Shloka 38
Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution
ब्रह्मरात्र उपावृत्ते वासुदेवानुमोदिता: । अनिच्छन्त्यो ययुर्गोप्य: स्वगृहान्भगवत्प्रिया: ॥ ३८ ॥
brahma-rātra upāvṛtte vāsudevānumoditāḥ anicchantyo yayur gopyaḥ sva-gṛhān bhagavat-priyāḥ
เมื่อเวลาผ่านไปยาวนานดุจหนึ่งราตรีของพระพรหมแล้ว พระวาสุเทวะกฤษณะทรงแนะนำให้เหล่าโคปีกลับสู่เรือนของตน แม้นางไม่ปรารถนาจะจากไป แต่บรรดาผู้เป็นที่รักของพระผู้เป็นเจ้าก็ยอมทำตามพระบัญชาและกลับบ้านของตน.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.17) Lord Kṛṣṇa explains, “By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night.” Thus one thousand ages entered within a single twelve-hour night when Lord Kṛṣṇa performed His rāsa dance. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī compares this inconceivable impression of time to the fact that many universes fit neatly within the forty-mile range of earthly Vṛndāvana. Or one may consider that mother Yaśodā could not encircle the small abdomen of child Kṛṣṇa with numerous ropes, and that at another time He manifested many universes within His mouth. The transcendence of spiritual reality above and beyond mundane physics is concisely explained in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Laghu-bhagavatāmṛta:
FAQs
This verse says the gopīs returned to their homes only when the cosmic night ended, and they did so unwillingly—after being permitted by Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), showing both their deep attachment and Kṛṣṇa’s guiding role.
In the narrative flow, Śukadeva indicates that Kṛṣṇa concluded the pastime and sanctioned their return, emphasizing that the līlā unfolds under the Lord’s will and protection, not independent impulse.
It highlights single-pointed devotion: cultivate steady remembrance of God while still fulfilling one’s responsibilities, aligning daily duties with bhakti rather than abandoning them.