Shloka 28
गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः
धेनुको ऽयं मया क्षिप्तो विचरन्तु यथेच्छया गोपी ब्रवीति चैवान्या कृष्णलीलानुकारिणी
dhenuko 'yaṃ mayā kṣipto vicarantu yathecchayā gopī bravīti caivānyā kṛṣṇalīlānukāriṇī
“This Dhenuka I have flung down—let him roam wherever he pleases!” said one gopī; and another, imitating Kṛṣṇa’s playful līlās, echoed her in the same sportive mood.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya; the quoted speech is of the gopīs within the narrative)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How the gopīs, absorbed in Krishna, reenact his deeds
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: affectionate
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna manifests delight (ānanda) in Vraja, drawing devotees into intimate participation by inspiring them to imitate his heroic play.
Leela: Bala
Dharma Restored: Removal of demonic obstruction to Vraja’s safety and the free flourishing of divine play
Concept: When the mind is wholly fixed on Krishna, even speech and gesture become a form of devotional participation (līlā-anukaraṇa).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Let remembrance of the divine shape daily conduct—turn ordinary actions into offerings through mindful imitation of virtues (courage, compassion, joy).
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is not mere contemplation but embodied relationship; the Lord’s accessibility invites personal participation without erasing his supremacy.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Madhurya
FAQs
It shows how Krishna’s divine play becomes the gopīs’ natural mode of devotion—love expresses itself by imitation, turning ordinary speech and action into bhakti.
Through brief, vivid reported speech: Parāśara depicts the gopīs’ playful confidence and intimacy with Krishna, indicating devotion not as austerity alone but as joyful participation in the Lord’s līlā.
Krishna’s līlā reveals the Supreme Reality as both sovereign and approachable—His divinity inspires reverent awe and also loving closeness that draws beings into joyful remembrance.