Shloka 58

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

ता वार्यमाणाः पतिभिः पितृभिर् भ्रातृभिस् तथा कृष्णं गोपाङ्गना रात्रौ रमयन्ति रतिप्रियाः

Transliteration

tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ pitṛbhir bhrātṛbhis tathā kṛṣṇaṃ gopāṅganā rātrau ramayanti ratipriyāḥ

Translation

Though restrained by husbands, fathers, and brothers, the cowherd women—delighting in love—went by night to sport with Krishna, irresistibly drawn to the supreme Beloved of the heart.

Word by Word

• ताः: they (those women)
• ताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वार्यमाणाः: being restrained
• वार्यमाणाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारय् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present passive participle/शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (being restrained/forbidden)

• पतिभिः: by (their) husbands
• पतिभिः: Karana/Agent-in-passive (करण/कर्तृ-भावः कर्मणि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पितृभिः: by fathers
• पितृभिः: Karana/Agent-in-passive (करण/कर्तृ-भावः कर्मणि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भ्रातृभिः: by brothers
• भ्रातृभिः: Karana/Agent-in-passive (करण/कर्तृ-भावः कर्मणि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रम-वाचक (also/likewise)

• कृष्णम्: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• गोपाङ्गनाः: the cowherd women
• गोपाङ्गनाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप + अङ्गना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः (गोपानां अङ्गनाः = cowherd-women)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• रमयन्ति: they delight
• रमयन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: make enjoy/delight)

• रतिप्रियाः: fond of love
• रतिप्रियाः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रति + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रतेः प्रियाः = fond of love/pleasure)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: To attract all hearts to Himself as the supreme beloved and thereby awaken saving devotion beyond worldly constraints.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Paramabhakti that reorders priorities so the Lord becomes the highest relation (bandhu) and goal (puruṣārtha).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When the Lord is realized as the heart’s supreme beloved, lesser bindings lose their compelling force.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Practice interior recollection and ethical discernment so that love of God guides choices without mere impulsiveness; align duties with devotion where possible.

Vishishtadvaita: Bhagavān is the true inner ruler of the heart; worldly relations are subordinate modes within His order, not ultimate owners of the self.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Antaryamin: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Gopis (Gopāṅganāḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of the gopīs going at night to Krishna in the Vishnu Purana?

It highlights the overpowering pull of bhakti toward the Supreme Person, portraying Krishna as the ultimate beloved who draws devotees beyond ordinary worldly constraints.

How does Sage Parāśara frame the tension between social duty and devotion here?

By explicitly mentioning husbands, fathers, and brothers as restrainers, Parāśara underscores a narrative contrast: external social bonds versus the inner compulsion of devotion to Bhagavan.

What is the theological importance of Krishna in this context?

Krishna appears as Bhagavan—the supreme locus of attraction and joy—so the gopīs’ love functions as a devotional paradigm directed to Vishnu’s personal, sovereign reality.