tasmān mac-charaṇaḿ goṣṭhaḿ
man-nāthaḿ mat-parigraham
gopāye svātma-yogena
so 'yaḿ me vrata āhitaḥ
tasmat -- therefore; mat-saranam -- having taken shelter of Me; goshtham -- the cowherd community; mat-natham -- who have Me as their master; mat-parigraham -- My own family; gopaye -- I shall protect; sva-atma-yogena -- by My personal mystic power; sah ayam -- this; me -- by Me; vratah -- vow; ahitah -- has been taken.
I must therefore protect the cowherd community by My transcendental potency, for I am their shelter, I am their master, and indeed they are My own family. After all, I have taken a vow to protect My devotees.
The word mac-charanam indicates not only that Lord Krishna was the sole shelter for the vraja-jana, the people of Vrindavana, but also that Lord Krishna had established His home among them. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes from the Anekartha-varga dictionary, saranam griha-rakshitroh: "The word saranam can represent either home or protector." The residents of Vrindavana adopted Krishna as their beloved child, friend, lover and life itself, and the Lord reciprocated their feelings. Thus Sri Krishna lived among these fortunate people, moving in their houses and fields; naturally He would protect such intimate devotees from all types of danger.
