Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.79.7
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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abhyaṣiñcan
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ceremoniously bathed
Imperfect of abhi + √sic. Abhiṣeka — the ritual sprinkling that consecrates kings, deities and victorious warriors. By performing abhiṣeka of Balarāma the sages tacitly declare Him as the true sovereign of yajña-bhūmi.
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avitatha-āśiṣaḥ
—
infallible benedictions
Compound: a (not) + vitatha (vain) + āśiṣ (blessing). The blessings of these sages cannot fail because they are spoken by tapasvīs whose word has weight. Yet the recipient is Bhagavān Himself — the blessings rebound to the benediction-givers as the highest fortune of all.
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mahā-bhāgāḥ
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the great personalities
Compound: mahā (great) + bhāga (share, fortune). Gauḍīyas read mahā-bhāga as one whose share is the Lord's association — the Naimiṣa sages, who hear the Bhāgavatam from Sūta, qualify exactly.
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saṁstutya
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sincerely praising
Absolutive of sam + √stu. Stuti — the offering of formal prayer — is the natural response when the protector arrives. Gauḍīyas locate stava-stuti as a limb of bhakti subordinate to kīrtana; the sages here model what every protected devotee owes their protector.
The brāhmaṇas praised Balarāma profusely (sam—stutya) because Balarāma was most dear to Kṛṣṇa and was the Lord. And the brāhmaṇas were highly knowledgeable (munayaḥ). They gave blessings that would give immediate results (avitathā). “Protect the universe at your will and may all your desires be fulfilled.” They performed an auspicious bath for him since they were most fortunate, having all wealth (mahā-bhāgāḥ). A suitable example is given.
- What recent victory of mine has not yet been ritually marked?
- What simple ceremony of completion could I offer?
After the demon is destroyed, the brāhmaṇas pour water over Balarāma the way the devas poured water over Indra after Vṛtra's death — abhiṣeka is the ritual answer to victory. But where Indra bathed away his lingering brahma-hatyā, Balarāma is bathed as a celebration; He had no sin to wash, only protectorship to honor.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 6, Indra slays Vṛtrāsura with the vajra fashioned from Dadhīci's bones. Because Vṛtra was a brāhmaṇa by qualification, Indra incurs brahma-hatyā and must be ritually purified before returning to his throne; the devas perform his abhiṣeka and the sin is finally absorbed by women, trees, earth and water.
The sages at Naimiṣa cite that precedent because the visual is exact: a great warrior just back from killing a powerful enemy, kingly and bloodied, receiving consecrating water from those he saved. The Bhāgavatam quietly lifts the comparison higher — Balarāma, unlike Indra, takes on no sin; the bath is pure honor.
My note
Source: vedabase.io