Text 5
ity ukto ’pi dviyas tasmai
vrīḍitaḥ pataye śriyaḥ
pṛthuka-prasṛtiṁ rājan
na prāyacchad avāṅ-mukhaḥ
iti — thus; uktaḥ — addressed; api — although; dvijaḥ — the brāhmaṇa; tasmai — to Him; vrīḍitaḥ — embarrassed; pataye — to the husband; śriyaḥ — of the goddess of fortune; pṛthuka — of flat rice; prasṛtim — the palmfuls; rājan — O King (Parīkṣit); na prāyacchat — did not offer; avāk — bowed down; mukhaḥ — whose head.
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Even after being addressed in this way, O King, the brāhmaṇa felt too embarrassed to offer his palmfuls of flat rice to the husband of the goddess of fortune. He simply kept his head bowed in shame.
According to Ācārya Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the description here of Kṛṣṇa as “the husband of the goddess of fortune” implies that Sudāmā questioned himself, “How can the Lord of Śrī eat this hard, stale rice?” By bowing his head, the brāhmaṇa revealed his meditation: “My dear master, please do not make me ashamed. Even if You request it from me repeatedly, I will not give this to You. I have made up my mind.” But the Lord countered with His own thought: “The intention you had fixed in your mind while coming here must not be frustrated, for you are My devotee.”