Shloka 34
Kṛṣṇa Defeats Bāṇāsura and Receives Śiva’s Prayers
The Śoṇitapura Battle and the Jvara Episode
श्रीरुद्र उवाच त्वं हि ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्गूढं ब्रह्मणि वाङ्मये । यं पश्यन्त्यमलात्मान आकाशमिव केवलम् ॥ ३४ ॥
śrī-rudra uvāca tvaṁ hi brahma paraṁ jyotir gūḍhaṁ brahmaṇi vāṅ-maye yaṁ paśyanty amalātmāna ākāśam iva kevalam
ശ്രീരുദ്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു: നീയേ ബ്രഹ്മം, പരമജ്യോതി; വാക്കായ ബ്രഹ്മത്തിൽ മറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്ന ഗൂഢരഹസ്യം. ഹൃദയം നിർമലമായവർ നിന്നെ ദർശിക്കുന്നു; നീ ആകാശംപോലെ നിർലേപൻ.
The Absolute Truth is the source of all light and is therefore the supreme light, self-luminous. This Absolute Truth is explained confidentially in the Vedas and is therefore difficult for an ordinary reader to understand. The following statements quoted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī from the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad show how the Vedic sounds occasionally reveal the Absolute: Te hocur upāsanam etasya parātmano govindasyākhilādhāriṇo brūhi ( Pūrva-khaṇḍa 17): “They [the four Kumāras] said [to Brahmā], ‘Please tell us how to worship Govinda, the Supreme Soul and the foundation of all that exists.’” Cetanaś cetanānām ( Pūrva-khaṇḍa 21): “He is the chief of all living beings.” And taṁ ha devam ātma-vṛtti-prakāśam ( Pūrva-khaṇḍa 23): “One realizes that Supreme Godhead by first realizing one’s own self.” The great ācārya Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes a verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.10.48) — gūḍhaṁ paraṁ brahma manuṣya-liṅgam — which refers to “the Supreme Truth concealed in a humanlike form.”
FAQs
In this verse, Lord Śiva directly addresses Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Brahman and the transcendental Light, affirming that the Absolute Truth culminates in Kṛṣṇa.
During Kṛṣṇa’s battle connected with Bāṇāsura, Śiva offers praise and recognition of Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position, acknowledging Him as the Absolute hidden within Vedic revelation.
Cultivate inner purity through devotion and disciplined living, and learn to perceive the Divine presence behind all experiences—steady like the sky—rather than being overwhelmed by changing circumstances.