FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.51.37

क्व‍‍चिद् रजांसि विममे पार्थिवान्युरुजन्मभि: । गुणकर्माभिधानानि न मे जन्मानि कर्हिचित् ॥ ३७ ॥
kvacid rajāṁsi vimame
[kvachid rajaamsi vimame]
pārthivāny uru-janmabhiḥ
[paarthivaany uru-janmabhih]
guṇa-karmābhidhānāni
[guna-karmaabhidhaanaani]
na me janmāni karhicit
[na me janmaani karhichit]
kvacit — at some time rajāṁsi — the particles of dust vimame — one might count pārthivāni — on the earth uru - janmabhiḥ — in many lifetimes guṇa — qualities karma — activities abhidhānāni — and names na — not me — My janmāni — births karhicit — ever .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kvacid rajāṁsi vimame
kvacit
at some time
rajāṁsi
the particles of dust
vimame
one might count
pārthivāny uru-janmabhiḥ
pārthivāni
on the earth
uru - janmabhiḥ
in many lifetimes
guṇa-karmābhidhānāni
guṇa
qualities
karma
activities
abhidhānāni
and names
na me janmāni karhicit
na
not
me
My
janmāni
births
karhicit
ever .
  • rajāṁsi — dust particles
    Plural of rajas — dust. The homely word for the universe's countable surface. The Bhāgavata loves earthy analogies; Bhagavān's qualities exceed even the earth's dust-count.
  • pārthivāni — earthly
    From pṛthivī — earth. The adjective specifies dust-of-earth, not abstract particles. Earth itself is a Bhagavān-product (avara prakṛti, Gītā 7.4); Kṛṣṇa's qualities exceed His own creation's surface.
  • uru-janmabhiḥ — in many lifetimes
    Compound: uru (many) + janmabhiḥ (with births). Even cosmic-scale effort, over many janmas, cannot enumerate Him. Gauḍīyas read this against impersonalist 'one-life-to-merger' claims — the bhakta has eternally many janmas, all in His service.
  • guṇa — qualities
    Bhagavān's transcendental attributes — sat-cit-ānanda and the unlimited rasa-bearing qualities the Bhāgavatam catalogues. Gauḍīyas distinguish Bhagavān's guṇas (eternally transcendental) from prakṛti's guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas, conditioning).
  • karhicit — ever
    Particle — 'at any time.' The temporal locator of the impossibility. Not 'rarely' but 'never.' Vaiṣṇava theology's confidence: counting Bhagavān is not a difficult task, it is the kind of task that does not finish.
After many lifetimes someone might count the dust particles on the earth, but no one can ever finish counting My qualities, activities, names and births.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
After many lifetimes someone might count the dust particles on the earth, but no one can ever finish counting My qualities, activities, names and births.
Commentary

Someone has at some time counted (vimame) all the particles of dust on the earth.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Vimame should be vimami. One may count the particles of dust, but not my births which have names according to my qualities and activities. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that janmāṇi in this verse also indicates “activities” since this is referred to in the next verse.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Vimame should be vimami. Though his qualities were not in question, in this verse he explains that his qualities like his activities are unlimited. One may count the particles of dust, but not my births which have names according to my qualities and activities.

Related values
Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)
Related verses
Concepts
ChitJivaKarma
After many lifetimes one might count earth's dust particles, but never finish counting My qualities, activities, names and births. Infinity is named with a specific comparison; even particle-counting falls short.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you treat Kṛṣṇa as a finite subject of study?
  • How does this verse shape the humility of your inquiry?

A man might one day count the dust-grains on the earth — but not Bhagavān's qualities. The image is the Bhāgavata's preferred form of infinity: not abstract zero or unbounded ocean, but the homely impossibility of counting dust on a road.

📝 My note

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