Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.11
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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madhu-karam
—
a honeybee
Compound: madhu (honey) + karam (maker). The honey-maker — every word of the chapter will play on madhu (sweetness) and mādhurya (the rasa). The bee becomes the chapter's living metaphor.
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dhyāyantī
—
while meditating
Present participle feminine of √dhyai. She is in dhyāna of Kṛṣṇa-saṅgama. Gauḍīyas note that smaraṇa-dhyāna of the previous līlā is itself a limb of bhakti — and at the pitch of mahā-bhāva, dhyāna projects the beloved onto whatever is at hand.
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kṛṣṇa-saṅgamam
—
on Her association with Kṛṣṇa
Compound: kṛṣṇa + saṅgama (union, meeting). The technical term for the rāsa-līlā union she is reliving in memory. Saṅgama is the rasa-shastra term for the meeting-phase that follows vipralambha.
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kalpayitvā
—
imagining it
Absolutive of √kḷp (to arrange, fabricate). Critically, Gauḍīyas read this kalpana not as delusion but as the constructive power of prema — the bhāva is so dense that it manifests Kṛṣṇa's envoy in the nearest creature.
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is referred to in this verse as kācit, “a certain gopī. ” To establish that this particular gopī is in fact Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the following verses from the Agni Purāṇa: gopyaḥ papracchur ūṣasi kṛṣṇānucaram uddhavam harī-līlā-vihārāṁś ca tatraikāṁ rādhikāṁ vinā rādhā tad-bhāva-saṁlīnā vāsanāyā virāmitā sakhībhiḥ sābhyadhāc chuddha- vijñāna-guṇa-jṛmbhitam ijyānte-vāsināṁ veda caramāṁśa-vibhāvanaiḥ “At dawn the gopīs inquired from Kṛṣṇa’s servant, Uddhava, about the Lord’s pastimes and recreation. Only Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, immersed in thought of Kṛṣṇa, withdrew Her interest in the talks. Then Rādhā, who is worshiped by the residents of Her Vṛndāvana village, spoke up in the midst of Her girlfriends. Her words were full of pure transcendental knowledge and expressed the ultimate portion of the Vedas.” In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa states, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.” To know Kṛṣṇa is to love Kṛṣṇa, and thus Rādhārāṇī, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord. Having quoted the above verses from the Agni Purāṇa, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes the following from the Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī Upaniṣad ( Pūrva-khaṇḍa 2.4): yaṁ sarve devā namanti mumukṣavo brahma-vādinaś ca. “All the demigods and all the transcendental philosophers who desire liberation bow down to the Supreme Lord.” We should follow suit.
Someone (kacit) (the daughter of Vrsabhanu) endowed with seventh stage of prema called mahabhava (prema, sneha, mana, pranaya,raga anuraga, bhava, mahabhava?), the embodiment of essence of the hladini sakti, imagining through meditation Krsna’s relationship with the women of Mathura, became angry. "Beloved Krsna has sent this messenger here to pacify me." Imagining in this way, she then began to speak to a bee which had just flown in front of her. Or on the pretext of the bee, she was actually directing her words to Uddhava.
