Uddhava Sent to Vraja: Consolation to Nanda-Yaśodā and the Gopīs’ Separation
अपि स्मरति न: कृष्णो मातरं सुहृद: सखीन् । गोपान् व्रजं चात्मनाथं गावो वृन्दावनं गिरिम् ॥ १८ ॥
api smarati naḥ kṛṣṇo mātaraṁ suhṛdaḥ sakhīn gopān vrajaṁ cātma-nāthaṁ gāvo vṛndāvanaṁ girim
Será que Kṛṣṇa se lembra de nós? Lembra-Se de Sua mãe, de Seus amigos e benfeitores? Lembra-Se dos vaqueiros e de Vraja, da qual Ele é o Senhor, e também das vacas, da floresta de Vṛndāvana e do monte Govardhana?
In this verse the gopīs intensely ask whether Kṛṣṇa remembers them—His mother, friends, the gopas, the cows, Vṛndāvana and Govardhana—expressing the depth of Vraja’s love in separation.
Uddhava arrives in Vraja as Kṛṣṇa’s messenger; overwhelmed by separation, the gopīs question him, revealing that their entire life is sustained by remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and longing for His return.
Keep Kṛṣṇa present through daily smaraṇa—hearing and chanting His names and pastimes—turning longing and life’s distance into steady remembrance and heartfelt prayer, as modeled by the gopīs.