Canto Ten / CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

The Song of the Bee

The chaste gopīs were enlivened to see that a messenger had come from Krishna. As Uddhava will discover during his stay in Vrindāvana, the unique gopīs could not think of anything but their beloved Krishna.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains here 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 Krishna. The gopīs wanted only to exhibit their charms for Lord Krishna’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 Krishna 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 Krishna Himself — are eternally free of these lower qualities, and their intense loving affairs are motivated exclusively by unalloyed devotion.

The word bālyayoh here indicates that ever since their childhood, the gopīs had been completely in love with Krishna. Thus even though social custom dictated that they not reveal their love to others, they forgot all external considerations and openly wept before Krishna’s messenger, Uddhava.

Śrīmatī Rādhārānī is referred to in this verse as kācit, “a certain gopī.” To establish that this particular gopī is in fact Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from the Agni Purāna:

“At dawn the gopīs inquired from Krishna’s servant, Uddhava, about the Lord’s pastimes and recreation. Only Śrīmatī Rādhārānī, immersed in thought of Krishna, withdrew Her interest in the talks. Then Rādhā, who is worshiped by the residents of Her Vrindāvana 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 Krishna states, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.” To know Krishna is to love Krishna, and thus Rādhārānī, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.

Having quoted the above verses from the Agni Purāna, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes the following from the Nrisimha-tāpanī Upanishad (Pūrva-khanda 2.4): yam sarve devā namanti mumukshavo brahma-vādinaś ca. “All the demigods and all the transcendental philosophers who desire liberation bow down to the Supreme Lord.” We should follow suit.

Śrīmatī Rādhārānī indirectly chastised Krishna 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 Krishna 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-nīlamani (14.182):

“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 sapatnyāh to nah, jealousy; the phrase mā spriśa anghrim, pride; and the phrase from vahatu to prasādam, disrespect, while the phrase from yadu-sadasi to the end of the verse decries Krishna’s tactless treatment of Rādhārānī.

In this verse Śrīmatī Rādhārānī continues to compare Śrī Krishna 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 Krishna’s promises. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this statement of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī’s illustrates parijalpa, as described in Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamani (14.184):

“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.”

With the words agrihānām agrato nah, Rādhārānī laments that even though She and the other gopīs gave up their homes to love Krishna 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 Krishna, who is always victorious in His endeavors, and besides meaning “old (news),” the word purānam also indicates that Śrī Krishna is glorified in the ancient Vedic scriptures of that name.

In this verse we observe in Rādhārānī’s mood the seed of jealous anger, which arises from an apparent disdain for Krishna, accompanied by a sarcastic sidelong glance directed toward Him. Thus this verse fits the following description of vijalpa from the Ujjvala-nīlamani (14.186):

“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.”

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī states that Rādhārānī’s speech, expressing all the feelings of a disappointed lover, indicates an intensity of love for Śrī Krishna surpassing even that of the goddess of fortune. While all the gopīs are perfectly compatible with Śrī Krishna in terms of their beauty, temperament and so on, Śrīmatī Rādhārānī is especially so. In Her forlorn state, Rādhārānī indicates to Krishna, “You are called Uttamahśloka 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.”

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further points out that in this verse, Śrīmatī Rādhārānī expresses Her spite born of pride, accuses Krishna 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-nīlamani (14.188):

“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.”

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, this verse illustrates the qualities of sañjalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse of his Ujjvala-nīlamani (14.190):

“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.

In Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the meaning of this verse as follows: “[Śrīmatī Rādhārānī said to the bee,] ‘You poor messenger, you are only a less intelligent servant. You do not know much about Krishna — how ungrateful and hardhearted He has been, not only in this life but in His previous lives also. We have all heard this from our grandmother Paurnamāsī. She has informed us that Krishna was born in a kshatriya family previous to this birth and was known as Rāmacandra. In that birth, instead of killing Vāli, an enemy of His friend, in the manner of a kshatriya, 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 kshatriya, should have fought with Vāli face to face, but instigated by His friend, He killed him from behind a tree. Thus He deviated from the religious principles of a kshatriya. Also, He was so attracted by the beauty of Sītā that He converted Śūrpanakhā, the sister of Rāvana, into an ugly woman by cutting off her nose and ears. Śūrpanakhā proposed an intimate relationship with Him, and as a kshatriya He should have satisfied her. But He was so henpecked that He could not forget Sītādevī and converted Śūrpanakhā into an ugly woman. Before that birth as a kshatriya, He took birth as a brāhmana boy known as Vāmanadeva and asked charity from Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja was so magnanimous that he gave Him whatever he had, yet Krishna as Vāmanadeva ungratefully arrested him just like a crow and pushed him down to the Pātāla kingdom. We know all about Krishna 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 Rādhārānī’s is called avajalpa, as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following verse from the Ujjvala-nīlamani (14.192):

“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.”

