FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.23

यद्वाम्ब ते भूरिभरावतार कृतावतारस्य हरेर्धरित्रि । अन्तर्हितस्य स्मरती विसृष्टा कर्माणि निर्वाणविलम्बितानि ॥ २३ ॥
yadvāmba te bhūri-bharāvatāra-
[yadvaamba te bhoori-bharaavataara-]
kṛtāvatārasya harer dharitri
[kritaavataarasya harer dharitri]
antarhitasya smaratī visṛṣṭā
[antarhitasya smaratee visrishtaa]
karmāṇi nirvāṇa-vilambitāni
[karmaani nirvaana-vilambitaani]
yadvā — that may be amba — O mother te — your bhūri — heavy bhara — load avatāra — decreasing the load kṛta — done avatārasya — one who incarnated hareḥ — of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa dharitri — O earth antarhitasya — of Him who is now out of sight smaratī — while thinking of visṛṣṭā — all that were performed karmāṇi — activities nirvāṇa — salvation vilambitāni — that which entails.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yadvāmba te bhūri-bharāvatāra-
yadvā
that may be
amba
O mother
te
your
bhūri
heavy
bhara
load
avatāra
decreasing the load
kṛtāvatārasya harer dharitri
kṛta
done
avatārasya
one who incarnated
hareḥ
of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
dharitri
O earth
antarhitasya smaratī visṛṣṭā
antarhitasya
of Him who is now out of sight
smaratī
while thinking of
visṛṣṭā
all that were performed
karmāṇi nirvāṇa-vilambitāni
karmāṇi
activities
nirvāṇa
salvation
vilambitāni
that which entails.
O mother earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, incarnated Himself as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa just to unload your heavy burden. All His activities here are transcendental, and they cement the path of liberation. You are now bereft of His presence. You are probably now thinking of those activities and feeling sorry in their absence.

The activities of the Lord include liberation, but they are more relishable than the pleasure derived from nirvāṇa, or liberation. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the word used here is nirvāṇa-vilambitāni, “that which minimizes the value of liberation.” To attain nirvāṇa, liberation, one has to undergo a severe type of tapasya, austerity, but the Lord is so merciful that He incarnates to diminish the burden of the earth. Simply by remembering such activities, one can defy the pleasure derived from nirvāṇa and reach the transcendental abode of the Lord to associate with Him, eternally engaged in His blissful loving service.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Are you lamenting about degraded kṣatriyas influenced by Kali, or countries ruled negligently by them? Are you lamenting because people are engaged in eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, and sexual relationships without regard for restrictions?
Commentary

Upasṛṣtān means spread. Avaropitāni means abandoned.

Hari incarnated as Kṛṣṇa just to unload your heavy burden. His activities cement the path of liberation. You are now bereft of His presence. Even his coming is itself the cure; his going is the loss.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I 'bereft of His presence' in a corner of my life?
  • What would re-inviting Him to that corner look like?
📝 My note

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