Devanagari
यदनुचरितलीलाकर्णपीयूषविप्रुट्-
सकृददनविधूतद्वन्द्वधर्मा विनष्टा: ।
सपदि गृहकुटुम्बं दीनमुत्सृज्य दीना
बहव इह विहङ्गा भिक्षुचर्यां चरन्ति ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
yad-anucarita-līlā-karṇa-pīyūṣa-vipruṭ-
sakṛd-adana-vidhūta-dvandva-dharmā vinaṣṭāḥ
sapadi gṛha-kuṭumbaṁ dīnam utsṛjya dīnā
bahava iha vihaṅgā bhikṣu-caryāṁ caranti
Synonyms
yat
—
whose
;
anucarita
—
constantly performed activities
;
līlā
—
of such pastimes
;
karṇa
—
for the ears
;
pīyūṣa
—
of the nectar
;
vipruṭ
—
of a drop
;
sakṛt
—
just once
;
adana
—
by the partaking
;
vidhūta
—
removed entirely
;
dvandva
—
of duality
;
dharmāḥ
—
their propensities
;
vinaṣṭāḥ
—
ruined
;
sapadi
—
immediately
;
gṛha
—
their homes
;
kuṭumbam
—
and families
;
dīnam
—
wretched
;
utsṛjya
—
rejecting
;
dīnāḥ
—
becoming themselves wretched
;
bahavaḥ
—
many persons
;
iha
—
here (in Vṛndāvana)
;
vihaṅgāḥ
—
(like) birds
;
bhikṣu
—
of begging
;
caryām
—
the livelihood
;
caranti
—
they pursue .
Translation
To hear about the pastimes that Kṛṣṇa regularly performs is nectar for the ears. For those who relish just a single drop of that nectar, even once, their dedication to material duality is ruined. Many such persons have suddenly given up their wretched homes and families and, themselves becoming wretched, traveled here to Vṛndāvana to wander about like birds, begging for their living.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
To hear about the pastimes that Kṛṣṇa regularly performs is nectar for the ears. For those who relish just a single drop of that nectar, even once, their dedication to material duality is ruined. Many such persons have suddenly given up their wretched homes and families and, themselves becoming wretched, traveled here to Vṛndāvana to wander about like birds, begging for their living.
KB 10.47.18
“In My opinion,” Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued, “no one should hear about Kṛṣṇa, because as soon as a drop of the nectar of His transcendental activities is poured into the ear, one immediately rises above the duality of attraction and rejection. Being completely freed from the contamination of material attachment, one gives up attachment for this material world, including family, home, wife, children and everything else materially dear to every person. Being deprived of all material acquisitions, one makes his relatives and himself unhappy. Then he wanders in search of Kṛṣṇa, either as a human being or in other species of life, even as a bird, and voluntarily accepts the profession of a mendicant. It is very difficult to actually understand Kṛṣṇa—His name, His qualities, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia and His entourage.”
Purport
Material duality is based on falsely thinking, “This is mine, and that is yours,” or “This is our country, and that is yours,” or “This is my family, and that is yours,” and so on. In fact, there is one Absolute Truth, in which we all exist and to whom everything belongs. His beauty and pleasure are also absolute and infinite, and if one actually hears about this Absolute Truth, called Kṛṣṇa, one’s dedication to the illusion of mundane duality is spoiled.
According to the
ācāryas,
and certainly in accord with Sanskrit grammar, the last two words of the second line of this text may also be divided
dharma-avinaṣṭāḥ.
Then the entire line becomes part of a single compound, the meaning of which is that hearing about Kṛṣṇa cleanses one of irreligious duality and thus one is not vanquished (
avinaṣṭa
) by material illusion. The word
dīnāḥ
is then given the alternate reading of
dhīrāḥ,
meaning that one becomes spiritually sober and thus gives up attachment to fleeting material relationships. The word
vihaṅgāḥ,
“birds,” would in this case refer to swans, the symbol of essential discrimination.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī quotes Rūpa Gosvāmī as follows in connection with this verse:
bhaṅgyā tyāgaucitī tasya
khagānām api khedanāt
yatra sānuśayaṁ proktā
tad bhaved abhijalpitam
“When a lover indirectly states with remorse that her beloved is fit to be given up, such speech, uttered like the plaintive crying of a bird, is called
abhijalpa.
