Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 34
Gopī-Vipralambha: The Search for Kṛṣṇa and the Revelation of Divine Footprints
रेमे तया चात्मरत आत्मारामोऽप्यखण्डित: । कामिनां दर्शयन् दैन्यं स्त्रीणां चैव दुरात्मताम् ॥ ३४ ॥
reme tayā cātma-rata ātmārāmo ’py akhaṇḍitaḥ kāmināṁ darśayan dainyaṁ strīṇāṁ caiva durātmatām
主施利·奎师那与那位牧女同享欢娱，尽管祂自乐于内在之我（ātmarata），为自足之主（ātmārāma），圆满无缺。藉此祂对照显明：凡夫欲男之可怜卑下，以及心硬之女的恶性。
This verse directly refutes the superficial criticism materialistic people sometimes direct against Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The philosopher Aristotle claimed that ordinary activities are unworthy of God, and with this idea in mind some people declare that since the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa resemble those of ordinary human beings, He cannot be the Absolute Truth.
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma and akhaṇḍita—fully complete and unaffected—so His loving pastimes are divine līlā, not actions born of personal need or lust.
While narrating Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa context, Śukadeva highlights a moral-spiritual contrast: ordinary lust makes one dependent and miserable, whereas Kṛṣṇa remains complete, using līlā to instruct conditioned souls.
It cautions that lust creates helpless dependence and suffering; cultivating devotion, inner contentment, and self-discipline helps transform desire into steadier, principled love.