tān—these signsālakṣya—seeingbhaya - udvignāḥ—agitated by feargopāḥ—the cowherdsnanda - puraḥ - gamāḥ—headed by Nanda Mahārājavinā—withoutrāmeṇa—Balarāmagāḥ—the cowskṛṣṇam—Kṛṣṇajñātvā—understandingcārayitum—to herdgatam—gonetaiḥ—from thosedurnimittaiḥ—bad omensnidhanam—destructionmatvā—consideringprāptam—attainedatat - vidaḥ—not knowing His opulencestat - prāṇāḥ—having Him as their very source of lifetat - manaskāḥ—their minds being absorbed in Himte—theyduḥkha—by painśoka—unhappinessbhaya—and fearāturāḥ—overwhelmedā - bāla—including the childrenvṛddha—old personsvanitāḥ—and ladiessarve—allaṅga—my dear King Parīkṣitpaśu - vṛttayaḥ—behaving as an affectionate cow does toward her calfnirjagmuḥ—they went outgokulāt—from Gokuladīnāḥ—feeling wretchedkṛṣṇa - darśana—for the sight of Lord Kṛṣṇalālasāḥ—anxious .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tān ālakṣya bhayodvignā
tān
these signs
ālakṣya
seeing
bhaya - udvignāḥ
agitated by fear
gopā nanda-purogamāḥ
gopāḥ
the cowherds
nanda - puraḥ - gamāḥ
headed by Nanda Mahārāja
vinā rāmeṇa gāḥ kṛṣṇaṁ
vinā
without
rāmeṇa
Balarāma
gāḥ
the cows
kṛṣṇam
Kṛṣṇa
jñātvā cārayituṁ gatam
jñātvā
understanding
cārayitum
to herd
gatam
gone
tair durnimittair nidhanaṁ
taiḥ
from those
durnimittaiḥ
bad omens
nidhanam
destruction
matvā prāptam atad-vidaḥ
matvā
considering
prāptam
attained
atat - vidaḥ
not knowing His opulences
tat-prāṇās tan-manaskās te
tat - prāṇāḥ
having Him as their very source of life
tat - manaskāḥ
their minds being absorbed in Him
te
they
duḥkha-śoka-bhayāturāḥ
duḥkha
by pain
śoka
unhappiness
bhaya
and fear
āturāḥ
overwhelmed
ā - bāla
including the children
ā-bāla-vṛddha-vanitāḥ
vṛddha
old persons
vanitāḥ
and ladies
sarve ’ṅga paśu-vṛttayaḥ
sarve
all
nirjagmur gokulād dīnāḥ
kṛṣṇa-darśana-lālasāḥ
aṅga
my dear King Parīkṣit
paśu - vṛttayaḥ
behaving as an affectionate cow does toward her calf
nirjagmuḥ
they went out
gokulāt
from Gokula
dīnāḥ
feeling wretched
kṛṣṇa - darśana
for the sight of Lord Kṛṣṇa
lālasāḥ
anxious .
Important Words
tat - prāṇāḥ—whose very life is He
Compound: tat (Him) + prāṇāḥ (vital life). The gopas' prāṇa is not in their own bodies; it is in Kṛṣṇa. Gauḍīya signature of vraja-prema: one's life-breath is located in the beloved.
tat - manaskāḥ—whose mind is fixed on Him
Compound: tat (Him) + manaskāḥ (minded). Parallels Gītā 9.13 (mahā-ātmānaḥ... tan-manasāḥ). The gopas embody, without philosophy, what the Gītā describes as the highest sādhana.
atat - vidaḥ—not knowing the truth (of Him)
Compound: a (not) + tat (that) + vidaḥ (knowers). The gopas do not know Kṛṣṇa is God. This is by design — the Yogamāyā veil that permits vātsalya-rasa. Knowledge would destroy the love.
kṛṣṇa - darśana—the sight of Kṛṣṇa
Compound: kṛṣṇa + darśana (seeing). Darśana is itself the goal — not knowledge about Him but seeing Him. The gopas' theology is purely darśana-mātra.
paśu - vṛttayaḥ—behaving like (their own) cattle
Compound: paśu (animal) + vṛtti (behavior). The villagers move like a herd toward water — beautifully naturalized vātsalya. They are not above their cows in this love; they are with them.
Seeing the inauspicious omens, Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men were fearful, for they knew that Kṛṣṇa had gone to herd the cows that day without His elder brother, Balarāma. Because they had dedicated their minds to Kṛṣṇa, accepting Him as their very life, they were unaware of His great power and opulence. Thus they concluded that the inauspicious omens indicated He had met with death, and they were overwhelmed with grief, lamentation and fear. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the children, women and elderly persons, thought of Kṛṣṇa just as a cow thinks of her helpless young calf, and thus these poor, suffering people rushed out of the village, intent upon finding Him.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Seeing the inauspicious omens, Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men were fearful, for they knew that Kṛṣṇa had gone to herd the cows that day without His elder brother, Balarāma. Because they had dedicated their minds to Kṛṣṇa, accepting Him as their very life, they were unaware of His great power and opulence. Thus they concluded that the inauspicious omens indicated He had met with death, and they were overwhelmed with grief, lamentation and fear. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the children, women and elderly persons, thought of Kṛṣṇa just as a cow thinks of her helpless young calf, and thus these poor, suffering people rushed out of the village, intent upon finding Him.
Commentary
Seeing the inauspicious omens, the inhabitants left Gokula. This is described in three verses.
Seeing the omens, they thought Krsna had died (nidhanam matva). But what kind of death can God have? Nidhana can also mean great treasure. Krsna had obtained a great treasure: he was joyfully playing in the Yamuna.
The inhabitants were like animals. They lost their power of knowledge and thinking out of great lamentation.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Disaster could not happen if Balarāma were present since he was full capable, affectionate and profound, and always occupied with helping Kṛṣṇa. Three verses can be taken as one sentence with the verb in verse 15. Or, this verse can be taken separately with the verb babhūvūḥ understood. Seeing the omens, the cowherds headed by Nanda became agitated with fear.
Nidhanam means death. They thought Kṛṣṇa had died. But by the ingenuity of words, the phrase can mean “great treasure” (nitarām + dhanam). They thought of him as the greatest treasure. They did not think about his powers (atad-vidaḥ). “Why did they develop doubts?” He was their life, and their minds were always absorbed in him. They were famous for their complete dedication to him alone.
Because of their natural affection they lost their intelligence and became like animals. Or in their affection they were like the cows (paśu-vṛttayaḥ). They stumbled about and fell down constantly (dīnāḥ). They become greedy to see Kṛṣṇa, who attracts everyone’s heart. “Where is he? How is he?” Or by their very nature they were greedy to see him.
Nanda and the elder gopas walk toward the Yamunā in a kind of trance — they have no theology to console them, only the village fact that today Kṛṣṇa went without Balarāma. The procession of women, children and elders is the body of Vraja moving as a single grieving creature toward its missing heart.
Stories
Yaśodā binding Kṛṣṇa (10.9)
Six chapters earlier, Mother Yaśodā tied Kṛṣṇa to a mortar with the rope of her vātsalya. The same Vraja that bound Him with love now walks out in terror that they may have lost Him.
Gauḍīya reading: vātsalya carries its own dread inside it. The mother who can bind Him with rope is also the mother who can lose Him to a serpent. The pastime requires both poles.