Devanagari
व्रजस्त्रियो यद् वाञ्छन्ति पुलिन्द्यस्तृणवीरुध: ।
गावश्चारयतो गोपा: पदस्पर्शं महात्मन: ॥ ४३ ॥
Verse text
vraja-striyo yad vāṣchanti
pulindyas tṛṇa-vīrudhaḥ
gāvaś cārayato gopāḥ
pada-sparśaṁ mahātmanaḥ
Synonyms
vraja
—
of Vraja
;
striyaḥ
—
the women
;
yat
—
as
;
vāṣchanti
—
they desire
;
pulindyaḥ
—
the women of the aborigine Pulinda tribe in Vraja
;
tṛṇa
—
from the grass
;
vīrudhaḥ
—
and plants
;
gāvaḥ
—
the cows
;
cārayataḥ
—
who is grazing
;
gopāḥ
—
the cowherd boys
;
pāda
—
of the feet
;
sparśam
—
the touch
;
mahā
—
ātmanaḥ — of the Supreme Soul .
Translation
We desire the same contact with the Supreme Lord’s feet that the young women of Vraja, the cowherd boys and even the aborigine Pulinda women desire — the touch of the dust He leaves on the plants and grass as He tends His cows.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
We desire the same contact with the Supreme Lord's feet that the young women of Vraja, the cowherd boys and even the aborigine Pulinda women desire—the touch of the dust He leaves on the plants and grass as He tends His cows.
KB 10.83.43
“We simply desire this dust, which accumulates underneath the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as He travels on the land of Vṛndāvana as a cowherd boy. The gopīs especially, and also the cowherd men and the aborigine tribeswomen, always desire to become the grass and straw on the streets of Vṛndāvana, to be trampled on by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. My dear Queen, we wish to remain as such life after life, without any other desire.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty-third Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa.”
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī reminds us of the jealous rivalry that always existed between the queens of Dvārakā and the
gopīs
of Vraja. The
gopīs
considered the sophisticated women of Dvārakā the most serious threat to their hold on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, confessing their anxiety to Uddhava:
kasmāt kṛṣṇa ihāyāti prāpta-rājyo hatāhitaḥ/ narendra-kanyā udvāhya.
“Why should Kṛṣṇa come back here after winning a kingdom, killing His enemies and marrying the daughters of kings?” (
Bhāg.
10.47.45
)
Rukmiṇī and her seven chief co-wives considered themselves so fortunate in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa as He appeared in Dvārakā that they did not especially desire to see Him as He is in Vṛndāvana. But the sixteen thousand lesser queens, after hearing Uddhava describe Śrī Rādhā’s superexcellent qualities, became attracted to touch the dust that falls from Kṛṣṇa’s feet onto the grass and plants of Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī indicates that some commentators give this as the reason why, after the
mauṣala-līlā,
these sixteen thousand queens were stolen from Arjuna on the road by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in the disguise of sixteen thousand cowherds, who then took them away to Gokula.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Eighty-third Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Sri cannot refer to Rukmini either. This verse says that the women of Vraja desire this foot dust.
The gopis said, "But why should Krsna come here after winning a kingdom, killing His enemies and marrying the daughters of kings? He’s satisfied there, surrounded by all His friends and well-wishers." Sb 10.47.45
The gopis said this with envy towards Rukmini and others as they are competitors for Krsna’s love. Thus , they could not have desire for anything related to her.
Devi krsna mayi prokta radhika paradevata sarva lakmimayi sarvakantih sammohini para. Radha is the same as Krsna, the superem diety, containing within her all Laksmis, all beauty and supreme attractiveness.
This verse from the Brhad Gautamiya Tantra shows that Sri can also refer to Radhika. "The women of Vraja, Radha’s friends and intimate companions, desire the lotus feet of Krsna anointed with that kumkuma from her breasts. And the Pulinda women, taking it from the grass and plants (trna virudhah) on which that kumkuma was smeared, desire it also. (sb 10.21.17) . The cowherd boys herding the cows, great souls, refers to the priya narma sakhas. Some of them such as Subala having thoughts of attaining sentiments like the gopis, also desire that foot dust. Not only do all of these inhabitants of Vraja desire such foot dust, but they also desire the touch of those same feet (padasparsam). We also aspire for the touch of such feet."
Padasparsam can also be a modifier of the foot dust which touches his feet. Thus the meaning would be "The gopis desire the dust which touches his feet."
