Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.11
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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anṛtam
—
anything false
Negation of ṛta (cosmic truth). Kṛṣṇa is Para-Brahman, the source of all ṛta; falsehood cannot inhere in His speech (na mayodita-pūrvaṁ vai anṛtam). When He says 'I have never lied,' He is also declaring tattva: untruth is alien to His person.
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viduḥ
—
these young boys know
Perfect of √vid. The sakhās are summoned as witnesses to His character — a Vraja court of honour. Sakhya-rasa is invoked to certify mādhurya-rasa; the rasas reinforce each other in His līlā.
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eka-ekaśaḥ
—
one by one
Reduplicated distributive: each one separately. The intimacy is offered individually — each gopī is given the choice of solo darśana. This foreshadows the rāsa-līlā, where He multiplies Himself to be alone with each at once.
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pratīcchadhvam
—
pick out (your garments)
Imperative of prati-√iṣ. The receiving of vāsas from His hand is the formal acceptance of the relationship; in Vedic marriage the husband presents the cloth to the bride. The līlā is preparing a wedding.
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su-madhyamāḥ
—
O slender-waisted girls
Compound: su (well) + madhyama (middle). A poetic epithet of mādhurya — the gopīs' beauty is part of the līlā's setting, not its motive. Kṛṣṇa names their loveliness as a Vraja-poet would, not as a lover lost in it.
The gopis said, "Because you are a liar, we don’t believe your promise." Krsna then answered, biting his tongue. "I have never told any lies. From birth till now, I have not had any occasion to lie. What is the proof? These young boys are the witnesses. They are reliable as witnesses, because they naturally report whatever they see." The gopis said, "From far off, please throw the clothes to us in the water, or have the young boys bring them here. " Krsna said, "How am I to know which is your clothing and which is someone elses.? How can I give them to you if I don’t know. As I am very religious, I don’t touch others things even with my fingernail. You must come here, and, recognizing your own clothes, take them. I do not take, give or touch others things. That is my rule." The gopis said, "Because you are so impudent, you can disgrace us. Out of this fear, being respectable women, we will not go near you." Krsna said, "One of the young girls among you can come forward. If she is not disgraced and returns to you, then others can come one by one. Or all can come together. Because if you are all together it would be impossible to disgrace you. The head is called the topmost part of the body. It is very beautiful. Please show me your heads. If you can show your heads, then you should not be embarrassed to show me your other beautiful limbs, including your beautiful waists (sumadhyama)."
“We can understand from your laughter that you are lying.” All that I have previously said is not a lie. Or, I have never told a lie before. And my friends here know that, since they are familiar with my behavior thoroughly. “But your friends are also similar to you.” Come forward one by one and take your cloth. If my words prove false for the first ones, then the later girls need not come, seeing my words are a lie. But if the first person does not get permission to come, then it will be difficult for any others to come. Why delay? Understand that I do not have crookedness in my words or mind. Therefore maybe you should all come together. You with your thin waists (su-madhyamāḥ) have been in the cold water a long time. Be merciful and come to the high ground. I desire to see the beauty of your waists. My goal has nothing to do with your clothing. That is the deep meaning of his words.
A father at the top of a fruit tree who has never lied to his children, promising the fruit is real and the climb is safe — and the children hesitate not because they doubt him, but because something larger than the fruit is at stake.
My note
Source: vedabase.io