• ādiṣṭaḥ — instructed
  Past participle of ā-√diś. Vṛka acts on Nārada's instruction, but without Nārada's wisdom. Gauḍīyas note: hearing the teacher's words is not the same as inheriting the teacher's heart.
• upādhāvat — he worshiped (literally: ran toward)
  Same upa-√dhāv as v.4 and v.15. The third sounding of the verb — now it is Vṛka running at Śiva, full-tilt, with self-mutilation in hand. The chapter has been preparing this scene since verse 4.
• kedāre — at Kedāranātha
  Specific tīrtha in the Himālayas, classical Śiva-kṣetra. Gauḍīyas honor the holy place even while critiquing the worshiper's mood — the place is real, the worshiper's intent is the variable.
• ātma-kravyeṇa — with his own flesh
  Contiguous (ātma + kravyeṇa). Kravya = raw flesh, especially carrion. The Bhāgavatam's word-choice marks the offering as asuric, not tāpasa. Self-immolation in the wrong mood is not austerity; it is asura-grade despair.
• agni-mukham — the fire-mouthed (Śiva)
  Contiguous (agni + mukham). Śiva accepts what is offered into the fire — the convention is real. The chapter does not deny the mechanics; it questions the mood. Same hand, different hearts.

• What dramatic spiritual gesture have I made that was actually self-serving?
• Where could simpler devotion replace performative austerity?

A merchant who has heard that a king accepts any gift now hauls his own meat to the gate, expecting royal welcome by sheer extremity. Vṛka feeds the sacred fire — Śiva's mouth — with his own flesh, mistaking gruesomeness for devotion. Bhakti is not measured in pounds of flesh.