Shloka 8

Gopī-Vipralambha: The Search for Kṛṣṇa and the Revelation of Divine Footprints

Devanagari script

मालत्यदर्शि व: कच्चिन्मल्लिके जाति यूथिके । प्रीतिं वो जनयन् यात: करस्पर्शेन माधव: ॥ ८ ॥

Transliteration

mālaty adarśi vaḥ kaccin mallike jāti-yūthike prītiṁ vo janayan yātaḥ kara-sparśena mādhavaḥ

Translation

ഹേ മാലതി, ഹേ മല്ലിക, ഹേ ജാതി, ഹേ യൂഥിക! മാധവനെ നിങ്ങൾ കണ്ടോ? തന്റെ കൈസ്പർശം കൊണ്ട് നിങ്ങളിൽ പ്രീതി ഉണർത്തി അവൻ ഇതുവഴി പോയോ?

Synonyms

• mālati: O Mālatī (jasmine)
• mālati: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• adarśi: was seen
• adarśi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/लुङ्), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘was seen/appeared’ (passive sense possible)

• vaḥ: by you / for you
• vaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन; ‘by you/for you’

• kaccit: whether?
• kaccit: Prashna-nipata (प्रश्न-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kaccit (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक निपात

• mallike: O Mallikā
• mallike: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mallikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• jāti-yūthike: O Jāti and Yūthikā
• jāti-yūthike: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक) + yūthikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (jāti + yūthikā as paired flowers); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, द्विवचन/एकवचन-रूपे पाठभेदः; अत्र रूपम् ‘-e’ अनुसारं सम्बोधन एकवचन (Voc. sg.)

• prītim: love/affection
• prītim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vo: your / for you
• vo: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी बहुवचन

• janayan: producing
• janayan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) → janayat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘producing’ (agreeing with mādhavaḥ)

• yātaḥ: has gone
• yātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु) → yāta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘gone/has gone’

• kara-sparśena: by the touch of (his) hand
• kara-sparśena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘करेण स्पर्शः’/‘करस्य स्पर्शः’; पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• mādhavaḥ: Mādhava (Krishna)
• mādhavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mādhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Purport

When even tulasī herself did not answer the gopīs, they approached the fragrant jasmine flowers. The gopīs, seeing the jasmine vines humbly bowing down, assumed that these plants must have seen Lord Kṛṣṇa and were therefore showing humility in their ecstasy.

Characters & Entities

• Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the gopīs searching for Kṛṣṇa?

This verse shows the gopīs’ intense viraha-bhakti: in separation they even question the forest flowers, asking if Kṛṣṇa has passed and touched them, revealing single-minded love for Him.

Why do the gopīs speak to flowers like mālatī and mallikā in Canto 10?

Overwhelmed by separation, they see all of Vṛndāvana as connected to Kṛṣṇa and inquire from plants as intimate witnesses of His movements and pastimes.

Practical application of viraha-bhakti in modern life?

Channel longing into remembrance: increase attentive japa, kīrtana, and hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathā, turning emotional intensity into steady devotion rather than distraction.