Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 22
Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa Receives Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy
The Gift of Flat Rice
इति तच्चिन्तयन्नन्त: प्राप्तो निजगृहान्तिकम् । सूर्यानलेन्दुसङ्काशैर्विमानै: सर्वतो वृतम् ॥ २१ ॥ विचित्रोपवनोद्यानै: कूजद्द्विजकुलाकुलै: । प्रोत्फुल्लकमुदाम्भोजकह्लारोत्पलवारिभि: ॥ २२ ॥ जुष्टं स्वलङ्कृतै: पुम्भि: स्त्रीभिश्च हरिणाक्षिभि: । किमिदं कस्य वा स्थानं कथं तदिदमित्यभूत् ॥ २३ ॥
iti tac cintayann antaḥ prāpto niya-gṛhāntikam sūryānalendu-saṅkāśair vimānaiḥ sarvato vṛtam
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] Thinking thus to himself, Sudāmā finally came to the place where his home stood. But that place was now crowded on all sides with towering, celestial palaces rivaling the combined brilliance of the sun, fire and the moon. There were splendorous courtyards and gardens, each filled with flocks of cooing birds and beautified by ponds in which kumuda, ambhoja, kahlāra and utpala lotuses grew. Finely attired men and doe-eyed women stood in attendance. Sudāmā wondered, “What is all this? Whose property is it? How has this all come about?”
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī gives the sequence of the brāhmaṇa’s thoughts: First, seeing a great, unfamiliar effulgence, he thought, “What is this?” Then, noting the palaces, he asked himself, “Whose place is this?” And recognizing it as his own, he wondered, “How has it become so transformed?”
FAQs
These verses show Sudāmā returning home and finding his poor dwelling transformed into a celestial-like estate—an outward sign of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s quiet, affectionate mercy toward His devotee.
Sudāmā expected his former poverty, but he saw vimānas, gardens, lotus-filled waters, and richly adorned people; he could not recognize the place and wondered how such a transformation had occurred.
Serve God and devotees without bargaining; the Bhagavatam highlights that sincere devotion is valued above wealth, and when needed, grace can change one’s circumstances in unexpected ways.