Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.2-3
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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kālindyāḥ
—
of the Yamunā
Genitive of Kālindī, daughter of Mount Kalinda — a name of the Yamunā. In Gauḍīya rasa-tattva the Yamunā is herself a sakhī, the witness-river of Vraja-līlā. Every act of the gopīs near her water is also a confiding in her.
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saikatīm
—
made of earth
From sikatā (sand). The deity is shaped from the Yamunā's sand — the very dust that has touched Kṛṣṇa's feet. The chosen substance betrays the chosen object: even their Durgā is built out of Kṛṣṇa's vraja-rajaḥ.
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gandhaiḥ
—
with sandalwood pulp and other fragrant articles
Instrumental plural of gandha. Arcana is the engagement of all the senses in service; the offering's fragrance trains the worshipper's sense of smell toward Kṛṣṇa rather than toward viṣaya.
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dhūpa-dīpakaiḥ
—
with incense and lamps
Compound: dhūpa (incense) + dīpaka (lamp). The standard upacāras of pañcopacāra-pūjā. The girls perform full Vedic arcana with exactness; bhakti does not bypass form — it fills form with the right object.
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ucca-avacaiḥ
—
opulent and also simple
Compound: ucca (high) + avaca (low). Whatever they have — costly or humble — they bring. The principle of yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi (BG 9.27): the value of the offering lies in the bhāva, not the price.
The word balibhiḥ in this verse indicates offerings of clothing, ornaments, food and so on.
balibih means that they worshipws using cloth, ornaments, and food offerings.
Having shown the young girls great attraction for Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva now describes their method of worship to inform those who wish to know. Immersing themselves in the cold winter water shows the severity of their vow. The shore (jalānte) is famous even today as Ghaṭtavāsinī-devī. They worshipped at the dawn. They made a deity of sand and installed it so that it was non-different from Kātyāyanī. They made a temporary deity of sand, with the hope that soon their goal would be accomplished. “O king these young girls who have not attained youth worship with such attachment.” They have been enchanted by Kṛṣṇa. The word “fragrant” should be attached to all suitable items in the list. The plural is used to show the great profusion of ingredients they brought. Balibhiḥ indicates cloth, ornaments, and food. Ucchāvacaiḥ means various. The items are mentioned—leaves, rice and fruit. The order of the items is not normal, since they forgot, because their minds were stolen by Kṛṣṇa, or Śukadeva became bewildered in telling their story.
The method of worship is shown in three and half verses. They bathed without clothing in the cold water which was most purifying. The description of the worship shows the austerity involved. They worshipped on the bank of the Yamunā. This could be the western or eastern bank. They did this when the sun rose or when dawn manifested according to the vow. There was a small forest nearby. They made a deity out of sand in order to quickly fulfill their desire. O king! Though they should be worshipped by the world they worshipped this sand form to attain Kṛṣṇa. See the intensity of their longing! The word “fragrant” should be attached to all suitable items in the list. The plural is used to show the great profusion of ingredients they brought. Balibhiḥ indicates cloth, ornaments, and food. Ucchāvacaiḥ means various. The items are mentioned—leaves, rice and fruit. The order of the items is not normal, since they forgot, because their minds were stolen by Kṛṣṇa, or Śukadeva became bewildered in telling their story. Or the first members of the list simply indicates that those items were properly purified for worship (balibhiḥ). Then upahāra indicates naivedyam and leaves, fruits, and rice at the end indicates aroti. Uccavācaiḥ (many varieties) modifies all words.
- Padaseva Pr SB 10-22-02 Oriya
- Padaseva Pr SB 10-22-02-03 Oriya
- BVijnanaGS English 2006-04-20 SB 10-22-02-04 South Africa
- BVijnanaGS SB 10-22-02-04 - 2006-04-20 South-Africa
- Bhakti Vikas Sw SB 10-22-02-24 - South Africa - 2006-04-20
- BKG SB 10-22-02-03 - Severe Vrata of the Gopis - 2020-11-24 New Goloka
- MNS SB 10-22-03-06 - Katyayani Vrata Part 02
- What local materials of my life could I be using to build a small daily worship?
- Where am I waiting for proper paraphernalia to begin instead of using what's at hand?
A child shaping a clay doll of her teacher just to have something to bow before — knowing perfectly well the doll is not the teacher, but wanting a place to put her hands. The gopīs' earthen Durgā on the sand of the Yamunā is exactly such a stand-in: a clay handle by which to take hold of Kṛṣṇa.
My note
Source: vedabase.io