FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.18.24

मैनं मायाविनं द‍ृप्तं निरङ्कुशमसत्तमम् । आक्रीड बालवद्देव यथाशीविषमुत्थितम् ॥ २४ ॥
mainaṁ māyāvinaṁ dṛptaṁ
[mainam maayaavinam driptam]
niraṅkuśam asattamam
[nirankusham asattamam]
ākrīḍa bālavad deva
[aakreeda baalavad deva]
yathāśīviṣam utthitam
[yathaasheevisham utthitam]
mā — do not enam — him māyā-vinam — skilled in conjuring tricks dṛptam — arrogant niraṅkuśam — self-sufficient asat-tamam — most wicked ākrīḍa — play with bāla-vat — like a child deva — O Lord yathā — as āśīviṣam — a serpent utthitam — aroused.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mainaṁ māyāvinaṁ dṛptaṁ
mā
do not
enam
him
māyā-vinam
skilled in conjuring tricks
dṛptam
arrogant
niraṅkuśam asattamam
niraṅkuśam
self-sufficient
asat-tamam
most wicked
ākrīḍa bālavad deva
ākrīḍa
play with
bāla-vat
like a child
deva
O Lord
yathāśīviṣam utthitam
yathā
as
āśīviṣam
a serpent
utthitam
aroused.
Lord Brahmā continued: My dear Lord, there is no need to play with this serpentine demon, who is always very skilled in conjuring tricks and is arrogant, self-sufficient and most wicked.

No one is unhappy when a serpent is killed. It is a practice among village boys to catch a serpent by the tail and play with it for some time and then kill it. Similarly, the Lord could have killed the demon at once, but He played with him in the same way as a child plays with a snake before killing it. Brahmā requested, however, that since the demon was more wicked and undesirable than a serpent, there was no need to play with him. It was his wish that he be killed at once, without delay.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord! Do not play like a child with this demon, expert at magic, proud, uncontrollable, and wicked, just as Garuḍa plays with a snake raising his hoods in anger. Do not play with him like an ignorant person (bāla-vat). You are actually the crown jewel of knowledge. You are just like (yat) Garuḍa playing with an enraged snake. Or do not play with him, since I consider him an enraged snake.
The scale of the creation in this verse is not given to overwhelm us but to right-size us. Most of our anxiety shrinks when our self-importance shrinks.
Reflection Questions
  • How does it change your day to remember the universe was not built around your preferences?
  • What would humility actually look like for you in your work this week?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 18