Shloka 41

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

निवृत्तास् तास् ततो गोप्यो निराशाः कृष्णदर्शने यमुनातीरम् आगम्य जगुस् तच्चरितं तदा

Transliteration

nivṛttās tās tato gopyo nirāśāḥ kṛṣṇadarśane yamunātīram āgamya jagus taccaritaṃ tadā

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ആ ഗോപികമാർ, കൃഷ്ണദർശനത്തിലെ പ്രത്യാശ നശിച്ചതിനാൽ, മടങ്ങി. യമുനാതീരത്തെത്തി, അതേ നിമിഷം അവന്റെ ലീലാചരിതം പാടി—സ്മരണ തന്നെയായി ദർശനം.

Word by Word

• निवृत्ताः: returned
• निवृत्ताः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि√वृत् (धातु) → निवृत्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — past passive participle; predicate of gopyaḥ

• ताः: those (women)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — pronoun

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb (thereupon/from there)

• गोप्यः: the cowherd women
• गोप्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — nominative plural

• निराशाः: hopeless, disappointed
• निराशाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — adjective to gopyaḥ

• कृष्ण: of Krishna
• कृष्ण: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — in compound relation

• दर्शने: in (the matter of) seeing
• दर्शने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• यमुना: of Yamunā
• यमुना: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — in compound relation

• तीरम्: bank/shore
• तीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• आगम्य: having come
• आगम्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ√गम् (धातु) → आगम्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभाव (gerund) — having come

• जगुः: sang
• जगुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गै (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन — they sang

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — demonstrative used adjectivally to caritam

• चरितम्: deed, story, conduct
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb of time

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the gopīs respond to separation—turning to song at the Yamunā bank.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Avatara Context

Avatara: Krishna

Purpose: Kṛṣṇa draws the gopīs from frustrated seeking into kīrtana, making remembrance itself the mode of encounter.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Kīrtana/smaraṇa as sustaining dharma in separation; devotion transforms loss into worship.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: When direct vision fails, bhakti converts separation into presence through singing and remembrance of the Lord’s līlā.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Use kīrtana, stotra-recitation, and narrative remembrance as steady supports during spiritual dryness or absence of ‘felt’ presence.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord is personally accessible through loving remembrance; relationship (sambandha) is real and persists beyond sensory contact.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Krishna

Bhakti Type: Madhurya

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Yamuna

FAQs

What is the significance of the Gopis singing Krishna’s deeds on the Yamuna bank in the Vishnu Purana?

It shows that when direct darśana is denied, devotion transforms into kīrtana and smaraṇa—remembering and singing Krishna becomes a living encounter with him.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the devotees’ experience of separation (viraha) here?

Parāśara frames their disappointment not as mere loss but as a narrative turn: separation intensifies love, and that intensified love expresses itself as song recounting Krishna’s līlā.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Krishna) in this context?

Krishna’s apparent absence highlights divine sovereignty: the Supreme draws the heart beyond sensory contact into steadfast bhakti, where remembrance and praise become a path to communion.