FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.82.10

रामह्रदेषु विधिवत् पुनराप्लुत्य वृष्णय: । ददु: स्वन्नं द्विजाग्र्‍येभ्य: कृष्णे नो भक्तिरस्त्विति ॥ १० ॥
rāma-hradeṣu vidhi-vat
[raama-hradeshu vidhi-vat]
punar āplutya vṛṣṇayaḥ
[punar aaplutya vrishnayah]
dadaḥ sv-annaṁ dvijāgryebhyaḥ
[dadah sv-annam dvijaagryebhyah]
kṛṣṇe no bhaktir astv iti
[krishne no bhaktir astv iti]
rāma — of Lord Paraśurāma hradeṣu — in the lakes vidhi - vat — in accordance with scriptural injunctions punaḥ — again āplutya — taking a bath vṛṣṇayaḥ — the Vṛṣṇis daduḥ — gave su — fine annam — food dvija — to brāhmaṇas agryebhyaḥ — excellent kṛṣṇe — to Kṛṣṇa naḥ — our bhaktiḥ — devotion astu — may there be iti — thus .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rāma-hradeṣu vidhi-vat
rāma
of Lord Paraśurāma
hradeṣu
in the lakes
vidhi - vat
in accordance with scriptural injunctions
punar āplutya vṛṣṇayaḥ
punaḥ
again
āplutya
taking a bath
vṛṣṇayaḥ
the Vṛṣṇis
dadaḥ sv-annaṁ dvijāgryebhyaḥ
daduḥ
gave
su
fine
annam
food
dvija
to brāhmaṇas
agryebhyaḥ
excellent
kṛṣṇe no bhaktir astv iti
kṛṣṇe
to Kṛṣṇa
naḥ
our
bhaktiḥ
devotion
astu
may there be
iti
thus .
  • vidhi-vat — in accordance with scriptural injunctions
    Compound: vidhi (rule, scripture) + vat (adverbial suffix). Vaiṣṇava bhakti is not anti-scriptural sentimentality — vidhi-mārga structures sādhana until rāga-mārga blooms. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa codifies precisely this.
  • kṛṣṇe naḥ bhaktiḥ astu — may we have devotion to Kṛṣṇa
    The Vṛṣṇis' explicit prayer. This single phrase is the Gauḍīya prayojana — Caitanya Mahāprabhu's prayer in the Śikṣāṣṭakam (mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi) is its direct descendant.
  • bhaktiḥ — devotion
    From √bhaj — to share, to participate, to serve. For Gauḍīyas, bhakti is both means and end — sādhana-bhakti ripens into bhāva-bhakti, then prema-bhakti; it is never instrumental to liberation, because it surpasses liberation.
  • dvija-agryebhyaḥ — to first-class brāhmaṇas
    Compound: dvija (twice-born) + agryebhyaḥ (to the foremost, dative). 'First-class' in Vaiṣṇava reading means brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava — those whose dvija status is completed by bhakti. Mere birth is not sufficient (cf. SB 7.9.10).
In accordance with scriptural injunctions, the descendants of Vṛṣṇi then bathed once more in Lord Paraśurāma’s lakes and fed first-class brāhmaṇas with sumptuous food. All the while they prayed, “May we be granted devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

This second bath marked the end of their fasting, on the following day.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In accordance with scriptural injunctions, the descendants of Vṛṣṇi then bathed once more in Lord Paraśurāma's lakes and fed first-class brāhmaṇas with sumptuous food. All the while they prayed, "May we be granted devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa."
Commentary

After the eclipse was over, they took bathe (punar aplutya).

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

They fed brāhmaṇas the best rice. To express their great good fortune, in bathing and giving in charity, they prayed for devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Each prayed for prema for their families since they all had natural greed for the Lord.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

They fed the best of the twice born, brāhmaṇas or the best brāhmaṇas, who were also devotees, the best rice. Showing their good fortune, their vow is described with giving charity: may we have bhakti for Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, the supreme Lord. Each person prayed for himself and his family (naḥ).

Related values
Sthitaprajna (Steady Wisdom)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomSeva (Service / Selfless Action)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)
Related verses
They bathed again, fed brāhmaṇas, and prayed, 'May we be granted devotion to Kṛṣṇa.' The capstone prayer is not for material results but for devotion itself.
Reflection Questions
  • Is 'grant me devotion' a regular prayer of mine?
  • What would change if it became the capstone of my practices?

A merchant offered every commodity at a fair will pass them all by and ask only for one rare gem. The Vṛṣṇis bathe at famous lakes, feed first-class brāhmaṇas — and then ask for the one thing those acts cannot produce on their own: kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

Kuntī's prayer at Hastināpura

When Kṛṣṇa was about to leave Hastināpura after the war, Queen Kuntī did not pray for restored kingdom or healed sons. She asked for vipadaḥ santu (SB 1.8.25) — calamities again and again, because in calamity she had remembered Him.

Gauḍīyas place Kuntī's prayer and this Vṛṣṇi prayer in the same lineage. Every external blessing — kingdom, lakes, brāhmaṇas, sacrifice — is sought only as a means to one end: kṛṣṇe naḥ bhaktir astu. Bhakti is the only legitimate prayojana.

📝 My note

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