FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.14

किमिह बहु षडङ्‍‍घ्रे गायसि त्वं यदूना- मधिपतिमगृहाणामग्रतो न: पुराणम् । विजयसखसखीनां गीयतां तत्प्रसङ्ग: क्षपितकुचरुजस्ते कल्पयन्तीष्टमिष्टा: ॥ १४ ॥
kim iha bahu ṣaḍ-aṅghre gāyasi tvaṁ yadūnām
[kim iha bahu shad-anghre gaayasi tvam yadoonaam]
adhipatim agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ purāṇam
[adhipatim agrihaanaam agrato nah puraanam]
vijaya-sakha-sakhīnāṁ gīyatāṁ tat-prasaṅgaḥ
[vijaya-sakha-sakheenaam geeyataam tat-prasangah]
kṣapita-kuca-rujas te kalpayantīṣṭam iṣṭāḥ
[kshapita-kucha-rujas te kalpayanteeshtam ishtaah]
kim — why iha — here bahu — much ṣaṭ - aṅghre — O bee (six-footed one) gāyasi — are singing tvam — you yadūnām — of the Yadus adhipatim — about the master agṛhāṇām — who have no home agrataḥ — in front of naḥ — us purāṇam — old vijaya — of Arjuna sakha — of the friend sakhīnām — for the friends gīyatām — should be sung tat — of Him prasaṅgaḥ — the topics kṣapita — relieved kuca — of whose breasts rujaḥ — the pain te — they kalpayanti — will provide iṣṭam — the charity you desire iṣṭāḥ — His beloveds .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kim iha bahu ṣaḍ-aṅghre gāyasi tvaṁ yadūnām
kim
why
iha
here
bahu
much
ṣaṭ - aṅghre
O bee (six-footed one)
gāyasi
are singing
tvam
you
yadūnām
of the Yadus
adhipatim agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ purāṇam
adhipatim
about the master
agṛhāṇām
who have no home
agrataḥ
in front of
naḥ
us
purāṇam
old
vijaya-sakha-sakhīnāṁ gīyatāṁ tat-prasaṅgaḥ
vijaya
of Arjuna
sakha
of the friend
sakhīnām
for the friends
gīyatām
should be sung
tat
of Him
prasaṅgaḥ
the topics
kṣapita-kuca-rujas te kalpayantīṣṭam iṣṭāḥ
kṣapita
relieved
kuca
of whose breasts
rujaḥ
the pain
te
they
kalpayanti
will provide
iṣṭam
the charity you desire
iṣṭāḥ
His beloveds .
  • ṣaṭ-aṅghre — O bee (six-footed one)
    Compound: ṣaṭ (six) + aṅghre (footed). The bee named again by its feet — and the gopī's address mocks the very name. Gauḍīyas note the irony: she addresses the messenger by an anatomical detail, refusing to grant him personhood.
  • agṛhāṇām — who have no home
    From a + gṛha (without a house). The gopīs declare themselves homeless — because they have given up everything for Kṛṣṇa, and now He has given them up too. The word returns at verse 18: pure devotees become agṛha by the touch of one drop of Kṛṣṇa-kathā.
  • vijaya-sakha — of the friend of Arjuna
    Compound: vijaya (Arjuna) + sakha (friend). The gopī names Kṛṣṇa by His new sakhya in Hastināpura — emphasizing how far He has wandered from the cowherd boys of Vraja. The title is a complaint about scale.
  • kṣapita-kuca-rujaḥ — (women) whose breast-pain He has relieved
    Compound: kṣapita (removed) + kuca (breast) + rujaḥ (pain). The gopī accuses Kṛṣṇa of curing the city women's longing while leaving the gopīs' longing unhealed. Yet the unhealed longing is itself the highest rasa, as Rūpa Gosvāmī will explain.
O bee, why do you sing here so much about the Lord of the Yadus, in front of us homeless people? These topics are old news to us. Better you sing about that friend of Arjuna in front of His new girlfriends, the burning desire in whose breasts He has now relieved. Those ladies will surely give you the charity you are begging.

With the words agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ, Rādhārāṇī laments that even though She and the other gopīs gave up their homes to love Kṛṣṇa in a conjugal relationship, the Lord left them and became a prince in the great royal city of the Yadus. Besides meaning “Arjuna, the victor,” the word vijaya also directly indicates Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always victorious in His endeavors, and besides meaning “old (news),” the word purāṇam also indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is glorified in the ancient Vedic scriptures of that name. In this verse we observe in Rādhārāṇī’s mood the seed of jealous anger, which arises from an apparent disdain for Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by a sarcastic sidelong glance directed toward Him. Thus this verse fits the following description of vijalpa from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (14.186): vyaktayāsūyayā gūḍha- māna-mudrāntarālayā agha-dviṣi kaṭākṣoktir vijalpo viduṣāṁ mataḥ “According to learned authorities, vijalpa is sarcastic speech that is addressed to the killer of Agha and that openly expresses jealousy while at the same time hinting at one’s angry pride.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O bee, why do you sing here so much about the Lord of the Yadus, in front of us homeless people? These topics are old news to us. Better you sing about that friend of Arjuna in front of His new girlfriends, the burning desire in whose breasts He has now relieved. Those ladies will surely give you the charity you are begging.
Commentary

