Shloka 2
Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa Receives Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy
The Gift of Flat Rice
श्रीशुक उवाच स इत्थं द्विजमुख्येन सह सङ्कथयन् हरि: । सर्वभूतमनोऽभिज्ञ: स्मयमान उवाच तम् ॥ १ ॥ ब्रह्मण्यो ब्राह्मणं कृष्णो भगवान् प्रहसन् प्रियम् । प्रेम्णा निरीक्षणेनैव प्रेक्षन् खलु सतां गति: ॥ २ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca sa itthaṁ dvija-mukhyena saha saṅkathayan hariḥ sarva-bhūta-mano-’bhijñaḥ smayamāna uvāca tam
ശ്രീശുകൻ പറഞ്ഞു: ഇങ്ങനെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ദ്വിജനോടൊപ്പം സംഭാഷണം നടത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരുന്ന, സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ഹൃദയം അറിയുന്ന ഹരി പുഞ്ചിരിച്ച് അവനോട് പറഞ്ഞു. ബ്രാഹ്മണപ്രിയനായ ഭഗവാൻ കൃഷ്ണൻ—സത്സംഗികളുടെ പരമഗതി—പ്രിയ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ സുദാമയെ സ്നേഹനിറഞ്ഞ ദൃഷ്ടിയാൽ നോക്കി, ചിരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് മധുരവചനങ്ങൾ പറഞ്ഞു.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the words sarva-bhūta-mano-’bhijña indicate that since Lord Kṛṣṇa knows the minds of everyone, He could tell at once that His friend Sudāmā had brought some flat rice for Him and was ashamed to present it. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s further explanation of this verse, Lord Kṛṣṇa smiled at this moment, thinking “Yes, I am going to make you show what you brought for Me.” His smile then turned to laughter as He thought, “How long are you going to keep this precious gift hidden in your cloth?”
FAQs
This verse calls Hari “sarva-bhūta-mano’bhijña,” affirming that Kṛṣṇa perfectly knows the minds and inner intentions of every living being.
Because Kṛṣṇa understood Sudāmā’s heart and situation; His smile signals affectionate recognition and compassionate intention toward His devotee.
It encourages sincerity in devotion and prayer—trusting that God understands one’s inner struggles even when words are inadequate.