Devanagari
अजातपक्षा इव मातरं खगा:
स्तन्यं यथा वत्सतरा: क्षुधार्ता: ।
प्रियं प्रियेव व्युषितं विषण्णा
मनोऽरविन्दाक्ष दिदृक्षते त्वाम् ॥ २६ ॥
Verse text
ajāta-pakṣā iva mātaraṁ khagāḥ
stanyaṁ yathā vatsatarāḥ kṣudh-ārtāḥ
priyaṁ priyeva vyuṣitaṁ viṣaṇṇā
mano ’ravindākṣa didṛkṣate tvām
Synonyms
ajāta
—
pakṣāḥ — who have not yet grown wings
;
iva
—
like
;
mātaram
—
the mother
;
khagāḥ
—
small birds
;
stanyam
—
the milk from the udder
;
yathā
—
just as
;
vatsatarāḥ
—
the young calves
;
kṣudh
—
ārtāḥ — distressed by hunger
;
priyam
—
the beloved or husband
;
priyā
—
the wife or lover
;
iva
—
like
;
vyuṣitam
—
who is away from home
;
viṣaṇṇā
—
morose
;
manaḥ
—
my mind
;
aravinda
—
akṣa — O lotus-eyed one
;
didṛkṣate
—
wants to see
;
tvām
—
You .
Translation
O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds that have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them, as small calves tied with ropes await anxiously the time of milking, when they will be allowed to drink the milk of their mothers, or as a morose wife whose husband is away from home always longs for him to return and satisfy her in all respects, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O lotus-eyed Lord! As baby birds without developed wings always look for their mother to feed them, as small calves, distressed with hunger, desire to see the cow with milk in her udder, or as a morose wife, desires her husband who is away from home, I long to see you.
“Though I long for you, attaining you depends on you. I can do nothing in this regard.” He gives examples. Fearing owls and afflicted by hunger, baby birds, without having grown their wings, long to see their mother at every moment. Flapping their useless wings, thinking that the mother has come, they chirp and open their beaks. “Just as the mother bird comes and protects the babies from owls, and satisfies their hunger by placing small bugs she has brought one by one in their beaks, I will protect you from the three miseries and from enemies like Indra, and satisfy your desire by giving enjoyment of Svarga or Brahmaloka.”
But I do not desire anything except your sweetness. Thus, anything unfavorable for that attainment, such as bondage to the gross and subtle bodies of Vṛtra, only leads to the three miseries. He gives another example. Young calves (vatsatarāḥ), tied by a rope in a householder’s house, suffer because of hunger, with determination only to drink their mother’s milk. They desire their own happiness, the mother’s milk, without desiring to serve the mother cow. Not satisfied with this example, he gives another example.
The wife, morose because of affection and disturbed by separation, longs to see her husband who has gone to a distant land. Just as the wife, using all her senses, desires to make her husband happy, and also desires to make all her senses happy by her husband’s beauty, sweet voice, qualities actions and joking, so I also will serve you (and you will satisfy me). This was expressed in verse 24 with “May my mind remember the lord of my life, may my words chant your glories and may my body serve you.” The difference however is that the wife satisfies the husband by dāsya, sakhya and śṛṅgāra rasas (material), whereas I will satisfy you by dāsya-rasa (spiritual) only.
Purport
A pure devotee always yearns to associate personally with the Lord and render service unto Him. The examples given in this regard are most appropriate. A small baby bird is practically never satisfied except when the mother bird comes to feed it, a small calf is not satisfied unless allowed to suck the milk from the mother’s udder, and a chaste, devoted wife whose husband is away from home is never satisfied until she has the association of her beloved husband.