Shloka 52
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
हे नाथ हे रमानाथ व्रजनाथार्तिनाशन । मग्नमुद्धर गोविन्द गोकुलं वृजिनार्णवात् ॥ ५२ ॥
he nātha he ramā-nātha vraja-nāthārti-nāśana magnam uddhara govinda gokulaṁ vṛjinārṇavāt
ഹേ നാഥാ, ഹേ രമാനാഥാ, ഹേ വ്രജനാഥാ, ഹേ ആർതിനാശക ഗോവിന്ദാ! ദുഃഖസമുദ്രത്തിൽ മുങ്ങുന്ന ഗോകുലത്തെ ഉയർത്തി രക്ഷിക്കണമേ।
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī presents the following insight into this scene: Someone might propose to the gopīs, “Why don’t you just go somewhere else? Leave Vṛndāvana, and then you won’t have to see these rivers, mountains and forests. Cover your eyes with your garments, use your intelligence to lead your minds to some other thought, and thus forget Kṛṣṇa.” The gopīs answer this suggestion in the previous verse by stating, “We no longer possess our intelligence, for Kṛṣṇa has taken it away by His supreme beauty and charm.”
FAQs
It is the gopīs’ plea to Kṛṣṇa: “Govinda, rescue Gokula, which is drowning in an ocean of misfortune,” expressing total dependence on Him as the only protector.
Because in their lived experience Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of Vraja who repeatedly removes the residents’ suffering; in separation, they invoke those names to beg Him to relieve their present anguish.
It models śaraṇāgati: when overwhelmed, a devotee turns to God with humility and direct prayer, trusting Him as the ultimate rescuer from inner “oceans” of anxiety, grief, and confusion.