Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.86.16
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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bahulāśvaḥ
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Bahulāśva
Compound: bahula (many) + aśva (horse). 'He of many horses' — a kṣatriya epithet recalling Aśvamedha lineage. Gauḍīyas note that even the name advertises aiśvarya; yet the man is niraham-māna — egoless. The contrast prepares v. 26's lesson.
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maithilaḥ
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of the dynasty of King Mithila
From Mithila — the founder-king of Videha. Janaka-vaṁśa. The dynastic name carries the memory of jñāna-rāja-ṛṣis; Bahulāśva is its bhakti-flowering.
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niraham-mānaḥ
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free from false ego
Compound: nir (without) + aham-māna (the conceit 'I am the doer'). Bhagavad-gītā's nir-ahaṅkāraḥ. Gauḍīyas treat this as the precondition for Vaiṣṇava-rāja-dharma — a king without ahaṅkāra is the only safe king.
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acyuta-priyau
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dear to Lord Acyuta
Compound dual: acyuta (the one who never falls) + priyau (dear, dual). Two devotees, equally beloved. Acyuta is the name that signals Bhagavān's unfailing affection — the devotee who is acyuta-priya is, by reciprocity, acyuta-rakṣita (eternally protected).
There was also a king coming in the line of Janaka of Mithila, or the king of Mithila, called Bahulasva, who did not identify himself falsely as a king (nirahammanah).
The protector of that province, the king, was similar to the brāhmaṇa in devotion. Thus he did not think himself a devotee (niraham-mānaḥ). Without distinction they were both dear to the Lord, who never deviates from his qualities such as being merciful to his devotees.
The protector of that province, the king, was similar to the brāhmaṇa in devotion. Thus he did not think himself a king (niraham-mānaḥ). Or though his duty was to protect the citizens, he did not think of himself as a king, being without pride. O king (aṅga)! Śukadeva exclaims in joy. Both were completely dear to Kṛṣṇa, full of all powers. Or the two had devotion for the Lord who never leaves one’s heart (acyuta). He was of this nature because of their qualities. Thinking themselves unqualified to see the Lord, because of great humility from bhakti, they did not go to Dvārakā.
- Who in my circle could I quietly inspire by my own steadiness?
- Where do I underestimate the influence of one consistent example?
Two devotees in one kingdom — one wearing a crown, one wearing his only cloth. The Bhāgavata names them in the same breath, ubhau acyuta-priyau, 'both dear to Acyuta.' Outer station vanishes; inner bhāva alone counts the score.
Bahulāśva is named maithilaḥ — of King Mithila's dynasty, descending from Janaka. The same line whose first ancestor showed the world that a king could be liberated. The Bhāgavata is careful: bhakti-rāj-pātra is not a contradiction.
Gauḍīyas pair this with Prahlāda (a king's son) and Ambarīṣa (a king) — Bhāgavata-tradition consistently demonstrates that royal power, when held by a Vaiṣṇava, becomes a tool of dharma. The chapter will show in v. 26 that Kṛṣṇa makes no preference between the king's palace and the brāhmaṇa's hut.
My note
Source: vedabase.io