Seeing the bee constantly buzzing due to his nature, Radha thought, "Agitated by my criticism, he is singing his own glories." She then spoke. "Why are you singing this to us gopis? The songs of an ignorant bee will not please the gopis. Again and again you are singing. And as well, in those songs you are publicizing the glories of the leader of the Yadus. You are doing that in front of us-who were made by Krsna to give up our homes and are now sitting at the edge of the forest. We cannot give you even a fistful of chickpeas in charity." "Then just give me the old clothing and garlands from your body." "You are completely ignorant of this. I will not give you anything. Reciting the Puranas you are trying to prove that Krsna is the lord of the Yadus. O six legged creature, 1.5 x a normal four legged animal, 1.5 times more unintelligent , you do not know where you should sing. Being an animal, how do you know the Puranas? And how can you receive charity? But since you are an animal, we are not angry with you. We will give instructions on where you should sing to support your existence. "You should sing in front of the girl friends of that friend of yours who is preeminently victorious or defeated by them in the battle of love (vijaya sakha). You should sing all about those victories and defeat in love." Vijaya sakha can also mean the friend of Arjuna who is also known as Vijaya. Previously Krsna was known as the friend of Subala, but after he left Vraja, he became known as the friend of Arjuna. Radha therefore refers to Krsna in the future. "These women of Mathura, relieved of the pain in their breasts, being respected by you by your letting them hear your songs, will fulfill your desires." The second half of the verse shows indignation concealing beneath deep seated anger. In all of the verse there are leering inferences, mocking Krsna. This is an example of vijalpa. Leering statements directed towards Krsna with explicit envy, hiding within them signs of deep anger are called vijalpa, according to Ujjvala Nilamani.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Confused when Rādhā angrily brushed away the bee trying to touch her lotus feet, the bee came before her while humming. She then thought that the bee was profusely glorifying Kṛṣṇa to please her. She began to wonder about other things, in order to ignore the bee. O bee, you sing because that is your nature as a bee. But why do you sing here (iha) in Vraja, full of grief? And why do you sing so much (bahu)? He is the leader of unlimited persons of the royal order of Yadus in Mathurā. Here in Vraja the cowherds are not respected by him. The Yadus, protected by him, depend for their life on him, and thus praise him. They can supply him pleasure. The people of Vraja cannot please him. You should therefore sing in Mathurā a lot or a little as you please. Animals have four feet. You have six feet. As an animal and a half, you sing with great lack of intelligence, without discrimination. This shows jealousy. “But he is full of prema in Vraja. Vraja is the best place.” The many pastimes he performed were done with deceit (purāṇam). Or, all that was done previously, long in the past. Or, just as the word Kṛṣṇa is made of kṛṣ (existence) and ṇa (bliss), so purāṇam can be made of purā and ṇa. Previously (purā) Vraja was happy (ṇa). How there is only existence. Why do you sing in front of us, and in Vraja, and so profusely? The gopīs gave up their houses after being spoiled by him, since they were rejected by others after they once tasted the bewitching rasa of his left over saliva. On the other hand, Mathurā is your place for singing since there reside his beloved women. You should sing in front of the girl friends of your friend Kṛṣṇa (vijaya) about what gives him happiness. Sing to Kṛṣṇa, controlled by hundreds of city women, whom he attained on giving us up and becoming the leader of the Yadus. Respected (iṣṭāḥ) by you and him, those women will quickly give you what you want. Or, they always remain doing what you want. Now, seeing our unhappy condition from afar, respected by you, those women who think they are respectable, while you sing his glories, will particularly fulfill all your desires, for the pangs of the desire in their breasts have been extinguished by Kṛṣṇa. After they have suffered, people give abundant charity to panegyrists (like you) out of joy. She glances and laughs while showing boldness, envy and crookedness.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

O bee! She indicates that by his nature he is skillful at singing. Animals have four feet. You have six feet. You sing without intelligence since you are just half an animal. Why do you sing so much, in front of us? If you have a desire to sing, do it invisibly just once. Why do you sing constantly, even if we do not hear? This indicates veiled hatred. “I sing to fulfil my desire.” But why do you sing in Vraja (iha)? Your desire will be fulfilled in Mathurā, not in the forest. “This place is better than the city.” You sing about the lord of the Yadus. It is proper that you sing in front of persons whom he protects, not to others. “He is also the lord of you women.” We are without homes. We do not have knowledge of singing, since we are from the forest. This is sarcasm. “You are all very skillful.” We have heard this song many times. It is old. This suggests hatred. Or we are without lovers (agṛhāṇām). Why do you sing a song which previously gave happiness (purāṇam) but now gives grief, in front of us who have no lover? “Where should I sing?” You should sing about him in a place where there are girl friends of your friend Kṛṣṇa, who has the power to defeat the world. By destroying desire in their hearts, he has made them his lovers. They thus fulfil your desires. This shows envy and crookedness. Or the great attachment for Kṛṣṇa (tat-prasaṅgaḥ) should be sung to your friends (since Kṛṣṇa’s friends are yours also) who are friends of he who has all attractiveness (vijaya). Or you should sing about those whose pain in the heart is destroyed by his embraces and scratching with his nails. This is mocking him, showing his boldness. They become dear to you (īṣṭāḥ). Being respected by your singing, being dear to you, they will certainly fulfill your desires.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Why sing about the Lord of the Yadus to us homeless ones? Better sing about Arjuna's friend to His new girlfriends. Hurt directs the gopī to redirect the messenger; she doesn't want news that reminds her of what she lacks.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you refuse certain spiritual conversations because they touch unhealed pain?
  • Could you let the message in anyway?

'Take your song elsewhere,' the gopī tells the bee — 'we are homeless, we have already paid in full.' She sends the bee to Kṛṣṇa's new women in Mathurā the way a wife sends a husband's letter back unread. But every word betrays that she has read it twice already.

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