In the chapter on sthāyi-bhāva Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi describes citrajalpa caused by divyonmāda. etasya mohanākhyasya gatiṁ kāmapy upeyuṣaḥ | bhramābhā kāpi vaicitrī divyonmāda itīryate || udghūrṇā-citra-jalpādyās tad-bhedā bahavo matāḥ || When mohana attains an indescribable state similar to complete bewilderment with remarkable symptoms, it is called divyonmāda. It has many forms such as udghūrṇā and citra-jalpa. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.190-191 preṣṭhasya suhṛdāloke gūḍha-roṣābhijṛmbhitaḥ | bhūri-bhāva-mayo jalpo yas tīvrotkaṇṭhitāntimaḥ || The excessive chatter that arises out of great, deep anger, in the presence of a friend of the lover, filled with various bhāvas and finally ending with intense longing, is called citra-jalpa. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.195 These symptoms are described in one among the many gopīs. This “someone (kācit)” is the most beloved, Śrī Rādhā. Another meaning of kācit is she who possesses spiritual knowledge (cit) completely (ā) concerning the bliss of prema (ka). Or she was the chief of those who increased at every moment (ācinoti) their happiness of prema (ka) for Kṛṣṇa. Her name is directly mentioned in Vāsanā-bhāṣya. She suddenly saw a bee whose whiskers were powered with yellow pollen and imagined this to be a messenger from Kṛṣṇa. She then spoke as follows using indirect speech. Why was she angry when she was suffering greatly in separation? She was thinking of the association with her lover. She remembered her direct contact with him as he constantly came to her secretly in the form of sphūrti and during dreams. Anger would be possible if he also had contact with other women lovers. That is explained: she who imagined the bee to be a messenger also imagined that he had other lovers. Later in this chapter she will say, “Don’t touch me with your whiskers, which are smeared with the kuṁkuma that rubbed onto Kṛṣṇa’s garland when it was crushed by the breasts of a rival lover!” She then spoke ten verses called citra-jalpa in which she speculates about the messenger sent by Kṛṣṇa, who was full of love for her. The Vāsana-bhāṣya says: gopyaḥ papracchur uṣasi kṛṣṇānucaram uddhavam | hari-līlā-vihārāṁś ca tatraikāṁ rādhikāṁ vinā | rādhā tad-bhāva-saṁlīnā vāsanāyā virāmitā || sakhībhiḥ sābhyādhāc chuddha-vijñāna-guṇa-jṛmbitam ījyānte-vāsināṁ veda-caramāṁśa-vibhāvanaiḥ The gopīs asked Uddhava the servant of Kṛṣṇa in the morning about his pastimes in the absence of Rādhā. Absorbed in her love for him, giving up all other thoughts, she spoke citra-jalpa with her sakhīs, using examples from the Upaniṣads which are worshipped by the sections on karma, and reveal pure knowledge. Previously to this Rādhā showed remorse (nirveda), which at root was a bhāva composed of affection and anger. She then gave up all desires on considering that she was about to die. She gave up all hope of meeting him again. Not able to tolerate such news, not seeing a way to overcome the suffering, even by taking another body to stop the suffering, she thought that liberation would be better. She thus spoke, using examples from the Upaniṣads, with speech filled with pure knowledge. She did not do this alone, but with her sakhīs. Or veda-caramāṁśa can also mean the Vedas, which reveal similar bhāvas as hers. She gave up all other bhāvas (vāsanayā). Śuddha-vijñāna-guṇa-jṛmbitam means “with anubhāvas.” Yam sarve veda āmananti, mumukṣavo brahmavādinaśca: the Vedas, liberated souls and knowers of Brahman, praise this love. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad) General bhakti is praised, being superior to liberation. Vāñchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaṁ ca: their pure love is hankered after by those who fear material existence, by great sages, and by ourselves as well. (SB 10.47.58) The general love shown by the gopīs is desired by all people. ity acyutāṅghriṁ bhajato 'nuvṛttyā bhaktir viraktir bhagavat-prabodhaḥ bhavanti vai bhāgavatasya rājaṁs tataḥ parāṁ śāntim upaiti sākṣāt O King! The devotee who worships the lotus feet of the infallible Lord with constant endeavor achieves unflinching devotion, detachment and experience of the Lord. He achieves supreme happiness. SB 11.2.43 Thus from bhakti arises the anubhāvas.
