FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.23.33

श्रवणाद्दर्शनाद्ध्यानान्मयि भावोऽनुकीर्तनात् । न तथा सन्निकर्षेण प्रतियात ततो गृहान् ॥ ३३ ॥
śravaṇād darśanād dhyānān
[shravanaad darshanaad dhyaanaan]
mayi bhāvo ’nukīrtanāt
[mayi bhaavo ’nukeertanaat]
na tathā sannikarṣeṇa
[na tathaa sannikarshena]
pratiyāta tato gṛhān
[pratiyaata tato grihaan]
śravaṇāt — by hearing darśanāt — by seeing the Deity form dhyānāt — by meditation mayi — for Me bhāvaḥ — love anukīrtanāt — by chanting My names and qualities na — not tathā — in the same way sannikarṣeṇa — by literal proximity pratiyāta — return tataḥ — therefore gṛhān — to your homes .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śravaṇād darśanād dhyānān
śravaṇāt
by hearing
darśanāt
by seeing the Deity form
dhyānāt
by meditation
mayi bhāvo ’nukīrtanāt
mayi
for Me
bhāvaḥ
love
anukīrtanāt
by chanting My names and qualities
na
not
na tathā sannikarṣeṇa
tathā
in the same way
sannikarṣeṇa
by literal proximity
pratiyāta tato gṛhān
pratiyāta
return
tataḥ
therefore
gṛhān
to your homes .
  • śravaṇāt — by hearing
    Ablative of śravaṇa. The first of the nine bhakti-aṅgas (Bhāgavatam 7.5.23). Kṛṣṇa names it first — śravaṇa is what built the wives' bhāva (verses 18, 20-21), so He prescribes more of it.
  • darśanāt — by seeing the Deity form
    Ablative of darśana. The Gauḍīya gloss is precise: not just any seeing but darśana of the arcā-vigraha. Kṛṣṇa anticipates Deity-worship as the practice these women can perform at home.
  • dhyānāt — by meditation
    Ablative of dhyāna. Smaraṇa in technical form. The inner image of Kṛṣṇa as the working object — exactly what verse 22 (the dhyāna-mūrti description) supplied.
  • bhāvaḥ — love
    From √bhū. Bhāva — the inner state. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu identifies bhāva as the immediate pre-cursor of prema. Kṛṣṇa names the goal-state by its proper technical name.
  • anukīrtanāt — by chanting My names and qualities
    Ablative of anu + √kīrt. Anukīrtana — continuous, following kīrtana. The exact word Mahāprabhu's Śikṣāṣṭaka echoes. Bhāva's strongest cultivator is the tongue's repetition of the Name.
It is by hearing about Me, seeing My Deity form, meditating upon Me and chanting My names and glories that love for Me develops, not by physical proximity. Therefore please go back to your homes.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
It is by hearing about Me, seeing My Deity form, meditating upon Me and chanting My names and glories that love for Me develops, not by physical proximity. Therefore please go back to your homes.
Commentary

Hearing Krsna’s words, they understood his wish and they left. However the gopis of the rasa dance, though understanding his word and desire, remained with Krsna. From this it is understood that in prema, there is certainly never any loss.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
Concepts
Bhava
'Love for Me develops by hearing about Me, seeing My Deity, meditating on Me, and chanting My names — not by proximity. Go home.' The four practical channels of devotion are named — and they work at any distance.
Reflection Questions
  • Which of the four channels — hearing, seeing, meditating, chanting — is currently most active in my life, and which least?
  • What would balance them this week?

The four chambers of one heart-pump: śravaṇa, darśana, dhyāna, kīrtana — Kṛṣṇa names the means of His own attainability. He hands over the manual in His own hand, to women, in the forest, on the eve of dispatching them home.

Ambarīṣa's nine ways

King Ambarīṣa, ruler of the earth, fixed his mind on Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, his words on Kṛṣṇa's qualities, his hands on Kṛṣṇa's temple-service, his ears on Kṛṣṇa's stories — and so on through every faculty (SB 9.4.18-20).

This verse is the same teaching given to the brāhmaṇa-wives moments before they return to ritual life: bhakti is not located in your physical address but in where śravaṇa, darśana, dhyāna and anukīrtana point your attention.

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