Shloka 54

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

गोपीकपोलसंश्लेषम् अभिपद्य हरेर् भुजौ पुलकोद्गमसस्याय स्वेदाम्बुघनतां गतौ

Transliteration

gopīkapolasaṃśleṣam abhipadya harer bhujau pulakodgamasasyāya svedāmbughanatāṃ gatau

Translation

As the gopīs pressed cheek to cheek in embrace, Hari’s arms drew them close; and those divine arms, where rapture rose as gooseflesh, grew heavy with beads of sweat like a cloud laden with water.

Word by Word

• गोपी: gopī
• गोपी: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “gopī”

• कपोल: cheek
• कपोल: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “cheek”

• संश्लेषम्: the pressing/contact of (a gopī’s) cheek
• संश्लेषम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संश्लेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘गोपीकपोलयोः संश्लेषः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; “the contact/pressing of (her) cheek”

• अभिपद्य: having approached
• अभिपद्य: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि+पद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्यय; “having approached/attained”

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; “of Hari”

• भुजौ: (his) two arms
• भुजौ: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्विवचन, प्रथमा/द्वितीया; here as द्वितीया (2nd) with implied verb ‘गतौ/अभूताम्’: “(his) two arms”

• पुलक: gooseflesh
• पुलक: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “horripilation”

• उद्गम: arising
• उद्गम: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “arising, sprouting”

• सस्याय: for (becoming) a crop of rising gooseflesh
• सस्याय: सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; ‘पुलकोद्गमः सस्यं यस्य’ इति रूपक-तत्पुरुषभावः; Dative of purpose: “for (becoming like) a crop of rising gooseflesh”

• स्वेद: sweat
• स्वेद: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “sweat”

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: सम्बन्ध (Relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound-member); “water”

• घनताम्: thickening into sweat-water
• घनताम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घनता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘स्वेदाम्बुनोः घनता’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; “density/thickness of sweat-water”

• गतौ: became (attained)
• गतौ: क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle) ‘गत’ used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; agreeing with ‘भुजौ’: “(the two arms) became/were gone to”

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Signs of ecstatic devotion (pulaka, sveda) in divine-human līlā

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: revealing

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To reciprocate with the gopīs’ prema and reveal divine embodiment that participates in līlā while remaining supremely sacred.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Sanctification of divine intimacy; affirmation that Bhagavān’s body is divya and responsive in love

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ecstatic transformations (pulaka, sveda) signify the intensification of God-centered love and the Lord’s responsive closeness.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Value inner transformation over display; let devotion mature into steady, humble absorption rather than mere emotion-seeking.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s divya-vigraha engages relationally with devotees, supporting the doctrine that Brahman is personal and approachable while remaining the supreme reality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Sri Krishna/Vishnu)
• Gopis (cowherd maidens of Vraja)

FAQs

What is the significance of pulaka (gooseflesh) and sveda (sweat) in this Vishnu Purana verse?

They are classical markers of devotional ecstasy, showing how proximity to Hari produces overwhelming bliss that manifests even in the body.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine love in the Krishna narrative here?

Through poetic, sensory imagery—cheek-to-cheek embrace and the ‘harvest’ of rapture—Parāśara depicts bhakti as a direct, transformative encounter with the Supreme.

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

Hari is presented as the supreme Lord who freely reveals himself in lila; the intimacy underscores his grace and the soul’s consummation through loving devotion.