FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.26

స త్వం కథం మమ విభోఽక్షిపథ: పరాత్మా యోగేశ్వరై: శ్రుతిద‍ృశామలహృద్విభావ్య: । సాక్షాదధోక్షజ ఉరువ్యసనాన్ధబుద్ధే: స్యాన్మేఽనుద‍ృశ్య ఇహ యస్య భవాపవర్గ: ॥ ౨౬ ॥
sa tvaṁ kathaṁ mama vibho ’kṣi-pathaḥ parātmā
[sa tvam katham mama vibho ’kshi-pathah paraatmaa]
yogeśvaraḥ śruti-dṛśāmala-hṛd-vibhāvyaḥ
[yogeshvarah shruti-drishaamala-hrid-vibhaavyah]
sākṣād adhokṣaja uru-vyasanāndha-buddheḥ
[saakshaad adhokshaja uru-vyasanaandha-buddheh]
syān me ’nudṛśya iha yasya bhavāpavargaḥ
[syaan me ’nudrishya iha yasya bhavaapavargah]
saḥ — He tvam — Yourself katham — how mama — to me vibho — O almighty one akṣi - pathaḥ — visible para - ātmā — the Supreme Soul yoga — of mystic yoga īśvaraiḥ — by masters śruti — of the scriptures dṛśā — by the eye amala — spotless hṛt — within their hearts vibhāvyaḥ — to be meditated upon sākṣāt — directly visible adhokṣaja — O transcendental Lord, who cannot be seen by material senses uru — severe vyasana — by troubles andha — blinded buddheḥ — whose intelligence syāt — it may be me — for me anudṛśyaḥ — to be perceived iha — in this world yasya — whose bhava — of material life apavargaḥ — cessation .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa tvaṁ kathaṁ mama vibho ’kṣi-pathaḥ parātmā
saḥ
He
tvam
Yourself
katham
how
mama
to me
vibho
O almighty one
yogeśvaraḥ śruti-dṛśāmala-hṛd-vibhāvyaḥ
sākṣād adhokṣaja uru-vyasanāndha-buddheḥ
akṣi - pathaḥ
visible
syān me ’nudṛśya iha yasya bhavāpavargaḥ
para - ātmā
the Supreme Soul
yoga
of mystic yoga
īśvaraiḥ
by masters
śruti
of the scriptures
dṛśā
by the eye
amala
spotless
hṛt
within their hearts
vibhāvyaḥ
to be meditated upon
sākṣāt
directly visible
adhokṣaja
O transcendental Lord, who cannot be seen by material senses
uru
severe
vyasana
by troubles
andha
blinded
buddheḥ
whose intelligence
syāt
it may be
me
for me
anudṛśyaḥ
to be perceived
iha
in this world
yasya
whose
bhava
of material life
apavargaḥ
cessation .
  • para - ātmā — the Supreme Soul
    Para (highest) + ātman (self). The technical name for Kṛṣṇa's expansion within every heart. Nṛga is acknowledging that the Person before him is the same one yogīs seek inside — and that He has stepped outside in a visible body.
  • śruti - dṛśā amala - hṛt - vibhāvyaḥ — to be meditated upon in the pure heart with the eye of scripture
    Śruti (Veda) + dṛś (eye) + amala (spotless) + hṛt (heart) + vibhāvya (to be meditated). The yoga-darśana of Paramātmā in compressed form — and Nṛga is contrasting it with what he is seeing right now, plain-eyed.
  • adhokṣaja — O Lord beyond the senses
    Adhaḥ (below) + akṣa (sense) + ja (born). Literally 'one for whom the senses go down (i.e. fail).' One of Kṛṣṇa's most paradoxical epithets — He is called 'beyond the senses' precisely at the moment He stands sense-visible. Gauḍīyas relish the contradiction.
  • bhava - apavargaḥ — the cessation of material life
    Bhava (becoming, saṁsāra) + apavarga (release). The yogic name for liberation. Nṛga reasons: only one who has reached apavarga should see You — and yet here I am, still entangled. The verse names its own astonishment.
O almighty one, how is it that my eyes see You here before me? You are the Supreme Soul, whom the greatest masters of mystic yoga can meditate upon within their pure hearts only by employing the spiritual eye of the Vedas. Then how, O transcendental Lord, are You directly visible to me, since my intelligence has been blinded by the severe tribulations of material life? Only one who has finished his material entanglement in this world should be able to see You.

