Canto 2: The Cosmic ManifestationChapter 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.7.29

tat karma divyam iva yan niśi niḥśayānaḿ

dāvāgninā śuci-vane paridahyamāne

unneṣyati vrajam ato 'vasitānta-kālaḿ

netre pidhāpya sabalo 'nadhigamya-vīryaḥ

SYNONYMS

tat — that; karma — activity; divyam — superhuman; iva — like; yat — which; niśi — at night; niḥśayānam — sleeping carefreely; dāva-agninā — by the glare of the forest fire; śuci-vanein the dry forest; paridahyamāne — being set ablaze; unneṣyati — would deliver; vrajam — all the inhabitants of Vraja; ataḥ — hence; avasita — surely; anta-kālam — last moments of life; netre — on the eyes; pidhāpya — simply by closing; sa-balaḥ — along with Baladeva; anadhigamya — unfathomable; vīryaḥ — prowess.

TRANSLATION

On the very night of the day of the chastisement of the Kāliya snake, when the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi were sleeping carefreely, there was a forest fire ablaze due to dry leaves, and it appeared that all the inhabitants were sure to meet their death. But the Lord, along with Balarāma, saved them simply by closing His eyes. Such are the superhuman activities of the Lord.

PURPORT

Although in this verse the Lord's activity has been described as superhuman, it should be noted that the Lord's activities are always superhuman, and that distinguishes Him from the ordinary living being. Uprooting a gigantic banyan or arjuna tree and extinguishing a blazing forest fire simply by closing one's eyes are certainly impossible by any kind of human endeavor. But not only are these activities amazing to hear, but in fact all other activities of the Lord, whatever He may do, are all superhuman, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.9). Whoever knows the superhuman activities of the Lord, due to their very transcendental nature, becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa, and as such, after quitting this present material body, the knower of the transcendental activities of the Lord goes back home, back to Godhead.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness