Devanagari
श्रीभगवानुवाच
नरेन्द्र याच्ञा कविभिर्विगर्हिता
राजन्यबन्धोर्निजधर्मवर्तिन: ।
तथापि याचे तव सौहृदेच्छया
कन्यां त्वदीयां न हि शुल्कदा वयम् ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
narendra yācṣā kavibhir vigarhitā
rājanya-bandhor nija-dharma-vartinaḥ
tathāpi yāce tava sauhṛdecchayā
kanyāṁ tvadīyāṁ na hi śulka-dā vayam
Synonyms
śrī
—
bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
;
nara
—
indra — O ruler of men
;
yācṣā
—
begging
;
kavibhiḥ
—
by learned authorities
;
vigarhitā
—
condemned
;
rājanya
—
of the royal order
;
bandhoḥ
—
for a member
;
nija
—
in his own
;
dharma
—
religious standards
;
vartinaḥ
—
who is situated
;
tathā api
—
nevertheless
;
yāce
—
I am begging
;
tava
—
with you
;
sauhṛda
—
for friendship
;
icchayā
—
out of desire
;
kanyām
—
daughter
;
tvadīyām
—
your
;
na
—
not
;
hi
—
indeed
;
śulka
—
dāḥ — givers of payment
;
vayam
—
We .
Translation
The Supreme Lord said: O ruler of men, learned authorities condemn begging for a person in the royal order who is executing his religious duties. Even so, desiring your friendship, I ask you for your daughter, though We offer no gifts in exchange.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Supreme Lord said: O ruler of men, learned authorities condemn begging for a person in the royal order who is executing his religious duties. Even so, desiring your friendship, I ask you for your daughter, though We offer no gifts in exchange.
KB 10.58.40
“My dear King Nagnajit, you know very well that anyone in the princely order who is regular in his position will never ask anything from anyone, however exalted he may be. Such requests by a kṣatriya king have been deliberately forbidden by the learned Vedic followers. If a kṣatriya breaks this regulation, his action is condemned by learned scholars. But in spite of this rigid regulative principle, I am asking you for the hand of your beautiful daughter just to establish our relationship in return for your great reception of Me. You may also be pleased to be informed that in Our family tradition there is no scope for Our offering anything in exchange for accepting your daughter. We cannot pay any price you may impose for delivering her.” In other words, Kṛṣṇa wanted the hand of Satyā from the King without fulfilling the condition of defeating the seven bulls.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Even one who is an inferior kstariya should not ask from another. Tthough I am a superior ksatriya I am asking. I ask for your daughter without dowry."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
I act in accordance human pastimes which give the bliss of prema to my devotees. Because of your prema, I transgress the rules that should be followed. Kṛṣṇa speaks with a skilful request worthy of a kṣatriya, while indicating the scriptural conclusion. He addresses the king respectable as a father-in-law in order to make his relationship with him strong. O king (narendra)! Begging for even a fallen kṣatriya is strongly condemned (vi--garhitāḥ) by the wise sages like Vyāsadeva, since stealing by force is praised. With a desire of establishing a happy relationship with you (tava sauhṛdecchayā), or with a desire that you have prema for me, I, a kṣatriya, ask for your daughter, without offering any gifts. This is a profound joke, since in speaking of dharma, Kṛṣṇa understood the price of the bride to be his tying of the bulls.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
I will be satisfied by your giving your daughter. Begging by kṣatriyas is condemned by poets like Vyāsa and especially condemned (vi-garhitaḥ) for those following their own dharma. Stealing the girl in the svayaṁbara is praised for kṣatriyas. O king you know this (narendra)! For having a good relationship with you (tava sauhṛdecchayā), or desiring that you have prema for me, I do not give a gift for certain (hi) for respecting the family. He uses the plural (vayam) to indicate the Yadu dynasty, out of respect for being born among them or to indicate the huge family of Yadus. Otherwise others would think him insignificant.