Shloka 31
Arjuna Marries Subhadrā; Kṛṣṇa Honors Two Devotees in Mithilā (Śrutadeva and Bahulāśva)
श्रीबहुलाश्व उवाच भवान् हि सर्वभूतानामात्मा साक्षी स्वदृग् विभो । अथ नस्त्वत्पदाम्भोजं स्मरतां दर्शनं गत: ॥ ३१ ॥
śrī-bahulāśva uvāca bhavān hi sarva-bhūtānām ātmā sākṣī sva-dṛg vibho atha nas tvat-padāmbhojaṁ smaratāṁ darśanaṁ gataḥ
Śrī Bahulāśva sprach: O allmächtiger Herr, Du bist der Ātman aller Wesen, der selbstleuchtende Zeuge. Nun gewährst Du uns, die wir stets Deiner Lotosfüße gedenken, Dein Darśana.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains Bahulāśva’s inner thoughts as follows: Bahulāśva glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa as the inspiring Soul of all life and consciousness, thinking that even an inert dullard like himself could be awakened to devotional awareness by His mercy. He glorifies the Lord as the witness of all pious and impious actions, confident that the Lord remembers whatever little devotional service he has ever done. And he glorifies Him as self-illumined, never needing to be enlightened or informed by any external source, with the knowledge that the Lord has always been aware of Bahulāśva’s long-cherished secret desire to see Him.
FAQs
This verse states that those who remember Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet (smaraṇa) receive His darśana—He reveals Himself to the devoted remembrance.
He acknowledges Kṛṣṇa’s divine nature as the indwelling Ātmā (Paramātmā) who sees all as the inner witness, while also personally appearing to His devotees.
Regularly recall Kṛṣṇa—through japa, kīrtana, reading Bhāgavatam, and mindful prayer—so daily actions stay aligned with devotion and inner accountability before the divine witness.