SB 10.44.16 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

प्रातर्व्रजाद् व्रजत आविशतश्च सायंगोभि: समं क्‍वणयतोऽस्य निशम्य वेणुम् निर्गम्य तूर्णमबला: पथि भूरिपुण्या:पश्यन्ति सस्मितमुखं सदयावलोकम् ॥ १६ ॥

Verse text

prātar vrajād vrajata āviśataś ca sāyaṁ gobhiḥ samaṁ kvaṇayato ’sya niśamya veṇum nirgamya tūrṇam abalāḥ pathi bhūri-puṇyāḥ paśyanti sa-smita-mukhaṁ sa-dayāvalokam

Synonyms

prātaḥ — in the early morning ; vrajāt — from Vraja ; vrajataḥ — of Him who is going ; āviśataḥ — entering ; ca — and ; sāyam — in the evening ; gobhiḥ samam — together with the cows ; kvaṇayataḥ — who is playing ; asya — His ; niśamya — hearing ; veṇum — the flute ; nirgamya — coming out ; tūrṇam — quickly ; abalāḥ — the women ; pathi — on the road ; bhūri — extremely ; puṇyāḥ — pious ; paśyanti — they see ; sa — with ; smita — smiling ; mukham — face ; sa — daya — merciful ; avalokam — with glances .

Translation

When the gopīs hear Kṛṣṇa playing His flute as He leaves Vraja in the morning with His cows or returns with them at sunset, the young girls quickly come out of their houses to see Him. They must have performed many pious activities to be able to see Him as He walks on the road, His smiling face mercifully glancing upon them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When the gopīs hear Kṛṣṇa playing His flute as He leaves Vraja in the morning with His cows or returns with them at sunset, the young girls quickly come out of their houses to see Him. They must have performed many pious activities to be able to see Him as He walks on the road, His smiling face mercifully glancing upon them. KB 10.44.16 “My dear friend,” one lady told another, “we must accept the activities of the gopīs to be the highest form of piety; otherwise, how could they have achieved the opportunity of seeing Kṛṣṇa both morning and evening—in the morning when He goes to the pasturing ground with His cows and cowherd boyfriends, and in the evening when He returns with them, playing on His flute and smiling very brilliantly?”

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

"When Krsna goes to the forerst from Vraja in the morning, and when he returns from the forest in the evening, they hear his flute and come out of their houses. They see him in the small groves situated on the cow paths. Seeing that they are suffering due to separation, he glances on them mercifully to fulfill their desires. This is the fortune of the women of Vraja."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

This verse describes how they drink his beauty with their eyes. In the morning he goes with the cows and the cowherd boys while playing his flute. Understanding his presence by hearing the flute (niśamya), they quickly come out of their houses. Mention of the flute also suggests the beauty of his face. tat tvan-mukhaṁ katham ivāmbuja-tulya-kakṣaṁ vācām avāci nanu parvaṇi parvaṇīndoḥ | tat kiṁ bruve kim aparaṁ bhuvanaika-kānta- veṇu tvad-ānanam anena samaṁ nu yat syāt || In describing your face, how can it be compared to a lotus? Since the moon withers with each phase, words of comparison with your face also wither. Do you speak of comparing your face to another face? How can I say that your face is equal to another face? Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 97 The gopīs become so weak (abalāḥ) that they are unable to milk the cows because of hearing the flute and their continuously intense prema. Thus they stumble and fall here and there. Or they are so weak that they cannot go to meet him, and thus they simply look at him on the road. He becomes even more beautiful with his smile and his merciful glance. He thus enters Vraja in the most remarkable way (ā—viśataḥ), revealing his excellent forest dress, with the cows and cowherd boys.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Part This verse describes how they drink his beauty with their eyes. In the morning he goes with the cows and the cowherd boys while playing his flute. Understanding his presence by hearing the flute (niśamya), they quickly come out of their houses. Mention of the flute also suggests the beauty of his face. tat tvan-mukhaṁ katham ivāmbuja-tulya-kakṣaṁ vācām avāci nanu parvaṇi parvaṇīndoḥ | tat kiṁ bruve kim aparaṁ bhuvanaika-kānta- veṇu tvad-ānanam anena samaṁ nu yat syāt || In describing your face, how can it be compared to a lotus? Since the moon withers with each phase, words of comparison with your face also wither. Do you speak of comparing your face to another face? How can I say that your face is equal to another face? Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 97 The gopīs become so weak (abalāḥ) that they are unable to milk the cows because of hearing the flute and their continuously intense prema. Thus they stumble and fall here and there. Or they are so weak that they cannot go to meet him, and thus they simply look at him on the road. He becomes even more beautiful with his smile and his merciful glance. He thus enters Vraja in the most remarkable way (ā—viśataḥ), revealing his excellent forest dress, accompanied by the cows and cowherd boys.