Bhagavatapurana 10.14

10.14.1

/0 śrī-brahmovāca
naumīḍya te 'bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya $ guñjāvataṃsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya &
naumīḍya te 'bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya $ guñjāvataṃsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya &
vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-viṣāṇa-veṇu- % lakṣma-śriye mṛdu-pade paśupāṅgajāya //

Śrī Brahmā said:
I praise You, O worshipful one, whose body resembles a cloud, who are clad in lightning garments, whose face shines with guñjā ornaments and a peacock feather crown, / I praise You, O worshipful one, whose body resembles a cloud, who are clad in lightning garments, whose face shines with guñjā ornaments and a peacock feather crown, / adorned with a forest garland, bearing the splendors of a morsel of food, a staff, a horn, and a flute, with soft feet, the son of the cowherd.

1. Brahma said:—To Thee, O praiseworthy Lord, whose personality is of azure hue like the cloud, clad in Pitambara brilliant like lightning, with Thy face resplendent with the ornaments of Gunja seeds and peacock feathers, adorned with garlands of white flowers, with a morsel of food, a cane and a flute that enhance Thy charming person, of tender feet,—to the Son of the chief of cowherds, I offer my praises

10.14.2

* //
asyāpi deva vapuṣo mad-anugrahasya svecchā-mayasya na tu bhūta-mayasya ko 'pi /
neśe mahi tv avasituṃ manasāntareṇa sākṣāt tavaiva kim utātma-sukhānubhūteḥ //

Even of this body of Yours, O Lord, manifest for my grace, formed of Your own will and not made of the material elements, no one / is capable of measuring the greatness within their mind, directly even of Yourself—what to speak of the experience of Your innate bliss?

2. Four-faced Brahma as I am, I cannot comprehend the glory of even this form, O Lord, which sheds grace on me, which is assumed at Thy own will, which is not a creation of the Bhutas (lifeless matter)—I cannot grasp it even with the mind, the inner sense; much less could I comprehend directly Thy nature of absolute and essential blissfulness.

10.14.2.p1

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva $ jīvanti san-mukharitāṃ bhavadīya-vārtām &

Giving up the endeavor for speculative knowledge, those who remain bowing down and spend their lives listening to the narrations of You spoken by the mouths of virtuous devotees,

3. By those who, having given up their quest of wisdom, only bow to Thee, live on thy stories told by the wise and righteous and described in the Sruti, and firmly stand in their place Thou appearest, O unconquered Lord, as conquered in all the three worlds.

10.14.3

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṃ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir % ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām //

remaining in their own station, dedicating body, speech, and mind—by them, O unconquered Lord, You are generally conquered anywhere in the three worlds.

10.14.3.p2

śreyaḥ-sṛtiṃ bhaktim udasya te vibho $ kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye &

Abandoning devotion to You, which is the pathway to the highest good, O all-pervading Lord, those who labor solely for the attainment of abstract knowledge,

4. To those that neglect, O Lord, the path of devotion, the main spring of all blessings, and only afflict themselves for the attainment of mere knowledge, that mere affliction is left as the result and no other, just as it is with those who pound the mere outer husk.

10.14.3.p3

śreyaḥ-sṛtiṃ bhaktim udasya te vibho $ kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye &

Abandoning devotion to You, which is the pathway to the highest good, O all-pervading Lord, those who labor solely for the attainment of abstract knowledge,

10.14.4

teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate % nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām //

for them only distress itself remains as their share, and nothing else, just like those who beat empty husks.

10.14.5

pureha bhūman bahavo 'pi yoginas tvad-arpitehā nija-karma-labdhayā /
vibudhya bhaktyaiva kathopanītayā prapedire 'ñjo 'cyuta te gatiṃ parām //

In the past in this world, O infinite Lord, many yogins, dedicating their endeavors to You, attained through the performance of their prescribed duties / awakened knowledge through devotion conveyed by Your stories alone, and easily attained Your supreme goal, O Acyuta.

5. In the past, O perfect One, many yogins too here resigned unto Thee all their activity and desire, had their eyes opened only by the virtue of devotion attained through their own working and induced by Thy stories, and (in the end) surely reached Thee their final goal, O Achyuta.

10.14.6

tathāpi bhūman mahimāguṇasya te viboddhum arhaty amalāntar-ātmabhiḥ /
avikriyāt svānubhavād arūpato hy ananya-bodhyātmatayā na cānyathā //

Even so, O infinite Lord, the majesty of You, who are free from material qualities, can be understood by those whose inner selves are pure, / from unchanging direct experience, from formlessness, as the Self to be realized by no other means, and not otherwise.

6. However, O perfect One, the glory of Thyself devoid of attributes is possible to be perceived by those whose mental sense is clear of all gross relations, attaining thereby a changeless, formless, self-conscious state of Atman which is not known in any other way; for it is not possible otherwise.

