VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 47
The Gopî Reveals Her Emotions: The Song of the Bee
This chapter describes how Uddhava, on the order of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, delivered the Lord's message to the gopīs, consoled them and then returned to Mathurā.
When the young maidens of Vraja saw lotus-eyed Uddhava, who wore a yellow garment and attractive earrings, they were astonished at how much he resembled Kṛṣṇa. Thinking "Who is this?" they approached and encircled him. When they realized that Kṛṣṇa must have sent him, they brought him to a secluded place where he could speak to them confidentially.
The gopīs then began to remember the pastimes they had enjoyed with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and putting aside all ordinary propriety and shyness, they loudly wept. One gopī, while deeply meditating on Her association with Kṛṣṇa, noticed a bumblebee before Her. Imagining the bee to be a messenger from Him, She said, "Just as bees wander among various flowers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has abandoned the young girls of Vraja and developed affection for other women." The gopī continued to speak in this way, contrasting Her own supposed ill fortune to Her rival lovers' good fortune, all the while glorifying the names, forms, qualities and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She then declared that although Kṛṣṇa may have abandoned the gopīs, they could not possibly stop remembering Him for even a moment.
Uddhava tried to console the damsels of Vraja, who were so anxious to see Kṛṣṇa once again. Uddhava explained, "While ordinary persons must perform many pious deeds to qualify as servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you simple cowherd girls are so extremely fortunate that the Lord has favored you with the very highest degree of pure devotion for Him." Uddhava then related to them the Lord's message.
Quoting Lord Kṛṣṇa, Uddhava said, "I am the Supreme Soul and supreme shelter of all. By My potencies I create, maintain and destroy the cosmos. I am indeed most dear to you gopīs, but to increase your attraction for Me and intensify your remembrance of Me, I left you. After all, when a woman's beloved is far away, she fixes her mind upon him constantly. By incessantly remembering Me, you are sure to regain My association without delay.' "
The gopīs then asked Uddhava, "Is Kṛṣṇa happy now that Kaḿsa is dead and He can enjoy the company of His family members and the women of Mathurā? Does He still remember all the pastimes He enjoyed with us, such as the rāsa dance? Will Śrī Kṛṣṇa once again appear before us and give us ecstasy, just as Lord Indra, with his rain, gives life back to the forests aggrieved by the summer heat? Although we know that the greatest happiness comes from renunciation, we simply cannot stop hoping to attain Kṛṣṇa, for the marks of His lotus feet are still present throughout the land of Vraja, reminding us of His graceful gait, generous smiles and gentle talks. By all these our hearts have been stolen away."
Having said this, the gopīs loudly chanted Lord Kṛṣṇa's names, calling out, "O Govinda, please come and destroy our suffering!" Uddhava then pacified the gopīs with statements that dispelled their pain of separation, and they in turn worshiped him as nondifferent from Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Uddhava stayed in the district of Vraja for several months, giving pleasure to the residents by reminding them about Kṛṣṇa in various ways. Very satisfied at seeing the extent of the gopīs' love for the Lord, he declared, "These cowherd girls have perfected their lives by coming to the platform of unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, even Lord Brahmā is inferior to them. The goddess of fortune herself, who always resides on Kṛṣṇa's chest, could not get the same mercy as that which the gopīs obtained during the rāsa dance, when Kṛṣṇa embraced their necks with His mighty arms. What, then, to speak of other women! Indeed, I would consider myself most fortunate to take birth as even a bush or creeper that would sometimes be touched by the dust of these gopīs' lotus feet."
Finally, Uddhava entreated Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men for permission to go back to Mathurā. Nanda presented him with many gifts and prayed to Uddhava for the ability to always remember Kṛṣṇa. Returning to Mathurā, Uddhava offered Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and King Ugrasena the gifts sent by Nanda Mahārāja and described to them everything he had experienced in Vraja.
10.47.1-2
mukhāravindaḿ parimṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalam
kutaś ca kasyācyuta-veṣa-bhūṣaṇaḥ
(1-2) S'rî S'uka said: 'When the women of Vraja saw him, the servant of Krishna, with his long arms, being so young, with his lotus eyes, wearing a yellow garment and a lotus garland and with his effulgent lotuslike countenance and polished earrings, wondered they quite astonished from where this handsome man had come and to whom he, wearing Krishna's clothes and ornaments, belonged. With all of them talking like this crowded they eagerly around him who was sheltered by the lotus feet of Uttamas'loka [the Lord Praised in the Scriptures].
10.47.3
rahasy apṛcchann upaviṣṭam āsane
(3) In proper respect bowing down to him in humility and shyly smiling with their glances, sweet words and all, inquired they with him, having taken him separate and seated on a pillow, for they had understood that he was an envoy of the Master of the Goddess of Fortune.
The chaste gopīs were enlivened to see that a messenger had come from Kṛṣṇa. As Uddhava will discover during his stay in Vṛndāvana, the unique gopīs could not think of anything but their beloved Kṛṣṇa.
10.47.4
bhartreha preṣitaḥ pitror
(4) 'We know that you arrived here as the personal associate of the chief of the Yadus who as your Master has sent you here to satisfy by your mediation His parents.
10.47.5
snehānubandho bandhūnāḿ
muner api su-dustyajaḥ
(5) We wouldn't know what there would be else for Him worth to remember in these cow pastures; the bonds of affection with one's relatives are even for a sage difficult to relinquish.
10.47.6
yāvad-artha-viḍambanam
sumanaḥsv iva ṣaṭpadaiḥ
(6) The interest in others manifests itself as friendship for as long as it takes; it is a pretense as good as the interest that bees show for flowers or that men show for women.
that attractive women, like flowers, possess beauty, fragrance, tenderness, charm and so on. And as bees drink only once of a flower's nectar and then leave it for another, fickle men abandon beautiful and devoted women to pursue other pleasures. This tendency is condemned here by the gopīs, who gave their hearts completely to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs wanted only to exhibit their charms for Lord Kṛṣṇa's pleasure, and in the pain of separation they questioned the motives of His friendship with them.
These are the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Both Lord Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs are completely liberated souls engaged in spiritual loving affairs. By contrast, our so-called loving affairs, being perverted reflections of the perfect loving relationships in the spiritual world, are polluted with lust, greed, pride and so on. Like all liberated souls, the gopīs — and certainly Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself — are eternally free of these lower qualities, and their intense loving affairs are motivated exclusively by unalloyed devotion.
