SB 10.23.7

Devanāgarī

गाश्चारयन्तावविदूर ओदनं रामाच्युतौ वो लषतो बुभुक्षितौ । तयोर्द्विजा ओदनमर्थिनोर्यदि श्रद्धा च वो यच्छत धर्मवित्तमा: ॥ ७ ॥

Text

gāś cārayantāv avidūra odanaṁ rāmācyutau vo laṣato bubhukṣitau tayor dvijā odanam arthinor yadi śraddhā ca vo yacchata dharma-vittamāḥ

Synonyms

gāḥ—Their cows;cārayantau—grazing;avidūre—not far away;odanam—food;rāma-acyutau—Lord Rāma and Lord Acyuta;vaḥ—from you;laṣataḥ—are desiring;bubhukṣitau—being hungry;tayoḥ—for Them;dvijāḥ—Obrāhmaṇas;odanam—food;arthinoḥ—begging;yadi—if;śraddhā—any faith;ca—and;vaḥ—on your part;yacchata—please give;dharma-vit-tamāḥ—O best knowers of the principles of religion.

Translation

Lord Rāma and Lord Acyuta are tending Their cows not far from here. They are hungry and want you to give Them some of your food. Therefore, O brāhmaṇas, O best of the knowers of religion, if you have faith please give some food to Them.

Purport

The cowherd boys doubted the generosity of the brāhmaṇas, and thus they used the word bubhukṣitau, meaning that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were hungry. The boys expected the brāhmaṇas to know the Vedic injunction annasya kṣuditaṁ pātram : “Anyone who is hungry is a fit candidate for receiving food in charity.” But if the brāhmaṇas would not recognize the authority of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, their title dvija would be taken to mean merely “born from two parents” ( dvi — from two, ja — born) rather than “twice-born.” When the brāhmaṇas did not respond to the cowherd boys’ initial request, the boys addressed the brāhmaṇas, with a slight trace of sarcasm, as dharma-vit-tamāḥ, “O best of the knowers of religion.”

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