FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.20

దావాగ్నేర్వాతవర్షాచ్చ వృషసర్పాచ్చ రక్షితా: । దురత్యయేభ్యో మృత్యుభ్య: కృష్ణేన సుమహాత్మనా ॥ ౨౦ ॥
dāvāgner vāta-varṣāc ca
[daavaagner vaata-varshaach cha]
vṛṣa-sarpāc ca rakṣitāḥ
[vrisha-sarpaach cha rakshitaah]
duratyayebhyo mṛtyubhyaḥ
[duratyayebhyo mrityubhyah]
kṛṣṇena su-mahātmanā
[krishnena su-mahaatmanaa]
dāva - agneḥ — from the forest fire vāta — from the wind varṣāt — and rain ca — also vṛṣa — from the bull sarpāt — from the serpent ca — and rakṣitāḥ — protected duratyayebhyaḥ — insurmountable mṛtyubhyaḥ — from mortal dangers kṛṣṇena — by Kṛṣṇa su - mahā - ātmanā — the very great soul .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dāvāgner vāta-varṣāc ca
dāva - agneḥ
from the forest fire
vāta
from the wind
varṣāt
and rain
ca
also
vṛṣa-sarpāc ca rakṣitāḥ
vṛṣa
from the bull
sarpāt
from the serpent
ca
and
rakṣitāḥ
protected
duratyayebhyo mṛtyubhyaḥ
duratyayebhyaḥ
insurmountable
mṛtyubhyaḥ
from mortal dangers
kṛṣṇena su-mahātmanā
kṛṣṇena
by Kṛṣṇa
su - mahā - ātmanā
the very great soul .
  • dāva - agneḥ — from the forest fire
    Compound: dāva (forest) + agni (fire). The forest fire that Kṛṣṇa swallowed (SB 10.17, 10.19). Nanda lists the events chronologically; the chapter assumes the reader knows the canto and reads each item as cross-reference.
  • vāta - varṣāt — from the wind and rain
    Compound: vāta (wind) + varṣa (rain). The Indra-storm at Govardhana (SB 10.25). Nanda's verse mentions the danger but not yet Indra by name; the offended deity is too elevated to invoke in a cowherd's complaint.
  • vṛṣa — from the bull (Ariṣṭa)
    Bull-demon Ariṣṭa, killed in SB 10.36. The verse uses the bare vṛṣa — the demon-bull, not Kṛṣṇa's own divine bull-form — and trusts the reader to disambiguate by context.
  • sarpāt — from the serpent (Kāliya / Aghāsura)
    Ablative of sarpa. Could indicate Kāliya (SB 10.16) or Aghāsura (SB 10.12). Gauḍīya commentators read the singular as deliberately ambiguous — Vraja's serpents were many; Kṛṣṇa met them all.
  • su - mahā - ātmanā — by the very great soul
    Compound: su (very) + mahā (great) + ātman. A Bhāgavata-honorific that bridges aiśvarya and mādhurya. Nanda uses it of his own son — the verse stages how vātsalya can voice the Lord's mahima without losing intimacy.
  • rakṣitāḥ — protected
    Past participle of √rakṣ. The verb of refuge — same root as rakṣaka, kṛṣṇa-rakṣaka. Nanda's identity is constituted by being among the rakṣitāḥ; gopāla-protection is not metaphor in Vraja but lived autobiography.
We were saved from the forest fire, the wind and rain, the bull and serpent demons — from all such insurmountable, deadly dangers — by that very great soul, Kṛṣṇa.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
We were saved from the forest fire, the wind and rain, the bull and serpent demons—from all such insurmountable, deadly dangers—by that very great soul, Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary

"But you will not die. You will live a long time, raising your son with affection." "Now, we will not be saved from the hands of death." In saying this he recounts the previous threats of death. "He saves us from the forest fire, from the rains produced by Indra, because of his natural affection for us (su mahatmaha). But today, why does he not save us from the huge fire of terrible separation? I cannot understand this."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

As if gaining self control. Nanda remembering Kṛṣṇa’s great affection for his relatives which made him forget his own suffering, in order to console himself. But then, by that remembrance he laments as if his heart as been broken. From his young childhood Kṛṣṇa performed many acts to save us. I will describe some. From the beginning he showed great compassion. He protected us from the forest fire, because of his powers similar to Nārāyaṇa’s as stated by Garga. Or, seeing the fire, he swallowed the fire which became nectar for him, because of his very nature or his compassion. Similarly he protected us from the wind and rain, from the bull and snake, and from other personifications of death. He was the most excellent, great soul, having natural qualities such as unconditional love, mercy and power.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Having described Kṛṣṇa’s form with desire to see him, he describes his qualities, somewhat lamenting. He describes these events since he personally experienced them. The snake refers to Kāliya and Aghāsura. These were equal to death. We are alive because he saved us. He could save us because his nature is mercy (su-mahātmanā). We were saved because he is compassionate, not because of our qualities. This is a statement uttered in misery.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

A father lists the times his son saved the family: forest fire, storm, the bull-demon, the serpent. He is not boasting — he is testifying. Vraja's claim on Kṛṣṇa is not theological; it is the record of every danger from which He pulled them out. Love built on rescue.

Gajendra rescued

When the king of elephants was seized by the crocodile, he cried 'I do not pray as anyone's owner or relative — I pray as the helpless' (SB 8.3). Viṣṇu descended on Garuḍa and cut the jaws.

Nanda's verse-20 list is the Vraja-version of Gajendra's testimony: 'He saved us, we are the saved.' Gauḍīya theology of śaraṇāgati grounds itself in such enumerations — the surrendered are those who can name what they were rescued from.

📝 My note

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