Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.87.14
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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jayajaya
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victory to You, victory to You
Doubled jaya (from √ji, to conquer). The śrutis' opening cry. Gauḍīyas hear in this the same exclamation that fills the kīrtanas of Bengal: jaya jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya. The chapter's stuti is, structurally, a kīrtana.
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ajām
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the eternal illusory potency of Māyā
Feminine of aja — the unborn. Māyā is unborn because she is the Lord's eternal external energy. Yet she binds; hence the prayer to defeat her. Acintya-bhedābheda: she is His and yet must be overcome to reach Him.
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ajita
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O unconquerable one
From a + √ji. Kṛṣṇa's name as the never-conquered. Gauḍīyas relish the paradox: ajita is conquered only by prema — His own devotees defeat Him through love. The very śrutis here hail Him as ajita while asking Him to conquer māyā.
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ātmanā
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in Your original status
Instrumental of ātman. Bhagavān is samavaruddha-samasta-bhagaḥ — complete in all opulences by His own nature, not borrowed from any source. The verse establishes svayam-bhagavattva at the start of the stuti.
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akhila-śakti-avabodhaka
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O You who awaken all the energies
Compound: akhila (all) + śakti (energies) + avabodhaka (awakener). All cosmic activity is the Lord waking His own potencies. Nothing is autonomous. Gauḍīyas link to BG 9.10: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate.
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nigamaḥ
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the Vedas
From ni + √gam — that which leads down (from Bhagavān to humans). Synonym of śruti but emphasizing transmission rather than hearing. Gauḍīyas: the Vedas are not human reach upward; they are divine descent.
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the twenty-eight verses of the prayers of the personified Vedas (texts 14-41) represent the opinions of each of the twenty-eight major śrutis. These chief Upaniṣads and other śrutis concern themselves with various approaches to the Absolute Truth, and among them those śrutis are supreme which emphasize pure, unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Upaniṣads direct our attention to the Personality of Godhead by first negating what is distinct from Him and then defining some of His important characteristics. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets the first words of this prayer, jaya jaya, to mean “please reveal Your superexcellence.” The word jaya is repeated out of either reverence or joy. “How should I reveal My excellence?” the Lord might ask. The śrutis answer by requesting Him to mercifully destroy the ignorance of all living beings and attract them to His lotus feet. The Lord says, “But Māyā, who imposes ignorance on the jīvas, is full of good qualities [ gṛbhīta-guṇām ]. Why should I oppose her?” “Yes,” the Vedas answer, “but she has taken on the three modes of nature to bewilder the conditioned souls and make them falsely identify with their material bodies. Her modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, moreover, are tainted [ doṣa-gṛbhīta ] because You are not manifest in their presence.” The śrutis go on to address the Lord as ajita, implying that “only You cannot be conquered by Māyā, whereas others, like Brahmā, are defeated by their own faults.” The Lord responds, “But what proof do you have that she cannot conquer Me?” “The proof lies in the fact that in Your original state You have already realized the perfection of all opulences.” At this point the Lord might object that merely destroying the ignorance of the jīvas will not suffice to bring them to His lotus feet, since the jīva soul, even after his ignorance is dispelled, cannot attain the Lord without engaging in devotional service. As the Lord states in His own words, bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: “I am attainable only through devotional service.” ( Bhāg. 11.14.21 ) To this objection the śrutis reply, “My Lord, O You who awaken all energies, after creating the intelligence and senses of the living entities, You inspire them to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labor. In addition, by Your mercy You awaken their ability to pursue the progressive paths of knowledge, mystic yoga and devotional service, allowing them to advance toward You in Your aspects of Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, respectively. And when jñāna, yoga and bhakti mature, You empower the living beings to directly realize You in each of Your three aspects.” If the Lord were to ask for authoritative evidence to support this statement by the personified Vedas, they humbly reply, “We ourselves are the evidence. On some occasions — such