| Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 8: Lord Krishna Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.42
aham mamāsau patir esha me suto
vrajeśvarasyākhila-vittapā satī
gopyaś ca gopāh saha-godhanāś ca me
yan-māyayettham kumatih sa me gatih
SYNONYMS
aham — my existence ("I am something"); mama — my; asau — Nanda Mahārāja; patih — husband; eshah — this (Krishna); me sutah — is my son; vraja-īśvarasya — of my husband, Nanda Mahārāja; akhila-vitta-pā — I am the possessor of unlimited opulence and wealth; satī — because I am his wife; gopyah ca — and all the damsels of the cowherd men; gopāh — all the cowherd men (are my subordinates); saha-godhanāh ca — with the cows and calves; me — my; yat-māyayā — all such things addressed by me are, after all, given by the mercy of the Supreme; ittham — thus; kumatih — I am wrongly thinking they are my possessions; sah me gatih — He is therefore my only shelter (I am simply instrumental).
TRANSLATION
It is by the influence of the Supreme Lord's māyā that I am wrongly thinking that Nanda Mahārāja is my husband, that Krishna is my son, and that because I am the queen of Nanda Mahārāja, all the wealth of cows and calves are my possessions and all the cowherd men and their wives are my subjects. Actually, I also am eternally subordinate to the Supreme Lord. He is my ultimate shelter.
PURPORT
Following in the footsteps of mother Yaśodā, everyone should follow this mentality of renunciation. Whatever wealth, opulence or whatever else we may possess belongs not to us but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate shelter of everyone and the ultimate owner of everything. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29):
"The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries."
We should not be proud of our possessions. As expressed by mother Yaśodā herein, "I am not the owner of possessions, the opulent wife of Nanda Mahārāja. The estate, the possessions, the cows and calves and the subjects like the gopīs and cowherd men are all given to me." One should give up thinking of "my possessions, my son and my husband" (janasya moho'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]). Nothing belongs to anyone but the Supreme Lord. Only because of illusion do we wrongly think, "I am existing" or "Everything belongs to me." Thus mother Yaśodā completely surrendered unto the Supreme Lord. For the moment, she was rather disappointed, thinking, "My endeavors to protect my son by charity and other auspicious activities are useless. The Supreme Lord has given me many things, but unless He takes charge of everything, there is no assurance of protection. I must therefore ultimately seek shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." As stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja (Bhāg. 7.9.19), bālasya neha śaranam pitarau nrisimha: a father and mother cannot ultimately take care of their children. Ato griha-kshetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti (Bhāg. 5.5.8). One's land, home, wealth and all of one's possessions belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although we wrongly think, "I am this" and "These things are mine."
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari