Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.84.1

śrī-śuka uvāca

śrutvā prithā subala-putry atha yājñasenī

mādhavy atha kshitipa-patnya uta sva-gopyah

krishne 'khilātmani harau pranayānubandham

sarvā visismyur alam aśru-kalākulākshyah

SYNONYMS

śrī-śukah uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; śrutvā — hearing; prithā — Kuntī; subala-putrī — Gāndhārī, the daughter of King Subala; atha — and; yājñasenī — Draupadī; mādhavī — Subhadrā; atha — and; kshiti-pa — of the kings; patnyah — the wives; uta — also; sva — (Lord Krishna's) own; gopyah — gopīs; krishne — to Krishna; akhila — of all; ātmani — the Soul; harau — the Supreme Lord Hari; pranaya — loving; anubandham — attachment; sarvāh — all of them; visismyuh — became amazed; alam — greatly; aśru-kala — with tears; ākula — filling; akshyah — whose eyes.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Prithā, Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, the wives of other kings and the Lord's cowherd girīfriends were all amazed to hear of the queens' deep love for Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Soul of all beings, and their eyes filled with tears.

PURPORT

Draupadī is the chief hearer in this assembly of exalted women, since, as explained by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, she had asked the question that Lord Krishna's queens answered by relating their respective stories. Since Gāndhārī and the other ladies named here were not even mentioned in the previous chapter as having been present, Ācārya Śrīdhara concludes that they must have heard the queens' narrations only secondhand. Indeed, Draupadī would never have spoken so freely in the presence of Prithā and Gāndhārī, her elders, or before the gopīs, whose attitude toward the queens of Dvārakā was not particularly sympathetic. Even though the gopīs joined in shedding tears, it was more because of their being reminded of Śrī Krishna's pastimes than because of any loving affinity between them and the queens.

We should remember, of course, that there is always perfect harmony on the spiritual platform. Apparent conflict between pure devotees is nothing like mundane envy and strife. The jealousy of the gopīs was more show than substance, being exhibited by them as an ecstatic symptom of their overflowing love for Krishna. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmipāda further analyzes the phrase sva-gopyah as implying that these gopīs were the queens' sva-svarūpa, the original prototypes of whom the queens were specific expansions.

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