SB 10.5.20 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वसुदेव उपश्रुत्य भ्रातरं नन्दमागतम् । ज्ञात्वा दत्तकरं राज्ञे ययौ तदवमोचनम् ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

vasudeva upaśrutya bhrātaraṁ nandam āgatam jṣātvā datta-karaṁ rājṣe yayau tad-avamocanam

Synonyms

vasudevaḥ — Vasudeva ; upaśrutya — when he heard ; bhrātaram — that his dear friend and brother ; nandam — Nanda Mahārāja ; āgatam — had come to Mathurā ; jṣātvā — when he learned ; datta — karam — and had already paid the taxes ; rājṣe — unto the King ; yayau — he went ; tat — avamocanam — to the residential quarters of Nanda Mahārāja .

Translation

When Vasudeva heard that Nanda Mahārāja, his very dear friend and brother, had come to Mathurā and already paid the taxes to Kaṁsa, he went to Nanda Mahārāja’s residence.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When Vasudeva heard that Nanda Mahārāja, his very dear friend and brother, had come to Mathurā and already paid the taxes to Kaṁsa, he went to Nanda Mahārāja's residence. KB 10.5.20 When Nanda Mahārāja arrived in Mathurā, Vasudeva got the news and was very eager to congratulate his friend. He immediately went to the place where Nanda Mahārāja was staying.

Purport

Vasudeva and Nanda Mahārāja were so intimately connected that they lived like brothers. Furthermore, it is learned from the notes of Śrīpāda Madhvācārya that Vasudeva and Nanda Mahārāja were stepbrothers. Vasudeva’s father, Śūrasena, married a vaiśya girl, and from her Nanda Mahārāja was born. Later, Nanda Mahārāja himself married a vaiśya girl, Yaśodā. Therefore his family is celebrated as a vaiśya family, and Kṛṣṇa, identifying Himself as their son, took charge of vaiśya activities ( kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam ). Balarāma represents plowing the land for agriculture and therefore always carries in His hand a plow, whereas Kṛṣṇa tends cows and therefore carries a flute in His hand. Thus the two brothers represent kṛṣi-rakṣya and go-rakṣya.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

King Devamidha of the Yadu clan (Yadava) had two wives, one of ksatriya family, the other of vaisya family. Through the ksatriya wife he bore a son names Sura and through the vaisya wife he bore a son named Parjanya. Sura had a son named Vasudeva, a ksatriya, and Parjanya had a son named Nanda, a cowherd. Thus Vasudeva and Nanda were brothers or cousins, with the same grandfather (a Yadava) and different grandmother. Nanda was therefore a Yadava. In Skanda Purana Krsna says, "I have lifted Govardhana for the benefit of the Yadavas (Nanda and others)." And Krsna says to his brother, "Among all the Yadavas (both Mathura relatives and Vraja relatives), you are the most dear." Tad avamocanam means the place where Nanda was residing. (avamoca-to loosen the clothes).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Vasudeva heard from others that Nanda had come, since Nanda was respected and known to all people. Through spies he learned that Nanda had paid the taxes. Otherwise he would have been uncomfortable in any meeting with him because of anxiety. Nanda is called him brother because Devamīḍha gave birth to Vasudeva’s father Śūra through a kṣatriya wife and to Nanda’s father Parjanya through a vaiśya wife. Brahmā says: tasmai māyā sa varaḥ saṁnisṛṣṭaḥ sa cāsa nandākhya utāsya bhāryā nāmnā yaśodā sa ca śūratāta- sutasya vaiśyāprabhavo ‘tha gopaḥ I have the boon to Nanda whose wife was named Yaśodā. He was a cowherd coming through Śūra’s father (Devamīḍha) and a vaiśya mother. In that sense Nanda was his brother. This is a general reference. In Skanda Purāṇa, Mathurā-māhāmya, discussing Govardhana their relationship as brothers is expressed (by calling the cowherds Yādavas): govardhanaś ca bhagavān yatra govardhano dhṛtaḥ rakṣitā yādava sarve indra-vṛṣṭi-nivāranāt When Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana he protected the Yādavas from the rain of Indra. However they are considered vaiśyas because Nanda’s grandmother was a vaiśya. In the Skanda Purāṇa the Lord says yādvānāṁ hitārthāya dhṛto giririvaro mayā: I lifted Govardhana for the benefit of the Yādavas. In Hari-vaṁśa, Rāma speaks to his brothers. Yādaveṣvapi sarveṣu bhavanto mama vallabhā: the cowherds are most dear to me among all the Yādavas. Avamocana means the place where the bulls were released from the carts. Longing for news of his son, Vasudeva went to Nanda with a desire to send him back quickly to Vraja to protect his son.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Vasudeva heard from others that Nanda had come, since the news spread. He learned that Nanda had paid the taxes to Kaṁsa. Otherwise he would have been uncomfortable in any meeting with him because of anxiety. Or he heard because Nanda became famous for giving tax in the form of abundant milk products. He went to the place where Nanda parked the carts out of fear of Kaṁsa. Just as Nanda was coming, Vasudeva came quickly out of affection for his son.