Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.64
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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mukundam
—
Lord Kṛṣṇa, the bestower of liberation
Mukunda — from mukti (liberation) + da (giver). Kṛṣṇa as the bestower of mukti. Gauḍīyas note: Brahmā looks up at Mukunda — at the Lord who, even after being tested, gives the highest gift. Mukunda is the name Gauḍīya prayer constantly returns to.
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kṛta-añjaliḥ
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with folded hands
Compound: kṛta (made) + añjali (cupped/folded hands). The standing posture of supplication. Gauḍīyas note: añjali precedes speech — the body offers itself before the tongue does. Stuti starts in the hands.
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vinamra-kandharaḥ
—
with neck bent
Compound: vinamra (bent down) + kandhara (neck). Neck bent — Brahmā's four heads are all bent. The four-headed posture of pride at chapter's opening has resolved into the four-bent-necked posture of surrender at chapter's close.
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sa-vepathuḥ
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with his body trembling
Compound: sa (with) + vepathu (trembling). Vepathu — trembling — is one of the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas (the eight involuntary symptoms of high bhakti) in Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Gauḍīyas mark this: Brahmā exhibits sāttvika-bhāva.
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gadgadayā
—
with faltering (voice)
Instrumental of gadgada — the breaking voice. Another of the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas. Gauḍīyas treasure gadgada as the speech-mark of overwhelmed prema: the words come, but they catch in the throat. From this gadgada the next chapter's stuti begins.
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praśraya-vān
—
very humble
Compound: praśraya (humility, modesty) + vat (possessing). Brahmā is now praśraya-vān — possessed of humility. Gauḍīyas note: this is the disposition the entire chapter has been designed to produce in him. The chapter ends in praśraya.
Brahmā, being very joyful, began to shed tears, and he washed the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa with his tears. Repeatedly he fell and rose as he recalled the wonderful activities of the Lord. After repeating obeisances for a long time, Brahmā stood up and smeared his hands over his eyes. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura comments that the word locane indicates that with his two hands he wiped the two eyes on each of his four faces. Seeing the Lord before him, Brahmā began to offer prayers with great humility, respect and attention. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Tenth Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā.”
This verse mentions that Brahma saw the Lord with two eyes. That is because all eight eyes were brimming with tears. With two hands he managed to wipe the two eyes facing Krsna. With choked up voice he began to praise the Lord (Ailata means aitta. Aitta comes from id-to praise. "la" has been added to imitate the choked voice of Brahma: gadayailatelaya).
He rose slowly because he could not give up offering respects due his intense bhakti. Or he rose slowly because of becoming stunned, due to overflowing of prema. He wipes his eyes because he could not see the Lord properly since his eyes flowed with tears. Though he had eight eyes only two eyes (locane) are mentioned since only two eyes were facing Kṛṣṇa at one time. Mukunda means the giver of liberation. Mukti is approved within bhakti: sarveṣāṁ vidhīyante yathā-varṇa-vidhānam apavargaś cāpi bhavati yo 'sau bhagavati sarva-bhūtātmany anātmye 'nirukte 'nilayane paramātmani vāsudeve 'nanya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-lakṣaṇo All these destinations are prescribed for the self according to the quality of their actions, as indicated in the Vedas. Liberation is then achieved. That liberation, whose essential nature is unmotivated bhakti-yoga to the Lord full of qualities, who attracts the minds of all beings, who is not the object of merging, who is not described by material words, who remains beyond destruction of the universe, who is the most excellent ātmā, who is the son of Vasudeva, (SB 5.19.19) Looking intensely (ud-vīkṣya) at Mukunda he then bowed his head out of shame for his offense. Because of Brahmā’s great devotion, Kṛṣṇa gave up searching for the calves and boys and remained stationary. Brahmā began speaking with concentration (samāhitaḥ), because his body was shaking. He could skillfully compose verses because of his wealth of prema. Ailata stands for aiṭta. The extra l sound is added to imitate Brahmā’s stuttering voice. My mind, going forward in the story to the end and going back to the beginning, regards all this as most clearly astonishing.
Since he was unable to stop offering respects because of great devotion, only gradually could he start to offer prayes. Though he had eight eyes, only two eyes are mentioned because he turned one face towards the Lord to look at him. Or he looked at him with two eyes of each face. Mentioned two eyes represents all eyes in that case. He looked at Mukunda, who could give him the highest bliss. In looking (ikṣya) at the Lord he raised his head (ut), especially high (vi). Then he with attention (vi) lowered (namra) his shoulders out of shame and fear for having committing the offense of spreading his māyā. Or the nature of bhakti is humility. He had prītibhakti (dāsya). He offered praise with great attention (samāhitaḥ), because of great prema, with shivering body and choked voice, with skilful words (ailāyā). Ilā is Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech, since he could do so with four mouths. Or ailata stands for aiṭta. The extra l sound indicates Śukadeva’s ecstasy on rememring Brahmā’s special bhāva. Because of Brahmā’s bhakti, Kṛṣṇa stopped searching for the calves and boys, and then Brahmā praised him as he stood there.
