Verse Text
tatra dviya-sargādi-kartṛtvaṁ, yathā –
āsīc chāyādvitīyaḥ prathamam atha vibhur vatsa-ḍimbhādi-dehān
aṁśenāṁśena cakre tad anu bahu-catur-bāhutāṁ teṣu tene |
vṛttas tattvādi-vītair atha kam alabhavaiḥ stūyamāno’khilātmā
tāvad brahmāṇḍa-sevyaḥ sphuṭam ajani tato yaḥ prapadye tam īśam ||195||
Translation
An example of His extraordinary role in creation of the universes: The Lord, the soul of all, first was alone, then produced forms of the calves and boys by a part of part of Himself, then spread Himself in those forms as four-handed forms of Viṣṇu, and then was surrounded by Brahmā and others along with the elements and was praised and served by all the jīvas of the universe. I surrender to that Lord.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
An example of the astonishing power of the Lord which was previously promised is here presented. It is astonishing because it presents the Lord absorbed in His human pastimes while simultaneously showing His powers as the Lord. Other verses will also later illustrate this (verse 198). This same incident should be understood according to the Bhāgavatam:
adyaiva tvad ṛte ’sya kiṁ mama na te māyātvam ādarśitam
eko ’si prathamaṁ tato vraja-suhṛd-vatsāḥ samastā api
tāvanto ’si catur-bhujās tad akhilaiḥ sākaṁ mayopāsitās
tāvanty eva jaganty abhūs tad amitaṁ brahmādvayaṁ śiṣyate
Have You not shown me today that both You Yourself and everything within this creation are manifestations of Your inconceivable potency? First You appeared alone, and then You manifested Yourself as all of Vṛndāvana’s calves and cowherd boys, Your friends. Next, You appeared as an equal number of four-handed Viṣṇu forms, who were worshiped by all living beings, including me, and after that You appeared as an equal number of complete universes. Finally, You have now returned to Your unlimited form as the Supreme Absolute Truth, one without a second. SB 10.14.18
An alternate version of the text is rejected.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī therefore offers his obeisances unto Kṛṣṇa by saying, “Kṛṣṇa, who is present as a human being, has as His mere shadow the whole material nature. He has expanded Himself into so many cows, calves and cowherd boys, and He has again manifested Himself in all of them as the four-handed Nārāyaṇa. He has taught millions of Brahmās self-realization, and thus He is worshipable not only by the heads of all universes, but by everyone else also. Therefore let me always accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”