Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 47: The Song of the Bee

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.47.11

kacin madhukaram drstva

dhyayanti krsna-sangamam

priya-prasthapitam dutam

kalpayitvedam abravit

SYNONYMS

kacit -- one (of the gopis); madhu-karam -- a honeybee; drstva -- seeing; dhyayanti -- while meditating; krsna-sangamam -- on Her association with Krsna; priya -- by Her beloved; prasthapitam -- sent; dutam -- a messenger; kalpayitva -- imagining it; idam -- the following; abravit -- spoke.

TRANSLATION

One of the gopis, while meditating on Her previous association with Krsna, saw a honeybee before Her and imagined it to be a messenger sent by Her beloved. Thus She spoke as follows.

PURPORT

Srimati Radharani is referred to in this verse as kacit, "a certain gopi."To establish that this particular gopi is in fact Srimati Radharani, Srila Jiva Gosvami quotes the following verses from the Agni Purana:

gopyah papracchur usasi

krsnanucaram uddhavam

hari-lila-viharams ca

tatraikam radhikam vina

radha tad-bhava-samlina

vasanaya viramita

sakhibhih sabhyadhac chuddha-

vijnana-guna-jrmbhitam

ijyante-vasinam veda

caramamsa-vibhavanaih

"At dawn the gopis inquired from Krsna's servant, Uddhava, about the Lord's pastimes and recreation. Only Srimati Radharani, immersed in thought of Krsna, withdrew Her interest in the talks. Then Radha, who is worshiped by the residents of Her Vrndavana village, spoke up in the midst of Her girlfriends. Her words were full of pure transcendental knowledge and expressed the ultimate portion of the Vedas."

In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) Lord Krsna states, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: "By all the Vedas, I am to be known." To know Krsna is to love Krsna, and thus Radharani, by Her own example and words, revealed Her supreme love for the Lord.

Having quoted the above verses from the Agni Purana, Srila Jiva Gosvami also quotes the following from the Nrsimha-tapani Upanisad (Purva-khanda 2.4): yam sarve deva namanti mumuksavo brahma-vadinas ca. "All the demigods and all the transcendental philosophers who desire liberation bow down to the Supreme Lord." We should follow suit.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari