Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 18
Uddhava Sent to Vraja: Consolation to Nanda-Yaśodā and the Gopīs’ Separation
अपि स्मरति न: कृष्णो मातरं सुहृद: सखीन् । गोपान् व्रजं चात्मनाथं गावो वृन्दावनं गिरिम् ॥ १८ ॥
api smarati naḥ kṛṣṇo mātaraṁ suhṛdaḥ sakhīn gopān vrajaṁ cātma-nāthaṁ gāvo vṛndāvanaṁ girim
Does Kṛṣṇa remember us? Does He remember His mother, His friends and well-wishers? Does He remember the cowherds and His own Vraja, of which He is the Lord—along with the cows, the forest of Vṛndāvana, and Govardhana Hill?
FAQs
In this verse the gopīs intensely ask whether Kṛṣṇa remembers them—His mother, friends, the gopas, the cows, Vṛndāvana and Govardhana—expressing the depth of Vraja’s love in separation.
Uddhava arrives in Vraja as Kṛṣṇa’s messenger; overwhelmed by separation, the gopīs question him, revealing that their entire life is sustained by remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and longing for His return.
Keep Kṛṣṇa present through daily smaraṇa—hearing and chanting His names and pastimes—turning longing and life’s distance into steady remembrance and heartfelt prayer, as modeled by the gopīs.