Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 23
Gopī-Vipralambha: The Search for Kṛṣṇa and the Revelation of Divine Footprints
बद्धान्यया स्रजा काचित्तन्वी तत्र उलूखले । बध्नामि भाण्डभेत्तारं हैयङ्गवमुषं त्विति । भीता सुदृक् पिधायास्यं भेजे भीतिविडम्बनम् ॥ २३ ॥
baddhānyayā srajā kācit tanvī tatra ulūkhale badhnāmi bhāṇḍa-bhettāraṁ haiyaṅgava-muṣaṁ tv iti bhītā su-dṛk pidhāyāsyaṁ bheje bhīti-viḍambanam
One gopī tied up her slender companion with a flower garland and said, “Now I will bind this boy who has broken the butter pots and stolen the butter.” The second gopī then covered her face and beautiful eyes, pretending to be afraid.
FAQs
This verse shows the gopīs vividly reenacting Kṛṣṇa’s childhood mischief—breaking pots and stealing fresh butter—because intense love in separation makes His līlā spontaneously arise in their words and gestures.
While searching for Kṛṣṇa after He disappears from the rāsa dance, the gopīs relive His Vraja pastimes; the “mock fear” is playful acting that reveals their deep attachment and constant remembrance of Him.
It teaches smaraṇa (loving remembrance): by repeatedly recalling Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and pastimes—through reading, kīrtana, and contemplation—devotion becomes vivid, personal, and emotionally sincere.