Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.65.20
तं गन्धं मधुधाराया वायुनोपहृतं बल: ।
आघ्रायोपगतस्तत्र ललनाभि: समं पपौ ॥ २० ॥
taṁ gandhaṁ madhu-dhārāyā
[tam gandham madhu-dhaaraayaa]
vāyunopahṛtaṁ balaḥ
[vaayunopahritam balah]
āghrāyopagatas tatra
[aaghraayopagatas tatra]
lalanābhiḥ samaṁ papau
[lalanaabhih samam papau]
Word-for-word
tam
—
that
gandham
—
fragrance
madhu
—
of honey
dhārāyāḥ
—
of the flood
vāyunā
—
by the breeze
upahṛtam
—
brought near
balaḥ
—
Lord Balarāma
āghrāya
—
smelling
upagataḥ
—
having approached
tatra
—
there
lalanābhiḥ
—
with the young women
samam
—
together
papau
—
drank .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
taṁ gandhaṁ madhu-dhārāyā
tam
that
gandham
fragrance
madhu
of honey
dhārāyāḥ
of the flood
vāyunopahṛtaṁ balaḥ
vāyunā
by the breeze
upahṛtam
brought near
balaḥ
Lord Balarāma
āghrāyopagatas tatra
āghrāya
smelling
upagataḥ
having approached
tatra
there
lalanābhiḥ samaṁ papau
lalanābhiḥ
with the young women
samam
together
papau
drank .
Important Words
-
madhu
—
of honey
Sweet, honey. Same word as the month-name in v. 17 — the Bhāgavatam echoes its own vocabulary. Vraja's spring is honey-month and the wine is honey-flood: one ecosystem of madhura.
-
vāyunā
—
by the breeze
Instrumental of vāyu. The wind as agent — Vraja's elements have agency. Gauḍīyas note: in Bhagavān's presence the supposedly inert becomes courier.
-
balaḥ
—
Lord Balarāma
Bala — strength itself. The Bhāgavatam shortens Balarāma's name to its root noun. Gauḍīya doctrine: balam in sevā is Balarāma's gift; without it sādhana stalls.
-
āghrāya
—
smelling
Absolutive of ā-√ghrā (to smell). Bhagavān uses His olfaction — the verse insists on the bodily senses. Vraja-līlā is unembarrassedly sensory; Gauḍīyas refuse the move to disembodied transcendence.
-
lalanābhiḥ
—
with the young women
Instrumental plural of lalanā (graceful woman). A softer, more aesthetic word than strī. The Bhāgavatam selects vocabulary that highlights the gopīs' beauty in this verse — Vraja-rasa lexicon.
-
papau
—
drank
Perfect of √pā (to drink). Bhagavān drinks. The verse refuses to spiritualize the act away. Gauḍīyas: Bhagavān's līlā may include what would be defects in others, because His acts cannot be measured by jīva-ethics.
The wind carried to Balarāma the fragrance of that flood of sweet liquor, and when He smelled it He went [to the tree]. There He and His female companions drank.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The wind carried to Balarāma the fragrance of that flood of sweet liquor, and when He smelled it He went [to the tree]. There He and His female companions drank.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Because he was very thirsty he went there and drank the liquor. He manifested special power (balāh) and forcibly made the gopīs drink it.
Related values & verses
Concepts
Jiva
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The fragrance reaches Balarāma and He delights in it — the Lord receives nature's offerings with pleasure. To enjoy creation gratefully is itself a form of worship.
Reflection Questions
- What sensory gift today have I rushed past instead of receiving as His?
- Can I let one fragrance, taste, or sound be God's gift to me this hour?
Analogy
The wind itself becomes a messenger: it carries one fragrance to the Lord and He moves toward it. Bhagavān, who summons all things, here is summoned — and goes. In Vraja the Lord follows His own creation's invitations.
My note
Source: vedabase.io