Shloka 30
Akrūra’s Mission: The Departure from Vraja and the Yamunā Vision of Viṣṇu-Ananta
योऽह्न: क्षये व्रजमनन्तसख: परीतो गोपैर्विशन् खुररजश्छुरितालकस्रक् । वेणुं क्वणन् स्मितकटाक्षनिरीक्षणेन चित्तं क्षिणोत्यमुमृते नु कथं भवेम ॥ ३० ॥
yo ’hnaḥ kṣaye vrajam ananta-sakhaḥ parīto gopair viśan khura-rajaś-churitālaka-srak veṇuṁ kvaṇan smita-katākṣa-nirīkṣaṇena cittaṁ kṣiṇoty amum ṛte nu kathaṁ bhavema
Comment pourrions-nous vivre sans Kṛṣṇa, l’ami d’Ananta, qui, au déclin du jour, rentrait à Vraja entouré des pâtres, les cheveux et la guirlande poudrés par la poussière soulevée par les sabots des vaches ? En faisant résonner sa flûte, il captivait notre esprit par ses regards de côté, tout souriants.
FAQs
This verse shows that the gopīs experience such intense loving separation that simply remembering Krishna’s evening return to Vraja—His flute and smiling sidelong glances—overwhelms their minds, and they feel they cannot live without Him.
Uddhava came from Mathurā with Krishna’s message; in response, the gopīs expressed the depth of their prema, describing how Krishna’s daily Vraja pastimes captivate them and how unbearable life feels in His absence.
Cultivate steady remembrance (smaraṇa) of Krishna—through kīrtana, japa, and reflecting on His līlās—so the mind naturally turns from anxiety and distraction toward devotional absorption.