Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.49
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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bhuvi
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on the earth
Locative of bhū (earth). The verse-target. Earth is uniquely the field where karma-bondage tightens and bhakti-medicine works — heavenly planets are too comfortable for śaraṇāgati.
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viśva - īśvare
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in the master of all planetary systems
Viśva (all) + īśvara (lord), locative. A title of Bhagavān. The verse's compact theology: when He descends, He does not become viśva-īśvara — He already is, and now appears.
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harau
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in the Supreme Lord (Hari)
Locative of Hari. Third title in the same line — mahādeve, viśva-īśvare, harau. Triple naming = triple emphasis. Gauḍīya: this is the verse's doctrinal anchor against any impersonalist drift.
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bhaktiḥ
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devotional service
The verse's prayojana-word. Bhakti is what Droṇa and Dharā ask Kṛṣṇa to spread — not jñāna, not karma, not yoga. The Bhāgavatam's culminating prescription, here spoken by the parents-to-be.
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paramā
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the ultimate, supreme
Bhakti is paramā — the supreme path. Gauḍīya: not 'one path among many' but the path that fulfills all others. Compare BG 18.66 (sarva-dharmān parityajya).
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durgatim taret
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(by which) one may cross over miserable life
Durgati (bad destination, miserable life) + taret (optative of √tṛ, to cross). The same √tṛ as 10.8.16's tariṣyatha. The crossing-metaphor recurs: bhakti is the boat, the world is the river, durgati is the wrong bank.
This statement by Droṇa clearly indicates that Droṇa and Dharā are the eternal father and mother of Kṛṣṇa. Whenever there is a necessity of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, Droṇa and Dharā appear first, and then Kṛṣṇa appears. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that His birth is not ordinary ( janma karma ca me divyam ). ajo ’pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro ’pi san prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā “Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” ( Bg. 4.6 ) Before Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, Droṇa and Dharā appear in order to become His father and mother. It is they who appear as Nanda Mahārāja and his wife, Yaśodā. In other words, it is not possible for a sādhana-siddha living being to become the father or mother of Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa’s father and mother are already designated. But by following the principles exhibited by Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā and their associates, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, ordinary living beings may attain such affection as exhibited by Nanda and Yaśodā. When Droṇa and Dharā were requested to beget children, they chose to come to this world to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa’s appearance means paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām — the devotees are protected, and the miscreants are vanquished. Whenever Kṛṣṇa comes, He distributes the highest goal of life, devotional service. He appears as Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the same purpose because unless one comes to devotional service, one cannot be delivered from the miseries of the material world ( duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam ), where the living beings struggle for existence. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7) : mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati “The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Because of conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” The living entities are struggling to become happy, but unless they take to the bhakti cult, their happiness is not possible. Kṛṣṇa clearly says: aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani “Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.” ( Bg. 9.3 ) Foolish persons do not know how risky life is here if one does not follow the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, has been started so that by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can avoid the risky life of this material existence. There is no question of accepting or not accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not optional; it is compulsory. If we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, our life is very risky. Everything is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, to learn how to become free from the miserable condition of material existence, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is the preliminary study. Then, if one understands Bhagavad-gītā, one can proceed to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and if one advances further, one may study Caitanya-caritāmṛta. We are therefore presenting these invaluable books to the whole world so that people may study them and be happy, being delivered from miserable conditional life.
This verse refers to their future lives. Maha deva means one who has great pastimes. They would be born on the earth (bhuvi), where the Lord would appear. Visvesvara means the Lord who maintains full power though appearing within the material universe. According to the statement of Uddhava in 3.2.15, Krsna the master of Narayan and Brahma appeared along with his amsas such as mahavisnu and matsya and kurma. In other words Krsna is purna or full. Hari means he who steals the our mind. According to the logic of "seeing the result one can infer the cause," the words parama bhakti must mean vatsalya bhakti suitable to a mother and father. In the future, others, hearing about and glorifying the services we rendered to the cowherd boy, will easily get hard to obtain liberation. In this way Dhara and Drona, performing pure sadhana bhakti, prayed for pure prema bhakti. It was unlike the bhakti of Sutapa and Prsni who performed bhakti mixed with austerity and yoga. This was explained previously. The result of their bhakti was also seen.
