SB 10.35.17 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

निजपदाब्जदलैर्ध्वजवज्र- नीरजाङ्कुशविचित्रललामै: । व्रजभुव: शमयन् खुरतोदं वर्ष्मधुर्यगतिरीडितवेणु: ॥ १६ ॥ व्रजति तेन वयं सविलास- वीक्षणार्पितमनोभववेगा: । कुजगतिं गमिता न विदाम: कश्मलेन कवरं वसनं वा ॥ १७ ॥

Verse text

nija-padābja-dalair dhvaja-vajra nīrajāṅkuśa-vicitra-lalāmaiḥ vraja-bhuvaḥ śamayan khura-todaṁ varṣma-dhurya-gatir īḍita-veṇuḥ vrajati tena vayaṁ sa-vilāsa vīkṣaṇārpita-manobhava-vegāḥ kuja-gatiṁ gamitā na vidāmaḥ kaśmalena kavaraṁ vasanaṁ vā

Synonyms

nija — His own ; pada — abja — of the lotus feet ; dalaiḥ — like flower petals ; dhvaja — of a flag ; vajra — thunderbolt ; nīraja — lotus ; aṅkuśa — and elephant goad ; vicitra — variegated ; lalāmaiḥ — by the markings ; vraja — of Vraja ; bhuvaḥ — of the ground ; śamayan — relieving ; khura — from the hooves (of the cows) ; todam — the pain ; varṣma — with His body ; dhurya — like an elephant’s ; gatiḥ — whose movement ; īḍita — extolled ; veṇuḥ — whose flute ; vrajati — He walks ; tena — by that ; vayam — we ; savilāsa — playful ; vīkṣaṇa — with His glances ; arpita — bestowed ; manaḥ — bhava — of lust ; vegāḥ — whose agitation ; kuja — like that of trees ; gatim — whose movement (i.e., complete lack of movement) ; gamitāḥ — attaining ; na vidāmaḥ — we do not recognize ; kaśmaleṇa — because of our bewilderment ; kavaram — the braids of our hair ; vasanam — our dress ; vā — or .

Translation

As Kṛṣṇa strolls through Vraja with His lotus-petal-like feet, marking the ground with the distinctive emblems of flag, thunderbolt, lotus and elephant goad, He relieves the distress the ground feels from the cows’ hooves. As He plays His renowned flute, His body moves with the grace of an elephant. Thus we gopīs, who become agitated by Cupid when Kṛṣṇa playfully glances at us, stand as still as trees, unaware that our hair and garments are slackening.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

As Kṛṣṇa strolls through Vraja with His lotus-petal-like feet, marking the ground with the distinctive emblems of flag, thunderbolt, lotus and elephant goad, He relieves the distress the ground feels from the cows' hooves. As He plays His renowned flute, His body moves with the grace of an elephant. Thus we gopīs, who become agitated by Cupid when Kṛṣṇa playfully glances at us, stand as still as trees, unaware that our hair and garments are slackening. KB 10.35.16-17 Another gopī said, “My dear friends, when Kṛṣṇa returns home with His cows, the footprints of the soles of His feet—with flag, thunderbolt, trident and lotus flower—relieve the pain the earth feels when the cows traverse it. He walks in a stride which is so attractive, and He carries His flute. Just by looking at Him we become lusty to enjoy His company. At that time, our movements cease. We become just like trees and stand perfectly still, unaware that our hair and clothes are loosening.”

Purport

Here mother Yaśodā is no longer in the company of the gopīs, who are confidentially describing their conjugal attraction to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is clear from the comments of Jīva Gosvāmī and other ācāryas that the statements in this chapter were made at various times and places. This is natural, since the gopīs were always absorbed in thoughts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, day and night.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