as now, the time of creation — You consort with Your external, Māyā potency, whereas You are always present with Your internal energy. It is at times such as the present, when Your activity is outwardly manifest, that we, the Vedas, can recognize You in Your play.” Thus endowed with authority by their personal association with the Supreme Lord, the śrutis promulgate the processes of karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti as various means for the conditioned souls to employ their intelligence, senses, mind and vitality in search of the Absolute Truth. In many places the Vedas glorify the transcendental, personal qualities of the Supreme. The following verse appears in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.11), the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad ( Uttara 97), and the Brahma Upaniṣad (4.1): eko devaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ sarva-vyāpī sarva-bhūtāntarātmā karmādhyakṣaḥ sarva-bhūtādhivāsaḥ sākṣī cetāḥ kevalo nirguṇaś ca “The one Supreme Lord lives hidden inside all created things. He pervades all matter and sits within the hearts of all living beings. As the indwelling Supersoul, He supervises their material activities. Thus, while having no material qualities Himself, He is the unique witness and giver of consciousness.” The Supreme’s personal qualities are further described in the following quotations from the Upaniṣads: Yaḥ sarva-jñaḥ sa sarva-vid yasya jñāna-mayaṁ tapaḥ. “He who is all-knowing, from whom the potency of all knowledge comes — He is the wisest of all” ( Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.1.9); sarvasya vaśī sarvasyeśānaḥ: “He is the Lord and controller of everyone” ( Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22); and yaḥ pṛthivyāṁ tiṣṭhan pṛthivyā āntaro yaṁ pṛthivī na veda: “He who resides within the earth and pervades it, whom the earth does not know.” ( Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.3) The Lord’s role in creation is mentioned in many statements of the śruti. The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.2.4) states, so ’kāmayata bahu syām: “He desired, ‘I will become many.’” The phrase so ’kāmayata (“He desired”) here implies that the Lord’s personality is eternal, for even prior to the creation the Absolute Truth experienced desire, and desire is an attribute unique to persons. The Aitareya Upaniṣad (3.11) similarly states, sa aikṣata tat-tejo ’sṛjata: “He saw, and His power sent forth the creation.” Here the word tat-tejaḥ refers to the Lord’s partial expansion Mahā-Viṣṇu, who glances upon Māyā and thus manifests the material creation. Or tat-tejaḥ may refer to the Lord’s impersonal Brahman feature, His potency of all-pervasive, eternal existence. As described in Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40): yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes.” In summing up this verse, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī prays: jaya jayājita jahy aga-jaṅgamā- vṛtim ajām upanīta-mṛṣā-guṇām na hi bhavantam ṛte prabhavanty amī nigama-gīta-guṇārṇavatā tava “All glories, all glories to You, O unconquerable one! Please defeat the influence of Your eternal Māyā, who covers all moving and nonmoving creatures and who rules over the modes of illusion. Without Your influence, all these Vedic mantras would be powerless to sing of You as the ocean of transcendental qualities.”
"O unconquerable Lord! May you remain in all your glories (jaya jaya). May you reveal all your excellent qualities." Jaya is repreated twice out of great respect or joy. "By what means should I reveal my glories?" "By being merciful to the jivas, but letting them attain the sweetness of your lotus feet. Destroy that ignorance (ajam) which in unfavorable for attaining your feet of all the jivas with stationary and moving bodies (agajagad okasam)." "But Maya is full of good qualities. How does she act unfavorably for the jivas’ attaining me?" "She has the quality of covering knowledge, making the jivas accept false identity in material bodies (dosa ghrbita gunan)." Another meaning is: "She possesses the modes of nature (sattva, raja and tama) which hide your presence. Her qualities produce anarthas which are not favorable for attainment of your lotus feet." (In the word "ghrbhita," bh is a substitute for h (ghrhita), permitted in prayers.) "O unconquerable one (ajita), you cannot be conquered by her, but others such as Brahma are conquered by her qualities." "You say that I am unconquered by her, what is the symptom of that?" "Because (yat) you are endowed with all powers (samavaruddha samasta bhaga) through your svarupa (atmana)--because you have complete control over maya." "But even if ignorance slackens, one cannot attain me except by bhakti, for concerning bhakti I have said, ‘bhaktya aham ekaya grahyah’ (sb 11.14.21) ‘I am obtained only by unalloyed devotion.’" "O awakener of all saktis! Having created intelligence, the senses, mind and pranas, you arouse all the saktis of the jivas such as the sakti for doing work and enjoying the fruit of work. In the same way, you, by your mercy, awaken all the saktis for executing jnana and bhakti yoga in order to attain you in your forms of Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan. And