SB 10.39.42-43 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.42-43

తౌ రథస్థౌ కథమిహ సుతావానకదున్దుభే: । తర్హి స్విత్స్యన్దనే న స్త ఇత్యున్మజ్జ్య వ్యచష్ట స: ॥ ౪౨ ॥ తత్రాపి చ యథాపూర్వమాసీనౌ పునరేవ స: । న్యమజ్జద్ దర్శనం యన్మే మృషా కిం సలిలే తయో: ॥ ౪౩ ॥

tau ratha-sthau katham iha

[tau ratha-sthau katham iha]

sutāv ānakadundubheḥ

[sutaav aanakadundubheh]

tarhi svit syandane na sta

[tarhi svit syandane na sta]

ity unmajjya vyacaṣṭa saḥ

[ity unmajjya vyachashta sah]

tatrāpi ca yathā-pūrvam

[tatraapi cha yathaa-poorvam]

āsīnau punar eva saḥ

[aaseenau punar eva sah]

nyamajjad darśanaṁ yan me

[nyamajjad darshanam yan me]

mṛṣā kiṁ salile tayoḥ

[mrishaa kim salile tayoh]

Word-for-word

tau — They ratha - sthau — present on the chariot katham — how iha — here sutau — the two sons ānakadundubheḥ — of Vasudeva tarhi — then svit — whether syandane — on the chariot na staḥ — They are not there iti — thinking this unmajjya — rising from the water vyacaṣṭa — saw saḥ — he tatra api — in the same place ca — and yathā — as pūrvam — previously āsīnau — sitting punaḥ — again eva — indeed saḥ — he nyamajjat — entered the water darśanam — the vision yat — if me — my mṛṣā — false kim — perhaps salile — in the water tayoḥ — of Them .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

tau ratha-sthau katham iha

tau

They

ratha - sthau

present on the chariot

katham

how

iha

here

sutāv ānakadundubheḥ

sutau

the two sons

ānakadundubheḥ

of Vasudeva

tarhi svit syandane na sta

tarhi

then

svit

whether

syandane

on the chariot

na staḥ

They are not there

ity unmajjya vyacaṣṭa saḥ

iti

thinking this

unmajjya

rising from the water

vyacaṣṭa

saw

saḥ

tatrāpi ca yathā-pūrvam

tatra api

in the same place

and

yathā

pūrvam

previously

āsīnau punar eva saḥ

āsīnau

sitting

punaḥ

again

eva

indeed

saḥ

nyamajjad darśanaṁ yan me

nyamajjat

entered the water

darśanam

the vision

yat

mṛṣā kiṁ salile tayoḥ

mṛṣā

false

kim

perhaps

salile

in the water

tayoḥ

of Them .

Important Words

ratha - sthau — (the two) seated in the chariot
Ratha-stha — chariot-located. The Lords' apparent location is in the chariot, yet Akrūra finds Them in the water also. Gauḍīya: Bhagavān is sarvatra (everywhere) without dilution — He is fully present in two places at once.
ānakadundubheḥ — of Ānakadundubhi (Vasudeva)
Akrūra mentally still classifies Them as 'Vasudeva's two sons' — the worldly relation. The vision will explode this category: they are Vasudeva's sons AND the Mahā-Viṣṇu of all Vaikuṇṭha.
mṛṣā — false / illusory
Mṛṣā — used in the question 'was my vision illusory?' Akrūra entertains the materialist explanation and then rejects it. The Bhāgavata models how a devotee tests his own anubhava before accepting it.
unmajjya — having surfaced
Ut + √majj — to emerge from water. Paired with nimajjya (v.41). Akrūra oscillates: dive-emerge-dive-emerge, and the vision persists across all states. Reality is not in either the dry world or the wet — it is constant.
nyamajjat — he submerged (again)
Imperfect of ni + √majj. The third immersion — for the full vision of vv. 44-55. Akrūra commits to going under to verify, and what he finds is far beyond the first glimpse.

Akrūra thought, “How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water? They must have left the chariot.” But when he came out of the river, there They were on the chariot, just as before. Asking himself “Was the vision I had of Them in the water an illusion?” Akrūra reentered the pool.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Akrūra thought, "How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water? They must have left the chariot." But when he came out of the river, there They were on the chariot, just as before. Asking himself "Was the vision I had of Them in the water an illusion?" Akrūra reentered the pool.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

The two verses should be explained together. “How can the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, who are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water (iha)?” In this way (iti) he thought. But he saw they were sitting on the chariot (tatrāpi) as before. Then repeatedly Akrūra submerged himself in the water. The cause was to find out “Is my (me) seeing them (tayoḥ) in the water an illusion?”

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

How can the two sons of Vasudeva be in the water? He had committed offense by giving up the Lord, considering bathing to be more important. He then thought that Vasudeva was an ordinary person, calling him by that name alone (ānakadundubheḥ), instead of uttering “Vasudeva.” By uttering Vasudeva he would be uttering what was similar to Vāsudeva, the Lord. Are they not on the chariot? He came out of the water. But they are on the chariot as previously. Akrūra saw that (vyacaṣṭa). He again entered the water in order to see if what he in theater was false.

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)

Personal Guidance

Analogy

Like a man who, seeing twin princes standing in a river, climbs out to find them still sitting in the chariot exactly as before — Akrūra surfaces, looks at the chariot (They are there), submerges again and discovers Them in the water also. The boundary between 'this is Them' and 'that is Them' has dissolved.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io