Verse Text
tad vasati-sthale prītiḥ, yathā padyāvalyām—
atrāsīt kila nanda-sadma śakaṭasyātrābhavad bhaṣjanaṁ
bandha-ccheda-karo ’pi dāmabhir abhūd baddho ’tra dāmodaraḥ |
itthaṁ māthura-vṛddha-vaktra-vigalat-pīyūṣa-dhārāṁ pibann
ānandāśru-dharaḥ kadā madhu-purīṁ dhanyaś cariṣyāmy aham
||40||
Translation
An example of attachment for the abode of the Lord is found in the Padyāvalī: “Nanda’s house was here. This is where Kṛṣṇa broke the cart. Here is where Dāmodara, who cuts material bondage, was bound up by ropes.” When will I be fortunate enough to wander about in Mathurā with tears in my eyes, drinking such streams of nectar flowing from the mouth of an elder of Mathurā? Padyāvalī 121
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Mathurā, here, means the whole Mathurā maṇḍala (thus including Vraja, which is described in the verse). Sometimes the word vraja-bhūvam is found replacing the word madhu-pūrim.
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Attraction for Living in a Place Where Kṛṣṇa Has His Pastimes
In the book Padyāvalī by Rūpa Gosvāmī there is the following statement about Vṛndāvana: “In this place the son of Mahārāja Nanda used to live with His father, who was king of all cowherd men. In this place Lord Kṛṣṇa broke the cart in which the Śakaṭāsura demon was concealed. At this place Dāmodara, who can cut the knot of our material existence, was tied up by His mother, Yaśodā.”
A pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa resides in the district of Mathurā or Vṛndāvana and visits all the places where Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes were performed. At these sacred places Kṛṣṇa displayed His childhood activities with the cowherd boys and Mother Yaśodā. The system of circumambulating all these places is still current among devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and those coming to Mathurā and Vṛndāvana always feel transcendental pleasure. Actually, if someone goes to Vṛndāvana, he will immediately feel separation from Kṛṣṇa, who performed such nice activities when He was present there.
Such attraction for remembering Kṛṣṇa’s activities is known as attachment for Kṛṣṇa.