Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.73.21
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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deha-ādi-utpādyam-anta-vat
—
the body etc., subject to birth, having an end
Four consecutive synonym-chunks giving triple specification — has a beginning, has an end, is therefore not the self. Sāṅkhya frame redirected into bhakti: knowing this, worship Me.
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adhvaraiḥ
—
with Vedic sacrifices
Adhvara — sacrifice (lit. 'without injury'). Kṛṣṇa endorses karma-kāṇḍa here only as a vehicle for mām yajantaḥ — for worship of Himself.
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yuktāḥ
—
having clear intelligence / yoked
From √yuj. The same yukta the previous verses lacked (ayuktāḥ, v.11). Bhagavān now installs them as yukta-rājans.
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prajāḥ-dharmeṇa-rakṣyatha
—
you should protect your subjects according to religion
Three consecutive synonym-chunks: subjects + by dharma + you should protect. Kṣatriya-dharma stated in one breath with bhakti — the Gauḍīya model of yukta-vairāgya: full engagement in svadharma offered to Bhagavān.
But by my instruction you should do this, according to the customs.
On their attaining bhakti to him, he instructed them to protect everyone as they would themselves on his order, since he desired that they protect the people and dharma in order to please him, in two and a half verses. Being dedicated to me (yuktāḥ), worshiping me with sacrifices in order to teach the people, protect the population by instituting dharma. Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary gives the form rakṣita. This is probably a mistake of the transcriber, or bhavantaḥ can be a vocative, with the rakṣata as an imperative, second person plural.
Now the Lord teaches the method of remembrance. Understand that there is some beginning (utpādyam) and end of the body, or understand that the body, sons, wealth etc. accepted as yours has beginning and end. Being absorbed in me (yuktāḥ), or being engaged, being successful by dharma which protects my bhakti, accept a kingdom to spread my bhakti while practicing household dharma. Rakṣatha should be rakṣantu.
- What does 'worship through sacrifice' look like in my present life?
- Whose protection has been entrusted to me, and am I exercising it justly?
Bhagavān hands back the scepters with operating instructions printed on the handle: the body is anta-vat, the kingdom is anta-vat, only the worship is not. Rule, He says, but as a yajña — every act offered upward into the same Fire that just freed you.
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa (Canto 9.4) ruled an empire while his mind never left Kṛṣṇa's feet, his eyes never left the deity's form, his ears never left katha. Even Durvāsā's curse could not unseat such a king.
Kṛṣṇa here gives the 20,800 kings the Ambarīṣa template in compressed form: rule (rakṣyatha prajāḥ) with yajña and yukta intelligence, knowing the deha is anta-vat.
My note
Source: vedabase.io