Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.55.5
तं शम्बराय कैवर्ता उपाजह्रुरुपायनम् ।
सूदा महानसं नीत्वावद्यन् सुधितिनाद्भुतम् ॥ ५ ॥
taṁ śambarāya kaivartā
[tam shambaraaya kaivartaa]
upājahrur upāyanam
[upaajahrur upaayanam]
sūdā mahānasaṁ nītvā-
[soodaa mahaanasam neetvaa-]
vadyan sudhitinādbhutam
[vadyan sudhitinaadbhutam]
Word-for-word
tam
—
it (the fish)
śambarāya
—
to Śambara
kaivartāḥ
—
the fishermen
upājahruḥ
—
presented
upāyanam
—
the offering
sūdāḥ
—
the cooks
mahānasam
—
to the kitchen
nītvā
—
bringing
avadyan
—
cut it up
sudhitinā
—
with a butcher knife
adbhutam
—
amazing .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
taṁ śambarāya kaivartā
tam
it (the fish)
śambarāya
to Śambara
kaivartāḥ
the fishermen
upājahrur upāyanam
upājahruḥ
presented
upāyanam
the offering
sūdā mahānasaṁ nītvā-
sūdāḥ
the cooks
mahānasam
to the kitchen
nītvā
bringing
avadyan
cut it up
vadyan sudhitinādbhutam
sudhitinā
with a butcher knife
adbhutam
amazing .
Important Words
-
kaivartāḥ
—
the fishermen
Kaivarta = mixed-caste fisherfolk. Notable that Caitanya-caritāmṛta later honors Rāmacandra Khān's kaivarta-servant who served Haridāsa Ṭhākura — kaivarta is not a slur in Gauḍīya hearing but a varṇa-position from which bhakti remains accessible.
-
upājahruḥ
—
they presented
Perfect of upa-ā-√hṛ (to bring near as offering). The same root-family as upacāra (item of worship). The fishermen think they are tribute-paying a tyrant; functionally they are presenting an offering whose contents will deliver their own liberator.
-
sūdāḥ
—
the cooks
Sūda = cook, butcher. Pradyumna will be 'unwrapped' by butcher-knives — a moment of risk that the Bhāgavatam underlines so the discovery feels providential, not staged.
-
sudhitinā
—
with a butcher knife
Sudhiti / sudhitinā — a cleaving instrument. The knife that should have killed the infant becomes the instrument that releases Him. Gauḍīya pattern: the very tools of māyā, in the Lord's hand, become instruments of revelation.
-
adbhutam
—
amazing
From a-budh — 'beyond ordinary comprehension.' One of the rasas in Sanskrit aesthetics (adbhuta-rasa). The cooks are gripped by adbhuta-bhāva, the gateway emotion through which the līlā now opens onto Māyāvatī.
The fishermen presented that extraordinary fish to Śambara, who had his cooks bring it to the kitchen, where they began cutting it up with a butcher knife.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The fishermen presented that extraordinary fish to Śambara, who had his cooks bring it to the kitchen, where they began cutting it up with a butcher knife.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The words upājahruḥ and upāyanam mean the same thing (He gifted a gift). The words are used repetitively in indicate that the fish was given because it was special--huge and astonishing. Because Mayavatī was the head cook, the fish was offered to her. But she was actually Rati, Kāṁa-deva’s wife, disguised by her magical powers.
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The fish was immediately given to Śambara to enjoy. It was outstanding by being bigger than other fish.
Related values & verses
Related values
Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Bhakti (Devotion)Sthitaprajna (Steady Wisdom)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Prema (Divine Love)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Daya (Compassion / Mercy)Discriminative WisdomGuru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Achapalya (Steadiness / Non-fickleness)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
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Personal Guidance
Fishermen present the extraordinary fish to Śambara, whose cooks bring it to the kitchen and cut it with a butcher knife. The lost child returns to the very enemy's house; recovery moves through the heart of opposition.
Reflection Questions
- Where might recovery of what's lost pass back through the very setting that lost it?
- How does trust hold when the route looks ironic?
Analogy
The fish is offered to Śambara as tribute and taken to the kitchen — the demon's own table will deliver his death to him. Bhagavān routes the agent of doom through the captor's own gift; the asura sharpens the knife that opens the gift-belly.
My note
Source: vedabase.io