Devanagari
पुरग्रामेष्वाग्रयणैरिन्द्रियैश्च महोत्सवै: ।
बभौ भू: पक्वशष्याढ्या कलाभ्यां नितरां हरे: ॥ ४८ ॥
Verse text
pura-grāmeṣv āgrayaṇair
indriyaiś ca mahotsavaiḥ
babhau bhūḥ pakva-śaṣyāḍhyā
kalābhyāṁ nitarāṁ hareḥ
Synonyms
pura
—
in the towns
;
grāmeṣu
—
and villages
;
āgrayaṇaiḥ
—
with performances of the Vedic sacrifice for tasting the first grains of the new harvest
;
indriyaiḥ
—
with other (worldly) celebrations
;
ca
—
and
;
mahā
—
utsavaiḥ — great celebrations
;
babhau
—
shone
;
bhūḥ
—
the earth
;
pakva
—
ripe
;
śaṣya
—
with her grains
;
āḍhyā
—
rich
;
kalā
—
she who is the expansion of the Lord
;
ābhyām
—
with those two (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma)
;
nitarām
—
very much
;
hareḥ
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead .
Translation
In all the towns and villages people held great festivals, performing the Vedic fire sacrifice for honoring and tasting the first grains of the new harvest, along with similar celebrations that followed local custom and tradition. Thus the earth, rich with newly grown grain and especially beautified by the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, shone beautifully as an expansion of the Supreme Lord.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In all the towns and villages people held great festivals, performing the Vedic fire sacrifice for honoring and tasting the first grains of the new harvest, along with similar celebrations that followed local custom and tradition. Thus the earth, rich with newly grown grain and especially beautified by the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, shone beautifully as an expansion of the Supreme Lord.
KB 10.20.48
During autumn, the fields become filled with ripened grain. At that time, the people become happy over the harvest and observe various ceremonies, such as Navānna, the offering of new grain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The new grain is first offered to the Deities in various temples, and all are invited to take sweet rice made with this new grain. There are other religious ceremonies and methods of worship, particularly in Bengal, where the greatest of all such ceremonies is held, called Durgā-pūjā.
In Vṛndāvana the autumn season was very beautiful then because of the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
Purport
The word
āgrayaṇaiḥ
refers to a particular authorized Vedic sacrifice, and the word
indriyaiḥ
refers to folk ceremonies that have somewhat worldly objectives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows: “During autumn, the fields become filled with ripened grains. At that time, the people become happy over the harvest and observe various ceremonies, such as Navanna, the offering of new grains to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The new grains are first offered to the Deities in various temples, and all are invited to take sweet rice made of these new grains. There are other religious ceremonies and methods of worship, particularly in Bengal, where the greatest of all such ceremonies is held, called Durgā-pūjā.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Agrayana refers to a vedic sacrifice of offering up the new grains. The smrti scriptures say: navanna should not be performed on the nanda tithi, not while Visnu is sleeping (caturmasya period), not during the waning phase of the moon, or during the months or kartika or pausa. Therefore, actually this ceremony does not occur during kartika month but rather in agrahayana month after the utthana ekadasi. However, because it takes place right next to the autumn season it is said to take place during the autumn. Aindriyaih refers to sacrifices for Indra to satisfy the senses. This description took place before the year in which Krsna stopped Indra worship. The earth (bhuh ) is a sakti (kala) of Hari. Just as, by the mercy of Krsna and Balarama (abhyam) the earth, a sakti of the lord, became resplendent, so the earth became resplendent with the festivals of navanna and worship of Indra in the villages.
Hari also means the moon. Harer kalabhyam means by the phases of the moon. Just as the earth became splendid with the festivals held by the king celebrating the phases of the moon on the first and second tithis of the waxing moon as it rose in the evening, so the earth became resplendent with the many festivals held by the villages.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
The earth was glorious with festivals in the cities like Mathurā and the villages like Nanda’s place.
navānna naiva nandāyām na ca supte janardane
na kṛṣṇapakṣe dhanuṣi tulāyām naiva kārayet
The new rice ceremony should not be done on pratipada, ekādaṣī or ṣaṣṭi, when the Lord sleeps, or in the waning moon phase of Kārtika or Pauṣa months.
Thus the festival of new rice should take place in Agrahāyana month after the Lord sleeping on the Milk Ocean wakes up. It takes place during the autumn season. indram indriya-kāmas: the person who desires strong senses should worship Indra. (SB 2.3.2) Thus there is much worship of Indra at this time. Previously this worship took place during Kārtika in Vraja. Kṛṣṇa stopped this and instead Govardhana worship took place. Nanda respected the Indra worship since it was handed down as a local custom. The earth, a śakti of the Lord, was constantly glorious in the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma (ābhyām).
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
In cities like Mathurā or Nandīśvara and in villages around Vṛndāvana controlled by Nanda, the earth was glorious because of the most beautiful forms of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, manifesting their qualities as Bhagavān, who were also Nārāyaṇa. Or the earth was glorious because of two portions of Bhagavān or two beautiful forms of Bhagavān. Or the earth was glorious because of Nanda and Yaśodā, the two protectors, since they were prominent in inviting everyone to the festival. Kala stands for kalayati: one who protects with affection. Or kalābhyam can refer to two festivals held at this time: waking up the Lord and rathayātra. The earth was especially (nitaram) glorious by these two festivals.