Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.20.44
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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kṛṣṇaḥ
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Kṛṣṇa
The name itself — He who attracts (from √kṛṣ, to draw). Gauḍīyas treat this verse as Bhāgavatam-style proof that Kṛṣṇa is svayaṁ-bhagavān: He stands in the simile's principal slot (like the moon), and everyone else is comparison (like stars).
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yadu-patiḥ
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the Lord of the Yadus
Compound: Yadu (the dynasty) + pati (lord). Kṛṣṇa as head of the Vṛṣṇi-clan in Mathurā and Dvārakā. Gauḍīyas note: even in His Vraja-period, He is poetically called Yadu-pati — the dynasty-name follows Him even when He is among cowherds.
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vṛṣṇi-cakra
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the circle of Vṛṣṇis
Compound: Vṛṣṇi (a clan within the Yadus) + cakra (circle). Kṛṣṇa's family-parikara. Gauḍīyas count Vasudeva, Uddhava, Akrūra and many others — each a particular rasa-bearer.
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akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalaḥ
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whose disc is unbroken (full)
Compound: a-khaṇḍa (unbroken) + maṇḍala (disc). Full moon. Gauḍīyas also use akhaṇḍa for Kṛṣṇa's eternal completeness — He is never partial (cf. SB 1.3.28 — kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam).
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uḍu-gaṇaiḥ
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by the host of stars
Compound: uḍu (star) + gaṇa (host). The Vṛṣṇis are the moon's stars. Gauḍīyas read parikara-theology here: the associates do not diminish the Lord, they constellate around Him.
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that in Vṛndāvana the full moon is eternally risen, and this full moon is like the full manifestation of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When He was manifest on earth, Lord Kṛṣṇa was surrounded by prominent members of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty such as Nanda, Upananda, Vasudeva and Akrūra.
The full moon (akhanda mandala ) is compared to svayam bhagavan , lord of the Yadus. He is surrounded by the vrsnis (vrsn cakra) such as Nanda, Upananda, Vasudeva and Akrura. Theses are compared to the stars in the sky. This is a favorable comparison for meditation.
The full moon is compared to Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Though the moon is present in the monsoon season along with the stars, it is not seen since it is covered with clouds. In autumn, with no clouds, the full moon is visible. Similarly previously Kṛṣṇa was present in aprakaṭa form, but not visible. He is the chief person (yadu-patiḥ) and the Yadus are his eternal associates, like the stars accompanying the moon. Among the Yadus, the Vṛṣṇis were the most prominent. Thus they are mentioned as well.
The moon shone with its full disk (akhada-maṇdalaḥ), without a covering of clouds, or at the full moon. It suggests that in Vṛndāvana the full moon shines every night. The moon is compared to the lord of the Yadus. In Dvārakā Kṛṣṇa manifests his full powers, or manifests powers directly by riding on Garuḍa etc. Though that happened in the future, during Śukadeva’s conversation with Parīkṣit it was in the past. Or the term Yadu also refers to the cowherds according to Skanda Purānā. This was explained previously.
- Whom in my circle does my own devotional life make brighter — and am I helping them shine?
- Where am I trying to be a solo moon without a constellation?
The full moon, surrounded by stars, shines in the sky exactly as Kṛṣṇa Yadu-pati, surrounded by the Vṛṣṇis, shines on earth. The verse compresses a Gauḍīya principle into one image: Bhagavān is never alone — He is always centred in His parikara. Goloka is never an empty Kṛṣṇa; it is Kṛṣṇa-with-associates. The full moon needs its stars to be the autumn night.
My note
Source: vedabase.io