FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.18.2

ददर्श तत्राभिजितं धराधरं प्रोन्नीयमानावनिमग्रदंष्ट्रया । मुष्णन्तमक्ष्णा स्वरुचोऽरुणश्रिया जहास चाहो वनगोचरो मृग: ॥ २ ॥
dadarśa tatrābhijitaṁ dharā-dharaṁ
[dadarsha tatraabhijitam dharaa-dharam]
pronnīyamānāvanim agra-daṁṣṭrayā
[pronneeyamaanaavanim agra-damshtrayaa]
muṣṇantam akṣṇā sva-ruco ’ruṇa-śriyā
[mushnantam akshnaa sva-rucho ’runa-shriyaa]
jahāsa cāho vana-gocaro mṛgaḥ
[jahaasa chaaho vana-gocharo mrigah]
Word-for-word
dadarśa — he saw tatra — there abhijitam — the victorious dharā — the earth dharam — bearing pronnīyamāna — being raised upward avanim — the earth agra-daṁṣṭrayā — by the tip of His tusk muṣṇantam — who was diminishing akṣṇā — with His eyes sva-rucaḥ — Hiraṇyākṣa’s own splendor aruṇa — reddish śriyā — radiant jahāsa — he laughed ca — and aho — oh vana-gocaraḥ — amphibious mṛgaḥ — beast.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dadarśa tatrābhijitaṁ dharā-dharaṁ
dadarśa
he saw
tatra
there
abhijitam
the victorious
dharā
the earth
dharam
bearing
pronnīyamānāvanim agra-daṁṣṭrayā
pronnīyamāna
being raised upward
avanim
the earth
agra-daṁṣṭrayā
by the tip of His tusk
muṣṇantam akṣṇā sva-ruco ’ruṇa-śriyā
muṣṇantam
who was diminishing
akṣṇā
with His eyes
sva-rucaḥ
Hiraṇyākṣa’s own splendor
aruṇa
reddish
śriyā
radiant
jahāsa cāho vana-gocaro mṛgaḥ
jahāsa
he laughed
ca
and
aho
oh
vana-gocaraḥ
amphibious
mṛgaḥ
beast.
He saw there the all-powerful Personality of Godhead in His boar incarnation, bearing the earth upward on the ends of His tusks and robbing him of his splendor with His reddish eyes. The demon laughed: Oh, an amphibious beast!
Purport

In a previous chapter we have discussed the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Varāha, the boar. While Varāha, with His tusks, engaged in uplifting the submerged earth from the depths of the waters, this great demon Hiraṇyākṣa met Him and challenged Him, calling Him a beast. Demons cannot understand the incarnations of the Lord; they think that His incarnations as a fish or boar or tortoise are big beasts only. They misunderstand the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even in His human form, and they deride His descent. In the Caitanya sampradāya there is sometimes a demoniac misconception about the descent of Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu’s body is spiritual, but demoniac persons consider the body of the Supreme Personality to be material, just like ours. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ: persons who have no intelligence deride the transcendental form of the Lord as material.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He saw the Lord, holder of the earth, lifting high the earth on the tips of his tusks, diminishing Hiraṇyākṣa’s splendor with his reddish eyes. Hiraṇyākṣa laughed, “O! You are a beast that lives in the water!” In the previous discussion of Varāha the pastime of the battle was not described in detail. Here it is described. Abhijitam means “he who conquers all around.” Or it can mean he who is the presiding deity of Abhijit constellation. Varāha was lifting up the earth high. He diminished Hiraṇyākṣa’s splendor (svarucaḥ) by his radiance. Vanagocaraḥ means a being living in the water as well as a beast living in the forest. The demon’s abuse is also praise for the Lord. Vanagocaraḥ can mean Nārāyaṇa, who sleeps on the water. This vanagocara is sought (mrgaḥ) by the sages. Or vanagocaraḥ can mean “one who should be seen in an isolated place, not the village.”
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Pastimes here are described as the actual means by which the Lord is known. Cold philosophy can only carry the soul so far before relationship takes over. The pivot here is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • What would it mean to read the Lord's pastimes as if they were happening to someone you love?
  • What would change in your day if you held a particular pastime in mind from morning to evening?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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