Gopī-gīta: The Song of the Gopīs in Separation
Viraha-bhakti
पतिसुतान्वयभ्रातृबान्धवा- नतिविलङ्घ्य तेऽन्त्यच्युतागता: । गतिविदस्तवोद्गीतमोहिता: कितव योषित: कस्त्यजेन्निशि ॥ १६ ॥
pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān ativilaṅghya te ’nty acyutāgatāḥ gati-vidas tavodgīta-mohitāḥ kitava yoṣitaḥ kas tyajen niśi
アチュタよ、私たちがなぜ来たか、あなたはよくご存じです。あなたの笛の高らかな歌に惑わされ、夫や子や祖先、兄弟や親族をも越えてここへ来ました。真夜中に会いに来た若い女たちを捨てるなど、あなたのような“ずるいお方”以外に誰ができましょう。
This verse shows the gopīs declaring that Kṛṣṇa’s divine call overrides even the strongest worldly ties—husband, children, and relatives—revealing the Bhagavata ideal of single-pointed love for Bhagavān.
In intimate devotion, the gopīs speak with loving reproach: His enchanting song draws them irresistibly, and His seeming absence feels like playful “deception,” intensifying their longing (viraha-bhakti).
It points to inner priority: keep duties outwardly, but let the heart be captivated by remembrance of Kṛṣṇa—through nāma-japa, kīrtana, and hearing—so devotion becomes the guiding center of life.