The Brāhmaṇa Wives

ततश्च वृन्दावनतोऽतिदूरतो वनं गतस्त्वं खलु गोपगोकुलैः ।
हृदन्तरे भक्ततरद्विजाङ्गनाकदम्बकानुग्रहणाग्रहं वहन्

tataśca vṛndāvanato'tidūrato vanaṁ gatastvaṁ khalu gopagokulaiḥ hṛdantare bhaktataradvijāṅganākadambakānugrahaṇāgrahaṁ vahan

“Then, going far from Vṛndāvana into the forest with cowherd-cattle, with the wish to bestow grace on the most-devoted brāhmaṇa-wives, you eagerly approached.”

ततो निरीक्ष्याशरणे वनान्तरे किशोरलोकं क्षुधितं तृषाकुलम् ।
अदूरतो यज्ञपरान् द्विजान्प्रति व्यसर्जयो दीदिवियाचनाय तान्

tato nirīkṣyāśaraṇe vanāntare kiśoralokaṁ kṣudhitaṁ tṛṣākulam adūrato yajñaparān dvijānprati vyasarjayo dīdiviyācanāya tān

“Seeing the boys hungry and thirsty in the unsheltered forest-edge, not far from the brāhmaṇas engaged in sacrifice, you sent the boys to ask them for food.”

गतेष्वथो तेष्वभिधाय तेऽभिधां कुमारकेष्वोदनयाचिषु प्रभो ।
श्रुतिस्थिरा अप्यभिनिन्द्युरश्रुतिं न किञ्चिदूचुश्च महीसुरोत्तमाः

gateṣvatho teṣvabhidhāya te'bhidhāṁ kumārakeṣvodanayāciṣu prabho śrutisthirā apyabhinindyuraśrutiṁ na kiñcidūcuśca mahīsurottamāḥ

“The brāhmaṇas, absorbed in their ritual-letter, refused. The boys returned empty-handed.”

अनादरात् खिन्नधियो हि बालकाः समाययुर्युक्तमिदं हि यज्वसु ।
चिरादभक्ताः खलु ते महीसुराः कथं हि भक्तं त्वयि तैः समर्प्यते

anādarāt khinnadhiyo hi bālakāḥ samāyayuryuktamidaṁ hi yajvasu cirādabhaktāḥ khalu te mahīsurāḥ kathaṁ hi bhaktaṁ tvayi taiḥ samarpyate

“'Go back,' you said. 'Tell their wives that Krishna and Balarāma are hungry.' The boys went again; the wives heard the names.”

निवेदयध्वं गृहिणीजनाय मां दिशेयुरन्नं करुणाकुला इमाः ।
इति स्मितार्द्रं भवतेरिता गतास्ते दारका दारजनं ययाचिरे

nivedayadhvaṁ gṛhiṇījanāya māṁ diśeyurannaṁ karuṇākulā imāḥ iti smitārdraṁ bhavateritā gatāste dārakā dārajanaṁ yayācire

“At the very mention of your name, the wives left their cooking, their husbands, their houses, and ran out into the forest, carrying every kind of food.”

गृहीतनाम्नि त्वयि सम्भ्रमाकुलाश्चतुर्विधं भोज्यरसं प्रगृह्य ताः ।
चिरं धृतत्वत्प्रविलोकनाग्रहाः स्वकैर्निरुद्धा अपि तूर्णमाययुः

gṛhītanāmni tvayi sambhramākulāścaturvidhaṁ bhojyarasaṁ pragṛhya tāḥ ciraṁ dhṛtatvatpravilokanāgrahāḥ svakairniruddhā api tūrṇamāyayuḥ

“They stood before you in tears, eyes drinking your form. They served you with hands shaking, ate the dust of your feet for blessing.”

विलोलपिञ्छं चिकुरे कपोलयोः समुल्लसत्कुण्डलमार्द्रमीक्षिते ।
निधाय बाहुं सुहृदंससीमनि स्थितं भवन्तं समलोकयन्त ताः

vilolapiñchaṁ cikure kapolayoḥ samullasatkuṇḍalamārdramīkṣite nidhāya bāhuṁ suhṛdaṁsasīmani sthitaṁ bhavantaṁ samalokayanta tāḥ

“When their husbands followed, ashamed to find them gone, you sent the wives back with grace: 'Return; your devotion has reached me; that is enough; the husbands will understand in time.'”

तदा च काचित्त्वदुपागमोद्यता गृहीतहस्ता दयितेन यज्वना ।
तदैव सञ्चिन्त्य भवन्तमञ्जसा विवेश कैवल्यमहो कृतिन्यसौ

tadā ca kācittvadupāgamodyatā gṛhītahastā dayitena yajvanā tadaiva sañcintya bhavantamañjasā viveśa kaivalyamaho kṛtinyasau

“By their feeding of you, the brāhmaṇa-husbands were taught the limits of ritual: where ritual stops, devotion begins. The wives were the teachers.”

आदाय भोज्यान्यनुगृह्य ताः पुनस्त्वदङ्गसङ्गस्पृहयोज्झतीर्गृहम् ।
विलोक्य यज्ञाय विसर्जयन्निमाश्चकर्थ भर्तॄनपि तास्वगर्हणान्

ādāya bhojyānyanugṛhya tāḥ punastvadaṅgasaṅgaspṛhayojjhatīrgṛham vilokya yajñāya visarjayannimāścakartha bhartṝnapi tāsvagarhaṇān

“By such an unexpected hour, the deepest kind of devotion is sometimes shown. The forest had become the school.”

निरूप्य दोषं निजमङ्गनाजने विलोक्य भक्तिं च पुनर्विचारिभिः ।
प्रबुद्धतत्त्वैस्त्वमभिष्टुतो द्विजैर्मरुत्पुराधीश निरुन्धि मे गदान्

nirūpya doṣaṁ nijamaṅganājane vilokya bhaktiṁ ca punarvicāribhiḥ prabuddhatattvaistvamabhiṣṭuto dvijairmarutpurādhīśa nirundhi me gadān

“Such you, lord, the receiver of the wives' offering: lord of the wind-house, save me.”