Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.40
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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ātma-bhūḥ
—
the self-born (Brahmā)
Compound: ātma (self) + bhū (becoming). Brahmā is 'self-born' from the lotus. Gauḍīyas note the irony: the self-born returns to find that the Self-of-all has multiplied Himself a hundredfold in his absence.
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ātma-mānena
—
by his own measurement (of time)
Compound: ātma (own) + māna (measure). Brahmā's time is not Earth's time. Gauḍīyas read this as the Bhāgavata's empirical lesson in relativity: one truṭi for Brahmā is one year for Vraja. Time itself is calibrated to position.
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truṭi-anehasā
—
by a moment's duration
Compound: truṭi (the smallest measure of time — fraction of a second) + anehasā (instrumental of anehas, 'time'). A truṭi for Brahmā equals a year for Earth. The Bhāgavata gives the equation precisely.
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sa-kalam
—
with His expansions
Compound: sa (with) + kala (part, expansion). The boys and calves are kalās — partial expansions. Gauḍīyas distinguish kalā from svayaṁ-bhagavān: Kṛṣṇa is the full source, the expansions are kalās proceeding from Him.
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harim
—
Lord Hari
Accusative of Hari ('the remover'). Brahmā sees Hari — the very Lord whose māyā he tried to test. The name's etymology floats: Hari removes māyā, and Brahmā has just had his māyā removed.
Lord Brahmā had gone away for only a moment of his time, but when he returned, a year of human time had passed. On different planets, the calculation of time is different. To give an example, a man-made satellite may orbit the earth in an hour and twenty-five minutes and thus complete one full day, although a day ordinarily takes twenty-four hours for those living on earth. Therefore, what was but a moment for Brahmā was one year on earth. Kṛṣṇa continued to expand Himself in so many forms for one year, but by the arrangement of yoga-māyā no one could understand this but Balarāma. After one moment of Brahmā’s calculation, Brahmā came back to see the fun caused by his stealing the boys and calves. But he was also afraid that he was playing with fire. Kṛṣṇa was his master, and he had played mischief for fun by taking away Kṛṣṇa’s calves and boys. He was really anxious, so he did not stay away very long; he came back after a moment (of his calculation). When Brahmā returned, he saw that all the boys, calves and cows were playing with Kṛṣṇa in the same way as when he had come upon them; by Kṛṣṇa’s display of yoga-māyā, the same pastimes were going on without any change. On the day when Lord Brahmā had first come, Baladeva could not go with Kṛṣṇa and the cowherd boys, for it was His birthday, and His mother had kept Him back for the proper ceremonial bath, called śāntika-snāna. Therefore Lord Baladeva was not taken by Brahmā at that time. Now, one year later, Brahmā returned, and because he returned on exactly the same day, Baladeva was again kept at home for His birthday. Therefore, although this verse mentions that Brahmā saw Kṛṣṇa and all the cowherd boys, Baladeva is not mentioned. It was five or six days earlier that Baladeva had inquired from Kṛṣṇa about the extraordinary affection of the cows and cowherd men, but now, when Brahmā returned, Brahmā saw all the calves and cowherd boys playing with Kṛṣṇa as expansions of Kṛṣṇa, but he did not see Baladeva. As in the previous year, Lord Baladeva did not go to the woods on the day Lord Brahmā appeared there.
After describing the bewilderment of the cowherd men and women, the bewilderment of Brahma is described. Though one year of human calculation had passed, Brahma returned after the blinking of an eye by Brahma loka calculation, very quickly, out of fear, because he was directly born from Hari (atma bhu). He saw the calves and boys (sarvam), who were actually expansions of Krsna, and Krsna, playing as previously, for a year. Baladeva, however, as on the previous year, was kept home by his mother to perform auspicious rites on his birthday.
By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā was also able to understand the truth. That story is now told. One year of human time had passed though it was only a moment for Brahmā. He came back quickly out great fear, for he had been born (ātmabhūḥ) from the Lord. He saw the boys and calves who were expansions of Kṛṣṇa playing as previously for the whole year. However Balarāma was not there. Kṛṣṇa told him the secret and did not bring Balarāma to carry out this pastime.
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- When a trial feels endlessly long to me, can I trust that it is brief on the timeline that matters most to Kṛṣṇa?
- Where am I measuring spiritual progress on a scale too short to be meaningful?
Like a thief who, after pocketing a coin and checking his watch, finds that a year has passed in the King's accounting while his own watch shows seconds — Brahmā returns to find his moment has been a year, and the children he stole are still here, playing on. The arithmetic of time itself confesses Kṛṣṇa's sovereignty.
My note
Source: vedabase.io