Shloka 20
Gopī-gīta in Separation: The Flute’s Call and Vraja’s Ecstatic Response
कुन्ददामकृतकौतुकवेषो गोपगोधनवृतो यमुनायाम् । नन्दसूनुरनघे तव वत्सो नर्मद: प्रणयिणां विजहार ॥ २० ॥ मन्दवायुरुपवात्यनुकूलं मानयन् मलयजस्पर्शेन । वन्दिनस्तमुपदेवगणा ये वाद्यगीतबलिभि: परिवव्रु: ॥ २१ ॥
kunda-dāma-kṛta-kautuka-veṣo gopa-godhana-vṛto yamunāyām nanda-sūnur anaghe tava vatso narma-daḥ praṇayiṇāṁ vijahāra
โอ้ยโศทา ผู้ปราศจากมลทิน บุตรสุดที่รักของท่าน—โอรสแห่งนันทะ—ทรงแต่งองค์อย่างรื่นเริงด้วยพวงมาลัยดอกมะลิ แล้วเสด็จเล่นสนุกริมยมุนา ท่ามกลางเหล่าคนเลี้ยงโคและฝูงโค ทำให้สหายผู้เป็นที่รักชื่นบาน
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that the gopīs are again in the courtyard of mother Yaśodā, the queen of Vraja. They are trying to encourage her by describing Kṛṣṇa’s return to Vṛndāvana after He has spent the day herding cows and playing.
FAQs
This verse remembers Kṛṣṇa on the Yamunā, playfully dressed with a kunda-flower garland, surrounded by cowherd boys and cows, delighting His dear companions through affectionate līlā.
Because His simple Vraja ornaments—like flower garlands and playful attire—intensify their loving remembrance, making separation feel more vivid and devotion more intimate.
Regularly contemplate specific, personal details of Kṛṣṇa’s līlā (form, dress, companions, place) to make devotion concrete and emotionally present, especially during difficulty or loneliness.