Shloka 15
Gopī-gīta: The Song of the Gopīs in Separation
Viraha-bhakti
अटति यद् भवानह्नि काननं त्रुटि युगायते त्वामपश्यताम् । कुटिलकुन्तलं श्रीमुखं च ते जड उदीक्षतां पक्ष्मकृद् दृशाम् ॥ १५ ॥
aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ truṭi yugāyate tvām apaśyatām kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām
Wenn Du am Tage in den Wald gehst, wird uns, die wir Dich nicht sehen können, selbst ein Augenblick wie ein Yuga. Und selbst wenn wir begierig Dein schönes Antlitz schauen, geschmückt mit lockigen Haarsträhnen, hindern die Lider—vom törichten Schöpfer gemacht—unsere Wonne.
FAQs
The gopīs say that when Kṛṣṇa roams the forest during the day, even a moment feels like an age without His sight, and even when they see His beautiful face, blinking (eyelids) interrupts their darśana—showing the intensity of their loving devotion.
Because their longing to behold Kṛṣṇa is so intense that even a blink feels like an obstacle; the verse poetically criticizes the creator (pakṣma-kṛt) for making eyelids that momentarily block Kṛṣṇa’s vision.
Use their example to deepen remembrance: regularly chant Kṛṣṇa’s names, hear His līlās, and treat moments away from bhakti practices as a loss—turning longing into steady daily sādhanā.