TEXT 16
srutva haris tam aranarthinam aprameyas
cakrayudhah patagaraja-bhujadhirudhah
cakrena nakra-vadanam vinipatya tasmad
dhaste pragrhya bhagavan krpayojjahara
SYNONYMS
srutvaby hearing; harihthe Personality of Godhead; tamhim; arana-arthinamone who is in need of help; aprameyahthe unlimitedly powerful Lord; cakrawheel; ayudhahequipped with His weapon; pataga-rajathe king of the birds (Garuda); bhuja-adhirudhahbeing seated on the wings of; cakrenaby the wheel; nakra-vadanamthe mouth of the crocodile; vinipatyacutting in two; tasmatfrom the mouth of the crocodile; hastein the hands; pragrhyataking hold of the trunk; bhagavanthe Personality of Godhead; krpayaout of causeless mercy; ujjaharadelivered him.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead, after hearing the elephant's plea, felt that the elephant needed His immediate help, for he was in great distress. Thus at once the Lord appeared there on the wings of the king of birds, Garuda, fully equipped with His weapon, the wheel [cakra]. With the wheel He cut to pieces the mouth of the crocodile to save the elephant, and He delivered the elephant by lifting him by his trunk.
PURPORT
The Lord resides in His Vaikuntha planet. No one can estimate how far away this planet is situated. It is said, however, that anyone trying to reach that planet by airships or by mindships, traveling for millions of years, will find it still unknown. Modern scientists have invented airships which are material, and the yogis make a still finer material attempt to travel by mindships. The yogis can reach any distant place very quickly with the help of mindships. But neither the airship nor the mindship has access to the kingdom of God in the Vaikunthaloka, situated far beyond the material sky. Since this is the situation, how was it possible for the prayers of the elephant to be heard from such an unlimitedly distant place, and how could the Lord at once appear on the spot? These things cannot be calculated by human imagination. All this was possible by the unlimited power of the Lord, and therefore the Lord is described here as aprameya, for not even the best human brain can estimate His powers and potencies by mathematical calculation. The Lord can hear from such a distant place, He can eat from there, and He can appear simultaneously in all places at a moment's notice. Such is the omnipotency of the Lord.

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