They were herding the cows in grove of aśoka trees. This will be mentioned later. This infers that the trees were without fruits (aśoka trees have no fruit). According to their will (kāmam), they herded the cows. The boys’ hunger actually means the boys were afflicted by thinking that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were hungry. Saying that they were hungry is an arrangement of prema. They later say to the brāhmaṇas, “Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are hungry.” (SB 10.23.7) Unlike other days, they did not bring yogurt and rice with them. This was arranged on some pretext by the Lord for giving mercy to the brāhmaṇas’ wives. The trees were praised to show the excellence of the brāhmaṇas’ wives and the brāhmaṇas’ degradation. The boys came close (upāgamya) to Kṛṣṇa out of great seriousness of the topic to be discussed. This chapter ends abruptly because Śukadeva became momentarily stunned on remembering details of the present pastime. The same explanation can be given for other places where this occurs. O king! Śukadeva calls to Parīkṣit to hear attentively the pastimes being related.

They were herding the cows in grove of aśoka trees. This will be mentioned later. This infers that the trees were without fruits (aśoka trees have no fruit). According to the cows’ will (kāmam), they herded the cows. Wandering, they developed hunger because of drinking the water and having no fruits in the trees in that forest. With a desire to eat they were suffering. Though it was not possible for them to suffer from hunger in the presence of the Lord, this happened by the will of the Lord to give mercy to the wives of the brāhmaṇas by begging food from them. The boys’ hunger actually means the boys were afflicted by thinking that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were hungry. They came close (upāgamya) and spoke, since speaking about this from a distance would be embarrassing for them. This chapter ends abruptly in the middle of the story, because Śukadeva became momentarily stunned on remembering details of the present pastime. Or he remained silent for a few moments, in order to give understanding that this topic was confidential. This applies to other stories also. O king! Śukadeva calls to Parīkṣit to hear attentively the pastimes being related. Or the cause of repeatedly calling Parīkṣit was explained previously. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A . C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Twenty-second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs." 10.23: The Brāhmaṇas' Wives Blessed verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10-11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43-44, 45, 46, 47, 48-49, 50, 51, 52 Chapter Summary This chapter describes how Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, after inducing the cowherd boys to beg for food, showed mercy to the wives of some brāhmaṇas performing a sacrifice and made the brāhmaṇas themselves feel remorse. When the cowherd boys became very hungry, they asked Śrī Kṛṣṇa about obtaining food, and He sent them to beg some from a group of brāhmaṇas who were performing a sacrifice nearby. But these brāhmaṇas ignored the boys, thinking Śrī Kṛṣṇa an ordinary human being. The boys returned disappointed, but the Lord sent them off again, advising them to ask the brāhmaṇas' wives for the food. These ladies had heard of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental qualities and were very much attached to Him. Thus as soon as they learned He was nearby, they went to Him in great haste, bringing all four varieties of food. In this way they offered themselves to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa told the women that while one can develop transcendental love for Him by seeing His Deity form in the temple, meditating upon Him and chanting His glories, one cannot achieve this result simply by being in His physical presence. He advised them that since they were housewives, their particular duty was to help their husbands perform sacrifices. He therefore instructed them to return to their homes. When the ladies went back home, their brāhmaṇa husbands at once felt remorse, and they lamented, "For anyone inimical to Kṛṣṇa, his three births-seminal, brahminical and sacrificial-are all condemned. On the other hand, these womenfolk, who have not undergone the purificatory processes of the brahminical class or performed any austerity or pious rituals, have through devotion for Kṛṣṇa easily cut off the bondage of death. "Since Lord Kṛṣṇa's every desire is completely fulfilled, His begging for food was simply an act of mercy toward us brāhmaṇas. All the fruits of Vedic sacrifice-and indeed all things on earth-are His opulences, yet out of ignorance we could not appreciate this fact." Having spoken thus, all the brāhmaṇas offered their obeisances to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, hoping to counteract their offense. Nonetheless, out of fear of King Kaṁsa they did not go to see the Lord in person.