Shloka 7
Veṇu-gīta-āhvāna and the Gopīs’ Appeal: The Opening of Rāsa-līlā
परिवेषयन्त्यस्तद्धित्वा पाययन्त्य: शिशून् पय: । शुश्रूषन्त्य: पतीन् काश्चिदश्नन्त्योऽपास्य भोजनम् ॥ ६ ॥ लिम्पन्त्य: प्रमृजन्त्योऽन्या अञ्जन्त्य: काश्च लोचने । व्यत्यस्तवस्त्राभरणा: काश्चित् कृष्णान्तिकं ययु: ॥ ७ ॥
pariveṣayantyas tad dhitvā pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn payaḥ śuśrūṣantyaḥ patīn kāścid aśnantyo ’pāsya bhojanam
Some gopīs were dressing, some were nursing their infants with milk, some were attending to their husbands, and some were eating; yet all abandoned these duties and went to meet Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Others were bathing, anointing and wiping their bodies, adorning themselves and applying kajjala to their eyes; but they too stopped at once and, with clothes and ornaments in disarray, rushed to Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
In 10.29.7, the gopīs are shown dropping every ongoing task—feeding children, serving husbands, eating, dressing—because Kṛṣṇa’s call awakens their exclusive devotion, and they run to Him even with clothes and ornaments in disarray.
Their urgency comes from overpowering prema-bhakti: the moment they hear and remember Kṛṣṇa, social formality and personal appearance become secondary to meeting Him.
The verse highlights inner priority: keep duties, but place remembrance and devotion to Kṛṣṇa first—responding to spiritual practice promptly (japa, kīrtana, study) rather than endlessly postponing it for comfort, routine, or social approval.