FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.90.12

नटानां नर्तकीनां च गीतवाद्योपजीविनाम् । क्रीडालङ्कारवासांसि कृष्णोऽदात्तस्य च स्‍त्रिय: ॥ १२ ॥
naṭānāṁ nartakīnāṁ ca
[nataanaam nartakeenaam cha]
gīta-vādyopajīvinām
[geeta-vaadyopajeevinaam]
krīḍālaṅkāra-vāsāṁsi
[kreedaalankaara-vaasaamsi]
kṛṣṇo ’dāt tasya ca striyaḥ
[krishno ’daat tasya cha striyah]
Word-for-word
naṭānām — to the male performers nartakīnām — the female performers ca — and gīta — by singing vādya — and playing musical instruments upajīvinām — who earned their livelihoods krīḍā — from His sports alaṅkāra — the ornaments vāsāṁsi — and garments kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa adāt — gave tasya — His ca — and striyaḥ — wives .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
naṭānāṁ nartakīnāṁ ca
naṭānām
to the male performers
nartakīnām
the female performers
ca
and
gīta-vādyopajīvinām
gīta
by singing
vādya
and playing musical instruments
upajīvinām
who earned their livelihoods
krīḍālaṅkāra-vāsāṁsi
krīḍā
from His sports
alaṅkāra
the ornaments
vāsāṁsi
and garments
kṛṣṇo ’dāt tasya ca striyaḥ
kṛṣṇaḥ
Lord Kṛṣṇa
adāt
gave
tasya
His
ca
and
striyaḥ
wives .
Important Words
  • adāt — He gave
    Aorist of √dā. The opposite verb to grāha (seizing). The Vaiṣṇava life is one of dāna — what Bhagavān places in our hands is for onward gift, not for accumulation. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa makes this a regulative principle.
  • krīḍā-alaṅkāra-vāsāṁsi — the ornaments and clothing of His sport
    Compound: krīḍā (play) + alaṅkāra (ornament) + vāsāṁsi (clothing). Items intimately worn by Bhagavān become mahā-prasāda. Gauḍīyas treasure His mālā, His remnants, His worn cloth — they carry His touch.
  • naṭānām — of the actors
    Genitive plural of naṭa — performer, dramatic actor. Note Bhāgavatam's affirmation of the artist-class as worthy recipients of the Lord's grace — not despised, as in some ascetic traditions, but rewarded directly.
  • gīta — singing
    Past participle of √gai. Those who live by song are honored. Saṅkīrtana is the Gauḍīya yuga-dharma; here Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā already foreshadows it by enriching the singers.
Afterward, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His wives would give the ornaments and clothing they had worn during their water sports to the male and female performers, who earned their livelihood from singing and from playing instrumental music.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Afterward, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His wives would give the ornaments and clothing they had worn during their water sports to the male and female performers, who earned their livelihood from singing and from playing instrumental music.
Commentary

Krsna and his queens gave the ornaments and clothing used during the water sports to the musical performers (natanam). Genitive case is used for the dative case.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kṛṣṇa and his wives pleased the dancers and other performers. The possessive case (naṭānāṁ) stands for the dative (gave to the dancers).

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Kṛṣṇa and his wives rewarded the dancers and other performers who earned their living by singing or playing instruments. The possessive case (naṭānāṁ) stands for the dative (gave to the dancers). With great generosity Kṛṣṇa and his wives gave the clothing and ornaments worn during their playing.

The possessive case (naṭānāṁ) stands for the dative (gave to the dancers).

Related values & verses
Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)
Related verses
BG 17.20 BG 5.7 BG 12.5 BG 5.4 BG 3.27 BG 10.4 BG 3.11 BG 18.1 BG 7.8 BG 13.1 BG 12.6
Personal Guidance
After the play, Kṛṣṇa and His wives give their ornaments to entertainers. Joy completes itself by overflowing into gifts; private pleasure becomes public benefit.
Reflection Questions
  • After my own moments of joy, do I overflow outward or hoard the feeling?
  • Where could my happiness become someone else's tangible blessing?
Analogy

When the game ends, Kṛṣṇa and His queens unfasten the ornaments they wore and hand them to the singers and dancers who served the play. The Lord's līlā always overflows downward: those who frame the song receive the jewels.

Stories
Rantideva feeding the guest with his last food

King Rantideva (SB 9.21) had fasted forty-eight days, and when at last he received a little food, he gave it away to a brāhmaṇa, an outcaste, and a dog — each appearing in turn. Bhagavān then revealed Himself and granted him bhakti.

Like Kṛṣṇa giving away the very ornaments He had just worn, the Vaiṣṇava ideal is unselfconscious onward-flow: what the Lord touches is not hoarded; it is at once redistributed to those who served the līlā.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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