Shloka 40
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
कच्चिद् गदाग्रज: सौम्य करोति पुरयोषिताम् । प्रीतिं न: स्निग्धसव्रीडहासोदारेक्षणार्चित: ॥ ४० ॥
kaccid gadāgrajaḥ saumya karoti pura-yoṣitām prītiṁ naḥ snigdha-savrīḍa- hāsodārekṣaṇārcitaḥ
Wahai Uddhava yang lemah lembut, adakah abang kepada Gada (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) kini mengurniakan para wanita kota kenikmatan yang sebenarnya milik kami? Mereka tentu memuja-Nya dengan pandangan yang lapang, disertai senyuman malu yang penuh kasih.
The name Gadāgraja indicates Kṛṣṇa, the elder brother ( agraja ) of Gada, the first son of Devarakṣitā. She was a sister of Devakī’s who was also married to Vasudeva. The gopīs, by addressing Kṛṣṇa in this way, indicate that He now thinks of Himself mostly as the son of Devakī, the implication being that His connection with Vṛndāvana has now slackened. Because of intense love, the gopīs could not stop thinking of Kṛṣṇa for a moment.
FAQs
Gadāgraja means “the elder brother of Gadā” and is used here as an epithet for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, identifying Him through His relation to the Yādava prince Gadā.
In separation, the gopīs compare their own love with Kṛṣṇa’s present life in Dvārakā, asking Uddhava whether Kṛṣṇa now bestows the same loving attention upon the city women that He once gave in Vraja.
It teaches concentrated remembrance: even in absence or distance, a devotee turns longing into steady bhakti—keeping the heart fixed on Kṛṣṇa through sincere inquiry, reflection, and loving meditation.