10.47.7
ṛtvijo datta-dakṣiṇam
(7) Prostitutes abandon a penniless man, citizens an incompetent king, graduates abandon their teacher and priests one abandons after compensating them.
10.47.8
dagdhaḿ mṛgās tathāraṇyaḿ
(8) Birds do so with a tree rid of the fruits and guests with the house where they ate; animals abandon the forest that burned down and likewise does a lover so once he has enjoyed an enamored woman.'
10.47.9-10
(9-10) The gopîs with Uddhava, the messenger of Krishna, having arrived in their midst, did so with their speech, bodies and minds aiming at Krishna, put aside their worldly concerns, singing and crying without restraint in the intense memory of the youth and childhood activities of their Sweetheart.
The word bālyayoḥ here indicates that ever since their childhood, the gopīs had been completely in love with Kṛṣṇa. Thus even though social custom dictated that they not reveal their love to others, they forgot all external considerations and wept openly before Kṛṣṇa's messenger, Uddhava.
10.47.11
kācin madhukaraḿ dṛṣṭvā
kalpayitvedam abravīt
(11) One [noted as Râdhâ, see also *] seeing a honeybee while meditating the association with Krishna imagined it a messenger sent by her Beloved and spoke the following.
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is referred to in this verse as kācit, "a certain gopī."To establish that this particular gopī is in fact Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from the Agni Purāṇa:
gopyaḥ papracchur ūṣasi
kṛṣṇānucaram uddhavam
sakhībhiḥ sābhyadhāc chuddha-
caramāḿśa-vibhāvanaiḥ
"At dawn the gopīs inquired from Kṛṣṇa's servant, Uddhava, about the Lord's pastimes and recreation. Only Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, immersed in thought of Kṛṣṇa, withdrew Her interest in the talks. Then Rādhā, who is worshiped by the residents of Her Vṛndāvana village, spoke up in the midst of Her girlfriends. Her words were full of pure transcendental knowledge and expressed the ultimate portion of the Vedas."In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: "By all the Vedas, I am to be known." To know Kṛṣṇa is to love Kṛṣṇa, and thus Rādhārāṇī, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.
Having quoted the above verses from the Agni Purāṇa, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes the following from the Nṛsiḿha-tāpanī Upaniṣad (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 2.4): yaḿ sarve devā namanti mumukṣavo brahma-vādinaś ca. "All the demigods and all the transcendental philosophers who desire liberation bow down to the Supreme Lord." We should follow suit.
10.47.12
gopy uvāca
madhupa kitava-bandho mā spṛśańghriḿ sapatnyāḥ
vahatu madhu-patis tan-māninīnāḿ prasādaḿ
(12) The gopî said: 'O honeybee, you friend of a cheater, don't touch my feet with your whiskers carrying the kunkum from His garland that rubbed off from the breasts of our rival; He who has sent a messenger such as you is derided in the assembly of the Yadus - let the Lord of Madhu [Himself instead] be of mercy with the women! [prajalpa **]
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī indirectly chastised Kṛṣṇa by chastising the bumblebee, which She took for His messenger. She addressed the bumblebee as madhupa, "one who drinks the nectar (of flowers)," and She addressed Kṛṣṇa as madhu-pati, "the Lord of Madhu."
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that this and the following nine verses exemplify ten kinds of impulsive speech spoken by a lover. This verse illustrates the qualities of prajalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse from his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.182):
asūyerṣyā-mada-yujā
yo 'vadhīraṇa-mudrayā
priyasyākauśalodgāraḥ
prajalpaḥ sa tu kīrtyate
"Prajalpa is speech that denigrates the tactlessness of one's lover with expressions of disrespect. It is spoken in a mood of envy, jealousy and pride." Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word kitava-bandho expresses envy; the phrase from sapatnyāḥ to naḥ, jealousy; the phrase mā spṛśa ańghrim, pride; and the phrase from vahatu to prasādam, disrespect, while the phrase from yadu-sadasi to the end of the verse decries Kṛṣṇa's tactless treatment of Rādhārāṇī.10.47.13
(13) Once He made us drink the nectar from His bewildering lips, but He has suddenly abandoned us like we were some flowers; I wonder why, like you [o bee], the goddess of fortune [Padmâ] serves His lotusfeet - that must be so because, alas, by the chitchat of Krishna her mind has been stolen [parijalpa ***].
In this verse Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continues to compare Śrī Kṛṣṇa to the bumblebee, and in Her distress She states that the reason the goddess of fortune is constantly devoted to His lotus feet must be that she has been fooled by Kṛṣṇa's promises. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this statement of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's illustrates parijalpa, as described in Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.184):
prabhor nidayatā-śāṭhya-
cāpalyādy-upapādanāt
sva-vicakṣaṇatā-vyaktir
"Parijalpa is that speech which, through various devices, shows one's own cleverness by exposing the mercilessness, duplicity, unreliability and so on of one's Lord."10.47.14
adhipatim agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ purāṇam
(14) O mister sixlegs, why are you singing here so much about the Master of the Yadus in front of us, old friends of the Friend of Vijaya [Arjuna], who abandoned their homes; you better sing of His topics before the [present] girlfriends of whom He [now has] relieved of the pain of their breasts - His sweethearts will provide you the charity you seek [vijalpa *4].
With the words agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ, Rādhārāṇī laments that even though She and the other gopīs gave up their homes to love Kṛṣṇa in a conjugal relationship, the Lord left them and became a prince in the great royal city of the Yadus. Besides meaning "Arjuna, the victor," the word vijaya also directly indicates Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always victorious in His endeavors, and besides meaning "old (news)," the word purāṇam also indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is glorified in the ancient Vedic scriptures of that name.
