tasmin—on that (road)su—verysaṅkule—crowdedibha—with elephantsaśva—horsesratha—chariotsdvi - padbhiḥ—and foot soldierskṛṣṇam—Lord Kṛṣṇasa - bhāryam—with His wivesupalabhya—catching sight ofgṛha—of the homesadhirūḍhāḥ—having climbed to the topsnāryaḥ—the womenvikīrya—scatteringkusumaiḥ—flowersmanasā—in their mindsupaguhya—embracing Himsu - svāgatam—heartfelt welcomevidadhuḥ—they gave Himutsmaya—broadly smilingvīkṣitena—with their glances .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmin su-saṅkula ibhāśva-ratha-dvipadbhiḥ
tasmin
on that (road)
su
very
saṅkule
crowded
ibha
with elephants
aśva
horses
ratha
chariots
dvi - padbhiḥ
and foot soldiers
kṛṣṇam sa-bhāryam upalabhya gṛhādhirūḍhāḥ
kṛṣṇam
Lord Kṛṣṇa
sa - bhāryam
with His wives
upalabhya
catching sight of
gṛha
of the homes
adhirūḍhāḥ
having climbed to the tops
nāryo vikīrya kusumair manasopaguhya
nāryaḥ
the women
vikīrya
scattering
kusumaiḥ
flowers
manasā
in their minds
upaguhya
embracing Him
su-svāgataṁ vidadhur utsmaya-vīkṣitena
su - svāgatam
heartfelt welcome
vidadhuḥ
they gave Him
utsmaya
broadly smiling
vīkṣitena
with their glances .
Important Words
manasā upaguhya—embracing with the mind
Manasā — by mind. When the body cannot embrace, the mind embraces; Gauḍīyas read this as the foundational technique of mānasī-sevā, mental service to the Lord and His associates.
utsmaya - vīkṣitena—with broadly smiling glances
Utsmaya — broad smile; vīkṣita — looked. The welcome is offered through the eye alone — a smile and a look are themselves upacāra when nothing else can be given.
kusumaiḥ—with flowers
Puṣpāñjali from the rooftops. Flower-offering is one of the basic upacāras; the city spontaneously performs it without priestly direction.
The royal road being quite crowded with elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers, the women climbed to the top of their houses, where they caught sight of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His queens. The city ladies scattered flowers upon the Lord, embraced Him in their minds and expressed their heartfelt welcome with broadly smiling glances.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī comments that the ladies communicated through their affectionate glances their eager inquiries as to the comfort of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s trip, and so on. In other words, in their ecstasy they intensely desired to serve the Lord.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The royal road being quite crowded with elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers, the women climbed to the top of their houses, where they caught sight of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His queens. The city ladies scattered flowers upon the Lord, embraced Him in their minds and expressed their heartfelt welcome with broadly smiling glances.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The women directly saw Kṛṣṇa surrounded by elephants etc. in profusion. Later, to see him clearly, they climbed on the roofs in order to sprinkle flowers. With their glances and excellent smiles indicating their attraction (utsmaya), they welcomed him, seeming to say, “How are you?” in order to please him. The welcome took place by their intense glances. This is how Śrīdhara Svāmī explains it. Or “welcoming” can refer to general reception of a guest. Or, they welcomed him especially in order to reveal their sentiments (vi—dadhuḥ).
The women climbed rooftops to glimpse Kṛṣṇa and scattered flowers; in their minds, they embraced Him with smiling glances. When external access is limited, the heart finds inner ways. Mental embrace is real.
Reflection Questions
What 'rooftop' can I climb today to glimpse the Lord when ordinary access is blocked?
What inner offering counts as fully as outer offering?
Analogy
The women climbing to their rooftops, scattering flowers and embracing Kṛṣṇa in their minds, are like creepers that cannot reach the trunk and so send their fragrance and their blossoms instead — the body cannot touch Him, but mind and petals can.