SB 10.22.16 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच भवत्यो यदि मे दास्यो मयोक्तं वा करिष्यथ । अत्रागत्य स्ववासांसि प्रतीच्छत शुचिस्मिता: । नो चेन्नाहं प्रदास्ये किं क्रुद्धो राजा करिष्यति ॥ १६ ॥

Verse text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca bhavatyo yadi me dāsyo mayoktaṁ vā kariṣyatha atrāgatya sva-vāsāṁsi pratīcchata śuci-smitāḥ no cen nāhaṁ pradāsye kiṁ kruddho rājā kariṣyati

Synonyms

śrī — bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said ; bhavatyaḥ — you ; yadi — if ; me — My ; dāsyaḥ — servants ; mayā — by Me ; uktam — what has been spoken ; vā — or ; kariṣyatha — you will do ; atra — here ; āgatya — coming ; sva — vāsāṁsi — your own garments ; pratīcchata — pick out ; śuci — fresh ; smitāḥ — whose smiles ; na u — not ; cet — if ; na — not ; aham — I ; pradāsye — will give ; kim — what ; kruddhaḥ — angry ; rājā — the king ; kariṣyati — will be able to do .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: If you girls are actually My maidservants, and if you will really do what I say, then come here with your innocent smiles and let each girl pick out her clothes. If you don’t do what I say, I won’t give them back to you. And even if the king becomes angry, what can he do?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: If you girls are actually My maidservants, and if you will really do what I say, then come here with your innocent smiles and let each girl pick out her clothes. If you don't do what I say, I won't give them back to you. And even if the king becomes angry, what can he do? KB 10.22.16 Upon hearing this appeal by the unmarried gopīs, Kṛṣṇa answered, “My dear girls, if you think that you are My eternal servitors and you are always ready to execute My order, then My request is that, with your smiling faces, you please come here alone, one after another, and take away your garments. If you do not come here, however, and if you lodge complaints with My father, I shall not care anyway, for I know My father is old and cannot take any action against Me.”

Purport

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “When the gopīs saw that Kṛṣṇa was strong and determined, they had no alternative but to abide by His order.”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The gopis being defeated by their own words, then stood speechless. Krsna then spoke. "The truthfulness of your words will be tested by this. If you are truely my servants, then you will do whatever I say. Then , please come forward with a smile and take your clothes. If you are not true to your words, then I will not give them. If you fail this test of dharma , then I will not give you your clothing." Suci smita means a smile expressing conjugal love. This revealed the gopis’ true mood to Krsna. "As I am stronger, you should use sama instead of bheda (creating fear in the opponent). If you make the king angry what can you accomplish."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

He becomes victorious when the young gopīs agree to be his servants. He uses the respectful word bhavatyaḥ in order to increase their enthusiasm. He uses the word sva in order to show the necessity that they quickly take their clothing. By alluding to their pure smiles he hints that they are not really suffering from cold and that their shivering is faked. Or when you smile nicely I will give the clothing but if you approach with gloomy faces I will not give the clothing. If you do not do this I will not give even a scrap of clothing. If I give anything, I will give some torn pieces to some of you. Even if the king of the cowherds is angry what will he do? Well, he will do nothing, since he has great affection for me, his son. Saying that, he used some of the cloth as a seat, some pieces as a bed, and some pieces as flags. By tying them to the branches, some he made into a swing and began swinging, and some he threw here and there over the tree. It will be explained that he later gathered the cloth from these places and put it all on the tree trunk.