In this verse we observe in Rādhārāṇī's mood the seed of jealous anger, which arises from an apparent disdain for Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by a sarcastic sidelong glance directed toward Him. Thus this verse fits the following description of vijalpa from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.186):
vyaktayāsūyayā gūḍha-
māna-mudrāntarālayā
"According to learned authorities, vijalpa is sarcastic speech that is addressed to the killer of Agha and that openly expresses jealousy while at the same time hinting at one's angry pride."10.47.15
(15) What women in heaven, on earth and below would not be available to Him so deceptive with His charming smiles and arching eyebrows; what is, when the wife of the Fortunate One is of worship with the dust of the feet, the value of us, we for whom being so wretched indeed He at least is there by the sound of 'Uttamas'loka' [ujjalpa *5]?
that Rādhārāṇī's speech, expressing all the feelings of a disappointed lover, indicates an intensity of love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa surpassing even that of the goddess of fortune. While all the gopīs are perfectly compatible with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in terms of their beauty, temperament and so on, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is especially so. In Her forlorn state, Rādhārāṇī indicates to Kṛṣṇa, "You are called Uttamaḥśloka because You are merciful to the wretched and fallen, but if You would be merciful to Me, then You would actually deserve this exalted name."
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī expresses Her spite born of pride, accuses Kṛṣṇa of being a cheater and finds fault with His behavior. Thus this verse contains speech known as ujjalpa, as described in the following verse of the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.188):
hareḥ kuhakatākhyānaḿ
garva-garbhitayerṣyayā
dhīrair ujjalpa īryate
"The declaration of Lord Hari's duplicitous nature in a mood of spite born of pride, together with jealously spoken insults directed against Him, has been termed ujjalpa by the wise."10.47.16
(16) Keep your head off my foot! I know you, you expert who as a messenger from Mukunda learned the diplomacy of flatter! Why should I reconcile with Him who so ungrateful abandoned us, who for His sake in this life have abandoned their children, husbands and everything else [sañjalpa *6]?
the qualities of sañjalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse of his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.190):
solluṇṭhayā gahanayā
kayāpy ākṣepa-mudrayā
tasyākṛta-jñatādy-uktiḥ
sañjalpaḥ kathito budhaiḥ
"The learned describe sañjalpa as that speech which decries with deep irony and insulting gestures the beloved's ungratefulness and so on." Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word ādi, "and so on," implies the perception in one's lover of hardheartedness, of an inimical attitude and of a complete lack of love.10.47.17
(17) Against the rules shot He [as Râma, see 9.10 & 11] as cruel as a hunter the king of the monkeys [Vâlî], was He won by a woman [Sîtâ], did He disfigure a woman driven by lust [S'ûrpanakhâ, the sister of Râvana] and did He, after consuming His tribute [as Vâmana], bind Bali up like a crow [see 8.21]; so therefore enough of that Black Boy whom of all friendships is so hard to give up with us losing ourselves in the topics about Him [avajalpa *7].
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the meaning of this verse as follows: "[Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī said to the bee,] 'You poor messenger, you are only a less intelligent servant. You do not know much about Kṛṣṇa — how ungrateful and hardhearted He has been, not only in this life but in His previous lives also. We have heard this from Our grandmother Paurṇamāsī. She has informed Us that Kṛṣṇa was born in a kṣatriya family previous to this birth and was known as Rāmacandra. In that birth, instead of killing Vālī, an enemy of His friend, in the manner of a kṣatriya, He killed him just like a hunter. A hunter takes a secure hiding place and then kills an animal without facing it. So Lord Rāmacandra, as a kṣatriya, should have fought with Vālī face to face, but instigated by His friend, He killed him from behind a tree. Thus He deviated from the religious principles of a kṣatriya. Also, He was so attracted by the beauty of Sītā that He converted Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of Rāvaṇa, into an ugly woman by cutting off her nose and ears. Śūrpaṇakhā proposed an intimate relationship with Him, and as a kṣatriya He should have satisfied her. But He was so henpecked that He could not forget Sītā-devī and converted Śūrpaṇakhā into an ugly woman. Before that birth as a kṣatriya, He took birth as a brāhmaṇa boy known as Vāmanadeva and asked charity from Bali Mahārāja. Bali was so magnanimous that he gave Him whatever he had, yet Kṛṣṇa as Vāmanadeva ungratefully arrested him just like a crow and pushed him down to the Pātāla kingdom. We know all about Kṛṣṇa and how ungrateful He is. But here is the difficulty: In spite of His being so cruel and hardhearted, it is very difficult for us to give up talking about Him.' "
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that this speech of Rādhārāṇī's is called avajalpa, as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.192):
harau kāṭhinya-kāmitva-
dhaurtyād āsakty-ayogyatā
yatra serṣyā-bhiyevoktā
"Saintly persons have concluded that when a lover, impelled by jealousy and fear, declares that Lord Hari is unworthy of her attachment because of His harshness, lustiness and dishonesty, such speech is called avajalpa."10.47.18
sakṛd-adana-vidhūta-dvandva-dharmā vinaṣṭāḥ
(18) The ears, just once partaking in a drop of the nectar of the pastimes He constantly performed, do remove one entirely from the duality and ruin the personal duties right away, because of which, rejecting their miserable homes and families, many people out here like birds pursue the livelihood of begging [abhijalpa *8].
Material duality is based on falsely thinking, "This is mine, and that is yours," or "This is our country, and that is yours," or "This is my family, and that is yours," and so on. In fact, there is one Absolute Truth, in which we all exist and to whom everything belongs. His beauty and pleasure are also absolute and infinite, and if one actually hears about this Absolute Truth, called Kṛṣṇa, one's dedication to the illusion of mundane duality is spoiled.
According to the ācāryas, and certainly in accord with Sanskrit grammar, the last two words of the second line of this text may also be divided dharma-avinaṣṭāḥ. Then the entire line becomes part of a single compound, the meaning of which is that hearing about Kṛṣṇa cleanses one of irreligious duality and thus one is not vanquished (avinaṣṭa) by material illusion. The word dīnāḥ is then given the alternate reading of dhīrāḥ, meaning that one becomes spiritually sober and thus gives up attachment to fleeting material relationships. The word vihańgāḥ, "birds," would in this case refer to swans, the symbol of essential discrimination.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī quotes Rūpa Gosvāmī as follows in connection with this verse:
bhańgyā tyāgaucitī tasya
khagānām api khedanāt
tad bhaved abhijalpitam
"When a lover indirectly states with remorse that her beloved is fit to be given up, such speech, uttered like the plaintive crying of a bird, is called abhijalpa." (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.194)10.47.19
kulika-rutam ivājñāḥ kṛṣṇa-vadhvo hariṇyaḥ
(19) We, taking His deceptive speech for true, as foolish doe wives of the black deer trusting the hunter's song, repeatedly experienced this sharp pain of lust caused by the touch of His fingernails; o messenger, I beg, speak of another subject [âjalpa * 9]!