10.14.7

guṇātmanas te 'pi guṇān vimātuṃ hitāvatīṛnasya ka īśire 'sya /
kālena yair vā vimitāḥ su-kalpair bhū-pāṃśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ //

Who has ever been able to measure the qualities of You who have descended for the welfare [of the world], even while possessing transcendental qualities? / Even if in time, by very capable persons, the particles of earth, the snow in the sky, and the rays of light in the heavens could be counted.

7. Who could possibly reckon Thy attributes when Thou exhibitest them and especially when Thou hast appeared here for the benefit of the world? By whom indeed, through eternity of time, even possessed of consummate skill, were the particles of dust on earth, drops of dew and the rays of luminaries in the heavens ever reckoned?

10.14.8

tat te 'nukampāṃ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṃ vipākam /
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk //

Therefore, one who eagerly awaits Your mercy, while enduring the karmic fruition brought about by oneself, / offering obeisances to You with heart, speech, and body, and thus lives—such a person is an heir to the state of liberation.

8. Therefore he who, with faith, hopeful of Thy pure grace quietly enjoys the result of his own action and lives on bowing to Thee in thought, word, and deed—he certainly attains his own portion in the heavenly state (salvation).

10.14.9

paśyeśa me 'nāryam ananta ādye parātmani tvayy api māyi-māyini /
māyāṃ vitatyekṣitum ātma-vaibhavaṃ hy ahaṃ kiyān aiccham ivārcir agnau //

Look, O Lord, at my dishonorable deed! Even toward You, the infinite, primeval, Supreme Self, the master of all masters of illusion, / I spread my own illusory power wishing to test Your glory! How insignificant am I—like a tiny spark before a blazing fire!

9. O Lord, see how I tried to spread my own Maya over Thee, the unlimited One, the eternal source of all deluders. What am I, what power have I? (None at all), like a flame proceeding to comprehend Agni of which it is born.

10.14.10

ataḥ kṣamasvācyuta me rajo-bhuvo hy ajānatas tvat-pṛthag-īśa-māninaḥ /
ajāvalepāndha-tamo-'ndha-cakṣuṣa eṣo 'nukampyo mayi nāthavān iti //

Therefore, forgive me, O Acyuta, who was born from the quality of passion, ignorant, conceiving of myself as an independent lord, / my eyes blinded by the deep darkness of the pride of being the unborn creator: 'This one is deserving of mercy, having me as his master.'

10. May Thou be pleased therefore to forgive me, born of Rajas, ignorant, blinded by the dense darkness of Pride, labouring under the notion that I am the supreme being, independent of Thee!. So I pray that this poor self be the object of thy pity and grace, since it has a protector only in Thyself.

10.14.10.p1

kvāhaṃ tamo-mahad-ahaṃ-kha-carāgni-vār-bhū- $ saṃveṣṭitāṇḍa-ghaṭa-sapta-vitasti-kāyaḥ &

Where am I, with a body measuring only seven spans within this egg of the universe enclosed by darkness, the mahat-tattva, the ego, ether, air, fire, water, and earth,

11. What am I, invested with a body of seven spans, in a small pot of this egg (world) coated with Prakriti, Mahat, Ahankara, Akasa, Vayu, Agni, water and earth? How inconceivably vast is the glory of Thyself of whom a pore is like a window aperture through which innumerable eggs of Universes pass to and fro like atoms, [whereas I am placed in one such atomlike world (Egg)] [I am but a particle, incapable of understanding or realising Thy unlimited glory.]

10.14.11

kvedṛg-vidhāvigaṇitāṇḍa-parāṇu-caryā- % vātādhva-roma-vivarasya ca te mahitvam //

and where is Your greatness, from the pores of whose skin innumerable universes like this drift about like particles of dust moving in the wind?

10.14.12

utkṣepaṇaṃ garbha-gatasya pādayoḥ kiṃ kalpate mātur adhokṣajāgase /
kim asti-nāsti-vyapadeśa-bhūṣitaṃ tavāsti kukṣeḥ kiyad apy anantaḥ //

Does the kicking of the feet by a child within the womb constitute an offense to the mother, O Adhokṣaja? / Does anything designated as existing or non-existing lie outside Your belly, O infinite one?

12. Does, O Adhokshaja, the kicking up of the feet of an infant in the womb constitute an offence to the mother? Is there anything at all which is not in Thy bowels, spoken of either as existing or not-exhisting? (No act of mine could be reckoned as an offence to Thee).

10.14.13

jagat-trayāntodadhi-samplavode nārāyaṇasyodara-nābhi-nālāt /
vinirgato 'jas tv iti vāṅ na vai mṛṣā kintv īśvara tvan na vinirgato 'smi //

The statement, 'At the end of the three worlds, in the waters of the deluge, the unborn Brahmā emerged from the lotus stalk in the navel of Nārāyaṇa's abdomen,' / is indeed not false; yet, O Lord, did I not originate from You?

13. True indeed is the Word that Brahma came out of the lotus-stalk growing from the navel of Narayana who was on the water when all the seas mingled together deluging the world; so, O Lord, have I not too issued out of Thee?

