SB 10.58.4

SB 10.58.4

Devanagari

युधिष्ठिरस्य भीमस्य कृत्वा पादाभिवन्दनम् । फाल्गुनं परिरभ्याथ यमाभ्यां चाभिवन्दित: ॥ ४ ॥

Verse text

yudhiṣṭhirasya bhīmasya kṛtvā pādābhivandanam phālgunaṁ parirabhyātha yamābhyāṁ cābhivanditaḥ

Synonyms

yudhiṣṭhirasya bhīmasya to Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma ; kṛtvā after offering ; pāda at their feet ; abhivandanam obeisances ; phālgunam Arjuna ; parirabhya firmly embracing ; atha then ; yamābhyām by the twin brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva ; ca and ; abhivanditaḥ greeted respectfully .

Translation

After the Lord bowed down at the feet of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma and firmly embraced Arjuna, He accepted obeisances from the twin brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

After the Lord bowed down at the feet of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma and firmly embraced Arjuna, He accepted obeisances from the twin brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva. KB 10.58.4 Lord Kṛṣṇa, although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was playing the part of an ordinary human being, and thus He immediately touched the feet of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma because they were His two older cousins. Arjuna embraced Kṛṣṇa as a friend of the same age, whereas the two younger brothers, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, touched the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa to show Him respect. After an exchange of greetings according to the social etiquette befitting the position of the Pāṇḍavas and Lord Kṛṣṇa, …

Purport

Externally Kṛṣṇa was the Pāṇḍavas’ cousin, and their relationship was just like that between cousin-brothers. Because Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīma were externally senior to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord bowed down at their feet, whereas He embraced His peer Arjuna and accepted obeisances from the younger brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva. Sometimes inexperienced devotees think it is sinful to honor or bow down to an elder brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s example here we may conclude that offering all respects to a senior brother in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not sinful.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The twins offered obeisances while Krsna stood.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Out of bliss, both parties forgot proper etiquette. Then they carefully performed the welcome. He embraced Aruṇa and was offered respects by Nakula and Sahadeva. This means they touched their heads to Kṛṣṇa’s feet. Another version has abhivāditaḥ. Kṛṣṇa was born in Rohiṇī constellation and Arjuna was born in Phalguna constellation. By birth Kṛṣṇa was thus older. However their great friendship was the cause of treating each other as equals.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

In the confusion of prema they could only embrace and were unable to give blessings. Or seeing that they did not do the formalities out of shyness, to teach the public, he personally acted according to etiquette. He bowed to the feet of Yudhiṣṭhira. Then he embraced Arjuna, not with the same great affection as previously.