From the day that Uddhava, talking about prema rasa, described the excellence of Sri Radha’s form, prema, good fortune, sweetness, and her ability to control Krsna to the assembly of women, outside of Krsna’s presence, such a desire also arouse in them.
The eight queens headed by Rukmini felt themselves satisfied with their own good fortune and excellence and therefore did not develop that desire. However that deisre did arise in the sixteen thousand queens who were of less good fortune than the eight queens. Thus some say that after Krsna disappeared, taking the form of sixteen thousand cowherd men, he took the sixteen thousand queens from Arjuna on the road, and brought them to Gokula.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Lakṣmī is better than all women. How will you attain what she attains? He is attained by greatness of prema not by greatness of being a women or anything else. It has previously been said the Pulinda women had their desires fulfilled. (SB 10.21.17) Similarly the grass and bushes, the creepers and trees growing in Vṛndāvana had their desires fulfilled. (SB 10.35.9) The women of Vraja, the Pulindas, the trees and creepers and the cowherds all desire the touch of his feet. The degree of prema is from superior (women of Vraja) to lesser. The women of Vraja desire that touch, what to speak of the Pulindas. The creepers (vīrudhaḥ) are the best of plants (tṛṇa) because of having intimate contract with him when he herds the cows. What can be said? They all (female gender) desire that touch. The cowherds (males) desire the touch of his feet in order to massage them. They desire the touch of the feet of Kṛṣṇa who spreads everywhere by his power (mahātmanaḥ) and herds the cows by his mercy. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that verse 41 is in answer to the question “Since you household women enjoy all wealth, why do you desire him?” They have desire for nothing but him. Verse 42 is in answer to the question, “Why do you desire the dust from his feet? If you do not desire anything else, why do you also desire the dust?”
Another meaning is as follows. Concerning verse 41, śruti (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) speaks of various degrees of happiness starting with that of humans. If human happiness is multiplied ten thousand times it is the happiness of Brahmā. This is the highest happiness. The happiness of parabrahman is unlimited (ānantyam). Yato vāco nivartante: words cannot describe it. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad) What then to speak of the happiness of sāmīpya with the Lord, the husband of Lakṣmī? We do not desire any of those things, even secondarily. We do not want them as secondary goals. “What do you desire to attain more than that?” We desire to carry that dust of his feet on our heads. We take him as our husband. Moreover, we desire those feet possessing the fragrance of Lakṣmī’s kumkuma. “But you have given up the foot of the husband of Lakṣmī perfumed with her kuṁkuma. If śrī means Rukmiṇī, you have attained that foot dust with her kuṁkuma.” To make this understood, they then speak the present verse.
pūrṇāḥ pulindya urugāya-padābja-rāga
śrī-kuṅkumena dayitā-stana-maṇḍitena
tad-darśana-smara-rujas tṛṇa-rūṣitena
limpantya ānana-kuceṣu jahus tad-ādhim
The aborigine women of the Vṛndāvana area become disturbed by lust when they see the grass marked with reddish kuṅkuma powder. Endowed with the color of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, this powder originally decorated the breasts of his beloveds, and when the aborigine women smear it on their faces and breasts, they feel fully satisfied and give up all their anxiety. SB 10.21.17
According to these words, the queens desire what the women of Vraja desire. The present tense is used to show continuous desire. In listing the Pulinda women and others, the queens desire to state their qualification for attaining that dust. They desired what the plants obtained:
kevalena hi bhāvena gopyo gāvo nagā mṛgāḥ
ye ’nye mūḍha-dhiyo nāgāḥ siddhā mām īyur añjasā
The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the gopīs, cows, unmoving creatures such as the twin arjuna trees, animals, living entities with stunted consciousness such as bushes and thickets, and snakes such as Kāliya, all achieved the perfection of life by unalloyed love for me and thus very easily achieved me. SB 11.12.8
Some of the cowherds herding the cows were priya-sakhas. Though they also took pleasure in such dust, they were unqualified since they were males. Thus they are placed last in the list. The meaning is this. She who is famous as Lakṣmī desired this also, but she did not attain it. The wives of Kāliya say:
kasyānubhāvo ’sya na deva vidmahe
tavāṅghri-reṇu-sparaśādhikāraḥ
yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo
vihāya kāmān su-ciraṁ dhṛta-vratā
O Lord, we do not know how the serpent Kāliya has attained this great opportunity of being touched by the dust of your lotus feet. For this end, the goddess of fortune performed austerities for centuries, giving up all other desires and taking austere vows. SB 10 16.37
Rukmiṇī who is famous as Śrī also did not attain it, since she was not a woman of Vraja, belonging to a different time and place. The desire of Lakṣmī is also stated in the following:
nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ
svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto ’nyāḥ
rāsotsave ’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha-
labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-sundarīṇām
The gopīs received benedictions from the Lord that neither Lakṣmī nor the most beautiful dancers in the heavenly planets could attain. In the rāsa dance, the Lord showed his favor to the most fortunate gopīs by placing his arms on their shoulders and dancing with each of them individually. No one can compare with the gopīs, who received the causeless mercy of the Lord. SB 10.47.60
It is said that the women of Vraja more qualified than Rukmiṇī. In Skanda Purāṇa it is said rukmiṇī dvāravatyāṁ tu rādhā vṛndāvane vane: Rukmiṇī is in Dvārakā what Rādhā is in the forest of Vṛndāvana.
