Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.17
तेऽन्वेषमाणा दयितं कृष्णं सूचितया पदै: ।
भगवल्लक्षणैर्जग्मु: पदव्या यमुनातटम् ॥ १७ ॥
te ’nveṣamāṇā dayitaṁ
[te ’nveshamaanaa dayitam]
kṛṣṇaṁ sūcitayā padaiḥ
[krishnam soochitayaa padaih]
bhagaval-lakṣaṇair jagmuḥ
[bhagaval-lakshanair jagmuh]
padavyā yamunā-taṭam
[padavyaa yamunaa-tatam]
Word-for-word
te
—
they
anveṣamāṇāḥ
—
searching out
dayitam
—
their dearmost
kṛṣṇam
—
Kṛṣṇa
sūcitayā
—
(along the path) which was marked
padaiḥ
—
by His footprints
bhagavat - lakṣaṇaiḥ
—
the symbolic markings of the Personality of Godhead
jagmuḥ
—
they went
padavyā
—
along the path
yamunā - taṭam
—
to the bank of the Yamunā .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
te ’nveṣamāṇā dayitaṁ
te
they
anveṣamāṇāḥ
searching out
dayitam
their dearmost
kṛṣṇaṁ sūcitayā padaiḥ
kṛṣṇam
Kṛṣṇa
sūcitayā
(along the path) which was marked
padaiḥ
by His footprints
bhagaval-lakṣaṇair jagmuḥ
bhagavat - lakṣaṇaiḥ
the symbolic markings of the Personality of Godhead
jagmuḥ
they went
padavyā yamunā-taṭam
padavyā
along the path
yamunā - taṭam
to the bank of the Yamunā .
Important Words
-
dayitam
—
their dearmost (one)
From √day — to love, to share. Dayita is the technical lover-word in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, used especially of the gopīs' beloved. Here applied collectively by the Vraja-vāsīs.
-
bhagavat - lakṣaṇaiḥ
—
with the marks of the Personality of Godhead
Compound: bhagavat (Bhagavān) + lakṣaṇaiḥ (marks, signs). Lakṣaṇa-śāstra catalogs the auspicious marks on the body of Bhagavān; here they appear on a boy's feet in the dust. The Gauḍīya rasa is precisely this concealment-and-revelation.
-
yamunā - taṭam
—
the bank of the Yamunā
Compound: yamunā + taṭa (bank). The Yamunā's bank is the geography of so many Vraja-līlās — the rāsa, the dāna-līlā, the cīra-haraṇa. Now it becomes the bank of Kāliya-damana.
The residents hurried toward the banks of the Yamunā in search of their dearmost Kṛṣṇa, following the path marked by His footprints, which bore the unique signs of the Personality of Godhead.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The residents hurried toward the banks of the Yamunā in search of their dearmost Kṛṣṇa, following the path marked by His footprints, which bore the unique signs of the Personality of Godhead.
Commentary
They followed the path made by footprints marked with symbols of the Lord (sankha, cakra etc.)
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
They searched for him because he was dear (dayitam), since he was Kṛṣṇa.
Śrīdhara Svāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Because they knew the signs of his feet, it is hinted that they would find him soon. He was dear (dayitam), since he was Kṛṣṇa. Thus they searched.
Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Vraja-residents track Kṛṣṇa by His footprints, which bear unique signs of the Personality of Godhead. Even in lost moments, the Lord leaves a trail — the question is whether we know His marks well enough to recognize them.
Reflection Questions
- What 'footprints' of Kṛṣṇa from my past mark a trail I have stopped following?
- Where in my present circumstances are His unique signs visible if I look carefully?
Analogy
The villagers track Kṛṣṇa by His footprints. They do not know what the cakra, lotus and flag on His soles mean theologically; they only know these are His marks. To follow Bhagavān's footprints — even without a theology of them — is the act of every Vaiṣṇava searcher.
My note
Source: vedabase.io