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kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe bibhratī sūtra-naddhaṁ

kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe bibhratī sūtra-naddhaṁ
putra-sneha-snuta-kuca-yugaṁ jāta-kampaṁ ca subhrūḥ |
rajjv-ākarṣa-śrama-bhuja-calat-kaṅkaṇau kuṇḍale ca
svinnaṁ vaktraṁ kabara-vigalan-mālatī nirmamantha ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.9.3; cited in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: 3.4.12)

“Bearing a linen garment bound with a cord
Around her wide hips,
Shaking breasts
Flowing [with milk]
Out of affection for her son,
Bangles moving along her arms
In the midst of the labor of pulling the [churning] ropes,
[Swaying] Earrings,
And a perspiring face,
She of fine brows [viz., Yaśodā],
With mālatī flowers falling from her braid,
Churned [the yoghurt].”

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mayy arpitātmanaḥ sabhya nirapekṣasya sarvataḥ |

mayy arpitātmanaḥ sabhya nirapekṣasya sarvataḥ |
mayātmanā sukhaṁ yat tat kutaḥ syād viṣayātmanām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.14.12)
“O noble one, how can those of mind upon objects of the senses have the happiness on account of me, the Self, which those of mind offered to me, who are indifferent to everything [else], have?”

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kim upāyanam ānītaṁ brahman me bhavatā gṛhāt

kim upāyanam ānītaṁ brahman me bhavatā gṛhāt |
aṇv apy upāhṛtaṁ bhaktaiḥ premṇā bhūry eva me bhavet |
bhūry apy abhaktopahṛtaṁ na me toṣāya kalpate ||
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati |
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.81.3–4)

“O brāhmaṇa, what gift has been brought by you from your home for me? Even something small offered by bhaktas with prema shall certainly be great to me. Even a great [i.e., lavish] offering by a non-bhakta [however] does not lead to satisfaction for me. One who with bhakti offers a leaf, flower, fruit, or water to me—I partake of that offered out of bhakti from one of pure heart.”

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vijñāpya tātaṁ dohāya gato’sau gāś ca tā mudā

vijñāpya tātaṁ dohāya gato’sau gāś ca tā mudā |
militāḥ svābhitaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sāntvayāmāsa sāntvanaiḥ ||
śrī-hasta-mārjanaiḥ kaṇḍūyanair gāḥ prīṇayan hariḥ |
dudoha dohayāmāsa vatsāṁs tais taiś ca pāyayan ||
vatsā nipīyodara-pūram uccakais
tṛptiṁ gatā gopa-gaṇā yathepsitam |
dugdhvā nivṛttāś ca gavāṁ tathāpy aho
nodhaḥ-payaḥ-pūrtir avāpa hīnatām ||
kṛṣṇānanābjārpita-netra-cetasāṁ
gavāṁ svayaṁ saṁsravad audhasaṁ payaḥ |
gopāḥ stanādho-dhṛta-kumbha-sañcayaiḥ
sambhṛtya ninyuḥ purato vrajeśituḥ ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 20.30–33)

“He informed his father and went to milk [the cows]. Kṛṣṇa comforted the cows delightedly assembled around him with comforting gestures. After pleasing them by scratching and wiping them with his beautiful hands, Hari milked the cows and had them [i.e., his fellow cowherds] feed the calves milk and milk [the other cows]. The calves drank a belly-full [of milk] and greatly felt satisfaction. The cowherds also milked [the cows] to the extent desired and desisted. Still, aho! The fulness with milk of the cows’ udders did not undergo depletion. The cowherds collected in pots held below their udders the milk flowing of its own accord from the udders of the cows, whose eyes and hearts were fixed on the lotus of Kṛṣṇa’s face, and [then] brought it before the king of Vraja [viz., Nanda Mahārāja].”

