Devanagari
किं साधयिष्यत्यस्माभिर्भर्तु: प्रीतस्य निष्कृतिम् ।
तत: स्त्रीणां वदन्तीनामुद्धवोऽगात् कृताह्निक: ॥ ४९ ॥
Verse text
kiṁ sādhayiṣyaty asmābhir
bhartuḥ prītasya niṣkṛtim
tataḥ strīṇāṁ vadantīnām
uddhavo ’gāt kṛtāhnikaḥ
Synonyms
kim
—
whether
;
sādhayiṣyati
—
will he accomplish
;
asmābhiḥ
—
with us
;
bhartuḥ
—
of his master
;
prītasya
—
who was satisfied with him
;
niṣkṛtim
—
the funeral ritual
;
tataḥ
—
then
;
strīṇām
—
the women
;
vadantīnām
—
as they were speaking
;
uddhavaḥ
—
Uddhava
;
agāt
—
came there
;
kṛta
—
having performed
;
ahnikaḥ
—
his early-morning religious duties .
Translation
“Is he going to use our flesh to offer funeral oblations for his master, who was so satisfied with his service?” As the women were speaking in this way, Uddhava appeared, having finished his early-morning duties.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Is he going to use our flesh to offer funeral oblations for his master, who was so satisfied with his service?" As the women were speaking in this way, Uddhava appeared, having finished his early-morning duties.
KB 10.46.49
All the gopīs conjectured that Akrūra might have come again to fulfill another cruel plan. But they thought, “We are now dead bodies without our supreme master, Kṛṣṇa. What further act can Akrūra perpetrate against these dead bodies?” While they were talking in this way, Uddhava finished his morning ablutions, prayers and chanting and came before them.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-sixth Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana.”
Purport
This verse reveals the bitter disappointment the
gopīs
felt when Akrūra took Kṛṣṇa away. However, they will be pleasantly surprised to see that the unexpected guest is Uddhava.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-sixth Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"After having Krsna kill Kamsa, why has he come again?" Worrying about why he had come, they spoke. "Will he perform the funeral rites of his master Kamsa who was pleased with his work of taking Krsna away using our flesh as an offering to him?"
As they were speaking, Uddhava approached. Sometimes the word pretasya (dead kamsa) is seen instead of pritasya (satisfied Kamsa).
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Though he took Kṛṣṇa to satisfy his master Kaṁsa’s purpose, when by chance Kaṁsa was killed, Akrūra kept Kṛṣṇa in Mathurā for his own purposes. He has now come again with a purpose. He pleased Kaṁsa (prītasya) at first by bringing Kṛṣṇa but later it was the opposite. Another version has pretasya (dead). He will use our bodies as offerings of atonement for Kaṁsa. After hearing this (tataḥ), while all the household women were talking among themselves, Uddhava appeared. The possessive case (strīṇāṁ vadantīnām ) is used to show that Uddhava was indifferent to their gossip, pretending that he did not hear their words. He searched out and went to a solitary place where the dearest gopīs of Kṛṣṇa had gathered and were discussing amongst themselves. They were not immediately visible at once. Their houses were many, spread over Vraja which measured sixty-four krośas in length and breadth. Kṛṣṇa has said “we all have no houses” (SB 10.42.12) This statement indicates that the gopīs left their houses at this time. It will be explained later that, gathering together and staying in the forest, they offered Uddhava a seat. After this the conversation with the bee took place.
rahasy apṛcchann upaviṣṭam āsane
vijñāya sandeśa-haraṁ ramā-pateḥ
They took him to a quiet place, seated him comfortably and began to question him, for they recognized him to be a messenger from Kṛṣṇa, the master of the goddess of fortune. SB 10.47.3
Uddhava a later says ahaṁ bhartū rahas-karaḥ: I work for my master in a solitary place. (SB 10.47.28) They met in a solitary place because such a meeting could not take place on any road in Vraja or in some house.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Seeing the chariot, thinking Akrūra had come, filled with great pain, they reveialed their minds among themselves with this verse. Niṣkṛtim means debts to the departed person. They spoke out of confusion, not considering the purpose of his journey. Uddhava appeared in the middle of Vraja (āgāt).
