SB 10.3.44 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

एतद् वां दर्शितं रूपं प्राग्जन्मस्मरणाय मे । नान्यथा मद्भ‍वं ज्ञानं मर्त्यलिङ्गेन जायते ॥ ४४ ॥

Verse text

etad vāṁ darśitaṁ rūpaṁ prāg-janma-smaraṇāya me nānyathā mad-bhavaṁ jṣānaṁ martya-liṅgena jāyate

Synonyms

etat — this form of Viṣṇu ; vām — unto both of you ; darśitam — has been shown ; rūpam — My form as the Supreme Personality of Godhead with four hands ; prāk — janma — of My previous appearances ; smaraṇāya — just to remind you ; me — My ; na — not ; anyathā — otherwise ; mat — bhavam — Viṣṇu’s appearance ; jṣānam — this transcendental knowledge ; martya — liṅgena — by taking birth like a human child ; jāyate — does arise .

Translation

I have shown you this form of Viṣṇu just to remind you of My previous births. Otherwise, if I appeared like an ordinary human child, you would not believe that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, has indeed appeared.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I have shown you this form of Viṣṇu just to remind you of My previous births. Otherwise, if I appeared like an ordinary human child, you would not believe that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, has indeed appeared. KB 10.3.44 “I have appeared in this Viṣṇu form just to convince you that I am the same Supreme Personality of Godhead again taken birth. I could have appeared just like an ordinary child, but in that way you would not have believed that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had taken birth in your womb.

Purport

Devakī did not need to be reminded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, had appeared as her son; she already accepted this. Nonetheless, she was anxious, thinking that if her neighbors heard that Viṣṇu had appeared as her son, none of them would believe it. Therefore she wanted Lord Viṣṇu to transform Himself into a human child. On the other hand, the Supreme Lord was also anxious, thinking that if He appeared as an ordinary child, she would not believe that Lord Viṣṇu had appeared. Such are the dealings between devotees and the Lord. The Lord deals with His devotees exactly like a human being, but this does not mean that the Lord is one of the human beings, for this is the conclusion of nondevotees ( avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam ). Devotees know the Supreme Personality of Godhead under any circumstances. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. The Lord says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: “Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances and worship Me.” A nondevotee cannot believe that simply by thinking of one person, one can achieve liberation from this material world and go back home, back to Godhead. But this is a fact. The Lord comes as a human being, and if one becomes attached to the Lord on the platform of loving service, one’s promotion to the transcendental world is assured.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I have appeared in the four armed form because you would not recognize me as God if I appeared in my complete, original, two armed human-like form.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Bhava means “that in which something exists” or in other words an object. There would be no discernment (jñānam) of me as the object of your previous worship. Instead of jāyate sometimes janyate is seen. Or bhava can mean the form with four arms shown so that they would remember the Lord’s three appearances to fulfill the boon. This indicates that this form is not the principle form. My form is Svayam Bhagavān, parambrahma with human form. My birth (bhava) would not be recognized by another method (anyathā), by appearing with human characteristics and two arms as the secret parabrahman in a human form. Though it is my chief form with either two or four arms, I did not show it first. That this is the chief form is shown in the following verses. Brahmā speaks the following: 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 Śukadeva speaks: na cāntar na bahir yasya na pūrvaṁ nāpi cāparam pūrvāparaṁ bahiś cāntar jagato yo jagac ca yaḥ The Supreme Lord has no beginning and no end, no exterior and no interior, no front and no rear. In other words, he is all-pervading. Because He is not under the influence of the element of time, for him there is no difference between past, present and future; he exists in his own transcendental form at all times. SB 10.9.13 Śukadeva speaks, with realization of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness: gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣya rūpaṁ lāvaṇya-sāram asamordhvam ananya-siddham dṛgbhiḥ pibanty anusavābhinavaṁ durāpam ekānta-dhāma yaśasaḥ śrīya aiśvarasya What austerities must the gopīs have performed! With their eyes they always drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s form, which is the essence of loveliness and is not to be equaled or surpassed. That loveliness is the only abode of beauty, fame and opulence. It is self-perfect, ever fresh and extremely rare. SB 10.44.14 The women of Mathurā speak: yan martya-līlaupayikaṁ sva-yoga- māyā-balaṁ darśayatā gṛhītam vismāpanaṁ svasya ca saubhagarddheḥ paraṁ padaṁ bhūṣaṇa-bhūṣaṇāṅgam Kṛṣṇa possesses that form suitable for human pastimes to show the full capacity of his yoga-māyā. That form astonishes even the lord of Vaikuṇṭha. It is the pinnacle of auspicious qualities and enhances the beauty of his ornaments. SB 3.2.12 Uddhava also makes similar statements.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

You would not understand my birth (mad-bhavam). Citsukha explains ahaṁ jāto ‘smīti jñānaṁ manuṣya-rūpeṇa na syāj janmataḥ: knowledge that I have been born would not arise if I had a human form from birth.