Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
इत्यादिष्टा भगवता लब्धकामा: कुमारिका: ।
ध्यायन्त्यस्तत्पदाम्भोजं कृच्छ्रान्निर्विविशुर्व्रजम् ॥ २८ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
ity ādiṣṭā bhagavatā
labdha-kāmāḥ kumārikāḥ
dhyāyantyas tat-padāmbhojam
kṛcchrān nirviviśur vrajam
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
iti
—
thus
;
ādiṣṭāḥ
—
instructed
;
bhagavatā
—
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
labdha
—
having obtained
;
kāmāḥ
—
their desire
;
kumārikāḥ
—
the young girls
;
dhyāyantyaḥ
—
meditating
;
tat
—
His
;
pada
—
ambhojam — upon the lotus feet
;
kṛcchrāt
—
with difficulty
;
nirviviśuḥ
—
they returned
;
vrajam
—
to the cowherd village .
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the young girls, their desire now fulfilled, could bring themselves only with great difficulty to return to the village of Vraja, meditating all the while upon His lotus feet.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the young girls, their desire now fulfilled, could bring themselves only with great difficulty to return to the village of Vraja, meditating all the while upon His lotus feet.
Purport
The
gopīs’
desire was fulfilled because Lord Kṛṣṇa had agreed to act as their husband. A young girl can never spend the night with any man except her husband, and thus when Kṛṣṇa agreed to engage the girls in the nocturnal
rāsa
dance during the coming autumn season, in effect He was agreeing to reciprocate their love for Him in the role of a husband.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The gopis returned with great difficulty to Vraja, because Krsna had already stolen their hearts, eyes and other senses.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Having been instructed to return to Vraja, having their desires fulfilled, forgetting about Kātyāyanī and performing vows for her because of their intense bliss, they entered Vraja with sorrow. Why? They meditated on his lotus feet, and did not directly see them. They were filled with sorrow because of separation from him. They particularly had reverence for him as their husband and thus his feet are described as lotus feet. Or, being shy, they bowed their heads and standing before him, only saw his feet. Thus this is what they remembered. Without speaking they entered Vraja (nir—vivisuḥ) since they no longer intended to go the Yamunā for vows.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
They, who had their desire fulfilled (labdha-kāmāḥ) (most being of a similar nature), were instructed by the Lord, who revealed his essential qualities as bhagavān (bhagavatā) by indicating the ṛāsa dance, to return to Vraja, since they received the order from he who tells the truth. But they entered Vraja in sorrow. Why? They meditated on his lotus feet but could not see them directly. They were pained in separation. Without speaking they entered Vraja (nir—vivisuḥ) since they no longer intended to go the Yamunā for vows. Though they had worshipped Kātyāyaṇī by Kṛṣṇa’s boon, they considered their desire fulfilled. They were not aware of a lapse in their vow because of the influence of his powers. That is hinted by the word bhagavatā.
Or the phrase can be alabdha-kāmāḥ: not having their desire for the rāsa dance fulfilled immediately they suffered, because they were young girls (kumārikāh), not yet of suitable age for the dance. By the merciful power of the Lord however, even when they are young they can become qualified, being females of Vraja. “But then why did they enter Vraja?” They became peaceful by meditating on his lotus feet, flowing with the highest bliss to destroy any suffering. Or they meditated on his feet as the means to attain his pastimes.