Shloka 8
खगा वीतफलं वृक्षं भुक्त्वा चातिथयो गृहम् । दग्धं मृगास्तथारण्यं जारा भुक्त्वा रतां स्त्रियम् ॥ ८ ॥
khagā vīta-phalaṁ vṛkṣaṁ bhuktvā cātithayo gṛham dagdhaṁ mṛgās tathāraṇyaṁ jārā bhuktvā ratāṁ striyam
Burung meninggalkan pohon ketika buahnya habis, tamu meninggalkan rumah setelah makan, binatang meninggalkan hutan yang terbakar, dan seorang kekasih meninggalkan wanita yang telah dinikmatinya, meski ia masih terikat padanya.
FAQs
The gopīs express the pain of separation by giving examples of how others take enjoyment and then leave—birds and trees, guests and homes, animals and forests, and a lover and a woman—implying that Kṛṣṇa, after enchanting them with His love, has departed from Vraja.
Overwhelmed by viraha (separation), the gopīs’ love becomes intense and paradoxical: their apparent criticism is actually an expression of exclusive devotion and helpless longing, voiced before Uddhava who has brought Kṛṣṇa’s message.
The verse teaches single-pointed remembrance: even in absence or difficulty, keep the heart fixed on Kṛṣṇa, transforming pain into prayer, sincerity, and deeper dependence on divine grace.