FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.81.14

స చాలబ్ధ్వా ధనం కృష్ణాన్న తు యాచితవాన్స్వయమ్ । స్వగృహాన్ వ్రీడితోఽగచ్ఛన్మహద్దర్శననిర్వృత: ॥ ౧౪ ॥
sa cālabdhvā dhanaṁ kṛṣṇān
[sa chaalabdhvaa dhanam krishnaan]
na tu yācitavān svayam
[na tu yaachitavaan svayam]
sva-gṛhān vrīḍito ’gacchan
[sva-grihaan vreedito ’gachchan]
mahad-darśana-nirvṛtaḥ
[mahad-darshana-nirvritah]
saḥ — he ca — and alabdhvā — not having obtained dhanam — wealth kṛṣṇāt — from Lord Kṛṣṇa na — not tu — however yācitavān — did beg svayam — on his own initiative sva — to his gṛhān — home vrīḍitaḥ — embarrassed agacchat — he went mahat — of the Supreme Lord darśana — by the audience nirvṛtaḥ — made joyful .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa cālabdhvā dhanaṁ kṛṣṇān
saḥ
he
ca
and
alabdhvā
not having obtained
dhanam
wealth
kṛṣṇāt
from Lord Kṛṣṇa
na tu yācitavān svayam
na
not
tu
however
yācitavān
did beg
svayam
on his own initiative
sva-gṛhān vrīḍito ’gacchan
sva
to his
gṛhān
home
vrīḍitaḥ
embarrassed
agacchat
he went
mahad-darśana-nirvṛtaḥ
mahat
of the Supreme Lord
darśana
by the audience
nirvṛtaḥ
made joyful .
  • alabdhvā dhanam — not having obtained wealth
    Gerund of √labh with negation + dhanam (wealth). The verse's plain factual statement: he received nothing. The chapter's reversal in the next scene will make this absence the most dense container of presence.
  • na — did not beg
    Past active participle of √yāc (to ask) with negation. He did not even ask. Sudāmā's restraint is doctrinally weighty — Bhagavān gives only to those who do not ask, says verse 37 ahead.
  • vrīḍitaḥ — embarrassed
    Same word as verse 5, returning. The lajjā that prevented his offering also prevented his asking. Both are bhāva-driven paralyses; both Kṛṣṇa already knew how to resolve.
  • mahat-darśana — the audience of the Supreme Lord
    Compound: mahat (the great one) + darśana (sight, audience). Gauḍīya: sādhu-darśana and bhagavat-darśana are the principal accelerants of bhakti. Sudāmā has had bhagavat-darśana itself; nothing else need follow for him to be nirvṛta.
  • nirvṛtaḥ — made joyful, fulfilled
    Past participle of nir + √vṛt (to be free from, to be at peace). The word also names liberation-adjacent peace (nirvṛti). The brāhmaṇa's empty hands and full heart together name the bhakta's natural state.
Although he had apparently received no wealth from Lord Kṛṣṇa, Sudāmā was too shy to beg for it on his own. He simply returned home, feeling perfectly satisfied to have had the Supreme Lord’s audience.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Although he had apparently received no wealth from Lord Kṛṣṇa, Sudāmā was too shy to beg for it on his own. He simply returned home, feeling perfectly satisfied to have had the Supreme Lord's audience.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Though he had not received anything from his friend he returned home. He had not asked for anything because he was shy. He was blissful because of seeing the Lord.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He did not obtain wealth from his friend. Kṛṣṇa did not give by his desire (svayam) or Śrīdāmā did not personally (svayam) ask, because he was a friend. It was not proper to ask the Lord for wealth. He was ashamed, but, blissful on seeing the Lord, he went home. Or because he was ashamed he did not ask. Without attaining wealth he returned home, because he was blissful on seeing the Lord. Or though blissful, he went home in shame, since he went to the Lord to get some wealth and came back without it.

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Hrih (Modesty / Sense of Shame)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related verses

A son who has come home to his father and forgotten to ask for the inheritance he came for — only the father's embrace is in his memory as he leaves. Sudāmā walks home empty-handed and joy-filled; mahat-darśana is the inheritance.

Dhruva ashamed of having asked

Dhruva Mahārāja, after seeing Viṣṇu, was ashamed that he had asked for a kingdom rather than for the Lord Himself (SB 4.9). Sudāmā's vrīḍā here is the same bhāva: in front of Bhagavān, asking for anything other than Bhagavān becomes unspeakable. The brāhmaṇa walks away nirvṛtaḥ — fulfilled by the audience, satisfied beyond what asking could have produced.

📝 My note

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