Shloka 58
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
एता: परं तनुभृतो भुवि गोपवध्वो गोविन्द एव निखिलात्मनि रूढभावा: । वाञ्छन्ति यद् भवभियो मुनयो वयं च किं ब्रह्मजन्मभिरनन्तकथारसस्य ॥ ५८ ॥
etāḥ paraṁ tanu-bhṛto bhuvi gopa-vadhvo govinda eva nikhilātmani rūḍha-bhāvāḥ vāñchanti yad bhava-bhiyo munayo vayaṁ ca kiṁ brahma-janmabhir ananta-kathā-rasasya
【ウッダヴァは歌った】地上のあらゆる有身の者の中で、この牧女たちこそ最上の成就者である。万有のアートマンたるゴーヴィンダに、彼女たちの混じりけなき一途の愛が深く根づいたからだ。輪廻を恐れる賢者たちも、そして私たちも渇望するその愛——無限なる主の物語の甘露を味わった者にとって、高貴なバラモンとしての誕生、ましてや梵天としての誕生に何の用があろうか。
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that here the term brahma-janmabhiḥ, “brahminical births,” refers to the threefold birth by (1) seminal parenthood, (2) sacred-thread initiation and (3) sacrificial initiation. These cannot compare to pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
It declares the gopīs the greatest among embodied beings because their love is firmly rooted in Govinda, the indwelling Self of all.
After witnessing their unmatched separation-love and single-minded absorption in Kṛṣṇa, Uddhava acknowledges that even sages seek the devotion the gopīs naturally possess.
It teaches that real spiritual success is measured by sincere attachment to God and taste for divine hearing (Kṛṣṇa-kathā), not by status, background, or external credentials.