Shloka 51

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

कृष्णः शरच्चन्द्रमसं कौमुदीं कुमुदाकरम् जगौ गोपीजनस् त्व् एकं कृष्णनाम पुनः पुनः

Transliteration

kṛṣṇaḥ śaraccandramasaṃ kaumudīṃ kumudākaram jagau gopījanas tv ekaṃ kṛṣṇanāma punaḥ punaḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa sang of the autumn moon, the moonlit radiance, and the lotus-lake that opens to that light; yet the gopīs had but one song—repeating the name “Kṛṣṇa” again and again.

Word by Word

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शरच्चन्द्रमसम्: the autumn moon
• शरच्चन्द्रमसम्: Karma (object of singing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरत् (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्रमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (शरदः चन्द्रमसम्)

• कौमुदीम्: moonlight, the autumnal brightness
• कौमुदीम्: Karma (object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौमुदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कुमुदाकरम्: the source of lotuses (moon)
• कुमुदाकरम्: Karma (object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमुद (प्रातिपदिक) + आकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कुमुदानाम् आकरम्)

• जगौ: sang, praised
• जगौ: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• गोपीजनः: the group of gopīs
• गोपीजनः: Karta (subject of implied verb)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (गोपीनां जनः)

• तु: but
• तु: Nipāta (contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थ (but, however)

• एकम्: one (single)
• एकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (of कृष्णनाम)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with कृष्णनाम)

• कृष्णनाम: the name 'Krishna'
• कृष्णनाम: Karma (object of implied 'jagau'/uttered)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कृष्णस्य नाम)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्ति (again)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्ति (again)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To reveal that all poetic beauty culminates in His name, as the gopīs transform song into continuous nāma-kīrtana.

Leela: Dharma-upadesa

Dharma Restored: Nāma-saṅkīrtana as the heart of devotion, surpassing even refined poetic themes.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even when the Lord sings of nature’s beauty, devotees’ hearts return to the divine Name alone, making nāma the supreme object of remembrance.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Practice steady nāma-japa/saṅkīrtana—let all experiences (beauty, art, nature) redirect the mind back to the Lord’s Name.

Vishishtadvaita: The Name is not mere symbol; it is a real, gracious mode of the Lord’s presence accessible to embodied souls.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna

FAQs

What is the significance of repeating Krishna’s name in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse portrays nāma (the Lord’s name) as the Gopīs’ sole refuge and delight—devotion so exclusive that even Krishna’s own songs about nature are answered only with his name.

How does Sage Parāśara explain ananya-bhakti (single-minded devotion) here?

By contrasting Krishna’s varied song (moon, moonlight, lotuses) with the Gopīs’ single refrain—“Krishna, Krishna”—Parāśara depicts devotion that admits no second object of attention.

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

Krishna is presented as the Supreme to whom the heart naturally returns; the Gopīs’ repeated utterance of his name underscores the Purāṇic ideal that the Lord alone is the ultimate reality and consummate joy.