10.14.14

nārāyaṇas tvaṃ na hi sarva-dehinām ātmāsy adhīśākhila-loka-sākṣī /
nārāyaṇo 'ṅgaṃ nara-bhū-jalāyanāt tac cāpi satyaṃ na tavaiva māyā //

Are You not Nārāyaṇa? Indeed, You are the Self of all embodied beings, the supreme ruler, the witness of all the worlds. / Nārāyaṇa is [also] Your form as the refuge of the waters born from Nara, and that too is real, not merely Your creative power.

14. Art thou not Narayana? indeed Thou art He, for Thou art the Atman of all creatures invested with a body and the witness of all the universe, O Supreme Lord; Thou art Narayana, because all the Jivas form Thy abode; because Thou art the one that actuates all the Jivas; and because Thou alone knowest all the Jivas (worlds); further Narayana is Thy personality, since it was and is the one support of all the things produced out of Nara as well as water; but it is not real and it is only Thine own delusive power.

10.14.14.p1

tac cej jala-sthaṃ tava saj jagad-vapuḥ $ kiṃ me na dṛṣṭaṃ bhagavaṃs tadaiva &

If that cosmic form of Yours resting upon the waters is real, why was it not seen by me then, O Lord?

15. If that world-form placed on water were a real person of Thine, why was it not then and there seen by me? Or why was it not seen by me distinctly in the heart, at that very time? Or why was it not again and suddenly shown unto me, O unlimited Lord?

10.14.15

kiṃ vā su-dṛṣṭaṃ hṛdi me tadaiva % kiṃ no sapady eva punar vyadarśi //

Or when it was clearly seen within my heart then, why was it suddenly not visible again?

10.14.16

atraiva māyā-dhamanāvatāre hy asya prapañcasya bahiḥ sphuṭasya /
kṛtsnasya cāntar jaṭhare jananyā māyātvam eva prakaṭī-kṛtaṃ te //

Right here in this incarnation that dispels illusion, the illusory nature of this universe—manifest outside / and entirely inside Your abdomen—was revealed by You to Your mother.

16. It is just here in this Avatara, O Dispeller of all delusion, that by showing to Thy mother the whole Universe within Thy own bowels, distinctly visible, as it is Thou hast distinctly shown what Thy Maya is.

10.14.17

yasya kukṣāv idaṃ sarvaṃ sātmaṃ bhāti yathā tathā /
tat tvayy apīha tat sarvaṃ kim idaṃ māyayā vinā //

Just as this whole universe along with Yourself appears within Your abdomen, / so too does it all appear here within You; how could this be without Your creative power?

17. In Thy bowels rests all this Universe which appears associated with Atman, according to the light given to different men. How could all that exist in Thee except through Thine own Maya?

10.14.17.p1

adyaiva tvad ṛte 'sya kiṃ mama na te māyātvam ādarśitam $ eko 'si prathamaṃ tato vraja-suhṛd-vatsāḥ samastā api &

Has not the illusory nature of this universe been shown to me today by You, apart from Yourself? First You were alone; then You became all the companions of Vraja and the calves;

18. Has not the illusiveness of this Universe been shown unto me by Thyself, this very moment—of everything except Thyself? In the beginning Thou art but one and then all the friends and calves of Vraja and as many four-armed forms as Thou borest were worshipped and contemplated by all and by myself; then Thou becamest as many worlds; still Thou remainest the same (one) unlimited secondless Brahman.

10.14.18

tāvanto 'si catur-bhujās tad akhilaiḥ sākaṃ mayopāsitās % tāvanty eva jaganty abhūs tad amitaṃ brahmādvayaṃ śiṣyate //

You became that many four-armed forms, which were then worshiped by all [the entities] along with myself; You became as many universes, and now the one boundless, non-dual Brahman remains.

10.14.19

ajānatāṃ tvat-padavīm anātmany ātmātmanā bhāsi vitatya māyām /
sṛṣṭāv ivāhaṃ jagato vidhāna iva tvam eṣo 'nta iva trinetraḥ //

To those who do not know Your true state, You appear in the non-Self through Yourself, having spread Your creative power: / as if I in the creation of the universe, as if You in its maintenance, and as if the three-eyed Rudra at its end.

19. To those that are ignorant of Thy nature, Thou present in Prakriti spreadest Thy Maya and appearest by virtue of Thine own absolute power as many, viz, as myself (the four-faced Brahma) in relation to creation, as Thyself (Vishnu) in protection, and as the three-eyed in destruction.

10.14.20

sureṣv ṛṣiṣv īśa tathaiva nṛṣv api tiryakṣu yādaḥsv api te 'janasya /
janmāsatāṃ durmada-nigrahāya prabho vidhātaḥ sad-anugrahāya ca //

Among gods, sages, O Lord, and likewise among humans, animals, and aquatic creatures, Your birth, though You are unborn, / is for the restraint of the insolent wicked, O Lord, O Creator, and for the blessing of the virtuous.

20. O Almighty Lord, O Supreme Maker, among the Gods or Rishis, O Ruler, among men or beasts or birds or among aquatic creatures, Thou, unborn as Thou art, appearest for the purpose of putting down the wickedness and pride of the unrighteous and for the uplifting of the righteous.

