Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.14
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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anayam
—
injustice
From an-aya (not just). They appeal to His own dharma — Bhagavān is dharma-rakṣaka; injustice is foreign to Him. The argument is itself an act of śaraṇāgati: 'you are too good for this.'
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nanda-gopa-sutam
—
the son of Mahārāja Nanda
Compound: nanda + gopa + sutam. They name His Vraja identity, not His cosmic position. They are not afraid of Bhagavān; they are appealing to nanda-nandana — that is the relationship they want.
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priyam
—
loved
From √prī. Three sthāyī-bhāvas converge in this one word: dāsya ('we serve You'), sakhya ('You are our dear one'), mādhurya ('we love You'). The gopīs do not parse their love yet — they name it raw.
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vraja-ślāghyam
—
renowned throughout Vraja
Compound: vraja + ślāghya (praiseworthy). They invoke His reputation in their own village — He cannot afford to be unfair, He is Vraja's glory. Bhakti uses Kṛṣṇa's own yaśas as leverage in argument with Him.
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vepitāḥ
—
(to us) who are shivering
Past participle of √vep. Same root as vepamānāḥ in verse 13 — they explicitly name their kampa to Him. The aṣṭa-sāttvika is offered openly to its cause.
The gopis first began to try to satisfy Krsna by "sama." "You should not do unworthy activities (unarya). " Krsna said, "You do not respect me. You do not fear calling me bad names." The gopis said, "We do not know any other places of Vraja. And we know you, the son of King Nanda." Gopa means king as well as cowherd. "Further more, you are praised by all the inhabitants of Vraja, and you are loved by all. " Krsna said, "O foolish women! If I am a king’s son, what wrong can I do? If you say the king’s son should not do any wrong actions, then I say, if I am doing wrong, how can I be praised by all of Vraja and be so loved. It is not possible to praise or love a wrong doer." In reply to this the gopis said, "True, we women are ignorant of how to speak. Please forgive us and give us our clothing. We are shivering with cold." With these words they invoke his mercy.
First they try to pacify him. The word mā indicates their pain or strengthens their claim that he is unjust. They address him twice out of love with bhoḥ and aṅga. We know you are the son of a cowherd. We are daughters of cowherds. Therefore you should not treat us unfairly. Nanda-gopa also means “king who gives joy to Vraja.” You are his son. The prince should be fair to us citizens. You should not do actions which cause suffering, as this is against your father’s wishes. Or you are the protector (gopa) son of Nanda. Improper conduct is not suitable for the protector and giver of life to all of Vraja. They do not utter his name directly in order to show indifference and pride. Showing these symptoms, they then become embarrassed. We know you are kind (priyam). Therefore it is wrong to do unkind acts to us. We know you are praised in Vraja or by Vraja. It is wrong that you do an act which will be criticized by Vraja. You should give us our clothing because we are shivering. Or, give the clothing to shivering gopīs out of mercy.
- When asking the Lord, do I lean on His character and on my belovedness equally?
- Where am I afraid to claim how dear I am to Him?
A child cornered by a teasing elder brother, finally calling out 'don't be unfair, you are dear to us' — invoking the very love that authorizes the teasing as the ground on which to ask for relief. The gopīs do not threaten; they remind Him He is loved.
My note
Source: vedabase.io