FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.81.8

ఇత్థం విచిన్త్య వసనాచ్చీరబద్ధాన్ద్విజన్మన: । స్వయం జహార కిమిదమితి పృథుకతణ్డులాన్ ॥ ౮ ॥
itthaṁ vicintya vasanāc
[ittham vichintya vasanaach]
cīra-baddhān dvi-janmanaḥ
[cheera-baddhaan dvi-janmanah]
svayaṁ jahāra kim idam
[svayam jahaara kim idam]
iti pṛthuka-taṇḍulān
[iti prithuka-tandulaan]
ittham — in this manner vicintya — thinking vasanāt — from the garment cīra — in a strip of cloth baddhān — tied up dvi - janmanaḥ — of the twice-born brāhmaṇa svayam — Himself jahāra — He took hold of kim — what idam — this iti — so saying pṛthuka - taṇḍulān — the grains of flat rice .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
itthaṁ vicintya vasanāc
ittham
in this manner
vicintya
thinking
vasanāt
from the garment
cīra-baddhān dvi-janmanaḥ
cīra
in a strip of cloth
baddhān
tied up
dvi - janmanaḥ
of the twice-born brāhmaṇa
svayaṁ jahāra kim idam
svayam
Himself
jahāra
He took hold of
kim
what
idam
this
iti pṛthuka-taṇḍulān
iti
so saying
pṛthuka - taṇḍulān
the grains of flat rice .
  • jahāra — He took hold of, snatched
    Perfect of √hṛ (to take, seize). A startlingly informal verb for Bhagavān's action toward a brāhmaṇa's offering. The poet chooses it to mark sakhya-rasa: Kṛṣṇa as friend overrides Kṛṣṇa as recipient of formal pūjā.
  • cīra-baddhān — tied up in a strip of cloth
    Compound: cīra (a torn rag) + baddhān (tied). The poet records the poverty in one word — Sudāmā's only wrapping for his offering is a tatter. Gauḍīyas note: Kṛṣṇa reaches into the cīra because that is where the prema is.
  • vasanāt — from the garment
    Ablative of vasana (cloth, garment). The bundle was tucked into the fold of Sudāmā's own clothing — hidden, not offered. Kṛṣṇa takes it out of hiding, not out of an offering plate; this is the love-grammar of the verse.
  • dvi-janmanaḥ — of the twice-born
    Compound: dvi (twice) + janman (birth). The technical term for brāhmaṇa — sacred-thread initiation as second birth. The poet emphasizes the dignity of the bhakta even as he describes his rags.
  • pṛthuka-taṇḍulān — the grains of flat rice
    Compound: pṛthuka (flat rice) + taṇḍula (rice grain). The exact substance Kṛṣṇa will exclaim over and eat. Gauḍīya temples to this day remember pṛthuka-bhoga in honor of this episode.
Thinking like this, the Lord snatched from the brāhmaṇa’s garment the grains of flat rice tied up in an old piece of cloth and exclaimed, “What is this?
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Thinking like this, the Lord snatched from the brāhmaṇa's garment the grains of flat rice tied up in an old piece of cloth and exclaimed, "What is this?
Commentary

With his hand he took the rice which was tied up in a strip of old cloth in Sudama’s worn out cloth tied around his waist.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Thinking thoroughly in this manner, Kṛṣṇa took for himself the rice in order to perfect the brāhmaṇa’s wealth since otherwise one cannot procure what is not given (adatvam nopatiṣṭhate). Rukmiṇī will also express this in verse 11. Thinking of Sudāmā’s great bhakti, he took the rice by force, saying “What is this?” He took from the brāhmaṇa. This suggests that the rice and the cloth of Sudāmā was purifying.

Related values
Sthitaprajna (Steady Wisdom)Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender to God)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)
Related verses

A friend who knows you are hiding a present behind your back simply reaches around and takes it, laughing — sparing you the moment of formal offering. Kṛṣṇa snatches the cīra-baddha bundle from Sudāmā's garment because sakhya-rasa moves faster than lajjā.

The rice the cowherd boys shared

In SB 10.13, when Brahmā stole the calves, Kṛṣṇa ate the cowherd boys' lunches from their hands without ceremony — handfuls passed from mouth to mouth in the forest. The same Bhagavān who shared sakhya-meals in Vraja now snatches Sudāmā's bundle in Dvārakā. The rasa is unbroken: sakhya does not stand on ceremony.

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