FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.90.46

శయ్యాసనాటనాలాపక్రీడాస్‍నానాదికర్మసు । న విదు: సన్తమాత్మానం వృష్ణయ: కృష్ణచేతస: ॥ ౪౬ ॥
śayyāsanāṭanālāpa-
[shayyaasanaatanaalaapa-]
krīḍā-snānādi-karmasu
[kreedaa-snaanaadi-karmasu]
na viduḥ santam ātmānaṁ
[na viduh santam aatmaanam]
vṛṣṇayaḥ kṛṣṇa-cetasaḥ
[vrishnayah krishna-chetasah]
śayyā — of sleeping āsana — sitting aṭana — walking ālāpa — conversing krīḍa — playing snāna — bathing ādi — and so on karmasu — in the activities na viduḥ — they were not aware of santam — present ātmānam — their own selves vṛṣṇayaḥ — the Vṛṣṇis kṛṣṇa — (absorbed) in Kṛṣṇa cetasaḥ — whose minds .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śayyāsanāṭanālāpa-
śayyā
of sleeping
āsana
sitting
aṭana
walking
ālāpa
conversing
krīḍā-snānādi-karmasu
krīḍa
playing
snāna
bathing
ādi
and so on
karmasu
in the activities
na viduḥ santam ātmānaṁ
na viduḥ
they were not aware of
santam
present
ātmānam
their own selves
vṛṣṇayaḥ kṛṣṇa-cetasaḥ
vṛṣṇayaḥ
the Vṛṣṇis
kṛṣṇa
(absorbed) in Kṛṣṇa
cetasaḥ
whose minds .
  • kṛṣṇa-cetasaḥ — whose consciousness was on Kṛṣṇa
    Compound: kṛṣṇa + cetas (consciousness). The single technical term Prabhupāda translated as 'Kṛṣṇa-consciousness.' Verse 90.46 is one of its scriptural anchors. Not generic awareness, but consciousness whose object is Kṛṣṇa.
  • na viduḥ — they did not know
    Perfect of √vid — to know — with negation. They did not know — were unaware of — their own bodies. Bhakti reaches the level where viṣaya-consciousness lapses. Compare Gītā 6.7-9's samādhi vocabulary, transposed into rasa.
  • ātmānam — themselves, their own bodies
    Accusative of ātman. Critically: here ātman means body, not soul. Gauḍīyas note: the Vṛṣṇis did not forget themselves as eternal servants; they forgot the bodily ātman in absorption. The svarūpa-ātman is what remembers.
  • śayyā-āsana-aṭana-ālāpa-krīḍa-snāna-ādi-karmasu — in such activities as sleeping, sitting, walking, conversing, playing, bathing
    Long compound listing six everyday activities. Bhakti is not a special-time activity; it permeates the ordinary. Compare Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255: yat tava lakṣaṇaṁ rāgānugā — the rāgānugā-bhakta lives every breath in Kṛṣṇa's līlā.
The Vṛṣṇis were so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that they forgot their own bodies while sleeping, sitting, walking, conversing, playing, bathing and so on.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The Vṛṣṇis were so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that they forgot their own bodies while sleeping, sitting, walking, conversing, playing, bathing and so on.
Commentary

Summarizing the tenth canto, the ocean of Krsna’s eternal pastimes, Sukadeva speaks of five unique qualities of Krsna distinguishing him from other avataras. The holy place in the form of the glories of Krsna who was now born in the Yadu family made his foot water in the form of the Ganga insignificant. Previously the Ganga was superior to all purifying tirthas, but with the appearance of krsna, his glories became the supreme purifying tirtha. This is one remarkable fact. His enemies such as Kamsa and his devotees such as the gopis, attained respectively, sayujya or merging, and the form of the Lord with which they enjoyed pastimes (svarupam). This the second remarkable fact. Laksmi, whose mercy all others such as Brahma strive for, was unable to conquer him (ajita para). Even by severe austerities she could bring him under control and enjoy the rasa lila as the women of Vraja did. This is the third wonder. His name of two syllables, superior to all other names such as Narayana, which are portions of his name, destroys all inauspiciousness, even up to ignorance, the root of the material world. Or, that name eradicates all ignorance of his supreme position, thus capturing even the liberated souls. Recitation of that name overturns by his own excellence all attractive results of other sadhanas (sruti matha gaditam). This indicates the superior of the name of Krsna over other names such as Narayana which are its expansions. "One gains the result of chanting Visnu’s thousand names three times by chanting Krsna’s name once." This is a statement from the Brahmanda purana. This is the fourth wonder. He freed the whole earth (go trayate), going everywhere and protecting the earth with the four legs of dharma. At the end of dvapara yuga, dharma was lacking three legs. Krsna restored all four legs (gotra dharma). The earth said, "Once you too were maintained by your four legs, and you increased happiness all over the universe by the mercy of the Lord." Sb 1.16.25 This is the fifth wonder. With these five outstanding wonders of Krsna, his removing the burden of the earth is not at all astonishing, though it may be for the common man.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The greatest quality of the Yādavas is described. They were not aware of themselves while sleeping etc. and even while awake. They did everything under the inspiration of the Lord. They did not have the ability to individually investigate things since they were absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Playing indicates playing dice. Ādi means even during amorous actions. Nothing could compare with this family. Yad yādavaṁ kulam aho aviṣahyam āste: the Yādava dynasty’s strength is unbearable for the earth. (SB 11.1.3) Kṛṣṇa however had fear of the state of madness that separation from him would cause them. This will be explained. brahmaṇyānāṁ vadānyānāṁ nityaṁ vṛddhopasevinām vipra-śāpaḥ katham abhūd vṛṣṇīnāṁ kṛṣṇa-cetasām How could the brāhmaṇas curse the Vṛṣṇis, who were always respectful to the brāhmaṇas, charitable, and inclined to serve senior and exalted personalities and whose minds were always fully absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa? SB 11.1.8

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The Yadus could not know themselves,. They did not examine what action and where, while existing (santam) in sleep, sitting, walking, conversing, playing or bathing, or any activity, because their minds were absorbed in Kṛṣṇa who attracts all hearts. Ādi indicates amorous acts also. This proves that their greatness is superior to great sages by their absorption in the Lord, even while having the great fortune of being directly in the presence of many attractive objects.

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)
Related verses
Concepts
KarmaLila

The Vṛṣṇis were so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa-consciousness that even while sleeping, sitting, walking, conversing, playing, bathing — they forgot their own bodies. Phala-śruti begins: this is what the chapter has been about. Bhakti is the body's forgetfulness in the Beloved's remembrance.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu's body-forgetting

Caitanya-caritāmṛta records that Mahāprabhu, especially in His Purī years, regularly forgot His body — losing track of meals, of clothing, of distance. Once at Tota-Gopinatha He walked into the sea, mistaking it for Yamunā; the fishermen pulled Him out unconscious.

Gauḍīyas treat 90.46 as the technical description of this state — kṛṣṇa-cetasaḥ. The Vṛṣṇis lived continuously in what Mahāprabhu entered intermittently. The verse is read as the goal of sādhana: not body-suppression, but body-forgetting through full absorption.

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