Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.85.21
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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sātvata-ṛṣabhaḥ
—
the chief of the Sātvata-Yādavas
Compound: sātvata (the Sātvata dynasty, devotees of Viṣṇu) + ṛṣabha (the best, the bull-among). Kṛṣṇa as the foremost of His own dynasty. The Sātvatas are the original bhāgavatas; their Lord is named accordingly.
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praśraya-ānamraḥ
—
humbly bowed in deference
Compound: praśraya (humility, respect) + ānamra (bent down). Bhagavān bowing His own head before Vasudeva. Gauḍīyas hold this moment up as the visible form of dāsya inside vātsalya: the Lord enacts the humility a son owes a father.
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prahasan
—
smiling
Present participle of pra + √has. Kṛṣṇa's smile — the same smile of the flute-player. It is not mockery; it is the mādhurya that accompanies all His teachings, even when the topic is metaphysical.
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ślakṣṇayā girā
—
with gentle words
Instrumental: ślakṣṇa (smooth, soft) + gir (speech). The tone of the teaching. The Gauḍīya pattern: even the highest tattva is given softly, never with the harshness of impersonalist disputation.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī describes what Lord Kṛṣṇa thought after hearing His father glorify Him: “Vasudeva has been honored with the eternal role of My father, something even demigods like Brahma cannot aspire for. Therefore he shouldn’t be absorbed in thinking of My godly aspects. Moreover, his reverence greatly embarrasses Me. It was to avoid this very situation that, after killing Kaṁsa, I made a special effort to reinforce their pure parental love for Me and Balarāma. But now, unfortunately, the statements of these sages threaten to revive some of Vasudeva’s and Devakī’s previous awareness of My majesty.”
Gently bending his head he smiled. This implied " So that there will be no contradiction of rasa in your words directed to us two sons who worship you, I will wisely give those words another meaning."
At the revelation of his greatness, Kṛṣṇa shrunk with modesty. He was the best of the Sātvatas, appearing with birth pastimes in that family with his form. Because Vasudeva was his father, Kṛṣṇa acted in this way. He then revealed a smile since such words were not proper. By his attractive smile he indicated he did not give regard to his father words glorifying his powers. The meaning is this. I accept him as my father, which is beyond Brahmā’s desires. Knowledge of my powers that ordinary sages realize is not proper for him and creates restrictive feelings in me. For that purpose, after I killed Kaṁsa, I increased their prema as parents. Ah! By the words of the sages, again that respectful aspect from knowing my greatness has appeared in my parents.
Hearing such (ittham) words from his father, with humility he bowed his head very low (ā -namraḥ) and answered with sweet words because he was most merciful (bhagavān), and specifically the protector of the devotees (sātvatarṣabhaḥ) or the best at protecting the Yadus, having appearing in their family to manifest his unlimited powers. Thus he laughed loudly at the humble words of his father, though his father was most fortunate. Or he smiled with joy because his father’s sweet words.
- When have I felt God's 'sweet voice' answer my honest prayer?
- What recent prayer have I not paused long enough to hear answered?
A teacher who has been the listener now becomes the speaker. Kṛṣṇa lowers His head before His father even as He prepares to instruct him — bowed in praśraya, smiling in mādhurya. The teaching that follows is given from beneath, never from above.
My note
Source: vedabase.io