Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.15.2
tan mādhavo veṇum udīrayan vṛto
gopair gṛṇadbhiḥ sva-yaśo balānvitaḥ
paśūn puraskṛtya paśavyam āviśad
vihartu-kāmaḥ kusumākaraḿ vanam
SYNONYMS
tat — thus; mādhavaḥ — Lord Śrī Mādhava; veṇum — His flute; udīrayan — sounding; vṛtaḥ — surrounded; gopaiḥ — by the cowherd boys; gṛṇadbhiḥ — who were chanting; sva-yaśaḥ — His glories; bala-anvitaḥ — accompanied by Lord Balarāma; paśūn — the animals; puraskṛtya — keeping in front; paśavyam — full of nourishment for the cows; āviśat — He entered; vihartu-kāmaḥ — desiring to enjoy pastimes; kusuma-ākaram — rich with flowers; vanam — the forest.
TRANSLATION
Thus desiring to enjoy pastimes, Lord Mādhava, sounding His flute, surrounded by cowherd boys who were chanting His glories, and accompanied by Lord Baladeva, kept the cows before Him and entered the Vṛndāvana forest, which was full of flowers and rich with nourishment for the animals.
PURPORT
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has explained the various meanings of the word mādhava as follows: Mādhava normally indicates Kṛṣṇa to be "the Lord, who is the consort of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī." This name also implies that Lord Kṛṣṇa descended in the dynasty of Madhu. Since the spring season is also known as Mādhava, it is understood that as soon as Lord Kṛṣṇa entered the Vṛndāvana forest, it automatically exhibited all the opulences of spring, becoming filled with flowers, breezes and a celestial atmosphere. Another reason Lord Kṛṣṇa is known as Mādhava is that He enjoys His pastimes in madhu, the taste of conjugal love.
Lord Kṛṣṇa would loudly sound His flute as He entered the forest of Śrī Vṛndāvana, thus giving inconceivable bliss to all the residents of His hometown, Vraja-dhāma. These simple pastimes of playfully entering the forest, playing on the flute and so forth were performed daily in the spiritual land of Vṛndāvana.
Copyright © 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