Devanagari
तत: प्रवयसो गोपास्तोकाश्लेषसुनिर्वृता: ।
कृच्छ्राच्छनैरपगतास्तदनुस्मृत्युदश्रव: ॥ ३४ ॥
Verse text
tataḥ pravayaso gopās
tokāśleṣa-sunirvṛtāḥ
kṛcchrāc chanair apagatās
tad-anusmṛty-udaśravaḥ
Synonyms
tataḥ
—
thereafter
;
pravayasaḥ
—
elderly
;
gopāḥ
—
cowherd men
;
toka
—
āśleṣa — sunirvṛtāḥ — became overjoyed by embracing their sons
;
kṛcchrāt
—
with difficulty
;
śanaiḥ
—
gradually
;
apagatāḥ
—
ceased from that embracing and returned to the forest
;
tat
—
anusmṛti — uda — śravaḥ — as they remembered their sons, tears began to roll down from their eyes .
Translation
Thereafter the elderly cowherd men, having obtained great feeling from embracing their sons, gradually and with great difficulty and reluctance ceased embracing them and returned to the forest. But as the men remembered their sons, tears began to roll down from their eyes.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Thereafter the elderly cowherd men, having obtained great feeling from embracing their sons, gradually and with great difficulty and reluctance ceased embracing them and returned to the forest. But as the men remembered their sons, tears began to roll down from their eyes.
KB 10.13.34
After embracing their children, the men took the cows back to the top of Govardhana Hill. Along the way they began to think of their children, and affectionate tears fell from their eyes.
Purport
In the beginning the cowherd men were angry that the cows were being attracted by the calves, but when the men came down from the hill, they themselves were attracted by their sons, and therefore the men embraced them. To embrace one’s son and smell his head are symptoms of affection.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The elders (pravayasah) with great difficulty, (krchracchanaih) freed themselves from the embrace of their children (apagata) to tend the cows. Thinking of separation from them, tears flowed from their eyes (uda srava).
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Since the cowherds were elderly, it was not possible for them to become bewildered in intelligence by a short separation from their sons. However it happened at this time. It should be understood that previously the elderly used to herd the cows. Since it was the nature of cowherds to herd, the elders used to herd the cows since there were no substitutes available while Nanda’s son was young. They gave the others company.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Since the cowherds were elderly, it was not possible for them to become bewildered in intelligence by a short separation from their sons. However it happened at this time. It should be understood that previously the elderly used to herd the cows. Since it was the nature of cowherds to herd, the elders used to herd the cows since there were no substitutes available while Nanda’s son was young.
They were elder in years but not withered with age (pravayasaḥ). Or they had remarkable age, being ever young. They constantly remembered (anusmṛti) their sons after ceasing the embraces.