Shloka 34
Brahmā’s Bewilderment and Kṛṣṇa Becoming the Calves and Cowherd Boys
Brahma-vimohana-līlā
तत: प्रवयसो गोपास्तोकाश्लेषसुनिर्वृता: । कृच्छ्राच्छनैरपगतास्तदनुस्मृत्युदश्रव: ॥ ३४ ॥
tataḥ pravayaso gopās tokāśleṣa-sunirvṛtāḥ kṛcchrāc chanair apagatās tad-anusmṛty-udaśravaḥ
Ensuite, les gopas âgés, comblés de joie en étreignant leurs fils, relâchèrent peu à peu leur étreinte avec peine et à contrecœur, puis retournèrent vers la forêt. Mais dès qu’ils se souvenaient de leurs fils, des larmes se mirent à couler de leurs yeux.
In the beginning the cowherd men were angry that the cows were being attracted by the calves, but when the men came down from the hill, they themselves were attracted by their sons, and therefore the men embraced them. To embrace one’s son and smell his head are symptoms of affection.
FAQs
This verse shows the Vraja elders becoming intensely fulfilled by embracing their sons, yet leaving with difficulty and tears—illustrating how Krishna’s līlā deepens pure, selfless parental devotion.
In the narrative of Canto 10, Chapter 13, Krishna’s arrangement causes extraordinary affection to surge in the gopas’ hearts; thus they depart only slowly, repeatedly remembering the boys and weeping.
Cultivate steady, nurturing devotion—serve and remember Krishna with the same warmth and constancy as caring love, and let remembrance of the Lord soften the heart rather than harden it.