yad-anucarita-lÄ«lÄ-karṇa-pÄ«yÅ«á¹£a-vipruá¹-
saká¹›d-adana-vidhÅ«ta-dvandva-dharmÄ vinaá¹£á¹Äḥ
sapadi gá¹›ha-kuá¹umbaá¹ dÄ«nam utsá¹›jya dÄ«nÄ
bahava iha vihaá¹…gÄ bhiká¹£u-caryÄá¹ caranti
yat - whose; anucarita - constantly performed activities; lÄ«lÄ - of such pastimes; karṇa - for the ears; pÄ«yÅ«á¹£a - of the nectar; vipruá¹ - of a drop; saká¹›t - just once; adana - by the partaking; vidhÅ«ta - removed entirely; dvandva - of duality; dharmÄḥ - their propensities; vinaá¹£á¹Äḥ - ruined; sapadi - immediately; gá¹›ha - their homes; kuá¹umbam - and families; dÄ«nam - wretched; utsá¹›jya - rejecting; dÄ«nÄḥ - becoming themselves wretched; bahavaḥ - many persons; iha - here (in Vá¹›ndÄvana); vihaá¹…gÄḥ - (like) birds; bhiká¹£u - of begging; caryÄm - the livelihood; caranti - they pursue.
To hear about the pastimes that Kṛṣṇa regularly performs is nectar for the ears. For those who relish just a single drop of that nectar, even once, their dedication to material duality is ruined. Many such persons have suddenly given up their wretched homes and families and, themselves becoming wretched, traveled here to Vá¹›ndÄvana to wander about like birds, begging for their living.
Material duality is based on falsely thinking, “This is mine, and that is yours,†or “This is our country, and that is yours,†or “This is my family, and that is yours,†and so on. In fact, there is one Absolute Truth, in which we all exist and to whom everything belongs. His beauty and pleasure are also absolute and infinite, and if one actually hears about this Absolute Truth, called Kṛṣṇa, one’s dedication to the illusion of mundane duality is spoiled.
According to the ÄcÄryas, and certainly in accord with Sanskrit grammar, the last two words of the second line of this text may also be divided dharma-avinaá¹£á¹Äḥ. Then the entire line becomes part of a single compound, the meaning of which is that hearing about Kṛṣṇa cleanses one of irreligious duality and thus one is not vanquished (avinaá¹£á¹a) by material illusion. The word dÄ«nÄḥ is then given the alternate reading of dhÄ«rÄḥ, meaning that one becomes spiritually sober and thus gives up attachment to fleeting material relationships. The word vihaá¹…gÄḥ, “birds,†would in this case refer to swans, the symbol of essential discrimination.
ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« quotes RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« as follows in connection with this verse:
bhaá¹…gyÄ tyÄgaucitÄ« tasya
khagÄnÄm api khedanÄt
yatra sÄnuÅ›ayaá¹ proktÄ
tad bhaved abhijalpitam
“When a lover indirectly states with remorse that her beloved is fit to be given up, such speech, uttered like the plaintive crying of a bird, is called abhijalpa.†(Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.194)
