Shloka 19

Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation

Devanagari script

वयमृतमिव जिह्मव्याहृतं श्रद्दधाना: कुलिकरुतमिवाज्ञा: कृष्णवध्वो हरिण्य: । दद‍ृशुरसकृदेतत्तन्नखस्पर्शतीव्र- स्मररुज उपमन्त्रिन् भण्यतामन्यवार्ता ॥ १९ ॥

Transliteration

vayam ṛtam iva jihma-vyāhṛtaṁ śraddadhānāḥ kulika-rutam ivājñāḥ kṛṣṇa-vadhvo hariṇyaḥ dadṛśur asakṛd etat tan-nakha-sparśa-tīvra smara-ruja upamantrin bhaṇyatām anya-vārtā

Translation

ఆయన వంకర మాటల్నీ నిజమని నమ్మాము; క్రూర వేటగాడి పాటను నమ్మే నల్ల జింక మూర్ఖ భార్యల వలె. ఆయన గోళ్ల స్పర్శతో కలిగిన కామవేదనను మేము మళ్లీ మళ్లీ అనుభవించాము. ఓ దూతా, కృష్ణుని తప్ప మరేదైనా వార్త చెప్పు.

Synonyms

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), First person (उत्तमपुरुषार्थ), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ṛtam: truth
• ṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle of comparison (उपमा-अव्यय)

• jihma-vyāhṛtam: a crooked/insincere utterance
• jihma-vyāhṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jihma (प्रातिपदिक) + vyāhṛta (कृदन्त; √hṛ (धातु) with vi+ā, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); Past passive participle (क्त) used substantively

• śraddadhānāḥ: believing/trusting
• śraddadhānāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddadhāna (कृदन्त; √dhā (धातु) with śrad-dhā, शतृ/शानच्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); Present participle (शानच्)

• kulika-rutam: the call of a kulika-bird
• kulika-rutam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kulika (प्रातिपदिक) + ruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle of comparison (उपमा-अव्यय)

• ajñāḥ: ignorant/unaware
• ajñāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ: wives/beloveds of Krishna
• kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vadhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• hariṇyaḥ: doe-like women
• hariṇyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hariṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dadṛśuḥ: they saw
• dadṛśuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• asakṛt: again and again
• asakṛt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: asakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat-nakha-sparśa-tīvra-smara-rujaḥ: (they) whose love-pains were intense from the touch of his nails
• tat-nakha-sparśa-tīvra-smara-rujaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + nakha (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + tīvra (प्रातिपदिक) + smara (प्रातिपदिक) + ruj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); compound qualifying the subject (बहुवचन-समासपदम्)

• upamantrin: O messenger/mediator
• upamantrin: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upamantrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhaṇyatām: let it be spoken/tell
• bhaṇyatām: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhaṇ (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग)

• anya-vārtā: other talk/another message
• anya-vārtā: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक) + vārtā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī categorizes this statement of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s as ājalpa, as defined by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Uddhava
• Gopis

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about viraha-bhakti (devotion in separation)?

This verse shows the gopīs’ intense remembrance of Kṛṣṇa—so powerful that even recalling His touch becomes a sharp, transformative pain—revealing separation as a peak expression of pure bhakti.

Why did the gopīs tell Uddhava to speak of something else?

Because discussing Kṛṣṇa’s words and past intimacy immediately intensified their love-sickness (smara-rujā). Overwhelmed, they asked the messenger to change the subject.

Practical application of the gopīs’ mood in modern devotional life?

Channel longing for God into steady remembrance—japa, kīrtana, and hearing—so that even pain of separation becomes focused devotion rather than distraction.