Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.18.17
गन्धर्वाप्सरसोऽधुक्षन् पात्रे पद्ममये पय: ।
वत्सं विश्वावसुं कृत्वा गान्धर्वं मधु सौभगम् ॥ १७ ॥
gandharvāpsaraso ’dhukṣan
[gandharvaapsaraso ’dhukshan]
pātre padmamaye payaḥ
[paatre padmamaye payah]
vatsaṁ viśvāvasuṁ kṛtvā
[vatsam vishvaavasum kritvaa]
gāndharvaṁ madhu saubhagam
[gaandharvam madhu saubhagam]
Word-for-word
gandharva
—
inhabitants of the Gandharva planet
apsarasaḥ
—
the inhabitants of the Apsarā planet
adhukṣan
—
milked out
pātre
—
in a pot
padma-maye
—
made of a lotus
payaḥ
—
milk
vatsam
—
calf
viśvāvasum
—
of the name Viśvāvasu
kṛtvā
—
making
gāndharvam
—
songs
madhu
—
sweet
saubhagam
—
beauty.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gandharvāpsaraso ’dhukṣan
gandharva
inhabitants of the Gandharva planet
apsarasaḥ
the inhabitants of the Apsarā planet
pātre padmamaye payaḥ
adhukṣan
milked out
pātre
in a pot
padma-maye
made of a lotus
payaḥ
milk
vatsaṁ viśvāvasuṁ kṛtvā
vatsam
calf
viśvāvasum
of the name Viśvāvasu
kṛtvā
making
gāndharvaṁ madhu saubhagam
gāndharvam
songs
madhu
sweet
saubhagam
beauty.
The inhabitants of Gandharvaloka and Apsaroloka made Viśvāvasu into a calf, and they drew the milk into a lotus-flower pot. The milk took the shape of sweet musical art and beauty.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The Gaandharvas and Apsarās, making Viśvāvasu the calf, produced sweet, beautiful songs as the milk, with a lotus as the pot.
Madhu means sweet. Another version has gānam (songs) instead of gāndharvam.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Gandharvas and Apsarās made Viśvāvasu the calf and milked sweet music and beauty into a lotus pot. Some milks are art; the right calf draws out what the world calls sublime.
Reflection Questions
- Which 'lotus-pot' beauty am I letting flow into my life, and which am I cutting off?
- Where could I make the production of beauty a deliberate practice rather than incidental?
My note
Source: vedabase.io