Verse 1.7.56-57

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.7.56-57:

श्री-बलदेव उवाच—
आत्मानम् अनुसन्धेहि वैकुण्ठेश्वर मत्-प्रभो ।
अवतीर्णोऽसि भू-भार-हाराय ज्ञापितोऽमरैः ॥ ५६ ॥
दुष्टान् संहार तच्-छिष्टान् प्रतिपालय सम्प्रति ।
यज्ञं पैतृ-स्वसेयस्य धर्म-राजस्य सन्तनु ॥ ५७ ॥

śrī-baladeva uvāca—
ātmānam anusandhehi vaikuṇṭheśvara mat-prabho |
avatīrṇo'si bhū-bhāra-hārāya jñāpito'maraiḥ || 56 ||
duṣṭān saṃhāra tac-chiṣṭān pratipālaya samprati |
yajñaṃ paitṛ-svaseyasya dharma-rājasya santanu || 57 ||

Śrī Baladeva said: O Lord Vaikuṇṭheśvara, know this about Yourself. Your advent on this earthly abode is to remove its burden on the request of the demigods. Therefore, destroy the wicked and protect the gentle populace at once, as well as enhance the sacrifice of Your paternal aunt’s son, Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

Look at Yourself, to be exact, understand that You are Śrī Bhagavān. Therefore, Śrī Baladeva addressed Him as “O Vaikuṇṭheśvara” and began to say, “O Prabhu, I am Śeṣa (Anantadeva) and You are My master.” If Śrī Kṛṣṇa asks, “Why am I here?” In reply, He says that upon being requested by such demigods as Brahmā to remove the burden of the earth, You advented upon this dharadhāma or earthly abode. Therefore, You should understand Yourself and remember Your form as Vaikuṇṭheśvara, the Lord and master of Vaikuṇṭha.

If He says that “I know Myself only in the form of Śrī Nandanandana,” then “O Prabhu, although You are certainly Śrī Nandanandana Yourself, nevertheless, You have come here with Me from Vaikuṇṭha, so please complete the work in which You advented for—destroy the wicked and protect the gentle populace. Certainly, this is Your duty.

“Although, You advented from Śrī Goloka, nevertheless, I declared that You appeared from Vaikuṇṭha, the intent being that Vaikuṇṭha is quite similar to Śrī Goloka. Moreover, there is another reason for Your being addressed as Vaikuṇṭheśvara and so on, please listen to this too: All the forms of Bhagavān such as Śrī Vaikuṇṭheśvara also combine in Your form as Śrī Nanda-nandana and descend from Vaikuṇṭha; therefore, there is no fault in giving such names as Vaikuṇṭheśvara to Your svarūpa or original form as Śrī Nanda-nandana.”

This time, though Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally descended in the form of Śrī Nanda-nandana to expand that unique prema for His lotus feet by sporting in Vṛndāvana, this being the main purpose for His descent, still by hearing pastimes related to Vraja, He may faint again. By this apprehension, Śrī Baladeva did not reveal it (the main purpose of descent). In other words, Śrī Baladeva did not address Him as the Lord of Goloka and so on—this should be apparent. On the other hand, completing the goal of the removal of the burden of the earth by killing the wicked and protecting the gentle populace, automatically the main task performed by the form of Bhagavān Himself would be complete without any obstacle. Hence, there is no need to state it here. Therefore, these sentences accordingly rearrange in the said fashion. Therefore, perform the welfare of Your beloved people by fully developing the sacrifice of Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira this time.