Shloka 41
कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्
अत्रावतीर्णयोः कृष्ण गोपा एव हि बान्धवाः गोप्यश् च सीदतः कस्मात् त्वं बन्धून् समुपेक्षसे
atrāvatīrṇayoḥ kṛṣṇa gopā eva hi bāndhavāḥ gopyaś ca sīdataḥ kasmāt tvaṃ bandhūn samupekṣase
O Krishna—having descended here, the cowherds are truly Your kin, and the cowherd-women too. When they are sinking in distress, why do You disregard Your own relatives and abandon them to suffering?
The cowherds/cowherd community of Vraja (Gopas), addressing Sri Krishna (as narrated by Sage Parashara to Maitreya).
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He remains among the cowherds to reciprocate with their intimate devotion and protect them when threatened.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of devotees (bhakta-rakṣaṇa) and honoring relational dharma toward His Vraja community
Concept: In Vraja-bhakti, the Lord accepts the cowherds as His true ‘kin,’ making devotees’ distress a direct claim upon divine compassion.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Practice śaraṇāgati: bring grief and longing honestly to God in prayer, trusting reciprocal care.
Vishishtadvaita: Reciprocity (śeṣa-śeṣi-bhāva): the Lord freely binds Himself by love to His devotees, affirming personal relationship within non-dual dependence.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Vatsalya
FAQs
This verse frames devotion as a sacred relationship: Krishna’s avatara is not distant sovereignty alone, but intimate guardianship—so the Vraja devotees claim Him as family and appeal to His duty of protection.
In the Krishna narrative, Parashara presents Vraja-bhakti as direct and relational: the devotees speak from lived dependence, and their lament becomes a devotional argument that the Lord must respond to those who surrender to Him.
Krishna is implied as the Supreme Lord who voluntarily accepts human-like bonds; His supremacy is shown not only in power but in bhakta-vatsalya—His commitment to rescue and sustain those who take refuge in Him.