Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.23.50
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
namaḥ
—
obeisances
From √nam. The bhakta's first and last word. The chapter began with the boys' namaḥ to the brāhmaṇas (verse 5, daṇḍavat); it ends with the brāhmaṇas' namaḥ to Bhagavān. The arc completes.
-
bhagavate-kṛṣṇāya
—
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa
Compound: bhagavate (dative of bhagavān) + kṛṣṇāya (dative). The full Gauḍīya identification — Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. The brāhmaṇas reach the correct siddhānta at the moment of bowing.
-
akuṇṭha-medhase
—
whose intelligence is never restricted
Compound: a (not) + kuṇṭha (blunted) + medhase (dative of medhā, intelligence). Bhagavān's never-blunted buddhi — contrasted with their own duṣprajñā (verses 10-11). His intelligence is the standard against which theirs collapsed.
-
yat-māyā-mohita-dhiyaḥ
—
whose minds are bewildered by His illusory potency
Compound: yat (whose) + māyā (illusion) + mohita (bewildered) + dhiyaḥ (intelligences). They name māyā as His — not an external force, but His own śakti. Submission is named correctly in tattva-language.
-
karma-vartmasu
—
upon the paths of fruitive activity
Compound: karma (action) + vartmasu (locative plural of vartman, path). Karma-paths — the very paths their yajña traverses. The brāhmaṇas name their own road as the road of wandering. Karma without bhakti is named bhrama.
Feeling very low, the brahamans asked forgiveness from the Lord.
Showing their foolishness they are amazed by the power of māyā to bewilder them and offer respects to the omniscient Lord with devotion to remove that illusion. We offer respects to the Lord full of inconceivable powers (bhagavate) who has unfailing knowledge (akuṇṭha-medhase). They describe themselves as the opposite. By māyā our intelligence is bewildered and we wander on the path of karma, repeatedly absorbed in it, like falling into a whirlpool and being unable to get out.
Showing their foolishness they were amazed by the power of māyā to bewilder them and offered respects to the omniscient Lord with devotion to remove that illusion. We offer respects to the Lord full of inconceivable powers (bhagavate). It is difficult for us to know him. Or we offer respects to the Lord who manifests himself as Bhagavān with unlimited qualities, because he is Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise he would not herd cows. Or otherwise, in some other form, he would not give us mercy by begging food. Or as Kṛṣṇa, he attracted the hearts of our wives. From him arises proper memory (akuṇṭḥa-medhase). He gives our wives’ memory to do their household duties. Or he has continuous knowledge. Others like us are thus fools. He thus knows about us, who are manifested from his power of māyā and he knows his great qualities such as mercy. We wander about, again and again absorbed in the path of karma, as if in a whirlpool, and cannot get out. Or we wander about unable to surrender to him, since we cannot determine his existence with faith.
- Where have I been avoiding the confession that I have been wandering, even fruitfully?
- What would change if I made this same confession aloud today?
The compass that has been pointing in every direction except north finally finds its true bearing — the brāhmaṇas, having spent the chapter wandering on karma-vartmas, finally bow toward Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti's first complete act, namaḥ, arrives.
My note
Source: vedabase.io