SB 10.47.2 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच तं वीक्ष्य कृष्णानुचरं व्रजस्‍त्रिय: प्रलम्बबाहुं नवकञ्जलोचनम् । पीताम्बरं पुष्करमालिनं लस- न्मुखारविन्दं परिमृष्टकुण्डलम् ॥ १ ॥ सुविस्मिता: कोऽयमपीव्यदर्शन: कुतश्च कस्याच्युतवेषभूषण: । इति स्म सर्वा: परिवव्रुरुत्सुका- स्तमुत्तम:श्लोकपदाम्बुजाश्रयम् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca taṁ vīkṣya kṛṣānucaraṁ vraja-striyaḥ pralamba-bāhuṁ nava-kaṣja-locanam pītāmbaraṁ puṣkara-mālinaṁ lasan- mukhāravindaṁ parimṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalam su-vismitāḥ ko ’yam apīvya-darśanaḥ kutaś ca kasyācyuta-veṣa-bhūṣaṇaḥ iti sma sarvāḥ parivavrur utsukās tam uttamaḥ-śloka-padāmbujāśrayam

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; tam — him ; vīkṣya — seeing ; kṛṣṇa — anucaram — the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa (Uddhava) ; vraja — striyaḥ — the women of Vraja ; pralamba — hanging down ; bāhum — whose arms ; nava — young ; kaṣja — like lotuses ; locanam — whose eyes ; pīta — yellow ; ambaram — wearing a garment ; puṣkara — of lotuses ; mālinam — wearing a garland ; lasat — effulgently glowing ; makha — whose face ; aravindam — lotuslike ; parimṛṣṭa — polished ; kuṇḍalam — whose earrings ; su — vismitāḥ — quite astonished ; kaḥ — who ; ayam — this ; apīvya — handsome ; darśanaḥ — whose appearance ; kutaḥ — from where ; ca — and ; kasya — belonging to whom ; acyuta — of Kṛṣṇa ; veṣa — wearing the clothing ; bhūṣaṇaḥ — and ornaments ; iti — saying this ; sma — indeed ; sarvāḥ — all of them ; parivavruḥ — surrounded ; utsukāḥ — eager ; tam — him ; uttamaḥ — śloka — of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is praised by the best poetry ; pada — ambuja — by the lotus feet ; āśrayam — who is sheltered .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The young women of Vraja became astonished upon seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s servant, who had long arms, whose eyes resembled a newly grown lotus, who wore a yellow garment and a lotus garland, and whose lotuslike face glowed with brightly polished earrings. “Who is this handsome man?” the gopīs asked. “Where has he come from, and whom does he serve? He’s wearing Kṛṣṇa’s clothes and ornaments!” Saying this, the gopīs eagerly crowded around Uddhava, whose shelter was the lotus feet of Lord Uttamaḥśloka, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The young women of Vraja became astonished upon seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa's servant, who had long arms, whose eyes resembled a newly grown lotus, who wore a yellow garment and a lotus garland, and whose lotuslike face glowed with brightly polished earrings. "Who is this handsome man?" the gopīs asked. "Where has he come from, and whom does he serve? He's wearing Kṛṣṇa's clothes and ornaments!" Saying this, the gopīs eagerly crowded around Uddhava, whose shelter was the lotus feet of Lord Uttamaḥśloka, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. KB 10.47.1-2 When the gopīs saw Uddhava, they observed that his features almost exactly resembled those of Kṛṣṇa, and they could understand that he was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa’s. His arms were very long and his eyes were just like the petals of the lotus flower. He was dressed in yellow garments and wore a garland of lotus flowers. His face was very beautiful. Having achieved the liberation of sārūpya and thus having the same bodily features as the Lord, Uddhava looked almost like Kṛṣṇa. In Kṛṣṇa’s absence, the gopīs had been coming dutifully to visit Mother Yaśodā’s house early in the morning. They knew that Nanda Mahārāja and Mother Yaśodā were always grief-stricken, and they had made it their first duty to come and pay their respects to the most exalted elder personalities of Vṛndāvana. Seeing the friends of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā would remember Kṛṣṇa Himself and be satisfied, and the gopīs also would be pleased by seeing Nanda and Yaśodā. When the gopīs saw that Uddhava was representing Kṛṣṇa even in his bodily features, they thought he must be a soul completely surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They began to contemplate, “Who is this boy who looks just like Kṛṣṇa? He has the same eyes like lotus petals, the same raised nose and beautiful face, and he is smiling in the same way. In all respects he resembles Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, the beautiful blackish boy. He is even dressed exactly like Kṛṣṇa. Where has this boy come from? Who is the fortunate girl who has him for her husband?” Thus they talked among themselves. They were very anxious to know about him, and because they were simple, unsophisticated village girls, they surrounded Uddhava.