SB 10.9.17 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

एवं स्वगेहदामानि यशोदा सन्दधत्यपि । गोपीनां सुस्मयन्तीनां स्मयन्ती विस्मिताभवत् ॥ १७ ॥

Verse text

evaṁ sva-geha-dāmāni yaśodā sandadhaty api gopīnāṁ susmayantīnāṁ smayantī vismitābhavat

Synonyms

evam — in this manner ; sva — geha — dāmāni — all the ropes available in the household ; yaśodā — mother Yaśodā ; sandadhati api — although she was joining one after another ; gopīnām — when all the other elderly gopī friends of mother Yaśodā ; su — smayantīnām — were all taking pleasure in this funny affair ; smayantī — mother Yaśodā was also smiling ; vismitā abhavat — all of them were struck with wonder .

Translation

Thus mother Yaśodā joined whatever ropes were available in the household, but still she failed in her attempt to bind Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā’s friends, the elderly gopīs in the neighborhood, were smiling and enjoying the fun. Similarly, mother Yaśodā, although laboring in that way, was also smiling. All of them were struck with wonder.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Thus mother Yaśodā joined whatever ropes were available in the household, but still she failed in her attempt to bind Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā's friends, the elderly gopīs in the neighborhood, were smiling and enjoying the fun. Similarly, mother Yaśodā, although laboring in that way, was also smiling. All of them were struck with wonder. KB 10.9.17 Mother Yaśodā was smiling, but she was astonished. How was it happening?

Purport

Actually this incident was wonderful because Kṛṣṇa was only a child with small hands. To bind Him should have required only a rope not more than two feet long. All the ropes in the house combined together might have been hundreds of feet long, but still He was impossible to bind, for all the ropes together were still too short. Naturally mother Yaśodā and her gopī friends thought, “How is this possible?” Seeing this funny affair, all of them were smiling. The first rope was short by a measurement the width of two fingers, and after the second rope was added, it was still two fingers too short. If the shortness of all the ropes were added together, it must have amounted to the width of hundreds of fingers. Certainly this was astonishing. This was another exhibition of Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable potency to His mother and His mother’s friends.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

All the neighboring cowherd women were laughing (gopinam susmayantinam). Yasoda was astonished (vismita). "A rope of one hundred hastas does not fit around the waist of my son which measures only one fist. And that small waist is not getting any bigger. The rope is certainly not getting any shorter. But still the rope cannot go around him. That is the first amazing thing. When I tie the ropes together, each time, it is two fingers short, not three or four fingers. That is the second amazing thing."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The neighbors were broadly smiling. The possessive case indicates that she ignored them. Though she joined ropes with great determination, the rope was always insufficient to tie him. Her friends laughed in great wonder, but she ignored them. She joined all the ropes in the house including the churning ropes. Or she became united with the ropes by absorption in them. The genitive case can indicate the locative case. The meaning is then “When the gopīs smiled, she smiled out of astonishment.” On that day Rohiṇī had gone with Balarāma to Upananda’s house on an invitation. If Rohiṇī had been there she would have prevented Yaśodā from tying up Kṛṣṇa.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The neighbors were broadly smiling. The possessive case indicates that she ignored them. Though she joined ropes with great determination, the rope was always insufficient to tie him. Her friends laughed in great wonder, but she ignored them. She joined all the ropes in the house including the churning ropes. Or she became united with the ropes by absorption in them. The genitive case can indicate the locative case. The meaning is then “When the gopīs smiled, she smiled out of astonishment.” This was because the ropes could not bind him though they should have. This is the sweetness of the Lord revealing his powers during his infant pastimes. Though he was a limited size as a child, unlimited ropes could not bind him. This shows his unlimited nature. “One object cannot be simultaneously limited and unlimited. Was his limitation only an appearance or real? If the limitation is only apparent, it is actually false, not true, like the sun appearing to be the measurement of a hand though it is actually many yojanas in diameter. If it is a real limitation, then if you say he is also unlimited, people will laugh. The limitation is like being able to hold a sapphire in your hand.” This limitation is the rule concerning material objects. However, tarkāpratiṣṭhānāt: the spiritual is beyond material logic. (Brahma-sūtra 2.1.11) Since the lord is beyond logic because of his inconceivability and power, all contradictions are resolved in the Lord. acintyā khalu ye bhāvā taṁs tarkeṇa yojayet prakṛtibhyaḥ paraṁ yat tu tad acintyasya lakṣaṇam Inconceivable objects are beyond logical explanation. Objects beyond the material world have this inconceivable quality. Skanda Purāṇa asthūlaś cānaṇuś caiva sthūlo ‘ṇuś cāpi sarvataḥ avarṇaḥ sarvataḥ proktaḥ śyāmo raktānta-locanaḥ aiśvarya yogād bhavagān viruddhārtho abhidhīyate The Lord is not heavy and not small. But he is heavy and small at all times. He has no color at all but he is black with reddish eyes. Because of his endowment of powers, Bhagavān is said to have contrary characteristics. Kūrma Purāṇa That principle should be applied in all cases.