Devanagari
दृष्ट्वातपे व्रजपशून् सह रामगोपै:
सञ्चारयन्तमनु वेणुमुदीरयन्तम् ।
प्रेमप्रवृद्ध उदित: कुसुमावलीभि:
सख्युर्व्यधात् स्ववपुषाम्बुद आतपत्रम् ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
dṛṣṭvātape vraja-paśūn saha rāma-gopaiḥ
saṣcārayantam anu veṇum udīrayantam
prema-pravṛddha uditaḥ kusumāvalībhiḥ
sakhyur vyadhāt sva-vapuṣāmbuda ātapatram
Synonyms
dṛṣṭvā
—
seeing
;
ātape
—
in the full heat of the sun
;
vraja
—
paśūn — the domestic animals of Vraja
;
saha
—
together with
;
rāma
—
gopaiḥ — Lord Balarāma and the cowherd boys
;
saṣcārayantam
—
herding together
;
anu
—
repeatedly
;
veṇum
—
His flute
;
udīrayantam
—
loudly playing
;
prema
—
out of love
;
pravṛddhaḥ
—
expanded
;
uditaḥ
—
rising high
;
kusuma
—
āvalībhiḥ — (with droplets of water vapor, which are like) groups of flowers
;
sakhyuḥ
—
for his friend
;
vyadhāt
—
he constructed
;
sva
—
vapuṣā — out of his own body
;
ambudaḥ
—
the cloud
;
ātapatram
—
an umbrella .
Translation
In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend.
KB 10.21.16
The scorching heat of the autumn sunshine was sometimes intolerable, and therefore the clouds in the sky appeared in sympathy above Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and Their boyfriends while They engaged in blowing Their flutes. The clouds served as a soothing umbrella over Their heads just to make friendship with Kṛṣṇa.
Purport
Śrīla Prabhupāda states in his
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
“The scorching heat of the autumn sunshine was sometimes intolerable, and therefore the clouds in the sky appeared in sympathy above Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and Their boyfriends while They engaged in blowing Their flutes. The clouds served as a soothing umbrella over Their heads just to make friendship with Kṛṣṇa.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Those who are in sakhya bhava of friendship have made a success of their lives. The cloud increased its size out of prema to cover Balarama and Krsna and the cowherd boys from the intense heat of the sun. The cloud made a light umbrella (atapatra) over his friend Krsna with his body and a collection of water drops (kusuma vali). The cloud regarded himself as Krsna’s friend because they were so similar: they both take away suffering by a shower of rasa; they are both dark colored; they both the color of lightening (krnsa’s dhoti); and both give off sweet sounds. In this way the cloud gives happiness to Krsna, but we cannot. How unfortunate we are."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
In two verses the gopīs conceal their emotions as previously. Not being able to conceal their emotions, they imagine emotions in unconscious entities in two previous verses. In this verse they hide their feelings by describing sakhya-rasa. The cloud sees by means of lightning as eyes (this phrase should be added). In the very intense heat (ātape), Kṛṣṇa with the boys herds the many cows, for which plenty of grass is necessary. Since there are many boys, lots of shade is necessary. He plays the flute loudly (udīryantam) in order to attract the clouds behind him (anu). Filled with prema, a cloud rises and increases in size, by means of water drops (kusumāvalībhiḥ). The cloud is a friend to Kṛṣṇa because he is the same color. The cloud makes an umbrella out of his body. That umbrella is made of water droplets. Out of friendship, the cloud offers his own body or treasure. The cloud is most fortunate and we are unfortunate since we cannot even see him sufficiently. The truth is this. When they herd the cows in the heat, his friends become tired and the cows begin to wander restlessly. At that time, he plays on his flute the mallara-rāga (named after the clouds) to attract the clouds. With the appearance of this pastime, some gopīs now make a poetic image.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Other river which purify the universe at other times, friends of Yamunā and Mānasa-gaṅgā situated in Vṛndāvana, which attained the variegated pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, are also fortunate. How can we describe the fortune of the cloud situated in the unconscious sky, arising from vapors?
Kṛṣṇa loudly played his flute again and again (anu) and herded the unlimited cows and buffalos in joy, bringing them together over many areas (sam—cārayantam), by his desire with the cowherd boys in the autumn season which was sometimes hot (ātape). This indicates that Kṛṣṇa became tired. Anu venum can also mean “after playing the flute.” Or he aroused the cloud by the flute (udīrayantam anu venum).
Filled with prema, a cloud rises and increases in size, by means of water drops (kusumāvalībhiḥ). The cloud is a friend to Kṛṣṇa because he has the same color. The cloud makes an umbrella out of his body. That umbrella is made of water droplets. Out of friendship, the cloud offers his own body or treasure.
Or in the extreme heat (pravṛddhe ātape) the cloud makes an umbrella from his body for our dear friend (sakhyuḥ) and expresses prema by drops of water (tears). Thus the cloud does not shed tears of sorrow by rain, but in bliss. The cloud is most fortunate and we are unfortunate since we cannot even see him sufficiently.