Devanagari
धन्या: स्म मूढगतयोऽपि हरिण्य एता
या नन्दनन्दनमुपात्तविचित्रवेशम् ।
आकर्ण्य वेणुरणितं सहकृष्णसारा:
पूजां दधुर्विरचितां प्रणयावलोकै: ॥ ११ ॥
Verse text
dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-gatayo ’pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaṁ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāṁ dadhur viracitāṁ praṇayāvalokaiḥ
Synonyms
dhanyāḥ
—
fortunate, blessed
;
sma
—
certainly
;
mūḍha
—
gatayaḥ — having taken birth in an ignorant animal species
;
api
—
although
;
hariṇyaḥ
—
she-deer
;
etāḥ
—
these
;
yāḥ
—
who
;
nanda
—
nandanam — the son of Mahārāja Nanda
;
upātta
—
vicitra — veśam — dressed very attractively
;
ākarṇya
—
hearing
;
veṇu
—
raṇitam — the sound of His flute
;
saha
—
kṛṣṇa — sārāḥ — accompanied by the black deer (their husbands)
;
pūjām dadhuḥ
—
they worshiped
;
viracitām
—
performed
;
praṇaya
—
avalokaiḥ — by their affectionate glances .
Translation
Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda’s son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda's son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection.
KB 10.21.11
Another gopī said, “My dear friends, just see the deer! Although they are dumb animals, they have approached the son of Mahārāja Nanda, Kṛṣṇa. Not only are they attracted by the dress of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, but as soon as they hear the playing of the flute, the deer, along with their husbands, offer respectful obeisances unto the Lord by looking at Him with great affection.” The gopīs were envious of the deer because the deer were able to offer their service to Kṛṣṇa along with their husbands. The gopīs thought themselves not so fortunate because whenever they wanted to go to Kṛṣṇa, their husbands were not very happy.
Purport
This translation is quoted from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
Caitanya-caritāmṛta
(
Madhya-līlā
17.36).
According to the
ācāryas,
the
gopīs
were thinking as follows: “The female deer can approach Kṛṣṇa along with their husbands because Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of affection for the male deer. Because of their affection for Kṛṣṇa, they are encouraged by seeing their wives attracted to Him and thus consider their household lives fortunate. Indeed, they become joyful upon seeing how their wives are searching after Kṛṣṇa, and, following along, they urge their wives to go to the Lord. On the other hand, our husbands are jealous of Kṛṣṇa, and because of their lack of devotion to Him they cannot even stand to smell His fragrance. Therefore what is the use of our lives?”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Alas, though we are more intelligent, our life has become useless since we cannot meet Krsna. The less intelligent creatures have become successful in meeting Krsna. How is that?" This sentiment is expressed in this verse. Sma is an exclamation of astonishment or lamentation. "Oh (sma), we do not have such good fortune." There are two readings: venu ranitam and venu riphitam. The meaning is the same: sounded on the flute. "Hearing the sound of the flute, the does with affection nourished Krsna (pujam dadhuh) with their glances. So then what to say of the glances that we intelligent beings have given to Krsna? Their husbands, the krsna sara (those who take Krsna alone as object of worship) also worship him. Seeing their wives so attracted to Krsna, the husbands become overjoyed thinking that their married life has become successful by this, and following their wives, go to meet Krsna. But we are so unfortunate that just by a trace of anything connected with Krsna, our husbands become violent."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
What to speak of the glory of Vṛndāvana, the shelter of all jīvas dear to the Lord, let us describe the good fortune of the animals that take shelter there. The does’ knowledge (gatayaḥ) is without discrimination (mūḍha). Another version has matayaḥ. Though the does wander through the forest, they are seen by him. They worship the son of Nanda. Nanda indicates the he is endowed with all great qualities, giving joy. They mention Nanda’s name even though he is an elder, since their minds are bewildered by uncontrollable agitation. Kṛṣṇa has accepted colorful attire of forest garland and head ornaments of peacock feathers and guñja beads. Instead of raṇitam the alternative riphitam (guttural sound) is seen. This indicates the first sounds of the flute, before rāgas are played, and imitates the sound of the flute. Kṛṣṇa-sāra (the male deer) also means those who are Kṛṣṇa’s most excellent beings, and thus is a criticism of the gopīs’ husbands. It is suggested that they worshipped him with all ingredients of worship. They nourished (dadhuḥ) worship. This means that they performed worship more thorough than others. That worship was done with excellence (vi—racitam). The reason for superiority is given. They performed the worship with glances filled with affection. Love is the greatest treasure in worship. The plural is used to indicate that the does worshipped together. The word sma indicates astonishment or lamentation. “Ah! We do not have such good fortune!” Or, understanding (ākarṇya) by hearing that he was playing the flute, controlling (dadhuḥ) Kṛṣṇa who was dressed nicely by affectionate glances, they performed affectionate service. Nanda-nandanam becomes to object of the verb ākarṇya in the manner of dadhad darśaṇa-curura-śabdam aśvaḥ (Māgha-kāvya) and saṁśṛṇvan vadamānāṁs tān rāvaṇasya guṇān janān (Bhaṭṭi-kāvya).
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
What to speak of the glory of Vṛndāvana, the shelter of all jīvas dear to the Lord, let us describe the good fortune of the animals that take shelter there. The does’ knowledge (gatayaḥ) is without discrimination (mūḍha). Another version has matayaḥ. Though the does wander through the forest, they are seen by him. They worship the son of Nanda. Nanda indicates the he is endowed with all great qualities, giving joy. They mention Nanda’s name even though he is an elder, since their minds are bewildered by uncontrollable agitation.
He has accepted (upātta) colorful dress, given by the boys-- forest garland and head ornaments of peacock feathers and guñja beads. The deer perform worship in a special way (viracitām) with their affectionate glances since they do not have the materials for worship, and since he is the essence of worship for them, being the crown jewel of rasa. Glances is in the plural to show respect and to indicate a sequence of glances. Sma indicates astonishment or lamentation: we do not have such good fortune!
Or hearing the sound of the flute, the does, which, by being born in Vṛndāvana, had attained all knowledge and skill, now became unintelligent (mūḍhā) in the use of their internal and external senses (gatayaḥ). Or they could not move at all (mūḍha-gatayaḥ). They stumbled around or became stunned. The does which always stayed in the forest performed worship using affectionate glances. Or overcome with desire they could not judge anything or do anything. They just looked at Kṛṣṇa as if performing worship with reverence. The does (etāḥ) are like us. They are with their husbands the bucks (saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ), but even the bucks at least once (api) worship him. They are best (sāra) for Kṛṣṇa. They thus criticize the cowherds who do not service Kṛṣṇa in this spontaneous way.