Shloka 31

Gopī-Vipralambha: The Search for Kṛṣṇa and the Revelation of Divine Footprints

Devanagari script

इमान्यधिकमग्नानि पदानि वहतो वधूम् । गोप्य: पश्यत कृष्णस्य भाराक्रान्तस्य कामिन: । अत्रावरोपिता कान्ता पुष्पहेतोर्महात्मना ॥ ३१ ॥

Transliteration

imāny adhika-magnāni padāni vahato vadhūm gopyaḥ paśyata kṛṣṇasya bhārākrāntasya kāminaḥ atrāvaropitā kāntā puṣpa-hetor mahātmanā

Translation

ดูก่อนโคปีทั้งหลาย จงสังเกตว่า ณ ที่นี้รอยพระบาทของกฤษณะผู้เปี่ยมรักกดลึกยิ่งขึ้น เพราะทรงแบกรับน้ำหนักของนางอันเป็นที่รัก และตรงนี้เอง เด็กหนุ่มผู้เฉลียวฉลาดคงวางนางลงเพื่อเก็บดอกไม้

Synonyms

• imāni: these
• imāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural); here as qualifier of padāni

• adhika-magnāni: deeply sunk (into the ground)
• adhika-magnāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of padāni
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक) + magna (प्रातिपदिक; PPP from √maj)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā/Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural); karmadhāraya: ‘excessively sunk/pressed’

• padāni: footprints
• padāni: Karta (कर्ता) (of implied ‘are’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• vahataḥ: of (him) carrying
• vahataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) with padāni
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta; Śatṛ-pratyaya present participle (वहन्त्), here Genitive singular (Ṣaṣṭhī, 6th) of vahataḥ; ‘of (him) carrying’

• vadhūm: the bride/woman (beloved)
• vadhūm: Karma (कर्म) of implied ‘vahati’ (carrying)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• gopyaḥ: O gopīs
• gopyaḥ: Sambodhyā/Addressed (सम्बोधन) to listeners (vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• paśyata: see! look!
• paśyata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (Imperative, लोट्), Parasmaipada, Madhyama puruṣa (2nd), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• kṛṣṇasya: of Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• bhāra-ākrāntasya: weighed down by a burden
• bhāra-ākrāntasya: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of kṛṣṇasya
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāra (प्रातिपदik) + ākrānta (प्रातिपदik; PPP from ā-√kram)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular); tatpuruṣa: bhāreṇa ākrāntaḥ = ‘overburdened/pressed by weight’

• kāminaḥ: of the lover
• kāminaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular); in apposition to kṛṣṇasya

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-viśeṣaṇa (locative adverb)

• avaropitā: was made to descend/was set down
• avaropitā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa / predicate
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta; Past passive participle (क्त), Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• kāntā: the beloved (girl)
• kāntā: Karta (कर्ता) (of implied ‘āsīt’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• puṣpa-hetoḥ: for the sake of flowers
• puṣpa-hetoḥ: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hetu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Ekavacana (Singular); tatpuruṣa: puṣpasya hetuḥ = ‘for the sake of flowers’ (genitive of purpose)

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Karaṇa (करण) / Agent-in-instrumental (कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga (Masculine), Tṛtīyā (Instrumental, 3rd), Ekavacana (Singular); bahuvrīhi: ‘one whose self is great’ = great-souled (Kṛṣṇa)

Purport

The word vadhūm indicates that even though Śrī Kṛṣṇa was not officially married to Rādhārāṇī, He had in fact made Her His bride in the Vṛndāvana forest.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Gopīs
• Śrī Rādhā (implied as the ‘beloved’ carried by Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about Krishna’s footprints and what they reveal?

This verse shows the gopīs reading Kṛṣṇa’s deeply impressed footprints as evidence of His loving pastime—He carried His beloved, making the marks sink further, and then set her down to gather flowers.

Why are the gopis describing Krishna as ‘bhārākrānta’ (weighed down) in this verse?

Because they infer from the unusually deep footprints that Kṛṣṇa was carrying a beloved companion; the added weight made the impressions sink more into the earth.

Practical application of this shloka’s teaching in modern life?

It teaches attentive remembrance: the gopīs transform small signs into devotion, encouraging seekers to cultivate mindful awareness of the Divine in everyday “footprints” and moments.