tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana te 'nghri-mūlaḿ
prāptā visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ
tvat-sundara-smita-nirīkṣaṇa-tīvra-kāma
taptātmanāḿ puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa dehi dāsyam
tat -- therefore; nah -- to us; prasida -- please show Your mercy; vrijina -- of all distress; ardana -- O vanquisher; te -- Your; anghri-mulam -- feet; praptah -- we have approached; visrijya -- renouncing; vasatih -- our homes; tvat-upasana -- the worship of You; asah -- hoping for; tvat -- Your; sundara -- beautiful; smita -- smiling; nirikshana -- because of the glances; tivra -- intense; kama -- by the lust; tapta -- burned; atmanam -- whose hearts; purusha -- of all men; bhushana -- O ornament; dehi -- please grant; dasyam -- servitude.
Therefore, O vanquisher of all distress, please show us mercy. To approach Your lotus feet we abandoned our families and homes, and we have no desire other than to serve You. Our hearts are burning with intense desires generated by Your beautiful smiling glances. O jewel among men, please make us Your maidservants.
When Sri Krishna was born, the sage Garga predicted that He would manifest all the opulences of the Supreme Lord Narayana. The gopis now appeal to the Lord to fulfill this prediction by being merciful and granting them direct service, just as Lord Narayana awards direct service to His loving devotees. The gopis emphasize that they did not give up their families and homes with the hope of securing a higher pleasure from Krishna. They are simply begging for service, revealing their pure-hearted devotion. The gopis think, "If in the course of Your pursuing Your happiness we somehow or other become happy by seeing Your face, what is the harm in that?"
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti comments on the words purusha-bhushana, "O jewel among men." The Thakura states that the gopis meant to say, "O jewel of all males, please decorate our golden bodies with the dark blue gems of Your limbs."
