Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.5.15-16
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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mahā-manāḥ
—
great-minded
Recurs from verse 1 — the chapter brackets Nanda's charity with this epithet. Mahā-manas is a settled disposition, not a momentary mood. The grammar reminds us: Nanda's generosity in verse 16 is the same heart that performed jāta-karma in verse 2.
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go-dhanam
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wealth of cows
Go + dhana. The compound itself reveals Vraja's economic theology: wealth is not gold; wealth is cows. The Gauḍīya emphasis on go-rakṣaṇa (cow protection) draws from such verses for its scriptural ground.
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adīna-ātmā
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whose self is undepressed, magnanimous
A + dīna + ātmā: 'not poor in spirit.' Even as Nanda gives lavishly, his ātmā does not contract — the verse insists that real generosity is impossible from a poor-spirited heart. Aparigraha and adīnatā are paired virtues.
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viṣṇoḥ ārādhana-arthāya
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for the purpose of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu
The clinching phrase. All of Nanda's charity is named here as Viṣṇu-ārādhana — Gauḍīya doctrine: every act in a devotee's life is finally directed to Bhagavān's pleasure. Nanda does not give to relieve poverty alone; he gives to please Viṣṇu through serving His creatures.
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sva-putrasya-udayāya
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for the improvement of his own son
Udaya: 'rising, flourishing.' The dāna is also for Kṛṣṇa's wellbeing. The double motive (Viṣṇu's worship + son's flourishing) reveals the Gauḍīya truth that Bhagavān and the devotee's beloved are not different — serving Kṛṣṇa as Viṣṇu and as Yaśodā's son is one act.
Although it has become fashionable to speak of daridra-nārāyaṇa, the words viṣṇor ārādhanārthāya do not mean that all the people satisfied by Nanda Mahārāja in this great ceremony were Viṣṇus. They were not daridra, nor were they Nārāyaṇa. Rather, they were devotees of Nārāyaṇa, and by their educational qualifications they would satisfy Nārāyaṇa. Therefore, satisfying them was an indirect way of satisfying Lord Viṣṇu. Mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā ( Bhāg. 11.19.21). The Lord says, “Worshiping My devotees is better than worshiping Me directly.” The varṇāśrama system is entirely meant for viṣṇu-ārādhana, worship of Lord Viṣṇu. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān/ viṣṇur ārādhyate ( Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9). The ultimate goal of life is to please Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. The uncivilized man or materialistic person, however, does not know this aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum ( Bhāg. 7.5.31 ). One’s real self-interest lies in satisfying Lord Viṣṇu. Not satisfying Lord Viṣṇu but instead attempting to become happy through material adjustments ( bahir-artha-māninaḥ ) is the wrong way for happiness. Because Viṣṇu is the root of everything, if Viṣṇu is pleased, everyone is pleased; in particular, one’s children and family members become happy in all respects. Nanda Mahārāja wanted to see his newborn child happy. That was his purpose. Therefore he wanted to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu, and to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu it was necessary to satisfy His devotees, such as the learned brāhmaṇas, māgadhas and sūtas. Thus, in a roundabout way, ultimately it was Lord Viṣṇu who was to be satisfied.
Mahamanah means very generous. Nanda Maharaja, who was very generous gave to all who came. Vidyopajivah refers to those who made a living by dancing, singing and play instruments, weapons and scripture etc. Tais tais kamaih means whatever was desired or asked. He gave suitably according to the level of their reputation and knowledge. The purpose of the charity was to worship Visnu in order to please Visnu, and for the auspiciousness of his son. "May Visnu be pleased by this charity, and by his pleasure, my son will be blessed."
He gave (verb understood) cloth and other items such as gold to the cowherd men and women, to the bards, and to singers and musicians as appropriate. He worshipped them appropriately. He was naturally generous but now became most devoted (mahāmanāḥ). As previously mentioned, because of his devotion to Kṛṣṇa, his qualities of generosity and wisdom increased immeasurably. He was not satisfied with giving, but whatever they desired he gave. He worshipped them according to caste, age and knowledge. He respected them with garlands, sandalwood, betel nut, and invitations. The purpose of giving is mentioned. It was for satisfying Viṣṇu not for going to Svarga, since he was the highest Vaiṣṇava and had reached the end of desiring any object. He gave for the welfare of his son. May Viṣṇu be pleased with this charity! May my son be prosperous by his mercy! By worshipping Viṣṇu, by that prosperity, there would be manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities and pastimes in his house. Mahāmanāḥ can also mean that his meditation became great because of developing attraction to Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva has established the conclusion by the meaning of this verse, for the word ca means api to indicate Nanda’s rare position of getting Kṛṣṇa as his son. This established in later verses: nandaḥ kim akarod brahman śreya evaṁ mahodayam yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā papau yasyāḥ stanaṁ hariḥ O learned brāhmaṇa, mother Yaśodā’s breast milk was sucked by the Supreme Lord. What past auspicious activities did she and Nanda Mahārāja perform to achieve such perfection in ecstatic love? SB 10.8.46 nemaṁ viriṣco na bhavo na śrīr apy aṅga-saṁśrayā prasādaṁ lebhire gopī yat tat prāpa vimuktidāt Neither Lord Brahmā, nor Lord Śiva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Lord, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as received by mother Yaśodā. SB 10.9.20 yuvāṁ ślāghyatamau nūnaṁ dehinām iha māna-da nārāyaṇe ’khila-gurau yat kṛtā matir īdṛśī O respectful Nanda, certainly you and mother Yaśodā are the most praiseworthy persons in the entire world, since you have developed such a loving attitude toward Nārāyaṇa, the spiritual master of all living beings. SB 10.46.30
He gave (verb understood) cloth and other items such as gold to the cowherd men and women, to the bards, and to singers and musicians who made their living by their skills, as appropriate. He worshipped them appropriately. He was naturally generous but now became most devoted (mahāmanāḥ), knowing what they desired most or what was known as most excellent (tais taiḥ kāmaiḥ). Or he gave not only to those who made a living by their skills but also to the most unfortunate (anye). He gave not only gifts but respected everyone (ca). He worshipped all the brāhmaṇas and others. According to their birth and knowledge he satisfied their desires because he was generous. Or he worshipped them with desires which bring the Lord under control. That cannot be understood even by ātmārāmas, in order to satisfy the Lord. The plural “desires” is used to indicate respect or many desires. He worshipped for auspiciousness in this life and the next at the birth of his son, out of great affection, in order to satisfy Viṣṇu, since he was the best of devotees. Or he worshipped at the birth of his son for the highest goal (artha)--worshipping Viṣṇu. Actually the result of worshipping Viṣṇu was the birth of his son.
- Identify one devotee or learned servant of Kṛṣṇa in your life and honor them today with a concrete gift, service, or word of appreciation — mad-bhakta-pūjā is higher than direct worship.
- Refuse the daridra-nārāyaṇa confusion: when you give in charity, give to those whose qualification actually serves Viṣṇu, not merely to soothe your own sentiment about poverty.
- Before acting for your child's, spouse's, or family's welfare today, first do one act explicitly aimed at satisfying Kṛṣṇa — and trust that their udaya follows from His ārādhana.
A king's victory feast is incomplete until every guest has received something. Nanda Mahārāja does not simply celebrate Kṛṣṇa's birth privately — he turns the celebration outward, becoming the channel through which Bhagavān's pleasure (viṣṇoḥ ārādhana) reaches every layer of society at his door.
After the Rājasūya yajña (Bhāgavatam 10.74–75; Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva), King Yudhiṣṭhira distributed wealth, cloth, ornaments, and food to brāhmaṇas, sūtas, māgadhas, vandīs, and 'all the rest' — the verse-language is almost identical to SB 10.5.15–16.
The Gauḍīya reading: the model Vaiṣṇava king performs charity not in a hierarchy that excludes anyone, but across the whole society, viṣṇoḥ ārādhana-arthāya — for the pleasure of Viṣṇu. Yudhiṣṭhira and Nanda both show that personal celebration finds completion only in universal sharing.
My note
Source: vedabase.io