FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.16.2

नालं वयं ते महिमानुवर्णने यो देववर्योऽवततार मायया । वेनाङ्गजातस्य च पौरुषाणि ते वाचस्पतीनामपि बभ्रमुर्धिय: ॥ २ ॥
nālaṁ vayaṁ te mahimānuvarṇane
[naalam vayam te mahimaanuvarnane]
yo deva-varyo ’vatatāra māyayā
[yo deva-varyo ’vatataara maayayaa]
venāṅga-jātasya ca pauruṣāṇi te
[venaanga-jaatasya cha paurushaani te]
vācas-patīnām api babhramur dhiyaḥ
[vaachas-pateenaam api babhramur dhiyah]
na alam — not able vayam — we te — your mahima — glories anuvarṇane — in describing yaḥ — you who deva — the Personality of Godhead varyaḥ — foremost avatatāra — descended māyayā — by His internal potencies or causeless mercy vena-aṅga — from the body of King Vena jātasya — who have appeared ca — and pauruṣāṇi — glorious activities te — of you vācaḥ-patīnām — of great orators api — although babhramuḥ — became bewildered dhiyaḥ — the minds.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nālaṁ vayaṁ te mahimānuvarṇane
na alam
not able
vayam
we
te
your
mahima
glories
anuvarṇane
in describing
yo deva-varyo ’vatatāra māyayā
yaḥ
you who
deva
the Personality of Godhead
venāṅga-jātasya ca pauruṣāṇi te
vācas-patīnām api babhramur dhiyaḥ
varyaḥ
foremost
avatatāra
descended
māyayā
by His internal potencies or causeless mercy
vena-aṅga
from the body of King Vena
jātasya
who have appeared
ca
and
pauruṣāṇi
glorious activities
te
of you
vācaḥ-patīnām
of great orators
api
although
babhramuḥ
became bewildered
dhiyaḥ
the minds.
The reciters continued: Dear King, you are a direct incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, and by His causeless mercy you have descended to this earth. Therefore it is not possible for us to actually glorify your exalted activities. Although you have appeared through the body of King Vena, even great orators and speakers like Lord Brahmā and other demigods cannot exactly describe the glorious activities of Your Lordship.

In this verse the word māyayā means “by your causeless mercy.” The Māyāvādī philosophers explain the word māyā as meaning “illusion” or “falseness.” However, there is another meaning of māyā — that is, “causeless mercy.” There are two kinds of māyā: yoga-māyā and mahā-māyā. Mahā-māyā is an expansion of yoga-māyā, and both these māyās are different expressions of the Lord’s internal potencies. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord appears through His internal potencies ( ātma-māyayā ). We should therefore reject the Māyāvāda explanation that the Lord appears in a body given by the external potency, the material energy. The Lord and His incarnation are fully independent and can appear anywhere and everywhere by virtue of the internal potency. Although born out of the so-called dead body of King Vena, King Pṛthu was still an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the Lord’s internal potency. The Lord can appear in any family. Sometimes He appears as a fish incarnation ( matsya-avatāra ) or a boar incarnation ( varāha-avatāra ). Thus the Lord is completely free and independent to appear anywhere and everywhere by His internal potency. It is stated that Ananta, an incarnation of the Lord who has unlimited mouths, cannot reach the end of His glorification of the Lord, although Ananta has been describing the Lord since time immemorial. So what to speak of demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others? It is said that the Lord is śiva-viriñci-nutam — always worshiped by demigods like Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. If the demigods cannot find adequate language to express the glories of the Lord, then what to speak of others? Consequently reciters like the sūta and māgadha felt inadequate to speak about King Pṛthu.

By glorifying the Lord with exalted verses, one becomes purified. Although we are unable to offer prayers to the Lord in an adequate fashion, our duty is to make the attempt in order to purify ourselves. It is not that we should stop our glorification because demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot adequately glorify the Lord. Rather, as stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja, everyone should glorify the Lord according to his own ability. If we are serious and sincere devotees, the Lord will give us the intelligence to offer prayers properly.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
We are not capable of describing the glories of you, the best of devas, who appear in this world by your mercy. The intelligence of eloquent persons such as Brahmā has become bewildered at the activities of you, born from the limb of Vena. We are not capable (na alam). Māyayā means “by mercy” or “along with your śakti Arci.” The intelligence of even Brahmā is bewildered by your activities.
You are a direct incarnation of Viṣṇu, descended to earth through Vena's body by causeless mercy. Even the medium through which the Lord descends can be unclean; what matters is the one who descends.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'unclean medium' (background, family, history) am I judging instead of seeing the Lord who came through?
  • Where does my own descent through a difficult lineage become a witness rather than a wound?
📝 My note

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