10.47.20
(20) O sweet friend, have you by my Beloved once again been sent here - please choose whatever you wish, you are to be honored by me my dearest - why are you with us here raising this conflict of feelings with Him that is so impossible to give up; o gentle one, isn't there always present at His side His consort, the goddess of fortune S'rî, to His chest [pratijalpa * 10]?
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the context of this verse: "While Rādhārāṇī was talking with the bee and the bee was flying hither and thither, it all of a sudden disappeared from Her sight. She was in full mourning due to separation from Kṛṣṇa and felt ecstasy by talking with the bee. But as soon as the bee disappeared, She became almost mad, thinking that the messenger-bee might have returned to Kṛṣṇa to inform Him all about Her talking against Him. 'Kṛṣṇa must be very sorry to hear it,' She thought. In this way She was overwhelmed by another type of ecstasy.
"In the meantime, the bee, flying hither and thither, appeared before Her again. She thought, 'Kṛṣṇa is still kind to Me. In spite of the messenger's carrying disruptive messages, He is so kind that He has again sent the bee to take Me to Him.' Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was very careful this time not to say anything against Kṛṣṇa."
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the goddess of fortune, Śrī, has the power to assume many different forms. Thus when Kṛṣṇa enjoys other women, she stays on His chest in the form of a golden line. When He is not consorting with other women, she puts aside this form and gives Him pleasure in Her naturally beautiful form of a young woman.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this statement of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's expresses pratijalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:
dustyaja-dvandva-bhāve 'smin
prāptir nārhety anuddhatam
dūta-sammānanenoktaḿ
"When the lover humbly states that although she is unworthy of attaining her beloved she cannot give up hoping for a conjugal relationship with Him, such words, spoken with respect for her beloved's message, are called pratijalpa." (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.198)Here Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has given up Her harsh feelings and humbly acknowledges the greatness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.47.21
(21) It certainly is regrettable that the son of Nanda now resides in Mathurâ; does He remember the household affairs of His father, His friends and the cowherd boys so now and then, o great soul, or..., does He still in talks relate to us, the maidservants? When do we have a chance that He will lay His aguru-scented hand on our heads [sujalpa * 11]?'
It is commented with deep spiritual insight, about the emotions expressed in this and the previous nine verses. He interprets Rādhārāṇī's feelings as follows:
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī thought, "Since Kṛṣṇa was once satisfied in Vraja but left for Mathurā City, won't He also develop a desire to leave that place and go somewhere else? Mathurā is so close to Vṛndāvana that it's possible He may even come back here.
"Kṛṣṇa is the son of a respectable gentleman, Nanda Mahārāja, so He must be staying in Mathurā because of His sense of obligation to His father, who authorized His going there. On the other hand, while Nanda's whole life is dedicated exclusively to Kṛṣṇa, Nanda is so innocent that he allowed himself to be tricked by the Yadus, who brought Kṛṣṇa to Mathurā. Kṛṣṇa must be thinking, 'Alas, alas! Since even My father could not bring Me back to Vraja, what can I do to return there?' Thus Kṛṣṇa must be impatient to come back here, and so He has sent you, a messenger.
"It is only because Nanda is so innocent that he allowed his son to leave. If Nanda had allowed Kṛṣṇa's mother, the queen of Vraja, to do so, she would have climbed onto Akrūra's chariot and, holding her son by the neck, gone off to Mathurā with Him, followed by all the gopīs. But this was not possible.
"Ever since Kṛṣṇa left, Nanda has been stunned by separation from Him, and Nanda's treasury rooms, storehouses, kitchens, sleeping quarters, opulent houses and so on are now vacant. Unswept and uncleansed, they are littered with grass, dust, leaves and cobwebs. Does Kṛṣṇa ever remember His father's houses? And does He sometimes remember Subala and His other friends, who are now lying stunned in other neglected houses?
"The women in Mathurā who now associate with Kṛṣṇa cannot know how to serve Him in the way that pleases Him most. When they see He is not satisfied and ask how they can make Him happy, does He tell them about us gopīs?
"Kṛṣṇa must tell them, 'You city ladies cannot please Me as much as the gopīs of Vraja. They are most expert in stringing flower garlands, perfuming their bodies with ointments, playing various rhythms and melodies on stringed instruments, dancing and singing in the rāsa performance, displaying their beauty, charm and cleverness, and skillfully playing at questions and answers. They are especially expert in the pastimes of meeting one's lover and showing jealous anger and other signs of pure love and affection.' Surely Kṛṣṇa must know this. Therefore He'll probably tell the women of Mathurā, 'My dear women of the Yadu clan, please go back to your families. I no longer desire to associate with you. In fact, I'm going back to Vraja early tomorrow morning.'
"When will Kṛṣṇa speak like this and come back here to place His hand, fragrant with aguru, on our heads? Then He will console us, saying, 'O beloveds of My heart, I swear to you that I will never abandon you again and go elsewhere. Indeed, I have not been able to find anyone in all the three worlds with even a trace of your good qualities' "
Thus Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets the feelings of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The ācārya further explains that the present text displays the speech called sujalpa, as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī:
yatrārjavāt sa-gāmbhīryaḿ
sotkaṇṭhaḿ ca hariḥ pṛṣṭaḥ
"When, out of honest sincerity, a lover questions Śrī Hari with gravity, humility, unsteadiness and eagerness, such speech is known as sujalpa." (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.200)Concluding this section of Chapter Forty-seven, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that there are ten divisions of divine madness (divyonmāda), which are expressed by the ten divisions of citra-jalpa, or variegated speech. Such divine madness is shown in the special pastime of bewilderment, which is itself part of the supreme bliss, mahā-bhāva, of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The ācārya quotes the following verses from Rūpa Gosvāmī's Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.174, 178-80) to explain these ecstasies:
prāyo vṛndāvaneśvaryāḿ
etasya mohanākhyasya
gatiḿ kām apy upeyuṣaḥ
divyonmāda itīryate
preṣṭhasya suhṛd-āloke
gūḍha-roṣābhijṛmbhitaḥ
yas tīvrotkaṇṭhitāntimaḥ
prajalpaḥ parijalpitaḥ
vijalpo 'jjalpa-sañjalpaḥ
avajalpo 'bhijalpitam
ājalpaḥ pratijalpaś ca
sujalpaś ceti kīrtitaḥ
"It is virtually only within the princess of Vṛndāvana [Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī] that the ecstasy of bewilderment arises. She has attained to a special stage of this bewilderment, a wonderful state that resembles delusion. Known as divyonmāda, it has many aspects, which come and go unsteadily, and one of these manifestations is citra-jalpa. This talk, induced by Her seeing Her beloved's friend, is filled with covered anger and comprises many different ecstasies. It culminates in Her intense, anxious eagerness."This citra-jalpa has ten divisions, known as prajalpa, parijalpa, vijalpa, ujjalpa, sañjalpa, avajalpa, abhijalpa, ājalpa, pratijalpa and sujalpa."
