Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.56.19
ऋक्षराजबिलं भीममन्धेन तमसावृतम् ।
एको विवेश भगवानवस्थाप्य बहि: प्रजा: ॥ १९ ॥
ṛkṣa-rāja-bilaṁ bhīmam
[riksha-raaja-bilam bheemam]
andhena tamasāvṛtam
[andhena tamasaavritam]
eko viveśa bhagavān
[eko vivesha bhagavaan]
avasthāpya bahiḥ prajāḥ
[avasthaapya bahih prajaah]
Word-for-word
ṛkṣa - rāja
—
of the king of the bears
bilam
—
the cave
bhīmam
—
terrifying
andhena tamasā
—
by blinding darkness
āvṛtam
—
covered
ekaḥ
—
alone
viveśa
—
entered
bhagavān
—
the Supreme Lord
avasthāpya
—
stationing
bahiḥ
—
outside
prajāḥ
—
the citizens .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ṛkṣa-rāja-bilaṁ bhīmam
ṛkṣa - rāja
of the king of the bears
bilam
the cave
bhīmam
terrifying
andhena tamasāvṛtam
andhena tamasā
by blinding darkness
āvṛtam
covered
eko viveśa bhagavān
ekaḥ
alone
viveśa
entered
bhagavān
the Supreme Lord
avasthāpya bahiḥ prajāḥ
avasthāpya
stationing
bahiḥ
outside
prajāḥ
the citizens .
Important Words
-
bhīmam
—
terrifying
From √bhī, to fear. The cave is named by its affect on entrants. The Lord enters fear willingly — a Bhāgavata sūtra of grace: He goes where His devotee is not yet able to follow.
-
andhena tamasā
—
by blinding darkness
Compound: andha (blind) + tamasā (by darkness). The very phrase used in the Iśopaniṣad for the result of avidyā. Kṛṣṇa entering andha-tamas is the iconography of avatāra into ignorance to retrieve a soul.
-
ekaḥ
—
alone
Even with all of Dvārakā with Him, Bhagavān enters alone. The decisive encounter is always one-to-one — Jāmbavān will meet Bhagavān without an audience, as every soul ultimately must.
The Lord stationed His subjects outside the terrifying, pitch-dark cave of the king of the bears, and then He entered alone.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The Lord stationed His subjects outside the terrifying, pitch-dark cave of the king of the bears, and then He entered alone.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
In order to retrieve the jewel so that he could summon Satrājit and give it back, he followed the tracks of Jāmbavān to the cave. The cave was terrifying because of the darkness (andhena) and because it was related to Jāmbavān, an ape. Because of this he stationed the people of Dvārakā at the mouth of the cave since he is an ocean of mercy (bhagavān).
Related values & verses
Related values
Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Raksha (Protective Responsibility)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Daya (Compassion / Mercy)Discriminative WisdomSeva (Service / Selfless Action)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Lord stations subjects outside the pitch-dark cave of the bear king and enters alone. Some entrances are made alone; companions wait outside.
Reflection Questions
- Where could you enter a difficult cave alone while having companions wait?
- What truth is yours to seek without spectators?
Analogy
Bhagavān leaves the city outside and enters the dark cave alone. This is every interior crisis of the devotee — the noise outside cannot enter; only Kṛṣṇa Himself goes into the dark place. Even rescue is private.
My note
Source: vedabase.io