Sri Krishna is bhuri-bhoja, the unlimited enjoyer. He did not tell Sudama how He was going to fulfill his unspoken request because, according to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, He was thinking at the time, "My dear friend has given Me these grains of rice, which are greater than all the treasures I own. Even though in his own house he had no such gift to bring Me, he took the trouble of begging it from a neighbor. Therefore it is only proper that I give him something more valuable than all My possessions. But nothing is equal to or greater than what I possess, so all I can do is give him such meager things as the treasures of Indra, Brahma and other demigods." Embarrassed at being unable to properly reciprocate His devotee's offering, Lord Krishna bestowed His favor on the brahmana silently. The Lord acted just like a magnanimous rain cloud which provides the necessities of life for everyone near and far but feels ashamed that its rain is too insignificant a gift to give in return for the abundant offerings that farmers make to it. Out of shame the cloud may wait until nighttime, when the farmers are asleep, before watering their fields.

The chiefs of the Dasarha clan, with whom Lord Krishna is identified in this verse, were especially renowned for their generosity.