Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.45.13
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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yayāti - śāpāt
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because of Yayāti's curse
Yayāti was Yadu's father and the ancestral curser (see story). Kṛṣṇa, descended in Yadu's line, accepts the bind of His own ancestor's word — line-dharma above personal preference.
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ājñaptum arhasi
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you may command
Idiomatic — 'be so kind as to command Us.' Kṛṣṇa lowers Himself grammatically before Ugrasena; the polite imperative is the chapter's continuing thread of Bhagavān-as-junior.
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prajāḥ
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your subjects
Prajā — those born under, citizens. Kṛṣṇa declares Himself prajā of Ugrasena. Gauḍīyas note: Bhagavān, whose every form is svarāṭ (self-effulgent ruler), willingly becomes prajā for the sake of family-order.
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āsitavyam
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should sit
Future passive participle of √ās — that which is to be sat (on a throne). The grammatical mood (vidhi) carries the force of the curse: not 'will not' but 'must not.'
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nṛpa - āsane
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on the royal throne
Nṛpa-āsana = king's seat. Kṛṣṇa names the precise locus the Yadu line is curse-barred from. The throne is forbidden; service (verse 14) is not.
Ugrasena might have told the Lord, “My dear Lord, it is actually You who should sit on the throne.” Anticipating this statement, Lord Kṛṣṇa told Ugrasena that because of Yayāti’s ancient curse, princes in the Yadu dynasty could technically not sit on the royal throne, and therefore Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were disqualified. Of course, Ugrasena also could be considered part of the Yadu dynasty, but by the order of the Lord he could sit on the royal throne. In conclusion, these were all pastimes the Supreme Lord enjoyed as He played the part of a human being.
Krsna speaks to Ugrasena. "You should be the king and you should give us orders. If you say that the Yadus should not sit on the throne because of the curse of Yayati, I say, that though you are a Yadu, there is no fault if I order you to sit on the throne."
Please command us, the Yadus. “How can I order persons like you?” We are your subjects, dependent on you. The significance of word tu of the previous verse is here explained. You have dominion over the kingdom as king of the Yadus (mahā-rāja). Though you are a Yadu, you are a part of the Bhoja dynasty, whose members generally become the kings, whereas we Vṛṣṇis do not. Thus you should be the king.
You should instruct all of us Yadus (asmān). “But they are all great persons. How can I order them?” We are you subjects, dependent on you (prajāḥ). O great king! Since you are the king of the Yadus, you control the country. Previously you had the kingdom and now you can protect us particularly. You should take complete control now. A kingdom was trifling for Kṛṣṇa and thus he did not want to rule since he desired to return to Vraja. This is described in Viṣṇu Purāṇa: N hi rājyena me kāryaṁ nāpy ahaṁ rājya-lālasaḥ Na cāpi rājya-lobhena mayākāmso nipātitaḥ Kintu loka-hitārthāya kīrtyaṁ ca sutas tava Vyaṅgabhūtaḥ kulasyāsya sānujovinipātitaḥ Ahaṁ sa eva gomadhye gopaiḥ saha vanecaraḥ Prītimān vicariyṣāmi kāmacārī yathā gajaḥ All the Yadus agreed with this skillful worlds. “Due to the curse of Yayāti, I can rule as previously, but not as the king.” Though you cannot sit on the throne as a king, you can order us as the king by my great influence. Out of shyness however he does not say this directly.
- Where do you grasp positions you could pass to elders for the sake of order?
- How does choosing subjecthood actually expand your effectiveness?
Kṛṣṇa stands before His grandfather-king and says 'we are your subjects, command us' — the way an elder son of a household will let the father give the orders, even after the son has become wealthier than the father. Bhagavān keeps the form of subjecthood out of respect.
In the ninth canto (SB 9.18-19), King Yayāti, having taken his son Pūru's youth for a thousand years of enjoyment, returns it and blesses Pūru — but curses his elder son Yadu (who had refused to lend youth) that no descendant of Yadu's line shall ever sit on a royal throne. The curse stands across generations.
When Kṛṣṇa appears in the Yadu line, He cites Yayāti's curse as the reason He cannot Himself be king. Bhagavān submits to the ancestor's word so the family-dharma is not broken. Gauḍīyas read this as deepest aiśvarya hidden inside obedience: the curser's authority is honored by the cursed line's own Bhagavān.
My note
Source: vedabase.io