Text 38
nanda-gopādayo gopā
bhoja-rāja-samāhutāḥ
niveditopāyanās ta
ekasmin mañca āviśan
nanda-gopa-ādayaḥ — headed by Nanda Gopa; gopāḥ — the cowherds; bhoja-rāja — by Kaṁsa, King of the Bhojas; samāhutāḥ — called forward; nivedita — presenting; upāyanāḥ — their offerings; te — they; ekasmin — in one; mañce — viewing gallery; āviśan — sat down.
Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherds, summoned by the King of the Bhojas, presented him with their offerings and then took their seats in one of the galleries.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the word samāhutāḥ indicates that King Kaṁsa respectfully called the leaders of Vraja forward so that they could make their offerings to the central government. According to the ācārya, Kaṁsa assured Nanda as follows: “My dear King of Vraja, you are the most important of my village rulers. Yet even though you have come to Mathurā from your cowherd village, you have not come to visit me. Is that because you are frightened? Don’t think that your two sons are bad because They broke the bow. I invited Them here because I heard They were extremely powerful, and I’ve arranged this wrestling match as a test of Their strength. So please come forward without hesitation. Don’t be afraid.”
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further states that Nanda Mahārāja noticed his two sons were not present. Apparently, out of disrespect for King Kaṁsa’s order, They had taken the morning off and gone elsewhere.
Thus Kaṁsa delegated some cowherd men to go look for Them and advise Them to behave properly and come back to the wrestling arena. The ācārya also states that the reason Nanda and the other cowherd men sat in the galleries was that they could not find any sitting places on the royal dais.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Breaking of the Sacrificial Bow.”