Devanagari
यत्पादपांसुर्बहुजन्मकृच्छ्रतो
धृतात्मभिर्योगिभिरप्यलभ्य: ।
स एव यद् दृग्विषय: स्वयं स्थित:
किं वर्ण्यते दिष्टमतो व्रजौकसाम् ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
yat-pāda-pāṁsur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato
dhṛtātmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyaḥ
sa eva yad-dṛg-viṣayaḥ svayaṁ sthitaḥ
kiṁ varṇyate diṣṭam ato vrajaukasām
Synonyms
yat
—
whose
;
pāda-pāṁsuḥ
—
dust of the lotus feet
;
bahu-janma
—
in many births
;
kṛcchrataḥ
—
from undergoing severe austerities and penances as a way of practicing yoga, meditation, etc.
;
dhṛta-ātmabhiḥ
—
by persons able to control the mind
;
yogibhiḥ
—
by such yogīs (jṣana-yogīs, rāja-yogīs, dhyāna-yogīs, etc.)
;
api
—
indeed
;
alabhyaḥ
—
cannot be achieved
;
saḥ
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
eva
—
indeed
;
yat-dṛk-viṣayaḥ
—
has become the object of direct vision, face to face
;
svayam
—
personally
;
sthitaḥ
—
present in front of them
;
kim
—
what
;
varṇyate
—
can be described
;
diṣṭam
—
about the fortune
;
ataḥ
—
therefore
;
vraja-okasām
—
of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana.
Translation
Yogīs may undergo severe austerities and penances for many births by practicing yama, niyama, āsana and prāṇāyāma, none of which are easily performed. Yet in due course of time, when these yogīs attain the perfection of controlling the mind, they will still be unable to taste even a particle of dust from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then can we describe about the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana, with whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally lived and who saw the Lord face to face?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Yogīs may undergo severe austerities and penances for many births by practicing yama, niyama, āsana and prāṇāyāma, none of which are easily performed. Yet in due course of time, when these yogīs attain the perfection of controlling the mind, they will still be unable to taste even a particle of dust from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then can we describe about the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana, with whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally lived and who saw the Lord face to face?
Krisna Book (10.12.12)
Who can estimate the transcendental fortune of the residents of Vṛndāvana? They were personally seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, He whom many yogīs cannot find even after undergoing severe austerities, although He is sitting within their hearts. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā: One may search for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through the pages of the Vedas and Upaniṣads, but it is difficult to find Him there. However, one who is fortunate enough to associate with a devotee can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. After accumulating pious activities in many, many previous lives, the cowherd boys were seeing Kṛṣṇa face to face and playing with Him as friends. They could not understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they were playing as intimate friends with intense love for Him.
Purport
We can simply imagine the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. It is impossible to describe how, after many, many births of pious activities, they have become so fortunate.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
What to speak of playing with Krsna, even establishing a relationship with Krsna is very rare. That is the intent of this verse. The yogis do not attain even one particle of dust of Krsna’s feet (pada pamsuh). Or the yogis do not attain even one particle of reflected light from the trees of Vrndavana (padapa-tree, amsuh -particle). Those who are fully concentrating their minds (drtatmabhih) cannot attain him. It was mentioned earlier that Krsna is not sukhapa, not easily attained. Svayam sthita, being self situated, indicates that seeing him does not depend even on sadhana. Oh what great fortune (distam aho)! Or dista maho, a happy festival. Who can describe the good fortune or happiness of the Vrajavasis who see Krsna, unobtainable by yogis who cannot even attain a particle of dust at his feet after concentrating their minds for lifetimes?
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Not even considering the great fortune of their constant playing with the Lord, great souls cannot even attain the fortune of seeing Kṛṣṇa, which all the people of Vraja see. They cannot even a grain of dust from his feet. This means that they cannot establish any sort of relationship with him. Or they cannot attain a ray of the trees such as the kadamba (pādapā + aṁśuḥ) of Vraja. Or, they cannot see from far away even a ray of the devotees who drink (gaze at) the Lord’s feet (pāda + pā -to drink) with prema, though the yogīs, on attaining samādhi, have made their minds steady by hardships of pratyāhara, yama and niyama for many lives. That person, Svayam Bhagavān (saḥ eva), whom they see directly with their eyes, is situated in his svarūpa or nature (svayam), is firmly, eternally existing there (sthitaḥ) with them. This usage is similar to yac ca kiṁcij jagat sarvaṁ vypapya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ: Nārāyaṇa, who is the whole universe and is spread everywhere, exists there eternally. (Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad) In amazement he says “Ah! How can one describe their good fortune (diṣṭam)?” Or how can one describe what has been fixed (diṣṭam), their great festival of joy? It cannot be described at all.