Canto 10 - Chapter 47: Dialogue between Uddhava and Gopis and ode to a black bee

Discourse XLVII

Dialogue between Uddhava and the Gopīs and ode to a black bee

Śrī Śuka began again : Gazing on the aforesaid servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with unusually long arms, eyes resembling a pair of fresh-blown lotuses and a bright lotus-like countenance, clad in yellow (silk) and wearing a garland of lotuses and adorned with ear-rings brilliant with gems, all the women of Vraja with bright smiles eagerly surrounded Uddhava, who had taken shelter under the lotus-feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the illustrious Lord), wondering who he was with (such) a handsome appearance and dressed and adorned in the style of that immortal Lord, whence he had come and whose son (or servant) he was. (1-2)
Concluding him to be a messenger from Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who was no other than Lord Viṣṇu, the Spouse of Goddess Ramā), the Gopis, bent low with modesty, enquired of him in private (as follows) when he had been duly greeted with bashful smiles and glances and kind words etc., and had squatted on a seat:—(3)
"We know you to be a companion of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Lord of the Yadus), duly arrived in our midst. You have been despatched here by your master with intent to bring delight to His parents. (4)
Otherwise we do not find anything worth remembering for Him in Vraja, a (mere) pasture-land for cows. Ties of affection for one's relations are most difficult to disregard even for a hermit. (5)
Friendship with others (who are not bound by ties of blood)—like that cultivated by lovers with their sweethearts or by black bees with flowers—actuated as it is by self-interest, lasts (only) till one's interests continue to be served (by them) and is (at best) a travesty of love. (6)
Harlots forsake a destitute (lover); the people, an incapable ruler; students who have learnt what they wanted to learn, their teacher; the priests officiating at a sacrifice, the sacrificer who has paid the sacrificial fees (at the end of the sacrifice); the birds, a tree from which fruits have disappeared; strangers, a dwelling (which afforded shelter to them) after finishing their meal; animals, a burnt forest and a paramour, a women attached to him (even though unsated), the moment he has enjoyed her." (7-8)
In this way, when Uddhava, the messenger of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, arrived in Vraja, the cowherd women, whose speech, body and mind were undoubtedly devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, (the Protector of cows) cast to the winds (all) worldly etiquette. (9)
Recalling again and again the exploits of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (their beloved Lord), that pertained to His boyhood and infancy they celebrated them in song and wept, (all) sense of shame having taken leave of them. (10)
Musing over her (past) union with Śrī Kṛṣṇa and (presently) perceiving a black bee (before her), a certain Gopi (presumably Śrī Rādhā Herself, the foremost and the beloved of all Gopis, some of whom loved Her even more than they loved Śrī Kṛṣṇa) fancied it to be a messenger despatched by Śrī Kṛṣṇa (her Darling) and spoke* as follows. (11)

• Authoritative Vaiṣṇava commentators like Śanātana Goswāmi, who are believed to have actually witnessed these Lilas of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His beloved Gopis by the special grace of the Lord, have traced the following utterances to Śrī Rādhā, on the basis of the Agni-Purāṇa as well as on the strength of their own transcendent vision. Again, these utterances are believed to have escaped from the lips of Śrī Rādhā in a state of divine ecstasy (Oivyonmāda), which has no parallel anywhere and is the special monopoly of Śrī Rādhā, a unique personification of Mahābhava, the highest and purest form of divine Love. These utterances have also been classified under various heads such as Citrajalpa, which have been clearly defined in standard works on poetics like the Ujjvala-nīlamāṇi of Rūpa Goswāmi.