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 Krishna, 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-avinashtāh. Then the entire line becomes part of a single compound, the meaning of which is that hearing about Krishna cleanses one of irreligious duality and thus one is not vanquished (avinashta) by material illusion. The word dīnāh is then given the alternate reading of dhīrāh, meaning that one becomes spiritually sober and thus gives up attachment to fleeting material relationships. The word vihangāh, “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:

“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-nīlamani 14.194)

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī categorizes this statement of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī’s as ājalpa, as defined by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:

“A statement spoken in disgust, describing how the male lover is deceitful and brings one misery, and also implying that He gives happiness to others, is known as ājalpa.” (Ujjvala-nīlamani 14.196)

In Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the context of this verse: “While Rādhārānī 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 Krishna 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 Krishna to inform Him all about Her talking against Him. ‘Krishna 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, ‘Krishna 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 Rādhārānī was very careful this time not to say anything against Krishna.”

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the goddess of fortune, Śrī, has the power to assume many different forms. Thus when Krishna 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 Rādhārānī’s expresses pratijalpa, as described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:

“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-nīlamani 14.198)

Here Śrīmatī Rādhārānī has given up Her harsh feelings and humbly acknowledges the greatness of Śrī Krishna.

The translation and word meanings for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Caitanya-caritāmrita (Ādi 6.68).

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī writes very poetically, with deep spiritual insight, about the emotions expressed in this and the previous nine verses. He interprets Rādhārānī’s feelings as follows:

Śrīmatī Rādhārānī thought, “Since Krishna 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 Vrindāvana that it’s possible He may even come back here.

“Krishna 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 Krishna, Nanda is so innocent that he allowed himself to be tricked by the Yadus, who brought Krishna to Mathurā. Krishna must be thinking, ‘Alas, alas! Since even My father could not bring Me back to Vraja, what can I do to return there?’ Thus Krishna 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 Krishna’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 Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Krishna 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?

“Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Rādhārānī. The ācārya further explains that the present text displays the speech called sujalpa, as described by Rūpa Gosvāmī:

“When, out of honest sincerity, a lover questions Śrī Hari with gravity, humility, unsteadiness and eagerness, such speech is known as sujalpa.” (Ujjvala-nīlamani 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 Rādhārānī. The ācārya quotes the following verses from Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamani (14.174, 178-80) to explain these ecstasies:

“It is virtually only within the princess of Vrindāvana [Śrīmatī Rādhārānī] 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 Krishna Himself, eager to drink the sweetness of His beloved’s speech, assumed the form of the messenger bee.

Although other devotees have certainly surrendered their minds unto the Lord, the gopīs are unique in the intensity of their love.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains the processes described here as follows. Dāna: donations given to Lord Vishnu and His devotees. Vrata: observing vows such as Ekādaśī. Tapas: renunciation of sense gratification for Krishna’s sake. Homa: fire sacrifices dedicated to Vishnu. Japa: privately chanting the holy names of the Lord. Svādhyāya: study and recitation of Vedic texts such as the Gopāla-tāpanī Upanishad.

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.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the gopīs gave up their sense of possessiveness toward these objects. History shows that the gopīs remained in Vrindāvana, 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.

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.

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, 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 guna indicates the gopīs’ special divine qualities, which attracted Śrī Krishna, and the word sarvātmanā, which we have here translated in reference to Lord Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and other books, Śrīla Prabhupāda has elaborately explained that the reason Lord Krishna 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 Krishna’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 Krishna conscious philosophy. In truth, the gopīs are the most exalted liberated souls, and their pastimes with Śrī Krishna must be understood with the help of authorized ācāryas. When the gopīs came for the rāsa dance, Śrī Krishna tried to preach karma-yoga to them, emphasizing ordinary ethics and morality, but the gopīs were beyond that. Similarly, Lord Krishna now offers them jñāna-yoga, or metaphysical philosophy, but this is also inadequate for the gopīs, who have achieved spontaneous, unalloyed love for Śrī Krishna.

