Shloka 8
Uddhava Meets the Gopīs: Bhramara-gītā and Kṛṣṇa’s Message of Separation
खगा वीतफलं वृक्षं भुक्त्वा चातिथयो गृहम् । दग्धं मृगास्तथारण्यं जारा भुक्त्वा रतां स्त्रियम् ॥ ८ ॥
khagā vīta-phalaṁ vṛkṣaṁ bhuktvā cātithayo gṛham dagdhaṁ mṛgās tathāraṇyaṁ jārā bhuktvā ratāṁ striyam
پرندے پھل ختم ہونے پر درخت چھوڑ دیتے ہیں، مہمان کھا پی کر گھر چھوڑ دیتے ہیں، جانور جلا ہوا جنگل چھوڑ دیتے ہیں، اور عاشق بھोग کے بعد بھی اُس عورت کو چھوڑ جاتا ہے جو ابھی تک اس سے وابستہ رہتی ہے۔
FAQs
The gopīs express the pain of separation by giving examples of how others take enjoyment and then leave—birds and trees, guests and homes, animals and forests, and a lover and a woman—implying that Kṛṣṇa, after enchanting them with His love, has departed from Vraja.
Overwhelmed by viraha (separation), the gopīs’ love becomes intense and paradoxical: their apparent criticism is actually an expression of exclusive devotion and helpless longing, voiced before Uddhava who has brought Kṛṣṇa’s message.
The verse teaches single-pointed remembrance: even in absence or difficulty, keep the heart fixed on Kṛṣṇa, transforming pain into prayer, sincerity, and deeper dependence on divine grace.