Shloka 13
Gopī-Vipralambha: The Search for Kṛṣṇa and the Revelation of Divine Footprints
पृच्छतेमा लता बाहूनप्याश्लिष्टा वनस्पते: । नूनं तत्करजस्पृष्टा बिभ्रत्युत्पुलकान्यहो ॥ १३ ॥
pṛcchatemā latā bāhūn apy āśliṣṭā vanaspateḥ nūnaṁ tat-karaja-spṛṣṭā bibhraty utpulakāny aho
Let us ask these creepers about Kṛṣṇa. Though they cling to the arms of their husband, this tree, surely they have been touched by Kṛṣṇa’s fingernails, for in joy they display ecstatic goosebumps upon their skin.
The gopīs reasoned that the creepers would not show signs of rapture merely by physical contact with their husband, a tree. Thus the gopīs concluded that although the creepers were embracing the strong limbs of their husband, they must have been touched by Lord Kṛṣṇa as He moved through the forest.
FAQs
In this verse, the gopīs, overwhelmed by longing, interpret even nature’s “horripilation” (utpulaka) as evidence of Kṛṣṇa’s touch, showing how intense viraha-bhakti makes everything remind one of Him.
Because Kṛṣṇa disappeared from their midst, the gopīs roam Vṛndāvana in devotion-filled madness, questioning the forest itself as if every plant and tree might have seen or been touched by Him.
Channel feelings of absence into remembrance—regularly hear, chant, and meditate on Kṛṣṇa so that daily surroundings become prompts for devotion rather than distractions.