Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.9
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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para-artha-bhavakāḥ
—
whose existence is for the sake of others
Compound: para (other) + artha (purpose) + bhavakāḥ (whose being). A doctrinal phrase: the trees of Yamunā-bank embody niṣkāma-paropakāra — selfless service. The gopīs name them this way because they recognize themselves; they too live entirely para-artha — for Kṛṣṇa.
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yamunā-upakūlāḥ
—
living near the bank of the river Yamunā
Compound: yamunā (the river-daughter of Sūrya, sister of Yama) + upakūlāḥ (dwelling on the bank). The Yamunā is herself Kṛṣṇa's intimate associate; the trees that grow on her shore are saturated by His footfalls and her ripples. Geography is rasa.
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kṛṣṇa-padavīm
—
the path Kṛṣṇa has taken
Compound: kṛṣṇa + padavī (path, way). Padavī also means a literary genre — the way one walks. The gopīs' question is therefore double-edged: where did His feet go, AND show us the path-of-being that He embodies.
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rahita-ātmanām
—
of those who have been deprived of their minds
Compound: rahita (deprived) + ātman (self, mind). They identify themselves not as women, not as Vraja-residents, but as 'the ones whose minds have been taken.' For the Gosvāmīs this is precisely the qualifying mark of mahābhāva: the self is no longer one's own.
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the cūta is a mango creeper, whereas the āmra is a mango tree. He goes on to explain that the nīpa, though not a very prominent tree, bears large flowers, and that the gopīs’ desperation to find Kṛṣṇa is clearly shown by the fact that they approached the insignificant arka plant. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives the following information about Vṛndāvana’s trees: “The nīpa is ‘the dust kadamba, ’ and it has large flowers. The kadamba proper has smaller flowers and a very pleasant fragrance. The kovidāra is a particular kind of kañcanāra [mountain ebony tree]. Even though the arka plant is very insignificant, it always grows near Lord Gopīśvara [the Śiva deity in Vṛndāvana forest] because it is dear to him.”
The jasmines, out of fear of their cowife tulasi and Krsna, are not speaking, though they know. What used do we have of them, since they are dependent on others? Saying this, they went elsewhere. "In front of us are the mango and piyala trees standing motionless on the bank of the Yamuna. From that we guess that they are in meditation on Visnu. They will not lie to us." With this faith, they inquired, "O cuta, mango with creepers, nipa (dhuli kadamba), O kadama, with sweet fragrance, O piyala (type of sala tree), O asata (yellow sala tree), O kovidara (type of kancanara tree), O arka (though small is always with Krsna), coconut, supari and others, please tell us, who are without our souls, where Krsna has gone." "Why should we tell you?" "You have taken birth to help others. And you live on the bank of the Yamuna."
Those trees will not speak because they are his servants. We will ask trees which are trustworthy like sages. Cūta is a creeper mango and āmra is a tree mango. The poets called the creeper mango natāmra. It was seen in the central states. Nīpa is the dhūli-kadamba, with huge flowers and plentiful pollen. The seed of the priyāla is famous as cārubīja and is eaten. Panasa is the jackfruit tree. Asana is the yellow sāla tree. Kovidāra has double leaves and is famous in the Vindyā region as koyilāva. It is similar to the kāñcanāra. Though the arka tree is considered inferior, they asked this tree also since they were full of longing. “What do we gain in telling you about him?” You are dedicated to helping others. You have taken birth to help others. Or another version has parārtha-bhāvikā: producing auspiciousness for others. Since you are living at a holy spot, near the bank (upakula) of the Yamunā, you speak the truth and are merciful. Thus please tell us the truth. Do not cheat us. “You should search for him yourself.” Fearing this answer the gopīs speak with pain, hoping to generate compassion for their suffering state, “We have lost all consciousness. We are near death. We cannot search by ourselves.” Previously they asked the other trees if they had seen Kṛṣṇa but did not receive an answer. Now they cleverly ask only for the path he took.
- Do I dismiss certain places, people, or moments as too ordinary to reveal God?
- What humble corner of my life have I never asked to teach me about Kṛṣṇa?
A row of riverside trees that have shed their fruit for travelers all summer — never tasting their own mangoes — these are the ones who know what para-artha (living for others) means. The gopīs, who have given Kṛṣṇa their everything, recognize kin in these trees and beg them: please point the way to the One we have spent ourselves on.
My note
Source: vedabase.io