FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.7.5

नन्दस्य पत्नी कृतमज्जनादिकं विप्रै: कृतस्वस्त्ययनं सुपूजितै: । अन्नाद्यवास:स्रगभीष्टधेनुभि: सञ्जातनिद्राक्षमशीशयच्छनै: ॥ ५ ॥
nandasya patnī kṛta-majjanādikaṁ
[nandasya patnee krita-majjanaadikam]
vipraiḥ kṛta-svastyayanaṁ supūjitaiḥ
[vipraih krita-svastyayanam supoojitaih]
annādya-vāsaḥ-srag-abhīṣṭa-dhenubhiḥ
[annaadya-vaasah-srag-abheeshta-dhenubhih]
sañjāta-nidrākṣam aśīśayac chanaiḥ
[sanjaata-nidraaksham asheeshayach chanaih]
nandasya — of Mahārāja Nanda patnī — the wife (mother Yaśodā) kṛta - majjana - ādikam — after she and the other members of the house had bathed and the child had been bathed also vipraiḥ — by the brāhmaṇas kṛta - svastyayanam — engaging them in chanting auspicious Vedic hymns su - pūjitaiḥ — who were all received and worshiped with proper respect anna - ādya — by offering them sufficient grains and other eatables vāsaḥ — garments srak - abhīṣṭa - dhenubhiḥ — by offering flower garlands and very desirable cows sañjāta - nidrā — had become sleepy akṣam — whose eyes aśīśayat — laid the child down śanaiḥ — for the time being .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nandasya patnī kṛta-majjanādikaṁ
nandasya
of Mahārāja Nanda
patnī
the wife (mother Yaśodā)
kṛta - majjana - ādikam
after she and the other members of the house had bathed and the child had been bathed also
vipraiḥ kṛta-svastyayanaṁ supūjitaiḥ
vipraiḥ
by the brāhmaṇas
kṛta - svastyayanam
engaging them in chanting auspicious Vedic hymns
su - pūjitaiḥ
who were all received and worshiped with proper respect
annādya-vāsaḥ-srag-abhīṣṭa-dhenubhiḥ
anna - ādya
by offering them sufficient grains and other eatables
vāsaḥ
garments
srak - abhīṣṭa - dhenubhiḥ
by offering flower garlands and very desirable cows
sañjāta-nidrākṣam aśīśayac chanaiḥ
sañjāta - nidrā
had become sleepy
akṣam
whose eyes
aśīśayat
laid the child down
śanaiḥ
for the time being .
  • vipraiḥ — by the brāhmaṇas
    Vipra — from vip, to tremble (with knowledge of brahman). A vipra is more than caste; he is one in whom Vedic knowledge has been internalized. Yaśodā's worship of vipras is the household acknowledging the chain of paramparā by which Kṛṣṇa's protection flows.
  • kṛta-svastyayanam — having engaged them in auspicious Vedic hymns
    Svasti (well-being) + ayana (going toward). The chanting itself is the going-toward-well-being. In Gauḍīya practice, this verse's principle becomes the maṅgalācaraṇa that opens every Vaiṣṇava function — the chant is the protection.
  • anna-ādya — by offering food grains and eatables
    Anna (food) + ādya (the eatables). Annadāna is the central act of household yajña. Prabhupāda emphasized: a Vaiṣṇava household feeds the brāhmaṇa first, then itself. The grain is not payment; it is the medium through which the household participates in the brāhmaṇa's tapas.
  • srak-abhīṣṭa-dhenubhiḥ — with flower garlands and desirable cows
    Srak (garland) + abhīṣṭa (desirable) + dhenu (milk-cow). Cow-charity is the highest dāna in Vedic culture, second only to kanyā-dāna. Vraja is go-loka — the cow-centered economy is not incidental to Kṛṣṇa's līlā; it is its substrate.
After completing the bathing ceremony for the child, mother Yaśodā received the brāhmaṇas by worshiping them with proper respect and giving them ample food grains and other eatables, clothing, desirable cows, and garlands. The brāhmaṇas properly chanted Vedic hymns to observe the auspicious ceremony, and when they finished and mother Yaśodā saw that the child felt sleepy, she lay down on the bed with the child until He was peacefully asleep.

An affectionate mother takes great care of her child and is always anxious to see that the child is not disturbed even for a moment. As long as the child wants to remain with the mother, the mother stays with the child, and the child feels very comfortable. Mother Yaśodā saw that her child felt sleepy, and to give Him all facilities for sleep, she lay down with the child, and when He was peaceful, she got up to attend to her other household affairs.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
After completing the bathing ceremony for the child, mother Yaśodā received the brāhmaṇas by worshiping them with proper respect and giving them ample food grains and other eatables, clothing, desirable cows, and garlands. The brāhmaṇas properly chanted Vedic hymns to observe the auspicious ceremony, and when they finished and mother Yaśodā saw that the child felt sleepy, she lay down on the bed with the child until He was peacefully asleep.
Commentary

The brahmanas, after being honored by gifts of rice and cloth etc. (supujitaih), performed the rites. Because he had sleepy eyes (sanjatanidraksam), Krsna was put to rest (asisayat). Holding him motionlessly in her lap for fear he would wake up, she lay down with him on a cot under a cart situated in the large yard. When she understood that Krsna was fast asleep, she got up very gently.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

It should be understood that she had the permission and assistance of Nanda, since he was broad-minded. Kṛṣṇa was rubbed dry by Yaśodā and the gopīs. As well, he was anointed with gorocana and dressed. This was included in the bathing ceremony. Auspicious activities like svasti-vacana were performed (svastyayanam). The brāhmaṇas were honored with food, utensils (annādya) (some versions have ājya (ghee) instead) as well as cloth, garlands of gems, and objects dear to the gopīs or the brāhmaṇas and cows. The phrase can also read abhīṣṭa-dhenubhiḥ (desirable cows). She then put him in bed since his eyes were becoming sleepy. She did this gently because he was very tender and she did not want to disturb his sleep.

Related values
Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Shanti (Peace / Tranquility)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Daya (Compassion / Mercy)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)Satya (Truthfulness)Dana (Charity / Generosity)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva
Mother Yaśodā's tender care of baby Kṛṣṇa shows that real bhakti is expressed through attentive, embodied service — not abstract sentiment.
Practical Applications
  • Identify one person in your care today (child, parent, guest) and serve them with the same patient attentiveness Yaśodā gave Kṛṣṇa — staying until the task is truly complete.
  • Before a meal or important task, honor a brāhmaṇa or sādhu (in person, by call, or by remembrance) with food, dakṣiṇā, or sincere praṇāma, treating it as a non-negotiable household duty.
  • Refuse to rush through acts of seva today — whether feeding, settling a child, or hosting a guest — and let the work itself become your sādhana.

A mother nurses her sleeping child and then rises to feed the brāhmaṇas at her door — the same hands that comfort the baby also serve the Lord's servants. Bhakti is not pulled between household and altar; in Yaśodā's hands, both are one continuous sevā to Kṛṣṇa, who lies asleep at the center.

Ambarīṣa's twin commitments

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa ruled an empire and observed the ekādaśī fast with equal completeness. He fed brāhmaṇas, worshiped the deity, served Vaiṣṇavas, and never let the throne and the altar compete (SB 9.4).

When Durvāsā tried to disrupt his vrata, the Sudarśana cakra defended him — the same protection Yaśodā's brāhmaṇas invoke here for Kṛṣṇa. The household that serves Vaiṣṇavas is already inside the Lord's defensive circle.

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