Though as portions of Nanda and Yaśodā, they were qualified for the sweetness of the Lord, by association with sages they developed a preference for aiśvarya in the Lord and expressed this to Brahmā. May we two, being born on earth, develop prema (bhaktiḥ) for the Lord with great attractiveness (harau), who, though the Lord of the universe, is also engaged in the highest play (mahādeve). This bhakti we think is the highest (paramā). This will be realized as parental affection when they become parents, since it is said “According to your surrender, I respond.” (BG 4.11) From their prayer which expresses giving up all other objects, it is understood that they had such bhakti from previous times. But though they had it, the prayer is made out of prema, with great longing for that prema because prema’s nature is that it is never satisfied. Similarly Dhruva prays to Kuvera for bhakti. (SB 4.12.8) To pray for getting the Lord as their son would be a selfish desire on their part. Asking for the Lord as their son would express them desire for great position. Thus they prayed for prema, since that is the nature of prema. It cannot be otherwise. Kṛṣṇa spontaneously responds to those who pray in this manner. The verse shows the superiority of their sādhana to that of Vasudeva and others (who wanted the Lord as their son), since sādhana and sādhya should both be pure bhakti. Everyone should pray with a desire only for pure prema to the Lord, not with self-interest caused by envy found in the materialist. By our bhakti of hearing and chanting all other people (lokaḥ) will cross material existence. Some versions have loke. By this bhakti, others in the world (loke) will cross material existence. Though both Dhārā and Yaśodā had pure vātsalya-bhāva, Yaśodā’s bhāva was superior because of the naturalness of her motherly affection.
May we have the highest bhakti when we are born in this world. Previously they had bhakti, but now they wanted intense pure bhakti with affection for the Lord as their son. One attains the Lord as one’s son from pure practice of bhakti focused on that intention. We should have the highest bhakti for he who engages in the highest play (mahādeva). The Lord appears in this world to play as a pastime. He is the lord of all lords (viśveśvare): as the supreme lord, he is the avatarī, source of all avatāras. Or he is directly the lord of the universe, though he appears on earth (bhuvi). And thus he has great effulgence (mahadeva), since he manifests unlimited powers. And thus he attracts the world (harau). By this bhakti all people easily cross the ocean of saṁsāra, difficult to cross. This is a secondary result, indicated by the word “easily.” A fire to be used for cooking easily drives away the cold. Or by bhakti all people can easily surpass the goal of liberation which is hard to attain for others. Liberation is hard to surpass because it is glorified profusely by those desiring liberation. This statement discards liberation and glorifies bhakti. Or by our bhakti, by the power of hearing and chanting, others will be able to cross the ocean of saṁsāra.
- Jananivas Pr SB 10-08-49 - 2011-08-21 ISKCON Mayapur
- Jananivas Pr SB 10-08-49 - 2011-08-18 ISKCON Mayapur
- Padaseva Pr SB 10-08-49 Oriya
- Bhakti Prabhava Sw SB 10-08-49 - 2017-01-16 Bhaktivedanta Manor
- BVMS SB 10-08-49 - 2012-05-31 ISKCON Alachua
- Romapada Sw SB 10-08-49 - Lord Krsna Shows the Universal Form within his Mouth - 2020-06-04 Houston
- Romapada Sw SB 10-08-49-50 - Lord Krsna Shows the Universal Form within his Mouth - 2020-06-05 Houston
- Today, name one specific material misery you keep trying to fix on its own terms, and instead offer that exact struggle to Kṛṣṇa through a concrete act of devotional service.
- Open Bhagavad-gītā As It Is for fifteen unhurried minutes and read it as the preliminary, non-optional training Prabhupāda says it is — not as inspirational reading.
- Refuse the inner voice that treats Kṛṣṇa consciousness as one self-improvement option among many; speak it aloud once today as compulsory, and act on one sādhana you have been postponing.
Two physicians who beg the medical academy for transfer to the most diseased ward — not because they love disease, but because the cure works most powerfully where the sickness is densest. Droṇa and Dharā ask for earth-birth precisely because earth is where bhakti's medicine spreads fastest.
My note
Source: vedabase.io