FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.61.19

एतेषां पुत्रपौत्राश्च बभूवु: कोटिशो नृप । मातर: कृष्णजातीनां सहस्राणि च षोडश ॥ १९ ॥
eteṣāṁ putra-pautrāś ca
[eteshaam putra-pautraash cha]
babhūvuḥ koṭiśo nṛpa
[babhoovuh kotisho nripa]
mātaraḥ kṛṣṇa-jātīnāṁ
[maatarah krishna-jaateenaam]
sahasrāṇi ca ṣoḍaśa
[sahasraani cha shodasha]
Word-for-word
eteṣām — of these putra — sons pautrāḥ — and grandsons ca — and babhūvuḥ — were born koṭiśaḥ — by the tens of millions nṛpa — O King mātaraḥ — the mothers kṛṣṇa - jātīnām — of the descendants of Lord Kṛṣṇa sahasrāṇi — thousands ca — and ṣoḍaśa — sixteen .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
eteṣāṁ putra-pautrāś ca
eteṣām
of these
putra
sons
pautrāḥ
and grandsons
ca
and
babhūvuḥ koṭiśo nṛpa
babhūvuḥ
were born
koṭiśaḥ
by the tens of millions
nṛpa
O King
mātaraḥ kṛṣṇa-jātīnāṁ
mātaraḥ
the mothers
kṛṣṇa - jātīnām
of the descendants of Lord Kṛṣṇa
sahasrāṇi ca ṣoḍaśa
sahasrāṇi
thousands
ca
and
ṣoḍaśa
sixteen .
Important Words
  • koṭiśaḥ — by the tens of millions
    From koṭi, 'crore.' The Bhāgavata uses such numbers not for census-accuracy but to signal that Kṛṣṇa's vibhūti exceeds counting — a literary device matching the theological point of His infinitude.
  • kṛṣṇa-jātīnām — of the descendants of Lord Kṛṣṇa
    kṛṣṇa + jāti (born of). The Yadu-vaṁśa is named simply 'Kṛṣṇa's born ones' — the family is His, not the other way around.
  • mātaraḥ — the mothers
    Plural of mātṛ. 16,000 mothers all called by one collective noun — the Bhāgavata's quiet reminder that for Gauḍīyas, the queens of Dvārakā are one śakti differentiated, not 16,000 separate women in mundane sense.
  • ṣoḍaśa — sixteen
    The same number that later names the soḍaśa-kalā (sixteen aspects) of the Lord. Sixteen-thousand and sixteen-kalā share a numerological resonance Gauḍīya ācāryas note — the wives are the kalās of His householder-līlā.
My dear King, the sons and grandsons of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s children numbered in the tens of millions. Sixteen thousand mothers gave rise to this dynasty.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
My dear King, the sons and grandsons of Lord Kṛṣṇa's children numbered in the tens of millions. Sixteen thousand mothers gave rise to this dynasty.
Commentary

One can count the mothers of Krsna's offspring, but not the sons and grandsons. Krsna's queens numbered sixteen thousand one hundred and eight.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

O king! Śukadeva expresses astonishment. Eteṣāṁ refers to the Pradyumna’s and other sons of Kṛṣṇa.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Personal Guidance
Kṛṣṇa's descendants numbered in the tens of millions, all springing from sixteen thousand mothers. The Lord's love is generative — it expands rather than contracts when shared.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I hoarding love or resources that could multiply if released?
  • How can I let Kṛṣṇa's generative spirit shape the way I give my time?
Analogy

Like sixteen thousand springs feeding a single Yamunā that then branches into ten million tributaries, Kṛṣṇa's eight queens become 16,000 mothers and tens of millions of descendants — one Bhagavān flowering into a forest of vibhūti.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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