FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.6-7

పరివేషయన్త్యస్తద్ధిత్వా పాయయన్త్య: శిశూన్ పయ: । శుశ్రూషన్త్య: పతీన్ కాశ్చిదశ్న‍న్త్యోఽపాస్య భోజనమ్ ॥ ౬ ॥ లిమ్పన్త్య: ప్రమృజన్త్యోఽన్యా అఞ్జన్త్య: కాశ్చ లోచనే । వ్యత్యస్తవస్త్రాభరణా: కాశ్చిత్ కృష్ణాన్తికం యయు: ॥ ౭ ॥
pariveṣayantyas tad dhitvā
[pariveshayantyas tad dhitvaa]
pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn payaḥ
[paayayantyah shishoon payah]
śuśrūṣantyaḥ patīn kāścid
[shushrooshantyah pateen kaashchid]
aśnantyo ’pāsya bhojanam
[ashnantyo ’paasya bhojanam]
limpantyaḥ pramṛjantyo ’nyā
[limpantyah pramrijantyo ’nyaa]
añjantyaḥ kāśca locane
[anjantyah kaashcha lochane]
vyatyasta-vastrābharaṇāḥ
[vyatyasta-vastraabharanaah]
kāścit kṛṣṇāntikaṁ yayuḥ
[kaashchit krishnaantikam yayuh]
pariveṣayantyaḥ — getting dressed tat — that hitvā — putting aside pāyayantyaḥ — making drink śiśūn — their children payaḥ — milk śuśrūṣantyaḥ — rendering personal service patīn — to their husbands kāścit — some of them aśnantyaḥ — eating apāsya — leaving aside bhojanam — their meals limpantyaḥ — applying cosmetics pramṛjantyaḥ — cleansing themselves with oils anyāḥ — others añjantyaḥ — applying kajjala kāśca — some locane — on their eyes vyatyasta — in disarray vastra — their clothing ābharaṇāḥ — and ornaments kāścit — some of them kṛṣṇa - antikam — to the proximity of Lord Kṛṣṇa yayuḥ — went .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pariveṣayantyas tad dhitvā
pariveṣayantyaḥ
getting dressed
tat
that
hitvā
putting aside
pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn payaḥ
pāyayantyaḥ
making drink
śiśūn
their children
payaḥ
milk
śuśrūṣantyaḥ patīn kāścid
śuśrūṣantyaḥ
rendering personal service
patīn
to their husbands
kāścit
some of them
aśnantyo ’pāsya bhojanam
aśnantyaḥ
eating
apāsya
leaving aside
bhojanam
their meals
limpantyaḥ pramṛjantyo ’nyā
limpantyaḥ
applying cosmetics
pramṛjantyaḥ
cleansing themselves with oils
añjantyaḥ kāśca locane
anyāḥ
others
añjantyaḥ
applying kajjala
kāśca
some
locane
on their eyes
vyatyasta-vastrābharaṇāḥ
vyatyasta
in disarray
vastra
their clothing
ābharaṇāḥ
and ornaments
kāścit kṛṣṇāntikaṁ yayuḥ
kāścit
some of them
kṛṣṇa - antikam
to the proximity of Lord Kṛṣṇa
yayuḥ
went .
  • pariveṣayantyaḥ — serving (food)
    Present participle, fem. pl. — those who were serving food (to husbands and family). The verse begins with this scene precisely because verse 24 will return to it: 'serving your husband is dharma.' The poem is already showing what dharma the gopīs are walking out of.
  • śuśrūṣantyaḥ — rendering service
    Desiderative participle of √śru — literally 'desiring to hear (orders), serving.' The same verb Kṛṣṇa will use in verse 24 (śuśrūṣadhvam patīn). Bhāgavatam plants the word here in scene-form so its later repetition lands as challenge, not abstraction.
  • añjantyaḥ — those who were applying (kajjala)
    Present participle of √añj — to anoint. The half-applied kajjala is left half-applied. Gauḍīyas read this as a tableau of asakti — when attraction to Kṛṣṇa overrides even the small completed actions of self-care.
  • vyatyasta-vastra-ābharaṇāḥ — with clothes and ornaments in disarray
    Compound: vyatyasta (reversed, awry) + vastra (cloth) + ābharaṇa (ornament). One of the eight sāttvika-bhāvas in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is precisely this loss of composure under prema's force — the body's own protocol breaks.
  • kṛṣṇa-antikam — near to Kṛṣṇa
    Compound: kṛṣṇa + antika (proximity). The directional adverb that organizes the verse — every action listed is conquered by this single vector. Bhakti as orientation: not what one is doing but toward whom.
Some of them were getting dressed, feeding milk to their infants or rendering personal service to their husbands, but they all gave up these duties and went to meet Kṛṣṇa. Other gopīs were taking their evening meals, washing themselves, putting on cosmetics or applying kajjala to their eyes. But all the gopīs stopped these activities at once and, though their clothes and ornaments were in complete disarray, rushed off to Kṛṣṇa.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Some of them were getting dressed, feeding milk to their infants or rendering personal service to their husbands, but they all gave up these duties and went to meet Kṛṣṇa. Other gopīs were taking their evening meals, washing themselves, putting on cosmetics or applying kajjala to their eyes. But all the gopīs stopped these activities at once and, though their clothes and ornaments were in complete disarray, rushed off to Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary

