FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.81.33

नूनं बतैतन्मम दुर्भगस्य शश्वद्दरिद्रस्य समृद्धिहेतु: । महाविभूतेरवलोकतोऽन्यो नैवोपपद्येत यदूत्तमस्य ॥ ३३ ॥
nūnaṁ bataitan mama durbhagasya
[noonam bataitan mama durbhagasya]
śaśvad daridrasya samṛddhi-hetuḥ
[shashvad daridrasya samriddhi-hetuh]
mahā-vibhūter avalokato ’nyo
[mahaa-vibhooter avalokato ’nyo]
naivopapadyeta yadūttamasya
[naivopapadyeta yadoottamasya]
Word-for-word
nūnam bata — certainly etat — of this same person mama — myself durbhagasya — who am unfortunate śaśvat — always daridrasya — poverty-stricken samṛddhi — of the prosperity hetuḥ — cause mahā - vibhūteḥ — of Him who possesses the greatest opulences avalokataḥ — than the glance anyaḥ — other na — not eva — indeed upapadyeta — is to be found yadu - uttamasya — of the best of the Yadus .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nūnaṁ bataitan mama durbhagasya
nūnam bata
certainly
śaśvad daridrasya samṛddhi-hetuḥ
etat
of this same person
mahā-vibhūter avalokato ’nyo
mama
myself
naivopapadyeta yadūttamasya
durbhagasya
who am unfortunate
śaśvat
always
daridrasya
poverty-stricken
samṛddhi
of the prosperity
hetuḥ
cause
mahā - vibhūteḥ
of Him who possesses the greatest opulences
avalokataḥ
than the glance
anyaḥ
other
na
not
eva
indeed
upapadyeta
is to be found
yadu - uttamasya
of the best of the Yadus .
Important Words
  • nūnam bata — certainly indeed
    Two emphatic particles paired. Sudāmā's inference is delivered with certainty — not hypothesis but logical conclusion. The grammar marks the verse as a formal deduction.
  • durbhagasya śaśvat daridrasya — of an unfortunate one, always poverty-stricken
    durbhaga (unfortunate) + śaśvat (always) + daridra (poor). The bhakta names his prior condition with unflinching accuracy. Dainya intact even amidst the new wealth — Gauḍīya's most prized continuity.
  • samṛddhi-hetuḥ — the cause of (this) prosperity
    Compound: samṛddhi (prosperity) + hetu (cause). The verse's logical pivot — the unique cause. Sudāmā is doing causal inference, in proper Sanskrit logical form.
  • mahā-vibhūteḥ avalokataḥ — from the glance of Him who possesses the greatest opulences
    mahā (great) + vibhūti (opulence) + avalokana (glance). Bhagavān's avalokana — His glance — is the cause. Gauḍīya note: the kaṭākṣa, the sidelong glance of Kṛṣṇa, is the recognized doorway through which all His mercy enters.
  • yadu-uttamasya — of the best of the Yadus
    Compound: yadu (Yadu dynasty) + uttama (best). Sudāmā names Kṛṣṇa formally by His dynastic title. The intimate friend of Sāndīpani's ashram is the most exalted of the Yadus — the bhakta holds both registers at once.
[Sudāmā thought:] I have always been poor. Certainly the only possible way that such an unfortunate person as myself could become suddenly rich is that Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supremely opulent chief of the Yadu dynasty, has glanced upon Me.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
[Sudāmā thought:] I have always been poor. Certainly the only possible way that such an unfortunate person as myself could become suddenly rich is that Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supremely opulent chief of the Yadu dynasty, has glanced upon Me.
Commentary

The great opulence of this house and myself can come from no other than seeing the Lord.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Nūnam expresses certainly and bata expresses joy. This has arisen because of the glance of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise (anyat) there is no cause of my wealth, since I am unfortunate and always poor. Instead of anyat sometimes anyaḥ is seen. And Kṛṣṇa is always filled with complete śakti in the form of Lakṣmī (mahā-vibhūteḥ).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Nūnam expresses certainly or conjecture and bata expresses joy. His condition (etat) is described. I am unfortunate, without wealth etc. and always poor. The cause of prosperity is the glance of the Lord who is most excellent, appearing in the Yadu dynasty to manifest unlimited powers (yadūttamasya), and who has great wealth and power (mahā-vibhūteḥ). Or the cause of increase of great wealth (mahā-vibhūteḥ) is his glance. Without that glance, nothing occurs. I am devoid of good fortune without his glance, but suddenly it is possible by his glance.

Related values & verses
Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Saurya (Heroism / Bravery)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses
BG 5.7 BG 12.5 BG 5.4 BG 16.2 BG 10.4 BG 3.27 BG 3.11 BG 18.1 BG 7.8
Concepts
Tamas
Personal Guidance
'The only possible explanation is that Kṛṣṇa, supremely opulent chief of the Yadu dynasty, has glanced upon me.' One glance from the Lord is sufficient; cause and effect work differently in His presence.
Reflection Questions
  • Where in my life am I able to identify the Lord's 'glance' as the cause?
  • How does that recognition reframe the timeline of my fortune?
Analogy

A blind man whose sight returns reasons: there is no other source of light I have known but the sun; therefore the sun has risen on me. Sudāmā reasons: there is no source of wealth in my life-history but Kṛṣṇa's glance; therefore the glance has fallen on me. The bhakta's logic terminates in Bhagavān, not anywhere else.

Stories
Bilvamaṅgala's blindness

In the Gauḍīya account of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura (Līlā-śuka), having gouged out his own eyes to stop their wandering, he reasoned that whatever guidance reached him in the forest could only be Kṛṣṇa's. Sudāmā's logic here is identical: with all other causes ruled out, the only remaining cause of any good in a poor brāhmaṇa's life is Bhagavān's avalokana. Gauḍīyas treat this as the bhakta's standard inference.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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