Even in the body of a lizard, King Nṛga could remember his previous life. And now that he had the opportunity to see the Lord, he could understand that he had received special mercy from the Personality of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O almighty one, how is it that my eyes see You here before me? You are the Supreme Soul, whom the greatest masters of mystic yoga can meditate upon within their pure hearts only by employing the spiritual eye of the Vedas. Then how, O transcendental Lord, are You directly visible to me, since my intelligence has been blinded by the severe tribulations of material life? Only one who has finished his material entanglement in this world should be able to see You.
Commentary

He rejoices at his good fortune, being astonished at seeing Krsna. How can I see you, who are the object of meditation for great yogis like Sanaka and others in their pure hearts through the eye of the Upanisads. And you are directly adhoksaja, svayam bhagavan, the breaker of the cart (adhoksam means under the axle). And you have come to the sight of me, among the lowest, with intelligence blinded by great suffering. You are usually only visible to those who have destroyed the bondage of samsara (bhava aparvargah). So how are you visible to me? It should not be so. It happens only by the blessing of some great devotee."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

You are most rare, or have indescribable glories (saḥ). O Lord you are spread everywhere (vibho)! Thus you cannot be seen (aksi-pathaḥ). You are difficult to see directly since you are with the ātmā (parātmā). You are realized by great capable devotees of bhakti (yogeśvaraiḥ). Yoga means joining with the Lord. Or, by what method are you visible (katham akṣi-pathaḥ)? You cannot be attained just by thinking since you are not the object of jṣāna (adhokṣaja). It is not possible that you can be directly present. I am moreover blinded by worldly problems. Therefore you cannot be directly present since you only give a likeness to your presence (anudṛśya) to a person free of material pursuits. It is remarkable that you show yourself to me though I have attained a heavenly body, since you are beyond everything and unlimited. How has this happened? It is some type of mercy, some type of your śakti. You only know.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

You are most rare, or have indescribable glories (saḥ). O Lord you are spread everywhere (vibho)! Thus you cannot be seen (aksi-pathaḥ). You are difficult to see directly since you are with the ātmā (parātmā). How can I slightly see you in my (me) life or in this well (iha)? Or O my lord (mama vibho)! “How can the Lord be seen by the servants?” You are the supreme ātmā. You can be really perceived in the pure heart by knowledge of the meaning of the Vedas by the best devotees of bhakti-yoga. O avatari (sākṣāt adhokṣaja)! Or Kṛṣṇa, born again under the axel, son of Yaśodā! Those who have ended material existence can see you in Dvārakā (iha). Or, by what method are you visible (katham akṣi-pathaḥ)? You cannot be attained just by thinking, since you are not the object of jṣāna (adhokṣaja). It is not possible that you can be directly present. I am moreover blinded by worldly problems. Therefore you cannot be directly present since you only give a likeness to your presence (anudṛśya) to a person free of material pursuits. It is remarkable that you show yourself to me, though I have attained a heavenly body, since you are beyond everything and unlimited. How has this happened? It is some type of mercy, some type of your śakti. You only know.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Concepts
SamsaraAtma

Yogīs labour for lifetimes to glimpse Paramātmā within the heart, and here the same Paramātmā stands plainly before a half-recovered king on the outskirts of Dvārakā. Gauḍīyas explain: aiśvarya is what the yogī earns; mādhurya is what Kṛṣṇa gives.

📝 My note

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