payaḥ—of milkphena—the foamnibhāḥ—resemblingśayyāḥ—bedsdāntāḥ—made of elephant tusksrukma—goldenparicchadāḥ—whose ornamentationparyaṅkāḥ—coucheshema—of golddaṇḍāni—whose legscāmara - vyajanāni—yak-tail fansca—andāsanāni—chairsca—andhaimāni—goldenmṛdu—softupastaraṇāni—cushionsca—andmuktā - dāma—with strings of pearlsvilambīni—hangingvitānāni—canopiesdyumanti—gleamingca—andsvaccha—clearsphaṭika—of crystal glasskuḍyeṣu—upon the wallsmahā - mārakateṣu—with precious emeraldsca—alsoratna—jeweleddīpān—lampsbhrājamānān—shininglalanāḥ—womenratna—with jewelssaṁyutāḥ—decoratedvilokya—seeingbrāhmaṇaḥ—the brāhmaṇatatra—theresamṛddhīḥ—the flourishingsarva—allsampadām—of opulencestarkayām āsa—he conjecturednirvyagraḥ—free from agitationsva—his ownsamṛddhim—about the prosperityahaitukīm—unexpected .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
payaḥ-phena-nibhāḥ śayyā
payaḥ
of milk
phena
the foam
nibhāḥ
resembling
śayyāḥ
beds
dāntā rukma-paricchadāḥ
dāntāḥ
made of elephant tusks
rukma
golden
paricchadāḥ
whose ornamentation
paryaṅkā hema-daṇḍāni
paryaṅkāḥ
couches
hema
of gold
daṇḍāni
whose legs
cāmara-vyajanāni ca
cāmara - vyajanāni
yak-tail fans
ca
and
āsanāni ca haimāni
āsanāni
chairs
ca
and
haimāni
golden
mṛdūpastaraṇāni ca
mṛdu
soft
upastaraṇāni
cushions
ca
and
muktādāma-vilambīni
muktā - dāma
with strings of pearls
vilambīni
hanging
vitānāni dyumanti ca
vitānāni
canopies
dyumanti
gleaming
ca
and
svaccha-sphaṭika-kuḍyeṣu
svaccha
clear
sphaṭika
of crystal glass
kuḍyeṣu
upon the walls
mahā-mārakateṣu ca
mahā - mārakateṣu
with precious emeralds
ca
also
ratna-dīpān bhrājamānān
ratna
jeweled
dīpān
lamps
bhrājamānān
shining
lalanā ratna-saṁyutāḥ
lalanāḥ
women
ratna
with jewels
saṁyutāḥ
decorated
vilokya brāhmaṇas tatra
vilokya
seeing
brāhmaṇaḥ
the brāhmaṇa
tatra
there
samṛddhīḥ sarva-sampadām
samṛddhīḥ
the flourishing
sarva
all
sampadām
of opulences
tarkayām āsa nirvyagraḥ
tarkayām āsa
he conjectured
nirvyagraḥ
free from agitation
sva-samṛddhim ahaitukīm
sva
his own
samṛddhim
about the prosperity
ahaitukīm
unexpected .
Important Words
nirvyagraḥ—free from agitation
nir (without) + vyagra (agitated). The decisive word in the four-verse block. The wealth has not disturbed him. Gauḍīya: this is the test Kṛṣṇa was running with His withholding in verse 20 — would the bhakta hold steady when wealth arrived? Sudāmā passes.
ahaitukīm—the prosperity without (apparent) cause
Compound: a (not) + hetuka (caused) + samṛddhi (prosperity). Wealth without a karmic cause — Sudāmā cannot point to any work of his that produced it. He correctly infers in verse 33 that it is causeless from his side and entirely caused from Kṛṣṇa's. Gauḍīya: bhakta-bhagavat exchange is precisely ahaitukī.
payaḥ-phena-nibhāḥ—resembling the foam of milk
Compound: payas (milk) + phena (foam) + nibha (resembling). The bedding is so white and soft that it is compared to milk-foam — a poet's flourish but also a Vraja-coded image (milk being the Vraja substance par excellence).
muktā-dāma-vilambīni vitānāni—canopies hanging with strings of pearls
muktā (pearl) + dāma (string) + vilambin (hanging) + vitāna (canopy). The poet's inventory is dense with the ornaments standard in Vaikuṇṭha descriptions. Sudāmā's home now reads visually like Vaikuṇṭha — Bhagavān has imported the architecture of His own abode.
tarkayām āsa—he conjectured / reasoned
Periphrastic perfect of √tark (to reason, infer). The bhakta does not merely receive the wealth; he reasons about its source. The next four verses are the full inference. Gauḍīya: bhakti is not the abandonment of buddhi but its right ordering.
In Sudāmā’s home were beds as soft and white as the foam of milk, with bedsteads made of ivory and ornamented with gold. There were also couches with golden legs, as well as royal cāmara fans, golden thrones, soft cushions and gleaming canopies hung with strings of pearls. Upon the walls of sparkling crystal glass, inlaid with precious emeralds, shone jeweled lamps, and the women in the palace were all adorned with precious gems. As he viewed this luxurious opulence of all varieties, the brāhmaṇa calmly reasoned to himself about his unexpected prosperity.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
In Sudāmā's home were beds as soft and white as the foam of milk, with bedsteads made of ivory and ornamented with gold. There were also couches with golden legs, as well as royal cāmara fans, golden thrones, soft cushions and gleaming canopies hung with strings of pearls. Upon the walls of sparkling crystal glass, inlaid with precious emeralds, shone jeweled lamps, and the women in the palace were all adorned with precious gems. As he viewed this luxurious opulence of all varieties, the brāhmaṇa calmly reasoned to himself about his unexpected prosperity.
Commentary
He began to think about the sudden (ahaitukim) increase in fortune.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Four verses describe the house. There were cāmaras and fans made of palm leaves. The walls of the recreational rooms were made of clear crystal and rooms were filled with many (mahā) emeralds. Or there were many gems serving as lamps in houses made of huge emeralds.
There were women decorated with jeweled ornaments, holding jewel lamps. Seeing the increase of wealth in his house (tatra), seeing that he now possessed more wealth than the palace of Indra, he thought, “How has the wealth appeared? Where has this come from?”
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The beds were soft and white like foam. The furniture was made of gold. There were cāmaras used as fans or there were cāmaras and fans made of tāla leaves. The seats were made of gold and gems (ca). The walls were made of clear crystal. There were huge emeralds in the play rooms. Or the jewel lamps shone in rooms made of huge emeralds. Seeing the increase of wealth in his house (tatra), seeing that he now possessed more wealth than the palace of Indra, he thought, “How has the wealth appeared? Where has this come from?”
His Holiness Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami· 2008-02-22· English
Personal Guidance
Analogy
The poet inventories the household — milk-foam beds, ivory bedsteads, golden couches, cāmaras, thrones, cushions, pearl-strung canopies, emerald-inlaid walls, jeweled lamps, gem-decked women — and at the inventory's end notes one detail more precious than all of it: nirvyagraḥ, the brāhmaṇa stayed undisturbed. The wealth has not even ruffled him. This is the verse's deepest gift.
Stories
Bhīṣma on the bed of arrows undisturbed
On the bed of arrows in Mahābhārata, Bhīṣma in his agony remained nirvyagra — fixed on Kṛṣṇa, untouched by his condition (SB 1.9). The Bhāgavatam draws an implicit parallel: the bhakta is recognizable by what does not move him, whether the bed is iron arrows or ivory and gold. Sudāmā is nirvyagra in front of palace-wealth; Bhīṣma is nirvyagra in front of death; the bhāva is one.