Shloka 42
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
अपि स्मरति न: साधो गोविन्द: प्रस्तुते क्वचित् । गोष्ठिमध्ये पुरस्त्रीणां ग्राम्या: स्वैरकथान्तरे ॥ ४२ ॥
api smarati naḥ sādho govindaḥ prastute kvacit goṣṭhi-madhye pura-strīṇām grāmyāḥ svaira-kathāntare
Wahai orang suci, adakah Govinda pernah mengingati kami ketika Baginda berbual dengan wanita kota? Di tengah perbualan bebas dengan mereka, adakah Baginda pernah menyebut kami, gadis-gadis desa?
The gopīs were so completely in love with Kṛṣṇa, without selfish motive, that even in their great disappointment they never considered giving their love to another. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī interprets their feelings as follows.
FAQs
In this verse the gopīs anxiously ask Uddhava whether Govinda ever remembers them even occasionally, revealing their intense love in separation (viraha) and their single-minded absorption in Him.
Uddhava has come from Mathurā as Kṛṣṇa’s messenger; the gopīs, burning in separation after Kṛṣṇa’s departure from Vraja, question him to learn whether Kṛṣṇa still holds them in His heart amid His new life and company.
Cultivate steady remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and heartfelt prayer, especially when you feel distance or dryness—turn separation into deeper longing, sincerity, and dependence on the Lord.