Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.15.45
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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adhvāna-śramau
—
whose weariness from being upon the road
adhvan (road) + śrama (fatigue). Dual. Gauḍīya: the road-weariness is itself līlā; the omnipotent does not tire, but pretends-tires so that the bath and massage have meaning. Vātsalya needs a tired son.
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majjana-unmardana
—
by bathing and massaging
majjana (bath) + unmardana (rubbing). Gauḍīya: classical evening upacāra for a child returning home. The same upacāra performed for the Deity in Vaiṣṇava temples — the worship is identical because the recipient is identical.
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divya srak gandha
—
transcendental garlands and fragrances
divya (transcendent) + sraj (garland) + gandha (fragrance). Gauḍīya: the garlands and fragrances are divya — beyond worldly — even though prepared by the mothers' worldly hands. In Vraja, ordinary materials transmute on contact with the līlā.
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rucirām
—
charming
Feminine accusative of rucira (charming, pleasing). Describes the nīvī. Gauḍīya: even the undergarment is rucira — beautiful. Vraja's poet records what the mothers chose down to the inner-cloth, because in vātsalya-rasa the loving eye sees everything.
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maṇḍitau
—
decorated
Dual past participle of √maṇḍ — to ornament. Gauḍīya: the boys are maṇḍitau by their mothers — the same way the Deity is maṇḍita in alaṅkāra-sevā. The temple practice descends from this household scene; it is not invention, it is imitation of the original.
They are asrama, not being tired, because they are God. However, playing the part of humans they appeared tired and thus the word an-asrama is used. The apparent tiredness from walking on the road (adhva) was dissipated (gatah). Nivim refers to clothing. In their house they were relieved of tiredness from walking on the road by taking bath, and putting on attractive cloth.
What did the mothers offer? That is described in two verses. Since he is the Lord he does not get tired. But because he forms human pastimes he gets tired. In his resting pastimes his fatigue disappeared. Ādibhiḥ means they dressed the boys’ hair and dried their bodies. Out of confusion because of affection they first bathed and then massaged them, though usually the order is the opposite. Or, after wiping away the dust, they applied fragrant oils. They dressed them in clothing (nivīm). Nivīm stands for the boys having cloth. Upper cloth is not mentioned since that would hide the beauty of their bodies decorated with ointments and it was not necessary for person to wear the upper cloth before they take the sacred thread. Ornaments are not mentioned because ornaments would not become soiled or spoiled by the ointments, and they had been plentifully ornamented in the morning.
The mothers’ services are described in two verses. The two boys were tired from wandering in the forest on roads to the house or cowsheds. One version has gatādhvānaḥ śramau. That is poetic license. The mothers scrubbed the boys and massaged them. The word ādi indicates dressing the hair and wiping their wet bodies. Because of confusion arising from affection they did not do the services in proper order. Or since in the previous verse yathā kālam indicates the proper order, this verse does not list activities according to order. Or the ādī indicates aroti and other items. Nīvīm indicates the upper cloth of a brahmacārī. Ointments are not mentioned since these would obstruct the beauty of their body and previously they did not apply it. Or nīvim indicates upper and lower cloth. The ornaments are not mentioned. Since they did not wither, the ornaments did not have to be changed. Or mention of garlands and fragrance indicates these other items.
- How do I treat my body — as Yaśodā's son's, or as an irrelevant container?
- What small act of care for Kṛṣṇa's deity, my body, or others' bodies could I offer today?
A child returning from a long day in the fields is bathed, oiled, dressed in fresh clothes, garlanded — the day's grime is replaced with the evening's beauty. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma receive exactly this household pampering. The verse documents Vraja's evening upacāra. The Lord submits to the bath because that is what the mothers want; the bath itself is sevā received as gift.
My note
Source: vedabase.io