Shloka 48

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

रासमण्डलबन्धो ऽपि कृष्णपार्श्वम् अनुज्झता गोपीजनेन नैवाभूद् एकस्थानस्थिरात्मना

Transliteration

rāsamaṇḍalabandho 'pi kṛṣṇapārśvam anujjhatā gopījanena naivābhūd ekasthānasthirātmanā

Translation

Even the rāsa-circle could not truly be formed, for the gopīs—minds fixed in one place—would not leave Kṛṣṇa’s side.

Word by Word

• रासमण्डलबन्धः: the rāsa-circle formation/bond
• रासमण्डलबन्धः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रास (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (रासस्य मण्डलस्य बन्धः)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Nipāta (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थ (also, even)

• कृष्णपार्श्वम्: Krishna's side
• कृष्णपार्श्वम्: Karma (object/goal of leaving)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कृष्णस्य पार्श्वम्)

• अनुज्झता: without abandoning
• अनुज्झता: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Hetu (manner/cause)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु + हा (धातु) → ज्हा/हात्यर्थ; (कृदन्त) अनुज्झत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त/शतृ)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), नपुंसक/पुं-स्त्रीसामान्य-प्रयोग; विशेषण (agreeing with एकस्थानस्थिरात्मना) अर्थः: 'not abandoning'

• गोपीजनेन: by the group of gopīs
• गोपीजनेन: Karta (agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; (गोपीनां जनः)

• न: not
• न: Nipāta (negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• एव: indeed, at all
• एव: Nipāta (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/just)

• अभूत्: became, occurred
• अभूत्: Kriyā (मुख्य क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकस्थानस्थिरात्मना: with mind fixed in one place
• एकस्थानस्थिरात्मना: Sahakāraka/Hetu (instrumental of manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; (एकस्थाने स्थिरः आत्मा यस्य/येन) — here instrumental of 'one whose mind is fixed in one place'

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To draw the gopīs into single-pointed absorption (ekāgratā) where all movement culminates at His side.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Exclusive devotion (ananya-bhakti) as the inner law of the rāsa.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When the mind is fixed on Bhagavān alone, even ritual or aesthetic form (the maṇḍala) becomes secondary to proximity to Him.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In practice, prioritize steady remembrance (smaraṇa) over external perfectionism in worship or discipline.

Vishishtadvaita: Ananya-bhakti expresses the soul’s dependence (śeṣatva) on the Lord as its natural center.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Gopis (Gopī-jana)

FAQs

What is the significance of the rāsa-maṇḍala (circle-dance) in the Vishnu Purana?

Here it highlights the gopīs’ total absorption: the ritualized formation of the dance-circle is secondary to their inability to leave Krishna’s immediate presence.

How does Sage Parāśara explain single-pointed devotion (ekāgratā) in this passage?

By describing the gopīs as ekasthānasthirātmanā—so fixed in one focus (Krishna) that even the coordinated rāsa formation cannot proceed as intended.

What is the theological importance of Krishna/Vishnu in this context?

Krishna is portrayed as the supreme attractor and the ultimate locus of consciousness, drawing devotees so completely that all other actions become subordinate to proximity to the Lord.