Shloka 29
Veṇu-gīta-āhvāna and the Gopīs’ Appeal: The Opening of Rāsa-līlā
कृत्वा मुखान्यव शुच: श्वसनेन शुष्यद्- बिम्बाधराणि चरणेन भुव: लिखन्त्य: । अस्रैरुपात्तमसिभि: कुचकुङ्कुमानि तस्थुर्मृजन्त्य उरुदु:खभरा: स्म तूष्णीम् ॥ २९ ॥
kṛtvā mukhāny ava śucaḥ śvasanena śuṣyad bimbādharāṇi caraṇena bhuvaḥ likhantyaḥ asrair upātta-masibhiḥ kuca-kuṅkumāni tasthur mṛjantya uru-duḥkha-bharāḥ sma tūṣṇīm
তারা মাথা নত করে মুখ নিচু করে দাঁড়াল। ভারী শোকভরা নিশ্বাসে তাদের লাল ঠোঁট শুকিয়ে গেল। পায়ের আঙুল দিয়ে তারা মাটি আঁচড়াতে লাগল। চোখের অশ্রু কাজল বয়ে নিয়ে গেল এবং বক্ষে লাগানো কুঙ্কুম ধুয়ে দিল। এভাবে তারা নীরবে গভীর দুঃখের ভার বহন করে দাঁড়িয়ে রইল।
The gopīs felt, “If Kṛṣṇa has not been conquered by our love, then our love must not be genuine. And if we cannot properly love Kṛṣṇa, what is the use of our lives?” Their reddish lips were drying up because of the hot breathing that arose from their unhappiness. When the hot sun dries ripe red bimba fruits, dark spots appear on them and they grow soft. The beautiful lips of the gopīs similarly changed in appearance. They stood silently before Kṛṣṇa, unable to speak.
FAQs
This verse depicts the gopīs’ intense separation—dry lips, restless breath, tears, and silence—showing that longing for Kṛṣṇa can become an all-consuming, purifying form of devotion.
Their tears and distress blur ordinary adornment; the image conveys how worldly appearance loses meaning when the heart is absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s absence.
Channel longing into steady remembrance—japa, kīrtana, and hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathā—so emotions become devotion rather than distraction.