Verse 1.1.15

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.1.15:

সহস্রেক-ফণাধর প্রভু-বলরাম যতেক করযে প্রভু, সকল—উদ্দাম ॥ ১৫ ॥

सहस्रेक-फणाधर प्रभु-बलराम यतेक करये प्रभु, सकल—उद्दाम ॥ १५ ॥

sahasreka-phaṇādhara prabhu-balarāma yateka karaye prabhu, sakala—uddāma || 15 ||

sahasreka-phanadhara prabhu-balarama yateka karaye prabhu, sakala—uddama (15)

English translation:

(15) Lord Balarāma has thousands of hoods, and all of His activities are extraordinary.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Lord Ananta’s thousands of hoods are described in Lord Śiva’s prayers to Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.17.21) as follows: “All the great sages accept the Lord as the source of creation, maintenance, and destruction, although He actually has nothing to do with these activities.

Therefore the Lord is called unlimited. Although the Lord in His incarnation as Śeṣa holds all the universes on His thousands of hoods, each universe feels no heavier than a mustard seed to Him. Therefore, what person desiring perfection will not worship the Lord?”

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī tells Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.25.2): “This great universe, situated on one of Lord Anantadeva’s thousands of hoods, appears just like a white mustard seed. It is infinitesimal compared to the hood of Lord Ananta.”

In this connection, please see verses 12 and 13 of the same chapter of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, quoted by the author as verses 56 and 57 of this first chapter. King Citraketu also prays to Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (6.16.48) as follows: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead holds all the universes on His heads like seeds of mustard. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, that Supreme Personality, who has thousands of hoods.”

The word uddāma in this verse means “independent” or “moving by one’s own will,” as well as “exceedingly powerful.” In this connection one may refer to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (5.17.17-24, 5.25.1-13, and 6.16.34-48).