प्रणतदेहिनां पापकर्षणं
तृणचरानुगं श्रीनिकेतनम् ।
फणिफणार्पितं ते पदाम्बुजं
कृणु कुचेषु नः कृन्धि हृच्छयम् ॥
praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ
tṛṇa-carānugaṁ śrī-niketanam |
phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ te padāmbujaṁ
kṛṇu kuceṣu naḥ kṛndhi hṛc-chayam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.31.7)
“Please put upon our breasts
Your lotus feet,
Which remove the sins of the embodied who have taken shelter,
Which follow the animals [of Vraja],
Which are the abode of śrī [i.e., beauty, or, Lakṣmī],
And which were placed on the hoods of the serpent [i.e., Kālīya].
Please cut away our lust [lit., ‘that which lies in the heart’].”
Commentary
aparā āhuḥ—praṇateti | kuceṣu padāmbujaṁ kṛṇu arpaya | kim artham? hṛc-chayaḥ kāmaṁ kṛndhi chindhi | atrābhiḥ samartha-ratimattvena mahā-premavatībhiḥ svīya-duḥkhāpāya-sukha-prāpti-jñāna-rahitābhiḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-sukhaika-prayojanaka-kāyika-vācika-mānasa-vyāpārābhis tasyaiva saurata-sukhoddīpanārtham eva svīya-rūpa-yauvana-kāma-pīḍāṁ vivṛṇvatībhiḥ parama-vidagdhābhiḥ prāyaḥ premno vāṅ-niṣṭhatā-lāghavaṁ na kriyate, kintu kāmasyaiva, yathā bhojana-lampaṭaṁ kañcit sva-mitraṁ bubhukṣam abhilakṣya snehena taṁ bhojayitu-kāmaḥ caturvidha-miṣṭānna-sādhane prayatamāno janas tena pṛṣṭo’pi svārtham evāhaṁ prayāsyāmi na tvad-artham iti brūte, tad eva premā gurur bhavati | yadi tv etāvān mamāyāsas tvat-sukhārtham eva, mama tu svārthaṁ niṣkāmatvād iti brūte tadā prema laghu bhavati | yad uktaṁ prema-sampuṭe—premā dvayo rasikayor api dīpa eva, hṛd-veśma bhāsayati niścalam eva bhāti | dvārād ayaṁ vadanatas tu bahiṣkṛtaś cen, nirvāti śīghram athavā laghutām upaiti || iti | tatrāsāṁ sva-sukha-tātparyābhāvo na pāraye’ham iti bhagavad-vākyād eva sva-vaśīkāra-vyañjakād avasīyate | tasya premaika-vaśyatvam eva sarva-śāstra-dṛṣṭam, na tu kāma-vaśyatvam iti jñeyam | nanu pāpād bibhemi, tatrāhuḥ—praṇatānāṁ dehināṁ pāpa-nāśakaṁ tava kutaḥ pāpa-śaṅketi bhāvaḥ | nanu ca kaṭhoreṣu yuṣmat-kuceṣu sukumāraṁ mat-padāmbujaṁ vyathiṣyate, tatrāhuḥ—tṛṇa-carānugaṁ tṛṇa-carā gāvas tāsām apy anugacchati gāvo hi kaṭhora-sthale’pi ghāsaṁ caranti | yadi tatrāpi tvac-caraṇasya sahiṣṇutā, tarhi kim utāsmat-kuceṣu kuca-kāṭhinyaṁ pratyuta tasya sukhadam iti bhāvaḥ | nanu nānā-ratnālaṅkāra-maṇḍitānāṁ yuṣmat-kucānām upari pādārpaṇam anucitam, tatrāhuḥ—śriyaḥ śobhāyāḥ niketanam iti kucānām alaṅkāra-varyam evaitad bhaviṣyatīti bhāvaḥ | nanu yuṣmat-patibhyo bibhemi, tatrāhuḥ—phaṇinau phaṇeṣu arpitaṁ tvaṁ kāliya-nāgād api na bibheṣi, kim uta tebhya iti bhāvaḥ |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“Others [i.e., other gopīs] speak this verse (praṇata …). ‘Please put (kṛṇu) your lotus feet on our breasts.’ For what purpose? ‘Please cut away (kṛndhi) that which lies in the heart (hṛc-chayaḥ),’ that is, [our] lust (kāma). In this regard, verbalized lightening of prema [i.e., diminishing prema by direct verbalizing it] is generally not done, and rather only [verbalized lightening] of lust (kāma) is, by [the gopīs,] they who are possessed of the greatest prema by virtue of being endued with samartha-rati, [they who] are free from awareness of removal of their own suffering and attainment of their own satisfaction, [they who] are endowed with bodily, verbal, and mental functions intended solely for the pleasure of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and [who] are exceedingly artful in describing their own figures and youth and the ache of their own [apparent] lust (kāma) as uddīpanas [i.e., excitants] for the pleasure of amour solely for him [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa], just as prema becomes heavy [i.e., strong and captivating] when a person, upon observing that a voracious friend is eager to eat, out of affection becomes desirous of feeding him and makes an endeavor to acquire the four types of sweets and even upon being asked [by that friend why he is making this endeavor] says, ‘I am endeavoring [to acquire all these sweets] only for myself, not for you.’ If he says [instead], ‘All this exertion of mine is only for your pleasure, and not for my own sake, because I am unselfish (niṣkāma),’ then prema becomes light [i.e., feeble and unimpressive]. Thus, there is a statement in Prema-sampuṭa (68): ‘The lamp of prema between two rasikas illuminates the abodes of their hearts and shines unwaveringly. If it is brought out the doorway of the mouth, [however, by being spoken of directly] it quickly goes out or becomes diminished.’ Herein, their [i.e., the gopīs’] having no intention for their own satisfaction is determined by Bhagavān’s statement [in SB 10.32.22] suggesting his own captivation [by their prema], ‘I am not able [to offer my own virtuous act of compensation to you all].’ His being able to be captivated only by prema, and [his] not being able to be captivated by lust (kāma), is seen in all the śāstra. This is to be understood.
“[Kṛṣṇa may argue:] ‘Well, I am afraid of sin [and thus I do not want to place my feet on your breasts].’ To this, they say, ‘Your feet are destroyers of the sins of the embodied who have taken shelter [in you]. How could you have any fear of sin?’ This is the purport.
“[Kṛṣṇa may argue:] ‘Well, my most tender lotus feet will be wounded by your hard breasts.’ To this, they say, ‘Your feet follow even the cows that graze on the grass, and cows graze even in hard places. If your feet can tolerate even that, then they can all the more [“tolerate”] our breasts, and rather the “hardness” of our breasts will be pleasing to them.’ This is the purport.
“[Kṛṣṇa may argue:] ‘Well, placing my feet upon your breasts decorated with various jewels and ornaments is not proper.’ To this, they say, ‘Your feet are the abode of beauty (śrī). They will become the most excellent ornament on our breasts.’ This is the purport.
“[Kṛṣṇa may argue:] ‘Well, I fear your husbands.’ To this, they say, ‘Your feet were placed atop the hoods of the serpent [i.e., Kālīya]. You do not fear even the Kālīya serpent, so much less them [i.e., our husbands].’ This is the purport.”