Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.1
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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yadu - kumārakāḥ
—
the boys of the Yadu dynasty
Compound: yadu (the dynasty Kṛṣṇa enters) + kumārakāḥ (young boys). Śrīdhara Svāmī notes the chapter is aimed precisely at proud kings — and Jīva Gosvāmī adds it lands first on Kṛṣṇa's own family, who had grown proud of their opulences. Birth in His dynasty is not a guarantee against aparādha.
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upavanam
—
to a small forest
Upa- (near) + vana (forest). Not the deep tapovana of Vraja; a pleasure-grove adjacent to Dvārakā. The setting marks this as a leisure pastime among householders — exactly where pride and entitlement enter.
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vihartum
—
to play, to enjoy
Infinitive of vi-√hṛ. Vihāra is the very same root used for Kṛṣṇa's līlā, but in the boys it has slipped toward bhoga. Gauḍīyas read this slippage carefully: when 'play' loses its connection to Kṛṣṇa, it becomes the prelude to a fall.
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sāmba - pradyumna - cāru - bhānu - gada - ādayaḥ
—
Sāmba, Pradyumna, Cāru, Bhānu, Gada and others
Pradyumna is Kṛṣṇa's own son (and an aṁśa of Sanat-kumāra); Sāmba is the son whose later pride would precipitate the Yadu dynasty's destruction. The poet lists them by name so that the warning that follows is unmistakably addressed to them.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that the story of King Nṛga, narrated in this chapter, is meant to give sober instructions to all proud kings. Through this incident Lord Kṛṣṇa also gave serious lessons to the members of His own family who had become proud of their opulences.
In the sixty fourth Chapter, Krsna, hearing from King Nrga, whom he rescued from the well, taught his own frightened devotees about charity and devotion to brahmanas.
Having shown the power of Kṛṣṇa in defeating Śiva, Śukadeva now relates a story somewhat related. This even happened at some time (ekadā), not in order it is told. This event happened before the birth of Aniruddha since Pradyumna would have to be in his yauvana age to have Aniruddha as his son. They are also described in this verse as kumāra and because they were attached to playing they must have been in the middle of their kumāra period. Since Sāmba and others are also mentioned he was in Dvārakā, not Rukmī’s city, where Aniruddha was born. This incident must have happened just after he returned from Śambara’s city. Śukadeva addresses Parīkṣit in amazement that a small sin of king Nṛga could have such effects or he calls to him to remove the details of the previous pastime and concentrate on the present pastime.
- What story has the Lord placed before me to instruct me precisely where I am proud?
- How willing am I to receive a teaching aimed at a fault I share with the audience?
A king's own sons walk into the garden as if it were theirs by right — and Kṛṣṇa lets them, because the lesson He is about to give will land hardest on those who carry His name. The Yadu youths stroll into the upavana the way the proud stroll through any borrowed kingdom; the well they will stumble upon is the question Bhagavān has placed there for them.
My note
Source: vedabase.io