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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.17.23

कृष्ण कृष्ण महाभाग हे रामामितविक्रम । एष घोरतमो वह्निस्तावकान् ग्रसते हि न: ॥ २३ ॥
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-bhaga
[krishna krishna mahaa-bhaga]
he rāmāmita-vikrama
[he raamaamita-vikrama]
eṣa ghoratamo vahnis
[esha ghoratamo vahnis]
tāvakān grasate hi naḥ
[taavakaan grasate hi nah]
kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa mahā - bhāga — O Lord of all opulence he rāma — O Lord Balarāma, source of all happiness amita - vikrama — You whose power is unlimited eṣaḥ — this ghora - tamaḥ — most terrible vahniḥ — fire tāvakān — who are Yours grasate — is devouring hi — indeed naḥ — us .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-bhaga
kṛṣṇa
O Kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa
O Kṛṣṇa
mahā - bhāga
O Lord of all opulence
he rāmāmita-vikrama
he rāma
O Lord Balarāma, source of all happiness
amita - vikrama
You whose power is unlimited
eṣa ghoratamo vahnis
eṣaḥ
this
ghora - tamaḥ
most terrible
vahniḥ
fire
tāvakān grasate hi naḥ
tāvakān
who are Yours
grasate
is devouring
hi
indeed
naḥ
us .
  • kṛṣṇa-kṛṣṇa — O Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa
    Vocative doubled. Gauḍīyas hold the doubled name as the prototype of harināma-saṅkīrtana — the same name uttered twice, with no addition, becomes prayer. Cf. the Hare-Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra itself: the name repeated is the entire path.
  • mahā-bhāga — O Lord of all opulence
    Compound: mahā (great) + bhāga (portion, fortune). One who possesses all six bhāgas — the six aiśvaryas. Even in panic, the Vrajavāsīs address Him with the full theological weight, though He looks like a boy.
  • he-rāma — O Balarāma
    Vocative. Balarāma is invoked in the same breath as Kṛṣṇa — they are the dvai-tattva, the Lord and His first expansion. Gauḍīya prayer often begins 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma'; the chapter stages this twin invocation inside the līlā itself.
  • ghora-tamaḥ-vahniḥ — most terrible fire
    Superlative compound: ghora (terrible) + tama (most) + vahni (fire). The danger is acknowledged at its true scale — śaraṇāgati does not minimize the threat; it accurately names it and then runs to Bhagavān anyway.
  • tāvakān — Yours, those who belong to You
    Possessive: tava + adjectival suffix. The Vrajavāsīs identify themselves not as people in danger but as Kṛṣṇa's-own-people in danger. Gauḍīyas: the most powerful claim a devotee can make is 'I am Yours' — protection follows ownership.
[Vṛndāvana’s residents said:] Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, O Lord of all opulence! O Rāma, possessor of unlimited power! This most terrible fire is about to devour us, Your devotees!
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
[Vṛndāvana's residents said:] Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, O Lord of all opulence! O Rāma, possessor of unlimited power! This most terrible fire is about to devour us, Your devotees!
Commentary

The inhabitants called out the Balarama as well, because he had also show that he was omniscient. They inferred that he as well was invested with the power of some deva.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Their method of surrender is described. In excitement or out of natural affection they call to Kṛṣṇa twice. O Kṛṣṇa from whom our good fortunate arises (mahā-bhaga)! In your presence we have no fear. O Balarāma with unlimited prowess! By your power the fire will extinguished. Recognition of their great powers appeared, but not knowledge of their powers as the Lord. This fire is visible to us and swift (eṣaḥ), and terrifying because it is coming near and we have no escape. It will destroy us completely (grasate). We are yours. They say this to invoke his mercy or to make him understand that they should not be destroyed. By adding the word hi (certainly), both boys are indicated, since they are both addressed at the beginning of the verse. Because Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are non-different, the word tāvakān indicating “yours” in the singular (Pāṇini 4.3.3) is used to denote both of them.

Related values
Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Satya (Truthfulness)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)
Related verses
'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Lord of all opulence! Rāma, possessor of unlimited power! The fire is about to devour us, Your devotees!' Simple, direct, urgent calling — devotion in crisis doesn't compose long verses.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I composing long, polished prayers when 'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa' would be more honest?
  • What crisis right now deserves naked urgency rather than rhetorical sophistication?

'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa!' — twice — the same name doubled in panic and love. This is what nāma-saṅkīrtana sounds like when the house is on fire: not measured japa, not theological precision, just the Name spoken twice because once was not enough. The chapter quietly stages the Gauḍīya teaching: the holy name and Bhagavān are non-different, and in crisis the lips remember it first.

Draupadī's cry

When dragged into the Kuru-sabhā and her sari was being pulled, Draupadī first tried to hold it herself. Only when both hands failed did she cry, 'Govinda! Dvārakā-nivāsa! Save me, save me, save me!' The Lord then supplied an endless cloth.

Mahābhārata and Bhāgavatam both stage the same shape: śaraṇāgati becomes complete only when self-effort fails. The Vraja-vāsīs' 'Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa' is Draupadī's 'Govinda, Govinda' in another key — the doubled name of the One who answers.

📝 My note

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