when theses practices are mature, you then awaken the saktis to give realization of Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan" "What is the proof of this?" Here the srutis themselves speak, but out of humility they speak in the third person. "The srutis (nigamah) serve you, who only at the time of creation (kvacit) engage in activities with your external energy (ajaya), but at all times engage in activities with your internal energy (atmana). Our serving you (describing you) produces the proof of your carrying out these functions. In other words, we the srutis establish that you act at the time of creation and destruction of the material world, and that you act at all times for devotees’ realization of yourself. Therefore the statement of the Brahmopanisad is correct in saying that you created the intelligence, senses, mind for the benefit of the jivas." Thus the Lord, Brahman, is endowed with eternity, full knowledge and bliss. Here are the proofs: Eko devah sarvabhutesu gudhah sarva vyapi sarva bhutantaratma Karmadhyaksah sarvabhutadhivasah saksi cetah kevalo nirgunas ca The one Lord is hidden in all living beings, pervades everywhere, and is the soul within all living being. The Lord is the controller of action, resides in all entities, is the witness, consciousness, one, without material qualities. Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.11 Yah sarva jnah sarvavit yasya jnanamayam tapah He is complete knowledge, endowed with cit sakti. Mundaka upanisad 1.1.9 Sarvajna means complete knowledge. Sarva vit means the cit sakti of the Lord whose quality is to awaken all saktis, which can be realized only by her grace. Jnanamayam means filled with recollection or inference. Tapa means glorious powers. sarvasya vasi sarvasyesanah He remembers everything, as all glories, controls all, is worshipped by all because he gives the fruits of karma Brhad aranyaka 4.4.22 Vasi means power to control. Isana means giver of fruits of all karma, therefore he is worshipped by all. yah prthivyam tisthan prthivyam antarah He is all pervading, and remains hidden from all, difficult to understand. Brhad aranyaka3.7.3 He resides in the earth because he is all pervading. Being within the earth means that no one knows him.
So’kamayata bahu syam The Lord desired: may I become many. Taittiriya upanisad 2.6.1 The Lord has desire which existed before the creation. Because that desire is purely spiritual it indicates his auspicious qualities.
sa iksata Aitareya upanisad The Lord decided to create. tat tejo’ srjat The Lord creates by his amsa, mahavisnu, or by his all pervasive nature. Chandogya Upanisad 6.2.2 Satyam vijnanam anandam brahma Brahman has qualities of satya, vijnana and ananda. Taitiriya 2.1.2 ( It looks like many of the references given in bhagavatam are not correct. Some of the quotes look like two texts merged together. I could not vind so kamayata bahusyam together in one upanisad. Others I could not trace. ) .
yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-kotim- kotsivv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam tad brahma niskalam anantam asesa-bhutam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of universes." (Brahma-samhita 5.40) Madiyam mahimanams ca param brahmeti sabditam vetsyasy anugrhitam me samprasair rtam hrdi You will be thoroughly advised and favored by Me, and because of your inquiries, everything about My glories, which are known as paraṁ brahma, will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about Me. (SB 8.24.38) satyam jnanam anantam yad brahma-jyotih sanatanam yad dhi pasyanti munayo gunapaye samahitah Lord Krsna revealed the indestructible spiritual effulgence, which is unlimited, conscious and eternal. Sages see that spiritual existence in trance, when their consciousness is free of the modes of material nature. (SB 10.28.15) Brahmano hi pratisthaham I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman Bhagavad Gita 14.27 These statements show the Lord as Brahman, paramatma and bhagavan (and their relationship).
Yato va imani bhutani jayante From him all entities are born. Taitiriya Upanisad 3.1.1. This verse show his creative aspect. Aksayam ha vai caturmasya yajinah sukrtam bhavati One who has worshiped by means of the vows of caturmasya attains pious credits which never become depleted. Apastambha Srauta Sutra, Black Yajur Veda 8.1.1 This verse shows the process of karma.
Brahmavid apnoti param Attaining knowledge of brahman one attains the supreme. Taitiriya Upanisad 2.12 Tam eva viditva atimrtyum eti Knowing him, one surpasses death. Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.8. These verses show the process of jnana. Satam caika ca hrdayasya nadyas tasam murdhanam abhinim sritaika tayordhvam anayan amrtatvam There are one hundred and one subtle nerve channels which emanate from the heart. One of these extends to the top of head; by passing up through it one transcends death. Chandogya Upanisad 8.6.6. This verse shows the process of yoga. Bhakti alone leads to the Lord. saccidanandaika rase bhakti yoge tisthati He is revealed through bhakti yoga, in the one rasa of eternity, knowledge and bliss. Gopal Tapani Upanisad Uttara 79 This verse demonstrates the process of bhakti.
