FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.69.28

कुत्रचिद्‌‌द्विजमुख्येभ्यो ददतं गा: स्वलङ्कृता: । इतिहासपुराणानि श‍ृण्वन्तं मङ्गलानि च ॥ २८ ॥
kutracid dvija-mukhyebhyo
[kutrachid dvija-mukhyebhyo]
dadataṁ gāḥ sv-alaṅkṛtāḥ
[dadatam gaah sv-alankritaah]
itihāsa-purāṇāni
[itihaasa-puraanaani]
śṛṇvantaṁ maṅgalāni ca
[shrinvantam mangalaani cha]
kutracit — somewhere dvija — to brāhmaṇas mukhyebhyaḥ — excellent dadatam — giving gāḥ — cows su — well alaṅkṛtāḥ — ornamented itihāsa — epic histories purāṇāni — and the Purāṇas śṛṇvantam — hearing maṅgalāni — auspicious ca — and .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kutracid dvija-mukhyebhyo
kutracit
somewhere
dvija
to brāhmaṇas
mukhyebhyaḥ
excellent
dadataṁ gāḥ sv-alaṅkṛtāḥ
dadatam
giving
gāḥ
cows
su
well
alaṅkṛtāḥ
ornamented
itihāsa-purāṇāni
itihāsa
epic histories
purāṇāni
and the Purāṇas
śṛṇvantaṁ maṅgalāni ca
śṛṇvantam
hearing
maṅgalāni
auspicious
ca
and .
  • gāḥ su-alaṅkṛtāḥ — well-ornamented cows
    gāḥ (cows) + su (well) + alaṅkṛta (ornamented). Go-dāna is one of the most meritorious gifts in śāstra. Kṛṣṇa, the gopāla, gives cows to brāhmaṇas — a perfect circuit, the Cowherd dignifying both ends of the cow-economy.
  • itihāsa-purāṇāni — epic histories and Purāṇas
    Compound: itihāsa (it happened thus — Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa) + purāṇa (ancient narrative). Kṛṣṇa listens to the works that recount His own deeds. Gauḍīya signature: Bhagavān is the listener as well as the spoken-of; śravaṇa is enjoyed even by its subject.
  • maṅgalāni — auspicious
    From maṅgala (auspiciousness). The narratives are maṅgala because they bear Kṛṣṇa's name. Gauḍīyas: śravaṇa-yogyam tad eva — that alone is fit to be heard which carries the Lord's pastimes.
  • dvija-mukhyebhyaḥ — to excellent brāhmaṇas
    Compound: dvija (twice-born) + mukhya (chief, excellent), dative plural. The recipients of the gift are not any brāhmaṇas but the mukhyas — those whose qualifications are complete. Bhagavān-pratiṣṭhā goes to where dharma is most fully embodied.
Somewhere He was giving well-decorated cows to exalted brāhmaṇas, and elsewhere he was listening to the auspicious narration of epic histories and Purāṇas.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī informs us that giving cows in charity occurs in the morning, while hearing the histories takes place in the afternoon.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Somewhere He was giving well-decorated cows to exalted brāhmaṇas, and elsewhere he was listening to the auspicious narration of epic histories and Purāṇas.
Commentary

He was giving cows in the morning and hearing the histories and puranas in the afternoon. According to the smrti scriptures, one should pass the sixth and seventh parts of the day (afternoon and evening) in hearing histories and puranas.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The cows had gold horns. Giving cows in charity is generally an activity carried out at noon. Maṅgalāni refers to Vedic sūktas expressing peace or pure songs. These are activities of the afternoon. It is said itihāsa-purāṇabhyaṁ ṣāṣṭa-saptamakau nayet: recitation of histories and Purānās takes place in the sixth and seventh parts of the day (afternoon).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The cows had gold horns. Itihāsa refers to Mahābhārata and other histories. Maṅgalāni refers to Vedic sūktas expressing peace or to pure songs.

Related values
Dana (Charity / Generosity)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
Kṛṣṇa gave well-decorated cows to brāhmaṇas and listened to epic histories and Purāṇas. Charity to the qualified and hearing sacred narratives are core householder activities, not optional extras.
Reflection Questions
  • What sacred narrative am I hearing regularly enough to be shaped by it?
  • Where could my charity be more deliberate and more dignified?

Two acts of one household: gifting decorated cows to brāhmaṇas, and listening in silence as the Purāṇas are recited at evening. The first is hand-charity, the second is ear-charity — and a fully formed gṛhastha keeps both open at once.

📝 My note

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