sarvaṠnara-vara-śreṣṭhau
sarva-vidyÄ-pravartakau
saká¹›n nigada-mÄtreṇa
tau sañjagṛhatur nṛpa
aho-rÄtraiÅ› catuḥ-á¹£aṣṭyÄ
saá¹yattau tÄvatīḥ kalÄḥ
guru-daká¹£iṇayÄcÄryaá¹
chandayÄm Äsatur ná¹›pa

 sarvam - everything; nara-vara - of first-class men; Å›reṣṭhau - the best; sarva - of all; vidyÄ - branches of knowledge; pravartakau - the initiators; saká¹›t - once; nigada - being related; mÄtreṇa - simply; tau - They; sañjagá¹›hatuḥ - fully assimilated; ná¹›pa - O King (ParÄ«ká¹£it); ahaḥ - in days; rÄtraiḥ - and nights; catuḥ-á¹£aṣṭyÄ - sixty-four; saá¹yattau - fixed in concentration; tÄvatīḥ - that many; kalÄḥ - arts; guru-daká¹£iṇayÄ - with the traditional gift for the spiritual master before one leaves him; ÄcÄryam - Their teacher; chandayÄm Äsatuḥ - They satisfied; ná¹›pa - O King.


Text

O King, those best of persons, Kṛṣṇa and BalarÄma, being Themselves the original promulgators of all varieties of knowledge, could immediately assimilate each and every subject after hearing it explained just once. Thus with fixed concentration They learned the sixty-four arts and skills in as many days and nights. Thereafter, O King, They satisfied Their spiritual master by offering him guru-daká¹£iṇÄ.

Purport

The following list comprises the sixty-four subjects mastered by Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord BalarÄma in sixty-four days. Additional information may be found in ÅšrÄ«la PrabhupÄda’s Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Lords learned (1) gÄ«tam, singing; (2) vÄdyam, playing on musical instruments; (3) ná¹›tyam, dancing; (4) nÄá¹­yam, drama; (5) Älekhyam, painting; (6) viÅ›eá¹£aka-cchedyam, painting the face and body with colored unguents and cosmetics; (7) taṇá¸ula-kusuma-bali-vikÄrÄḥ, preparing auspicious designs on the floor with rice and flowers; (8) puá¹£pÄstaraṇam, making a bed of flowers; (9) daÅ›ana-vasanÄá¹…ga-rÄgÄḥ, coloring one’s teeth, clothes and limbs; (10) maṇi-bhÅ«mikÄ-karma, inlaying a floor with jewels; (11) Å›ayyÄ-racanam, covering a bed; (12) udaka-vÄdyam, ringing waterpots; (13) udaka-ghÄtaḥ, splashing with water; (14) citra-yogÄḥ, mixing colors; (15) mÄlya-grathana-vikalpÄḥ, preparing wreaths; (16) Å›ekharÄpÄ«á¸a-yojanam, setting a helmet on the head; (17) nepathya-yogÄḥ, putting on apparel in a dressing room; (18) karṇa-patra-bhaá¹…gÄḥ, decorating the earlobe; (19) sugandha-yuktiḥ, applying aromatics; (20) bhūṣaṇa-yojanam, decorating with jewelry; (21) aindrajÄlam, jugglery; (22) kaucumÄra-yogaḥ, the art of disguise; (23) hasta-lÄghavam, sleight of hand; (24) citra-Å›ÄkÄpÅ«pa-bhaká¹£ya-vikÄra-kriyaḥ, preparing varieties of salad, bread, cake and other delicious food; (25) pÄnaka-rasa-rÄgÄsava-yojanam, preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color; (26) sÅ«cÄ«-vÄya-karma, needlework and weaving; (27) sÅ«tra-krÄ«á¸Ä, making puppets dance by manipulating thin threads; (28) vīṇÄ-á¸amarukavÄdyÄni, playing on a lute and a small x-shaped drum; (29) prahelikÄ, making and solving riddles; (29a) pratimÄlÄ, capping verses, or reciting poems verse for verse as a trial of memory or skill; (30) durvacaka-yogÄḥ, uttering statements difficult for others to answer; (31) pustaka-vÄcanam, reciting books; and (32) nÄá¹­ikÄkhyÄyikÄ-darÅ›anam, enacting short plays and writing anecdotes.

Kṛṣṇa and BalarÄma also learned (33) kÄvya-samasyÄ-pÅ«raṇam, solving enigmatic verses; (34) paá¹­á¹­ikÄ-vetra-bÄṇa-vikalpÄḥ, making a bow from a strip of cloth and a stick; (35) tarku-karma, spinning with a spindle; (36) taká¹£aṇam, carpentry; (37) vÄstu-vidyÄ, architecture; (38) raupya-ratna-parÄ«ká¹£Ä, testing silver and jewels; (39) dhÄtu-vÄdaḥ, metallurgy; (40) maṇi-rÄga-jñÄnam, tinging jewels with various colors; (41) Äkara-jñÄnam, mineralogy; (42) vá¹›ká¹£Äyur-veda-yogÄḥ, herbal medicine; (43) meá¹£a-kukkuá¹­a-lÄvaka-yuddha-vidhiḥ, the art of training and engaging rams, cocks and quails in fighting; (44) Å›uka-Å›ÄrikÄ-pralÄpanam, knowledge of how to train male and female parrots to speak and to answer the questions of human beings; (45) utsÄdanam, healing a person with ointments; (46) keÅ›a-mÄrjana-kauÅ›alam, hairdressing; (47) aká¹£ara-muṣṭikÄ-kathanam, telling what is written in a book without seeing it, and telling what is hidden in another’s fist; (48) mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpÄḥ, fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry; (49) deÅ›a-bhÄá¹£Ä-jñÄnam, knowledge of provincial dialects; (50) puá¹£pa-Å›akaá¹­ikÄ-nirmiti-jñÄnam, knowledge of how to build toy carts with flowers; (51) yantra-mÄtá¹›kÄ, composing magic squares, arrangements of numbers adding up to the same total in all directions; (52) dhÄraṇa-mÄtá¹›kÄ, the use of amulets; (53) saá¹vÄcyam, conversation; (54) mÄnasÄ«-kÄvya-kriyÄ, composing verses mentally; (55) kriyÄ-vikalpÄḥ, designing a literary work or a medical remedy; (56) chalitaka-yogÄḥ, building shrines; (57) abhidhÄna-koá¹£a-cchando-jñÄnam, lexicography and the knowledge of poetic meters; (58) vastra-gopanam, disguising one kind of cloth to look like another; (59) dyÅ«ta-viÅ›eá¹£am, knowledge of various forms of gambling; (so) Äkará¹£a-krÄ«á¸a, playing dice; (61) bÄlaka-krÄ«á¸anakam, playing with children’s toys; (62) vainÄyikÄ« vidyÄ, enforcing discipline by mystic power; (63) vaijayikÄ« vidyÄ, gaining victory; and (64) vaitÄlikÄ« vidyÄ, awakening one’s master with music at dawn.