Shloka 12
Veṇu-gīta-āhvāna and the Gopīs’ Appeal: The Opening of Rāsa-līlā
श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच कृष्णं विदु: परं कान्तं न तु ब्रह्मतया मुने । गुणप्रवाहोपरमस्तासां गुणधियां कथम् ॥ १२ ॥
śrī-parīkṣid uvāca kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ paraṁ kāntaṁ na tu brahmatayā mune guṇa-pravāhoparamas tāsāṁ guṇa-dhiyāṁ katham
Śrī Parīkṣit berkata: Wahai resi, para gopī mengenal Kṛṣṇa hanya sebagai kekasih tertinggi, bukan sebagai Brahman, Kebenaran Mutlak. Maka bagaimana fikiran mereka yang dihanyutkan arus guṇa dapat bebas daripada keterikatan duniawi?
King Parīkṣit was sitting in an assembly of great sages and other important personalities, listening to the words of Śukadeva Gosvāmī. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, as Śukadeva began speaking of the gopīs’ conjugal love for Kṛṣṇa, the King noticed the expressions on the faces of some of the more materialistic persons present there and realized the doubt lurking in their hearts. Therefore, although the King thoroughly knew the purport of Śukadeva’s words, he presented himself as experiencing personal doubt so that he could eradicate the doubt of others. That is why he asked this question.
FAQs
This verse states that the gopīs related to Kṛṣṇa primarily as their supreme beloved, not through an impersonal Brahman conception, raising the question of how such devotion reaches the transcendent Lord.
Hearing about Kṛṣṇa calling the gopīs by the flute and their intense love, Parīkṣit seeks to understand the spiritual principle: how Kṛṣṇa, beyond the guṇas, is attained by those appearing to act within worldly emotions.
Approach God through sincere loving devotion rather than only abstract theory—pure, focused bhakti can elevate consciousness beyond material conditioning.