The Gopi said : O black bee (lit., the sucker of honey), O friend of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (a treacherous lover), (pray) do not touch our feet (by way of supplication) with your (moustache-like) tentacles tinged (red) with the saffron of the garland (of Śrī Kṛṣṇa) pressed against the breasts (painted with saffron) of our rivals (at Mathurā). Let Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Chief of the Madhus), whose messenger you are—you who are distinguished by such characteristics (as have been depicted just now)—bear (on His garland etc.), the token of favour (in the shape of marks of saffron etc.), of those proud ladies (of Mathurā), which would be an object of ridicule for the court of the Yadus. (What will you gain by conciliating us rustic women of Vraja?) (12)
Having allowed us to drink the entrancing nectar of His lips (but) once, He deserted us, innocent women, all of a sudden (even) as a black bee like you would leave the (guileless) flowers. I wonder how Lakṣmī (who is reputed to be very clever and discerning) continues to serve His lotus-feet (which She would not if She came to know of His infidelity and ungratefulness) ? Presumably She does so (only) because She has Her mind captivated alas ! by the honeyed words of our illustrious Lord (We for our part have grown too wise to be deceived any more by His false promises). (13)
Why do you, O six-legged one, glorify before us homeless people here at (such) length Śrī Kṛṣṇa (now the Lord of the Yadus), the (most) Ancient One (and therefore to well-known to us to need any introduction) ? Let His stories be (profitably) sung in the presence of the (blessed) lady companions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who is shortly going to be nicknamed as Arjuna's Friend). They will (in return for Your service) confer on you the object of your desire, beloved as they are of Him and have the agony of their heart soothed (by His loving embraces). (14)
What women are there on earth, in heaven or in the subterranean regions, who are hard to win for the playful movements of His eyebrows accompanied by His cunning and winsome smiles ? Of what account are we in His eyes, whose dust of feet (even) Lakṣmī (the goddess of fortune) worships? Nevertheless (tell Him that) the epithet of Uttamaśloka (one enjoying excellent fame), as a matter of fact, applies to him who espouses the cause of the forlorn (like) us. (15)
Leave my foot, on which you have placed your head, acquainted as I am with you, who know how to win over others with blandishments and messages (of love), having learnt this art from Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who is a past master in such artifices). (Ah,) He left here us, who had for His own sake renounced our children, husband and (even happiness in) the other world (obtainable through virtuous conduct alone), fickle-minded as He is. What, then, is to be gained by coming to terms with Him ? (16)
Hard-hearted by nature, He (in His previous descent as Śrī Rāma) hit (with an arrow) Vāli (the lord of the monkeys) like a hunter (without giving him any notice or challenging him to an open combat according to the established canons of warfare) and, domineered over by His Consort (Sītā), deformed a woman (Śūrpaṇakhā), who had approached Him with lust (in her heart). (Nay,) having accepted (as the divine Dwarf) Bali's worship (in the form of a gift of land measuring three strides) He bound him (even) as a crow would (in conjunction with other crows) surround (and plague) its feeder after eating the food offered by the latter. Therefore, enough of friendship with those possessed of a dark hue. (Yet) the treasure in the form of His story is difficult to forgo. (17)
With (all) their natural propensities (in the form of likes and dislikes etc.), existing as pairs of opposites uprooted by tasting but once even a small bit of His supremely delightful stories, which fall as nectar on their ears, and (thus) completely ruined (in the eyes of the world), and leaving all of a sudden their home and family in a wretched condition, many men here lead a life of mendicants, deprived of (all) enjoyment, like so many birds. (18)
Believing as true the (false) professions (of love) on the part of that Cheat, (even) as she-deer, the foolish companions of a black antelope, would put faith in the (deceptive) music of a hunter and suffer the torment of being hit with a shaft, we ignorant sweethearts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa have repeatedly suffered this fate, having been subjected to smarting pangs of love occasioned by the (loving) touch of His nails. (Therefore,) O messenger, let any other topic be discussed (and talk no more of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose very mention awakens memories that accentuate our agony of separation from Him). (19)
O friend of our beloved Lord! sent (back) by our Darling (though stung with our pungent words), have you come (to us) again? (If so,) ask what you would (of us); (for) you are worthy of honour to me, O dear one! How will you take us—who are here—to His side, whose companionship is difficult to forgo (once it is had)? (For) His (divine) Spouse, Śrī (the goddess of beauty and prosperity), O gentle one, ever remains with Him on His very bosom (in the form a golden streak). (20)
Ah, is my Darling lit., son of one's father-in-law* now at Mathurā (has returned from the house of His preceptor after completing His studies there)? Does He remember, O gentle one, his paternal house (the house of His godfather, Nanda) as well as His relations and (other) cowherds? Does He ever make any references to us His maid-servants? Oh, when will He (return to Vraja and) place His arm, more fragrant (even) than aloe-wood, on our head (by way of consolation)? (21)

Śrī Śuka resumed: On hearing this (unprecedented) effusion of love, Uddhava forthwith spoke as follows to the cowherd women—who had been pining for a sight of Śrī Kṛṣṇa—comforting them with messages (of love) from their beloved Lord. (22)

