FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.6.38

गिरिं चारोप्य गरुडे हस्तेनैकेन लीलया । आरुह्य प्रययावब्धिं सुरासुरगणैर्वृत: ॥ ३८ ॥
giriṁ cāropya garuḍe
[girim chaaropya garude]
hastenaikena līlayā
[hastenaikena leelayaa]
āruhya prayayāv abdhiṁ
[aaruhya prayayaav abdhim]
surāsura-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
[suraasura-ganair vritah]
girim — the mountain ca — also āropya — placing garuḍe — on the back of Garuḍa hastena — by the hand ekena — one līlayā — very easily as His pastime āruhya — getting on prayayau — He went abdhim — to the Ocean of Milk sura-asura-gaṇaiḥ — by the demigods and asuras vṛtaḥ — surrounded.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
giriṁ cāropya garuḍe
girim
the mountain
ca
also
āropya
placing
garuḍe
on the back of Garuḍa
hastenaikena līlayā
hastena
by the hand
ekena
one
līlayā
very easily as His pastime
āruhya prayayāv abdhiṁ
āruhya
getting on
prayayau
He went
abdhim
to the Ocean of Milk
surāsura-gaṇair vṛtaḥ
sura-asura-gaṇaiḥ
by the demigods and asuras
vṛtaḥ
surrounded.
The Lord very easily lifted the mountain with one hand and placed it on the back of Garuḍa. Then, He too got on the back of Garuḍa and went to the Ocean of Milk, surrounded by the demigods and demons.

Here is proof of the omnipotence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is above everyone. There are two classes of living entities — the demons and the demigods — and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is above them both. The demons believe in the “chance” theory of creation, whereas the demigods believe in creation by the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The omnipotence of the Supreme Lord is proved here, for simply with one hand He lifted Mandara Mountain, the demigods and the demons, placed them on the back of Garuḍa and brought them to the Ocean of Milk. Now, the demigods, the devotees, would immediately accept this incident, knowing that the Lord can lift anything, however heavy it might be. But although demons were also carried along with the demigods, demons, upon hearing of this incident, would say that it is mythological. But if God is all-powerful, why would it be difficult for Him to lift a mountain? Since He is floating innumerable planets with many hundreds and thousands of Mandara Mountains, why can’t He lift one of them with His hand? This is not mythology, but the difference between the believers and the faithless is that the devotees accept the incidents mentioned in the Vedic literatures to be true, whereas the demons simply argue and label all these historical incidents mythology. Demons would prefer to explain that everything happening in the cosmic manifestation takes place by chance, but demigods, or devotees, never consider anything to be chance. Rather, they know that everything is an arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the difference between the demigods and the demons.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The Lord very easily lifted the mountain with one hand and placed it on the back of Garuḍa. He then went to the ocean of milk, surrounded by the devatās and demons.
The Lord effortlessly lifted the mountain, demigods, and demons together onto Garuḍa. What devotees see as omnipotence, demons dismiss as mythology. The same act reveals God to faith and hides Him from doubt.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in my reading of scripture do I behave like a demon — dismissing what I cannot mechanically explain?
  • What 'impossible' lift has the Lord already done in my life that I have explained away?
📝 My note

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