10.14.21

ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman yogeśvarotīr bhavatas tri-lokyām /
kva vā kathaṃ vā kati vā kadeti vistārayan krīḍasi yoga-māyām //

Who can know, O Infinite One, O Lord, O Supreme Self, master of yoga, your movements in the three worlds,
or where, or how, or how many, or when, deploying your creative power of yoga, you play?

21. O perfect, most glorious and supreme Atman, O Ruler of all Yogins, who in all the three worlds could know Thy blessed activities; where, how, and when they were exhibited, or how many they were, as Thou sportest displaying Thy Yoga power?

10.14.21.p1

tasmād idaṃ jagad aśeṣam asat-svarūpaṃ $ svapnābham asta-dhiṣaṇaṃ puru-duḥkha-duḥkham &

Therefore, this entire universe, unreal in its own nature, dreamlike, devoid of consciousness, full of sorrow upon sorrow,

22. Therefore all this Universe unsubstantial in truth, like unto dream vision, devoid of intelligence, a vast field of endless misery has as it were a place on Thyself of eternal bliss and wisdom and absolute nature and by virtue of Thy Maya it rises and vanishes and seems to be a real existence characterised with Thine own attributes.

10.14.22

tvayy eva nitya-sukha-bodha-tanāv anante % māyāta udyad api yat sad ivāvabhāti //

manifesting from your creative power, appears as real only in you, the infinite one whose body is eternal bliss and consciousness.

10.14.23

ekas tvam ātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ satyaḥ svayaṃ-jyotir ananta ādyaḥ /
nityo 'kṣaro 'jasra-sukho nirañjanaḥ pūrṇādvayo mukta upādhito 'mṛtaḥ //

You alone are the self, the ancient Person, the true, self-luminous, infinite, primeval,
eternal, imperishable, ceaselessly blissful, untainted, complete, non-dual, free from conditioning adjuncts, immortal.

23. Thou art the one Atman, Perfect Person of all eternity, real, self-luminous, endless and the first and foremost One, the permanent and undecaying one of uninterrupted blissfulness, untouched by darkness, perfect, destitute of a second, free from all conditions, immortal, and ever blessed.

10.14.24

evaṃ-vidhaṃ tvāṃ sakalātmanām api svātmānam ātmātmatayā vicakṣate /
gurv-arka-labdhopaniṣat-sucakṣuṣā ye te tarantīva bhavānṛtāmbudhim //

Those who see you of such nature—the self even of all selves—as their own self with the pure eye of the Upaniṣads gained from the sun-like guru,
they cross over the unreal ocean of cyclic existence, as it were.

24. It appears that Those cross the false sea of Samsara who see Thee to be of this nature, to be the Antaratman of all Atmans and their own self, through the subtle mental vision attained by worshipping a preceptor who is like unto the great Sun.

10.14.25

ātmānam evātmatayāvijānatāṃ tenaiva jātaṃ nikhilaṃ prapañcitam /
jñānena bhūyo 'pi ca tat pralīyate rajjvām aher bhoga-bhavābhavau yathā //

For those who do not recognize the self as the self, this entire phenomenal world has arisen from that very ignorance;
and by knowledge it dissolves again, just as the appearance and disappearance of a serpent's coils [occur] in a rope.

25. To those that understand Atman to be self, the whole Universe is produced by virtue of the same (understanding); and by its virtue again the whole vanishes just as the same perception shows the presence as well as the absence of the serpent in the rope.

10.14.26

ajñāna-saṃjñau bhava-bandha-mokṣau dvau nāma nānyau sta ṛta-jña-bhāvāt /
ajasra-city ātmani kevale pare vicāryamāṇe taraṇāv ivāhanī //

Bondage and liberation in cyclic existence, designations of ignorance, are two names that do not exist apart from knowledge of the truth;
when investigated in the self, which is unbroken consciousness, solitary and supreme, they are like [night and] day in the sun.

26. The bondage in Samsara and release therefrom distinctly known to be such are only instituted by Ne-science (Ajnana) and they are no separate existences different from the existence which is truth and consciousness. On enquiry it is seen they are, like day and night in the Sun, projected on the absolute Paramatman of unlimited consciousness.

10.14.27

tvām ātmānaṃ paraṃ matvā param ātmānam eva ca /
ātmā punar bahir mṛgya aho 'jña-janatājñatā //

Considering you, the self, to be other, and considering the other to be the self,
the self is then sought outside—alas for the ignorance of ignorant folk!

27. When Thou art known as Paramatman and one’s own self it is nothing but the wonderful ignorance of the ignorant that they think Atman has to be sought after elsewhere (in external things).

10.14.28

antar-bhave 'nanta bhavantam eva hy atat tyajanto mṛgayanti santaḥ /
asantam apy anty ahim antareṇa santaṃ guṇaṃ taṃ kim u yanti santaḥ //

Discarding what is not That within this material existence, O Infinite One, the virtuous devotees seek only you.
Even though discarding the unreal snake, would discerning persons bypass the real rope that is its substratum?

