ÄsÄm aho caraṇa-reṇu-juá¹£Äm ahaá¹ syÄá¹
vá¹›ndÄvane kim api gulma-latauá¹£adhÄ«nÄm
yÄ dustyajaá¹ sva-janam Ärya-pathaá¹ ca hitvÄ
bhejur mukunda-padavÄ«á¹ Å›rutibhir vimá¹›gyÄm
4 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: CC(2) , SB(1) , TLC(1)
Äsam - of the gopÄ«s; aho - oh; caraṇa-reṇu - the dust of the lotus feet; juá¹£Äm - devoted to; aham syÄm - let me become; vá¹›ndÄvane - in Vá¹›ndÄvana; kim api - any one; gulma-latÄ-oá¹£adhÄ«nÄm - among bushes, creepers and herbs; yÄ - they who; dustyajam - very difficult to give up; sva-janam - family members; Ärya-patham - the path of chastity; ca - and; hitvÄ - giving up; bhejuḥ - worshiped; mukunda-padavÄ«m - the lotus feet of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa; Å›rutibhiḥ - by the Vedas; vimá¹›gyÄm - to be searched for.
The gopÄ«s of Vá¹›ndÄvana have given up the association of their husbands, sons and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, which one should search for by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes, creepers or herbs in Vá¹›ndÄvana, because the gopÄ«s trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet.
The word meanings and translation for this verse are taken from ÅšrÄ«la PrabhupÄda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta (Antya 7.47).
ÅšrÄ« Uddhava here shows the perfect Vaiṣṇava attitude of humility. He does not pray to be equal to the gopÄ«s in their exalted stage of love, but rather to take birth as a bush or creeper in Vá¹›ndÄvana so that when they walk upon him he will get the dust of their feet and thus be blessed. The shy gopÄ«s would never agree to give such blessings to a great personality like Uddhava; therefore he cleverly sought to get such mercy by taking birth as a plant in Vá¹›ndÄvana.
