Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.61.4
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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bhāva
—
intentions, mood
Foundational Gauḍīya term — Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu defines bhāva as the dawn of prema. Here bhāva names the queens' romantic mood communicated through the eyebrows — a precise vocabulary the Bhāgavatam shares with later rasa-śāstra.
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saurata
—
romantic
From surata (conjugal intimacy). Marks the verse's specifically mādhurya-tinged register — the queens engage Kṛṣṇa in dāmpatya-rasa, the householder mode of mādhurya, distinct from the parakīya-rasa of Vraja.
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anaṅga
—
Cupid (the bodiless one)
an-aṅga, 'without a body' — Cupid was burned bodiless by Śiva. The Gauḍīyas distinguish prākṛta anaṅga (mundane lust) from aprākṛta-anaṅga (Pradyumna, Kṛṣṇa Himself); here it is mundane Cupid whose arrows fail.
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bāṇaiḥ
—
with arrows
Instrumental plural of bāṇa. The same word names Bāṇāsura, soon to enter the narrative via Aniruddha. Bhāgavatam weaves the lexical thread: Cupid's bāṇas fail, but Bāṇa-asura's bāṇas will fall before Kṛṣṇa's cakra.
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indriyam
—
senses
Singular here, signalling Kṛṣṇa's senses as one organ under His own control. He is Hṛṣīkeśa, master of indriyas — the verse's theological point against any suggestion that the Lord is moved by sense-objects.
This verse describes their alluring activities. They could not conquer his senses with their eyes (karaniah), taking the form of cupid's arrows. What type of arrows were these? Arrows of showing sweet smiles, showing their intentions through glances, and skilful messages sent by the movements of their attractive eyebrows.
This verse describes the special gestures they displayed (prahita) to attract him. Their brows were laden with secret plans related to love affairs (saurata-mantra-śauṇḍaiḥ), endowed with arrows of Cupid. This suggests their brows were like bows with the glances like arrows. Since they failed to attract him they sent out an abundance (maṇḍala) of glances steeped with secret plans for love affairs. The word yasya does not depend on a correlative. A clause with yat need not have a corresponding tat, since the relationship is implied. An example is found the verse sādhu candramasi puṣkaraiḥ kṛtaṁ nīlitaṁ yad abhirāmatādhike of Kāvya-prakāśa 7.188. The present verse indicates that the gopīs of Vraja were superior to the queens because of their possession of the highest pure prema.
Their charms are described. The phrases modify “with arrows of Cupid.” Anaṅga-bānaiḥ also means “with arrows which pierce the sensitive points so that the limbs do not function.” Their brows were like bows for the arrows. Arrow-like glances with intoxicated messages of love were released by their brows. But they could not agitate his senses as the gopīs did (vi-mathum). The word tu means though. Though they were sixteen thousand (hundred and eight), they could not agitate his senses.
- How do I distinguish loving exchange with Kṛṣṇa from projecting my desires onto Him?
- What would it look like to cultivate attraction to Kṛṣṇa free of the agenda to control Him?
Like Cupid's archers firing arrow after arrow at a mountain — each shaft true, each aim deft — yet the mountain neither flinches nor falls. Sixteen thousand bows of arched eyebrows release sidelong glances, and Kṛṣṇa's senses do not stir.
My note
Source: vedabase.io