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hihī gaṅge godāvari śabali kālindi dhavale

hihī gaṅge godāvari śabali kālindi dhavale
hihī dhūmre tuṅgi bhramari yamune haṁsi kamale |
hihī rambhe campe kariṇi hariṇīti vraja-vidhur
muhur nāma-grāhaṁ nikhila-surabhīr āhvayad asau ||
nyastāṅgaḥ prapadopari praghaṭayan jānu-dvaye dohanīṁ
kāścid dogdhi payaḥ svayaṁ tv atha parāḥ svair dohayaty unmukhīḥ |
anyāḥ pāyayati sva-tarṇaka-gaṇān kaṇḍūyanaiḥ prīṇayann
itthaṁ nanda-sutaḥ prage sva-surabhīr ānandayan nandati ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 2.40–41)

“‘Hihī, Gaṅge!
Godāvari! Śabali! Kālindi! Dhavale!
Hihī, Dhūmre! Tuṅgi! Bhramari! Yamune! Haṁsi! Kamale!
Hihī, Rambhe! Campe! Kariṇi! Harini!’
Repeatedly taking their names in this way,
The Moon of Vraja calls all the cows.
Placing his body [weight] over the tips of his toes
And setting a milk vessel between his knees,
He personally milks some of the cows himself
And has other eager ones milked by his companions.
He pleases others by scratching [them]
And has their calves drink [their] milk.
In this way delighting his cows,
The Son of Nanda delights in the morning.”

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suciram api savatsās tvām anālokayantyo

suciram api savatsās tvām anālokayantyo
na khalu surabhayas tā yadyapi prasnuvanti |
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 2.14)

[Mother Yaśodā to Śrī Kṛṣṇa to prompt him to arise from bed and start his day:]
“Although they have been with their calves [this morning] already for a long time, the cows do not give any milk without seeing you.”

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kālindy-ādyās tava surabhayaḥ stabdha-karṇordhva-vaktrā

kālindy-ādyās tava surabhayaḥ stabdha-karṇordhva-vaktrā
hambā-rāvair uṣasi tṛṣitānn āhvayantyaḥ sva-vatsān |
yuṣman-mārge nihita-nayanās tvan-mukhālokanotkāḥ
sīdanty ūdho-bhara-janitayā pīḍayeti pratīhi ||
(Govinda-līlāmṛta: 1.43)

[The parrot Dakṣa sings to prompt Śrī Kṛṣṇa to arise before dawn and return to his home in Nandīśvara from the secluded cottage where he had spent the night before the sun rises:]
“Ears pricked
Faces upraised,
Calling their thirsty calves with mooing sounds,
Eyes fixed on your path,
And longing to see your face,
At dawn
Your cows,
Kālindī and so on,
Are troubled by the ache
Produced by the weight of their [unmilked] udders.
You know this!”

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labdhārcāś cāru-veśaiḥ śabalita-vapuṣaḥ prāpta-bhogāvalīkā

labdhārcāś cāru-veśaiḥ śabalita-vapuṣaḥ prāpta-bhogāvalīkā
vatsaiḥ pṛktāḥ pramodaṁ pṛthutaram abhajan dhenavaḥ satyam eva |
kintu śrī-kṛṣṇa-dṛṣṭi-pramada-valayitā yarhi tarhy eva no cet
kecid yadvad bhajante madhura-vidhurataḥ saṁskṛtaṁ ṣāḍavādi ||
(Gopāla-campū: 1.18.71)

“Receiving worship, becoming of variegated figures because of [being outfitted with] charming decorations, obtaining numerous foods, and becoming united with their calves, the cows felt very great delight, but only indeed truly [do they feel delight] then when they become enveloped in the delight of seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When this does not occur, they become like some who eat prepared ṣāḍavas and so on because of avoiding sweets [i.e., they feel no real delight at all just as persons who abstain from eating sweets for medical reasons instead eat medicinal formulations known as ṣāḍavas to recover their health yet feel no real delight in only eating such sour medicines].”

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