FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.67

कर्मभिर्भ्राम्यमाणानां यत्र क्व‍ापीश्वरेच्छया । मङ्गलाचरितैर्दानै रतिर्न: कृष्ण ईश्वरे ॥ ६७ ॥
karmabhir bhrāmyamāṇānāṁ
[karmabhir bhraamyamaanaanaam]
yatra kvāpīśvarecchayā
[yatra kvaapeeshvarechchayaa]
maṅgalācaritair dānai
[mangalaacharitair daanai]
ratir naḥ kṛṣṇa īśvare
[ratir nah krishna eeshvare]
karmabhiḥ — by our fruitive actions bhrāmyamāṇānām — who are made to wander yatra kva api — wherever īśvara — of the Supreme Lord icchayā — by the desire maṅgala — auspicious ācaritaiḥ — because of works dānaiḥ — because of charity ratiḥ — attachment naḥ — our kṛṣṇe — for Kṛṣṇa īśvare — the Lord .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
karmabhir bhrāmyamāṇānāṁ
karmabhiḥ
by our fruitive actions
bhrāmyamāṇānām
who are made to wander
yatra kvāpīśvarecchayā
yatra kva api
wherever
īśvara
of the Supreme Lord
icchayā
by the desire
maṅgalācaritair dānai
maṅgala
auspicious
ācaritaiḥ
because of works
dānaiḥ
because of charity
ratir naḥ kṛṣṇa īśvare
ratiḥ
attachment
naḥ
our
kṛṣṇe
for Kṛṣṇa
īśvare
the Lord .
  • karmabhiḥ bhrāmyamāṇānām — of us who are made to wander by our fruitive actions
    Instrumental + present passive participle: karmabhiḥ (by karmas) + bhrāmyamāṇānām (of those being whirled around). The cowherds accept that they are bound by karma's wheel — and do not pray to escape it.
  • īśvara-icchayā — by the Supreme Lord's desire
    Compound: īśvara + icchayā (by will). The īśvara-icchā framing — every wandering is under Kṛṣṇa's design. Gauḍīyas read this as the perfect surrender posture (goptṛtve varaṇam, the third limb of śaraṇāgati).
  • maṅgala-ācaritaiḥ dānaiḥ — by auspicious works and charity
    Compound + instrumental: maṅgala (auspicious) + ācaritaiḥ (works) + dānaiḥ (gifts). The cowherds frame karma-yoga in service of rati. Gauḍīyas note: karma offered to Kṛṣṇa becomes bhakti's fuel.
  • ratiḥ — attachment to Kṛṣṇa the Lord
    Phrase: ratiḥ (attachment) + kṛṣṇe (in Kṛṣṇa) + īśvare (Lord). Kṛṣṇa-rati — the technical term for the first sprout of bhāva. Rūpa Gosvāmī defines rati as the seed-state of all rasas. The cowherds pray for the seed.
Wherever we are made to wander about this world by the Supreme Lord’s will, in accordance with the reactions to our fruitive work, may our good works and charity always grant Us love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Wherever we are made to wander about this world by the Supreme Lord's will, in accordance with the reactions to our fruitive work, may our good works and charity always grant Us love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary

"Long living Uddhava, though our son is endowed with the greats qualities and beauty, we have been most hard hearted to him. Even now that is so. We understand now that all the affection and fondling that occurred were insignificant, for in separation from him we remain live. There was one father, Dasaratha, and when he heard that his son had departed for a far off place, he died. We do not have even a trace of love for our son. Therefore that omniscient son, rejecting us as unqualified parents, and being inconceivable as God, took Vasudeva and Devaka as his father and mother. In some future birth let us have such love." In this way he prays in two verses. "May our minds take shelter of Krsna’s feet". This is a reversal due to great love. Their mind and senses are always submerged in Krsna, but they pray in this way. This indcates the strength of the sancari bhava of dainya or humility. It is the nature of intense madhurya, vatsalya and sakhya bhava that when there is a feeling of great lowness, springing from the disturbance of separation, and a recognition of their indifference to their object of love, their natural bhavas disappear, and dasya bhava appears. An example of sakhya turning into daysa is as follows. When Balarama, near the end of Brahma mohana lila, felt that he had not had enough confidence in Krsna until that day due to indifference, he developed dasya bhava and said, "This must be the maya of my Lord." Sb.10.13.37). An example of dasya bhava in madhura rasa is as follows. Radha said, "O master, O enjoyer! Bring this miserable servant to you." 10.30.40. And a gopi said, "Does Krsna coming back from the gurukula every speak about us, his servants?"sb 10.47.21. An example of dasya bhava in vatsalya is the present verse. However, in the state of happiness, they would not give their relationship as is the case of Vasudeva and Devaki when overcome with aisvarya jnana. "You two children are not our sons."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

May we always have attraction for Kṛṣṇa, though he has the form of the Lord (kṛṣṇe īśvare). Nanda says that they wander by the will of the Lord. The repetition of the word īśvara indicates that by his nature he considers the Supreme Lord to be different from Kṛṣṇa, who is mentioned later in the verse. He considers himself an ordinary living being wandering the world by the influence of karma while participating in the human pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Good works (maṅgalācaritaiḥ) and charity, part of good works (dānaiḥ) are mentioned separately since Nanda would be absorbed particularly in charity. Moreover he speaks repetitively out of fatherly affection disturbed by separation.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

We do not want anything other than Kṛṣṇa-prema by auspicious acts and the bhakti requested. Wherever we many wander on earth or upper planets by results of karma give by the will of the Lord, by doing auspicious acts like daily and periodic duties and by giving cows, may we have rati for Kṛṣṇa. Giving cows is included in auspicious acts, but is mentioned sepearately because Nanda was very generous. Or by prayers, our mental functions, auspicious acts and charity, offered to the Lord, may we develop rati for him. The plural is used to indicate that each act is done many times. Na karma-bandhanaṁ janma vaiṣṇavānāṁ tu vidyate: the devotees are not bound by karma and birth. (Padma Purāṇa) The devotees do not wander by karma. However, the eternal associates of the Lord in Vraja identify themselves as persons in the material world, absorbing themselvess in the pastimes according to the will of the Lord.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Wherever the Lord's will makes us wander in fruitive reaction, may our good works and charity always grant us love for Kṛṣṇa. Geography may shift; the request is for devotion to remain wherever life lands.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do you make devotion contingent on location?
  • Could you ask for love-of-Kṛṣṇa to be portable across whatever karma assigns?

'Wherever karma sends us, by the Lord's will — may our charity and good works always grant us love for Kṛṣṇa.' The cowherds do not pray for liberation, not for heaven, not for return to Vraja. Only for rati in Kṛṣṇa. Gauḍīyas regard this as a perfect formulation of niṣkāma-bhakti's ambition: the gift one prays for is the prayer itself.

Kuntī's prayer in SB 1.8

Queen Kuntī, in the first canto, prays not for relief from suffering but for repeated suffering — because in suffering she remembers Kṛṣṇa. 'vipadaḥ santu naḥ śaśvat,' she says: let calamities come, that I may always see You.

The cowherds' prayer here parallels Kuntī's: not 'remove our wandering' but 'in the wandering, let our love for You increase.' Gauḍīyas read both as the formula of mature śaraṇāgati.

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