FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.26.17

प्रागयं वसुदेवस्य क्‍वचिज्जातस्तवात्मज: । वासुदेव इति श्रीमानभिज्ञा: सम्प्रचक्षते ॥ १७ ॥
prāgayaṁ vasudevasya
[praagayam vasudevasya]
kvacij jātas tavātmajaḥ
[kvachij jaatas tavaatmajah]
vāsudeva iti śrīmān
[vaasudeva iti shreemaan]
abhijñāḥ sampracakṣate
[abhijnaah samprachakshate]
Word-for-word
prāk — before ayam — this child vasudevasya — of Vasudeva kvacit — sometimes jātaḥ — was born tava — your ātmajaḥ — Kṛṣṇa, who has taken birth as your child vāsudevaḥ — therefore He may be given the name Vāsudeva iti — thus śrīmān — very beautiful abhijñāḥ — those who are learned sampracakṣate — also say that Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prāgayaṁ vasudevasya
prāk
before
ayam
this child
vasudevasya
of Vasudeva
kvacij jātas tavātmajaḥ
kvacit
sometimes
jātaḥ
was born
tava
your
ātmajaḥ
Kṛṣṇa, who has taken birth as your child
vāsudeva iti śrīmān
vāsudevaḥ
therefore He may be given the name Vāsudeva
iti
thus
śrīmān
very beautiful
abhijñāḥ sampracakṣate
abhijñāḥ
those who are learned
sampracakṣate
also say that Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva .
Important Words
  • vasudevasya — of Vasudeva
    Genitive of Vasudeva — Kṛṣṇa's biological father in Mathurā. Garga confirms what Nanda half-knew: the child placed in Yaśodā's bed at birth was born to Devakī. Vātsalya is not lessened by the disclosure; it is widened.
  • vāsudevaḥ — therefore He may be given the name Vāsudeva
    Vṛddhi formation from Vasudeva — 'son of Vasudeva.' Gauḻīyas also gloss vāsudeva as 'He in whom all beings dwell (vasanti)' — both etymologies are doctrinally true.
  • ātmajaḥ — Kṛṣṇa, who has taken birth as your child
    Ātma (self) + ja (born). Literally 'self-born' — the son issuing from one's own self. Garga delicately uses the word that Vraja-vātsalya prizes most, even while explaining Kṛṣṇa's prior birth elsewhere.
  • śrīmān — very beautiful
    Śrī (splendor, beauty) + mān (possessing). Bhagavān is always śrīmān — accompanied by Śrī (Lakṣmī, His potency). Even in Vraja He is never bereft of His opulence; it is only veiled by mādhurya.
  • abhijñāḥ — those who are learned
    Abhi (toward) + √jñā (know) — those who know fully. Gauḻīyas read abhijñas as Vaiṣṇavas who recognize Kṛṣṇa's tattva; the verse implies an inner circle of knowers within whom this naming is current.
For many reasons, this beautiful son of yours sometimes appeared previously as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore, those who are learned sometimes call this child Vāsudeva.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
For many reasons, this beautiful son of yours sometimes appeared previously as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore, those who are learned sometimes call this child Vāsudeva.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
'For many reasons He sometimes appeared as Vasudeva's son — hence called Vāsudeva.' Names carry histories; understanding why a name is used connects us to a chain of pastimes.
Reflection Questions
  • Which name of the Lord do I use most, and do I know its history?
  • Where would naming Him by a different name today open a different aspect?
Analogy

A great man's son sometimes appears in another household to keep the family's name safe — and the people of that other house, knowing the lineage, call him by the first father's name as well. Kṛṣṇa is yours, Nanda, but the wise also call Him Vāsudeva, because He has been Vasudeva's son before.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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