FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.17.28

एवं मन्युमयीं मूर्तिं कृतान्तमिव बिभ्रतम् । प्रणता प्राञ्जलि: प्राह मही सञ्जातवेपथु: ॥ २८ ॥
evaṁ manyumayīṁ mūrtiṁ
[evam manyumayeem moortim]
kṛtāntam iva bibhratam
[kritaantam iva bibhratam]
praṇatā prāñjaliḥ prāha
[pranataa praanjalih praaha]
mahī sañjāta-vepathuḥ
[mahee sanjaata-vepathuh]
Word-for-word
evam — thus manyu-mayīm — very much angry mūrtim — form kṛta-antam — death personified, Yamarāja iva — like bibhratam — possessing praṇatā — surrendered prāñjaliḥ — with folded hands prāha — said mahī — the planet earth sañjāta — arisen vepathuḥ — trembling in her body.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
evaṁ manyumayīṁ mūrtiṁ
evam
thus
manyu-mayīm
very much angry
mūrtim
form
kṛtāntam iva bibhratam
kṛta-antam
death personified, Yamarāja
iva
like
bibhratam
possessing
praṇatā prāñjaliḥ prāha
praṇatā
surrendered
prāñjaliḥ
with folded hands
prāha
said
mahī sañjāta-vepathuḥ
mahī
the planet earth
sañjāta
arisen
vepathuḥ
trembling in her body.
At this time Pṛthu Mahārāja became exactly like Yamarāja, and his whole body appeared very angry. In other words, he was anger personified. After hearing him, the planet earth began to tremble. She surrendered, and with folded hands began to speak as follows.
Purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is death personified to miscreants and the supreme beloved Lord to the devotees. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.34) the Lord says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: “I am all-devouring death.” Faithless unbelievers, who challenge the appearance of God, will be delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He appears before them as death. Hiraṇyakaśipu, for example, challenged the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Lord met him in the form of Nṛsiṁhadeva and killed him. Similarly, the planet earth saw Mahārāja Pṛthu as death personified, and she also saw him in the mood of anger personified. Therefore she began to tremble. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any circumstance. It is better to surrender unto Him and take His protection at all times.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
With folded hands, the trembling earth, bowing down, spoke to angry Pṛthu, who was like death personified.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Pṛthu now resembles Yamarāja — death personified. Earth trembles and surrenders with folded hands. Surrender is the right move when the protector has tipped into death-form; argument is over.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I still arguing when the only sane move would be to fold my hands?
  • Whose stage of anger should signal to me 'stop, surrender' rather than 'rebut'?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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