Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.23.6

he bhūmi-devāḥ śṛṇuta

kṛṣṇasyādeśa-kāriṇaḥ

prāptāñ jānīta bhadraḿ vo

gopān no rāma-coditān

SYNONYMS

he bhūmi-devāḥ — O earthly gods; śṛṇuta — please hear us; kṛṣṇasya ādeśa — of the order of Kṛṣṇa; kāriṇaḥ — the executors; prāptān — arrived; jānīta — please recognize; bhadram — all good; vaḥ — unto you; gopān — cowherd boys; naḥ — us; rāma-coditān — sent by Lord Rāma.

TRANSLATION

[The cowherd boys said:] O earthly gods, please hear us. We cowherd boys are executing the orders of Kṛṣṇa, and we have been sent here by Balarāma. We wish all good for you. Please acknowledge our arrival.

PURPORT

The term bhūmi-devāḥ, "gods on earth," refers here to the brāhmaṇas, who are supposed to closely represent the will of the Supreme Lord. The philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a primitive polytheistic doctrine holding that human beings on the earth are gods. Rather, it is a science that traces the descent of authority from the Absolute Truth Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The authority and power of God naturally extend along with the extension of His creation, and on the earth the Lord's will and authority are represented by purified, enlightened men called brāhmaṇas.

This account will illustrate that the ritualistic brāhmaṇas approached by the cowherd boys were not at all properly enlightened and thus could not appreciate the position of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma or that of Their intimate associates. In fact, this pastime exposes the pretentious position of so-called brāhmaṇas who are not faithful devotees of the Supreme Lord.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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