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Uddhava Visits Vṛndāvana."
10.47: The Song of the Bee
verses: Summary, 1-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes how Uddhava, on the order of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, delivered the Lord's message to the gopīs, consoled them and then returned to Mathurā.
When the young maidens of Vraja saw lotus-eyed Uddhava, who wore a yellow garment and attractive earrings, they were astonished at how much he resembled Kṛṣṇa. Thinking "Who is this?" they approached and encircled him. When they realized that Kṛṣṇa must have sent him, they brought him to a secluded place where he could speak to them confidentially.
The gopīs then began to remember the pastimes they had enjoyed with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and putting aside all ordinary propriety and shyness, they loudly wept. One gopī, while deeply meditating on Her association with Kṛṣṇa, noticed a bumblebee before Her. Imagining the bee to be a messenger from Him, She said, "Just as bees wander among various flowers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has abandoned the young girls of Vraja and developed affection for other women." The gopī continued to speak in this way, contrasting Her own supposed ill fortune to Her rival lovers' good fortune, all the while glorifying the names, forms, qualities and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She then declared that although Kṛṣṇa may have abandoned the gopīs, they could not possibly stop remembering Him for even a moment.
Uddhava tried to console the damsels of Vraja, who were so anxious to see Kṛṣṇa once again. Uddhava explained, "While ordinary persons must perform many pious deeds to qualify as servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you simple cowherd girls are so extremely fortunate that the Lord has favored you with the very highest degree of pure devotion for Him." Uddhava then related to them the Lord's message.
Quoting Lord Kṛṣṇa, Uddhava said, "I am the Supreme Soul and supreme shelter of all. By My potencies I create, maintain and destroy the cosmos. I am indeed most dear to you gopīs, but to increase your attraction for Me and intensify your remembrance of Me, I left you. After all, when a woman's beloved is far away, she fixes her mind upon him constantly. By incessantly remembering Me, you are sure to regain My association without delay.' "
The gopīs then asked Uddhava, "Is Kṛṣṇa happy now that Kaṁsa is dead and He can enjoy the company of His family members and the women of Mathurā? Does He still remember all the pastimes He enjoyed with us, such as the rāsa dance? Will Śrī Kṛṣṇa once again appear before us and give us ecstasy, just as Lord Indra, with his rain, gives life back to the forests aggrieved by the summer heat? Although we know that the greatest happiness comes from renunciation, we simply cannot stop hoping to attain Kṛṣṇa, for the marks of His lotus feet are still present throughout the land of Vraja, reminding us of His graceful gait, generous smiles and gentle talks. By all these our hearts have been stolen away."
Having said this, the gopīs loudly chanted Lord Kṛṣṇa's names, calling out, "O Govinda, please come and destroy our suffering!" Uddhava then pacified the gopīs with statements that dispelled their pain of separation, and they in turn worshiped him as nondifferent from Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Uddhava stayed in the district of Vraja for several months, giving pleasure to the residents by reminding them about Kṛṣṇa in various ways. Very satisfied at seeing the extent of the gopīs' love for the Lord, he declared, "These cowherd girls have perfected their lives by coming to the platform of unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, even Lord Brahmā is inferior to them. The goddess of fortune herself, who always resides on Kṛṣṇa's chest, could not get the same mercy as that which the gopīs obtained during the rāsa dance, when Kṛṣṇa embraced their necks with His mighty arms. What, then, to speak of other women! Indeed, I would consider myself most fortunate to take birth as even a bush or creeper that would sometimes be touched by the dust of these gopīs' lotus feet."
Finally, Uddhava entreated Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men for permission to go back to Mathurā. Nanda presented him with many gifts and prayed to Uddhava for the ability to always remember Kṛṣṇa. Returning to Mathurā, Uddhava offered Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and King Ugrasena the gifts sent by Nanda Mahārāja and described to them everything he had experienced in Vraja.