• It is forbidden in our Śāstras to utter one's own name or that of one's preceptor and other elders (including one's parents and grandparents, husband and his parents and so on), that of an abject miser or of one's eldest son or wedded wife even while dying:— (Karmalocana)

Uddhava said : Oh, you (Gopīs) have (all) your objects accomplished indeed and are the adored of (all) the worlds in that your mind is so (fully and exclusively) absorbed in Lord Vāsudeva. (23)
Devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa indeed is sought to be attained through charitable gifts, fasting, austerities pouring oblations into the sacred fire, muttering prayers, study of the Vedas, self-control and various other virtuous practices. (24)
It is a matter for congratulation that the ideal of supreme devotion to the divine Lord of excellent renown—which is hard to attain even for sages—has been set up by you. (25)
It is (further) gratifying (to note) that you (all) have sought the Supreme Person under the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa neglecting (your) children, husbands and other relations, dwellings, nay, (your very) bodies. (26)
Due to (your) separation (from the Lord) you have developed exclusive devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (which has enabled you to behold Him in all that meets the eye). (Nay,) you have conferred a (great) boon on me (by thus affording me an opportunity to witness your unprecedented love with my own eyes), O highly blessed ones ! (27)
(Now) listen to the message of your Darling (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), which (I am sure) will bring joy to you and carrying which I, who execute His secret commissions, have come (to you), O good ladies ! (28)

The glorious Lord says : Your separation from Me, the material cause of all (and therefore present in all as their very Self), is not possible under any circumstance. (Just) as the (five gross) elements—(viz.,) ether, the air, fire, water and earth—are present in (all) created beings (as their constituents), so am I, underlying as I do the mind, the vital airs, the elements, the Indriyas (the five senses of perception and the five organs of action) and the (three) Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti). (29)
In Myself (as the ground) do I create, maintain and (then) dissolve Myself (in the form of the cosmos) by dint of My own Māyā (creative energy) by Myself in the form of the elements, the Indriyas and the Guṇas. (30)
The Spirit is all knowledge, transcendent, unconnected with the (three) Guṇas and (absolutely) pure (untainted by Māyā). It is experienced through the (various) states of the mind (viz., wakefulness, the dream state and deep sleep), brought about by Māyā. (31)
Remaining vigilant (all the time), one should (therefore endeavour to) control that mind through which one conceives the (various) objects of sense (viz., sound, touch, sight, taste and smell), though unreal—like one who, when awake, recalls the objects seen in a dream—and seizes the senses. (32)
In the eyes of the wise, (the teachings of) the Vedas, the (eightfold) path of Yoga, the Sāṅkhya system of philosophy (which differentiates Matter from the Spirit), renunciation, suffering hardships for the sake of one's faith, subjugation of one's senses and truthfulness have their goal in mind-control even as rivers terminate in the ocean. (33)

It is only with intent to focus your thought constantly on Me in order to ensure your mental proximity with Me that I, your Darling, am actually staying (so) far from your eyes. (34)
The mind of women as well as of others does not get so absorbed in the thought of their most beloved one living close by and open to their view as in that of one staying at a distance. (35)
Incessantly thinking of Me (as you do), having devoted to Me your whole (undivided) mind, which has completely shed all (other) thoughts, you will come to Me before long. (36)
Those blessed (cowherd) women who (having been held back by their husbands and others) stayed away in Vraja and could not (therefore) get an opportunity to sport with Me while I diverted myself in the woodland (of Vṛndāvana) one night attained to Me through contemplation on My exploits. (37)

Śrī Śuka continued : Delighted to hear the message of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (their most beloved Lord), the aforesaid women of Vraja spoke to Uddhava (as follows), their memories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa having been awakened by His message. (38)

