FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.46

త్వమేవ మూర్ధ్నీదమనన్త లీలయా భూమణ్డలం బిభర్షి సహస్రమూర్ధన్ । అన్తే చ య: స్వాత్మనిరుద్ధవిశ్వ: శేషేఽద్వితీయ: పరిశిష్యమాణ: ॥ ౪౬ ॥
tvam eva mūrdhnīdam ananta līlayā
[tvam eva moordhneedam ananta leelayaa]
bhū-maṇḍalaṁ bibharṣi sahasra-mūrdhan
[bhoo-mandalam bibharshi sahasra-moordhan]
ante ca yaḥ svātma-niruddha-viśvaḥ
[ante cha yah svaatma-niruddha-vishvah]
śeṣe ’dvitīyaḥ pariśiṣyamāṇaḥ
[sheshe ’dviteeyah parishishyamaanah]
tvam — You eva — alone mūrdhni — on Your head idam — this ananta — O unlimited one līlayā — easily, as a pastime bhū — of the earth maṇḍalam — the globe bibharṣi — (You) carry sahasra - mūrdhan — O thousand-headed Lord ante — in the end ca — and yaḥ — the one who sva — Your own ātma — within the body niruddha — having withdrawn viśvaḥ — the universe śeṣe — You lie advitīyaḥ — without a second pariśiṣyamāṇaḥ — remaining .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tvam eva mūrdhnīdam ananta līlayā
tvam
You
eva
alone
mūrdhni
on Your head
idam
this
ananta
O unlimited one
līlayā
easily, as a pastime
bhū-maṇḍalaṁ bibharṣi sahasra-mūrdhan
bhū
of the earth
maṇḍalam
the globe
bibharṣi
(You) carry
sahasra - mūrdhan
O thousand-headed Lord
ante
in the end
ante ca yaḥ svātma-niruddha-viśvaḥ
ca
and
yaḥ
the one who
sva
Your own
ātma
within the body
niruddha
having withdrawn
viśvaḥ
the universe
śeṣe ’dvitīyaḥ pariśiṣyamāṇaḥ
śeṣe
You lie
advitīyaḥ
without a second
pariśiṣyamāṇaḥ
remaining .
  • ananta — O unlimited one
    Ananta — without limit. Balarāma's other principal name. He is the unlimited one who, in cosmic form, carries the earth on a single one of His infinite heads.
  • sahasra - mūrdhan — O thousand-headed one
    The form of Śeṣa-nāga. Balarāma is being addressed in His viśva-rūpa aspect — and the Kurus do this voluntarily, where Arjuna at Kurukṣetra needed Kṛṣṇa to grant divine eyes (Gītā 11).
  • advitīyaḥ pariśiṣyamāṇaḥ — remaining without a second
    Pari-śiṣyamāṇa = 'leftover, remainder.' Śeṣa is the 'remainder' after dissolution. Even the name Balarāma carries (Śeṣa) is being unpacked here.
O unlimited one of a thousand heads, as Your pastime You carry this earthly globe upon one of Your heads. At the time of annihilation You withdraw the entire universe within Your body and, remaining all alone, lie down to rest.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O unlimited one of a thousand heads, as Your pastime You carry this earthly globe upon one of Your heads. At the time of annihilation You withdraw the entire universe within Your body and, remaining all alone, lie down to rest.
Commentary

You sleep on Sesa, without a second (advitiyah), since there is no one else existing at that time except you in the three worlds.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Protection is your main business because you hold up the earth by your great mercy in your specialized expansion. O unlimited one! Therefore you can have a thousand heads. Therefore with even one of your heads you can support the whole world. Even during destruction you do not deviate from maintaining everything. During the daily destruction after Brahmā’s day the universe remains protected within your form as Garbhodakaśāyī. You lie down with no one else except you (advitīyaḥ) in the three worlds at this time.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Protection is your main business because you hold up the earth by your great mercy in your specialized expansion. O unlimited one! Therefore you can have a thousand heads. Therefore with even one of your heads you can support the whole world. “Holding up the earth as Śeṣa I am different from the supreme lord. Why do you praise me as being identical?” At the end you alone remain. Or even during destruction you do not deviate from maintaining everything. At that time, you protect (niruddha) the universe within your form (ātmani). You are without a second. You alone remain and are thus called Śeṣa. Or unlimited one (Ananta)! O Lord with unlimited heads! This form is revealed in the puruṣa-sukta. Therefore you maintain this universe by your unlimited form, as a pastime.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)
Related verses

On a single one of His thousand heads He carries this earth as a child might balance a ball on a fingertip; at the close of all things He withdraws every world into Himself and sleeps alone. Balarāma's identity as Ananta-Śeṣa stands revealed.

Balarāma as Ananta-Śeṣa

Gauḍīya theology identifies Balarāma with Saṅkarṣaṇa and with Ananta-Śeṣa — the thousand-headed cosmic serpent on whose hood the earth rests, on whose coils Viṣṇu reclines in the milk-ocean.

The Kurus, in the panic of their surrender, name this very identity in verse 46. They speak more theology in this single ślok than they have spoken in years of court life. Necessity is sometimes a better tutor than tradition.

📝 My note

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