SB 10.22.37 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तत्र गा: पाययित्वाप: सुमृष्टा: शीतला: शिवा: । ततो नृप स्वयं गोपा: कामं स्वादु पपुर्जलम् ॥ ३७ ॥

Verse text

tatra gāḥ pāyayitvāpaḥ su-mṛṣṭāḥ śītalāḥ śivāḥ tato nṛpa svayaṁ gopāḥ kāmaṁ svādu papur jalam

Synonyms

tatra — there ; gāḥ — the cows ; pāyayitvā — making drink ; apaḥ — the water ; su — mṛṣṭāḥ — very clear ; śītalāḥ — cool ; śivāḥ — wholesome ; tataḥ — then ; nṛpa — O King Parīkṣit ; svayam — themselves ; gopāḥ — the cowherd boys ; kāmam — freely ; svādu — sweet-tasting ; papuḥ — they drank ; jalam — the water .

Translation

The cowherd boys let the cows drink the clear, cool and wholesome water of the Yamunā. O King Parīkṣit, the cowherd boys themselves also drank that sweet water to their full satisfaction.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The cowherd boys let the cows drink the clear, cool and wholesome water of the Yamunā. O King Parīkṣit, the cowherd boys themselves also drank that sweet water to their full satisfaction. KB 10.22.37 While passing through the forest of Vṛndāvana on the bank of the Yamunā, Kṛṣṇa sat down at a beautiful spot and allowed the cows to drink the cold and transparent water of the Yamunā. Being fatigued, the cowherd boys, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also drank. After seeing the young gopīs bathe in the Yamunā, Kṛṣṇa passed the rest of the morning with the boys. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-second Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopī Girls.”

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The boys let the cows drink the water in the Yamunā (tatra) which was very pure, healthy and giving auspicious results (śivāḥ). After the cows drank the boys drank, since that was the rule for cowherds. O king, that is the dharma for cowherds just as it is for you in relation to your citizens. In spite of the cows disturbing the water it was clear even when the boys drank (svādu). This is a glorification of the water. They drank to satisfaction. Mentioning the word “water” twice in the verse gives it importance.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The Yamunā water was naturally sweet, and in Vṛndāvana became most sweet (svādu). It gave happiness or auspiciousness (śivāḥ). The boys drank after the cows because they considered the comfort of the cows over their own comfort (svayam). Or, Svayam bhagavān (svayam) and the cowherds drank. Or they drank directly the water using their hands, not cups. There is a prohibition of not drinking water using the hands. But this rule does not apply to cowherds (gopāḥ). They are not subject to rules and forbiddances. O king! As your main job is protection of the citizens, their main job was protecting the cows, not considering personal comforts. Thus they drank later. The words su-mṛṣṭāḥ śītalāḥ and śivāḥ used to indicate that the water was tasty. But again it is mentioned (svādu) in the second line. Because it was so tasty they drank fully (kāmam). Or unlimited cows came from far to the Yamunā, after wandering a long time in many places. Finally the water became disturbed by their drinking. Thus the water lost is coolness and clarity and should have lost its sweetness. But it was still sweet tasting. That was its greatness.