Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.35.4-5

hanta citram abalah srnutedam

hara-hasa urasi sthira-vidyut

nanda-sunur ayam arta-jananam

narma-do yarhi kujita-venuh

vrndaso vraja-vrsa mrga-gavo

venu-vadya-hrta-cetasa arat

danta-dasta-kavala dhrta-karna

nidrita likhita-citram ivasan

SYNONYMS

hanta -- ah; citram -- wonder; abalah -- O girls; srnuta -- hear; idam -- this; hara -- (brilliant) like a necklace; hasah -- whose smile; urasi -- upon the chest; sthira -- motionless; vidyut -- lightning; nanda-sunuh -- son of Nanda Maharaja; ayam -- this; arta -- troubled; jananam -- for persons; narma -- of joy; dah -- the giver; yarhi -- when; kujita -- has vibrated; venuh -- His flute; vrndasah -- in groups; vraja -- kept in the pasture; vrsah -- the bulls; mrga -- the deer; gavah -- and the cows; venu -- of the flute; vadya -- by the playing; hrta -- stolen away; cetasah -- their minds; arat -- at a distance; danta -- by their teeth; dasta -- bit; kavalah -- whose mouthfuls; dhrta -- holding up; karnah -- their ears; nidritah -- asleep; likhita -- drawn; citram -- an illustration; iva -- as if; asan -- they were.

TRANSLATION

O girls! This son of Nanda, who gives joy to the distressed, bears steady lightning on His chest and has a smile like a jeweled necklace. Now please hear something wonderful. When He vibrates His flute, Vraja's bulls, deer and cows, standing in groups at a great distance, are all captivated by the sound, and they stop chewing the food in their mouths and cock their ears. Stunned, they appear as if asleep, or like figures in a painting.

PURPORT

The word sthira-vidyut, "steady lightning," refers to the goddess of fortune, who resides on the chest of the Supreme Lord. When the animals of Vrndavana hear the sound of the flute, they become stunned in ecstasy, and thus they stop chewing their food and cannot swallow it. The gopis, in separation from Krsna, marvel at the extraordinary effect of the Lord's flute-playing.

Srila Sridhara Svami gives the following explanation of the compound word hara-hasa, which compares Lord Krsna's smile to a necklace: "The word can mean 'He whose smile is brilliantly clear like a jeweled necklace' or 'He whose smile is reflected from His jeweled necklaces,' because while Krsna plays the flute He bends His head down and smiles. The word can also mean 'He whose smile, like a jeweled necklace, casts its effulgence upon His chest' or 'He whose necklaces shine brilliantly, just like a smile.' "

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari