Shloka 19
Gopī-gīta in Separation: The Flute’s Call and Vraja’s Ecstatic Response
मणिधर: क्वचिदागणयन् गा मालया दयितगन्धतुलस्या: । प्रणयिनोऽनुचरस्य कदांसे प्रक्षिपन् भुजमगायत यत्र ॥ १८ ॥ क्वणितवेणुरववञ्चितचित्ता: कृष्णमन्वसत कृष्णगृहिण्य: । गुणगणार्णमनुगत्य हरिण्यो गोपिका इव विमुक्तगृहाशा: ॥ १९ ॥
maṇi-dharaḥ kvacid āgaṇayan gā mālayā dayita-gandha-tulasyāḥ praṇayino ’nucarasya kadāṁse prakṣipan bhujam agāyata yatra
Bewildered by the flute’s vibrating sound, the wives of the black deer followed Kṛṣṇa—the ocean of all virtues—and came to sit beside Him; like the gopīs, they gave up hope for happiness in household life.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that in the afternoon Śrī Kṛṣṇa dressed Himself in new clothing and then went out to call the cows home. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī gives the following information about the transcendental cows of Vṛndāvana: “For each of the four colors of cows — white, red, black and yellow — there are twenty-five subdivisions, making a total of one hundred colors. And such qualities as being colored like sandalwood-pulp tilaka [speckled] or having a head shaped like a mṛdaṅga drum create eight further groups. To count these 108 groups of cows, distinguished by color and form, Kṛṣṇa is using a string of 108 jewel-beads.…
FAQs
This verse recalls Kṛṣṇa’s simple, intimate vraja-līlā—counting the cows and singing with friends—showing His sweetness (mādhurya) that deepens devotees’ love.
They remember signs of Kṛṣṇa’s closeness with them—His garland carrying their fragrance—intensifying their loving separation and personal relationship with Him.
Cultivate devotion by remembering Kṛṣṇa’s affectionate, approachable nature—serve with simplicity, keep holy symbols (like tulasī) with reverence, and sing His names in loving mood.