Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.15
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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tat dāma
—
that binding rope
tat (that) + dāma (rope). The dāma reappears — Gauḍīyas note that the chapter keeps returning to the rope, the dāman, the future name. Every short rope is preparing the etymology of Dāmodara.
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dvi-aṅgula
—
two fingers' measure
Compound: dvi (two) + aṅgula (finger-width). A precise unit. Gauḍīya commentators (Sanātana, Viśvanātha) identify the two fingers as svayatna (one's own effort) and bhagavat-kṛpā (the Lord's mercy) — without both, no binding.
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ūnam
—
short, deficient
From √ūn. The exact word the Bhāgavatam uses elsewhere for what is incomplete in human endeavor. Sevā is structurally ūna by two fingers; mercy supplies the surplus.
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sandadhe
—
she joined
Perfect of sam + √dhā. She joins one rope to another — sādhana's resolve to keep going. Gauḍīya note: never the conclusion that effort is useless; only the recognition that effort alone is insufficient.
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kṛta-āgasaḥ
—
of the offender
Genitive of the compound from verse 11. The 'offender' framing continues — Yaśodā binds Him as a child being corrected, not as the Supreme Personality of Godhead being captured by yoga.
Here is the first chapter in Kṛṣṇa’s exhibition of unlimited potency to mother Yaśodā when she tried to bind Him: the rope was too short. The Lord had already shown His unlimited potency by killing Pūtanā, Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvarta. Now Kṛṣṇa exhibited another vibhūti, or display of potency, to mother Yaśodā. “Unless I agree,” Kṛṣṇa desired to show, “you cannot bind Me.” Thus although mother Yaśodā, in her attempt to bind Kṛṣṇa, added one rope after another, ultimately she was a failure. When Kṛṣṇa agreed, however, she was successful. In other words, one must be in transcendental love with Kṛṣṇa, but that does not mean that one can control Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is satisfied with one’s devotional service, He does everything Himself. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He reveals more and more to the devotee as the devotee advances in service. Jihvādau: this service begins with the tongue, with chanting and with taking the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa. ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ ( Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234)
Though by love Yasoda could bind her child, and though the span of her lap was small, the small form of the boy was still all powerful. That is shown in three verses. The boy was thinking, "I cannot be bound up because I must do my daily duties of stealing yogurt and playing with my friends." His vibhuta sakti (power of showing his opulence) inspired by the satya sankalpa sakti ( the lord’s every desires should be fulfilled) , suddenly entered into his body at that time. Thus, the rope became two fingers short. She got more rope and tied it together with the other rope. But it was still two fingers short.
She wanted to tie him up because he was her son (sva) since she should not ignore teaching him a lesson, as she could with other boys. The first rope was two fingers too short by chance. All the later ropes tied together were also two fingers too short through his vibhūtā-śakti, because of his stubborn nature as a small child. He could not be brought under control if two elements --special intense prema of his devotee and his special mercy arising because of that prema--were lacking. Later it is said, “Seeing her fatigue he agreed to be tied up.” (SB 10.9.18) She got other ropes. Hearing the mother scold the child while he cried, neighboring gopīs arrived and laughed as they gave her more rope.
She wanted to tie him up because he was her son (sva) since she should not ignore teaching him a lesson, as she could with other boys. The rope was short by a small amount (two fingers). Or he cannot be attained by jṣāna and karma among the three: jṣāna, karma and bhakti. She joined another piece of rope since she feared he would run away. She tied him three times. Or holding him with one hand, by her other hand she held the rope. Or some servants handed her some more rope.
- Padaseva Pr SB 10-09-15 Oriya
- Amal Bhakta Sw SB 10-09-15 - 2017-01-24 Los Angeles
- PrahladAnS SB 10-09-15 - Krishna%27s word is final - 2023-11-21 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS SB 10-09-15 Slovenian Translation - Kri%C5%A1na ima zadnjo odlocitev - 2023-11-21 ISKCON Slovenia
- Romapada Sw SB 10-09-15-16 - Damodar Lila Part-19 - 2020-11-11 Boston
- Sridhar Sw SB 10-09-15 - What we do is by Krsnas mercy - Prabhupada desh 2001-04-17
- Notice the 'two-finger gap' in your sādhana today — the place where your effort alone cannot close the distance — and offer that gap to Kṛṣṇa instead of doubling down on willpower.
- Begin your service with the tongue as Rūpa Gosvāmī instructs: chant Kṛṣṇa's names attentively and honor prasāda, trusting that He reveals Himself through sevonmukha, not seizure.
- Refuse the subtle conceit that your devotion controls Kṛṣṇa; act with full effort like Yaśodā with her ropes, then surrender the outcome to His sweet will.
An archer's arrow always falls short of the impossible target by a hand's breadth — not because the archer is weak, but because the target has been placed at exactly that distance to teach her to ask. Yaśodā's rope, perfectly ordinary, comes up two fingers short — and those two fingers are the entire gap between sādhana and siddhi.
When Hanumān leapt across the ocean to Laṅkā, he covered ninety-nine yojanas with his strength alone — but Mahendragiri sank under his takeoff, and the last stretch he covered only by Rāma's mercy and his own surrender (Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara-kāṇḍa).
The 'two fingers' of Yaśodā is Hanumān's last yojana. Effort takes you to the brink; only the Lord's consent crosses it. Gauḍīyas read both episodes as illustrations of bhakti's interior structure: full labor + final surrender.
My note
Source: vedabase.io