The Gopīs said : By good-luck Karhsa, the (sworn) enemy and persecutor of the Yadus, has been killed alongwith his followers. It is a matter for (further) gratification that Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the immortal Lord) is now doing well with His relations, who have attained all their objects (through Him). (39)
(Others said), Does Śrī Kṛṣṇa (elder Brother of Gada), who was (till the other day) greeted (by us) with our loving and pleasing glances accompanied by bashful smiles, bring delight to the women of the city (of Mathurā), O gentle one? (40)
(Still others said,) How can He, an expert in love-making and (hence) beloved of charming women, help being won over (by them) when greeted with their (sweet) words and amorous gestures? (41)
(Some more said,) Does Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Protector of cows), O pious one, remember us, rustic women, in any context in the course of an unreserved talk in an assembly of the ladies of the city ? (42)
(Others said,) Does He (ever) recall those nights, during that period (of His stay in Vraja), when He sported with (us) His sweethearts in (the woodland of) Vṛndāvana, charming with lilies and jasmines as well as with a full moon (bearing a spot resembling the figure of a hare) in the ring of the Rāsa dance accompanied by the sound of jingling anklets, in the course of which His delightful stories were sung (by us)? (43)
Will Śrī Kṛṣṇa ( a scion of Daśārha) ever come over here to infuse new life into us—tormented (as we are) with grief occasioned by (separation from) Him—by (the soothing touch of) His (delightful) limbs even as Indra (the god of rain) would refresh a forest (scorched with summer heat) by (sending) clouds (of rain)? (44)
(Still others said,) Wherefore should Śrī Kṛṣṇa come here now that He has slain His enemies and attained sovereignty and, surrounded by all His kinsmen (the Yadus), will feel (extremely) delighted when He has married (so many) princesses? (45)
(Some more wisely said,) What purpose of the high-souled Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Spouse of Śrī), who has (all) His desires fulfilled and is (ever) perfect in His (own) Self, could be served by us, dwelling in a forest, or (even) by other ladies (of royal descent)? (46)
Even Piṅgalā, a wanton woman (of the legend), (once) spoke of hopelessness as the only road to supreme happiness. Though we know (all) that, our hope to meet Śrī Kṛṣṇa is nevertheless hard to overcome. (47)
Who can dare withdraw his mind from the confidential talk of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who is extolled by the most high, nay,) from whose person (bosom) Śrī (the goddess of beauty and prosperity) never gets down even though He does not long for Her ? (48)
Alas ! the river (Yamunā), the mountain (Govardhana) and the forest lands (of Vṛndāvana), the cows and the notes of flutes over there, hallowed (as they are) by Śrī Kṛṣṇa coupled with Saṅkarṣaṇa (through association with Them), O mighty Uddhava, awaken again and again the memory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Son of Nanda, the cowherd chief) through His footprints, the abodes of (all) charm and prosperity. Surely we cannot (therefore) forget Him. (49-50)
How can we forget Him—O Uddhava, we, whose mind has been captivated by His charming gait, pleasing laughter and playful glances as well as by His honeyed words? (51)
O Lord, O Spouse of Ramā, O Saviour of Vraja, O Reliever of (our) agony, O Protector of cows, lift (the village of) Gokula out of the ocean of suffering, in which it lies plunged. (52)

Śrī Śuka went on : The Gopis, whose agony of separation (from the Lord) was (now) gone to a large extent, thanks to the messages received from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, (duly) worshipped Uddhava, recognizing him to be Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself (who is above sense-perception) and (therefore) their very Self. (53)
He stayed for some months (there) in order to drive away the grief of the cowherd women. (Nay,) celebrating in song the story of the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he brought delight to (the entire village of) Gokula. (54)
As long as the aforesaid Uddhava lived in Nanda's Vraja the days passed like (so many) moments with the people of Vraja in talks about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (55)
Eagerly observing the river, the woodlands and the dales as well as the trees in blossom and vividly reminding the inhabitants of Vraja of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (by questioning them about the pastimes connected with the various spots), Uddhava (the servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa) spent his time in delight. (56)

