FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.46.18

अपि स्मरति न: कृष्णो मातरं सुहृद: सखीन् । गोपान् व्रजं चात्मनाथं गावो वृन्दावनं गिरिम् ॥ १८ ॥
api smarati naḥ kṛṣṇo
[api smarati nah krishno]
mātaraṁ suhṛdaḥ sakhīn
[maataram suhridah sakheen]
gopān vrajaṁ cātma-nāthaṁ
[gopaan vrajam chaatma-naatham]
gāvo vṛndāvanaṁ girim
[gaavo vrindaavanam girim]
api — perhaps smarati — remembers naḥ — us kṛṣṇaḥ — Kṛṣṇa mātaram — His mother suhṛdaḥ — His well-wishers sakhīn — and dear friends gopān — the cowherds vrajam — the village of Vraja ca — and ātma — Himself nātham — whose master gāvaḥ — the cows vṛndāvanam — the forest of Vṛndāvana girim — the mountain Govardhana .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
api smarati naḥ kṛṣṇo
api
perhaps
smarati
remembers
naḥ
us
kṛṣṇaḥ
Kṛṣṇa
mātaraṁ suhṛdaḥ sakhīn
mātaram
His mother
suhṛdaḥ
His well-wishers
sakhīn
and dear friends
gopān vrajaṁ cātma-nāthaṁ
gopān
the cowherds
vrajam
the village of Vraja
ca
and
ātma
Himself
nātham
whose master
gāvo vṛndāvanaṁ girim
gāvaḥ
the cows
vṛndāvanam
the forest of Vṛndāvana
girim
the mountain Govardhana .
  • smarati — remembers
    Third-person singular present of √smṛ. The verse repeats smaraṇa-vocabulary that has now spread through the chapter (4, 5, 21, 27). Vraja's question is always the smaraṇa-question: do we still exist inside the Lord's smṛti?
  • mātaram — His mother
    Accusative of mātṛ. Nanda lists mother before himself — the father will not yet name himself in the litany. Even in grief, vātsalya defers to vātsalya: Yaśodā's claim on Kṛṣṇa is named first.
  • vrajam — Vraja
    The dhāma itself enters the list of remembered objects. Gauḍīyas read this verse as Nanda placing the dhāma alongside persons — the place is loved, and asked-after, on the same footing as the people. Vraja is not scenery.
  • ātma - nātham — whose master is Himself
    Compound modifying vrajam: Vraja whose only nātha (lord/protector) is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Theological force: even in His absence, Vraja has no other lord. Gauḍīya tradition makes this verse a proof-text for kṛṣṇa-nātha exclusivity in Vraja.
  • gāvaḥ — the cows
    Nominative plural of go. The cows enter the list before Govardhana — Nanda's instinct is correct: the gāvaḥ are the persons of Vraja, not its property. Gauḍīya cow-theology stands on such moments.
  • girim — the mountain (Govardhana)
    Accusative of giri. Govardhana, the hill Kṛṣṇa lifted seven days; the verse names it last, almost as climax. The hill that knew Kṛṣṇa's hand most intimately — does it now know His memory?
Does Kṛṣṇa remember us? Does He remember His mother and His friends and well-wishers? Does He remember the cowherds and their village of Vraja, of which He is the master? Does He remember the cows, Vṛndāvana forest and Govardhana Hill?
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Does Kṛṣṇa remember us? Does He remember His mother and His friends and well-wishers? Does He remember the cowherds and their village of Vraja, of which He is the master? Does He remember the cows, Vṛndāvana forest and Govardhana Hill?
Commentary

Then with tears in his eyes and choked voice he began to ask about Krsna. Pointing with his finger, he said, "Just see the condition of Krsna’s mother. See Vraja now, bereft of glory, whose master was Krsna (atma natham), but which is now without Krsna." !9. "Will Krsna come here? O Uddhava, do you know the intention in Krsna’s mind?" "Yes I know, he will come. He will relieve you of suffering and will stay here." "Let him not console us, and let him not stay here permanently. I beg only to see him. We, his own people (sva janana), afflicted by separation, will die today or tomorrow. Will he not come to see them just once? Oh Govinda, please take (vindatam) unlimited cows, meaning also millions of gold coins, pearls, and diamonds, jewel encrusted plates, various types of cloth, ornaments, sandalwood, aguru, kumkum and many household items. These are all yours. We are almost dead. Who else has a right to these things? Take all these things and live wherever you desire to live." "Why are you talking like this? You should know that he is about to come." Not being able to bear the delay, Nanda said, " When (karhi) will I be able to see his face? His face, which surpasses a million moons, his incomparable nose, his sweet smile, and his long, lotus petal eyes. As the end approaches, seeing this, we will die." By this he expresses his extreme anxiety.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Not able to control himself for long, Nanda then asked directly what he wanted to ask. Does Kṛṣṇa, who attracts all hearts, who is my son, remember us? Did he not forget us? Plural is used (naḥ) to indicate Upananda and others also. It thus indicates Kṛṣṇa’s affection for all. He mentions Yaśodā, since Nanda remembered her because of his pain on seeing her great sorrow. Does he remember other cowherd relatives like maternal uncles, his companions like Śrīdāmā, the cowherds in general and also the gopīs, and Vraja, whose master is Kṛṣṇa (ātma). By being master of Vraja he was naturally the master of everyone. Gāvaḥ should be gāḥ. He lists everyone from most important (Yaśodā) to less important (cows). Since it is included in Vṛndāvana, he mentions Govardhana after Vṛndāvana, though Govardhana is more important. Or he mentions naḥ first because that came to his mind first. Then he remembered about the Yaśodā, well-wishers and Kṛṣṇa’s friends in that order because of proximity to himself, with the later persons further away in open areas. Then, unable to remember details, he asks about other cowherds and Vraja in general. After asking in general about Vraja, not able to think of the details, he then asks specifically about the cows. Does he constantly remember Vṛndāvana where he enjoyed and the cows with whom he enjoyed, though he has now given them up? In Vṛndāvana, does he remember the mountain he held up in his hand for seven days, while encouraging worship of himself--a desire tree with a wealth of happiness and a variety of pastimes? After killing Kaṁsa, who was only one person, he is now hampered in many ways. He must not be able to think about himself because of worrying about a safe place for the Yadus, bringing them here and there, in order to defend them from many wicked enemies, such as followers of Kaṁsa’s wives and the father of Kaṁsa’s wives. In that condition how could he think of us?

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
Concepts
Atma
Does Kṛṣṇa remember us? Does He remember His mother, friends, cowherds, village, cows, forest, Govardhana Hill? Nanda lists the specific objects of memory — devotional love asks specific, almost child-like questions.
Reflection Questions
  • When did you last ask if Kṛṣṇa remembers specific small things in your life?
  • What specific objects of memory would you ask Him about?

A father's most painful question wears the disguise of a list: does he remember His mother, His friends, the cows, the hill, the forest? Each item is a hand reaching toward a son who has not come back. Nanda cannot ask 'does He love me?' so he asks 'does He remember the cows?'

Daśaratha's grief for Rāma

When Rāma went to the forest, Daśaratha could not stop reciting the names of his son's companions, his bow, his sandals, his deer-skin (Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa). The list-of-things became the only available form of the unutterable question.

Nanda in SB 10.46.18 does the same. Gauḍīya ācāryas note that vātsalya-viraha and dāsa-vātsalya-viraha share this grammar of inventory: when the beloved is unspeakable, the heart names everything around him.

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