28. O unlimited Lord, it is in this Samsara itself and it is Thee that the wise and righteous are in search of, casting off what is not Thou; could even men of correct understanding perceive the real rope without negativing the serpent though it is not near (i. e., perceive even the rope at hand without negativing the serpent that does not exist there). 29. Still, O brilliant Lord, only he who is the recipient of a ray of Thy grace at Thy lotus-like feet can understand the truth of Thy glory and power, O glorious Lord; and no other could, however long he might seek after it.

10.14.29

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi /
jānāti tattvaṃ bhagavan-mahimno na cānya eko 'pi ciraṃ vicinvan //

Even so, O Lord, only one who is favored by a mere particle of grace from the pair of your lotus feet
knows the truth of the Lord’s majesty, and no other, even searching for a long time alone.

28. O unlimited Lord, it is in this Samsara itself and it is Thee that the wise and righteous are in search of, casting off what is not Thou; could even men of correct understanding perceive the real rope without negativing the serpent though it is not near (i. e., perceive even the rope at hand without negativing the serpent that does not exist there). 29. Still, O brilliant Lord, only he who is the recipient of a ray of Thy grace at Thy lotus-like feet can understand the truth of Thy glory and power, O glorious Lord; and no other could, however long he might seek after it.

10.14.30

tad astu me nātha sa bhūri-bhāgo bhave 'tra vānyatra tu vā tiraścām /
yenāham eko 'pi bhavaj-janānāṃ bhūtvā niṣeve tava pāda-pallavam //

Therefore, O Lord, let that great fortune be mine in this birth, or in another, or even among animals,
whereby, becoming even one among your devotees, I may serve your tender sprout-like feet.

30. Therefore, O master (Protector), may I have that immense fortune (great blessing) in this human life or in any still lower life by which I may be born as one of Thy votaries and worship Thy tender feet.

10.14.31

aho 'ti-dhanyā vraja-go-ramaṇyaḥ stanyāmṛtaṃ pītam atīva te mudā /
yāsāṃ vibho vatsatarātmajātmanā yat-tṛptaye 'dyāpi na cālam adhvarāḥ //

Ah, exceedingly blessed are the cows and cowherd women of Vraja, whose breast-milk nectar was drunk by you with immense joy,
O all-pervading Lord, in the form of calves and sons—you for whose satisfaction even sacrifices are not sufficient to this day!

31. Most highly blessed are the cows and women of Vraja at whose breast, milk like ambrosia was gladly and to entire satisfaction suckled by Thee, O Lord, in the form of their calves and sons—by Thee to propitiate whom all sacrifices are not sufficient even to this day.

10.14.32

aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaṃ nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām /
yan-mitraṃ paramānandaṃ pūrṇaṃ brahma sanātanam //

Ah, what fortune! Ah, what fortune belongs to Nanda the cowherd and the dwellers of Vraja,
whose friend is the supreme bliss, the complete, eternal Brahman!

32. Unlimited and wonderful are the merit and fortune of the people of Nandagopas of Vraja (of Nandagopa and the people of Vraja), to whom the perfect and eternal Brahman of absolute bliss has become their dear friend.

10.14.32.p1

eṣāṃ tu bhāgya-mahimācyuta tāvad āstām $ ekādaśaiva hi vayaṃ bata bhūri-bhāgāḥ &

Let the greatness of their fortune be, O Acyuta; we eleven [gods] indeed, alas, are greatly fortunate,

33. O Achyuta, let the greatness (measure) of the merit and fortune of these be just set aside. It is we eleven indeed that are specially blessed. We (Rudra and others) do constantly drink out of the cups of these senses, the sweet nectarine honey of lotus-like feet.

10.14.33

etad-dhṛṣīka-caṣakair asakṛt pibāmaḥ % śarvādayo 'ṅghry-udaja-madhv-amṛtāsavaṃ te //

as we, Śarva and the others, drink repeatedly with the cups of our senses the sweet nectar-wine of your lotus feet.

10.14.33.p2

tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṃ $ yad gokule 'pi katamāṅghri-rajo-'bhiṣekam &

That would be supreme fortune: any birth whatsoever here in this forest, or even in Gokula, sprinkled with the dust of the feet of any of these,

34. It is an incalculable blessing to be born here as a human being or as some other creature in the forest, especially in Gokula, where one could bathe in the dust of the feet of some one (votary of Krishna); for, the life of the residents of Vraja was wholly the glorious Mukunda, the dust of His feet has yet to be sought after through the Srutis.

10.14.33.p3

tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṃ $ yad gokule 'pi katamāṅghri-rajo-'bhiṣekam &

that would be supreme fortune: any birth whatsoever here in this forest, or even in Gokula, sprinkled with the dust of the feet of any of these,

10.14.34

yaj-jīvitaṃ tu nikhilaṃ bhagavān mukundas % tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva //

whose entire life is the Lord Mukunda, the dust of whose feet is sought even today by the Vedas.