The chief gopī among them (kācit) then spoke. Or kācit means she who has knowledge (cit) complete with the happiness of prema (ke ā). This means Rādhā. gopyaḥ papracchur uṣasi kṛṣṇānucaram uddhavam | hari-līlā-vihārāṁś ca tatraikāṁ rādhikāṁ vinā | rādhā tad-bhāva-saṁlīnā vāsanāyā virāmitā || sakhībhiḥ sābhyādhāc chuddha-vijñāna-guṇa-jṛmbitam ījyānte-vāsināṁ veda-caramāṁśa-vibhāvanaiḥ In the morning the gopīs asked Uddhava, the servant of Kṛṣṇa, about his pastimes in the absence of Rādhā. Absorbed in her love for him, giving up all other thoughts, she spoke citra-jalpa with her sakhīs, using examples from the Upaniṣads which are worshipped by the sections on karma, and reveal pure knowledge. Agni Purāṇa Gopīes other than Rādhā asked Uddhava about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā was absorbed in mahābhāva for Kṛṣṇa and had thus given up all other desires. She spoke to Uddhava, disciple of Bṛhaspati, using examples from the Upaniṣads. Uddhava was full of realization in prema. Thus Rādhā’s citrajalpa was a transformation of divyonmāda, and the essence of the Upaniṣads. etasya mohanākhyasya gatiṁ kāmapy upeyuṣaḥ | bhramābhā kāpi vaicitrī divyonmāda itīryate || udghūrṇā-citra-jalpādyās tad-bhedā bahavo matāḥ || When mohana attains an indescribable state similar to complete bewilderment with remarkable symptoms, it is called divyonmāda. It has many forms such as udghūrṇā and citra-jalpa. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.190-191 preṣṭhasya suhṛdāloke gūḍha-roṣābhijṛmbhitaḥ | bhūri-bhāva-mayo jalpo yas tīvrotkaṇṭhitāntimaḥ || The excessive chatter that arises out of great, deep anger, in the presence of a friend of the lover, filled with various bhāvas and finally ending with intense longing, is called citra-jalpa. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.195 Except for the last verse, everything is pervaded by anger. A bee suddenly appeared. She thought it was a messenger sent by Kṛṣṇa. By meditating on associating with Kṛṣṇa, by seeing Uddhava or by her very nature, she thought the bee was sent by him. She spoke to Uddhava, but aimed at the bee. Or seeing the messenger Uddhava sent by Kṛṣṇa, she imagined him to be a bee since she meditated on associating with him. He appeared like a bee because of his dark complexion. She did not look closely since she was overcome by mahabhāva mixed with pain in separation, by absorbing her mind in associating with Kṛṣṇa. Without the Lord’s mercy no one can understand the words of Rādhā, whose mind was absorbed in Govinda and who talked because of her natural prema.
- Revati Raman Pr SB 10-47-11 Telugu Translation - Where Laxami Resides - 2012 Tirupati
- BAVS SB 10-47-11 - 2023-10-05 ISKCON Vrindavan
- BCaitanyaS SB 10-47-11 - Exchanges With the Honeybee - Durban
- 15 - RGS SB 10-47-11-12 - Uddhav Sandesh-15 - 1998-99 Kadiha Bihar
- 06 - RGS SB 10-47-11-12 - Bhramar Geet-06 - 2008 Khadia Bihar
- Where could you read more 'messages' from Kṛṣṇa in the small visitors of your day?
- What might He be saying through the honeybee at your window?
A honeybee lands at the gopī's feet — and in the heat of viraha she sees Kṛṣṇa's envoy. Love at this pitch reads the world as a coded letter; every footstep is His, every winged thing carries His name. The verse opens the Bhramara-gīta, the song to the bee.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta records Mahāprabhu in His Gambhīrā years mistaking dunes for Govardhana, the ocean for the Yamunā, and the sky's blue for Kṛṣṇa's complexion. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī notes that this was no error — it was the operation of mahā-bhāva, the same bhāva that operates in this gopī.
Gauḍīyas read Mahāprabhu's Vraja-rasa as a re-living of precisely this chapter: He IS the gopī addressing the bee.
My note
Source: vedabase.io