Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.30
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
nidāgha-arka
—
of the sun of the hot season
Compound: nidāgha (hot season) + arka (sun). The contrast is exact: at verse 13 the gopīs shivered in cold water; here the boys walk under hot sun. The rasas alternate, but in both Kṛṣṇa stands central.
-
chayabhiḥ
—
with the shade
Instrumental plural of chāyā. The very word that gives the Sanskrit poetic theory its term for 'shadow' — but here applied literally: the trees cast shade on Kṛṣṇa. Even the natural world serves Bhagavān in Vraja.
-
ātmanaḥ
—
for Himself
Genitive of ātman. Kṛṣṇa receives the service as offered for Himself — and accepts it. He is the indwelling ātmā of the trees as well; their service is service unto their own Self, which He is.
-
ātapatrāyitān
—
serving as umbrellas
Denominative past participle: 'made to act as a parasol.' The trees are anthropomorphized as ministers holding parasols over a king — the upacāra of chatra is silently being offered without their being told.
-
vraja-okasaḥ
—
to the boys of Vraja
Compound: vraja + okas (dwelling, dweller). The vraja-okas — Vraja-dwellers — are the eternal residents of Kṛṣṇa's land. Even the most casual address (vraja-okasaḥ) carries the tattva of their nityatā.
Seven verses describe how they wandered in Vṛndāvana. The trees acted as umbrellas not only for himself (ātmanaḥ) but for his friends also. Seeing the trees which were growing in Vraja (vrajokasaḥ) he spoke.
Seven verses describe how they wandered far off. Seeing the trees acting as umbrellas for himself (ātmanaḥ), he spoke to the cowherds (vrajokasaḥ) since the trees generally gave benefit to all the cowherds in the forest and he wanted to describe to the boys the trees’ good qualities as friends. Or he saw the trees serving as umbrellas for all Kṛṣṇa’s (ātmanaḥ) people and cows in Vraja (vrajokasaḥ). Or he saw the trees serving as umbrellas for the people of Vraja who were non-different from himself (ātmanaḥ) by great affection.
- Whose unobtrusive 'tree-service' have I been receiving without noticing?
- What would it look like to verbally honor a quiet protector this week?
A boy walking under wide-leaved trees and noticing — with an Ācārya's eye — that even the trees are silently serving him. The same Kṛṣṇa who tested the gopīs an hour ago is now teaching His friends to see saintliness in the simplest creature: a tree giving shade is doing higher dharma than a brāhmaṇa hoarding mantras.
My note
Source: vedabase.io