FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.3

बध्नीतेमं दुर्विनीतं किं करिष्यन्ति वृष्णय: । येऽस्मत्प्रसादोपचितां दत्तां नो भुञ्जते महीम् ॥ ३ ॥
badhnītemaṁ durvinītaṁ
[badhneetemam durvineetam]
kiṁ kariṣyanti vṛṣṇayaḥ
[kim karishyanti vrishnayah]
ye ’smat-prasādopacitāṁ
[ye ’smat-prasaadopachitaam]
dattāṁ no bhuñjate mahīm
[dattaam no bhunjate maheem]
Word-for-word
badhnīta — arrest imam — him durvinītam — ill-behaved kim — what kariṣyanti — will they do vṛṣṇayaḥ — the Vṛṣṇis ye — who asmat — of us prasāda — by the grace upacitām — acquired dattām — bestowed naḥ — our bhuñjate — are enjoying mahīm — the land .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
badhnītemaṁ durvinītaṁ
badhnīta
arrest
kiṁ kariṣyanti vṛṣṇayaḥ
imam
him
durvinītam
ill-behaved
kim
what
kariṣyanti
will they do
vṛṣṇayaḥ
the Vṛṣṇis
ye ’smat-prasādopacitāṁ
ye
who
asmat
of us
prasāda
by the grace
upacitām
acquired
dattāṁ no bhuñjate mahīm
dattām
bestowed
naḥ
our
bhuñjate
are enjoying
mahīm
the land .
Important Words
  • vṛṣṇayaḥ — the Vṛṣṇis
    The Yādava clan-branch of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The Kurus speak of them as dependents; in truth, the Vṛṣṇis are the family the Lord chose for His descent.
  • prasāda — favor, grace
    The Kurus imagine they have shown prasāda to the Yadus by granting them land. The irony is exact: only the Lord's prasāda sustains any kingdom — including theirs.
  • mahīm — the earth, the land
    The same earth that, as verse 41 will show, Balarāma can drag with one tip of His plough. The Kurus claim ownership of what He literally upholds.
  • badhnīta — arrest, bind
    Imperative plural — 'tie him up.' This single word triggers the whole crisis: to bind a son of Kṛṣṇa is to invite the plough of Balarāma.
Arrest this ill-behaved Sāmba! What will the Vṛṣṇis do? By our grace they are ruling land that we have granted them.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Arrest this ill-behaved Sāmba! What will the Vṛṣṇis do? By our grace they are ruling land that we have granted them.
Commentary

The Yadavas enjoy land give by us. They are not kings.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

They forbad killing him. They only wanted to arrest him since it was the opinion of Bhīṣma and Vidura that he was now the groom, since it was not possible for her to choose another groom, since he had touched her. Thus it is explained later that they were determined to capture him. The reason was his bad behavior (durvinītam). Otherwise others would see them as defeated.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Arrest him but do not kill him since he is the son of the Lord and our brother-in-law. Therefore capture him. Do this to teach him since he is ill mannered. That is why the word durvinīta is repeated. They enjoy land not earned by given, and given by us. Though they fear the accusation of taking back what was given, they cannot ignore the act of Sāmba. It is actually our land since they are without a kingdom. They have no power. They simply enjoy the land, and do not rule it properly.

Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Bhakti (Devotion)
Concepts
RasaPrasadaJiva
Personal Guidance
The Kurus reminded themselves they had granted the Vṛṣṇis their lands — assuming superiority by patronage. Whenever we begin tallying favors we have done, we have already lost the spirit of relationship.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I keep score of my generosity in ways that erode the relationship itself?
  • What would unconditional giving look like in my closest connections?
Analogy

A petty landlord boasts of his charity to a tenant whose family secretly owns the entire estate. The Kurus imagine the Yadus rule by their permission; they have not seen who actually sits in Dvārakā.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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