Devanagari
एवंविधा भगवतो या वृन्दावनचारिण: ।
वर्णयन्त्यो मिथो गोप्य: क्रीडास्तन्मयतां ययु: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
evaṁ-vidhā bhagavato
yā vṛndāvana-cāriṇaḥ
varṇayantyo mitho gopyaḥ
krīḍās tan-mayatāṁ yayuḥ
Synonyms
evam
—
vidhāḥ — such
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
yāḥ
—
which
;
vṛndāvana
—
cāriṇaḥ — who was wandering in the Vṛndāvana forest
;
varṇayantyaḥ
—
engaged in describing
;
mithaḥ
—
among one another
;
gopyaḥ
—
the gopīs
;
krīḍaḥ
—
the pastimes
;
tat
—
mayatām — fullness in ecstatic meditation upon Him
;
yayuḥ
—
they attained .
Translation
Thus narrating to one another the playful pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He wandered about in the Vṛndāvana forest, the gopīs became fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Thus narrating to one another the playful pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He wandered about in the Vṛndāvana forest, the gopīs became fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
KB 10.21.20
While Kṛṣṇa was engaged in tending the cows in the forest of Vṛndāvana or on Govardhana Hill, the gopīs in the village were always absorbed in thinking of Him and discussing His different pastimes. This is the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the gopīs; therefore Lord Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method which is better than the method of the gopīs. The gopīs were not born in very high brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya families; they were born in the families of vaiśyas, and not in big mercantile communities but in the families of cowherd men. They were not very well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the brāhmaṇas, the authorities of Vedic knowledge. The gopīs’ only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-first Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “The Gopīs Attracted by the Flute.”
Purport
In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “This is the perfect example of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the
gopīs;
therefore Lord Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method that is better than the method of the
gopīs.
The
gopīs
were not born in very high
brāhmaṇa
or
kṣatriya
families; they were born in the families of
vaiśyas,
and not in big mercantile communities but in the families of cowherd men. They were not very well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the
brāhmaṇas,
the authorities of Vedic knowledge. The
gopīs’
only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.”
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse summarizes. "The gopis, describing how the Lord wandered in Vrndavana performing various other pastimes, became absorbed in those pastimes (tanmayatam). They thus approached close to Krsna, and enjoyed with him." Or the meaning can also be: "They met Krsna, engaged others in his pastimes and sometimes were engaged by others in his pastimes." Because they say later in Bhagavatam (10.29.36), "O lotus eyed one, from the time we touched those feet with our hands, we can no longer live with our husbands," it is reasonable to say on this day the gopis enjoyed with Krsna.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
They described many of his pastimes, or thus I have described this somewhat. A summary is now given. The gopīs described such (yāḥ) pastimes which bewilder the whole world, the pastimes of the Lord (here the cause of the many pastimes—evaṁ vidham-- is indicated) who reveals his unlimited sweetness, who wanders throughout Vṛndāvana. By this description the eternal nature of his pastimes and their emotions are indicated. Another version has vṛndāvana-vihāriṇaḥ. This indicates his excellence. Recounting all his pastimes, they then became completely absorbed in them.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
They described many other pastimes also. I can describe only a few. Now Śukadeva concludes.
The gopīs described the pastimes which bewilder the world (evaṁ-vidhāḥ), since they belong to Bhagavān, who displays his powers excellently, by playing at his will in Vṛndāvana. Or they described the pastimes as he wandered in Vṛndavan especially, not in Vraja—for the gopīs would have been fortunate, seeing him in Vraja often. Instead of cāriṇaḥ sometimes vihariṇaḥ is seen. Describing all those pastimes, the gopīs became absorbed in Bhagavān (tan-mayatām), constantly glorifying him and hearing about him. Or they became absorbed in pastimes with him (tan-mayatām). They use the word tat because they cannot pronounce his name. They are overcome with intense sorrow in the fire of prema. Use of the word gopyaḥ indicates that as cowherd women, this absorption in Kṛṣṇa was their very nature. Their greatest fortune of having the highest prema is indicated.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A . C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto,Twenty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa's Flute."
10.22: Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs
verses: Summary, 1, 2-3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31-32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes how the marriageable daughters of the cowherd men worshiped Kātyāyanī to get Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their husband, and how Kṛṣṇa stole the garments of the young girls and gave the girls benedictions.
During the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, every day early in the morning the young daughters of the cowherds would take one another's hands and, singing of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental qualities, go to the Yamunā to bathe. Desiring to obtain Kṛṣṇa as their husband, they would then worship the goddess Kātyāyanī with incense, flowers and other items.
One day, the young gopīs left their garments on the shore as usual and began playing in the water while chanting of Lord Kṛṣṇa's activities. Suddenly Kṛṣṇa Himself came there, took away all the garments and climbed a nearby kadamba tree. Wanting to tease the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa said, "I understand how fatigued you gopīs are from your austerities, so please come onto the shore and take back your clothes."
The gopīs then pretended to become angry and said the cold water of the Yamunā was giving them great pain. If Kṛṣṇa did not give them back their garments, they said, they would inform King Kaṁsa of all that had happened. But if He did give the clothes back, they would willingly carry out His orders in the mood of humble servants.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied that He had no fear of King Kaṁsa, and that if the girls really intended to follow His command and be His maidservants they should each immediately come onto the shore and take their respective garments. The girls, trembling from the cold, climbed out of the water with their two hands covering their private parts. Kṛṣṇa, who felt great affection for them, again spoke: "Because while executing a vow you bathed in the water naked, you have committed an offense against the demigods, and to counteract it you should offer obeisances with joined palms. Then your vow of austerity will achieve its full result."
The gopīs followed this instruction and, folding their hands in respect, offered obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Satisfied, He gave them back their clothing. But the young girls had become so attracted to Him that they could not leave. Understanding their minds, Kṛṣṇa said that He knew they had worshiped Kātyāyanī to get Him as their husband. Because they had offered their hearts to Him, their desires would never again become tainted by the mood of materialistic enjoyment, just as fried barleycorns can no longer grow into shoots. Next autumn, He told them, their most cherished desire would be fulfilled.
Then the gopīs, fully satisfied, returned to Vraja, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His cowherd friends went off to a distant place to graze the cows.
Sometime later, when the boys felt disturbed by the great heat of summer, they took shelter at the base of a tree that stood just like an umbrella. The Lord then said that the life of a tree is most excellent, for even while feeling pain a tree continues to protect others from heat, rain, snow and so on. With its leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrance, sap, ashes, pulp and sprouts, a tree fulfills the desires of everyone. This kind of life is ideal. Indeed, said Kṛṣṇa, the perfection of life is to act with one's vital energy, wealth, intelligence and words for the benefit of all.
After the Lord had glorified the trees in this way, the entire company went to the Yamunā, where the cowherd boys let the cows drink the sweet water and also drank some themselves.