Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.18.23
रामसङ्घट्टिनो यर्हि श्रीदामवृषभादय: ।
क्रीडायां जयिनस्तांस्तानूहु: कृष्णादयो नृप ॥ २३ ॥
rāma-saṅghaṭṭino yarhi
[raama-sanghattino yarhi]
śrīdāma-vṛṣabhādayaḥ
[shreedaama-vrishabhaadayah]
krīḍāyāṁ jayinas tāṁs tān
[kreedaayaam jayinas taams taan]
ūhuḥ kṛṣṇādayo nṛpa
[oohuh krishnaadayo nripa]
Word-for-word
rāma - saṅghaṭṭinaḥ
—
the members of Lord Balarāma’s party
yarhi
—
when
śrīdāma - vṛṣabha - ādayaḥ
—
Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and others (such as Subala)
krīḍāyām
—
in the games
jayinaḥ
—
victorious
tān tān
—
each of them
ūhuḥ
—
carried
kṛṣṇa - ādayaḥ
—
Kṛṣṇa and the members of His party
nṛpa
—
O King .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rāma-saṅghaṭṭino yarhi
rāma - saṅghaṭṭinaḥ
the members of Lord Balarāma’s party
yarhi
when
śrīdāma-vṛṣabhādayaḥ
śrīdāma - vṛṣabha - ādayaḥ
Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and others (such as Subala)
krīḍāyāṁ jayinas tāṁs tān
krīḍāyām
in the games
jayinaḥ
victorious
tān tān
each of them
ūhuḥ kṛṣṇādayo nṛpa
ūhuḥ
carried
kṛṣṇa - ādayaḥ
Kṛṣṇa and the members of His party
nṛpa
O King .
Important Words
-
śrīdāma-vṛṣabha-ādayaḥ
—
Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and others
The named sakhās of Vraja. Śrīdāmā is among Kṛṣṇa's dearest priya-sakhās in Gauḍīya rasa-classification. Vṛṣabha is another close associate. The naming is doctrinal — these are nitya-siddha cowherds, not mere narrative extras.
-
rāma-saṅghaṭṭinaḥ
—
members of Lord Balarāma's party
Saṅghaṭṭin — affiliate. The same ending used in verse 20 for Kṛṣṇa's group. Gauḍīyas treat the team-affiliations as transposable surface affiliations on top of permanent yūtha-loyalties.
-
jayinaḥ
—
victorious
Plural of jayin — one having victory. Cognate to Jayadeva, Vijaya, and the eternal pair of doorkeepers Jaya-Vijaya. The vocabulary of victory is highly charged — and here it labels boys carrying their friends.
-
ūhuḥ
—
(they) carried
Perfect of √vah. The Lord, on whose back the universe rests, is now being borne on the backs of His friends. The grammar holds the inversion plainly.
-
kṛṣṇa-ādayaḥ
—
Kṛṣṇa and others (His team)
Even in defeat Kṛṣṇa is named first. Gauḍīyas note that in śāstric naming-order, Bhagavān is always ādya — first — regardless of whether the moment makes Him look small.
My dear King Parīkṣit, when Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and the other members of Lord Balarāma’s party were victorious in these games, Kṛṣṇa and His followers had to carry them.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
My dear King Parīkṣit, when Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and the other members of Lord Balarāma's party were victorious in these games, Kṛṣṇa and His followers had to carry them.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
When Śrīdāmā and his group won, Kṛṣṇa and his group had to carry them.
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Before it was described that the winners would be carried and the losers would carry their opponents. Now at Bhāṇḍira by the will of Kṛṣṇa his side lost in order that Pralamba would carry Balarāma, and Balarāma’s side would ride on the losers’ shoulders. That is described in two verses. Ādayaḥ indicates Subala and others. This was the very nature of the childhood pastimes (krīḍāyām). O king! Śukadeva cries out in astonishment at how the Lord is controlled by his devotees.
Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Mardava (Gentleness)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Kritajnata (Gratitude)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Satya (Truthfulness)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
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Personal Guidance
Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha, and others on Balarāma's team win; Kṛṣṇa and His side must carry them. The Lord lets His side lose — defeat in His company is itself a form of grace.
Reflection Questions
- Which recent defeat of mine, looked at again, might have been His company's grace?
- Where am I treating losing in His side as personal failure rather than shared play?
Analogy
Even Kṛṣṇa's team has to lose sometimes — Vraja runs on the rule that no one always wins, not because Bhagavān could not win, but because winning would dissolve the game. He withholds His invincibility so the play can continue.
My note
Source: vedabase.io