SB 10.84.1

Devanāgarī

श्रीशुक उवाच श्रुत्वा पृथा सुबलपुत्र्यथ याज्ञसेनी माधव्यथ क्षितिपपत्न्‍य उत स्वगोप्य: । कृष्णेऽखिलात्मनि हरौ प्रणयानुबन्धं सर्वा विसिस्म्युरलमश्रुकलाकुलाक्ष्य: ॥ १ ॥

Text

śrī-śuka uvāca śrutvā pṛthā subala-putry atha yājñasenī mādhavy atha kṣitipa-patnya uta sva-gopyaḥ kṛṣṇe ’khilātmani harau praṇayānubandhaṁ sarvā visismyur alam aśru-kalākulākṣyaḥ

Synonyms

śrī-śukaḥuvāca—Śukadeva Gosvāmī said;śrutvā—hearing;pṛthā—Kuntī;subala-putrī—Gāndhārī, the daughter of King Subala;atha—and;yājñasenī—Draupadī;mādhavī—Subhadrā;atha—and;kṣiti-pa—of the kings;patnyaḥ—the wives;uta—also;sva—(Lord Kṛṣṇa’s) own;gopyaḥ—gopīs;kṛṣṇe—to Kṛṣṇa;akhila—of all;ātmani—the Soul;harau—the Supreme Lord Hari;praṇaya—loving;anubandham—attachment;sarvāḥ—all of them;visismyuḥ—became amazed;alam—greatly;aśru-kala—with tears;ākula—filling;akṣyaḥ—whose eyes.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Pṛthā, Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, the wives of other kings and the Lord’s cowherd girīfriends were all amazed to hear of the queens’ deep love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Soul of all beings, and their eyes filled with tears.

Purport

Draupadī is the chief hearer in this assembly of exalted women, since, as explained by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, she had asked the question that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s queens answered by relating their respective stories. Since Gāndhārī and the other ladies named here were not even mentioned in the previous chapter as having been present, Ācārya Śrīdhara concludes that they must have heard the queens’ narrations only secondhand. Indeed, Draupadī would never have spoken so freely in the presence of Pṛthā and Gāndhārī, her elders, or before the gopīs, whose attitude toward the queens of Dvārakā was not particularly sympathetic. Even though the gopīs joined in shedding tears, it was more because of their being reminded of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes than because of any loving affinity between them and the queens.

We should remember, of course, that there is always perfect harmony on the spiritual platform. Apparent conflict between pure devotees is nothing like mundane envy and strife. The jealousy of the gopīs was more show than substance, being exhibited by them as an ecstatic symptom of their overflowing love for Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmipāda further analyzes the phrase sva-gopyaḥ as implying that these gopīs were the queens’ sva-svarūpa, the original prototypes of whom the queens were specific expansions.

Chapter 84 SB 10.84.2 →