Devanagari
प्रेष्ठं प्रियेतरमिव प्रतिभाषमाणं
कृष्णं तदर्थविनिवर्तितसर्वकामा: ।
नेत्रे विमृज्य रुदितोपहते स्म किञ्चित्-
संरम्भगद्गदगिरोऽब्रुवतानुरक्ता: ॥ ३० ॥
Verse text
preṣṭhaṁ priyetaram iva pratibhāṣamāṇaṁ
kṛṣṇaṁ tad-artha-vinivartita-sarva-kāmāḥ
netre vimṛjya ruditopahate sma kiṣcit
saṁrambha-gadgada-giro ’bruvatānuraktāḥ
Synonyms
preṣṭham
—
their beloved
;
priya
—
itaram — just the opposite of a beloved
;
iva
—
as if
;
pratibhāṣamāṇam
—
addressing them
;
kṛṣṇam
—
Lord Kṛṣṇa
;
tat
—
artha — for His sake
;
vinivartita
—
desisted from
;
sarva
—
all
;
kāmāḥ
—
their material desires
;
netre
—
their eyes
;
vimṛjya
—
wiping
;
rudita
—
their crying
;
upahate
—
having stopped
;
sma
—
then
;
kiṣcit
—
something
;
saṁrambha
—
with agitation
;
gadgada
—
choking up
;
giraḥ
—
their voices
;
abruvata
—
they spoke
;
anuraktāḥ
—
firmly attached .
Translation
Although Kṛṣṇa was their beloved, and although they had abandoned all other objects of desire for His sake, He had been speaking to them unfavorably. Nonetheless, they remained unflinching in their attachment to Him. Stopping their crying, they wiped their eyes and began to speak, their voices stammering with agitation.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Although Kṛṣṇa was their beloved, and although they had abandoned all other objects of desire for His sake, He had been speaking to them unfavorably. Nonetheless, they remained unflinching in their attachment to Him. Stopping their crying, they wiped their eyes and began to speak, their voices stammering with agitation.
KB 10.29.30
The gopīs were not ordinary women. In essence they were on an equal level with Kṛṣṇa. They are His eternal associates. As it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā, they are expansions of the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa, and as His potency they are nondifferent from Him. Although they were depressed by the words of Kṛṣṇa, they did not like to use harsh words against Him. Yet they wanted to rebuke Kṛṣṇa for His unkind words, and therefore they began to speak in faltering voices. They did not like to use harsh words against Kṛṣṇa because He was their dearmost, their heart and soul. The gopīs had only Kṛṣṇa within their hearts. They were completely surrendered and dedicated souls. Naturally, when they heard such unkind words, they tried to reply, but in the attempt torrents of tears fell from their eyes. Finally they managed to speak.
Purport
The
gopīs
now replied to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their voices choking up with anger caused by their intense love for Him and their unwillingness to give Him up. They would not allow Him to reject them.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"O gopis, why are you crying in the forest? Smile and return home. " As if Krsna were shouting this in their ears, the gopis woke up from their dazed state, and began to plead with Krsna.
Krsna was prestham, the most dear, because previously he had many times allowed association with them. But he now seemed unaffectionate (prietaram iva) because of his use of harsh words ordering them to return to their husbands. However such words were impossible to use against them because they were completely devoid of even a trace of material lust (sarva kamah nivartita). This indicates that the gopis did not have lust or material desire for Krsna. Their desire to please Krsna was not kama. That is Sukadeva’s intention by using sarva in this phrase. They rubbed their eyes which had been blinded with tears. They were rubbing their eyes with the intention of seeing Krsna just once more before they died. Because they were thinking that due to their being unqualified for him they were rejected, they did not manifest anger. "Though he is our very life and soul, how could he bring us to this state of death?" Then, becoming slightly angry, they spoke in choked voices. But since they perceived lack of love on both their parts, then they should have withdrawn their minds from Krsna. However in spite of that condition, they were still attracted to him (anurakta), for persons blinded by love do not consider logic.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Kṛṣṇa, who was dear to them, had spoken as if he was not affectionate. Why did they not withdraw their minds from him? They had given up all other desires completely in order to attain Kṛṣṇa. Thus they could not withdraw their minds from Kṛṣṇa--the form of condensed bliss, attractive to all minds. How was it possible for these gopīs, afflicted so greatly, to speak? They spoke with anger, a transformation of their disappointment, to cover their disappointment. They wiped their eyes: a symptom of the conjunction of disappointment and anger which arises from the nature of anger in love. They wiped their eyes in order to speak while glancing at his face. Because of their great pain, their shyness decreased significantly. However, they spoke weakly because disappointment remained to some degree. Because of the disappointment and anger, they spoke with choked voices. The cause of their depression and their actions was their deep attachment to him (anuraktāḥ).
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Kṛṣṇa, who was dear to them, had spoken as if he was not affectionate. Why did they not withdraw their minds from him? They had given up all other desires completely in order to attain Kṛṣṇa. Thus they could not withdraw their minds from Kṛṣṇa--the form of condensed bliss, attractive to all minds.
How was it possible for these gopīs, afflicted so greatly, to speak? They gave up weeping out of great grief, wiped their eyes carefully, removing the tears. With great effort they composed themselves. Or in great suffering anurāga is a cause of the power to speak. This is a quality in prema. They wiped their eyes to induce his affection, or as a symptom of great prema or to speak while looking at his face. In great distress, they lost all shyness. They had only slight anger, since he was their beloved or because their love was soft. Or they spoke with choked voices out of great, indescribable anger because of their great attachment.
Or they spoke in an abbreviated manner. Why? Because tears choked their voices, from anger born of love. Why? Because of their attachment. Previously of course they were attracted by their nature. Now greater attachment arose with great eagerness by hearing his words. Or having special attraction, they were not depressed though he acted indifferently. Or because of their anurāga, he was still attractive, even with the words he spoke. Thus they spoke to him, because he was their lover (preṣṭham).
Previously he had seemingly spoken harsh words. Or taking it as the present tense, he continued to say “Give up worrying, do not cry, be comfortable and return home.” They were seeming harsh words, for actually he was joking. That was explained previously.
I offer respects to the gopīs who are the masters of cleverness, who understood the meaning of his words and by whose mercy I have understood the meaning.