Shloka 35
Kṛṣṇa Teases Rukmiṇī; Her Devotional Reply and the Lord’s Assurance
सत्यं भयादिव गुणेभ्य उरुक्रमान्त: शेते समुद्र उपलम्भनमात्र आत्मा । नित्यं कदिन्द्रियगणै: कृतविग्रहस्त्वं त्वत्सेवकैर्नृपपदं विधुतं तमोऽन्धम् ॥ ३५ ॥
satyaṁ bhayād iva guṇebhya urukramāntaḥ śete samudra upalambhana-mātra ātmā nityaṁ kad-indriya-gaṇaiḥ kṛta-vigrahas tvaṁ tvat-sevakair nṛpa-padaṁ vidhutaṁ tamo ’ndham
അതെ, ഹേ ഉരുക്രമാ! നീ ഗുണങ്ങളെ ഭയന്നതുപോലെ സമുദ്രത്തിനുള്ളിൽ ശയിക്കുന്നവനായി തോന്നുന്നു; ശുദ്ധചൈതന്യത്തിൽ വെറും അനുഭവരൂപ ആത്മാവായി ഹൃദയത്തിൽ പരമാത്മയായി പ്രകാശിക്കുന്നു. നീ എപ്പോഴും മൂഢമായ ഇന്ദ്രിയസംഘത്തോടു പോരാടുന്നു; നിന്റെ സേവകരും അജ്ഞാനാന്ധകാരത്തിലേക്കു നയിക്കുന്ന രാജപദം തള്ളിക്കളയുന്നു.
In text 12 Lord Kṛṣṇa said, rājabhyo bibhyataḥ su-bhru samudram śaraṇaṁ gatān: “Out of fear of the kings, We took shelter in the ocean.” Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī points out that the actual rulers of this world are the guṇas, the material modes of nature, which impel all living beings to act. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that because Lord Kṛṣṇa fears that His devotee will come under the influence of the modes of nature and become entangled in sense gratification, He enters the internal ocean of their hearts, where He remains as the omniscient Supersoul ( upalambhana-mātra ātmā ). Thus He protects His devotees. The word upalambhana-mātraḥ also indicates that the Lord is the object of meditation for His devotees.
FAQs
This verse states that even when the Lord appears to lie within the ocean, He remains untouched by fear and other qualities of material nature, because He is the Self beyond empirical perception.
She reconciles the Bhagavata teaching: the Lord’s essence is transcendent ātmā beyond material qualities, yet He eternally manifests a divine vigraha through His own spiritual senses to accept loving service.
By steady service and remembrance of Krishna, one’s fear, confusion, and ignorance diminish, and clarity of purpose and spiritual sovereignty (self-mastery) arises.