Shloka 14
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
किमिह बहु षडङ्घ्रे गायसि त्वं यदूना- मधिपतिमगृहाणामग्रतो न: पुराणम् । विजयसखसखीनां गीयतां तत्प्रसङ्ग: क्षपितकुचरुजस्ते कल्पयन्तीष्टमिष्टा: ॥ १४ ॥
kim iha bahu ṣaḍ-aṅghre gāyasi tvaṁ yadūnām adhipatim agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ purāṇam vijaya-sakha-sakhīnāṁ gīyatāṁ tat-prasaṅgaḥ kṣapita-kuca-rujas te kalpayantīṣṭam iṣṭāḥ
Wahai lebah, mengapa engkau begitu banyak menyanyikan tentang Tuhan kaum Yadu di hadapan kami yang tidak berumah? Kisah itu sudah lama bagi kami. Lebih baik engkau menyanyikan tentang Sahabat Arjuna, Sri Krishna, di hadapan kekasih-kekasih baharunya, yang panas rindu di dada mereka telah Baginda redakan; mereka pasti akan mengurniakan sedekah yang engkau pinta.
With the words agṛhāṇām agrato naḥ, Rādhārāṇī laments that even though She and the other gopīs gave up their homes to love Kṛṣṇa in a conjugal relationship, the Lord left them and became a prince in the great royal city of the Yadus. Besides meaning “Arjuna, the victor,” the word vijaya also directly indicates Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always victorious in His endeavors, and besides meaning “old (news),” the word purāṇam also indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is glorified in the ancient Vedic scriptures of that name.
FAQs
In the Bhramara-gīta (10.47), the gopīs address a bee as a messenger-like symbol and pour out their intense love-in-separation; this verse shows how hearing Kṛṣṇa’s praises can both nourish devotion and painfully intensify longing.
Because in separation their hearts are already burning; Kṛṣṇa-kathā is their life, yet it also inflames the ache of absence—so they say such songs should be sung elsewhere, while for them it becomes unbearable longing.
It teaches that genuine bhakti is deeply heartfelt: hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa should move us beyond routine, awakening real longing and remembrance—while we learn to transform pain and attachment into focused devotion.