Finally, some authorities say that Kṛṣṇa Himself, eager to drink the sweetness of His beloved's speech, assumed the form of the messenger bee.
10.47.22
athoddhavo niśamyaivaḿ
(22) S'rî S'uka said: 'Uddhava, having heard how the cowherd girls were hankering for the sight of Krishna, next in order to pacify them spoke of the messages of their Sweetheart.
10.47.23
(23) S'rî Uddhava said: 'You who in this manner dedicated your minds unto the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva, are for sure to be worshiped by all people, because you fulfilled the purpose of your good selves [of modeling the emotions of relating to Him].
10.47.24
śreyobhir vividhaiś cānyaiḥ
(24) By donating, vows [of poverty, celibacy and fasting], sacrifices, the rosary [japa], by study, and by turning inward concentrating and meditating, and by all kinds of other auspicious practices [see also yama, niyama, vidhi and bhâgavata dharma] is indeed unto Krishna the bhakti, the devotional service, realized.
Dāna: donations given to Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees. Vrata: observing vows such as Ekādaśī. Tapas: renunciation of sense gratification for Kṛṣṇa's sake. Homa: fire sacrifices dedicated to Viṣṇu. Japa: privately chanting the holy names of the Lord. Svādhyāya: study and recitation of Vedic texts such as the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad.
10.47.25
bhavatībhir anuttamā
(25) By your good selves unto the Supreme Lord, who is glorified in sublime poetry, have you - and my congratulations for that - established an unequaled devotion hard to attain even for the sages.
The term pravartitā indicates that the gopīs brought to this world a standard of pure love of God that was previously unknown on the earth. Thus Uddhava congratulates them on their unparalleled contribution to the religious life.
10.47.26
(26) To your good fortune you chose to leave your sons, husbands, physical comforts, relatives and homes to associate with that superior male personality named Krishna.
that the gopīs gave up their sense of possessiveness toward these objects. History shows that the gopīs remained in Vṛndāvana, living in their houses with their families. However, unlike ordinary persons, they entirely renounced the egoistical sense of possession of sons, husbands and so on. They never tried to enjoy them but rather gave their whole heart and mind to the Supreme Lord, as recommended in the great religious scriptures of the world. Following the example of the gopīs, we should love the Supreme Lord with all of our heart, soul and might.
10.47.27
sarvātma-bhāvo 'dhikṛto
(27) By the rightful claim of your wholehearted love in separation from Adhokshaja, o glorious ones, have you done me [the Lord and everyone] a great favor.
The gopīs showed not only Uddhava but the whole world the joy of love of Godhead, and thus they bestowed their mercy on everyone. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, because their loving devotion was executed in an appropriate way, their love brought the Supreme Lord under their control. Still, to show the intensity of their love, He apparently left them. But now He again manifested Himself among them, becoming spiritually present through their intense devotion.
10.47.28
bhavatīnāḿ sukhāvahaḥ
(28) Please, good ladies, hear what the message from your Beloved for you is for the reason of which I, as a faithful servant of my master's orders, came here.
10.47.29
bhavatīnāḿ viyogo me
bhūtendriya-guṇāśrayaḥ
(29) The Supreme Lord has said: 'You women are actually never separated from Me, who is ever present as the Soul of All; just as all the elements, the ether, the fire, the air, the water and the earth are part of all beings, am I likewise, to the elements of the mind, the life air, the senses, and their natural modes [guna, rasa and jalpa] there as their harbor.
the apparently philosophical language of the Lord's statement conceals a deeper meaning. The Supreme Lord was secretly telling the gopīs that He, by way of reciprocating their special love for Him, was present with them, not only as the Soul of all creation but also as their special lover. In this sense of the verse, the word guṇa indicates the gopīs' special divine qualities, which attracted Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the word sarvātmanā, which we have here translated in reference to Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself (corresponding to the word me, which is also in the instrumental case), is also understood in the sense of sarvathā, or "completely." In other words, although in one sense Lord Kṛṣṇa was absent, He could never be completely absent, since in His spiritual form He is always in the hearts and minds of the gopīs.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and other books, Śrīla Prabhupāda has elaborately explained that the reason Lord Kṛṣṇa separated Himself from the gopīs was to intensify their love for Him and, as Uddhava noted, to bless other devotees by revealing to them the intensity of the gopīs' love. In fact, the Lord was spiritually present with the gopīs, since they are His eternal associates.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further points out that foolish persons will conclude that Śrī Kṛṣṇa's use of philosophical language meant that the Lord was trying to bring the gopīs to the point of liberation by explaining basic points of Kṛṣṇa conscious philosophy. In truth, the gopīs are the most exalted liberated souls, and their pastimes with Śrī Kṛṣṇa must be understood with the help of authorized ācāryas. When the gopīs came for the rāsa dance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa tried to preach karma-yoga to them, emphasizing ordinary ethics and morality, but the gopīs were beyond that. Similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa now offers them jñāna-yoga, or metaphysical philosophy, but this is also inadequate for the gopīs, who have achieved spontaneous, unalloyed love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.47.30
ātmany evātmanātmānaḿ
ātma-māyānubhāvena
bhūtendriya-guṇātmanā
(30) Within Me do I Myself by means of Myself create, destroy and sustain through the power of My deluding potency that is made up by the elements, the senses and the modes.
Although the Lord is the supreme entity, there is no absolute duality between Him and His creation, since the creation is an extension of His being. This oneness is here emphasized by the Lord.
