FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.34.5

కశ్చిన్మహానహిస్తస్మిన్ విపినేఽతిబుభుక్షిత: । యద‍ృచ్ఛయాగతో నన్దం శయానమురగోఽగ్రసీత్ ॥ ౫ ॥
kaścin mahān ahis tasmin
[kashchin mahaan ahis tasmin]
vipine ’ti-bubhukṣitaḥ
[vipine ’ti-bubhukshitah]
yadṛcchayāgato nandaṁ
[yadrichchayaagato nandam]
śayānam ura-go ’grasīt
[shayaanam ura-go ’graseet]
kaścit — a certain mahān — great ahiḥ — snake tasmin — in that vipine — area of the forest ati - bubhukṣitaḥ — extremely hungry yadṛcchayā — by chance āgataḥ — came there nandam — Nanda Mahārāja śayānam — who was lying asleep ura - gaḥ — moving on his belly agrasīt — swallowed .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kaścin mahān ahis tasmin
kaścit
a certain
mahān
great
ahiḥ
snake
tasmin
in that
vipine ’ti-bubhukṣitaḥ
vipine
area of the forest
yadṛcchayāgato nandaṁ
ati - bubhukṣitaḥ
extremely hungry
śayānam ura-go ’grasīt
yadṛcchayā
by chance
āgataḥ
came there
nandam
Nanda Mahārāja
śayānam
who was lying asleep
ura - gaḥ
moving on his belly
agrasīt
swallowed .
  • mahān ahiḥ — a great serpent
    Ahi is the Vedic word for snake, with cosmic resonance (Vṛtra is called ahi in Ṛg-veda). The size is emphasized so that Kṛṣṇa's coming touch will look smaller than the threat — and still more powerful.
  • ati-bubhukṣitaḥ — extremely hungry
    Desiderative of √bhuj — 'wishing very much to eat.' The hunger is the cursed Vidyādhara's accumulated kṣud, the inner mark of a body lived in pāpa. Hunger is the engine of saṁsāra; only Bhagavān's foot stills it.
  • ura-gaḥ — moving on the chest, snake
    Compound: uras (chest) + ga (going). The classical etymological name for snakes — those that travel on the breast. The poetic word foreshadows the moment Kṛṣṇa's foot will press on that very chest in verse 8.
  • agrasīt — swallowed
    Aorist of √gras (to swallow). The same root in grasta of v. 7 — the verb that frames the whole episode. Saṁsāra itself is described in śāstra as a swallowing; here it is staged in miniature, with the rescue close behind.
During the night a huge and extremely hungry snake appeared in that thicket. Slithering on his belly up to the sleeping Nanda Mahārāja, the snake began swallowing him.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
During the night a huge and extremely hungry snake appeared in that thicket. Slithering on his belly up to the sleeping Nanda Mahārāja, the snake began swallowing him.
Commentary

Mahan ahih means boa constrictor. The word uraga (snake)as well as ahih (snake) is used to indicate that he slithered into the forest on his chest (uras + ga to go), so that he would be unseen by others.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

What happened the next night is described. Some remarkable snake, appeared by some good fortune (yadṛcchayā). The snake approached on its breast (uragaḥ) since it did not have feet. Nanda was sleeping soundly because of fatigue from the fast and staying awake the previous night. The snake came to him because he was sleeping in a solitary place to avoid people disturbing him. The snake began swallowing his legs.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

No one was awake. That is mentioned later. The snake was actually attempting to be rescued from his condition. The snake was very hungry, because it had not eaten for a long time. By some fortune it came to that forest. Or it lived there and by chance came to Nanda. It began to swallow Nanda by his feet. “Seeing the snake, why did Nanda not flee?” He was sleeping because of fatigue from the journey. “Why was the snake not afraid when he saw Nanda?” Nanda was inactive on the ground, covered by a cloth. “By fortune (yadṛcchayā)” indicates the chief cause in this event: with great pain the snake took shelter of Nanda’s feet in order that he be delivered.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Prema (Divine Love)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva

A huge hungry serpent slides up to the sleeping Nanda — like the karma-coiled past life of a cursed Vidyādhara reaching for the one mouth it cannot finally close, the mouth of Kṛṣṇa's father. Every appearance of danger in Vraja is a setup for the līlā of rescue.

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