Shloka 8
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
खगा वीतफलं वृक्षं भुक्त्वा चातिथयो गृहम् । दग्धं मृगास्तथारण्यं जारा भुक्त्वा रतां स्त्रियम् ॥ ८ ॥
khagā vīta-phalaṁ vṛkṣaṁ bhuktvā cātithayo gṛham dagdhaṁ mṛgās tathāraṇyaṁ jārā bhuktvā ratāṁ striyam
As aves abandonam a árvore quando seus frutos se acabam, os hóspedes deixam a casa após comer, os animais deixam a floresta queimada; e assim o amante abandona a mulher de quem desfrutou, embora ela permaneça apegada a ele.
FAQs
The gopīs express the pain of separation by giving examples of how others take enjoyment and then leave—birds and trees, guests and homes, animals and forests, and a lover and a woman—implying that Kṛṣṇa, after enchanting them with His love, has departed from Vraja.
Overwhelmed by viraha (separation), the gopīs’ love becomes intense and paradoxical: their apparent criticism is actually an expression of exclusive devotion and helpless longing, voiced before Uddhava who has brought Kṛṣṇa’s message.
The verse teaches single-pointed remembrance: even in absence or difficulty, keep the heart fixed on Kṛṣṇa, transforming pain into prayer, sincerity, and deeper dependence on divine grace.