Shloka 30

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

विलोक्यैका भुवं प्राह गोपी गोपवराङ्गना पुलकाञ्चितसर्वाङ्गी विकासिनयनोत्पला

Transliteration

vilokyaikā bhuvaṃ prāha gopī gopavarāṅganā pulakāñcitasarvāṅgī vikāsinayanotpalā

Translation

One gopī—the foremost among the cowherd maidens—looked upon the ground and spoke. Her whole body thrilled with rapture, and her lotus-like eyes opened wide in blossoming wonder.

Word by Word

• vilokya: having looked
• vilokya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + lok (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय (indeclinable verbal)

• ekā: one (woman)
• ekā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhuvam: the ground/earth
• bhuvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• gopī: a gopī
• gopī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); अप्पोजिशन

• gopa-vara-aṅganā: the beloved of the best cowherds
• gopa-vara-aṅganā: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopa (प्रातिपदिक) + vara (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'गोपानां वराः (श्रेष्ठाः) तेषां अङ्गना'

• pulaka-añcita-sarvāṅgī: whose whole body was covered with horripilation
• pulaka-añcita-sarvāṅgī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pulaka (प्रातिपदिक) + añcita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + sarvāṅgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'पुलकेन अञ्चितं सर्वाङ्गं यस्याः' (अर्थतः बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषण-प्रयोग)

• vikāsi-nayana-utpalā: with lotus-like eyes opening wide
• vikāsi-nayana-utpalā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikāsin (प्रातिपदिक) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक) + utpalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: 'विकासिनि नयने इव उत्पले यस्याः'

Speaker

Narrative voice (Sage Parāśara recounting the scene to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Description of the gopī’s ecstatic response upon perceiving Krishna’s traces

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: aesthetic, emotive

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Krishna awakens ecstatic devotion in the gopīs, revealing his presence through signs that provoke wonder and rapture.

Leela: Bala

Dharma Restored: Elevation of prema-bhakti as a sanctifying force

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhakti refines perception so that even the earth becomes a revelatory medium of the Lord’s presence.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Practice devotional attentiveness—see sacredness in ordinary places by linking perception to remembrance.

Vishishtadvaita: The world is real and meaningful as Bhagavān’s body/field of manifestation; devotion discovers divine presence within embodied experience.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Vraja (implied)
• Krishna (implied)

FAQs

What is the significance of pulaka (horripilation) in the Vishnu Purana’s Krishna narratives?

Pulaka is an outward sign of intense bhakti-rasa—devotional ecstasy—showing that the gopī’s experience is not merely emotional but a transformative encounter with the Divine presence (Krishna as Vishnu’s manifestation).

How does Sage Parāśara frame the gopīs’ experience in the dialogue with Maitreya?

Parāśara narrates the scene in a descriptive, rasa-rich style, using bodily and visual imagery to communicate the depth of devotion and the irresistible sovereignty of Krishna’s līlā in Vraja.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named directly, Krishna’s presence is implied as the Supreme Reality drawing the devotees; the verse highlights how Vishnu’s grace and līlā awaken spontaneous, embodied devotion in the gopīs.