Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.41.25
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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viparyak
—
backwards, reversed
Adverbial. The ornament is on, but the orientation is wrong. The body's instinct to dress is intact; the body's attention to itself is not. Bhāva inverts the mirror-relation.
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vismṛtya
—
forgetting
Absolutive of vi + √smṛ — to forget. The Bhāgavatam consistently uses this verb for the forgetfulness that bhāva produces. To forget one's earring is the first sign of having remembered Kṛṣṇa.
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nūpurāḥ
—
ankle bells
Nominative plural of nūpura. One ankle bell, not two — a near-comic detail. The ladies are still themselves enough to dress, not enough to dress correctly. Vyāsa's eye for the precise depth of the lapse.
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locanam
—
the eye
Accusative singular of locana — eye. The kajjala on only one eye is the Bhāgavatam's most-cited image of bhāva-disorder. The eye that has already seen Him does not need to be readied to see Him again.
The ladies were very eager to see Kṛṣṇa, and in their haste and excitement they forgot themselves.
This verse and the next describe the eagerness of the women of Mathura. They put their clothing and ornaments on in reverse manner. They forgot to put on one of the pair of earrings and bangles and went to Krsna. Thus they appeared with only one earring and one anklet. Some women had kajal on one eye only.
This verse is connected with the next verse. After hearing the commotion which arose from the citizens on seeing the two boys they acted in this way. The singular ekam is used to express a type. Some put their clothing on backwards. They took both parts of the clothing but forgot to put one on and then went to see Kṛṣṇa. Then (atha) others decorated themselves with only one of a pair of ornaments. After starting to decorate their eyes with ointment, they left after decorating only one eye. The word ca indicates that other anomalies also occurred in their dressing. Another version has sva-locanam. The word sva indicates that they were absorbed in decorating their eyes.
This verse is connected with the next verse. After hearing the commotion which arose from the citizens on seeing the two boys, the women acted in this way. The singular ekam is used to express a type. Some put their clothing on backwards. They took both parts of the clothing but forgot to put one on and then went to see Kṛṣṇa. Then (atha) others decorated themselves with only one element of a pair of ornaments. After starting to decorate their eyes with ointment, they left after decorating only one eye. The word ca indicates that other anomalies also occurred in their dressing. Another version has sva-locanam. The word sva indicates that they were absorbed in decorating their eyes.
- Where could you let eagerness scramble your presentation?
- What self-image still gets careful upkeep when devotion would have you rush out half-dressed?
Saris worn backwards, one earring on, kohl on a single eye — the body abandons its mirror when the heart sees Kṛṣṇa. The disorder of ornament is the order of bhāva.
When Kṛṣṇa's flute called the gopīs to the rāsa-līlā (SB 10.29), they abandoned half-cooked food on the fire, husbands mid-sentence, infants at the breast, ornaments half-fastened. Some wore one earring; some applied kajjala to only one eye. The Bhāgavatam treats their disorder as ornament.
The ladies of Mathurā here perform a paler version of the same — the same disorder, a smaller pitch. Gauḍīyas read this verse as Vyāsa's deliberate preview: aiśvarya-purī cannot help mimicking, in miniature, the Vraja-women's mādhurya-loss.
My note
Source: vedabase.io