FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.30

योऽह्न: क्षये व्रजमनन्तसख: परीतो गोपैर्विशन् खुररजश्छुरितालकस्रक् । वेणुं क्‍वणन् स्मितकटाक्षनिरीक्षणेन चित्तं क्षिणोत्यमुमृते नु कथं भवेम ॥ ३० ॥
yo ’hnaḥ kṣaye vrajam ananta-sakhaḥ parīto
[yo ’hnah kshaye vrajam ananta-sakhah pareeto]
gopair viśan khura-rajaś-churitālaka-srak
[gopair vishan khura-rajash-churitaalaka-srak]
veṇuṁ kvaṇan smita-katākṣa-nirīkṣaṇena
[venum kvanan smita-kataaksha-nireekshanena]
cittaṁ kṣiṇoty amum ṛte nu kathaṁ bhavema
[chittam kshinoty amum rite nu katham bhavema]
Word-for-word
yaḥ — who ahnaḥ — of the day kṣaye — at the demise vrajam — the village of Vraja ananta — of Ananta, Lord Balarāma sakhaḥ — the friend Kṛṣṇa parītaḥ — accompanied on all sides gopaiḥ — by the cowherd boys viśan — entering khura — of the hoofprints (of the cows) rajaḥ — with the dust churita — smeared alaka — the locks of His hair srak — and His garlands veṇum — His flute kvaṇan — playing smita — smiling kaṭa - akṣa — from the corners of His eyes nirīkṣaṇena — with glances cittam — our minds kṣiṇoti — He destroys amum — Him ṛte — without nu — indeed katham — how bhavema — we can exist .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yo ’hnaḥ kṣaye vrajam ananta-sakhaḥ parīto
gopair viśan khura-rajaś-churitālaka-srak
veṇuṁ kvaṇan smita-katākṣa-nirīkṣaṇena
cittaṁ kṣiṇoty amum ṛte nu kathaṁ bhavema
yaḥ
who
ahnaḥ
of the day
kṣaye
at the demise
vrajam
the village of Vraja
ananta
of Ananta, Lord Balarāma
sakhaḥ
the friend Kṛṣṇa
parītaḥ
accompanied on all sides
gopaiḥ
by the cowherd boys
viśan
entering
khura
of the hoofprints (of the cows)
rajaḥ
with the dust
churita
smeared
alaka
the locks of His hair
srak
and His garlands
veṇum
His flute
kvaṇan
playing
smita
smiling
kaṭa - akṣa
from the corners of His eyes
nirīkṣaṇena
with glances
cittam
our minds
kṣiṇoti
He destroys
amum
Him
ṛte
without
nu
indeed
katham
how
bhavema
we can exist .
Important Words
  • ananta - sakhaḥ — the friend of Ananta (Balarāma)
    Kṛṣṇa described through His bond with His elder brother Balarāma (Ananta-Śeṣa). Gauḍīya: Balarāma is the original ādi-guru, the source of all spiritual masters; their friendship is the inner architecture of guru-tattva.
  • khura - rajaḥ — dust of the hooves
    The 'dust of the cows' hooves' raised at dusk — go-dhūli, the gopa-twilight, a sacred hour in Vraja. Bhakti texts make this dust itself a meditation: it has touched the feet of Kṛṣṇa's cows.
  • veṇum kvaṇan — playing (His) flute
    Veṇu = bamboo flute. The flute is Kṛṣṇa's signature vibhāva — the sound by which gopīs' bodies become deer, rivers freeze, peacocks dance. Its sound now departs from Vraja with Him.
  • kaṭa - akṣa - nirīkṣaṇena — by the side-long glance from the corner of the eye
    Kaṭākṣa — the famous Kṛṣṇa side-eye, distinct from frontal gaze. In mādhurya-rasa, the kaṭākṣa is the lover's signal. Its absence will be felt as the absence of love-language itself.
  • cittam kṣiṇoti — wears down / wastes the mind
    Kṣi = to waste away. His glance literally erodes the mind that receives it — bhakti's pleasurable destruction of false ego. Without this erosion-by-darśana, the gopīs say, there is no living.
How can we exist without Ananta’s friend Kṛṣṇa, who in the evening would return to Vraja in the company of the cowherd boys, His hair and garland powdered with the dust raised by the cows’ hooves? As He played His flute, He would captivate our minds with His smiling sidelong glances.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
How can we exist without Ananta's friend Kṛṣṇa, who in the evening would return to Vraja in the company of the cowherd boys, His hair and garland powdered with the dust raised by the cows' hooves? As He played His flute, He would captivate our minds with His smiling sidelong glances.
Commentary

Moreover, today in the evening we will die. At the end of the day, the friend of Balarama, Krsna, while entering Vraja, will glance upon our breasts. By that our hearts become bewildered. How will we live without Krsna? If this evening we do not receive that glance, how can we maintain our lives?

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Ananta is one name of Saṅkarṣaṇa or Balarāma since he is white like Ananta and has unlimited strength like Ananta. Like Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma has many well known names in Vraja. Ananta-sakhaḥ therefore means “the friend of Balarāma,” or “along with Balarāma.” Accompanied by Balarāma, surrounded by cowherd boys, Kṛṣṇa entered Vraja in the evening. He would bewilder our hearts with prema, by his soft smile and his side glance looking at our breasts. Nu indicates worry. How can we exist without him? We will die now, right here.

Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Bhakti (Devotion)
Related verses
BG 15.9 BG 18.64 BG 2.62 BG 3.11 BG 12.3 SB 4.29.2 BG 9.11 BG 7.8 BG 10.3 BG 13.1 BG 5.18 BG 6.5 BG 1.1 BG 16.4 BG 1.41
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
How can we exist without Ananta's friend Kṛṣṇa, who would return at evening with cowherd boys, hair dusted by hooves, captivating with smiling sidelong glances as He plays His flute? The shape of His daily homecoming becomes the shape of the heart's expectation.
Reflection Questions
  • What daily 'evening return' of Kṛṣṇa have you grown to expect, and what would loss of it mean?
  • Could you cultivate one such daily rendezvous more carefully?
Analogy

Like wives who waited every evening for the herder to come home with the cows — at the day's end Kṛṣṇa would return with the gopas, dust of the cows' hooves powdering His curls and garland, the flute at His lips, His sidelong smiling glance falling on them — and now this evening-procession is ending. The flute and the dust together: gone.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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