Shloka 19
Hari’s Boon to Muchukunda, Security of the Yādus, and Balarāma’s Consolation in Vraja
Viraha-Bhakti
आमन्त्रितः स कृष्णेति पुनर् दामोदरेति च रुरुदुः सस्वरं गोप्यो हरिणा हृतचेतसः
āmantritaḥ sa kṛṣṇeti punar dāmodareti ca ruruduḥ sasvaraṃ gopyo hariṇā hṛtacetasaḥ
Again and again they called, “Kṛṣṇa!” and once more, “Dāmodara!”—and the gopīs, their hearts stolen by Hari, wept aloud in a single, unrestrained cry.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To captivate hearts and grant liberation through loving remembrance, even when physically absent.
Leela: Moksha-dana
Dharma Restored: Bhakti as salvific remembrance (nāma-smaraṇa) that sustains devotees in separation.
Concept: Calling the Lord’s names in intense longing reveals him as ‘Hari’—the one who steals the mind away from all else toward himself.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Practice nāma-japa/kīrtana especially in grief; let the holy name redirect attention from despair to surrendered remembrance.
Vishishtadvaita: Liberation is relational and grace-filled: the Lord draws the jīva’s mind (citta-haraṇa) toward himself through nāma and līlā.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Madhurya
FAQs
It portrays viraha-bhakti: separation intensifies devotion, and the Lord’s names become the direct refuge when His form is not present.
He depicts Hari as the one who ‘steals the mind’—devotion is not merely emotion but the Lord’s sovereign pull that reorients consciousness toward Him.
“Hari” signals Krishna’s identity with Vishnu as the Supreme Lord—He is not only a pastoral beloved but the ultimate Reality who draws all hearts to Himself.