Devanagari
सुरतवर्धनं शोकनाशनं
स्वरितवेणुना सुष्ठु चुम्बितम् ।
इतररागविस्मारणं नृणां
वितर वीर नस्तेऽधरामृतम् ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
surata-vardhanaṁ śoka-nāśanaṁ
svarita-veṇunā suṣṭhu cumbitam
itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇāṁ
vitara vīra nas te ’dharāmṛtam
Synonyms
surata
—
conjugal happiness
;
vardhanam
—
which increases
;
śoka
—
grief
;
nāśanam
—
which destroys
;
svarita
—
vibrated
;
veṇunā
—
by Your flute
;
suṣṭhu
—
abundantly
;
cumbitam
—
kissed
;
itara
—
other
;
rāga
—
attachments
;
vismāraṇam
—
causing to forget
;
nṛṇām
—
men
;
vitara
—
please spread
;
vīra
—
O hero
;
naḥ
—
upon us
;
te
—
Your
;
adhara
—
of the lips
;
amṛtam
—
the nectar .
Translation
O hero, kindly distribute to us the nectar of Your lips, which enhances conjugal pleasure and vanquishes grief. That nectar is thoroughly relished by Your vibrating flute and makes people forget any other attachment.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O hero, kindly distribute to us the nectar of Your lips, which enhances conjugal pleasure and vanquishes grief. That nectar is thoroughly relished by Your vibrating flute and makes people forget any other attachment.
KB 10.31.14
“Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are seeking Your kisses, which You offer even to Your flute. The vibration of Your flute enchants the whole world and our hearts also. Kindly, therefore, return and kiss us with Your mouth of nectar.”
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī’ s charming commentary on this verse is in the form of a dialogue between the
gopīs
and Kṛṣṇa:
“The
gopīs
say, ‘O Kṛṣṇa, You exactly resemble Dhanvantari, the best of physicians. So please give us some medicine, for we are suffering from the disease of romantic desire for You. Don’t hesitate to give us the medicinal nectar of Your lips freely, without our paying a substantial price. Since You are a great hero in giving charity, You should give it without any payment, even to the most wretched persons. Consider that we are losing our life and that now You can restore us to life by giving us that nectar. After all, You have already given it to Your flute, which is simply a hollow bamboo stick.’
“Kṛṣṇa says, ‘But the diet of people in this world is the bad one of attachment to wealth, followers, family and so forth. The particular medicine you’ve requested should not be given to those who have such a bad diet.’
“‘But this medicine makes one forget all other attachments. So wonderful is this herbal drug that it counteracts bad dietary habits. Please give that nectar to us, O hero, since You are most charitable.’”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"O best of doctors, equal to Dhanvantari, please give a medicine to us, for we are fainting due to the sickness of love."
"The medicine of your nectar lips nourish erotic enjoyment (surata vardhanam), and remove the pain of separation (soka nasanam). You should not say, ‘How can I give such valuable medicine for free.’ You can give without price for you are the hero of charity (vira). Without charging, you bring back to life the lowest entities. Those lips are kissed and tasted (susthu cumbitam) by the flute, just a piece of bamboo, which then breathes melody (svarita venuna)."
"But attachment to family and wealth is a very unhealthy diet. I will not give to those people."
"This medicine, the nectar of your lips, makes one forget all attachments to other things (itara raga vismaranam). This is a remarkable medicine, which revives any person from a bad condition. We have experience of this. Therefore you should give that nectar to us women (nrnam), O vira, heroic in charity or mercy."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
The nectar on your lips increases the desire for enjoyment with you in prema. It is like liquor. Though constantly tasting, one is never fully satisfied. It destroys the suffering of not attaining you by destroying our stubbornness. It makes men forget other things (itara-rāga-vismāraṇam), what to speak of women. By desiring that nectar, everything else becomes non-existent. The proof is the flute. It is known as a male, but is attached to relishing your rasa arising from your chewed betel nut. These three--the nectar’s ability increase desire, destroy suffering and cause forgetfulness of things--show the nectar’s supreme position. This has been shown as well in the previous verse concerning his feet. The two verses give the same message. It is not that you cannot give this. Some of the nectar remains there. O Kṛṣṇa, brave in giving (vīra)!
The nectar is kissed by the flute making sounds (svarita). This means the nectar of his lips is scented with the nectar of the sound. This refers to the flute’s wavering sound, like a singer, to induce greed since the skilful performer by his singing can produce desire for touching etc. with happiness in the listener. This gives further nectar to the nectar of his lips. Thus the lips become extraordinary just as perfume becomes more intoxicating by mixing the scents. Or the lips are kissed by the flute with its seven notes. This shows the intoxicating nature of the nectar of his lips. The flute kisses the nectar of his lips to produce uniqueness in the continuing song and to intoxicate the whole universe when it hears those notes which have contacted his lips.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
The nectar of your lips increases prema (su + rata or rati) or happiness of enjoyment in love. Though we could constantly attain it, still it would be unsatisfying. Thus the word “increase” is used. This also avoids blaming the gopīs for boldness. It destroys lamentation caused by separation and unfulfilled desires. Without that nectar, lamentation will not cease.
The sound of the flute has a special quality to intoxicate. The cause of this effect is its direct contact with his lips. By that sound all suffering is destroyed. There is no other way. Or showing the great fortune of the flute previously mentioned, flute, kissing nectar, indicates the nectar’s great sweetness and ability to give good fortune. Since the nectar is kissed by the flute, it is not the agent of enjoyment, and does not decrease. That nectar makes men forget all other happiness such as liberation. It is most attractive. Since it is superior to liberation, it is superior to the nectar of the devatās. It is superior to hearing and other processes of bhakti. It is superior to seeing the Lord since it is obtained only by dedicated women lovers. The list of descriptive terms is in order of cause, the last being the final cause.
“There is not much nectar.” In response they say O person dedicated to giving (vīra)! Or hero in the battle of love (vīra)! It is suitable that you give this nectar. Or vīra is an address to person who has reached kaiśora age and suggests his ability to give rasa. The meaning can be taken according to the context.
Svarita can also refer to the flute playing notes (svara). If the nectar makes men forget other attractions, what to speak of women forgetting? Men attain the nectar of his lips by attaining some of his chewed betel nut. Or nṛṇām vīra (O hero among men)! By attaining that nectar, attraction to other things ceases. This suggests that by attaining Kṛṣṇa they no longer have to search. Thus there is urgency in their request.
Or the nectar of his lips makes them forget everything else by producing rasa for him (itara-rāga-vismaraṇam). By suggesting that this is the nature of the nectar, the accusation of boldness to attain him can be denied. This request is clearly more specific than previously. Previously sīdhu was mentioned (verse 8). Now it is called amṛta.