Shloka 20
Chapter 90
मेघ श्रीमंस्त्वमसि दयितो यादवेन्द्रस्य नूनं
श्रीवत्साङ्कं वयमिव भवान् ध्यायति प्रेमबद्धः ।
अत्युत्कण्ठः शवलहृदयोऽस्मद्विधो बाष्पधाराः
स्मृत्वा स्मृत्वा विसृजसि मुहुर्दुःखदस्तत्प्रसङ्गः ॥
megha śrīmaṃs tvam asi dayito yādavendrasya nūnaṃ $ śrīvatsāṅkaṃ vayam iva bhavān dhyāyati prema-baddhaḥ & aty-utkaṇṭhaḥ śavala-hṛdayo 'smad-vidho bāṣpa-dhārāḥ % smṛtvā smṛtvā visṛjasi muhur duḥkha-das tat-prasaṅgaḥ //
Hỡi mây rực rỡ! Hẳn ngươi là kẻ được vua dòng Yadu yêu mến. Như chúng ta, bị tình yêu ràng buộc, ngươi cũng thiền niệm về Đấng mang dấu Śrīvatsa. Quá đỗi khắc khoải, lòng nặng tối như chúng ta, ngươi nhớ đi nhớ lại mà tuôn những dòng lệ; chính sự tưởng niệm trong ly biệt ấy gây đau đớn.
Here the devotees interpret the rain cloud through the lens of prema. The cloud is “śrīmān” (splendid), yet “śavala-hṛdaya” (dark-hearted), mirroring the paradox of a lover’s state: externally the world continues, but internally the heart is overcast with longing. By calling Kṛṣṇa “Yādavendra” and “Śrīvatsāṅka,” the verse anchors emotion in theology—He is the sovereign of the Yadus and the eternal Lord marked by Śrīvatsa, the emblem of Lakṣmī’s abode. The devotees project their own meditation onto the cloud: as it gathers, swells, and releases rain, so the heart gathers memories of Kṛṣṇa and releases them as tears. The phrase “smṛtvā smṛtvā” emphasizes repeated remembrance; in advanced bhakti, remembrance is not a dry mental act but a living encounter that can both nourish and wound. The pain is not material misery; it is the sacred ache of love that cannot be satisfied by anything short of direct communion with the Lord.
FAQs
Śrīvatsa is an auspicious mark identifying the Lord as the eternal abode of Śrī (Lakṣmī); the verse uses it to focus devotion on Kṛṣṇa’s divine identity, not merely human charm.
The rain is poetically read as tears of longing—an external reflection of the devotees’ inner state—suggesting that remembrance of Kṛṣṇa repeatedly swells the heart and overflows as emotion.
Adopt repeated, affectionate remembrance—short prayers, name-japa, and contemplating Kṛṣṇa’s qualities—so that the heart naturally returns to Him throughout the day.