Shloka 15
Nanda’s Captivity by Varuṇa and the Revelation of the Spiritual World
Brahma-hrada
सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं यद् ब्रह्मज्योति: सनातनम् । यद्धि पश्यन्ति मुनयो गुणापाये समाहिता: ॥ १५ ॥
satyaṁ jñānam anantaṁ yad brahma-jyotiḥ sanātanam yad dhi paśyanti munayo guṇāpāye samāhitāḥ
He revealed the eternal brahma-jyoti—truth, consciousness, and limitless being—which sages behold in samādhi when freed from the material modes.
In text 14 Lord Kṛṣṇa revealed to the residents of Vṛndāvana His own abode, the spiritual planet of Kṛṣṇaloka. This and innumerable other Vaikuṇṭha planets float in an infinite ocean of spiritual light called the brahmajyoti. That spiritual light is in fact the spiritual sky, which Kṛṣṇa also, quite naturally, revealed to the residents of Vṛndāvana. For example, if we want to show the moon to a child, we say, “Look up in the sky. See the moon over there in the sky.” Similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa revealed the vast spiritual sky to the residents of Vṛndāvana, but as emphasized in text 14 and in the following text, 16, the actual destination of the Lord’s associates was His own spiritual planet.
FAQs
This verse describes the brahmajyoti as eternal, infinite truth and knowledge—realized by sages when they rise beyond the material modes through deep absorption.
In this chapter’s context, the narration highlights that even the impersonal Brahman—seen by meditative sages—is connected to the Supreme Lord’s spiritual reality, revealed alongside Krishna’s līlā.
Cultivate steadiness through regular sādhana—scriptural study, meditation, and bhakti practices—so the mind becomes composed (samāhita) and less driven by passion and ignorance.