devī kṛṣṇa-mayī proktā rādhikā para-devatā
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva kāntiḥ sammohinī parā
The goddess Rādhārāṇī is the direct counterpart of Kṛṣṇa. She is the embodiment of all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all attractiveness to attract the Lord. Gautamīya-tantra
Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra also says that Rādhā is supreme among all the gopīs and reigns as Śrī. The gopīs also describe Rādhā:
anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
yan no vihāya govindaḥ prīto yām anayad rahaḥ
Certainly this particular gopī has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Govinda, since he was so pleased with her that he abandoned the rest of us and brought her to a secluded place. SB 10.30.28
apy eṇa-patny upagataḥ priyayeha gātrais
tanvan dṛśāṁ sakhi su-nirvṛtim acyuto vaḥ
kāntāṅga-saṅga-kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ
kunda-srajaḥ kula-pater iha vāti gandhaḥ
O friend, wife of the deer, has Acyuta been here with his beloved, bringing great joy to your eyes? Indeed, blowing this way is the fragrance of his garland of kunda flowers, which was smeared with the kuṅkuma from the breasts of his girlfriend when he embraced her. SB 10.30.11
Thus the queens desire what the gopīs desired. The queens desired that there would be an appearance of his feet perfumed with kuṁkuma with an appearance of similar prema. Not only did they desire the foot dust but they desired a similar touch of his feet. We also desire him. Or, we desire the touch of his feet with its dust. There is non-difference of the two since both have unfailing results. Kṛṣṇa’s nature is to have the best manifestation (ātmanaḥ) of beauty and other equalities which spread everywhere (mahā). Ṣukadeva says:
tatrātiśuśubhe tābhir bhagavān devakī-sutaḥ
madhye maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ mahā-marakato yathā
In the midst of the dancing gopīs, Kṛṣṇa appeared most brilliant, like an exquisite sapphire in the midst of golden ornaments. SB 10.33.6
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
It has previously been said that the Pulinda women had their desires fulfilled. (SB 10.21.17) Similarly the grass and bushes, the creepers and trees growing in Vṛndāvana had their desires fulfilled. (SB 10.35.9) The list starts with the most excellent of those who desired the dust with prema, the women of Vraja. The women of Vraja desired that dust, what to speak of the Pulinda women. The grass is superior to the bushes since the grass more readily receives that dust while Kṛṣṇa herds the cows. What can be said? They all (female gender) desire that touch. The cowherds (males) desire the touch of his feet in order to massage them. By prema they can attain that dust. The cause of their desire is explained. He has sweet pastimes. Though he is full of powers (mahātmanaḥ) he herds the cows (gāva’c cārantaḥ). Or he herds cows because he is the great lord (mahātmanaḥ).
“Since you household women enjoy all wealth, why do you desire him?” They have desire for nothing but him. Or one should see their statement “We do not desire any wealth at all.” We desire only this. They explain the reason in this verse. The repetition of statements is resolved.
Or though the foot dust is endowed with fragrance of kuṁkuṁa from the breast of Ṛukmiṇī or Lakṣmī, we desire the dust, though we compete with her. This verse gives the reason. The gopīs also desire that dust. The gopīs attained greater mercy than Lakṣmī:
nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ
svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto ’nyāḥ
rāsotsave ’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha-
labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-sundarīṇām
The gopīs received benedictions from the Lord that neither Lakṣmī nor the most beautiful dancers in the heavenly planets could attain. In the rāsa dance, the Lord showed his favor to the most fortunate gopīs by placing his arms on their shoulders and dancing with each of them individually. No one can compare with the gopīs, who received the causeless mercy of the Lord. SB 10.47.60
That the gopīs desired that dust shows its special greatness. “The gopīs were qualified because they had special sweet prema which was most intense. How can you desire that dust when you are not qualified?” They answer, “Even the Pulinda women and cow herd boys desire it.” By his mercy we can also attain it. That mercy is described. He has eternal qualities (mahātmanaḥ) like compassion. Thus he herds the cows (gāś cārantaḥ). Or he reveals everything of his nature as bhagavān to you (mahātmanaḥ). Draupadī and others were finally satisfied.
Or we do not desire a kingdom or liberation because (yat) the women of Vraja, though superior to Lakṣmī in good fortune, desired only his foot dust. Thus we, like them, desire only the touch of his feet, as he herds cows in Vṛndāvana. “As the rarest attainment, you should not desire it.” That is true, but though rare, we desire it just as the Pulinda women desired it. Just as the gopīs and cowherds in Vṛndāvana desire it though it is rare, so we also desire it here. Though we think about it, we cannot give up that desire.
Or since the women of Vraja desire only the touch of his feet as he herds cows, we do not desire a kingdom. Rather we also desire the foot dust of he who herds cows. Though they had the good fortune to marry the Lord, they speak as eternal servants, giving up their identity as wives of the lord, out of humility, because of great bhakti.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Eighty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa."
10.84: The Sages' Teachings at Kurukṣetra
verses: Summary, 1, 2-5, 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, 70, 71
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes the arrival of great sages at Kurukṣetra to observe the auspicious occasion of a solar eclipse, the sages' glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Vasudeva's enthusiastic performance of sacrifices.
On the occasion of a solar eclipse at Kurukṣetra, exalted ladies like Kuntī, Draupadī and Subhadrā got the chance to associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa's queens. Seeing how much the Lord's consorts loved their husband, the ladies were struck with wonder. As the women talked among themselves, and the men did likewise, great sages headed by Nārada and Vyāsadeva arrived there, desiring to see Lord Kṛṣṇa. The various kings and other leading personalities who were sitting at their leisure, including the Pāṇḍavas, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, stood up as soon as they saw the sages. The leaders all bowed down to the great souls, inquired about their well-being and worshiped them by offering them sitting places, water and so on. Lord Kṛṣṇa then said, "Now our lives are successful, for we have obtained the goal of life: the audience of great sages and yoga masters, which even demigods only rarely obtain. The water at a holy place of pilgrimage and the deity forms of the gods can purify one only after a long time, but saintly sages purify just by being seen. Those who identify themselves with their bodies and neglect to honor transcendental sages like you are no better than asses."
After hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa speak these words in the mood of a mere mortal, the sages remained silent for some time, bewildered. Then they said, "How amazing our Lord is! He covers His true identity with humanlike activities and pretends to be subject to superior control. Surely He has spoken in this way only to enlighten the general populace. Such behavior of His is indeed inconceivable." The sages continued to glorify the Lord as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, and the friend and worshiper of the brāhmaṇas.
After the sages had praised Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa offered them His obeisances, and they begged His permission to return to their hermitages. But just then Vasudeva came forward, bowed to the sages and asked, "What activities can one perform to be freed from the bondage of fruitive work?" The sages replied, "By worshiping the Supreme Lord, Hari, through the performance of Vedic sacrifices, you will become free from the bondage of fruitive work." Vasudeva then requested the sages to act as his priests, and he arranged for Vedic sacrifices to be performed with superexcellent paraphernalia. Afterward, Vasudeva presented the priests with valuable gifts of cows and jewelry, and also with marriageable brāhmaṇa girls. He then performed the ritual bath marking the end of the sacrifice and fed everyone sumptuously, even the village dogs. Next he gave ample gifts to his relatives, the various kings and others, who all took Śrī Kṛṣṇa's leave and returned to their own homes.
Unable to depart because of his intense affection for his relatives, Nanda Mahārāja remained at Kurukṣetra for three months, served with reverence by the Yādavas. On one occasion, Vasudeva began to describe the deep friendship Nanda had shown him, shedding tears openly. At the end of three months, Nanda left for Mathurā with the fond farewells of all the Yādavas. When the Yādavas finally saw that the rainy season was about to begin, they returned to Dvārakā, where they related all that had happened at Kurukṣetra to the residents of their capital.