Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.15
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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śyāmasundara
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O Lord Śyāmasundara
Compound: śyāma (dark blue) + sundara (beautiful). The Vraja-form of Kṛṣṇa as bluish-black and supremely beautiful — the rūpa-tattva of mādhurya. The same name Rūpa Gosvāmī uses in Stava-mālā when describing the form for upāsanā.
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dāsyaḥ
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maidservants
Nominative plural feminine of dāsya. The gopīs claim dāsya-bhāva explicitly. Gauḍīyas note: even within mādhurya the gopīs' fundamental disposition is sevā — they call themselves His servants before they call themselves His beloveds.
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karavāma
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we shall do
First-person plural optative of √kṛ. The verb of total compliance — whatever You command, we shall do. This is the formula of śaraṇāgati: not 'we might,' but 'we shall.'
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dharma-jña
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O knower of religion
Compound: dharma + jña (knower). They invoke Him as the knower of dharma — the same Kṛṣṇa who in the Gītā says dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya saṁbhavāmi. To return clothes to one's maidservants is in dharma; they are reminding Him.
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rājñe
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to the king
Dative of rājan. They threaten to report Him to Kaṁsa — the worldly king. The joke deepens: Kaṁsa is the very tyrant He has incarnated to slay. The threat is empty even as it is uttered, and both sides know it.
In this verse also the gopis try to pacify Krsna (sama). "O beautiful one, we will be your servants. (syama with dental s is citsukha’s reading of the word. With palatial s it is syama sundara.) O syama sundar being your servants, we will follow our instructions (tavoditam karavama). As you are the king, it is proper that we be your servants. Under the guise of being servants, we will offer to you our very selves. Then they use rough language to weaken him (bheda) . " O knower of dharma! You will be irreligious by stealing the wealth from women and seeing them naked." Seeing that it was futile to instill fear of adharma in him, they then resorted to threats to instill fear."If you do not give the clothing, we will complain to the king (Nanda or Kamsa.)"
They then try making offerings (dāna) when words fail. Citsukha’s version is dāsyaḥ śyāma bhavema. They offer gifts by offering themselves in surrender as his servants. Then we will do what you say. This shows their particular love for him. However Kṛṣṇa will give another meaning to those words. They then use the technique of bheda (dissension or fear). You know dharma. One should fear taking others belongings and seeing naked women since it is against dharma. Seeing he had no fear of these future results, they then instill present fear: we will tell the king, the king of the cowherds. This is a second type of bheda. But you are the son of Nanda. Since you are dear to him (priya) you have not been taught by force. You are praised in Vraja as a knower of dharma, but this praise is not according to your actual qualities. Sarcastically they say he has given up dharma by addressing him as a knower of dharma. From verse 12 till this verse, symptoms know as kilakiñcita are displayed. garvābhilāṣa-rudita-smitāsūyā-bhaya-krudhām | saṅkarī-karaṇaṁ harṣād ucyate kila-kiñcitam || When pride, desire, weeping, smiling, envy, fear and anger manifest together because of joy, these symptoms are called kilakiñcita. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.44
- Where is my surrender to the Lord still carrying a small bluff or threat?
- Can I let go of even the small leverage I have been holding in reserve?
Servants kneeling before a king saying: 'we will do anything You command — but please return what is ours, or we shall have to report this to the higher authority.' The threat is hollow and they know it; the surrender is real and He knows it. The gopīs' first dāsya-petition.
My note
Source: vedabase.io