Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
वचो निशम्य कृपणं बन्धूनां भगवान् हरि: ।
निमीलयत मा भैष्ट लोचनानीत्यभाषत ॥ ११ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
vaco niśamya kṛpaṇaṁ
bandhūnāṁ bhagavān hariḥ
nimīlayata mā bhaiṣṭa
locanānīty abhāṣata
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
vacaḥ
—
the words
;
niśamya
—
hearing
;
kṛpaṇam
—
pitiful
;
bandhūnām
—
of His friends
;
bhagavān
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
hariḥ
—
Hari
;
nimīlayata
—
just close
;
mā bhaiṣṭa
—
do not be afraid
;
locanāni
—
your eyes
;
iti
—
thus
;
abhāṣata
—
He spoke .
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing these pitiful words from His friends, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa told them, “Just close your eyes and do not be afraid.”
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing these pitiful words from His friends, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa told them, "Just close your eyes and do not be afraid."
KB 10.19.11
The Personality of Godhead heard the appealing voices of His friends, and casting a pleasing glance over them, He began to answer. By speaking through His eyes, He impressed upon His friends that there was no cause for fear, and He assured them, “Don’t worry.”
Purport
This verse clearly reveals the simple, sublime relationship between Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees. The Absolute Truth, the supreme almighty Lord, is actually a young, blissful cowherd boy named Kṛṣṇa. God is youthful, and His mentality is playful. When He saw that His beloved friends were terrified of the forest fire, He simply told them to close their eyes and not be afraid. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa acted, as described in the next verse.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
He thought, "These boys should not see me swallowing the fire. It should be done without anyone seeing. As they are so tired and hot, I should place them under the cool shade of the beautiful Bhandira tree." After considering in this way he said, "close your eyes."
"But you are joking! How can we escape from the forest fire if we close our eyes."
"Do not fear. Today I will use another means to protect you."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Kṛṣṇa naturally removes all sorrows for all (hariḥ) and reveals his special qualities such as affection for his devotees (bhagavān). He heard the pitiful words of his friends who were like his life:
aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaṁ nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām
yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam
How greatly fortunate are Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd men and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi! There is no limit to their good fortune, because Kṛṣṇa, as their friend, gave them prema, which is the highest bliss, eternal and complete. SB 10.14.32
He instructed them to close their eyes as a matter of fun. But actually the meaning is this. He thought as follows. “These boys, filled with affection for me, without thinking of their own safety, depend on my safety for maintaining their lives. If they see me swallow the fire, out of fear for my safety, they will immediately enter the fire. Therefore I will swallow the fire while they are not looking.” And by doing that, he brought them to Bhāṇḍīra for playing, without their seeing how it was done. “You are really a joker! If we close our eyes, how could we avoid the fire?” Do not fear. I will protect you. Previously it was explained why he swallowed the fire. (SB 10.17.25)