FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.44.16

ప్రాతర్వ్రజాద్ వ్రజత ఆవిశతశ్చ సాయంగోభి: సమం క్‍వణయతోఽస్య నిశమ్య వేణుమ్ । నిర్గమ్య తూర్ణమబలా: పథి భూరిపుణ్యా:పశ్యన్తి సస్మితముఖం సదయావలోకమ్ ॥ ౧౬ ॥
prātar vrajād vrajata āviśataś ca sāyaṁ
[praatar vrajaad vrajata aavishatash cha saayam]
gobhiḥ samaṁ kvaṇayato ’sya niśamya veṇum
[gobhih samam kvanayato ’sya nishamya venum]
nirgamya tūrṇam abalāḥ pathi bhūri-puṇyāḥ
[nirgamya toornam abalaah pathi bhoori-punyaah]
paśyanti sa-smita-mukhaṁ sa-dayāvalokam
[pashyanti sa-smita-mukham sa-dayaavalokam]
prātaḥ — in the early morning vrajāt — from Vraja vrajataḥ — of Him who is going āviśataḥ — entering ca — and sāyam — in the evening gobhiḥ samam — together with the cows kvaṇayataḥ — who is playing asya — His niśamya — hearing veṇum — the flute nirgamya — coming out tūrṇam — quickly abalāḥ — the women pathi — on the road bhūri — extremely puṇyāḥ — pious paśyanti — they see sa — with smita — smiling mukham — face sa - daya — merciful avalokam — with glances .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prātar vrajād vrajata āviśataś ca sāyaṁ
prātaḥ
in the early morning
vrajāt
from Vraja
vrajataḥ
of Him who is going
āviśataḥ
entering
ca
and
sāyam
in the evening
gobhiḥ samaṁ kvaṇayato ’sya niśamya veṇum
gobhiḥ samam
together with the cows
kvaṇayataḥ
who is playing
nirgamya tūrṇam abalāḥ pathi bhūri-puṇyāḥ
paśyanti sa-smita-mukhaṁ sa-dayāvalokam
asya
His
niśamya
hearing
veṇum
the flute
nirgamya
coming out
tūrṇam
quickly
abalāḥ
the women
pathi
on the road
bhūri
extremely
puṇyāḥ
pious
paśyanti
they see
sa
with
smita
smiling
mukham
face
sa - daya
merciful
avalokam
with glances .
  • bhūri - puṇyāḥ — of abundant piety
    Compound: bhūri (much) + puṇya (merit). The Bhāgavatam uses this phrase for those whose past sukṛti has ripened into the chance for darśana. Gauḍīyas read it as bhakti-unmukhī-sukṛti — the merit that turns the face toward Bhagavān.
  • sa - smita - mukham — with smiling face
    Compound: sa (with) + smita (smile) + mukha (face). His face on the road carries the same smile as His face in the arena (verse 12). The Bhāgavatam keeps the smile constant across rasas — vātsalya, sakhya, mādhurya all see it.
  • sa - daya - avalokam — with merciful glance
    Compound: sa + daya (mercy) + avaloka (glance). The kaṭākṣa — the side-glance — is in Gauḍīya theology the channel by which Bhagavān transmits anugraha. The gopīs are receiving kaṭākṣa-vidyā on a village road.
  • veṇum — flute
    Accusative of veṇu. The instrument that the Mathurā women bring up twice (cf. 13). They will never hear it themselves; but they have already heard about it. Bhakti often begins as hearing-about.
When the gopīs hear Kṛṣṇa playing His flute as He leaves Vraja in the morning with His cows or returns with them at sunset, the young girls quickly come out of their houses to see Him. They must have performed many pious activities to be able to see Him as He walks on the road, His smiling face mercifully glancing upon them.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
When the gopīs hear Kṛṣṇa playing His flute as He leaves Vraja in the morning with His cows or returns with them at sunset, the young girls quickly come out of their houses to see Him. They must have performed many pious activities to be able to see Him as He walks on the road, His smiling face mercifully glancing upon them.
Commentary

"When Krsna goes to the forerst from Vraja in the morning, and when he returns from the forest in the evening, they hear his flute and come out of their houses. They see him in the small groves situated on the cow paths. Seeing that they are suffering due to separation, he glances on them mercifully to fulfill their desires. This is the fortune of the women of Vraja."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

This verse describes how they drink his beauty with their eyes. In the morning he goes with the cows and the cowherd boys while playing his flute. Understanding his presence by hearing the flute (niśamya), they quickly come out of their houses. Mention of the flute also suggests the beauty of his face. tat tvan-mukhaṁ katham ivāmbuja-tulya-kakṣaṁ vācām avāci nanu parvaṇi parvaṇīndoḥ | tat kiṁ bruve kim aparaṁ bhuvanaika-kānta- veṇu tvad-ānanam anena samaṁ nu yat syāt || In describing your face, how can it be compared to a lotus? Since the moon withers with each phase, words of comparison with your face also wither. Do you speak of comparing your face to another face? How can I say that your face is equal to another face? Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 97 The gopīs become so weak (abalāḥ) that they are unable to milk the cows because of hearing the flute and their continuously intense prema. Thus they stumble and fall here and there. Or they are so weak that they cannot go to meet him, and thus they simply look at him on the road. He becomes even more beautiful with his smile and his merciful glance. He thus enters Vraja in the most remarkable way (ā—viśataḥ), revealing his excellent forest dress, with the cows and cowherd boys.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Part This verse describes how they drink his beauty with their eyes. In the morning he goes with the cows and the cowherd boys while playing his flute. Understanding his presence by hearing the flute (niśamya), they quickly come out of their houses. Mention of the flute also suggests the beauty of his face. tat tvan-mukhaṁ katham ivāmbuja-tulya-kakṣaṁ vācām avāci nanu parvaṇi parvaṇīndoḥ | tat kiṁ bruve kim aparaṁ bhuvanaika-kānta- veṇu tvad-ānanam anena samaṁ nu yat syāt || In describing your face, how can it be compared to a lotus? Since the moon withers with each phase, words of comparison with your face also wither. Do you speak of comparing your face to another face? How can I say that your face is equal to another face? Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 97 The gopīs become so weak (abalāḥ) that they are unable to milk the cows because of hearing the flute and their continuously intense prema. Thus they stumble and fall here and there. Or they are so weak that they cannot go to meet him, and thus they simply look at him on the road. He becomes even more beautiful with his smile and his merciful glance. He thus enters Vraja in the most remarkable way (ā—viśataḥ), revealing his excellent forest dress, accompanied by the cows and cowherd boys.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)
Related verses
Concepts
Punya

Morning and evening, Kṛṣṇa walks the road of Vraja with the cows, the flute moving the air. The gopīs come out of their houses just to be seen by Him — like sunflowers turning when the curtain is pulled. Darśana is not their reward; it is their faculty.

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