FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.84.54

స్‍నాతోఽలఙ్కారవాసాంసి వన్దిభ్యోఽదాత్తథా స్‍త్రియ: । తత: స్వలఙ్కృతో వర్ణానాశ్వభ్యోఽన్నేన పూజయత్ ॥ ౫౪ ॥
snāto ’laṅkāra-vāsāṁsi
[snaato ’lankaara-vaasaamsi]
vandibhyo ’dāt tathā striyaḥ
[vandibhyo ’daat tathaa striyah]
tataḥ sv-alaṅkṛto varṇān
[tatah sv-alankrito varnaan]
ā-śvabhyo ’nnena pūjayat
[aa-shvabhyo ’nnena poojayat]
snātaḥ — bathed alaṅkāra — jewelry vāsāṁsi — and clothing vandibhyaḥ — to the bards adāt — gave tathā — also striyaḥ — the women tataḥ — then su - alaṅkṛtaḥ — well ornamented varṇān — all classes of people ā — extending śvabhyaḥ — to the dogs annena — with food pūjayat — he honored .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
snāto ’laṅkāra-vāsāṁsi
snātaḥ
bathed
vandibhyo ’dāt tathā striyaḥ
tataḥ sv-alaṅkṛto varṇān
alaṅkāra
jewelry
vāsāṁsi
and clothing
ā-śvabhyo ’nnena pūjayat
vandibhyaḥ
to the bards
adāt
gave
tathā
also
striyaḥ
the women
tataḥ
then
su - alaṅkṛtaḥ
well ornamented
varṇān
all classes of people
ā
extending
śvabhyaḥ
to the dogs
annena
with food
pūjayat
he honored .
  • ā-śvabhyaḥ — extending even to the dogs
    ā (extending) + śvan (dog). The verse explicitly names the dog — the unclean animal — as fed. Gauḍīyas read this as the punctum: dharmic completion includes those dharma's normal categories exclude.
  • vandibhyaḥ — to the bards
    From √vand (to praise). The bards praised the yajña; the yajamāna's own ornaments and clothes become their dakṣiṇā. Gauḍīyas note the unusual generosity — typically vandins receive coin, not the host's own garments.
  • annena — with food
    Instrumental of anna (food). Feeding-as-pūjā (annena pūjayat). Gauḍīyas hold prasāda-distribution as one of the dāna-limbs and as a small bhakti-act in itself: the giver, the receiver, and the food are all connected through Bhagavān.
  • varṇān — all classes of people
    Accusative plural of varṇa. Every social class is fed. Gauḍīyas note the verse's deliberate inclusivity — the same scripture that codifies varṇa here universalizes its pūjā at the closing meal.
His sacred bath complete, Vasudeva joined with his wives in giving the jewelry and clothes they had been wearing to the professional reciters. Vasudeva then put on new garments, after which he honored all classes of people by feeding everyone, even the dogs.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
His sacred bath complete, Vasudeva joined with his wives in giving the jewelry and clothes they had been wearing to the professional reciters. Vasudeva then put on new garments, after which he honored all classes of people by feeding everyone, even the dogs.
Commentary

Having bathed, Vasudeva, along with his wives, gave to the reciters cloth and ornaments and gave food to all animals from the horses to dogs.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Vasudeva’s queens gave cloth and ornaments to the reciters. Instead of snataḥ alaṅkara sometimes nānālaṅkara is seen. They worshipped the various castes and others down to the dogeaters, by offering food.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

After bathing and decorating themselves they gave away their used ornaments. Women or the queens also gave. Vasudeva fed all four varṇas of people.

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomAbhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)
Related verses

Out of the bath, Vasudeva gives away the very clothes and jewels he wore to the bards, dresses fresh, then feeds everyone — every class of person, down to the dogs. The dharma-act ends where bhakti always wants to start: with the meal that includes even the unincluded.

Prabhupāda's prasāda-distribution

Across the Bhāgavata tradition, the closing meal of a yajña is meant to include those usually excluded. Prabhupāda institutionalized this in our own time — every ISKCON temple keeps the door open at meal-time.

Gauḍīyas read this verse, ā-śvabhyaḥ annena pūjayat (he honored even the dogs with food), as the doctrinal seed of that practice.

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