Devanagari
इङ्गितज्ञा: पुरुप्रौढा एकारामाश्च सात्वता: ।
सात्वतामृषभं सर्वे भूतावासममंसत ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
iṅgita-jṣāḥ puru-prauḍhā
ekārāmāś ca sātvatāḥ
sātvatām ṛṣabhaṁ sarve
bhūtāvāsam amaṁsata
Synonyms
iṅgita
—
jṣāḥ — expert in psychic study
;
puru
—
prauḍhāḥ — highly experienced
;
eka
—
one
;
ārāmāḥ
—
relaxation
;
ca
—
also
;
sātvatāḥ
—
devotees, or own men
;
sātvatām ṛṣabham
—
head of the family
;
sarve
—
all
;
bhūta
—
āvāsam — all-pervading
;
amaṁsata
—
could think .
Translation
The Yadus were all experienced devotees, learned and expert in psychic study. Over and above this, they were always with the Lord in all kinds of relaxations, and still they were only able to know Him as the one Supreme who dwells everywhere.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The Yādavas, knowing the inner heart of the Lord, being very intelligent, enjoying individually with him, knew him as the best of among them and knew him as Paramātmā.
“The inhabitants of Dvārakā were not devoid of knowledge of the Lord’s powers as were the inhabitants of Gokula who experienced only sweetness in pure prema. How then can Uddhava say that they did not know the Lord’s powers?” This verse explains.
Because they had great intelligence (puru-prauḍhā) they knew what was in Kṛṣṇa’s heart, what to speak of the sweetness of his form. But in spite of that, they did not know his powers. They enjoyed with him individually, in sitting, resting and other activities (ekārāmāḥ). They thought of Kṛṣṇa, who was present as their eternal master and the best person among themselves, as Paramātmā in all beings (bhūtāvāsam). The śruti says eko devaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ: the one lord is residing within all beings. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad) But they did not know Kṛṣṇa as Svayam Bhagavān, as the source of Nārāyaṇa. That is the meaning when Uddhava said that they did not know the Lord. In this world it is proper that some know Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavān and some do not. That is not criticized. Criticized are those who are intermediate, those who half know Bhagavān.
Purport
In the
Vedas
it is said that the Supreme Lord or the Paramātmā cannot be understood simply by the strength of one’s erudition or power of mental speculation:
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
(
Kaṭha Upaniṣad
1.2.23). He can be known only by one who has the mercy of the Lord. The Yādavas were all exceptionally learned and experienced, but in spite of their knowing the Lord as the one who lives in everyone’s heart, they could not understand that He is the original Personality of Godhead. This lack of knowledge was not due to their insufficient erudition; it was due to their misfortune. In Vṛndāvana, however, the Lord was not even known as the Paramātmā because the residents of Vṛndāvana were pure unconventional devotees of the Lord and could think of Him only as their object of love. They did not know that He is the Personality of Godhead. The Yadus, or the residents of Dvārakā, however, could know Lord Kṛṣṇa as Vāsudeva, or the Supersoul living everywhere, but not as the Supreme Lord. As scholars of the
Vedas,
they verified the Vedic hymns:
eko devaḥ . . . sarva-bhūtādhivāsaḥ . . . , antaryāmī . . .
and
vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devatā. . . .
The Yadus, therefore, accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul incarnated in their family, and not more than that.