Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary)
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja | 2005 | 440,179 words | ISBN-13: 9781935428329
The Brihad-bhagavatamrita Verse 1.7.156, English translation, including commentary (Dig-darshini-tika): an important Vaishnava text dealing with the importance of devotional service. The Brihad-bhagavatamrita, although an indepent Sanskrit work, covers the essential teachings of the Shrimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata-purana). This is verse 1.7.156 contained in Chapter 7—Purna (pinnacle of excellent devotees)—of Part one (prathama-khanda).
Verse 1.7.156
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.7.156:
गोपीनां महिमा कश्चित् तासाम् एकोऽपि शक्यते ।
न मया स्व-मुखे कर्तुं मेरुर् मक्षिकया यथा ॥ १५६ ॥gopīnāṃ mahimā kaścit tāsām eko'pi śakyate |
na mayā sva-mukhe kartuṃ merur makṣikayā yathā || 156 ||Just as bees cannot lift Mount Sumeru with their heads, similarly I cannot vocalize the glories of even one gopī among all those gopīs.
Commentary: Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā with Bhāvānuvāda
(By Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī himself including a deep purport of that commentary)
If Śrī Uttara-devī says, “In order for me to perform bhajana to understand the glories of the gopīs with the desire of becoming a maidservant, then you (Parīkṣit Mahārāja) should elaborate on the glories of the gopīs.”
Anticipating this doubt, Śrī Parīkṣit says that he is unable to describe even a tiny bit of the glories of a single gopī among all those gopīs. There is an analogy in this regard: Just as bees cannot lift up the most formidable of mountains, Sumeru, with their heads, similarly, I am incapable of describing their glories, being unfit to do so.