Devanagari
मयि ता: प्रेयसां प्रेष्ठे दूरस्थे गोकुलस्त्रिय: ।
स्मरन्त्योऽङ्ग विमुह्यन्ति विरहौत्कण्ठ्यविह्वला: ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
mayi tāḥ preyasāṁ preṣṭhe
dūra-sthe gokula-striyaḥ
smarantyo ’ṅga vimuhyanti
virahautkaṇṭhya-vihvalāḥ
Synonyms
mayi
—
I
;
tāḥ
—
they
;
preyasām
—
of all objects of endearment
;
preṣṭhe
—
the most dear
;
dūra
—
sthe — being far away
;
gokula
—
striyaḥ — the women of Gokula
;
smarantyaḥ
—
remembering
;
aṅga
—
dear (Uddhava)
;
vimuhyanti
—
become stunned
;
viraha
—
of separation
;
autkaṇṭhya
—
by the anxiety
;
vihvalāḥ
—
overwhelmed .
Translation
My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of separation.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of separation.
KB 10.46.5
“The gopīs are the most dear. They always think of Me in such a way that they remain overwhelmed and almost dead in anxiety due to separation from Me.
Purport
Whatever is dear to us becomes an object of our possessiveness. Ultimately the most dear object is our very soul, or our self. Thus things in a favorable relationship to our self also become dear to us, and we try to possess them. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, among countless millions of such dear things, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the most dear of all, even dearer than one’s own self. The
gopīs
had realized this fact, and thus they were stunned in separation from the Lord because of their intense love for Him. Although they would have given up their lives, they were kept alive by the Lord’s transcendental potency.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"If you are their mind, prana, the dearmost and their soul, why do they not come here to Mathura? What can they do remaining in Vraja?" This verse answers the question.
"These women of Gokula fix their minds on me, dressed as a cowherd boy and ornamented with peacock feather, flute, gunja berries and clay. I also do not desire to bring them here. Why should they come to Mathura?"
"Objects of attachment are dear. The object of self identity, the soul, is dear. If the one soul becomes many, among millions of souls, there is the dearmost. If there are some objects dear among millions of souls, among those dear objects, I am the most dear. Thus if I, dearmost among all dear objects, am in a far off place, the gopis become bewildered and faint. Though, by my inconceivable yoga maya energy, they maintain their lives, it appears not possible for them to continue living."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
“Since they have absorbed their minds in you, they have attained you. Why should you worry about them?” Internally they are absorbed in me but externally they have become very disturbed.
That is described in this verse. As women of Gokula, they can maintain their lives only by seeing me. That is their extraordinary nature. The superlative degree in preṣṭha indicates an object which surpasses all others (Pāṇini 5.3.55.) That is priya or dear which is the object of complete possessiveness. That is dear (preyān) which is ātmā, with identity as “I.” If there are many such objects, among them all, that which surpasses them all--which is dearer than all things related to me--is dearest (preṣṭhe). When I am close, they express sentiments like “We can eagerly look upon your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks.” (SB 10.31.15) However, now I am far away. They remember that I am far away. On thinking about it, they faint (vimuhyanti). They think for a short time and faint for a long time. Ah! What misfortune! They cannot even think of me! The present tense is used to show that repeatedly they think and faint. The cause of fainting is their exhaustion from longing in separation. They drool. This is a symptom of the vyabhicārī-bhava called apasmara or epileptic fit. Previously they displayed various clear symptoms. Na vidāmaḥ kaśmalena kavaraṁ vasanaṁ vā: we are unaware that our hair and garments are slackening. (SB 10.35.17) However, now with their extreme symptoms known everywhere, I am embarrassed to go there. In distress Kṛṣṇa calls out aṅga. Also it means “Uddhava you are like my limb.” This gives courage to Uddhava to console the gopīs.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Their pain is more than mine. That is expressed in two verses. These women of Gokula have indescribable love, and are dedicated fully to me. Being women living in Vraja, their love is greater than mine. Among all dear persons, I am dearest to them but live far away in Mathurā. In great pain of separation, longing to see me, they remember me or the rāsa dance. Or they softly chant “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” since it is impossible to forget me. They become completely bewildered or faint. They fall on the ground and remain there. O friend with limbs similar to mine (aṅga)! O dear friend! You alone understand this.