One gopi of another group then spoke of her personal bewilderment on hearing the flute to mother Yasoda. When Krsna, with elephant gait, walks around to relieve the earth of the pain of the cows’ hooves striking the ground by the touch of his feet which resemble lotus petals, which are marked with symbols like the flag and conch, we gopis whose hearts are agitated with lust through his glances become stunned like the trees, and are not aware of our clothing or hair, which all become loose without our noticing it. Though Krsna has relieved the earth of pain, he has produced pain in us by his lotus eyed glances. This is our misfortune.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Another devoted group, holding secret rasa, produced internally by pastimes, is addressed. After passing the third yāma of the day in talking about Kṛṣṇa, when he does not arrive, some of the gopīs, with anxious hearts, on the pretext of picking flowers, go to look for him when it is time for the cows to return. They praise seeing him in the forest at the end of the day. Overcome by emotion they say, “O dear friends! Enough of speaking of others becoming bewildered. Hear about our own condition.” They speak this verse. By using the word nija (his very own), the unusual nature of his feet is indicated. The plural (dalaiḥ) is used instead of the dual out of great respect, or to express the uncommon beauty of each foot print. Those feet have beautiful, astonishing marks of the flag, thunderbolt, lotus and goad. Or the feet are beautiful and astonishing with the marks of the flag, thunderbolt, lotus and goad. These marks also stand for the other famous marks like the cakra and the less famous marks like the octagon. With those feet he relieved the land of Vraja, of the pain caused by the hooves of the cows since he herds the cows there because of the grass. When the Lord follows the cows, his feet naturally touch the earth, and the earth then sprouts new grass and shoots immediately. Pasturing the unlimited cows is a daily occurrence. He moves slowly with the grace of an elephant since he is playing his flute. If he moved quickly he could not play the flute. Though he naturally moves in this manner, they mention this because of its special beauty at this time. It is especially attractive to us. He wanders here and there. The gopīs minds become agitated by his playful glance at them which enter within them. They express their confused state. They become stunned, motionless like trees. Or, when he moves about, we become motionless. By his cleverness we become dumbfounded. Opposite result is shown. This shows his power to bewilder and their gopīs pitiful condition. They do not know that their dresses and hair have come undone. The latter phrase “have come undone” is not mentioned out of embarrassment. Our hair, what to speak of our clothing, becomes loose. Vā indicates both.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Because of the sudden statement directed to Yaśodā, there is no regard for a sequence in time in reciting the verses. But his flute playing at noon can be inferred in the present verse. In great pain, the gopīs display their bewilderment because of great pain at the moment. That is expressed in two verses. He is not wearing shoes and there are many footprints. His feet are like lotus petals wide at the front and narrow at the back, soft and pink. Instead of dalaiḥ some versions have talaiḥ. The plural indicates many footprints or indicates respect. The footprints (and feet) have extraordinary markings. Śaṅkha and cakra marks are not mentioned since they are very famous on Viṣṇu’s feet. By those marks he removes the pain of hooves treading on the land of Govardhana and Vṛndāvana. This is because his lotus feet by their nature remove all pain, the beautiful foot prints cover the hoof marks and remove all pain. Kṛṣṇa moves slowly and gracefully like the king of the elephants, since he is playing the flute. Though he does this to bewilder the gopīs, he also does this to avoid boldness. Actually there is no injuring to the earth by the cows’ hooves, only an appearance of marks, since the cows are related to the Lord himself. However the gopīs do not mention this since they lack reflective powers, because of their unsatisfied desires. Or the injuries to the earth are from the hooves of Dhenuka and Ariṣṭāsura. Kṛṣṇa goes from Vraja to the forest (vrajati) or he moves here and there. Because of him (tena), our minds become agitated by his beautiful or playful (savilāsa) glance. We cannot prevent this. Though he may glance for some other purpose, they develop the greatest bewilderment because their desire is aroused. Thus step by step they reveal his beauty, pastimes and sweetness. They become like trees (kuja), unable to move. Or because of agitation by his glance, and becoming stunned we are not aware that our clothing has become loose. Or after becoming stunned, by his glance we are not aware that our clothing has become loose. When he comes, we do not show skill and become foolish. This opposite result shows his great attractiveness and their humble position. We do not know that our hair has come undone and our clothing has become loose. Vā means both or “even.” Though in bewilderment one loses awareness of everything related to the body, particularly the women would usually be aware of their cloth. In the previous pairs of verses, each verse is a separate statement, but in this verse, the statement continues into the second verse. Because he comes they become stunned. This means that because of his direct association they become stunned. Yaśodā went away to do chores or because of doubled suffering on hearing about the excellence of her son. When they became free of worry that she would return, out of great pain, they speak among themselves about their bewilderment in relation to their description of Brahmā’s bewilderment. The word vicitra indicates other astonishing marks of beauty (lalāmaiḥ) on his feet, like the barley corn and cakra. First they became stunned and then because of bewilderment, they were not aware of their clothing become loose.