Text 31
śrī-bahulāśva uvāca
bhavān hi sarva-bhūtānām
ātmā sākṣī sva-dṛg vibho
atha nas tvat-padāmbhojaṁ
smaratāṁ darśanaṁ gataḥ
śrī-bahulāśvaḥ uvāca — Śrī Bahulāśva said; bhavān — You; hi — indeed; sarva — of all; bhūtānām — created beings; ātmā — the Supreme Soul; sākṣī — the witness; sva-dṛk — self-illumined; vibho — O almighty one; atha — thus; naḥ — to us; tvat — Your; pada-ambhojam — lotus feet; smaratām — who are remembering; darśanam gataḥ — have become visible.
Śrī Bahulāśva said: O almighty Lord, You are the Soul of all created beings, their self-illumined witness, and now You are giving Your audience to us, who constantly meditate on Your lotus feet.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains Bahulāśva’s inner thoughts as follows: Bahulāśva glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa as the inspiring Soul of all life and consciousness, thinking that even an inert dullard like himself could be awakened to devotional awareness by His mercy. He glorifies the Lord as the witness of all pious and impious actions, confident that the Lord remembers whatever little devotional service he has ever done. And he glorifies Him as self-illumined, never needing to be enlightened or informed by any external source, with the knowledge that the Lord has always been aware of Bahulāśva’s long-cherished secret desire to see Him.