Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.23
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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unmardana
—
oil massage
From ud + √mṛd (to rub upward). The opening rite of the Vraja evening. Gauḍīyas preserve this in deity-sevā: the body of the Lord is anointed before being bathed.
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majja
—
bathing
From √majj (to plunge, dip). The second step of evening sevā. The intimate bath that Yaśodā gives Damodara is the prototype; every Vraja mother that year was performing it on Kṛṣṇa.
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rakṣā
—
protective mantras
From √rakṣ (to protect). The rakṣā-mantras chanted over a child to ward off evil — many of which are themselves directed to Viṣṇu and Nṛsiṁha. Gauḍīyas note the irony: the mothers chant rakṣā-mantras over Kṛṣṇa Himself.
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tilaka
—
the tilaka marks
The twelve Vaiṣṇava tilaka marks — applied to forehead, abdomen, chest, throat, sides, arms, etc. The Vraja mothers apply tilaka to their 'sons,' and in doing so they are decorating Bhagavān with His own emblem.
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mādhavaḥ
—
Lord Kṛṣṇa
From Madhu (a name of Kṛṣṇa's clan ancestor and a name of spring/honey) + suffix. Mādhava is one of Kṛṣṇa's chief names in Gauḍīya devotion — sweetness, honey-bearing. The verse closes with this name precisely as the mothers' sevā closes the day.
With the passing of time (yama yamena), in the evening, Madhava (meaning Krsna and his expansions as cowherd boys), returned home (to their respective homes.) The mothers attended to him by smearing fragrant oil on his body (unmardana), bathing him (majja), anointing him with sandalwood, ornamenting him, tying him with raksa bandha, applying tilaka and offering asana and food in the evening.
In the form of their sons, he lived happily in each of the houses. According to the rules of the house (yama) in the last prahara of the day (yāma), Kṛṣṇa came back in the evening. He had to come home at that time, because it was necessary to bring the calves back before the cows returned after constantly filling themselves with a wealth of grass during the rainy season. Evening (sāyam) lasts for six daṇḍas or two hours and 24 minutes at the end of the day. He was cared for completely (saṁlālitaḥ) by the mothers, with massaging etc. Śukadeva calls out to Parīkṣit in astonishment. Unmardana is massaging with oil. Majja is a bath. Lepana is applying sandalwood and other ointments. The word ādi indicates asking about what happened in the forest and putting them to bed. Mādhava means the consort of Lakṣmī. This indicates that the wealth of each house increased.
- Akuti Mataji SB 10-13-23-25 - 2012-10-24 ISKCON Alachua
- BVVNarsimhaS SB 10-13-23-25 - 2020-06-06 ISKCON Mayapur
- Haladhar Sw SB 10-13-23-25 - 2017-07-10 Bhaktivedanta Manor
- PrahladAnS SB 10-13-23-38 - Balaram is also confused - 2024-02-01 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS SB 10-13-23-38 Slovenian Translation - Tudi Balaram je zmeden - 2024-02-01 ISKCON Slovenia
- What evening household task could I do today as if I were caring for Kṛṣṇa Himself?
- Where have I split 'real worship' from 'mere chores' instead of letting the chores become worship?
Like a single father returning home through a hundred doors at sunset — bathed, oiled, fed, blessed, and tucked in — Kṛṣṇa receives the full evening sevā of every Vraja mother simultaneously, and accepts it as Yaśodā's nightly rite. One Lord, a hundred bedtimes, every one of them His.
The verse catalogs Vraja's evening rite: oil massage, bath, sandal-pulp, ornaments, protective mantras, tilaka, food. This is the unmardana–majja–lepana sequence Gauḍīya temples still preserve in the deity's evening seva.
Mother Yaśodā's evening rite was the template; here the Bhāgavata multiplies it across every household for a year. Gauḍīyas read this as the warrant for the saṁskāra-rich Vaiṣṇava household: every step of a child's evening, performed with kṛṣṇa-smṛti, is sevā to Bhagavān Himself.
My note
Source: vedabase.io