10.14.34.p2

eṣāṃ ghoṣa-nivāsinām uta bhavān kiṃ deva rāteti naś $ ceto viśva-phalāt phalaṃ tvad-aparaṃ kutrāpy ayan muhyati &

What will you grant to these dwellers of the cowherd settlement, O Lord? Considering any reward other than yourself from the bestower of all fruits, our mind is bewildered,

35. O Lord, our enquiring mind is at a loss to grasp where and what reward Thou wilt bestow on these residents of Vraja other than Thyself, the one fruit of all fruits. For, O Lord, putting on the guise of the good (Thy well-wishers), even Putana with all her tribe had access to Thyself, whereas these Gopas and Gopees dedicate unto Thee all that they have, their house, wealth, friends, beloved ones, selves, sons, life and thoughts.

10.14.34.p3

eṣāṃ ghoṣa-nivāsinām uta bhavān kiṃ deva rāteti naś $ ceto viśva-phalāt phalaṃ tvad-aparaṃ kutrāpy ayan muhyati &

What will you grant to these dwellers of the cowherd settlement, O Lord? Considering any reward other than yourself from the bestower of all fruits, our mind is bewildered,

10.14.35

sad-veṣād iva pūtanāpi sa-kulā tvām eva devāpitā % yad-dhāmārtha-suhṛt-priyātma-tanaya-prāṇāśayās tvat-kṛte //

since even Pūtanā along with her family was granted you yourself merely for assuming the guise of a virtuous devotee—you, for whose sake are their homes, wealth, friends, beloveds, bodies, children, life-breaths, and minds!

10.14.36

tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās tāvat kārā-gṛhaṃ gṛham /
tāvan moho 'ṅghri-nigaḍo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ //

Passions and the like remain thieves, home remains a prison,
and infatuation remains a fetter on the feet, O Kṛṣṇa, only so long as people do not belong to you.

36. Desire, hatred and other passions are theives; the house is a prison, ignorance is fetters, only so long as men do not, O Krishna, become Thine (Thy votaries.)

10.14.37

prapañcaṃ niṣprapañco 'pi viḍambayasi bhū-tale /
prapanna-janatānanda- sandohaṃ prathituṃ prabho //

Though free of the phenomenal world, you imitate the phenomenal world on earth,
O Lord, in order to spread an abundance of bliss for those who have taken refuge in you.

37. O Almighty Lord, though Thou art none of the world, Thou imitatest it on the earth only to enhance the current of blissfulness of those that have sought Thee.

10.14.38

jānanta eva jānantu kiṃ bahūktyā na me prabho /
manaso vapuṣo vāco vaibhavaṃ tava go-caraḥ //

Let those who claim to know, know! What need is there of many words? O Lord,
the majesty of your mind, body, and speech is not an object within my range.

38. In short let those know Thee who can; but, O Lord, Thy glory is not within the reach of my mind, word, or deed.

10.14.39

anujānīhi māṃ kṛṣṇa sarvaṃ tvaṃ vetsi sarva-dṛk /
tvam eva jagatāṃ nātho jagad etat tavārpitam //

Grant me leave, O Kṛṣṇa; you know everything, you see all.
You alone are the master of the worlds; this universe is offered to you.

39. Let me be permitted to go, O Krishna. Thou knowest everything. Thou art Omniscient. Thou art the one protector of the worlds; and This world is offered at Thy feet.

10.14.39.p1

śrī-kṛṣṇa vṛṣṇi-kula-puṣkara-joṣa-dāyin $ kṣmā-nirjara-dvija-paśūdadhi-vṛddhi-kārin &

O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, bestower of joy to the lotus of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, cause of the swelling ocean of the earth, the gods, the twice-born, and the cattle,

40. O glorious Krishna that bringest joy to the lotus of Vrshnis’ race and prosperity to the earth, to the gods, Brahmins, cattle, all unlimited like unto the sea; that destroyest the darkness of those that are astray from the path of right; that art to the end of kalpa the sunlight which is the destroyer of the Rakshasas of the earth! O most worthy and glorious Lord, I bow to Thee, O glorious Lord that art worshipped, through eternity, by all the gods (including the sun!)

10.14.40

uddharma-śārvara-hara kṣiti-rākṣasa-dhrug % ā-kalpam ārkam arhan bhagavan namas te //

dispeller of the darkness of unrighteousness, enemy of demons on earth—until the end of the cosmic age, as long as the sun shines, O worshipful Lord, obeisance to you!

10.14.41

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
ity abhiṣṭūya bhūmānaṃ triḥ parikramya pādayoḥ /
natvābhīṣṭaṃ jagad-dhātā sva-dhāma pratyapadyata //

Śrī Śuka said:
Having thus praised the Infinite One, circumambulating him three times and bowing at his feet,
the creator of the universe, his desire fulfilled, returned to his own abode.

41. Sri Suka said:—Having thus offered his praises, the maker of the world thrice went round the most beloved and perfect Lord, fell on His feet (bowed to His feet) and returned to his region.

