FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.12.40

శ్రీసూత ఉవాచ ఇత్థం ద్విజా యాదవదేవదత్త: శ్రుత్వా స్వరాతుశ్చరితం విచిత్రమ్ । పప్రచ్ఛ భూయోఽపి తదేవ పుణ్యం వైయాసకిం యన్నిగృహీతచేతా: ॥ ౪౦ ॥
śrī-sūta uvāca
[shree-soota uvaacha]
itthaṁ dvijā yādavadeva-dattaḥ
[ittham dvijaa yaadavadeva-dattah]
śrutvā sva-rātuś caritaṁ vicitram
[shrutvaa sva-raatush charitam vichitram]
papraccha bhūyo ’pi tad eva puṇyaṁ
[paprachcha bhooyo ’pi tad eva punyam]
vaiyāsakiṁ yan nigṛhīta-cetāḥ
[vaiyaasakim yan nigriheeta-chetaah]
Word-for-word
śrī - sūtaḥ uvāca — Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī spoke to the assembled saints at Naimiṣāraṇya ittham — in this way dvijāḥ — O learned brāhmaṇas yādava - deva - dattaḥ — Mahārāja Parīkṣit (or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira), who was protected by Yādavadeva, Kṛṣṇa śrutvā — hearing sva - rātuḥ — of Kṛṣṇa, who was his savior within the womb of his mother, Uttarā caritam — the activities vicitram — all wonderful papraccha — inquired bhūyaḥ api — even again tat eva — such activities puṇyam — which are always full of pious activities ( śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ: to hear about Kṛṣṇa is always pious) vaiyāsakim — unto Śukadeva Gosvāmī yat — because nigṛhīta - cetāḥ — Parīkṣit Mahārāja had already become steady in hearing about Kṛṣṇa .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-sūta uvāca
śrī - sūtaḥ uvāca
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī spoke to the assembled saints at Naimiṣāraṇya
itthaṁ dvijā yādavadeva-dattaḥ
ittham
in this way
dvijāḥ
O learned brāhmaṇas
yādava - deva - dattaḥ
Mahārāja Parīkṣit (or Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira), who was protected by Yādavadeva, Kṛṣṇa
śrutvā sva-rātuś caritaṁ vicitram
śrutvā
hearing
sva - rātuḥ
of Kṛṣṇa, who was his savior within the womb of his mother, Uttarā
caritam
the activities
vicitram
all wonderful
papraccha bhūyo ’pi tad eva puṇyaṁ
papraccha
inquired
bhūyaḥ api
even again
tat eva
such activities
puṇyam
which are always full of pious activities ( śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ: to hear about Kṛṣṇa is always pious)
vaiyāsakiṁ yan nigṛhīta-cetāḥ
vaiyāsakim
unto Śukadeva Gosvāmī
yat
because
nigṛhīta - cetāḥ
Parīkṣit Mahārāja had already become steady in hearing about Kṛṣṇa .
Important Words
  • sva-rātuḥ — of his own savior
    Compound: sva (own) + rāt (giver, savior). 'Of his own deliverer.' Parīkṣit recognizes Kṛṣṇa as the One who saved him in the womb. Gauḍīyas: relationship-vocabulary intensifies as Bhāgavatam progresses — He is no longer 'the Lord' to Parīkṣit but 'his own savior.'
  • vicitram — wonderful, varied
    From vi + citra (variegated). The līlā is 'multi-coloured' — full of texture. Gauḍīyas: Kṛṣṇa-līlā is constitutively vicitra; it never repeats, never bores. Each pastime is its own world.
  • nigṛhīta-cetāḥ — with his mind firmly absorbed
    Compound: nigṛhīta (firmly held) + cetas (mind). Parīkṣit's mind is captured by the story. Gauḍīyas: this is the mark of effective śravaṇa — the mind cannot stray. Bhakti-rasa holds the cetas without effort.
  • puṇyam — purifying
    From puṇ- (to purify). The story itself is puṇya — meritorious / purifying. Gauḍīyas: kṛṣṇa-kathā is svayaṁ-puṇya — the narrative carries its own purifying power; the listener accrues merit by listening, the speaker by speaking.
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: O learned saints, the childhood pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are very wonderful. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, after hearing about those pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, who had saved him in the womb of his mother, became steady in his mind and again inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī to hear about those pious activities.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: O learned saints, the childhood pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are very wonderful. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, after hearing about those pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, who had saved him in the womb of his mother, became steady in his mind and again inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī to hear about those pious activities.
Commentary

Parkiksit, who was given to Uttara or Yudhisthira by Krsna (yadava deva datta) hearing of the wonderful pastimes of he who gives himself to his devotees(svaratuh), whose heart was controlled by hearing those pastimes (yad nigrhita cetah) again began to ask questions to Sukadeva.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Suddenly Sūta speaks. Out of great bliss, he praises Śukadeva and Parīkṣit. Parīkṣit’s heart was afflicted (nigṛhīta) by the appearance of prema in separation from the Lord. Parīkṣit asks to hear more because the topics are most auspicious (puṇyam). Those topics were the only medicine for Śukadeva’s suffering.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

As Śukadeva was speaking (ittham), out of great enthusiasm Parīkṣit began to inquire. Parīkṣit had been given by the lord (yādava-deva) to the Pāṇdavas, after being protected from the brahmāstra. Yādava-deva indicates that he was related to the Pāṇḍavas. Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva (vaiyasikim), the son of Vyāsa, who knew the meaning of the Vedas, after hearing the most astonishing (vickitra) pastimes, because some details were unclear. After hearing he began to consider. Parīkṣit’s heart was pained with longing (nigṛhīta) by the appearance of special prema because of hearing the pastimes. The answers would be most auspicious (puṇyam), being the medicine for his distress.

Related values & verses
Related values
Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)
Related verses
BG 10.1 BG 2.66 BG 3.27 BG 13.1 BG 12.2 BG 9.29 BG 12.5 BG 9.1 BG 3.3 BG 7.8 BG 1.41 BG 4.8 BG 18.74 BG 18.65 BG 2.55
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Analogy

Picture a king who was once saved as a child in the womb hearing the story of that other Child who saved Him — and being unable to hear enough. Parīkṣit's hunger for kṛṣṇa-kathā is itself the rasa Bhāgavatam means to transmit. The story does not just describe bhakti; it produces it in the listener.

Stories
Kṛṣṇa saving Parīkṣit in the womb

When Aśvatthāmā released the brahmāstra at Uttarā's womb to extinguish the Pāṇḍava line (SB 1.8.9–22), the unborn Parīkṣit was about to be incinerated. Kṛṣṇa entered the womb with His cakra and protected the child. Parīkṣit thus carries from before birth a direct experience of Kṛṣṇa as rescuer.

Gauḍīyas read 10.12.40 against this backdrop: the king who hears Aghāsura-līlā has himself been saved by the same Person. His rapt attention is not curiosity — it is recognition. The listener of Bhāgavatam is also its character.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 12