Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.85.31
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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aṁśa aṁśa aṁśa
—
an expansion of an expansion of an expansion
Three iterations of aṁśa ('part, expansion'). The Bhāgavatam's precise hierarchy of avatāra: Kṛṣṇa → Saṅkarṣaṇa → Mahā-Viṣṇu → Garbhodakaśāyī → Kṣīrodakaśāyī. The world arises from one of the furthest expansions.
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viśva-ātman
—
O Soul of the universe
Compound vocative: viśva (universe) + ātman. Devakī addresses her son with the same epithet the Upaniṣads reserve for the cosmic Self. The vātsalya-rasa and the antaryāmī-doctrine coexist in one address.
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gatim gatā
—
have approached as my goal
Noun + past participle: gati (destination) + gatā (gone-to). The verb of śaraṇāgati. Devakī, like Vasudeva, formally takes refuge.
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utpatti-laya-udayāḥ
—
creation, dissolution and maintenance
Compound: utpatti (origination) + laya (dissolution) + udaya (rising / maintenance). The three Bhāgavata functions — sṛṣṭi, sthiti, pralaya — performed by a sliver of Bhagavān's expansion. The scale of the request that follows is measured against this scale of the asked.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains this verse as follows: The Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, Nārāyaṇa, is but one expansion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Mahā-Viṣṇu, the first creator, is Lord Nārāyaṇa’s expansion. The total material energy emanates from Mahā-Viṣṇu’s glance, and of that total material energy the three modes of nature are divided portions. Thus it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, acting through His expansions, who generates, sustains and dissolves the universe.
Today I take shelter of you. By sattva, raja and tama, which are divisions of prakrti, which is a portion of mahapurusa visnu, who is a portion of the lord of vaikuntha, who is a portion of you, the universe is created maintained and destroyed.
Having praised both of them, taking them both as one person she surrenders. Kila means famous. O root form within the universe (viśvātman)! Up till now, I have not made requests to you. Now I surrender to make a request.
Having praised both of them, indicating that they are capable of fulfilling her request, she surrendered in sorrow. Kila means famous. O antaryāmī of all beings (viśvātman)! This indicates great power. I take shelter of you. “Mother, why do you say this?” You are the first (ādya), since you are the greatest person. Or up till now, I have not surrendered to you. Now I surrender to make a request.
- What freedom comes from realizing I am not the central concern of God's full attention?
- How does the bigness of God's reach actually free me to be small?
A river flows from a Himalayan source; that source is a glacier melting under sun; the sun receives its light from a deeper origin still. Devakī traces the world's making three levels upstream — aṁśa of aṁśa of aṁśa — and finds her sons.
My note
Source: vedabase.io