tÄḥ kiá¹ niÅ›Äḥ smarati yÄsu tadÄ priyÄbhir
vá¹›ndÄvane kumuda-kunda-Å›aÅ›Äá¹…ka-ramye
reme kvaṇac-caraṇa-nÅ«pura-rÄsa-goṣṭhyÄm
asmÄbhir Ä«á¸ita-manojña-kathaḥ kadÄcit

 tÄḥ - those; kim - whether; niÅ›Äḥ - nights; smarati - He remembers; yÄsu - in which; tadÄ - then; priyÄbhiḥ - with His beloved girlfriends; vá¹›ndÄvane - in the Vá¹›ndÄvana forest; kumuda - because of the lotuses; kunda - and jasmines; Å›aÅ›Äá¹…ka - and because of the moon; ramye - attractive; reme - He enjoyed; kvaṇat - jingling; caraṇa-nÅ«pura - (where) the ankle bells; rÄsa-goṣṭhyÄm - in the party of the rÄsa dance; asmÄbhiḥ - with us; Ä«á¸ita - glorified; manojña - charming; kathaḥ - topics about whom; kadÄcit - ever.


Text

Does He recall those nights in the Vá¹›ndÄvana forest, lovely with lotus, jasmine and the bright moon? As we glorified His charming pastimes, He enjoyed with us, His beloved girlfriends, in the circle of the rÄsa dance, which resounded with the music of ankle bells.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« gives the following deep realization about this verse: “The gopÄ«s knew that no place could be as beautiful as Vá¹›ndÄvana. Nowhere else in the universe could one find such a charming scene as the Vá¹›ndÄvana forest, which was scented with pious flowers and illumined by the full moon’s light reflected from the serene waves of the sacred YamunÄ River. No one loved Kṛṣṇa as much as the gopÄ«s, and thus no one else could understand Him as well. The gopÄ«s rendered intimate service to Kṛṣṇa that only they could perfect. Thus the gopÄ«s were distraught to think that Lord Kṛṣṇa was bereft of Vá¹›ndÄvana and bereft of their service. Free of all material lust, they were overwhelmed with disappointment because they could not give Kṛṣṇa happiness by their loving service. They simply could not imagine Kṛṣṇa enjoying anywhere else as He did in Vá¹›ndÄvana in their company.â€