Shloka 23

गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः

Devanagari script

गोपीपरिवृतो रात्रिं शरच्चन्द्रमनोरमाम् मानयाम् आस गोविन्दो रासारम्भरसोत्सुकः

Transliteration

gopīparivṛto rātriṃ śaraccandramanoramām mānayām āsa govindo rāsārambharasotsukaḥ

Translation

Napapaligiran ng mga Gopi, si Govinda—sabik sa ligayang pagsisimula ng Rasa—ay ginugol ang gabing pinaganda ng buwan ng taglagas, na wari’y pinararangalan niya sa kanyang presensya at lila.

Word by Word

गोपीपरिवृतःsurrounded by the gopīs

रात्रिम्the night

शरत्of autumn

चन्द्रof the moon

मनोरमाम्charming, delightful

मानयाम्(he) honored/celebrated

आसdid/was (auxiliary)

गोविन्दःGovinda (Krishna)

रासारम्भरसोत्सुकःeager for the delight of beginning the rāsa

Speaker

Sage Parasara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Govinda (Krishna)

Autumn moon (śarad-candra)

Rasa (Rāsa-līlā)

FAQs

What is the significance of the autumn moonlit night in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames the śarad-moon night as an auspicious, heightened setting for divine līlā—Krishna ‘honors’ the night by making it the stage for Rāsa, emphasizing sacred time transformed by the Lord’s presence.

How does Sage Parasara explain the beginning of the Rasa-lila in this passage?

Parasara presents it narratively as Krishna’s deliberate commencement of Rāsa—He is ‘rasa-utsuka’ (eager for that divine relish) and is already amidst the Gopīs, indicating intentional orchestration rather than ordinary festivity.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu (as Krishna/Govinda) in this context?

Govinda’s intimacy with the Gopīs is depicted as līlā of the Supreme—His sovereignty is not diminished by closeness; rather, the verse highlights divine bliss (rasa) as a mode through which the Absolute draws devotees into loving union.