FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.38

तदेष नाथाप दुरापमन्यै- स्तमोजनि: क्रोधवशोऽप्यहीश: । संसारचक्रे भ्रमत: शरीरिणो यदिच्छत: स्याद् विभव: समक्ष: ॥ ३८ ॥
tad eṣa nāthāpa durāpam anyais
[tad esha naathaapa duraapam anyais]
tamo-janiḥ krodha-vaśo ’py ahīśaḥ
[tamo-janih krodha-vasho ’py aheeshah]
saṁsāra-cakre bhramataḥ śarīriṇo
[samsaara-chakre bhramatah shareerino]
yad-icchataḥ syād vibhavaḥ samakṣaḥ
[yad-ichchatah syaad vibhavah samakshah]
tat — that eṣaḥ — this Kāliya nātha — O Lord āpa — has achieved durāpam — difficult to achieve anyaiḥ — by others tamaḥ - janiḥ — who was born in the mode of ignorance krodha - vaśaḥ — who was under the sway of anger api — even ahi - īśaḥ — the king of serpents saṁsāra - cakre — within the cycle of material existence bhramataḥ — wandering śarīriṇaḥ — for the embodied living entity yat — by which (dust of Your lotus feet) icchataḥ — who has material desires syāt — manifests vibhavaḥ — all opulences samakṣaḥ — before his eyes .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tad eṣa nāthāpa durāpam anyais
tat
that
eṣaḥ
this Kāliya
nātha
O Lord
āpa
has achieved
durāpam
difficult to achieve
anyaiḥ
by others
tamo-janiḥ krodha-vaśo ’py ahīśaḥ
tamaḥ - janiḥ
who was born in the mode of ignorance
krodha - vaśaḥ
who was under the sway of anger
api
even
ahi - īśaḥ
the king of serpents
saṁsāra - cakre
within the cycle of material existence
saṁsāra-cakre bhramataḥ śarīriṇo
bhramataḥ
wandering
śarīriṇaḥ
for the embodied living entity
yad-icchataḥ syād vibhavaḥ samakṣaḥ
yat
by which (dust of Your lotus feet)
icchataḥ
who has material desires
syāt
manifests
vibhavaḥ
all opulences
samakṣaḥ
before his eyes .
  • tamaḥ - janiḥ — born of the mode of ignorance
    Compound: tamaḥ (mode of darkness) + jani (birth). Kāliya's birth-mode candidly named. Gauḍīya: tāmasic birth is no bar to grace once Bhagavān has touched the head.
  • krodha - vaśaḥ — controlled by anger
    Compound: krodha (anger) + vaśa (controlled). The asura's signature affect. The wives concede it without softening: their husband is, by his nature, ruled by rage.
  • saṁsāra - cakre — in the wheel of saṁsāra
    Compound: saṁsāra (transmigration) + cakra (wheel). The Bhāgavata picture of the bound jīva. The contrast: the wheel grinds others; this wheel-grinder has been lifted out, hood-by-hood.
  • vibhavaḥ - samakṣaḥ — (Your) splendor in person
    Compound: vibhava (splendor) + samakṣa (in the eye, in person). Bhagavān not just remembered but standing in front. The highest darśana — and Kāliya, of all creatures, has it.
O Lord, although this Kāliya, the king of the serpents, has taken birth in the mode of ignorance and is controlled by anger, he has achieved that which is difficult for others to achieve. Embodied souls, who are full of desires and are thus wandering in the cycle of birth and death, can have all benedictions manifested before their eyes simply by receiving the dust of Your lotus feet.

It is very rare for a conditioned soul to free himself from the contamination of illusion and thus become established in perfect consciousness of the Absolute Truth. And yet this benediction was achieved by the serpent Kāliya because the Lord personally danced upon the serpent’s hoods with His lotus feet. Although we conditioned souls may not receive the mercy of having the Lord dance on our head, we can receive the dust of the lotus feet of the Absolute through the Lord’s representative, the bona fide spiritual master, and thus go back home, back to Godhead, forever freed from the misery and ignorance of the mundane universe.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord, although this Kāliya, the king of the serpents, has taken birth in the mode of ignorance and is controlled by anger, he has achieved that which is difficult for others to achieve. Embodied souls, who are full of desires and are thus wandering in the cycle of birth and death, can have all benedictions manifested before their eyes simply by receiving the dust of Your lotus feet.
Commentary

Though the dust from your feet gives much more, the highest result, the materialists long to attain those feet in expectation of material enjoyment. Yet those feet, which are hard for even Laksmi and others to attain, have been attained by Kaliya, king of the snakes, who is full of ignorance and showed anger towards you.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kāliya has achieved what is to be attained in the future, not attained yet, with great troubles by the highest worshippers such as Brahmā. Though Kāliya was a great offender, since he was born in an ignorance species in which he is controlled by anger, and though he was the leader of the snakes, he attained your dust. This does not happen by thousands of sādhanas. It happens only by your mercy. Thus the wives exclaim, “O lord, who requests the miserable to make requests (nātha)!” By thinking of those feet everyone can immediately attain all perfections. Though one identifies with the body, material wealth and spiritual powers or prema are attained. Therefore now this snake whose hoods have accepted your lotus feet should attain special prema (vibhava).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kāliya has achieved what is to be attained in the future, not attained yet, with great troubles by the highest worshippers such as Brahmā. Though Kāliya was a great offender, since he was born in an ignorant species in which he was controlled by anger, and though he was the leader of the snakes, he attained your dust. This does not happen by any means. It is only your inconceivable power: O Lord (nātha)! You can do, not do, or change anything. There is a deeper meaning to the words like “born in ignorance.” The fault of his nature arising from his birth is arranged by you. Therefore what is his offense? You should forgive him. This will be clear later. By thinking of those feet, even those attached to their bodies can immediately attain all perfections. The living entities wander about, experiencing various sufferings, or doing sin or pious acts, in the complete cycle of birth and death (saṁsāra-cakre) or they wander in birth and death which is like a wheel, turning again and again. Though they have bodies they can develop material powers (vibhavaḥ) or a wealth of prema (vibhavaḥ) because of the supreme, infinite, astonishing power of the dust from your lotus feet. Or saṁsāra-cakre can mean “in the supremely deceiving (whirling around) state of liberation, the essence (sāra) of the four human goals.” People cannot extricate themselves from the words about adhyātmā propounded by persons desiring liberation. In this way they wander about (bhramataḥ). But by the power of your lotus feet even they can attain the direct (samakṣam) wealth of Vaikuṇṭha (vibhavaḥ). What is to be obtained has been described. So these hoods on which your two feet dance should attain a very special vibhava.

Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)Satya (Truthfulness)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Even Kāliya, born in ignorance and ruled by anger, attained what wandering souls cannot. The Lord's foot-dust manifests every benediction before one's eyes — and we receive it through His representative, the bona fide guru.
Reflection Questions
  • Through whose feet has the dust of His feet been reaching me lately?
  • Have I treated that bridge with the gravity it deserves?

Even our husband — born in ignorance, ruled by anger, a king of snakes — has somehow obtained what others cannot get even by desperately wanting it. The wives place Kāliya in the company of those who have unexpectedly received Bhagavān's grace. Even the asura's birth becomes a fortune now.

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