Shloka 28

Nārāyaṇa’s Impartiality, Absorption in Kṛṣṇa, and the Jaya–Vijaya Descent

Prelude to Prahlāda’s History

Devanagari script

कीट: पेशस्कृता रुद्ध: कुड्यायां तमनुस्मरन् । संरम्भभययोगेन विन्दते तत्स्वरूपताम् ॥ २८ ॥ एवं कृष्णे भगवति मायामनुज ईश्वरे । वैरेण पूतपाप्मानस्तमापुरनुचिन्तया ॥ २९ ॥

Transliteration

kīṭaḥ peśaskṛtā ruddhaḥ kuḍyāyāṁ tam anusmaran saṁrambha-bhaya-yogena vindate tat-svarūpatām

Translation

Травяной червь, замурованный пчелой в отверстии стены, в гневе и страхе непрестанно помнит о пчеле и затем становится пчелой силой такого памятования. Так же и обусловленные души, если так или иначе постоянно думают о Шри Кришне — Бхагаване, Ишваре, явившемся как человек под властью майи, — даже враждебно, очищаются от грехов непрерывным размышлением и вновь обретают духовное тело.

Synonyms

• kīṭaḥ: a worm/insect
• kīṭaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom./1st), Ekavacana

• peśas-kṛtā: by an artisan/wasp (having been made)
• peśas-kṛtā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument/Agent-instr.)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: peśas + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: ‘made by a peśas (artisan/wasp-like maker)’; kṛta = kta-ppp of √kṛ; Strīliṅga (f.), Tṛtīyā (Instr./3rd), Ekavacana; used as instrumental agent phrase

• ruddhaḥ: confined/shut in
• ruddhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudh (धातु) → ruddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: Kta (क्त) past participle; Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom./1st), Ekavacana

• kuḍyāyām: in a wall
• kuḍyāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuḍyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Saptamī (Loc./7th), Ekavacana

• tam: him/that one
• tam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (m.), Dvitīyā (Acc./2nd), Ekavacana

• anusmaran: remembering
• anusmaran: Karta (कर्ता/Agent-participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu + smṛ (धातु) → anusmarat (कृदन्त)
• Form: Śatṛ-pratyaya present active participle (शतृ), Puṁliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom./1st), Ekavacana; ‘remembering’

• saṁrambha-bhaya-yogena: by the conjunction of agitation and fear
• saṁrambha-bhaya-yogena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁrambha + bhaya + yoga (प्रातिपदिक-त्रय)
• Form: Samāhāra-dvandva/compound of coordinated factors; Puṁliṅga (m.), Tṛtīyā (Instr./3rd), Ekavacana

• vindate: attains
• vindate: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Ātmanepada: ‘finds/attains’

• tat-svarūpatām: the state of that very form
• tat-svarūpatām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat + svarūpa + tā (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: ‘that-form-ness’; abstract noun in -tā; Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā (Acc./2nd), Ekavacana

Purport

In Bhagavad-gītā (4.10) the Lord says:

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about becoming like what you constantly remember?

This verse gives the bumblebee-worm analogy: intense, continuous remembrance fixes the mind so strongly that one’s consciousness—and even identity—becomes shaped into the object remembered.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the worm and wasp example in Canto 7?

He uses it to illustrate the principle that deep absorption (even if born from fear) powerfully transforms the living being—preparing the point that absorption in the Supreme Lord is even more purifying and decisive.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Guard what you repeatedly dwell on: sustained focus reshapes your habits and identity. Replace anxious fixation with deliberate remembrance of Krishna through japa, kirtana, and scriptural reflection.