श्रीराधिकाप्रभृतयो नितरां जयन्ति
गोप्यो नितान्तभगवत्प्रियताप्रसिद्धाः ।
यासां हरौ परमसौहृदमाधुरीणां
निर्वक्तुमीषदपि जातु न कोऽपि शक्तः ॥
śrī-rādhikā-prabhṛtayo nitarāṁ jayanti
gopyo nitānta-bhagavat-priyatā-prasiddhāḥ |
yāsāṁ harau parama-sauhṛda-mādhurīṇāṁ
nirvaktum īṣad api jātu na ko’pi śaktaḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 1.2)
“The gopīs led by Śrī Rādhikā—
Whose extraordinary dearness
To Bhagavān is renowned,
And the sweetnesses
Of whose supreme affection for Hari
No one can ever describe even slightly—
Eternally triumph!”
Commentary
śrī-bhagavan-mahāprasāda-prāptis tu tadīya-priyatama-janānāṁ prasādād eva bhavatīti teṣām ukta-prakārakam eva paramotkarṣam āha—śrī-rādhiketi | gopīṣu sarvāsv api śrī-rādhikā śreṣṭhatamā ata eva tad-āditvam uktam |
“Attainment of the special grace (mahāprasāda) of Śrī Bhagavān occurs only by the grace of his own dearmost persons [i.e., bhaktas]. Therefore, the author describes in this verse (Śrī-Rādhikā …) their supreme excellence of [afore] stated characteristic [i.e., their being the objects of Bhagavān’s everlasting prema and possessing unparalleled prema for Bhagavān]. Even among all the gopīs, Śrī Rādhikā is the best of all. Therefore, her being first [among them] is stated [i.e., she is mentioned by name to represent them all as a group].
nitarām iti bhagavataḥ kadācit kañcit pratyupekṣādikaṁ loka-dṛṣṭyā pratīyetāpi, ataḥ sarvatra sarvadā sarva-dṛṣṭyā tasya paramotkarṣo na sidhyeta | āsāṁ ca tan nāsti, kintu sarvadaiva sarvatraiva sarvair eva paramotkarṣo’nubhūyata ity arthaḥ |
“Regarding, ‘eternally’ (nitarām), sometimes disregard or otherwise on the part of Bhagavān towards someone can also be perceived by ordinary vision, and thus his supreme excellence cannot be established always in all cases by all [types of] vision [i.e., it may appear to those of worldly vision that he is sometimes negligent of some persons]. That is not [so] of them, however, [i.e., Bhagavān is never seen to show any disregard or otherwise towards the gopīs], and [their] supreme excellence, rather, can be perceived by all absolutely everywhere in absolutely all cases. This is the meaning.
tad uktaṁ śrī-bhagavataiva tāḥ prati śrī-daśame—
na pāraye’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ
sva-sādhu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ |
yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ
saṁvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā || iti |
“This is stated by Śrī Bhagavān himself to them in the Tenth Canto [i.e., SB 10.32.22], ‘I am not able even with the lifespan of a deva to offer my own virtuous act [of compensation] to you all, whose union [with me] is irreproachable, and who have completely severed the unrelenting fetters of family life and served me. May that [virtuous act of yours] by [your own] virtue be your compensation [for your virtuous acts of serving me].’
yataḥ nitāntā atigāḍhā parama-kāṣṭhāṁ prāptā yā bhagavataḥ priyatā premāspadatvaṁ, tayā prasiddhāḥ | prasiddhatvāc ca nātra pramāṇam anusandheyam ity arthaḥ | tathāpi bhakty-ānanda-bhareṇa tatraiva hetuṁ nirdiśati—yāsām iti |
“They are renowned (prasiddhāḥ) because of [their] extraordinary (nitānta) dearness to Bhagavān, that is, [their] being an object of [his] prema which is extremely deep, meaning, situated at the highest extremity. And because of [their] being [so] renowned, evidence (pramāṇa) in that regard is not necessary to be sought [i.e., there is no need to provide additional statements from śāstra here to substantiate how dear they are to Bhagavān because it is already well-known]. This is the meaning. Still, out of abundance of the bliss of bhakti, the author specifies the cause in this regard [i.e., the cause of their being so renowned for being superlatively dear to Bhagavān] by saying yāsām ….
harau parama-manohare śrī-kṛṣṇe yat paramaṁ sauhṛdaṁ prema tasya mādhurīṇāṁ madhye īṣan manāg api jātu kadācit sa harir api nirvaktuṁ nirūpayituṁ na śakto bhavati, anyasya tatra kā kathā? ity arthaḥ | evaṁ bhagavatas tāsāṁ cānyonyaṁ nitya-prema-viśeṣo darśitaḥ |
“Not even (api) Hari himself is ever (jātu) able (śaktaḥ) to describe (nirvaktum), that is, delineate, even (api) slightly (īṣat) any of the sweetnesses (mādhurīṇām) of that supreme (parama) affection (sneha), that is, prema, [of theirs] for Hari, that is, the supremely mind-captivating Śrī Kṛṣṇa. So what can be said of others in this regard [i.e., thus certainly no one else can describe it either]. In this way, their and Bhagavān’s special, everlasting prema for one another is shown.”