck by the brahmāstra released by Aśvatthāmā, and he was feeling the burning heat. But because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord at once appeared Himself within the womb by His all-powerful energy, and the child could see that someone else had come to save him. Even in that helpless condition, the child Parīkṣit endured the unbearable temperature due to his being a great fighter by nature. And for this reason the word vīraḥ has been used.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O son of Bhṛgu! The courageous hero Parīkṣit in the womb of his mother, burned by the heat of the weapon, saw the form of the Lord.
Commentary

The topic of discussion now begins. Because of his natural courage (vīraḥ), he was not afraid of the fire of the weapon. His first perception of objects by his mental eyes was the form of the Lord.

While Parīkṣit was in Uttarā's womb, suffering from the brahmāstra heat, he could observe the Supreme Lord coming to him. Even the unborn can perceive the Lord. Awareness is older than the body.
Reflection Questions
  • What awareness in me feels older than my body?
  • Where might the Lord be appearing to a part of me I don't usually access?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 12