Shloka 52

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

परिवर्तश्रमेणैका चलद्वलयलापिनी ददौ बाहुलतां स्कन्धे गोपी मधुनिघातिनः

Transliteration

parivartaśrameṇaikā caladvalayalāpinī dadau bāhulatāṃ skandhe gopī madhunighātinaḥ

Translation

Worn by the ceaseless circling of the dance, one gopī—her bangles chiming as they swayed—rested the weight of her arm upon the shoulder of Madhusūdana, slayer of Madhu, seeking support in Him.

Word by Word

• परिवर्तश्रमेण: by the fatigue of turning about
• परिवर्तश्रमेण: करण (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवर्त-श्रम (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘परिवर्तस्य श्रमः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; Instrumental: “by/with the fatigue of turning/whirling”

• एका: one (gopī)
• एका: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Pronoun-like numeral used substantively: “one (gopī)”

• चलत्: moving, jingling
• चलत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चल् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/अव्ययवत् पूर्वपद; “moving, shaking” (used as first member in compound)

• वलय: bangles
• वलय: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “bangle/bracelet”

• लापिनी: speaking with jingling bangles
• लापिनी: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘चलद्वलयैः लापिनी’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः; “one who speaks/sounds with jingling bangles”

• ददौ: gave/placed
• ददौ: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; “gave/placed”

• बाहुलताम्: an arm-embrace
• बाहुलताम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहुलता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; “arm-encircling/embrace (with the arm)”

• स्कन्धे: on the shoulder
• स्कन्धे: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; Locative: “on/at the shoulder”

• गोपी: the gopī
• गोपी: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; “cowherd girl”

• मधुनिघातिनः: of the slayer of Madhu (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• मधुनिघातिनः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु-निघातिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘मधोः निघातिन्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; Genitive: “of the slayer of Madhu”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja-līlā and its devotional meaning

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To delight and liberate the Vraja-gopīs through rāsa-līlā while upholding dharma by subduing demonic forces.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Bhakti-dharma as the highest refuge and the sanctification of embodied love into God-centered devotion

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even in the exhaustion of embodied experience, the devotee finds immediate support by resting in Hari, the sole ground of ānanda.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let fatigue, emotion, and limitation become occasions to lean inwardly on the divine presence through remembrance and surrender.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is personally accessible in līlā while remaining the sustaining support (ādhāra) of all beings, enabling intimate dependence without loss of transcendence.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Madhusudana (Vishnu as Krishna)

FAQs

What is the significance of the gopī leaning on Krishna’s shoulder in the Vishnu Purana?

It poetically shows the devotee’s dependence on the Lord: after exertion, the soul finds rest and support in Krishna, who is also Madhusūdana—the supreme protector.

How does Sage Parāśara present Krishna’s divine status in this scene?

By naming Him “Madhunighātin/Madhusūdana,” Parāśara ties the intimate pastoral lila to Vishnu’s cosmic identity as the demon-slayer and sovereign Lord.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even within playful lila, Vishnu as Krishna remains the ultimate refuge and sustaining reality, highlighting a bhakti-centered vision compatible with Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita emphases on divine grace and lordship.