Verse 1.7.18-20

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.7.18-20:

अथ कृष्णाग्रजः प्राप्तः क्षणेन स्वस्थताम् इव ।
तं सर्वार्थम् अभिप्रेत्य विचक्षण-शिरोमणिः ॥ १८ ॥
क्षिप्रं स्वस्यानुजस्यापि सम्मार्ज्य वदनाम्बुजम् ।
वस्त्रोदरान्तरे वंशीं शृङ्ग-वेत्रे च हस्तयोः ॥ १९ ॥
कण्ठे कदम्ब-मालां च बर्हापीडं च मूर्धनि ।
नवं गुञ्जावतंसं च कर्णयोर् निदधे शनैः ॥ २० ॥

atha kṛṣṇāgrajaḥ prāptaḥ kṣaṇena svasthatām iva |
taṃ sarvārtham abhipretya vicakṣaṇa-śiromaṇiḥ || 18 ||
kṣipraṃ svasyānujasyāpi sammārjya vadanāmbujam |
vastrodarāntare vaṃśīṃ śṛṅga-vetre ca hastayoḥ || 19 ||
kaṇṭhe kadamba-mālāṃ ca barhāpīḍaṃ ca mūrdhani |
navaṃ guñjāvataṃsaṃ ca karṇayor nidadhe śanaiḥ || 20 ||

Then as Śrī Balarāma, the crest-jewel of perceptive personalities, nearly regained consciousness, he instantly understood the intentions of Brahmā. First, he washed his own lotus face hastily and then washed the lotus face of his younger brother, Kṛṣṇa.

Thereafter, he gently thrust a flute in the belt-cloth wrap around Kṛṣṇa’s waist, placed a buglehorn and stick in His right and left hands respectively, a garland of Kadamba flowers round His neck, a crown of peacock feathers on His head and finally offered earrings adorned with fresh guñjā berries on both His ears.

Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda

(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)

In the expression svasthatām iva, the meaning of the modifier iva is that, due to the condition of his younger brother, Śrī Balarāma was not in his full robust state. Nevertheless, understanding the motives of Brahmā, he first washed his own lotus face and then washed the lotus face of his younger brother, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Afterwards, he cleansed the dust and other debris off the lotus face of Kṛṣṇa. Then He gently stuck the flute in the cloth bound round Kṛṣṇa’s waist, because Śrī Balarāma was the crest jewel of perceptive and clever persons.