Verse Text
atha vātsalyam –
guravo ye harer asya te pūjyā iti viśrutāḥ |
anugraha-mayī teṣāṁ ratir vātsalyam ucyate |
idaṁ lālana-bhavyāśīś cibuka-sparśanādi-kṛt ||33||
Translation
Vatsala-rati: Those persons whose rati identifies them as superiors to the Lord are known as pūjya, worthy of respect or elders. Their rati, which gives mercy to Kṛṣṇa, is called vātsalya or vatsala. In this rati, there is protecting Kṛṣṇa, blessing Him, kissing Him and touching Him.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
The word guravaḥ (elders or superiors) indicates those who identify themselves as elders or parents of Kṛṣṇa. The word vatsala means “those who give (lānti) their breasts to their children (vatsam). Thus vatsala refers to parents and vātsalyam refers to their emotional state or bhāva. This usage of the word vatsalā is found in the Bhāgavatam in relation to Devahūti:
vanaṁ pravrajite patyāv apatya-virahāturā
jṣāta-tattvāpy abhūn naṣṭe vatse gaur iva vatsala
Devahūti’s husband had already left home and accepted the renounced order of life, and then her only son, Kapila, left home. Although she knew all the truths of life and death, and although her heart was cleansed of all dirt, she was very aggrieved at the loss of her son, just as a cow is affected when her calf dies. SB 3.33.21
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
Parenthood, or Superiority