583.  The sense seems to be this:  Thou knowest all things, all mysteries, yet Thou canst bear all this knowledge within Thyself.  We, however, are so light-minded, i.e., destitute of gravity, that we are unable to bear within ourselves the knowledge of a mystery.  As soon as we got that knowledge from Mahadeva, we felt the desire of letting it out; and, indeed, we have let it out at thy request, and let out unto whom?—­unto one that must be secretly laughing at us for our seeming pride.

584.  It is said that no person wishes to be vanquished by another in respect of anything.  The only one whose victory or superiority, however, is bearable or, rather, prayed for, is the son.  Hence, the Rishis wish unto Krishna a son even superior to him.

585.  The ward Pushti literally signifies growth or advancement.  Hence, it stands generally for excellence of greatness.

586.  The correct reading is not pratisrayam but pratisravam which means promise or pledge.

587.  The pledge, probably, refers to the oaths taken by Bhima and others about the slaughter of the Kauravas.

588.  The sense is this:  the king acquires great merit by wielding the rod of chastisement properly, i.e., by punishing those that deserve punishment.  The infliction of punishment is what keeps the subjects within the restraints of duty.  The rod of chastisement, therefore, is the very embodiment of the righteousness or merit of the king.

589.  Vasudeva is Narayana, and Arjuna is Nara.  Nara and Narayana had practised severe penances at Vadari on the breast of the Himavat for many thousand years.  Vyasa afterwards adopted Vadari as his retreat.

590.  The Hindu sages never attempt to speculate on the original creation of the universe.  Their speculations, however, are concerned with what is called Avantara srishti or that creation which springs forth with the awakening of Brahman.  Creation and Destruction have occurred ceaselessly and will occur ceaselessly.  The original creation is impossible to conceive as Eternity cannot have a beginning.

591.  Putatman means, of cleansed Soul.  This implies that though He is the Lord or ruler of all existent objects, yet He is dissociated from them The Refuge of the Emancipated—­Comp.  Gita, ’Mamupetya tu Kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate,’ etc., Purusha is He that lies in a pura or the nine-doored mansion, i.e., the body.  Sakshi or Witness implies that He sees all things directly, without any medium obstructing His vision.  Kshetrajna implies the Chit lying within the body and who knows the body; however, being inert, is not cognisant of the Chit it holds.

592.  He is called Yoga because of the mind resting upon Him while it is in Yoga abstraction.  Pradhana, in Sankhya philosophy, is another name of Prakriti or original Nature.  All things have sprung from the union of Prakriti and Purusha.  Vasudeva, however, transcends Prakriti and Purusha and is their Lord.  Narasinghavapu—­He assumed the human form with a lion’s head for slaying the Asura Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada.