FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.17

తాం నీయమానాం తత్స్వామీ ద‍ృష్ట్వోవాచ మమేతి తమ్ । మమేతి పరిగ్రాహ్యాహ నృగో మే దత్తవానితి ॥ ౧౭ ॥
tāṁ nīyamānāṁ tat-svāmī
[taam neeyamaanaam tat-svaamee]
dṛṣṭrovāca mameti tam
[drishtrovaacha mameti tam]
mameti parigrāhy āha
[mameti parigraahy aaha]
nṛgo me dattavān iti
[nrigo me dattavaan iti]
Word-for-word
tām — her, the cow nīyamānām — being led away tat — her svāmī — master dṛṣṭvā — seeing uvāca — said mama — mine iti — thus tam — to him mama — mine iti — thus parigrāhī — he who had accepted the gift āha — said nṛgaḥ — King Nṛga me — to me dattavān — gave iti — thus .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tāṁ nīyamānāṁ tat-svāmī
tām
her, the cow
nīyamānām
being led away
tat
her
svāmī
master
dṛṣṭrovāca mameti tam
dṛṣṭvā
seeing
uvāca
said
mama
mine
iti
thus
tam
to him
mameti parigrāhy āha
mama
mine
nṛgo me dattavān iti
iti
thus
parigrāhī
he who had accepted the gift
āha
said
nṛgaḥ
King Nṛga
me
to me
dattavān
gave
iti
thus .
Important Words
  • tat - svāmī — her master
    Svāmī is the dharma-śāstric term for the lawful owner. The first brāhmaṇa's claim is by adhikāra — title from before the gift. His 'mine' has prior force.
  • parigrāhī — the one who accepted
    Pari-√grah (to accept fully). The technical term for the recipient of a dāna. His 'mine' is by sampradāna — title from the king's transfer. Two valid grammatical claims sit on the same cow.
  • nṛgaḥ me dattavān — Nṛga gave her to me
    Crucial phrase: the second brāhmaṇa's title is grounded specifically in Nṛga's act. If the act was invalid (because Nṛga did not own her), the title fails. This is the exact pivot on which the king's fall hinges.
  • mama iti — thus saying 'mine'
    The poet uses mama-iti twice in symmetrical positions, framing the cow between two competing 'mines.' Gauḍīyas read this as a microcosm of saṁsāra: every dispute reduces to two voices both saying mama.
When the cow’s first owner saw her being led away, he said, “She is mine!” The second brāhmaṇa, who had accepted her as a gift, replied, “No, she’s mine! Nṛga gave her to me.”
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the cow's first owner saw her being led away, he said, "She is mine!" The second brāhmaṇa, who had accepted her as a gift, replied, "No, she's mine! Nṛga gave her to me."
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The last iti means “because.”

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He spoke to the brāhmaṇa (tam) taking the cow. “That was given to me. How can it be yours?” Nṛga gave it. That was the cause of the problem.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Analogy

Two brāhmaṇas standing over a single cow — one saying 'mine by birth,' the other 'mine by gift' — is the precise miniature of every dharma-conflict: two valid claims, both rooted in śāstra, with no neat way to satisfy both. Bhagavān lets the king feel the impossibility.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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