10.47.31
vyatirikto 'guṇānvayaḥ
(31) The soul full of pure spiritual knowledge is, concerning the effect of the modes of nature, uninvolved in what is perceived by the functions of deep sleep, dream sleep and waking consciousness.
It is clearly stated here that the soul, ātmā, is constituted of pure knowledge, pure consciousness, and is thus ontologically distinct from the material nature. "the Supreme Soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa." Since the Lord has just explained in the previous verses that all material phenomena are expansions of Himself, the phrase māyā-vṛttibhir īyate indicates that by studying this world deeply we will come to the perception of God. From this point of view also, the gopīs were advised not to lament.
10.47.32
yenendriyārthān dhyāyeta
tan nirundhyād indriyāṇi
(32) What one meditates by the senses that run after the objects is as false as a dream is when one wakes up; staying alert should one bring under control that what [in the mind] gathers from the input of the senses [compare B.G. 2: 68 and 6: 35-36].The verb pratipad means "to be perceived or restored." The soul that is vinidra, free from the dreamlike condition of material consciousness, is restored to its constitutional position as an eternal servitor of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus the soul is directly perceived by pure consciousness.
10.47.33
etad-antaḥ samāmnāyo
samudrāntā ivāpagāḥ
(33) This, like all rivers ending in the ocean, is of the intelligent the end conclusion to all vedic studies, yoga, analysis, renunciation, penance, sense control and truthfulness [compare B.G. 2: 70].
Here the Lord states that all Vedic literature is meant ultimately to bring the soul to the point of controlling the mind and senses and fixing them in transcendental self-realization. Thus processes of so-called yoga, mysticism or religion that involve unrestricted sense gratification are not actually spiritual processes but rather convenient ways for foolish people to justify their beastly behavior.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here assures the gopīs that by fixing their minds in self-realization, they will realize their spiritual oneness with the Lord. Thus they will no longer suffer the pangs of separation.
10.47.34
yat tv ahaḿ bhavatīnāḿ vai
manasaḥ sannikarṣārthaḿ
(34) The fact then that I, who is so dear to your eyes, indeed am situated so far away from you, is according My wish that you, in your solicitude towards Me, are attracted to Me in the mind.
Sometimes that which is close to our eyes is far from our heart and mind, and conversely absence makes the heart grow fonder. Although apparently going far away from the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa was bringing them closer to Him on the spiritual platform.
10.47.35
sannikṛṣṭe 'kṣi-gocare
(35) For the minds of women remain absorbed when the one dearest to them is far away and not so much the minds of those who have him present directly before their eyes.
the same holds true for men, who become more absorbed in thinking of a beloved woman when she is far away than when she is present before their eyes.
10.47.36
acirān mām upaiṣyatha
(36) Your minds totally absorbed in Me will - because of the constant remembrance of Me - having given up on all the restlessness, soon obtain Me.
10.47.37
(37) Those remaining here in Vraja while I was sporting at night in the forest [see 10.29: 9] and for that reason not experienced the râsa dance, were as fortunate to achieve Me by thinking of My heroic acts.'
10.47.38
evaḿ priyatamādiṣṭam
(38) S'rî S'uka said: 'The women of Vraja hearing the instructions this way imparted by their Beloved, next addressed Uddhava, pleased as they were to have their memories revived by the message.
10.47.39
gopya ūcuḥ
diṣṭyāhito hataḥ kaḿso
diṣṭyāptair labdha-sarvārthaiḥ
(39) The gopîs said: 'Fortunately has the cause of the suffering, the enemy of the Yadus Kamsa, together with his followers been killed. How good it is that Acyuta at present happily lives with His well-wishers who have attained all they desired.
10.47.40
kaccid gadāgrajaḥ saumya
hāsodārekṣaṇārcitaḥ
(40) O gentle one, perhaps is the elder brother of Gada [Krishna, see 9.24: 46] giving the women of the city the love that belongs to us, we who revere Him affectionately and bashful with inviting smiles and glances.
the elder brother (agraja) of Gada, the first son of Devarakṣitā. She was a sister of Devakī's who was also married to Vasudeva. The gopīs, by addressing Kṛṣṇa in this way, indicate that He now thinks of Himself mostly as the son of Devakī, the implication being that His connection with Vṛndāvana has now slackened. Because of intense love, the gopīs could not stop thinking of Kṛṣṇa for a moment.
10.47.41
nānubadhyeta tad-vākyair
vibhramaiś cānubhājitaḥ
(41) How will our Darling, so versed in all the matters of love, not become bound by the bewildering gestures and words of the city women, who are also [just as we] constantly of worship?
10.47.42
(42) And... does Krishna, o pious one, remember us; does He ever mention us, village girls, when He freely talks in the company of the city women?
The gopīs were so completely in love with Kṛṣṇa, without selfish motive, that even in their great disappointment they never considered giving their love to another. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets their feelings as follows.
The gopīs might say, "Surely Kṛṣṇa has abandoned us because we deserve to be abandoned. Indeed, we are the most insignificant women in the world and have been rejected after having been enjoyed. Still, do we sometimes enter into His memory on account of some good quality of ours, or even because of something we did wrong? Kṛṣṇa must speak very freely with the city women. He and they must sing, joke, make riddles and talk about so many things. Does Kṛṣṇa ever say, 'My dear city women, your sophisticated singing and speech is unknown to the gopīs in My home village. They couldn't understand these things.' Does He ever speak about us even in that way?"
10.47.43
reme kvaṇac-caraṇa-nūpura-rāsa-goṣṭhyām
(43) Does He recall those nights in which He enjoyed in Vrindâvana that place so enchanting because of the lotus, the jasmine and the moon, when He with tinkling ankle bells danced with us, His beloved girlfriends, who ever glorify Him with the charming stories about Him?
the following deep realization about this verse: "The gopīs knew that no place could be as beautiful as Vṛndāvana. Nowhere else in the universe could one find such a charming scene as the Vṛndāvana forest, which was scented with pious flowers and illumined by the full moon's light reflected from the serene waves of the sacred Yamunā River. No one loved Kṛṣṇa as much as the gopīs, and thus no one else could understand Him as well. The gopīs rendered intimate service to Kṛṣṇa that only they could perfect. Thus the gopīs were distraught to think that Lord Kṛṣṇa was bereft of Vṛndāvana and bereft of their service. Free of all material lust, they were overwhelmed with disappointment because they could not give Kṛṣṇa happiness by their loving service. They simply could not imagine Kṛṣṇa enjoying anywhere else as He did in Vṛndāvana in their company."
10.47.44
apy eṣyatīha dāśārhas
sañjīvayan nu no gātrair
(44) Will that descendant of Das'ârha come over here to bring, perhaps with His touch, back to life us who are tormented with the sorrow He Himself gave rise to, just like Indra would do to [replenish] a forest with his clouds?
10.47.45
prāpta-rājyo hatāhitaḥ
(45) But why would Krishna come over here now that He, surrounded by all His well-wishers, is happy having attained a kingdom, killed His enemies and married the daughters of kings?
10.47.46
kim asmābhir vanaukobhir
anyābhir vā mahātmanaḥ
kriyetārthaḥ kṛtātmanaḥ
(46) What unto Him, the great Soul and husband of the goddess of fortune whose every desire is already fulfilled, would there be to fulfill as a purpose for us, forest-dwellers, or for other women; He's complete in Himself!
Although the gopīs lamented that Kṛṣṇa was associating with the city women in Mathurā, they now realize that as the absolute Personality of Godhead, He has no need for any women. It is out of His causeless mercy that He awards His association to His loving devotees.
10.47.47
taj jānatīnāḿ naḥ kṛṣṇe
(47) The highest happiness indeed is found in not hoping for anything, so even stated Pingalâ [a courtesan, see 11.8], yet for us who aware of that are focused on Krishna is it difficult not to hope.
The story of Pińgalā is narrated in the Eleventh Canto, Eighth Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
10.47.48
anicchato 'pi yasya śrīr
(48) Who is able to put out of his mind the thought of the intimate talks with Uttamas'loka, from whose body the goddess, even though He's not desiring her, never moves away?
10.47.49
saric-chaila-vanoddeśā
kṛṣṇenācaritāḥ prabho
(49) With Sankarshana for His companion lived Krishna, o prabhu, by the rivers, the hills and places in the forest, the cows and the sounds of the flute.
10.47.50
vismartuḿ naiva śaknumaḥ
(50) Ah!, over and over do those places with the divine markings of His feet remind us of the son of Nanda we really can never forget.
10.47.51
gatyā lalitayodāra-
hāsa-līlāvalokanaiḥ
(51) O, how can we, whose hearts were stolen by His gait, His playful glances, His generous charming smiles and nectarean words, forget Him?
10.47.52
gokulaḿ vṛjinārṇavāt
(52) O Master, Master of the Goddess, Master of Vraja, o Destroyer of the Suffering, o Govinda lift Gokula up from the ocean of misery it is submerged in!'
the following insight into this scene: Someone might propose to the gopīs, "Why don't you just go somewhere else? Leave Vṛndāvana, and then you won't have to see these rivers, mountains and forests. Cover your eyes with your garments, use your intelligence to lead your minds to some other thought, and thus forget Kṛṣṇa." The gopīs answer this suggestion in the previous verse by stating, "We no longer possess our intelligence, for Kṛṣṇa has taken it away by His supreme beauty and charm."
Now in the present verse the feelings of the gopīs become so strong that they disregard Uddhava and, turning toward Mathurā, address Kṛṣṇa Himself with humble cries. They address Kṛṣṇa as Vrajanātha because in the past young Kṛṣṇa performed many inconceivable pastimes to protect His beloved village people, such as lifting Govardhana Hill and destroying many monstrous demons. In this heartrending verse, the gopīs cry out to Kṛṣṇa to remember the wonderful, sweet relationship they once enjoyed together as innocent village people. Indeed, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would lovingly take care of His father's cows, and the gopīs appealed to Him to remember these duties and return so He could resume them.
10.47.53
jñātvātmānam adhokṣajam
(53) S'rî S'uka said: 'They, with their fever of separation removed by Krishna's messages, then worshiped him recognizing him as Adhokshaja Himself.
that the words jñatvātmānam adhokṣajam also indicate that the gopīs recognize Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the very soul of their lives and thus spiritually one with them.
10.47.54
(54) Remaining there for some months singing the topics of Krishna's pastimes, gave he joy to Gokula dispelling the sorrow of the gopîs.
that Uddhava, during his stay in Vṛndāvana, certainly took special care to enliven Kṛṣṇa's foster parents, Nanda and Yaśodā.
10.47.55
vrajaukasāḿ kṣaṇa-prāyāṇy
(55) All the days that Uddhava dwelled in Nanda's cowherd village passed for the residents of Vraja in a single moment, because they were all filled with discussions about Krishna.
10.47.56
hari-dāso vrajaukasām
(56) Seeing the rivers, forests, mountains, valleys and flowering trees, took the servant of the Lord pleasure in inspiring the people of Vraja about Krishna.
that as Uddhava wandered about Vṛndāvana, he reminded Vraja's residents of Kṛṣṇa by asking them questions about the pastimes the Lord had performed in each of these places, namely the rivers, forests, mountains and valleys. Thus Uddhava himself enjoyed great transcendental bliss in their association.
10.47.57
kṛṣṇāveśātma-viklavam
(57) Noticing all this and more of the gopîs' total absorption in Krishna and their agitation to it, was Uddhava extremely pleased and sang he, offering them all respect, the following:
Viklava, "mental disturbance," should not be confused here with ordinary material distress. It is clearly stated that Uddhava was supremely pleased, and he felt this way because he saw that the gopīs had attained the highest state of loving ecstasy. Uddhava was an exalted member of the court in Dvārakā, an important minister in world political affairs, and yet he felt the spiritual urge to offer his obeisances to the glorious gopīs, although externally they were mere cowherd girls in an insignificant village called Vṛndāvana. Thus, to explain his feelings he sang the following verses. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that Uddhava sang these verses daily while he was in Vṛndāvana.
10.47.58
(58) 'These women, with success maintaining their bodies on this earth as cowherd women exclusively for Govinda, the Soul of All, all by themselves achieved perfection in their loving ecstasy - a love that is desired as well as by us as by the sages who fear a material existence; what use is it to be blessed with the [three] births of a brahmin [from his mother, his guru and his sacrifices] if one has the taste for the topics of the Unlimited Lord?
the term brahma-janmabhiḥ, "brahminical births," refers to the threefold birth by (1) seminal parenthood, (2) sacred-thread initiation and (3) sacrificial initiation. These cannot compare to pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In fact, Śrī Uddhava, who spoke this verse, took birth as a pure brāhmaṇa, but he deprecates this position in comparison to that of the exalted gopīs.
10.47.59
kvemāḥ striyo vana-carīr vyabhicāra-duṣṭāḥ
nanv īśvaro 'nubhajato 'viduṣo 'pi sākṣāc
(59) Where is one compared to these women who, impure in their conduct towards Krishna, wander in the forests; what is one's position compared to this stage of perfect love for the Supreme Soul? - most certainly is the Controller of the one who is of constant worship, even when he's not very learned, directly bestowing the highest good, the good that imbibed works like the very best of all medicines [that is: irrespective the person].
The use of the word kva in the first two lines indicates a sharp contrast between apparently incompatible items, in this case the apparently insignificant and even impure position of the gopīs, mentioned in the first line, and their attainment of the highest perfection of life, mentioned in the second. In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī describes three types of adulterous women. The first is a woman who enjoys both her husband and a lover, being faithful to neither. Both ordinary society and the scriptures condemn this conduct. The second type of adulterous woman is she who abandons her husband to enjoy only with her lover. Society and the scriptures also condemn this behavior, although such a fallen woman may be said to at least have the good quality of dedicating herself to a single man. The last kind of adulterous woman is she who abandons her husband and enjoys in the attitude of being a lover of the Supreme Lord alone. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that although foolish, common people criticize this position, such behavior is commended by those who are wise in spiritual science. Therefore learned members of society and the revealed scriptures praise such single-minded devotion to the Lord. Such was the gopīs' behavior. Thus the term vyabhicāra-duṣṭāḥ, "corrupted by deviation," indicates the apparent resemblance between the gopīs' behavior and that of ordinary adulterous women.
10.47.60
labdhāśiṣāḿ ya udagād vraja-vallabhīnām
(60) The Vraja ladies in this being blessed by the embrace of Uttamas'loka in the râsa dance was, o pity, not reserved for the goddess on His chest who is so intimately related, this was not the favor for the women of heaven with their scent and luster of a lotus flower, and much less was it granted to others of worldly beauty [10.33].
Lord Kṛṣṇa, the best of all avatāras, exists on the highest platform of purity and morality, and thus He always remained praiseworthy by all, even while accepting worldly criticism for His cow-tending, wandering in the forest, taking meals with young monkeys, stealing yogurt, seducing other men's wives, and so on. Similarly, the gopīs, who are constituted of the Lord's pleasure potency, achieved the highest standard of purity and auspiciousness, even in comparison to the goddesses of fortune, and thus the gopīs are supremely glorious, even though they were criticized by worldly people because they were mere cowherd women living in the forest and behaving in an apparently improper way.
10.47.61
vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām
(61) Oh, let me be devoted to the dust of the lotusfeet of the gopîs in Vrindâvana, let me be any of the bushes, creepers or herbs [there in relation] to them who, in worship of the feet of Mukunda, for whom one searches with the help of the Vedas, gave up the family members so difficult to leave behind and the path of civil correctitude.
Śrī Uddhava here shows the perfect Vaiṣṇava attitude of humility. He does not pray to be equal to the gopīs in their exalted stage of love, but rather to take birth as a bush or creeper in Vṛndāvana so that when they walk upon him he will get the dust of their feet and thus be blessed. The shy gopīs would never agree to give such blessings to a great personality like Uddhava; therefore he cleverly sought to get such mercy by taking birth as a plant in Vṛndāvana.
10.47.62
yogeśvarair api yad ātmani rāsa-goṣṭhyām
kṛṣṇasya tad bhagavataḥ caraṇāravindaḿ
(62) The feet of the Supreme Lord of which the goddess, the unborn one, and the other gods, even being accomplished as masters of yoga, can only think of, were by them indeed in the gathering of the râsa dance placed on their breasts, so that by that embrace their anguish was vanquished.
10.47.63
(63) To the dust of the feet of the cowherd women of Vraja, of whose loud chanting the stories of Krishna the three worlds are purified, my respects again and again.'
Śrī Uddhava, having established the glories of the gopīs in the previous verses, now directly offers his obeisances to them. According to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī, Śrī Uddhava did not offer such respect even to Lord Kṛṣṇa's queens in Dvārakā.
10.47.64
(64) S'rî S'uka said: 'Then taking permission to leave of the gopîs, of Yas'odâ and Nanda as also of the gopas, mounted the descendant of Das'ârha, ready to take off, his chariot.
10.47.65
nānopāyana-pāṇayaḥ
nandādayo 'nurāgeṇa
(65) Approaching him, as he was riding out, with various items of worship in their hands, spoke Nanda and the others affectionately with tears in their eyes.
The residents of Vṛndāvana were firmly convinced that even if they could not have direct association with their beloved Kṛṣṇa, they would never be indifferent to Him. They were all topmost pure devotees of the Lord.
10.47.66
kṛṣṇa pādāmbujāśrayāḥ
vāco 'bhidhāyinīr nāmnāḿ
kāyas tat-prahvaṇādiṣu
(66) 'May our minds always take to the shelter of the lotusfeet of Krishna, may our words express His names, and may our bodies bowing down and all of that, so act for His sake.
10.47.67
karmabhir bhrāmyamāṇānāḿ
yatra kvāpīśvarecchayā
mańgalācaritair dānai
(67) Wherever we for our work to the will of the Controller are being made to wander, may there, of what we do and give away in charity, be the auspiciousness of our attachment to Krishna our Lord.'
10.47.68
(68) After the gopas thus had honored him with Krishna bhakti, o first among men, turned Uddhava back to Mathurâ, the city that now enjoyed the protection of Krishna.
The word kṛṣṇa-pālitām indicates that even though Uddhava became quite attached to the land of Vṛndāvana, he returned to Mathurā because Śrī Kṛṣṇa was personally displaying His transcendental pastimes there.
10.47.69
kṛṣṇāya praṇipatyāha
bhakty-udrekaḿ vrajaukasām
(69) Before Krishna falling down to pay his respects, told he Him of the intense devotion of the residents of Vraja and gave he the gifts he had brought with him to Vasudeva, Balarâma and the king [Ugrasena].'
Thus end of the tenth Canto, Forty-seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Song of the Bee."
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