10.14.42

tato 'nujñāpya bhagavān sva-bhuvaṃ prāg avasthitān /
vatsān pulinam āninye yathā-pūrva-sakhaṃ svakam //

Then, having dismissed the self-born [Brahmā], the Lord brought back the calves, which were stationed as before,
to the sandbank, and returned to his companions as previously.

42. Thereupon the glorious Lord gave leave to Brahma born of Himself and brought back the original calves to the sandbank of His choice along with His companions as they were there.

10.14.43

ekasminn api yāte 'bde prāṇeśaṃ cāntarātmanaḥ /
kṛṣṇa-māyāhatā rājan kṣaṇārdhaṃ menire 'rbhakāḥ //

Though a full year had passed, the boys, struck by the creative power of Kṛṣṇa,
O King, considered that time to be half a moment, [their minds fixed] on the Lord of their life, their inner self.

43. Though the complete year passed away without their dear Krishna, the children under the influence of Sri Krishna’s power, O king, regarded it as a moment.

10.14.44

kiṃ kiṃ na vismarantīha māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ /
yan-mohitaṃ jagat sarvam abhīkṣṇaṃ vismṛtātmakam //

What do those whose minds are deluded by creative power not forget here?
Deluded by it, the entire world constantly forgets its own self.

44. What is it that which those whose mind is deluded by Maya do not forget in the world? All the world deluded by Maya remains every moment forgetful of itself.

10.14.45

ūcuś ca suhṛdaḥ kṛṣṇaṃ sv-āgataṃ te 'ti-raṃhasā /
naiko 'py abhoji kavala ehītaḥ sādhu bhujyatām //

And the friends said to Kṛṣṇa: "Welcome back! You returned very quickly.
Not even a single morsel has been eaten. Come here, eat well!"

45. All the companions impatiently welcomed Him and said: “O good Krishna, thou hast not eaten even a mouthful, come here, eat well”.

10.14.46

tato hasan hṛṣīkeśo 'bhyavahṛtya sahārbhakaiḥ /
darśayaṃś carmājagaraṃ nyavartata vanād vrajam //

Then Hṛṣīkeśa, laughing, ate together with the boys,
and, showing them the skin of the python, returned from the forest to Vraja.

46. Then Krishna put on a laugh, ate along with children, showed them the skin of Ajagara, and from the woods returned to Vraja.

10.14.46.p1

barha-prasūna-vana-dhātu-vicitritāṅgaḥ $ proddāma-veṇu-dala-śṛṅga-ravotsavāḍhyaḥ &

His limbs decorated with peacock feathers, flowers, and forest minerals, rich in the festive sound of booming flutes, leaves, and horns,

47. Wonderfully adorned with peacock feathers, flowers and fresh-coloured earths in the midst of festive and transporting sounds, flutes, drums, and horns singing to the calves with His own purifying glory sung by His followers, with looks that were the feast of Gopa-woinen, the Lord entered Vraja.

10.14.47

vatsān gṛṇann anuga-gīta-pavitra-kīrtir % gopī-dṛg-utsava-dṛśiḥ praviveśa goṣṭham //

calling the calves, his purifying fame sung by his companions, his sight a festival for the eyes of the cowherd women, he entered the cowherd village.

10.14.48

adyānena mahā-vyālo yaśodā-nanda-sūnunā /
hato 'vitā vayaṃ cāsmād iti bālā vraje jaguḥ //

"Today a great serpent was killed by this son of Yaśodā and Nanda,
and we were saved from it!"—so the boys sang in Vraja.

48. At Vraja the boys sang thus: “Today by this blessed son of Yasoda, the great serpent was slain and we are saved from it”.

10.14.49

/0 śrī-rājovāca
brahman parodbhave kṛṣṇe iyān premā kathaṃ bhavet /
yo 'bhūta-pūrvas tokeṣu svodbhaveṣv api kathyatām //

The King said:
O brāhmaṇa, how could such love arise for Kṛṣṇa, who was born of another,
such love as had never existed before even for their own offspring? Please tell me.

49. The king said:—Wise sage! how came this unlimited love towards Krishna, born of another, like which they never before had even towards their own children? Be pleased to tell me.

10.14.50

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
sarveṣām api bhūtānāṃ nṛpa svātmaiva vallabhaḥ /
itare 'patya-vittādyās tad-vallabhatayaiva hi //

Śrī Śuka said:
For all living beings, O King, one's own self alone is dear;
others, such as children and wealth, are dear only because of their dearness to that self.

50. Sri Suka said:—To all creatures, O king, their own Atman (self) is most beloved, and all others whether children, wealth and all else are beloved, only because they are beloved of self (V. Atman-Paramatman.)

10.14.51

tad rājendra yathā snehaḥ sva-svakātmani dehinām /
na tathā mamatālambi- putra-vitta-gṛhādiṣu //

Therefore, O best of kings, the affection that embodied beings have for their own individual self
is not matched by their affection for sons, wealth, homes, and the like, which are based on possessiveness.

