SB 2.7.29 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तत् कर्म दिव्यमिव यन्निशि नि:शयानं दावाग्निना शुचिवने परिदह्यमाने । उन्नेष्यति व्रजमतोऽवसितान्तकालं नेत्रे पिधाप्य सबलोऽनधिगम्यवीर्य: ॥ २९ ॥

Verse text

tat karma divyam iva yan niśi niḥśayānaṁ dāvāgninā śuci-vane paridahyamāne unneṣyati vrajam ato ’vasitānta-kālaṁ netre pidhāpya sabalo ’nadhigamya-vīryaḥ

Synonyms

tat — that ; karma — activity ; divyam — superhuman ; iva — like ; yat — which ; niśi — at night ; niḥśayānam — sleeping carefreely ; dāva — agninā — by the glare of the forest fire ; śuci — vane — in the dry forest ; paridahyamāne — being set ablaze ; unneṣyati — would deliver ; vrajam — all the inhabitants of Vraja ; ataḥ — hence ; avasita — surely ; anta — kālam — last moments of life ; netre — on the eyes ; pidhāpya — simply by closing ; sa — balaḥ — along with Baladeva ; anadhigamya — unfathomable ; vīryaḥ — prowess .

Translation

On the very night of the day of the chastisement of the Kāliya snake, when the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi were sleeping carefreely, there was a forest fire ablaze due to dry leaves, and it appeared that all the inhabitants were sure to meet their death. But the Lord, along with Balarāma, saved them simply by closing His eyes. Such are the superhuman activities of the Lord.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When that same night, a fire burns up the forest of reeds dry from the summer heat, he whose strength cannot be understood, along with Balarāma, will rescue the dozing inhabitants of Vraja for whom death is certain, by having them close their eyes.

Purport

Although in this verse the Lord’s activity has been described as superhuman, it should be noted that the Lord’s activities are always superhuman, and that distinguishes Him from the ordinary living being. Uprooting a gigantic banyan or arjuna tree and extinguishing a blazing forest fire simply by closing one’s eyes are certainly impossible by any kind of human endeavor. But not only are these activities amazing to hear, but in fact all other activities of the Lord, whatever He may do, are all superhuman, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) . Whoever knows the superhuman activities of the Lord, due to their very transcendental nature, becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa, and, as such, after quitting this present material body, the knower of the transcendental activities of the Lord goes back home, back to Godhead.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

To mention that his activities appear to be transcendental is customary speech. Actually all his activities are spiritual. The Lord says janma karma ca me divyam. (BG 4.9) On the night that Kāliya was killed, when the forest, dry from the summer heat (śuci), is burning due to a forest fire, he will deliver (unneṣyati) the inhabitants who are certain (avasita) to die. The forest was composed of dry reeds. He made them close their eyes.