According to authorities from beginning till the end of the chapter, the verses indicate increasing sweetness as the chapter progresses. First there was astonishment in accepting the King’s question. In the example of lusty women and men, the nature of the best devotees, absorbed in hearing about Kṛṣṇa is described. Then the Lord praises the bank of the river. Then he becomes aware of hunger and thirst. Then he makes arrangements for the boys to eat. Then the Lord takes his meal. Then he goes away to bring back the wandering calves, while consoling his friends, with rice in his hand. He then searches for the calves in inaccessible places. Then Brahmā bewilders the calves and boys with his māyā. Then the Lord with disturbed mind searches everywhere for the calves and boys. He immediately becomes aware of Brahmā’s actions. He then desired to please all the elder gopīs and Brahmā. He then became the forms of all the calves and boys. Then he played with them as previously. He is then pampered by all the mothers. Their affection for him and his affection for them develops more and more. Balarāma for a long time did not know the truth. At the end of a year, to enlighten Balarāma he reveals the special affection of the cows and cowherds for their calves and sons. Then Balarāma begins to wonder. Then he understands when informed by Kṛṣṇa. Then Brahmā becomes bewildered and sees the nature of those forms. He appreciates their greatness. Then Brahmā becomes stunned. Then suddenly all the forms are withdrawn. Brahmā becomes conscious and sees Vṛndāvana. He saw the Lord. He offers respects and weeps, falling repeatedly on the ground. Then he offers prayers with devotion. One should see the gradual development of astonishing events. For fear of a lengthy text, more details are not given. When the devotees consider these things they spontaneously understand. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Tenth Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā." 10.14: Brahmā's Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, Chapter Summary This chapter describes the prayers Brahmā offered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is also known as Nanda-nandana. For His satisfaction, Brahmā first praised the beauty of the Lord's transcendental limbs and then declared that His original identity of sweetness is even more difficult to comprehend than His opulence. Only by the devotional process of hearing and chanting transcendental sounds received from Vedic authorities can one realize the Personality of Godhead. It is fruitless to try to realize God through processes outside the scope of Vedic authority. The mystery of the Personality of Godhead, who is the reservoir of unlimited spiritual qualities, is inconceivable; it is even more difficult to understand than the impersonal Supreme. Thus only by the mercy of God can one understand His glories. Finally realizing this, Brahmā repeatedly condemned his own actions and recognized that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ultimate shelter of the universe, is Brahmā's own father, the original Nārāyaṇa. In this way Brahmā begged the Lord's forgiveness. Brahmā then glorified the inconceivable opulence of the Personality of Godhead and described the ways in which Brahmā and Śiva differ from Lord Viṣṇu, the reason for the Supreme Lord's appearance in various species of demigods, animals and so on, the eternal nature of the pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, and the temporality of the material world. By knowing the Supreme Personality in truth, the individual spirit soul can achieve liberation from bondage. In actuality, however, both liberation and bondage are unreal, for it is only from the living entity's conditioned outlook that his bondage and liberation are produced. Thinking the personal form of Lord Kṛṣṇa illusory, fools reject His lotus feet and look elsewhere to find the Supreme Self. But the futility of their search is the obvious proof of their foolishness. There is simply no way to understand the truth of the Personality of Godhead without His mercy. Having established this conclusion, Lord Brahmā analyzed the great good fortune of the residents of Vraja and then personally prayed to be born there even as a blade of grass, a bush or a creeper. Indeed, the homes of the residents of Vṛndāvana are not prisons of material existence but rather abodes envied even by the jṣānīs and yogīs. On the other hand, any home without a connection to Lord Kṛṣṇa is in fact a prison cell of material existence. Finally, Brahmā offered his whole self at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord and, praising Him again and again, circumambulated Him and took his leave. Lord Kṛṣṇa then gathered the animals Brahmā stole and led them to the place on the Yamunā's bank where the cowherd boys had been taking lunch. The same friends who had been present before were sitting there now. By the power of Kṛṣṇa's illusory energy, they were not at all aware of what had happened. Thus when Kṛṣṇa arrived with the calves, the boys told Him, "You've returned so quickly! Very good. As long as You were gone we couldn't take even a morsel of food, so come and eat." Laughing at the words of the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa began taking His meal in their company. While eating, Kṛṣṇa pointed out to His young friends the skin of the python, and the boys thought, "Kṛṣṇa has just now killed this terrible snake." Indeed, later they related to the residents of Vṛndāvana the incident of Kṛṣṇa's killing the Agha demon. In this way, the cowherd boys described pastimes that Lord Kṛṣṇa had performed in His bālya age (one to five), even though His paugaṇḍa age (six to ten) had begun. Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes this chapter by explaining how the gopīs loved Lord Kṛṣṇa even more than they loved their own sons.
Brahmā rises slowly, wipes his eyes, looks up at the Lord he had tried to test — and his voice cracks. Folded hands, bent neck, trembling body, faltering tongue — the body's full alphabet of surrender. The next chapter, the brahma-stuti, begins from this faltering: prayer that comes from a broken pride is the prayer the Bhāgavatam will quote forever.
Verse 64 is the doorway to chapter 14 — Brahmā's stuti, one of the Bhāgavatam's most celebrated prayers and a foundational text for Gauḍīya theology. The very first verse of that stuti (10.14.1, naumīḍya te abhra-vapuṣe) is recited by Gauḍīyas at puṣpa-añjali and at major festivals.
Gauḍīyas read this verse as the perfectly-rendered prelude: the body's posture before speech is the posture all praise must come from. Folded hands, bent neck, trembling body, faltering words. Pratiṣṭhā (status) has been laid down; only kārpaṇye remains — and from kārpaṇye, real stuti is born.
My note
Source: vedabase.io