FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.38

భుఞ్జతే కురుభిర్దత్తం భూఖణ్డం వృష్ణయ: కిల । ఉపానహ: కిల వయం స్వయం తు కురవ: శిర: ॥ ౩౮ ॥
bhuñjate kurubhir dattaṁ
[bhunjate kurubhir dattam]
bhū-khaṇḍaṁ vṛṣṇayaḥ kila
[bhoo-khandam vrishnayah kila]
upānahaḥ kila vayaṁ
[upaanahah kila vayam]
svayaṁ tu kuravaḥ śiraḥ
[svayam tu kuravah shirah]
Word-for-word
bhuñjate — they enjoy kurubhiḥ — by the Kurus dattam — granted bhū — of land khaṇḍam — a limited parcel vṛṣṇayaḥ — the Vṛṣṇis kila — indeed upānahaḥ — shoes kila — indeed vayam — we svayam — themselves tu — however kuravaḥ — the Kurus śiraḥ — the head .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhuñjate kurubhir dattaṁ
bhuñjate
they enjoy
kurubhiḥ
by the Kurus
dattam
granted
bhū-khaṇḍaṁ vṛṣṇayaḥ kila
bhū
of land
khaṇḍam
a limited parcel
vṛṣṇayaḥ
the Vṛṣṇis
kila
indeed
upānahaḥ kila vayaṁ
upānahaḥ
shoes
kila
indeed
vayam
we
svayaṁ tu kuravaḥ śiraḥ
svayam
themselves
tu
however
kuravaḥ
the Kurus
śiraḥ
the head .
Important Words
  • bhū - khaṇḍam — a parcel of land
    Khaṇḍa = a fragment, a piece. The Kurus measure favor in parcels; Balarāma is about to measure cities in furrows of a plough.
  • upānahaḥ — shoes
    The Kurus' word from verse 24, returned now in Balarāma's own mouth. Rhetorical mirror — the speaker is allowed the metaphor only because He intends to invert it.
  • śiraḥ — the head
    The Kurus called themselves the head. By verse 41 the city housing those heads will tilt toward the river. The metaphor will not be argued, only answered.
“We Vṛṣṇis enjoy only whatever small parcel of land the Kurus allow us? And we are indeed shoes, whereas the Kurus are the head?
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
"We Vṛṣṇis enjoy only whatever small parcel of land the Kurus allow us? And we are indeed shoes, whereas the Kurus are the head?
Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

“The criticism was directed to the Yādavas, not to the Lord.” He laughs. Do we enjoy only a small piece of land given by them? Because we are Yādavas, they also criticize us. Even angrier he says “Are we the shoes?” Their criticisms are successively more severe. Thus his anger is more intense. Or his words follow as replies to their statements.

Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Analogy

The Kurus called the Yadus 'shoes'; Balarāma now holds up that very metaphor and turns it slowly in His hand. The shoe, He suggests, has more dignity than the head wearing the crown of pride.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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