Shloka 20
The Departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa from Hastināpura
अन्योन्यमासीत्सञ्जल्प उत्तमश्लोकचेतसाम् । कौरवेन्द्रपुरस्त्रीणां सर्वश्रुतिमनोहर: ॥ २० ॥
anyonyam āsīt sañjalpa uttama-śloka-cetasām kauravendra-pura-strīṇāṁ sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ
เหล่าสตรีบนดาดฟ้าเรือนทั้งหลายในหัสดินาปุระ ผู้มีจิตแนบแน่นในคุณอันทรงเหนือของพระผู้เป็นเจ้า ผู้ได้รับสรรเสริญด้วยบทกวีอันประเสริฐ ต่างสนทนากันถึงพระองค์ เรื่องราวนั้นไพเราะยิ่งกว่าบทสรรเสริญแห่งพระเวท
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that in all the Vedic literatures the goal is the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Factually the glories of the Lord are depicted in such literature as the Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. And in the Bhāgavatam they are specifically mentioned in respect to the Supreme Lord. Therefore, while the ladies on the tops of the houses in the capital of the kings of the Kuru dynasty were talking about the Lord, their talk was more pleasing than the Vedic hymns. Anything sung in the praise of the Lord is śruti-mantra. There are songs of Ṭhākura Narottama dāsa, one of the ācāryas in the Gauḍīya sampradāya, composed in simple Bengali language. But Ṭhākura Viśvanātha Cakravartī, another very learned ācārya of the same sampradāya, has approved the songs by Ṭhākura Narottama dāsa to be as good as Vedic mantras. And this is so because of the subject matter. The language is immaterial, but the subject matter is important. The ladies, who were all absorbed in the thought and actions of the Lord, developed the consciousness of Vedic wisdom by the grace of the Lord. And therefore although such ladies might not have been very learned scholars in Sanskrit or otherwise, still whatever they spoke was more attractive than the Vedic hymns. The Vedic hymns in the Upaniṣads are sometimes indirectly directed to the Supreme Lord. But the talks of the ladies were directly spoken of the Lord, and thus they were more pleasing to the heart. The ladies’ talks appeared to be more valuable than the learned brāhmaṇas ’ benedictions.
FAQs
This verse shows that when hearts are fixed on Uttamaśloka, even ordinary conversation becomes spiritually attractive—so pleasing that it naturally draws everyone’s hearing and mind toward the Lord.
They are the women of the Kuru king’s royal city (Hastināpura, under King Yudhiṣṭhira), mutually speaking about Lord Kṛṣṇa as He was departing for Dvārakā and the sweetness of His presence and pastimes.
Cultivate ‘anyonyam sañjalpa’ by regularly discussing Kṛṣṇa—through satsanga, study groups, or family kīrtana—so that daily speech becomes centered on devotion and naturally uplifting to the mind.