SB 10.84.66

SB 10.84.66

Devanagari

नन्दस्तु सख्यु: प्रियकृत् प्रेम्णा गोविन्दरामयो: । अद्य श्व इति मासांस्‍त्रीन् यदुभिर्मानितोऽवसत् ॥ ६६ ॥

Verse text

nandas tu sakhyuḥ priya-kṛt premṇā govinda-rāmayoḥ adya śva iti māsāṁs trīn yadubhir mānito ’vasat

Synonyms

nandaḥ Nanda ; tu and ; sakhyuḥ to his friend ; priya affection ; kṛt who showed ; premṇā out of his love ; govinda rāmayoḥ — for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma ; adya (I will go later) today ; śvaḥ (I will go) tomorrow ; iti thus saying ; māsān months ; trīn three ; yadubhiḥ by the Yadus ; mānitaḥ honored ; avasat he remained .

Translation

And on his part, Nanda was also full of affection for his friend Vasudeva. Thus during the following days Nanda would repeatedly announce, “I will be leaving later today” and “I will be leaving tomorrow.” But out of love for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma he remained there for three more months, honored by all the Yadus.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

And on his part, Nanda was also full of affection for his friend Vasudeva. Thus during the following days Nanda would repeatedly announce, "I will be leaving later today" and "I will be leaving tomorrow." But out of love for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma he remained there for three more months, honored by all the Yadus. KB 10.84.66 Nanda Mahārāja, desiring to please his friend Vasudeva and being affectionately bound with love for Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, passed three months in their association.

Purport

After settling that he would leave first thing in the morning, Nanda would then decide, “I’ll go later today,” and then, when the afternoon came, he would say, “I’ll just stay until tomorrow.” Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī suggests one possible reason for his procrastination: Nanda secretly intended to bring Kṛṣṇa back with him to Vraja but did not want to break Vasudeva’s heart. Thus his indecision continued for three months.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Then after three months, Nanda said, "O Krsna, whose one drop of face perspiration is worshipped by millions living entities, immediately go to Vraja. I cannot spend any more time here. O friend Vasdueva, please send Krsna to Vraja. O King Ugasena, you give the order to Vasudeva, my dear friend. If you do not do so, we will just now die before your eyes in the holy land of Kuruksetra. We did not come on the occasion of the eclipse to obtain pious credits, but all of us in Vraja were convinced in our hearts that if we did not see Krsna we would die, and if we saw Krsna we would live." Saying this, being satisfied by millions of ornaments and all desirable things, he departed. Then Vasudeva, being knowledgeable of time place and person, was advised by friends spoke to satisfy Nanda. " O friend, king of Vraja, you speak truthfully. How can I approve of any malice towards friends like you. Therefore by all means I will send Krsna to Vraja. But now let him take all of us, with relatives, friends and women to Dvaraka. Then, on another day at an auspicious moment, let him go to Vraja with no obstructions. I swear to this more than a thousand times. We have come with Krsna. Without him how can we return home? What will people say? You are learned in all matters. Please permit this. Please tell me my offense in requesting this to you." Ugrasena said, "O king of Vraja, I have been the surety of this. I swear to it. Even by force I will send Krsna to Vraja." In a private place Krsna said along Uddhava and Balarama, " O father, if I give them up today and go to Vraja, they will be close to death out of separation from me. Thousands of enemies stronger than Kesi or Arista will kill these kings. Being omniscient, I know my own future. Please listen while I speak. Returning to Dvaraka, I will then take advice and go to the rajasuya sacrifice of Yudhisthira. There I will kill Sisupala, and returning to Dvaraka will kill Salva. To kill Dantavakra I will then go near the south gate of Mathura. Killing him I will enter Vraja, see you, joyfully associate with you, and spend this life performing various playful pastimes. That has been written on my forehead by the creator. It is written on your forehead that you will suffer in separation from me until the time that I return. It is not possible to prevent these two fated situations from happening. Therefore give up your stubbornness and return to Vraja. During that time, my parents and my dear friends, you will be pained thinking you must suffer in separation as fated. But whenever you want to see me, feed me or play with me, you should just close your eyes. I will appear. Making all your difficulties insignificant, I will fulfill all your desires. This I promise. My friends afflicted with heat from the forest fire will testify." Nanda considering what was best for his son’s happiness, then said to Vasudeva and all others, "I agree." Saddened by relatives roused to incessant tears, taking all the gifts given by them, he departed with troops (yapitah) provided by the Yadavas. This explanation has been given based upon the two words (kamaih puryamanah), "His desires all being satisfied". These words would make no sense unless there were such an explanation of Nanda being completely satisfied. For Nanda and Yasoda, who could not believe at all that Krsna was the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, even if testified by Brahma or his sons and daughters, for who all material wealth and ornaments where considered trifling in comparison to just the remembrance of the treasure of happiness attained by touching the back of their finger to Krsna’s chin, how would it be possible to satisfy them with millions of silks and valuable furnishings given by Vasudeva? For arguments sake even if they were satisfied or could be satisfied, the text also mentions that not only Nanda and his wife, but all the inhabitants of Vraja, all the gopas and gopis and all his friends were satisfied. If one were to explain that Krsna’s mother and father, and also all his dear gopis and all his cowherd friends were satisfied simply by getting valuable ornaments cloth and jewels and departed to Vraja, then the prema of all of the inhabitants of Vraja must have disappeared, for from the statement in the bhakti rasamrta sindhu it is understood that the characteristic of prema is extreme possessiveness. Therefore, such an explanation should be rejected.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

Nanda did not reply to him since he knew Kṛṣṇa’s bhāva and had no doubts about Kṛṣṇa being his son. Kṛṣṇa had said “I will return to see my relatives after making my friends happy.” (SB 10.45.23) His integral affection is shown in Bhakti-rasāmrṭa-sindhu: devakyā vivṛta-prasū-caritayāpy unmṛjyamānānane bhūyobhir vasudeva-nandanatayāpy udghūṣyamāṇe janaiḥ | govinde mihira-grahotsukatayā kṣetraṁ kuror āgate premā vallava-nāthayor atitarām ullāsam evāyayau ||57|| When Kṛṣṇa went with an eager heart to Kurukṣetra to observe the solar eclipse, people glorified him as the son of Vasudeva. Devakī, performing activities suitable for a mother, wiped the tears from his face, while Nanda and Yaśodā’s prema simply increased even more. BRS 3.4.57 Would Nanda ask permission to leave? He was honored by Vasudeva and others. This increased daily and in this way he stayed for three months saying each day “I will go today or tomorrow” because of his firm prema for Kṛṣṇa and even for Balarāṁa who was his brother’s son, since the two boys gave him great bliss. The word tu indicates that Nanda had greater love in his dealings with Vasudeva than Vasudeva had in dealing with him. Having affection for his friend Vasudeva, he stayed three months. He did not indicate that Kṛṣṇa’s was his son and that he wanted to take him with him to Vraja.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Because of Vasudeva’s behavior, Nanda also acted differently (tu). Nanda was affectionate to Vasudeva (priya-kṛt). Moreover he stayed there for three months, because of great affection for Kṛṣṇa, the king of Gokula and Balarāma, who gave pleasure of Gokula. Why? He was honored by Vasudeva and other Yadus daily (today and tomorrow). Or honored, he stayed with the Yadus. By the word Govinda it is suggested that Nanda did not want to return to Vraja without Kṛṣṇa. He was insistent, angry out of love, on going to Vraja with his son who had come to Kurukṣetra. Or thinking, “My son will go to Vraja with us today or tomorrow.” Thus he stayed three months.