SB 5.25.10 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

मूर्तिं न: पुरुकृपया बभार सत्त्वं संशुद्धं सदसदिदं विभाति तत्र । यल्लीलां मृगपतिराददेऽनवद्या- मादातुं स्वजनमनांस्युदारवीर्य: ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

mūrtiṁ naḥ puru-kṛpayā babhāra sattvaṁ saṁśuddhaṁ sad-asad idaṁ vibhāti tatra yal-līlāṁ mṛga-patir ādade ’navadyām ādātuṁ svajana-manāṁsy udāra-vīryaḥ

Synonyms

mūrtim — different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; naḥ — unto us ; puru — kṛpayā — because of great mercy ; babhāra — exhibited ; sattvam — existence ; saṁśuddham — completely transcendental ; sat — asat idam — this material manifestation of cause and effect ; vibhāti — shines ; tatra — in whom ; yat — līlām — the pastimes of whom ; mṛga — patiḥ — the master of all living beings, who is exactly like a lion (the master of all other animals) ; ādade — taught ; anavadyām — without material contamination ; ādātum — to conquer ; sva — jana — manāṁsi — the minds of His devotees ; udāra — vīryaḥ — who is most liberal and powerful .

Translation

This manifestation of subtle and gross matter exists within the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Out of causeless mercy toward His devotees, He exhibits various forms, which are all transcendental. The Supreme Lord is most liberal, and He possesses all mystic power. To conquer the minds of His devotees and give pleasure to their hearts, He appears in different incarnations and manifests many pastimes.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

By his great mercy the Lord has shown his form of pure sattva, within which the universe of cause and effect exists and by which, like a lion, performing numerous heroic deeds, he enacted spotless pastimes to attract the minds of his devotees. Nārada praises the Lord appearing in avatāra forms like Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Is his form material? No, it is pure sattva. In this spiritual form resides the universe of sat and asat. This was shown to Yaśodā. With that form, like a lion’s, he performed impeccable (anavadyām) pastimes. Uddhava said: kaumārīṁ darśayaṁś ceṣṭāṁ prekṣaṇīyāṁ vrajaukas rudann iva hasan mugdha bāla-siṁhāvalokan Showing his attractive infant pastimes to the people of Vraja, he would pretend to weep to get what he wanted and laugh when he got those things. When demons attacked, he appeared like a young lion, showing his bravery in spite of his fear. SB 3.2.28 Why did he perform pastimes? He who has heroic deeds such as lifting Govardhana, (udāra-līlāḥ) did it to capture the minds of his devotees, which are like elephants.

Purport

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has translated this verse as follows. “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all causes. It is by His will that gross and subtle ingredients interact. He appears in various incarnations just to please the hearts of His pure devotees.” For example, the Supreme Lord appeared in the transcendental incarnation of Lord Varāha (the boar) just to please His devotees by lifting the planet earth from the Garbhodaka Ocean.