Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.47.58

etāh param tanu-bhrito bhuvi gopa-vadhvo

govinda eva nikhilātmani rūdha-bhāvāh

vāñchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayam ca

kim brahma-janmabhir ananta-kathā-rasasya

SYNONYMS

etāh — these women; param — alone; tanu — their bodies; bhritah — maintain successfully; bhuvi — on the earth; gopa-vadhvah — the young cowherd women; govinde — for Lord Krishna; eva — exclusively; nikhila — of all; ātmani — the Soul; rūdha — perfected; bhāvāh — ecstatic loving attraction; vāñchanti — they desire; yat — which; bhava — material existence; bhiyah — those who are afraid of; munayah — sages; vayam — we; ca — also; kim — what use; brahma — as a brāhmana or as Lord Brahmā; janmabhih — with births; ananta — of the unlimited Lord; kathā — for the topics; rasasya — for one who has a taste.

TRANSLATION

[Uddhava sang:] Among all persons on earth, these cowherd women alone have actually perfected their embodied lives, for they have achieved the perfection of unalloyed love for Lord Govinda. Their pure love is hankered after by those who fear material existence, by great sages, and by ourselves as well. For one who has tasted the narrations of the infinite Lord, what is the use of taking birth as a high-class brāhmana, or even as Lord Brahmā himself?

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that here the term brahma-janmabhih, "brahminical births," refers to the threefold birth by (1) seminal parenthood, (2) sacred-thread initiation and (3) sacrificial initiation. These cannot compare to pure Krishna consciousness. In fact, Śrī Uddhava, who spoke this verse, took birth as a pure brāhmana, but he deprecates this position in comparison to that of the exalted gopīs.

<<< >>>

Copyright ©r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari