SB 10.41.26 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.41.26

अश्न‍न्त्य एकास्तदपास्य सोत्सवा अभ्यज्यमाना अकृतोपमज्जना: । स्वपन्त्य उत्थाय निशम्य नि:स्वनं प्रपाययन्त्योऽर्भमपोह्य मातर: ॥ २६ ॥

aśnantya ekās tad apāsya sotsavā

[ashnantya ekaas tad apaasya sotsavaa]

abhyajyamānā akṛtopamajjanāḥ

[abhyajyamaanaa akritopamajjanaah]

svapantya utthāya niśamya niḥsvanaṁ

[svapantya utthaaya nishamya nihsvanam]

prapāyayantyo ’rbham apohya mātaraḥ

[prapaayayantyo ’rbham apohya maatarah]

Word-for-word

aśnantyaḥ — taking meals ekaḥ — some tat — that apāsya — abandoning sa - utsavaḥ — joyfully abhyajyamānāḥ — being massaged akṛta — not finishing upamajjanāḥ — their bathing svapantyaḥ — sleeping utthāya — getting up niśamya — having heard niḥsvanam — the loud sounds prapāyayantyaḥ — giving milk arbham — to an infant apohya — put aside mātaraḥ — mothers .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

aśnantya ekās tad apāsya sotsavā

aśnantyaḥ

taking meals

ekaḥ

some

tat

that

apāsya

abandoning

sa - utsavaḥ

joyfully

abhyajyamānā akṛtopamajjanāḥ

abhyajyamānāḥ

being massaged

akṛta

not finishing

upamajjanāḥ

their bathing

svapantya utthāya niśamya niḥsvanaṁ

svapantyaḥ

sleeping

utthāya

getting up

niśamya

having heard

niḥsvanam

the loud sounds

prapāyayantyo ’rbham apohya mātaraḥ

prapāyayantyaḥ

giving milk

arbham

to an infant

apohya

put aside

mātaraḥ

mothers .

Important Words

apāsya — abandoning
Absolutive of apa + √as — to throw away, set aside. The verb of relinquishment. The Bhāgavatam uses it here for meals; in 10.29 it uses it for infants the gopīs set down to run to the rāsa.
prapāyayantyaḥ — giving milk
Present participle of pra + √pā (causative) — causing to drink. Mothers in the act of breastfeeding put the infant aside. The Bhāgavatam's most piercing image of how Kṛṣṇa-darśana interrupts even vātsalya — for the mortal-bound versions of it, at least.
niḥsvanam — the loud sounds
Accusative of niḥsvana — outflowing sound. The acoustic field of Kṛṣṇa's procession — flute, anklets, voices, hooves. Gauḍīyas note: even before darśana, Bhagavān's śabda is already pulling people from sleep.
arbham — infant
Accusative of arbha — small child. The infant set aside is the verse's most charged detail. The mothers do not stop being mothers; they have, in this one second, found a Person more worth attending to than even their own child.

Those who were taking their meals abandoned them, others went out without finishing their baths or massages, women who were sleeping at once rose when they heard the commotion, and mothers breast-feeding their infants simply put them aside.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Commentary

Some gave up eating their meals, some interrupted ceremonies such as wedding rites and left without circumambulating their husbands. Others, being massaged with oil by assistants, gave up the massage. Others without completing their bath, left. Others who were attentively feeding their babies, even those just born, gave them up and left.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Some gave up (apāsya) eating their meals and went out, even without performing ācamana. The word apāsya should be supplied for the other actions also. Others gave up celebrations such as weddings and left the house. Or sotsavā can mean that they were all overflowing with joy in their hearts and thus gave up eating etc. Some who were sleeping woke up and left. Others gave up feeding their newborn infants. This means they fed them later. Since the mothers were greatly affectionate to their infants, it would be harder to leave them. However even they left their children to see Kṛṣṇa. Thus they are mentioned last.

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Prema (Divine Love)Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)

Concepts

Jiva

Personal Guidance

Those eating abandon meals; bathers and massagers stop mid-service; sleepers wake at the commotion; mothers set down breastfeeding infants. Every ordinary activity is interruptable by Kṛṣṇa's arrival; nothing is so important it doesn't pause.

Reflection Questions

What activity in your life never seems interruptable for Kṛṣṇa?
Where could you actually set something down to attend Him today?

Analogy

Lunches mid-bite, baths half-done, sleep abandoned mid-dream, infants set aside at the breast — the city's entire ordinary economy is interrupted by the sound of Kṛṣṇa walking. Bhagavān's footfall outvotes hunger, sleep, and even mother-love.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io