ete—this Kṛṣṇa and His associates, the cowherd boysyadā—whenmat - suhṛdoḥ—of my brother and sistertila - āpaḥ kṛtāḥ—become the last ritualistic ceremonial offering of sesame and watertadā—at that timenaṣṭa - samāḥ—without lifevraja - okasaḥ—all the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvanaprāṇe—when the vital forcegate—has been thrown out of the bodyvarṣmasu—as far as the body is concernedkā—whatnu—indeedcintā—considerationprajā - asavaḥ—those whose love for their children is the same as their love for their own lifeprāṇa - bhṛtaḥ—those living beingshi—indeedye te—all the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ete yadā mat-suhṛdos tilāpaḥ
ete
this Kṛṣṇa and His associates, the cowherd boys
yadā
when
mat - suhṛdoḥ
of my brother and sister
tila - āpaḥ kṛtāḥ
become the last ritualistic ceremonial offering of sesame and water
kṛtās tadā naṣṭa-samā vrajaukasaḥ
tadā
at that time
naṣṭa - samāḥ
without life
vraja - okasaḥ
all the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana
prāṇe gate varṣmasu kā nu cintā
prāṇe
when the vital force
gate
has been thrown out of the body
varṣmasu
as far as the body is concerned
kā
what
nu
indeed
cintā
consideration
prajāsavaḥ prāṇa-bhṛto hi ye te
prajā - asavaḥ
those whose love for their children is the same as their love for their own life
prāṇa - bhṛtaḥ
those living beings
hi
indeed
ye te
all the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi .
Important Words
tila-āpaḥ—sesame and water offering for the dead
Compound: tila (sesame) + āpa (water). The traditional śrāddha offering. Aghāsura grotesquely re-imagines Kṛṣṇa and the boys as the funeral offering for his dead siblings — a black inversion of yajña.
naṣṭa-samāḥ—as good as dead
Compound: naṣṭa (lost, destroyed) + sama (equivalent). The Vrajavāsīs, if separated from Kṛṣṇa, are 'equivalent to dead' — Gauḍīyas read this as the technical state of viraha (separation), which is itself a form of intensified bhakti.
vraja-okasaḥ—the residents of Vraja
Compound: vraja + okas. Vraja-okasaḥ is the technical name for the residents whose entire prāṇa is Kṛṣṇa — Nanda, Yaśodā, the gopas, the gopīs. Their love is so total that physical death follows separation.
prāṇa-bhṛtaḥ—those who carry the life-air
Compound: prāṇa (life-air) + bhṛt (bearer). The 'bearers' of prāṇa — i.e. the living — are those for whom Kṛṣṇa is the prāṇa-of-prāṇa. Gauḍīyas: Kṛṣṇa is prāṇasya-prāṇa (Bhagavad-gītā 7.10), the life of life itself.
Aghāsura thought: If somehow or other I can make Kṛṣṇa and His associates serve as the last offering of sesame and water for the departed souls of my brother and sister, then the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, for whom these boys are the life and soul, will automatically die. If there is no life, there is no need for the body; consequently, when their sons are dead, naturally all the inhabitants of Vraja will die.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Aghāsura thought: If somehow or other I can make Kṛṣṇa and His associates serve as the last offering of sesame and water for the departed souls of my brother and sister, then the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, for whom these boys are the life and soul, will automatically die. If there is no life, there is no need for the body; consequently, when their sons are dead, naturally all the inhabitants of Vraja will die.
Commentary
Seeing Krsna and the others (krsna mukhan), Aghasura (sah), the younger brother of Putana (baki) and Bakasura, began to consider (vyavasya-- see verse 16. verse 14 second half and 15 are Aghasura’s thoughts), "This person (ayam tu) has killed my older sister Putana (baki) and my brother (baka) (sodara nasa krt). Therefore (atha) I will kill him on their behalf, as a pinda offering along with his followers (sabalam). If Krsna and the other boys become the offering to the pretas (tilapah) for my brother and sister (mat suhrdoh), Nanda and the other inhabitants of Vraja will naturally die. If the life has left the body do we have to worry about the bodies (varsmasu)? Those who live ( ye prana bhutah), live through their children (te prajasavah). Therefore if Krsna, their child, dies, they will die, without our having to kill them."
Aghāsura plots: if the children die, Vraja itself will die. The enemy of the Lord always aims at what is most beloved to the devotees — our children, our community, our future.
Reflection Questions
What in my life is so precious that, if it were attacked, my whole inner Vraja would collapse — and have I placed it under Kṛṣṇa's shelter?
Where am I leaving the most vulnerable parts of my life (children, dependents, ideals) without prayerful protection?
Analogy
Imagine a thief reasoning that to kill a city he need only kill its children — because once the children are dead, the parents will follow from grief. Aghāsura has correctly diagnosed Vraja's heart: Kṛṣṇa and the boys are the prāṇa of Vrajavāsīs. He has misdiagnosed only one thing — that any death is possible here.