FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.89.53

तस्मिन् महाभोगमनन्तमद्भ‍ुतं सहस्रमूर्धन्यफणामणिद्युभि: । विभ्राजमानं द्विगुणेक्षणोल्बणं सिताचलाभं शितिकण्ठजिह्वम् ॥ ५३ ॥
tasmin mahā-bhogam anantam adbhutaṁ
[tasmin mahaa-bhogam anantam adbhutam]
sahasra-mūrdhanya-phaṇā-maṇi-dyubhiḥ
[sahasra-moordhanya-phanaa-mani-dyubhih]
vibhrājamānaṁ dvi-guṇekṣaṇolbaṇaṁ
[vibhraajamaanam dvi-gunekshanolbanam]
sitācalābhaṁ śiti-kaṇṭha-jihvam
[sitaachalaabham shiti-kantha-jihvam]
Word-for-word
tasmin — there mahā — huge bhogam — a serpent anantam — Lord Ananta adbhutam — amazing sahasra — thousand mūrdhanya — on His heads phaṇā — upon the hoods maṇi — of the gems dyubhiḥ — with the rays of effulgence vibhrājamānam — shining dvi — twice guṇa — as many īkṣaṇa — whose eyes ulbaṇam — frightening sita — white acala — the mountain (namely Kailāsa) ābham — whose resemblance śiti — dark blue kaṇṭha — whose necks jihvam — and tongues .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmin mahā-bhogam anantam adbhutaṁ
tasmin
there
mahā
huge
bhogam
a serpent
anantam
Lord Ananta
adbhutam
amazing
sahasra-mūrdhanya-phaṇā-maṇi-dyubhiḥ
sahasra
thousand
mūrdhanya
on His heads
phaṇā
upon the hoods
maṇi
of the gems
dyubhiḥ
with the rays of effulgence
vibhrājamānaṁ dvi-guṇekṣaṇolbaṇaṁ
vibhrājamānam
shining
dvi
twice
guṇa
as many
sitācalābhaṁ śiti-kaṇṭha-jihvam
īkṣaṇa
whose eyes
ulbaṇam
frightening
sita
white
acala
the mountain (namely Kailāsa)
ābham
whose resemblance
śiti
dark blue
kaṇṭha
whose necks
jihvam
and tongues .
Important Words
  • anantam — Ananta (the unlimited serpent)
    From an-anta (without end). Śeṣa, the Lord's bed and śayyā-rūpa. Gauḍīyas hold Ananta-Śeṣa is the first plenary expansion of Saṅkarṣaṇa — the personal substrate of all support.
  • sahasra-mūrdhanya-phaṇā — with thousands of hoods
    Compound: sahasra (thousand) + mūrdhanya (head-borne) + phaṇā (hood). The serpent has uncountable heads — each a witness to the Lord. The Bhāgavatam loves these multiplications because they are real.
  • sita-acala-ābham — white as a snowy mountain
    Compound: sita (white) + acala (mountain) + ābha (appearance). Like Kailāsa — the simile yokes Śeṣa to the most familiar śāstric image of vast whiteness. The Bhāgavatam uses cosmic landscape vocabulary for the body of God's bed.
  • śiti-kaṇṭha-jihvam — with dark-blue necks and tongues
    Compound: śiti (dark blue) + kaṇṭha (neck) + jihvā (tongue). Śeṣa's blue throats and tongues. Gauḍīyas note the detail: even color-coding is precise — white body, blue throat — because the form is real, not allegorical.
In that palace was the huge, awe-inspiring serpent Ananta Śeṣa. He shone brilliantly with the radiance emanating from the gems on His thousands of hoods and reflecting from twice as many fearsome eyes. He resembled white Mount Kailāsa, and His necks and tongues were dark blue.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In that palace was the huge, awe-inspiring serpent Ananta Śeṣa. He shone brilliantly with the radiance emanating from the gems on His thousands of hoods and reflecting from twice as many fearsome eyes. He resembled white Mount Kailāsa, and His necks and tongues were dark blue.
Commentary

Within that abode he first saw the great snake Ananta, effulgent like Kailasa (sitacala abham), with bluish (siti) throats and tongues. Amara kosa says "siti" can mean white or dark blue.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Ananta was huge in body (bhoga) because of his unlimited hoods. He was unprecedented. He was superior to the Śeṣa of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. He shone with the jewels on the hoods of his unlimited heads. He shone even more than the palace.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Ananta was huge in body (bhoga) because of his unlimited hoods. He was unprecedented. This suggests that Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu was even more splendrous that Śeṣa who holds up the earth. He was astonishing because he was the ornament of Viṣṇu. Śeṣa shone with the jewels on the hoods of his unlimited (sahasra) heads or he shone with the jewels on his unlimited chief hoods. He shone even more than the palace. He was like Mount Kailāsa because of his whiteness and size.

Related values & verses
Related values
Mardava (Gentleness)Adambhitva (Non-hypocrisy / Authenticity)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Discriminative Wisdom
Related verses
BG 5.18 BG 8.4 BG 14.12 BG 14.1 BG 12.1 BG 18.37 BG 11.1 BG 3.3 SB 1.2BG 12.3 BG 4.8 BG 15.9 BG 6.35
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
In that palace, Ananta Śeṣa shines with the radiance of His thousand hoods. The Lord's bed is itself a luminous being; everything in His vicinity participates in His brilliance.
Reflection Questions
  • What ordinary thing near God's presence in my life I have been blind to as luminous?
  • Where could I see the surroundings of holiness as themselves holy?
Analogy

Ananta Śeṣa appears — thousands of hoods, twice as many eyes, white as Kailāsa, necks and tongues dark blue. The Lord's bed is itself a Person. Before darśana of Mahā-Viṣṇu, the Bhāgavatam shows Arjuna the seat — and even the seat is a fearsome, jeweled, conscious form.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 89