Devanagari
यूयं विवस्त्रा यदपो धृतव्रता
व्यगाहतैतत्तदु देवहेलनम् ।
बद्ध्वाञ्जलिं मूध्र्न्यपनुत्तयेऽहस:
कृत्वा नमोऽधोवसनं प्रगृह्यताम् ॥ १९ ॥
Verse text
yūyaṁ vivastrā yad apo dhṛta-vratā
vyagāhataitat tad u deva-helanam
baddhvāṣjaliṁ mūrdhny apanuttaye ’ṁhasaḥ
kṛtvā namo ’dho-vasanaṁ pragṛhyatām
Synonyms
yūyam
—
you
;
vivastrāḥ
—
naked
;
yat
—
because
;
apaḥ
—
in the water
;
dhṛta
—
vratāḥ — while executing a Vedic ritualistic vow
;
vyagāhata
—
bathed
;
etat tat
—
this
;
u
—
indeed
;
deva
—
helanam — an offense against Varuṇa and the other gods
;
baddhvā aṣjalim
—
with palms joined together
;
mūrdhni
—
upon your heads
;
apanuttaye
—
for counteracting
;
aṁhasaḥ
—
your sinful action
;
kṛtvā namaḥ
—
paying obeisances
;
adhaḥ
—
vasanam — your lower garments
;
pragṛhyatām
—
please take back .
Translation
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] You girls bathed naked while executing your vow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods. To counteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing your joined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your lower garments.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] You girls bathed naked while executing your vow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods. To counteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing your joined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your lower garments.
KB 10.22.19
“My dear girls, you have committed a great offense by going naked in the river Yamunā. Because of this, the predominating deity of the Yamunā, Varuṇadeva, has become displeased with you. Please, therefore, just touch your foreheads with folded palms and bow down before the demigod Varuṇa in order to be excused from this offensive act.”
Purport
Kṛṣṇa wanted to see the full surrender of the
gopīs,
and thus He ordered them to offer obeisances with their palms joined above their heads. In other words, the
gopīs
could no longer cover their bodies. We should not foolishly think that Lord Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary lusty boy enjoying the naked beauty of the
gopīs.
Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and He was acting to fulfill the loving desire of the young cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana. In this world we would certainly become lusty in a situation like this. But to compare ourselves to God is a great offense, and because of this offense we will not be able to understand Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental position, for we will wrongly take Him to be materially conditioned like ourselves. To lose transcendental sight of Kṛṣṇa is certainly a great disaster for one trying to relish the bliss of the Absolute Truth.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Oh you have made a great offense. If you have bathed without clothing in the water, then definiteley (u) you have offended Varuna, or Narayana (deva)."
The gopis said, "This is a local custom and therefore as very young girls, we have made no offense."
Krsna said, "For those performing vrata, bathing naked is certainly an offense to the Lord."
Considering thus that the fruits of their vrata had become nullified, they became afraid and said, "Oh, we have made such an offense and now we will not get any results. Motrified and more motified, we should give up our lives. "
Seeing the gopis who had performed such austerities, with worn bodies, pale and shivering, Krsna thought , "Oh, I should, being merciful, immediately prescribe some prayascitta so that they do not give up their lives." Therefore he said, "o thin bodied gopis, do not fear." He gave the remedy. "All women are servants of Narayana. This is the statement of scripture. Gargamuni has also said that I am similar to Narayana in qualities. Therefore I am now your Narayana. Therefore, turning towards me, you should offer respects to me to nullify your offense to Narayana, and then receive your lower garments. Because males don’t have any use for the lower garments of women I will give them all back. The upper garments however I will use myself as shawls."
When the lowered their head as an obeisance, krsna said, "Oh no, offering respects with just the head is inferior." When he saw them then using one hand, he objected again "this is also inferior." Thus he made them offer both hands in prayer. When he saw them offering both hands, but low down to cover themselves, he said, "Hold your folded hands above your heads."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
“Because they are young girls they cannot be blamed.” I have directly witnessed this, so it is not possible to cheat me. This is an offense against the deity of the water Varuṇa or Nārāyaṇa. Fold your hands and put them on your heads and nowhere else. This indicates Kṛṣṇa’s different intentions. He saw that they were trying to use one hand for offering respects. Therefore he told them to join their hands. And when they joined their hands they placed them downwards. Therefore he told them to place their hands on their heads. He instructed them to take only their lower garments, not their upper garments.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
“Because they are young girls they cannot be blamed.” I have directly witnessed this, so it is not possible to cheat me. Deva-helanam actually means worship of Devī or Kātyāyanī (feminine). You have offended her. But in order to make them give up their stubbornness, he speaks of general disregard for all devatās. Or, deva-helanam can refer technically to an offense, in the form of some fault in the vrata. They should place their hands on their heads and nowhere else, in order that the king of rasikas could fulfill his desire. One should not offer respects with only one hand according to Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. They should join the hands together and place them on their heads, for he saw them joining their hands below.
When they came near to take their cloth which was at the base of the kadamba tree (adhas), he would be able to see them clearly. Offering respects they should take their clothing. Or they should take their lower cloth (adhovasanam) and not their upper cloth. Vasanam is in the singular to indicate that each girl should take one piece of cloth.