This verse describes how they gave up their duties as wives and mothers. Some gave up serving food and left. Some gave up serving their husbands with warm water and rendering other services. This verse describes how they gave up their normal dressing. They gave up applying candana and other ointments and left the house. Others gave up applying oil and tumeric on their bodies and left. Other gopis in great haste could not distinguish hand from foot or nose from ear, and placed their ornaments in the wrong place. This is an indicationg vibhrama, one of the anubhavas or symptoms of intense love. The scriptures say, "when a person at the time of meeting the lover, out of love dons ornaments and garlands on the wrong bodily parts it is called vibhrama."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The previous verse describes the gopīs neglecting milking, boiling milk and baking cakes in the evening. Some gave up other people and proper conduct, and among them first those who gave up regular friends and servants are described. Some, giving up serving friends and servants, went. Some gave up their objects of great affection—feeding children milk--and left. They were feeding the nephews, not their own children, since this would a conflict with mādhurya-rasa (these gopīs had not given birth to children). Next giving up dharma is described. Some gave up serving their husbands by offering a warm bath water. Some gave up interest in their own bodies: they gave up eating their meal. From this it is understood that because of their absorption in prema for Kṛṣṇa, they did not distinguish between pure and impure. Some, longing for him day and night, began decorating themselves. As describing in Gīta-govinda, some gave up decorating their bodies out of great longing, even though that would please Kṛṣṇa. Others gave applying cosmetics on their bodies. Others gave up cleaning their bodies, for they had given up interest in their bodies. Some were not aware of the correct limbs and put the ornaments on the wrong limbs. Previously this attitude was described as the anubhāva called vibhrama, a strong inclination to reject everything. vallabha-prāpti-velāyāṁ madanāveśa-sambhramāt | vibhramo hāra-mālyādi-bhūṣā-sthāna-viparyayaḥ || When, at the time of going to meet her lover, the heroine places necklaces, flower-garlands and other ornaments in the wrong places, when agitated by the onslaught of intense passion, it is called vibhrama. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.39 It should be understood that their identity depended on their prema for the Lord, not on dressing. But later Kṛṣṇa himself dressed them properly. In the list starting from milking, those later in the list are considered superior for having given things more essential for the body. In any case they all went near to Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

The previous verse describes the gopīs neglecting milking, boiling milk and baking cakes in the evening. Some gave up other people and proper conduct, and among them, first, those who gave up regular friends and servants are described. Some, giving up serving friends and servants, went. Though they were absorbed in evening duties, they got their happiness in giving up ordinary dutis, informing husbands, friends and servants. Some gave up their objects of great affection whom should not be given up—feeding children milk--and left. They were feeding the nephews, not their own children, since this would a conflict with mādhurya-rasa (these gopīs had not given birth to children). Next, giving up dharma is described. Some gave up serving their husbands in the form of feeding them. They gave up eating their meal. First giving up ordinary duties, though they were dedicated to dharma and chastity, was described. Some ignored their own bodies. They did not eat. This indicates that they dedicated their bodies to the Lord’s pleasure. From this it is understood that because of their absorption in prema for Kṛṣṇa, they did not distinguish between pure and impure for their bodies. Some had been decorating their bodies with sandalwood. By giving up this they showed indifference to their bodies. Some were not aware of the correct limbs and put the ornaments on the wrong limbs. Previously this attitude was described as the anubhāva called vibhrama, a strong inclination to reject everything. vallabha-prāpti-velāyāṁ madanāveśa-sambhramāt | vibhramo hāra-mālyādi-bhūṣā-sthāna-viparyayaḥ || When, at the time of going to meet her lover, the heroine places necklaces, flower-garlands and other ornaments in the wrong places, when agitated by the onslaught of intense passion, it is called vibhrama. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.39 It should be understood that their identity depended on their prema for the Lord, not on dressing. But later Kṛṣṇa himself dressed them properly. In the list starting from milking, those later in the list are considered superior for having given up things more essential for the body. Or they only gave up their duties. In putting on their clothing in reverse order they gave up the customary dress. The reason is that they were all absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. They were eager (samutsukāḥ). They all went close to Kṛṣna, who is most attractive, the son of Nanda, Śyāmasundara. They did not remain far away out of shame or because of obstacles. They came close because of the great attraction. Not only did they come close to him but they came at great speed because of his attractiveness.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Concepts
Dharma

Half-applied kajjala, sari worn upside-down, ornaments on the wrong limb — the gopīs run to Kṛṣṇa in disarray because they have stopped grooming for the world. Mādhurya-bhakti is the cosmetic crisis of someone who has finally found her mirror.

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