Shloka 4
Devahūti’s Prayers, Kapila’s Departure, and Devahūti’s Liberation
Siddhapada
स त्वं भृतो मे जठरेण नाथ कथं नु यस्योदर एतदासीत् । विश्वं युगान्ते वटपत्र एक: शेते स्म माया-शिशुरङ्घ्रिपान: ॥ ४ ॥
sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ
Ô Seigneur ! Tu as été porté dans mon sein : comment cela se peut-il ? Toi dont le ventre contient l’univers entier, comment pourrais-Tu naître de mon ventre ? Pourtant, à la fin des âges, Tu reposes seul sur une feuille de banian et, tel un enfant merveilleux de la māyā, Tu suces l’orteil de Ton pied de lotus ; ainsi ce mystère devient possible.
At the time of dissolution the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby lying on a leaf of a banyan tree, floating on the devastating water. Therefore Devahūti suggests, “Your lying down within the abdomen of a common woman like me is not so astonishing. You can lie down on the leaf of a banyan tree and float on the water of devastation as a small baby. Therefore it is not very wonderful that You can lie down in the abdomen of my body. You teach us that those who are very fond of children within this material world and who therefore enter into marriage to enjoy family life with children can also have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their child, and the most wonderful thing is that the Lord Himself licks His toe.”
FAQs
This verse recalls that at the end of an age the Lord alone remains, lying on a banyan leaf as a divine child, showing His complete independence and His power to sustain creation even after dissolution.
Devahuti marvels at Kapila’s divinity: although He appeared as her son carried in her womb, He is the Supreme Lord within whom the entire universe exists.
It encourages humility and faith: apparent limitations of God are part of His loving līlā, and remembering His greatness helps one surrender anxieties to the Supreme.