” (
Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi
14.194)
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"But what is so remarkable about our suffering after establishing a relationship with him. Discussion of his pastimes gives sorrow to the whole world. The pastimes which he performed at every moment (anucaritam) are nectar for the ears, the sound itself gives joy, what to speak of the joy on understanding the meaning. By tasting just one drop, just once, friendship between men and women (dvandva dharma) is immediately cut (vidhuta). If a wife hears, then she gives up affection for her husband. If a husband hears, he gives up affection for his wife. If a son hears, he gives up affection for mother and father. If a mother hears she gives up affection for her son. In this way each person attains complete destruction (vi=visesa nasta).
"It is not the same suffering as in renunciation, but worse. The proof is the common people. Though the people who develop a taste for Krsna’s pastimes are soft hearted, they also become hard hearted, merciless and ungrateful, on hearing the pastimes of hard hearted Krsna. Just on hearing about him, they give up fathers and mothers, in laws who are suffering because, having no other means of support, they do not have enough money for the next day’s food; or they give the family members suffering due to separation as if they were dead people. What to speak of wife and children dying, even they themselves cannot be happy. They are penniless (dinah), for, having left home with disturbed mind, they have forgotten to tie up in their cloth even a few coins. This is not the case of one man, or two , or three or four people. This has been the case with hundreds and hundreds of people."
If the alternate reading dhirah (instead of dinah) is taken, it means that in spite of seeing the wife cry, they are unmoved or hard hearted.
"How do they maintain their lives?"
"Like (iva) birds, they survive on grains by begging, not by some big donation."
Sometimes alternate reading "iha" is seen instead of "iva." In that case it means: "They come and beg here, in Vrndavana, the place of suffering and suffer even more in our association."
"Krsna lila is like a poisonous mixture of sugarcane juice and powered seeds of the dhatura plant. The speaker of his pastimes is a murderer in the dress of a saint. The puranas are a net. The speaker may be seen wandering from forest to forest with the puranas under his arm. Vyasa and others are the makers of the net which teaches that Krsna is Supreme. This is accepted by Krsna, who then thinks, 'I will make all people like the gopis fall in the ocean of suffering.' Seeing others suffering is his happiness. So he must bear the consequence of giving others such misery, not Vyasa or anyone else"
.
In this way, there are thousands of implications in this verse. In this verse, through indirect praisethrough condemnation, the excellence of bhakti is established.
Remorseful statements to give up Krsna because of his inflicting pain on innocent people who suffer like birds is called abhijalpa.
Ujjvala Nilamani gives the same definition.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
His activities are for his own use, independent play like that of a small child. These should be criticized since they are contrary to activities for people’s benefit. As sound, those pastimes are nectar for the ear, but in meaning, they give pain to the mind. They are not profuse but scant (vipruṭ) and are eaten only once and tasted only slightly from a far off place. By this, relationship between couples is destroyed, or enjoyment of the duality of warmth and coolness is completely destroyed. They become like many birds. After hearing the pastimes just once people give up their poor fathers, mothers and wives and they themselves become poor and withered. Arriving at the place of the pastimes (iha) they beg for a living. Instead of dīnāḥ sometimes dhīrāḥ is seen. They become undisturbed by suffering or hard hearted. Instead of bahava eva sometimes bahava iva is seen but this is not accepted by the commentators. However Śrīdhara Svāmī has used the word haṁsa iva in giving a secondary meaning. The birds which are seen are not ancient, since it would be impossible for them to live in separation from him. They are recent. Thus coming to Vraja and acting like beggars is possible for them just as you, the bee, have come as a messenger.
Or, how can I describe his cruelty? Even those people who hear a little of his pastimes become cruel. She then speaks this verse. The meaning is the same. Or, “Why do you forbid me from singing?” She answers with this verse. Particularly there are many birds here inclined to sing because of absorption in him. They act like beggars for a living. Are you one among them there? Usually they sing about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, but do not take pleasure in that. How can your singing his pastimes give us pleasure?