Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.90.24

hamsa svagatam asyatam piba payo bruhy anga saureh katham

dutam tvam nu vidama kaccid ajitah svasty asta uktam pura

kim va nas cala-sauhridah smarati tam kasmad bhajamo vayam

kshaudralapaya kama-dam sriyam rite saivaika-nishtha striyam

SYNONYMS

hamsa -- O swan; su-agatam -- welcome; asyatam -- please come and sit down; piba -- please drink; payah -- milk; bruhi -- tell us; anga -- dear one; saureh -- of Sauri; katham -- news; dutam -- messenger; tvam -- you; nu -- indeed; vidama -- we recognize; kaccit -- whether; ajitah -- the unconquerable one; svasti -- well; aste -- is; uktam -- spoken; pura -- long ago; kim -- whether; va -- or; nah -- to us; cala -- fickle; sauhridah -- whose friendship; smarati -- He remembers; tam -- Him; kasmat -- for what reason; bhajamah -- should worship; vayam -- we; kshaudra -- O servant of Him who is petty; alapaya -- tell Him to come; kama -- desire; dam -- who bestows; sriyam -- the goddess of fortune; rite -- without; sa -- she; eva -- alone; eka-nishtha -- exclusively devoted; striyam -- among women.

TRANSLATION

Welcome, swan. Please sit here and drink some milk. Give us some news of the descendant of Sura, dear one. We know you are His messenger. Is that invincible Lord doing well, and does that unreliable friend of ours still remember the words He spoke to us long ago? Why should we go and worship Him? O servant of a petty master, go tell Him who fulfills our desires to come here without the goddess of fortune. Is she the only woman exclusively devoted to Him?

PURPORT

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti relates the following conversation between the queens and the swan:

The queens ask, "Is the unconquerable Lord doing well?"

The swan replies, "How can Lord Krishna be doing well without you, His beloved consorts?"

"But does He even remember what He once told one of us, Srimati Rukmini? Does He recall that He said, 'In all My palaces I see no other wife as dear as you'?" [Bhag. 10.60.55: na tvadrisim pranayinim grihinim griheshu pasyami]

"He does indeed remember this, and that is just why He sent me here. You should all go to Him and engage in His devotional service."

"Why should we go worship Him if He refuses to come here to be with us?"

"But my dear oceans of compassion, He is suffering so much from your absence! How can He be saved from this distress?"

"Just listen, O servant of a petty master: tell Him to come here, as He should. If He is suffering from lusty desires, He has only Himself to blame, since He Himself is the creator of Cupid's power. We self-respecting ladies are not going to yield to His demand that we go seek Him out."

"So be it; then I will take my leave."

"No, one minute, dear swan. Ask Him to come to us here, but without the goddess of fortune, who always cheats us by keeping Him all to herself."

"Don't you know that Goddess Lakshmi is devoted exclusively to the Lord? How could He give her up like that?"

"And is she the only woman in the world who is completely sold out to Him? What about us?"

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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