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.

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. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word ātmā may also be taken to mean “the Supreme Soul, Lord Krishna.” Since the Lord has just explained in the previous verses that all material phenomena are expansions of Himself, the phrase māyā-vrittibhir 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.

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 Krishna, and thus the soul is directly perceived by pure consciousness.

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 Krishna 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.

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 Krishna was bringing them closer to Him on the spiritual platform.

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, 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.

The name Gadāgraja indicates Krishna, the elder brother (agraja) of Gada, the first son of Devarakshitā. She was a sister of Devakī’s who was also married to Vasudeva. The gopīs, by addressing Krishna in this way, indicate that He now thinks of Himself mostly as the son of Devakī, the implication being that His connection with Vrindāvana has now slackened. Because of intense love, the gopīs could not stop thinking of Krishna for a moment.

According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, each of these verses is spoken by a different gopī.

The gopīs were so completely in love with Krishna, 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 Krishna 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? Krishna must speak very freely with the city women. He and they must sing, joke, make riddles and talk about so many things. Does Krishna 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?”

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives the following deep realization about this verse: “The gopīs knew that no place could be as beautiful as Vrindāvana. Nowhere else in the universe could one find such a charming scene as the Vrindāvana 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 Krishna as much as the gopīs, and thus no one else could understand Him as well. The gopīs rendered intimate service to Krishna that only they could perfect. Thus the gopīs were distraught to think that Lord Krishna was bereft of Vrindāvana and bereft of their service. Free of all material lust, they were overwhelmed with disappointment because they could not give Krishna happiness by their loving service. They simply could not imagine Krishna enjoying anywhere else as He did in Vrindāvana in their company.”

Although the gopīs lamented that Krishna 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.

The story of Pingalā is narrated in the Eleventh Canto, Eighth Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī presents the following insight into this scene: Someone might propose to the gopīs, “Why don’t you just go somewhere else? Leave Vrindāvana, 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 Krishna.” The gopīs answer this suggestion in the previous verse by stating, “We no longer possess our intelligence, for Krishna 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 Krishna Himself with humble cries. They address Krishna as Vrajanātha because in the past young Krishna 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 Krishna to remember the wonderful, sweet relationship they once enjoyed together as innocent village people. Indeed, Śrī Krishna 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.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that the words jñatvātmānam adhokshajam also indicate that the gopīs recognize Lord Krishna to be the very soul of their lives and thus spiritually one with them.

The great ācārya Jīva Gosvāmī comments in this regard that Uddhava, during his stay in Vrindāvana, certainly took special care to enliven Krishna’s foster parents, Nanda and Yaśodā.

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that as Uddhava wandered about Vrindāvana, he reminded Vraja’s residents of Krishna 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.

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 Vrindāvana. Thus, to explain his feelings he sang the following verses. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that Uddhava sang these verses daily while he was in Vrindāvana.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that here the term brahma-janmabhih, “brahminical births,” refers to the threefold birth by (1) seminal parenthood, (2) sacred-thread initiation and (3) sacrificial initiation. These cannot compare to pure Krishna consciousness.

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-dushtāh, “corrupted by deviation,” indicates the apparent resemblance between the gopīs’ behavior and that of ordinary adulterous women.

The word meanings and translation for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritāmrita (Madhya 8.80).

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments as follows: Lord Krishna, 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.

The word meanings and translation for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritāmrita (Antya 7.47).

Śrī Uddhava here shows the perfect Vaishnava 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 Vrindāvana 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 Vrindāvana.

Śrī Uddhava, having established the glories of the gopīs in the previous verses, now directly offers his obeisances to them. According to the Śrī Vaishnava-toshanī, Śrī Uddhava did not offer such respect even to Lord Krishna’s queens in Dvārakā.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out that Nanda and the cowherd men did not approach Uddhava as a formality, but rather out of spontaneous affection for a dear friend of Krishna’s.

The residents of Vrindāvana were firmly convinced that even if they could not have direct association with their beloved Krishna, they would never be indifferent to Him. They were all topmost pure devotees of the Lord.

The word krishna-pālitām indicates that even though Uddhava became quite attached to the land of Vrindāvana, he returned to Mathurā because Śrī Krishna was personally displaying His transcendental pastimes there.