Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.16.18
श्रीशुक उवाच
एवमभ्यर्थितोऽदित्या कस्तामाह स्मयन्निव ।
अहो मायाबलं विष्णो: स्नेहबद्धमिदं जगत् ॥ १८ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
evam abhyarthito ’dityā
[evam abhyarthito ’dityaa]
kas tām āha smayann iva
[kas taam aaha smayann iva]
aho māyā-balaṁ viṣṇoḥ
[aho maayaa-balam vishnoh]
sneha-baddham idaṁ jagat
[sneha-baddham idam jagat]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
—
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
evam
—
in this way
abhyarthitaḥ
—
being requested
adityā
—
by Aditi
kaḥ
—
Kaśyapa Muni
tām
—
unto her
āha
—
said
smayan
—
smiling
iva
—
just like
aho
—
alas
māyā-balam
—
the influence of the illusory energy
viṣṇoḥ
—
of Lord Viṣṇu
sneha-baddham
—
influenced by this affection
idam
—
this
jagat
—
whole world.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
evam abhyarthito ’dityā
evam
in this way
abhyarthitaḥ
being requested
kas tām āha smayann iva
aho māyā-balaṁ viṣṇoḥ
sneha-baddham idaṁ jagat
adityā
by Aditi
kaḥ
Kaśyapa Muni
tām
unto her
āha
said
smayan
smiling
iva
just like
aho
alas
māyā-balam
the influence of the illusory energy
viṣṇoḥ
of Lord Viṣṇu
sneha-baddham
influenced by this affection
idam
this
jagat
whole world.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When Kaśyapa Muni was thus requested by Aditi, he slightly smiled. “Alas,” he said, “how powerful is the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu, by which the entire world is bound by affection for children!”
Purport
Kaśyapa Muni was surely sympathetic to his wife’s affliction, yet he was surprised at how the whole world is influenced by affection.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When Kaśyapa Muni was thus requested by Aditi, he slightly smiled and spoke. "Alas, the entire world is bound by affection, the strength of Viṣṇu’s māyā."
Kaḥ means Kaśyapa. He appeared to smile, but actually he did not. He was pained internally by her suffering.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Kaśyapa smiled: alas, how powerful Viṣṇu's illusory energy that the whole world is bound by affection for children. Even the sage notes the universal mechanism. Affection for offspring is the most binding form of māyā.
Reflection Questions
- Where does my affection for my children — or what I treat as my 'children' — bind me beyond reason?
- Can I smile, like Kaśyapa, at my own bond without immediately dismissing it?
My note
Source: vedabase.io