Shloka 11
The Lord’s Supervision of Embodiment: Fetal Development, Womb-Suffering, and the Jīva’s Prayer (Garbha-stuti) — and the Trap of Māyā
नाथमान ऋषिर्भीत: सप्तवध्रि: कृताञ्जलि: । स्तुवीत तं विक्लवया वाचा येनोदरेऽर्पित: ॥ ११ ॥
nāthamāna ṛṣir bhītaḥ sapta-vadhriḥ kṛtāñjaliḥ stuvīta taṁ viklavayā vācā yenodare ’rpitaḥ
Bound within seven coverings and gripped by fear, the living being seeks shelter; with folded hands he praises, in a trembling voice, the Lord who has placed him in that condition within the womb.
It is said that when a woman is having labor pains she promises that she will never again become pregnant and suffer from such a severely painful condition. Similarly, when one is undergoing some surgical operation he promises that he will never again act in such a way as to become diseased and have to undergo medical surgery, or when one falls into danger, he promises that he will never again make the same mistake. Similarly, the living entity, when put into a hellish condition of life, prays to the Lord that he will never again commit sinful activities and have to be put into the womb for repeated birth and death. In the hellish condition within the womb, the living entity is very much afraid of being born again, but when he is out of the womb, when he is in full life and good health, he forgets everything and commits again and again the same sins for which he was put into that horrible condition of existence.
FAQs
This verse shows that when overwhelmed by fear, a devotee or saintly person seeks refuge in the Supreme Lord and offers heartfelt prayers, trusting the Lord’s protection.
Because he was frightened by his condition—being placed within a womb by the Lord’s arrangement—so, with humility and folded hands, he praised the Lord as his only shelter.
In anxiety or uncertainty, practice śaraṇāgati: turn to sincere prayer, humility, and remembrance of Bhagavān, rather than relying only on one’s limited control.