Having shown in verse 2 that the Lord is directly indicated by praṇava, the leaders of all the great Upaniṣads of twenty-eight varieties, which are expansions of the praṇava, begin to speak in order harmonize the conclusion of all the śrutis by delineating the essential qualities of the Lord while refuting condemned opinions not approved by the śrutis. First they reveal their first cherished desire while joking, in a way befitting a bard. O Lord unconquerable by māyā! You must reveal your supreme qualities (jaya jaya)! Repeating the word jaya they indicate, “Why do you not reveal those qualities?” “It will be detrimental to me to cause injury to māyā who is the cause of variety in this world.” You have full powers because of your svarūpa-śakti, full of the highest bliss (ātmanā). Māyā is insignificant. Śrīdhara Svāmī will say “Māyā has no affect on the master of a host of desire cows of continuous bliss and knowledge.” Nārada has said: viśuddha-vijñāna-ghanaṁ sva-saṁsthayā samāpta-sarvārtham amogha-vāñchitam Let me surrender to you, Bhagavān. You are the condensed form of pure knowledge and by you are bliss itself you have forms with many qualities. SB 10.37.22 “What is the proof that I have such a svarūpa-śakti?” You awaken material and spiritual śaktis of the jīvas (okāṇ) in the material (agat) and spiritual (aga) worlds. You give śakti to all the śaktis. Since matter is inert, and the operating of its śaktis is similar, to awaken them, you use your svarūpa-śakti, with spiritual form. Awaking the spiritual cit-śaktis is also caused by the svarūpa-śakti since it is the shelter of all śaktis. “You understand this by logic but you cannot be the witnesses. There should be direct observers of these śaktis. Those near me do not know the truth about me. They only serve me. To that extent, your words prove nothing.” We Vedas serve you who sometimes perform actions as a puruṣa with māyā (ajayā) for pastimes of creation of the universes, and who sometimes perform actions in the form of Svayam Bhagavān with your svarūpa-śakti full of bliss (ātmanā) in pastimes of pure bliss. Therefore defeat māyā. Actually the Vedas do not speak using secondary meaning of words (guṇa-vṛttayaḥ). But in order to reject that idea, to confirm the truth, they directly speak about the Lord, mentioning his svarūpa-śakti, by taking support of his various qualities. They describe him by calling him “unconquerable (ajita).” By the special word, in the form of his spiritual name, the śrutis make him turn and face them. The reason they serve him (anucaret) is bhakti alone. This is the conclusion brought out. The śrutis confirm this. Satyaṁ jñanam anantaṁ brahma: the supreme Lord is existence, knowledge and bliss. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) Vijñānam ānandaṁ brahma: the Lord is knowledge and bliss. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇam ca vidyate: the Lord has no senses and no body. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad) Tam eva bhāntam anubhāti sarvam: all things shine because he shines. (Katha Upaniṣad 2.2.5) yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśānte mahātmanaḥ The meaning of scripture is revealed to the person who has devotion to guru as much as he has devotion to the Lord. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23
O Lord unconquered by māyā (ajita)! The Vedas act as your servants (anucaret). Though they should say “We act as your servants” they describe themselves in the third person out of great humility and obedience. Conquer over māyā. Remove māyā completely. “But as sattva-guṇa, māyā is your assistant. Why remove her?” Even sattva-guṇa is contaminated with māyā’s disturbing nature (doṣa). “It is not proper to remove māyā since she is the cause of some pastimes.” By your cit śakti emanating from yourself (ātmanā) you are full of all powers to perform all your sweet pastimes. What use is māyā? “Then how will the jīvas realize me, filled with the astonishing cit śakti, and take up bhakti?” Without your mercy in the form of giving śakti (akhila-śakty-avabodhaka), the jīvas (aga-jagad-okasām) cannot take to bhakti. “How is it known that I perform pastimes using all my śaktis?” The Vedas serve you, who act as the puruṣa, using māyā for the pastime of creating the world and who sometimes act as Nārāyaṇa and other forms using the cit śakti for pastimes of pure bliss. They know about your pastimes by serving you.
- What would my prayer sound like if I began with God's fullness rather than my emptiness?
- Where do I default to need-language and skip glory-language entirely?
Like flagbearers who run before the king's chariot crying 'Jaya! Jaya!', the Vedas open their stuti by hailing victory to the unconquerable Lord — and immediately ask Him to defeat māyā, the one rival who otherwise covers the jīvas' vision.
My note
Source: vedabase.io