Verse 2.11.46-047

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.11.46-047:

“যে জন আনিল মৃত গুরুর নন্দন যে জন পালন করে সকল ভুবন যমের ঘর হৈতে যে আনিতে পারে কাক-স্থানে বাটীআনে,—কি মহত্ত্ব তারে? ॥ ৪৬-০৪৭ ॥

“ये जन आनिल मृत गुरुर नन्दन ये जन पालन करे सकल भुवन यमेर घर हैते ये आनिते पारे काक-स्थाने बाटीआने,—कि महत्त्व तारे? ॥ ४६-०४७ ॥

“ye jana ānila mṛta gurura nandana ye jana pālana kare sakala bhuvana yamera ghara haite ye ānite pāre kāka-sthāne bāṭīāne,—ki mahattva tāre? || 46-047 ||

“ye jana anila mrta gurura nandana ye jana palana kare sakala bhuvana yamera ghara haite ye anite pare kaka-sthane batiane,—ki mahattva tare? (46-047)

English translation:

(46-047) “For He who brought back the dead son of His spiritual master, who maintains all the universes, and who can bring a soul back from the abode of Yamarāja, it is not at all glorious to bring a bowl back from a crow.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

The first line of verse 46 is explained as follows: During Their Mathurā pastimes, Lord Baladeva and Śrī Kṛṣṇa once went as brahmacārīs to Sāndīpani Muni’s āśrama in Avantīpura for studying the scriptures. In order to instruct everyone, They served Their spiritual master in various ways and learned sixty-four varieties of knowledge in sixty-four days.

When after completing Their studies They expressed a desire to give some guru-dakṣiṇā, Sāndīpani Muni, who had seen Their uncommon characteristics, requested Them to bring his dead son back from the great ocean at Prabhāsa-tīrtha. Both Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa thus mounted a chariot and went to Prabhāsa-tīrtha, or Dvārakā. When They then demanded the son of Their spiritual master from the ocean, the deity of the ocean informed Them that the son of Their spiritual master had been killed by a demon named Pañcajana. On hearing this, Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa entered the water, went to the palace of Pañcajana, and killed him. But when They did not find Their spiritual master’s son within the belly of the demon, They went to the abode of Yamarāja. Yamarāja duly worshiped Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and according to Their order brought the dead son of Their spiritual master back to life and offered him to Them. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter Forty-five)