Shloka 35
Parīkṣit Confronts Kali; Dharma and Bhūmi Lament Kṛṣṇa’s Departure
का वा सहेत विरहं पुरुषोत्तमस्य प्रेमावलोकरुचिरस्मितवल्गुजल्पै: । स्थैर्यं समानमहरन्मधुमानिनीनां रोमोत्सवो मम यदङ्घ्रिविटङ्किताया: ॥ ३५ ॥
kā vā saheta virahaṁ puruṣottamasya premāvaloka-rucira-smita-valgu-jalpaiḥ sthairyaṁ samānam aharan madhu-māninīnāṁ romotsavo mama yad-aṅghri-viṭaṅkitāyāḥ
Who can endure the anguish of separation from Puruṣottama, the Supreme Lord? By His loving glance, radiant smile, and sweet words, He subdued even the stern pride and anger of His dear consorts like Satyabhāmā. When He walked upon my surface, I was bathed in the dust of His lotus feet; covered with grass, I seemed to bristle with joy.
There were chances of separation between the Lord and His thousands of queens because of the Lord’s being absent from home, but as far as His connection with earth was concerned, the Lord would traverse the earth with His lotus feet, and therefore there was no chance of separation. When the Lord left the surface of the earth to return to His spiritual abode, the earth’s feelings of separation were therefore more acute.
FAQs
This verse teaches that separation from Puruṣottama is almost unbearable for devotees, because His loving glances, smiles, and sweet speech captivate the heart and remove all composure—an intensification of bhakti rather than mere sorrow.
While describing her distress and spiritual condition, Earth glorifies Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s irresistible sweetness, implying that the world’s suffering in Kali-yuga is linked to His departure and the loss of His direct presence.
Channel feelings of absence into remembrance—regular hearing, chanting, and study—so longing becomes steady devotion, not despair, and the heart stays connected to Kṛṣṇa through His names and teachings.