Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.58
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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saurata-saṁlāpaiḥ
—
by conjugal conversations
Compound: saurata (conjugal, from su-rata) + saṁlāpa (conversation). The technical term for lovers' speech in classical Sanskrit poetics. Rūpa Gosvāmī catalogues it in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi as one of the angas of sambhoga-mādhurya.
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sva-rataḥ
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taking pleasure in Himself
Compound: sva (own) + rata (pleased). The same ātmārāma-doctrine the previous verses surfaced — and yet He plays with Ramā. The pūrṇa one chooses to play with His pleasure-potency personified. Acintya-bhedābheda in conjugal register.
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ramayā
—
with Ramā, the goddess of fortune
Instrumental of Ramā — another name of Lakṣmī, etymologically 'she who delights.' She is named here as Ramā — the verbal echo with rata above. The pair is presented as ātmārāma-with-Ramā, Self-delighting with the personified Delight.
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viḍambayan
—
imitating
Present participle of vi + √ḍamb — to imitate, mock-perform. Bhagavān 'imitates' human ways — meaning He performs them by His own choice, not under their compulsion. Gauḍīyas distinguish līlā-anukaraṇa (His imitation, sovereign) from jīva-anukaraṇa (the soul's, conditioned).
The word viḍambayan means “imitating” and also “ridiculing.” The Lord acted like a husband of this world, but His pastimes are transcendental and expose the perverted nature of mundane activities aimed at bodily sense gratification.
In this way the Lord, who is self satisfied (svarata), enjoyed through playful conjugal conversations with his wife. Because he is self satisfied, he enjoyed with Rama (ramaya reme), who is expanded from his very self, condemning material life by showing its inferiority to his happiness.
I offer respects to Rukmiṇī and Mādhava, taking shelter of the meaning of their clever conversation of mutual praise, like the warbling of two swans. Evam (in this way) indicates that there were many other such pastimes. He who is self enjoying (sva-rataḥ) enjoyed with Rukmiṇī, suitable for his enjoyment, since she is his svarūpa-śakti. In that there was some uniqueness. With greed for pastimes, the reverential aspect became secondary and the pastimes resembled those of ordinary people because of the extreme sweetness, because though he is Bhagavān, with his appearance as the son of Devakī (devakī-sutaḥ, instead of jagad-īśvaraḥ), his pastimes began.
Though enjoying in himself, he enjoyed with Rukmiṇī (ramayā) because he was directly the supreme Lord (bhagavān), who appeared as the son of Devakī (devakī-suta instead of jagad-īśvaraḥ) to play he imitated or confirmed his human pastimes. Or he derided the human world devoid of the happiness in experiencing in his pastimes. Or he fooled the human world, which saw his pastimes as only material love. The word bhagavān indicates his power. The combination of power with humanlike actions produces the greatest sweetness. This is because he was the son of Devakī.
- Where could the imitation of ordinary household serve as actual cosmic pastime?
- How does scripture honor both registers in one act?
The self-pleased Master of the worlds, who has just declared that He cannot match His devotee's gift, returns to ordinary lover-talk. The cosmic Lord 'imitates the ways of human society' — saurata-saṁlāpa, conjugal conversation. The closing image of the chapter: God playing house, and meaning every word of it.
My note
Source: vedabase.io