51. Therefore, O great king, what attachment creatures feel towards their own self severally, they do not feel towards their children, wealth, house and other things though they may be called their own.

10.14.52

dehātma-vādināṃ puṃsām api rājanya-sattama /
yathā dehaḥ priyatamas tathā na hy anu ye ca tam //

Even for men who identify the self with the body, O best of kings,
just as the body is dearest, so things related to it are not.

52. Even by those who believe that there is no Atman other than the body itself, accompaniments of the body are so intensely loved as the body itself.

10.14.53

deho 'pi mamatā-bhāk cet tarhy asau nātma-vat priyaḥ /
yaj jīryaty api dehe 'smin jīvitāśā balīyasī //

Even if the body is an object of possessiveness, it is still not as dear as the self,
for even when this body decays, the desire to live remains stronger.

53. If it be said that even the body is an object of attachment as one’s own, it is not certainly so like Atman himself, for when the body becomes worn out, the attachment for the life grows stronger.

10.14.54

tasmāt priyatamaḥ svātmā sarveṣām api dehinām /
tad-artham eva sakalaṃ jagad etac carācaram //

Therefore, the self is the dearest of all to all embodied beings;
for the sake of the self alone exists this entire universe of moving and unmoving beings.

54. Therefore one’s own self is most beloved of every one that is invested with a body and it is for its sake all this world, mobile and immobile, appears to exist.

10.14.55

kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām /
jagad-dhitāya so 'py atra dehīvābhāti māyayā //

Know this Kṛṣṇa to be the Self of all selves;
for the benefit of the world, he appears as if embodied through his creative power.

55. Do thou know that this Krishna is the Atman of all the jivas? It is only for the good of the world that He appears here by virtue of His power (Maya) to be one invested with a body.

10.14.56

vastuto jānatām atra kṛṣṇaṃ sthāsnu cariṣṇu ca /
bhagavad-rūpam akhilaṃ nānyad vastv iha kiñcana //

For those who know the truth here, both the stationary and the moving
are all the Lord's form; there is no other entity whatsoever in this world.

56. Truly in the view of those that have the light of wisdom all the mobile and immobile existence here is none but Krishna, only some form of the glorious Lord and there is nothing else all over here.

10.14.57

sarveṣām api vastūnāṃ bhāvārtho bhavati sthitaḥ /
tasyāpi bhagavān kṛṣṇaḥ kim atad vastu rūpyatām //

The essential reality of all things stands [as existing];
and of that reality too, the Lord is Kṛṣṇa—what thing could be defined as other than him?

57. Of all the things the true cause is certainly to be found while the effect exists and of every such effect that exists the Almighty Krishna is the cause and essence. Therefore let it be considered what could exist which is not the effect of that cause.

10.14.58

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṃ mahat-padaṃ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ /
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṃ paraṃ padaṃ padaṃ padaṃ yad vipadāṃ na teṣām //

For those who have taken refuge in the boat of the sprout-like feet of Murāri—the abode of exalted devotees, whose fame is purifying—
the ocean of cyclic rebirth becomes [as small as] a calf's hoof-print; the supreme abode is theirs, not that abode of danger at every step.

58. Those who have resorted to the boat of the tender feet of Murari of purifying glories, find the sea of samsara as shallow as the foot-print of a calf, attain to the highest place (Vaikunta) the final abode of the righteous and great and do not go (back) to the samsara, the sphere of miseries.

10.14.59

etat te sarvam ākhyātaṃ yat pṛṣṭo 'ham iha tvayā /
tat kaumāre hari-kṛtaṃ paugaṇḍe parikīrtitam //

All this which you asked me about here has been related to you;
that deed done by Hari in his childhood has been recounted as belonging to his boyhood.

59. To thee I have told at length everything about which thou inquiredst in this connection, namely, what Hari did as a child and what was sung widely of His boyhood.

10.14.60

etat suhṛdbhiś caritaṃ murārer aghārdanaṃ śādvala-jemanaṃ ca /
vyaktetarad rūpam ajorv-abhiṣṭavaṃ śṛṇvan gṛṇann eti naro 'khilārthān //

Hearing and chanting this deed of Murāri with his friends—the slaying of Agha, the dining on the meadow,
and his supramundane form, along with the great hymn of praise by the unborn Brahmā—a man attains all goals.

60. Listening to or singing what Murari sportfully did in the company of his friends, his vanquishing Aghasura, his breakfast on the meadow, his form which was different from the gross and phenomenal matter as well as the great hymn of praise sung by the four-faced Brahma, a man would attain all his great purposes.

10.14.61

evaṃ vihāraiḥ kaumāraiḥ kaumāraṃ jahatur vraje /
nilāyanaiḥ setu-bandhair markaṭotplavanādibhiḥ //

Thus, with childhood sports, they spent their childhood in Vraja—
with games of hide-and-seek, building dams, leaping like monkeys, and the like.

61. Thus with sports of childhood and boyhood such as hiding blind-folded, constructing dams, jumping about like monkeys and the like in the field of Vraja, they passed their childhood.