FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.40

కిం స్వప్న ఏతదుత దేవమాయా కిం వా మదీయో బత బుద్ధిమోహ: । అథో అముష్యైవ మమార్భకస్య య: కశ్చనౌత్పత్తిక ఆత్మయోగ: ॥ ౪౦ ॥
kiṁ svapna etad uta devamāyā
[kim svapna etad uta devamaayaa]
kiṁ vā madīyo bata buddhi-mohaḥ
[kim vaa madeeyo bata buddhi-mohah]
atho amuṣyaiva mamārbhakasya
[atho amushyaiva mamaarbhakasya]
yaḥ kaścanautpattika ātma-yogaḥ
[yah kashchanautpattika aatma-yogah]
Word-for-word
kim — whether svapnaḥ — a dream etat — all this uta — or otherwise deva - māyā — an illusory manifestation by the external energy kim vā — or else madīyaḥ — my personal bata — indeed buddhi - mohaḥ — illusion of intelligence atho — otherwise amuṣya — of such eva — indeed mama arbhakasya — of my child yaḥ — which kaścana — some autpattikaḥ — natural ātma - yogaḥ — personal mystic power .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kiṁ svapna etad uta devamāyā
kim
whether
svapnaḥ
a dream
etat
all this
uta
or otherwise
deva - māyā
an illusory manifestation by the external energy
kiṁ vā madīyo bata buddhi-mohaḥ
kim vā
or else
madīyaḥ
my personal
bata
indeed
buddhi - mohaḥ
illusion of intelligence
atho amuṣyaiva mamārbhakasya
atho
otherwise
amuṣya
of such
eva
indeed
mama arbhakasya
of my child
yaḥ
which
yaḥ kaścanautpattika ātma-yogaḥ
kaścana
some
autpattikaḥ
natural
ātma - yogaḥ
personal mystic power .
Important Words
  • svapnaḥ — a dream
    From √svap (to sleep). The first hypothesis: this is a dream-state aberration. Vedānta classifies svapna among the three avasthās (waking, dream, deep sleep); the verse's structure mirrors the classical four-stage Māṇḍūkya analysis, here narrated in a mother's astonishment.
  • deva - māyā — an illusion by the external energy
    Deva (divine) + māyā (illusion-energy). The second hypothesis: this is the Lord's cosmic illusion. Gauḍīya distinguishes māyā-śakti (the bewildering energy that governs the conditioned) from Yoga-māyā (the internal arranging energy of Vraja-līlā); Yaśodā instinctively names the wrong one.
  • buddhi - mohaḥ — illusion of (my) intelligence
    Buddhi (intellect) + moha (bewilderment). Third hypothesis: my own intellect is misfiring. The verse leads systematically outward → inward → toward the right answer (in the next line).
  • ātma - yogaḥ — (His own) personal mystic power
    Ātma (His own, of the Self) + yoga (power, union). The fourth and correct hypothesis: this is Kṛṣṇa's own mystic potency. Gauḍīya: ātma-yoga here means Bhagavān's svarūpa-śakti, the internal power that makes Him simultaneously infant and infinite.
[Mother Yaśodā began to argue within herself:] Is this a dream, or is it an illusory creation by the external energy? Has this been manifested by my own intelligence, or is it some mystic power of my child?
Purport

When mother Yaśodā saw this wonderful manifestation within the mouth of her child, she began to argue within herself about whether it was a dream. Then she considered, “I am not dreaming, because my eyes are open. I am actually seeing what is happening. I am not sleeping, nor am I dreaming. Then maybe this is an illusion created by devamāyā. But that is also not possible. What business would the demigods have showing such things to me? I am an insignificant woman with no connection with the demigods. Why should they take the trouble to put me into devamāyā ? That also is not possible.” Then mother Yaśodā considered whether the vision might be due to bewilderment: “I am fit in health; I am not diseased. Why should there be any bewilderment? It is not possible that my brain is deranged, since I am ordinarily quite fit to think. Then this vision must be due to some mystic power of my son, as predicted by Garga Muni.” Thus she finally concluded that the vision was due to her son’s activities, and nothing else.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
[Mother Yaśodā began to argue within herself:] Is this a dream, or is it an illusory creation by the external energy? Has this been manifested by my own intelligence, or is it some mystic power of my child?
Commentary

She began to argue about the reason for her vision. "Was it a dream? No, because my eyes are not filled with the contaminants of sleep. Was it some illusion created by the devatas? Why should the devatas delude an insignificant person like me? Was it some mental derangement? No, because my mind is stable now. Or (atha) is it some inconceivable power (atma yoga) of my son, since Garga muni said he would have qualities like Narayana?"

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Was what I saw (etat) a dream or (uta) some illusion created by some devatā? Ah (bata), what calamity! Does he have some extraordinary power by birth (autpattikaḥ ātma-yogaḥ)? She had these doubts because of seeing so many astonishing things.

Related values & verses
Related values
Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Discriminative WisdomShanti (Peace / Tranquility)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)
Related verses
SB 10.8.37 SB 10.8.41 SB 10.8.42 SB 10.8.43 BG 8.2 BG 7.1 BG 6.6 BG 13.8 BG 16.1 BG 6.5
Concepts
AtmaMayaYogaJiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When something inexplicable shatters your frame, don't reach for dream, māyā, or self-doubt — recognize Kṛṣṇa's ātma-yoga at work and bow.
Practical Applications
  • Notice the next moment that defies your explanation, and instead of forcing a rational box around it, sit still and ask whether Kṛṣṇa is showing His hand.
  • Refuse the two reflexes of the modern mind — 'I must be imagining it' and 'it must be a trick' — and hold open the possibility of His mystic arrangement.
  • Speak to one person today about an event in your life that only makes sense as Kṛṣṇa's intervention, and let that retelling deepen your trust.
Analogy

A traveler whose lamp shows him an impossible chamber inside his own house — and who, instead of accepting it, runs through three explanations (am I dreaming? is the lamp tricking me? is my own mind cracked?) before considering the simplest answer: the chamber is real and belongs to the house. Yaśodā's four hypotheses are this very flight before the truth.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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