Shloka 18
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
यदनुचरितलीलाकर्णपीयूषविप्रुट्- सकृददनविधूतद्वन्द्वधर्मा विनष्टा: । सपदि गृहकुटुम्बं दीनमुत्सृज्य दीना बहव इह विहङ्गा भिक्षुचर्यां चरन्ति ॥ १८ ॥
yad-anucarita-līlā-karṇa-pīyūṣa-vipruṭ- sakṛd-adana-vidhūta-dvandva-dharmā vinaṣṭāḥ sapadi gṛha-kuṭumbaṁ dīnam utsṛjya dīnā bahava iha vihaṅgā bhikṣu-caryāṁ caranti
To hear of Kṛṣṇa’s ever-performed pastimes is a drop of nectar for the ears. One who even once tastes a single drop of that nectar has his attachment to worldly duality destroyed. Many such souls have suddenly abandoned their wretched homes and families and, becoming poor themselves, have come here to Vṛndāvana to wander like birds, living by begging.
Material duality is based on falsely thinking, “This is mine, and that is yours,” or “This is our country, and that is yours,” or “This is my family, and that is yours,” and so on. In fact, there is one Absolute Truth, in which we all exist and to whom everything belongs. His beauty and pleasure are also absolute and infinite, and if one actually hears about this Absolute Truth, called Kṛṣṇa, one’s dedication to the illusion of mundane duality is spoiled.
FAQs
This verse says that even a single drop of nectar-like hearing of Kṛṣṇa’s līlā can destroy the conditioning of duality and awaken such detachment that one abandons worldly shelter for a life centered on Him.
In separation from Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs highlight how Kṛṣṇa-kathā transforms the heart: once one truly tastes it, ordinary household attachments appear pitiable compared to the sweetness of devotion.
Regularly hear and reflect on Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes (reading/listening daily), and let that taste reshape priorities; as attachment to spiritual hearing grows, the mind naturally loosens its grip on constant gain–loss anxiety.