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In the forty seventh chapter Uddhava hears the ten types of citra jalpa from the mouths of the gopis. He then gives the message sent by Krsna to them. Praising them, he returns to Mathura. The gopis smiled on seeing Uddhava whose dress reminded them of Krsna (suci smita). There is another reading suvismita, which means that they were surprised, wondering how Uddhava had obtained Krsna’s yellow dhoti and his used lotus garland. "Who is this person who appears so handsome? Where has he come from? Which family does he belong to?" Saying this, the gopis became excited, with the possibility of obtaining news about Krsna.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The two verses are read together and are connected with the verb in the next sentence. They questioned who he was, since they recognized that he was a servant of Kṛṣṇa (verse 4). If he had done his morning duties and then come from Mathurā in the morning, he would be recognized by the crowds as a great warrior. (He could not have spoken to the gopīs privately.) “The women of Vraja” refers to the dear gopīs in love with Kṛṣṇa, famous as the best of women in Vraja. They have been described previously. Vraja-striyaḥ kṛṣṇa-gṛhīta-mānasāḥ: these women of Vraja had their minds completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. (SB 10.29.4) Seeing Uddhava they recognized him as a follower of Kṛṣṇa because of similarity of form, such as long arms. The lotus garland had been given by Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava when he had departed for Vraja. Because his friends in Vraja had dress and form similar to Kṛṣṇa’s in Vraja, they inferred he was also a devoted follower of Kṛṣṇa. They were surprised, that somewhere else others could be similar in dress and form. Thus they asked “Who is this person?” Another version has śucismitā. They smiled because of thinking of receiving the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. His form was very beautiful (apīvya-darśaṇaḥ). His dress, tilaka, hair style (veśa) and his earrings and bracelets (bhūṣaṇa) were similar to Kṛṣṇa’s. Or he actually wore dress and ornaments that had belonged to Kṛṣṇa, along with his own. tvayopabhukta-srag-gandha- vāso-’laṅkāra-carcitāḥ ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās tava māyāṁ jayema hi Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils, clothes and ornaments that you have already enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of your meals, we, your servants, will indeed conquer your illusory energy. SB 11.6.46 The sudden cause of their lack of reserve was their eagerness (utsukāḥ). Unable to tolerate time, they lost their sense of discrimination. Later the cause of their lack of reserve was that Uddhava has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Or, because he had massaged Kṛṣṇa’s feet, he was a shelter like a pillow. They understood that he was an intimate associate of Kṛṣṇa.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

By his great bhakti, Uddhava, attaining a similar form as the Lord, followed him (kṛṣṇānucaram). The women of Vraja (vraja-śtriyaḥ) were always meditation on Kṛṣṇa’s form and clothing. Seeing Uddhava directly from far off, they were most surprised because his form was similar to Kṛṣṇa’s, with long arms and lotus eyes. The first two lines describe his beauty and the other lines his ornaments and his beauty, shining a smiling face, or because of his earrings. Who is this person with beautiful form (darśanaḥ)? Though not mentioned, it is understood that his form, age and complexion were similar to Kṛṣṇa’s. He had similar necklace and other ornaments (acyuta-veśa-bhuṣaṇaḥ). He had the dress of a dancer. Or he actually wore Kṛṣṇa’s cloth and ornaments. tvayopabhukta-srag-gandha- vāso-’laṅkāra-carcitāḥ ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās tava māyāṁ jayema hi Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils, clothes and ornaments that you have already enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of your meals, we, your servants, will indeed conquer your illusory energy. SB 11.6.46 The gopīs became excited or full of longing (utsukāḥ). They individually came from different places. Or gathering in a group out of great pain, they came there together. They surrounded him since he had taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. This indicates that because of his devotion, he was similar in qualities. Or he was the shelter or pillow for Kṛsṇa’s lotus feet, in order to massage them. He was thus always close to Kṛṣṇa and most dear to him. The word tam should not be repeated, but appears twice because of Śukadeva’s disturbed speech.