Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.28.7

ajanata mamakena

mudhenakarya-vedina

anito 'yam tava pita

tad bhavan ksantum arhati

SYNONYMS

ajanata -- by one who was ignorant; mamakena -- by my servant; mudhena -- foolish; akarya-vedina -- not knowing his proper duty; anitah -- was brought; ayam -- this person; tava -- Your; pita -- father; tat -- that; bhavan -- Your good self; ksantum arhati -- should please forgive.

TRANSLATION

Your father, who is sitting here, was brought to me by a foolish, ignorant servant of mine who did not understand his proper duty. Therefore, please forgive us.

PURPORT

The word ayam, "this one here," clearly indicates that Krsna's father, Nanda Maharaja, was present as Varuna was speaking. In fact, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states that Varuna had seated Sri Nanda on a jeweled throne and had personally worshiped him out of respect.

Technically, Nanda Maharaja was correct in entering the water just before sunrise. The following explanation is given by Srila Jiva Gosvami in his commentary on the first verse of this chapter: After an especially short Ekadasi, measuring only eighteen hours, about six hours of the lunar day in which the fast had to be broken, namely the Dvadasi, had already expired before the dawn. Since at sunrise the proper time for breaking the fast would have passed, Nanda Maharaja decided to enter the water at an otherwise inauspicious time.

Of course, Varuna's servant should have been aware of these technical details, which are meant for strict followers of the Vedic rituals. Above and beyond that, Nanda Maharaja was acting as the Supreme Lord's father and was therefore a most sacred person, beyond the touch of insignificant cosmic bureaucrats like the foolish servant of Varuna.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
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