Shloka 42

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

ततो ददृशुर् आयान्तं विकासिमुखपङ्कजम् गोप्यस् त्रैलोक्यगोप्तारं कृष्णम् अक्लिष्टचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

tato dadṛśur āyāntaṃ vikāsimukhapaṅkajam gopyas trailokyagoptāraṃ kṛṣṇam akliṣṭaceṣṭitam

Translation

Then the gopīs beheld Kṛṣṇa coming toward them—his face like a lotus in full bloom—the protector of the three worlds, the Supreme Lord whose deeds are effortless and untroubled.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'ततः' = तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् (ablatival adverb: 'then/thereupon')

• ददृशुः: they saw
• ददृशुः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• आयान्तम्: coming, approaching
• आयान्तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-या (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; 'आयान्तम्' = आगच्छन्तम्

• विकासि-मुख-पङ्कजम्: whose lotus-like face was blossoming
• विकासि-मुख-पङ्कजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकासिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक) + पङ्कज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष; विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः) — 'विकासि' (उपपद-विशेषण) + 'मुखपङ्कज' (मुखं पङ्कजमिव/मुखरूपं पङ्कजम्); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कृष्णम् विशेषयति)

• गोप्यः: the gopīs
• गोप्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• त्रैलोक्य-गोप्तारम्: the protector of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्य-गोप्तारम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गोप्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) — त्रैलोक्यस्य गोप्ता; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृष्णम्: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• अक्लिष्ट-चेष्टितम्: of effortless actions
• अक्लिष्ट-चेष्टितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्लिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + चेष्टित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष; कर्मधारय-सदृश विशेषणसमास) — अक्लिष्टं चेष्टितं यस्य/अक्लिष्टं चेष्टितम्; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (कृष्णम् विशेषयति)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Krishna’s Vraja-līlā and the responses of the gopīs

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To delight and uplift the Vraja-devotees while sustaining the worlds as their hidden protector, thereby restoring and nourishing dharma through divine presence.

Leela: Loka-rakshana

Dharma Restored: Protection of the worlds through the Lord’s sustaining guardianship alongside the sanctification of prema-bhakti in Vraja.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Supreme Lord who protects the three worlds appears in intimate sweetness, showing that transcendence and accessibility coexist in Bhagavān.

Vedantic Theme: Brahman

Application: Hold together reverence and intimacy in devotion—see the Lord as both cosmic protector and personally near in daily remembrance.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān is simultaneously the transcendent ruler of all and the immanent, approachable beloved—unity that preserves real relational distinctions.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna

FAQs

What is the significance of calling Krishna 'trailokyagoptā' in the Vishnu Purana?

It asserts that the seemingly simple cowherd youth is in truth the cosmic guardian—so his Vraja līlā is not ordinary romance or folklore but the Supreme Lord’s self-manifest play.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine action through 'akliṣṭaceṣṭitam'?

By describing Krishna’s deeds as unstrained and effortless, the narration signals a key theological point: the Lord’s sovereignty is innate, not achieved through labor, aligning with the Purāṇic view of Vishnu’s supreme, unconstrained power.

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

The verse blends intimacy and transcendence—Krishna is approachable to devotees (seen by the gopīs) while simultaneously affirmed as the Supreme Protector, a hallmark of Vaishnava theology emphasized in the Vishnu Purana.