Supremely delighted to perceive the anguish of mind—as depicted before* and of an allied nature—of the Gopis, occasioned by their absorbing thought of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and bowing to them (in reverence), Uddhava sang as follows :—(57)
"These cowherd women alone on earth have justified their possessing a human body in that they have developed supreme love exclusively for Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Protector of cows), the Soul of the universe—(a love) which not only strivers afraid of metempsychosis but sages (emancipated souls), nay, (even) we (devotees of the Lord) aspire for ? What (else) is there to be gained through (three kinds of)† births as a Brāhmaṇa by him who has developed a taste for the stories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the deathless Lord)? (Or what is to be gained through repeated births as Brahmā by him who has not been able to develop a zest for such stories ?‡ (58)
The two are quite out of keeping with one another—these women (impure by their very sex), roaming about in woods and polluted (in the eyes of adverse critics) through infidelity to their (worldly) husbands, (on the one hand) and surpassing (unflinching) love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Spirit, as depicted above (on the other)! Surely the almighty Lord, directly and liberally confers (final) beatitude on him who constantly remembers Him, though not knowing His reality, (just) as nectar (the sovereign of all medicines) does good (to an ailing person) when used (even unknowingly).(59)
Oh, the grace which descended on the cowherdesses of Vraja—who attained the object of their desire in the form of having their necks encircled by His stout arms during the Rāsa festival—did not fall to the lot of celestial damsels (nymphs) possessing the fragrance and splendour of a lotus, or (even) of Śrī, who is exclusively attached to His person (bosom); how (then) could others expect such favour (from Him) ? (60)
Oh, let me be (incarnated as) anyone of the shrubs, creepers or herbs in (the woodlands of) Vṛndāvana, catching the dust of feet of these (blessed ladies), who (successfully) trod the path (of Devotion) leading to Śrī Kṛṣṇa—(the path) which is (still) to be strenuously sought for (even) by the Upaniṣads$— neglecting their own people as well as the path trodden by the virtuous, (both of) which are (so) difficult to abandon (for a chaste woman). (61)
(Nay,) these Gopis completely shook off their agony (of separation from the Lord), embracing (as they did) those lotus-feet of the divine Śrī Kṛṣṇa which are actually fondled by Goddess Śrī and mentally adored by (great gods like) Brahmā and others, sages that have (all) their desires fulfilled (and are therefore free from all cravings), (nay,) even by masters of Yoga (like Śiva, Sanaka and Nārada), and which were (lovingly) placed (by the Lord) on their bosom in the gathering (of women) on the occasion of the Rāsa dance ! (62)
I repeatedly salute the dust of feet of the (blessed) women of Nanda's Vraja, whose loud singing of the stories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (who captivates all) purifies the three worlds." (63)

† The three kinds of birth as a Brāhmaṇa are :—(1)
physical birth from Brāhmaṇa parents, (2)
investiture with the sacred thread and initiation in the holy Gayatri-Mantra, which is regarded as a second birth and (3)
consecration befitting one for the performance of a sacrifice, which is looked upon as a third incarnation.
‡ The compound word 'अनन्तकथारसस्य, can be split up in two ways—firstly as अनन्त + कथा + रसस्य and secondly as अनन्त + कथा + रसस्य. The word 'Brahma' too admits of a double meaning. The alternative interpretation of the last quarter of the verse according to the latter way of splitting the compound has been shown within brackets.
§ This evidently refers to the Upanishadic text 'यतो वाचो निवर्तने अप्राप्य मनसा सह', which tells us that 'words (scriptural texts) fail to reach Brahma and return (unsuccessful) alongwith the mind.'

Śrī Śuka proceeded further : Seeking the permission of the cowherd women as well as of Yaśodā and Nanda, and taking leave of the cowherds, Uddhava (a scion of Daśārha), now ready to depart (for Mathurā) mounted the chariot. (64)
Duly approaching him, when he had (just) stepped out (of Nanda's mansion), with various presents (intended for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma) in their hands, Nanda and others lovingly addressed him in feeling terms (as follows) with tears in their eyes:—(65)
"Let (all) the activities of our mind (ever) hinge on the lotus-feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Let our speech utter His names (alone) and let our body remain engaged in bending before Him and so on. (66)
Being tossed by our (past) actions coupled with the will of Providence (as guided by those actions) wherever (in whatever species of life) we may be, let our delight be (ever) found in the almighty Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a result of our virtuous actions and charitable gifts (that may have been performed by us in our past lives)." (67)
Thus honoured by the cowherds out of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, O ruler of men, Uddhava came back to Mathurā (which was now) protected by (the same Lord) Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (68)
Falling prostrate before Śrī Kṛṣṇa he spoke (to Him) of the plenitude of devotion (to His feet) of the people of Vraja and handed over the presents (sent by Nanda) to Him as well as to Vasudeva, Balarāma and the king (Ugrasenā). (69)

Thus ends the forty-seventh discourse, bearing on the return of Uddhava (to Mathurā), in the first half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Puṛaṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārīsa-Sarhhitā.