Texts 7-9
upasthāyārkam udyantaṁ
tarpayitvātmanaḥ kalāḥ
devān ṛṣīn pitṝn vṛddhān
viprān abhyarcya cātmavān
dhenūnāṁ rukma-śṛṅgīnāṁ
sādhvīnāṁ mauktika-srajām
payasvinīnāṁ gṛṣṭīnāṁ
sa-vatsānāṁ su-vāsasām
dadau rūpya-khurāgrāṇāṁ
kṣaumājina-tilaiḥ saha
alaṅkṛtebhyo viprebhyo
badvaṁ badvaṁ dine dine
upasthāya — worshiping; arkam — the sun; udyantam — rising; tarpayitvā — propitiating; ātmanaḥ — His own; kalāḥ — expansions; devān — the demigods; ṛṣīn — sages; pitṝn — and forefathers; vṛddhān — His elders; viprān — and brāhmaṇas; abhyarcya — worshiping; ca — and; ātma-vān — self-possessed; dhenūnām — of cows; rukma — (covered with) gold; śṛṅgīnām — whose horns; sādhvīnām — good-natured; mauktika — of pearls; srajām — with necklaces; payasvinīnām — giving milk; gṛṣṭīnām — having given birth only once; sa-vatsānām — together with their calves; su-vāsasām — nicely dressed; dadau — He gave; rūpya — (covered with) silver; khura — of their hooves; agrāṇām — the fronts; kṣauma — linen; ajina — deerskins; tilaiḥ — and sesame seeds; saha — together with; alaṅkṛtebhyaḥ — who were given ornaments; viprebhyaḥ — to learned brāhmaṇas; badvam badvam — (one hundred and seven) groups of 13,084 (thus totaling 1,400,000); dine dine — each day.
Each day the Lord worshiped the rising sun and propitiated the demigods, sages and forefathers, who are all His expansions. The self-possessed Lord would then carefully worship His elders and the brāhmaṇas. To those well-attired brāhmaṇas He would offer herds of tame and peaceful cows with gold-plated horns and pearl necklaces. These cows were also dressed in fine cloth, and the fronts of their hooves were plated with silver. Providers of abundant milk, they had each given birth only once and were accompanied by their calves. Daily the Lord gave many groups of 13,084 cows to the learned brāhmaṇas, together with linen, deerskins and sesame seeds.
Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes several Vedic scriptures to show that in the context of Vedic ritual, a badva here refers to 13,084 cows. The words badvaṁ badvaṁ dine dine indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa would give the learned brāhmaṇas many such groups of cows on a daily basis. Śrīdhara Svāmī further gives evidence that the usual practice for great saintly kings in previous ages was to give 107 such badva, or groups of 13,084 cows. Thus the total number of cows given in this sacrifice, known as Mañcāra, is 14 lakhs, or 1,400,000.
The words alaṅkṛtebhyo viprebhyaḥ indicate that in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s kingdom the brāhmaṇas were given nice clothes and ornaments and were thus well attired.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes with striking and profound insight on these pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The reader is strongly urged to study this book, which contains an invaluable wealth of information and commentary on the pastimes described in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Our humble attempt here can never equal the consummate purity and skill of our great master. Still, as a service offered at his lotus feet, we are simply presenting the original Sanskrit text of the Tenth Canto, word-for-word meanings, a clear translation and essential commentary, for the most part based on the statements of the great spiritual masters in our line.