Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 12: The Age of Deterioration

Chapter 13: The Glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Text 2

pṛṣṭhe bhrÄmyad amanda-mandara-giri-grÄvÄgra-kaṇá¸Å«yanÄn
nidrÄloḥ kamaá¹­hÄká¹›ter bhagavataḥ Å›vÄsÄnilÄḥ pÄntu vaḥ
yat-saá¹skÄra-kalÄnuvartana-vaÅ›Äd velÄ-nibhenÄmbhasÄá¹
yÄtÄyÄtam atandritaá¹ jala-nidher nÄdyÄpi viÅ›rÄmyati

 pṛṣṭhe - upon His back; bhrÄmyat - rotating; amanda - most heavy; mandara-giri - of Mandara Mountain; grÄva-agra - by the edges of the stones; kaṇá¸Å«yanÄt - by the scratching; nidrÄloḥ - who became sleepy; kamaá¹­ha-Äká¹›teḥ - in the form of a tortoise; bhagavataḥ - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Å›vÄsa - coming from the breathing; anilÄḥ - the winds; pÄntu - may they protect; vaḥ - all of you; yat - of which; saá¹skÄra - of the remnants; kalÄ - the traces; anuvartana-vaÅ›Ät - as the effect of following; velÄ-nibhena - by that which resembles the flow; ambhasÄm - of the water; yÄta-ÄyÄtam - the coming and going; atandritam - ceaseless; jala-nidheḥ - of the ocean; na - does not; adya api - even today; viÅ›rÄmyati - stop.


Text

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Kūrma, a tortoise, His back was scratched by the sharp-edged stones lying on massive, whirling Mount Mandara, and this scratching made the Lord sleepy. May you all be protected by the winds caused by the Lord’s breathing in this sleepy condition. Ever since that time, even up to the present day, the ocean tides have imitated the Lord’s inhalation and exhalation by piously coming in and going out.

Purport

At times we alleviate an itching sensation by blowing upon it. Similarly, ÅšrÄ«la BhaktisiddhÄnta SarasvatÄ« ṬhÄkura explains, the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can alleviate the itching sensation within the minds of mental speculators, as well as the itching of the material senses of conditioned souls engaged in sense gratification. Thus by meditating on the windy breath of Lord KÅ«rma — the tortoise incarnation — all categories of conditioned souls can be relieved of the deficiencies of material existence and come to the liberated, spiritual platform. One must simply allow the pastimes of Lord KÅ«rma to blow within one’s heart like a favorable breeze; then one will surely find spiritual peace.