I came across this verse while looking through Sri Gaudiya Kanthahara, I find the cryptic nature of it attractive.Since I have never posted before, I thought I would share it.
apasyam gopamani-padyamanama ca para ca pathibhis carantam
sa sadhricih sa visucirvasan avarivarti-bhuvanesvantah
I saw a gopala before me, but could not understand if He came from
nearby or from far away. He wanders from place to place at different times,
adopting different modes of dress. In this way He comes again and again to
establish and withdraw His transcendental pastimes within this material
world. (Rg Veda Mandala, 22, Anuvaka, 164 Sukta, 31 Rk)
Thank you Mangaladhara. Very nice verse to remember. _/\'o_
It would be interesting to look it up and see the context in which it appears. But for "meanings" of verses derived from the bhava of advanced devotees we need not be too concerned with that.
Guru Maharaja, that must be it, I searched for some time and I can't find any other reference to this verse.
I believe I misunderstood you Guru Maharaj, at first I thought you were implying that this verse must have arose from the bhava of an advanced devotee. But I got what you were saying now.
Yes, great devotees may see things in sastra that others do not. And others may say their interpretation lacks consideration of context. But in fact it is their eyes of bhava that are what the sastra points to. It points to such devotees. They are the goal. You will often find these kinds of interpretations on the part of the Goswamis in reference to the sruti.
For example, Chandogya Upanisad 8.13.1 syamac chavalam prapadye savalac chyamamc prapadye. "For receiving the mercy of black (Krnsa), I surrender unto white (his energy Radha), and for receiving the mercy of white (his energy,) I surrender unto black (Krsna)." Literally it says somethinglikje from surrendering to black one gets white and from surrendering to white one gets black. And again, what is the context?
Even our oft cited raso via sah as a sruti reference to Brahman being rasa as we understand rasa will be questioned by others. The verse you cited is similar. But we follow the Mahajanas!
Yes, great devotees may see things in sastra that others do not. And others may say their interpretation lacks consideration of context. But in fact it is their eyes of bhava that are what the sastra points to.
This is very nice, Guru Maharaj, So the great devotee's have this bhava,that can take a seemingly vague statements from the Sruti and draw out the inner meaning in such a way that the verse comes to life as it was meant to(Srila Sridhar maharaja Gayatri bhasya!). This shows that the purpose of the scriptures is they should be interpreted by Mahajans and taught to others according to that interpretation, that is, if one really wants to really draw something from scripture. Jaya Radhe!
Another nice example is from the introduction to The Search For Sri Krishna where Srila Sridhar Maharaj cites a pada from Svetasvatara Upanisad 2.5: srnvanti visve amrtasya putra. In the verse the speaker is praying to the demigods presiding over the senses, asking them to bless him in the attempt for self-realization. He talks of them as sons (putra) of the immortal (amrta). Srila Sridhar Maharaj draws this out of the words: "O, you sons of nectar (amrta), sons of the nectarine ocean sea: please listen to me. You were born in nectar; you were born to taste nectar, and you must not allow yourselves to be satisfied by anything but nectar. So, however misguided you may be for the time being, awake! Arise! Search for that nectar, that satisfaction."