Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.58
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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pareta-vat
—
like a dead man
Compound: pareta (departed, dead) + vat (like). Brahmā arose 'like a corpse rising.' Gauḍīyas treasure this simile: the experience of Bhagavān's full form is so overwhelming that recovery from it resembles resurrection.
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pratilabdha-akṣaḥ
—
having regained his eyesight
Compound: prati (back) + labdha (obtained) + akṣa (eye). He 'got back' his eyes. Gauḍīyas read this as a small mark of how darśana works: the senses are temporarily withdrawn, then returned.
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kṛcchrāt
—
with difficulty
Same word as verse 34. The standing adverb of strained effort. Brahmā struggles even to open his eyes — the body must readjust to ordinary perception after seeing the supreme.
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saha-ātmanā
—
along with himself
Compound: saha (with) + ātman (self). He sees the universe 'along with himself' — meaning he sees both the universe and his own place in it. Gauḍīyas read this as the verse's quiet correction: Brahmā, who had imagined himself the controller, now sees himself as one item inside the seen.
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ācaṣṭa
—
he saw
Aorist of ā-√cakṣ (to see clearly). Same verb Balarāma used at verse 38. Gauḍīyas note: the Bhāgavata uses ā-cakṣ for the seeing that takes in and acknowledges, not mere visual registration.
We actually do not die. At death, we are merely kept inert for some time, just as during sleep. At night we sleep, and all our activities stop, but as soon as we arise, our memory immediately returns, and we think, “Oh, where am I? What do I have to do?” This is called suptotthita-nyāya. Suppose we die. “Die” means that we become inert for some time and then again begin our activities. This takes place life after life, according to our karma, or activities, and svabhāva, or nature by association. Now, in the human life, if we prepare ourselves by beginning the activity of our spiritual life, we return to our real life and attain perfection. Otherwise, according to karma, svabhāva, prakṛti and so on, our varieties of life and activity continue, and so also do our birth and death. As explained by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, māyāra vaśe, yāccha bhese’, khāccha hābuḍubu bhāi: “My dear brothers, why are you being washed away by the waves of māyā ?” One should come to the spiritual platform, and then one’s activities will be permanent. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ: this stage is attained after one accumulates the results of pious activities for many, many lives. Janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate (Cc. Madhya 8.70). The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement wants to stop koṭi-janma, repeated birth and death. In one birth, one should rectify everything and come to permanent life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Getting back his external vision (arbak aksah), and opening his eyes, Brahma (kah) , as if returning from death, saw this universe (idam), the object of his possessiveness along with himself, the object of false identity as creator of the universe.
He rose up, because he had fallen off his swan. He saw this world (idam), object of his possessiveness along with his body, which he identified as “I.” He saw in this way because of forgetfulness.
After the Lord covered the māyā (tataḥ arvāk) Brahmā regained his consciousness, like a dead man, since his bewilderment was so complete. Or only a long time after regaining consciousness could he move about. He rose up. By becoming unconscious, he had fallen from his swan. When unconscious, he forgot about himself. Now he saw the universe and himself. Or he saw Vṛndāvana at once (saha) by himself (ātmanā).
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- After my deepest moments of hearing or chanting, do I let myself return slowly, or do I rush back to busyness?
- Where am I shortchanging the integration that follows real darśana?
Like a man who fainted in a vision and now stands up with limbs unsure, eyes opening for the first time — Brahmā revives slowly, as if dead, and looks around to confirm the world is the world again. The post-darśana body is fragile; the māyā that protects ordinary life has to be carefully reissued.
My note
Source: vedabase.io