Shloka 6
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
अन्येष्वर्थकृता मैत्री यावदर्थविडम्बनम् । पुम्भि: स्त्रीषु कृता यद्वत् सुमन:स्विव षट्पदै: ॥ ६ ॥
anyeṣv artha-kṛtā maitrī yāvad-artha-viḍambanam pumbhiḥ strīṣu kṛtā yadvat sumanaḥsv iva ṣaṭpadaiḥ
ബന്ധുക്കളല്ലാത്തവരോടുള്ള സൗഹൃദം സ്വാർത്ഥലാഭം കൊണ്ടുള്ളതാണ്; ലക്ഷ്യം പൂർത്തിയാകുന്നതുവരെ മാത്രമേ അത് നടിപ്പായി നിലനിൽക്കൂ. അത് പുരുഷന്മാർ സ്ത്രീകളോടുള്ള ആസക്തിപോലെയും, തേൻചീറ്റകൾ പൂക്കളോടുള്ള ആകർഷണപോലെയും ആണ്.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains here that attractive women, like flowers, possess beauty, fragrance, tenderness, charm and so on. And as bees drink only once of a flower’s nectar and then leave it for another, fickle men abandon beautiful and devoted women to pursue other pleasures. This tendency is condemned here by the gopīs, who gave their hearts completely to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs wanted only to exhibit their charms for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, and in the pain of separation they questioned the motives of His friendship with them.
FAQs
In 10.47.6, the gopīs explain that worldly friendship is often based on personal benefit and lasts only while that benefit remains—like a bee staying with a flower only for its nectar.
In separation from Kṛṣṇa, their intense love (prema) makes them interpret His departure through the lens of worldly patterns, contrasting selfless divine love with self-interested relationships.
It encourages discerning relationships: reduce transactional bonds, cultivate sincerity, and anchor love and loyalty in devotion and character rather than in convenience or gain.