The Gopis’ Songs of Separation SB 10.31 Summary
This chapter relates how the gopis, overwhelmed by feelings of separation from Krsna, sat down on the bank of the Yamuna and began praying for His audience and singing His glories. Because the gopis had dedicated their minds and very lives to Krsna, they were beside themselves with the transcendental pain of separation. But their crying, which appears like evidence of misery, actually shows their exalted state of transcendental bliss. As it is said, yata dekha vaisnaver vyavahara duhkh/ niscaya janiha sei paramananda sukh: “Whenever one sees a Vaisnava acting unhappy, one should know it for sure that he is actually experiencing the highest spiritual bliss.” Thus each of the gopis began addressing Lord Sri Krsna according to her individual mode of ecstasy, and
they all prayed for Him for His mercy. As the pastimes of Krsna spontaneously arose in the minds of the gopis, they sang their song, which relieves the agony of those suffering from the burning pain of separation from Krsna and which bestows supreme auspiciousness. They sang, “O Lord, O lover, O cheater, when we remember Your smile, Your loving glances and Your pastimes with Your boyhood friends, we become extremely agitated. Remembering Your lotus face, adorned with locks of blackish hair smeared with the dust of the cows, we become irrevocably attached to You. And when we remember how You followed the cows from forest to forest with Your tender feet, we feel great pain.”
In their separation from Krsna the gopis considered a single moment an entire age. Even when they had previously seen Him they had found the blinking of their eyelids intolerable, for it blocked their vision of Him for a fraction of a second. The ecstatic sentiments for Lord Krsna that the gopis expressed may appear like symptoms of lust, but in reality they are manifestations of their pure
desire to satisfy the Supreme Lord’s spiritual senses. There is not even the slightest trace of lust in these moods of the gopis.
TEXT 9
tava kathamrtam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmasapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhuri-da janah
SYNONYMS
tava — Your; katha-amrtam — the nectar of words; tapta-jivanam — life for those aggrieved in the material world; kavibhih — by great thinkers; iditam — described; kalmasa-apaham — that which drives away sinful reactions; sravana-mangalam — giving spiritual benefit when heard; srimat — filled with spiritual power; atatam — broadcast all over the world; bhuvi — in the material world; grnanti — chant and spread; ye — those who; bhuri-dah — most beneficent; janah — persons.
TRANSLATION
The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
PURPORT
King Prataparudra recited this verse to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu during Lord Jagannatha’s Ratha-yatra festival. While the Lord was resting in a garden, King Prataparudra humbly entered and began massaging His legs and lotus feet. Then the King recited the Thirty-first Chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the songs of the gopis. The Caitanya-caritamrta relates that when Lord Caitanya heard this verse, beginning tava kathamrtam, He immediately arose in ecstatic love and embraced King
Prataparudra. The incident is described in detail in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 14.4-18), and in his edition Srila Prabhupada
has given extensive commentary on it.
TEXT 1
gopya ucuh
jayati te ‘dhikam janmana vrajah
srayata indira sasvad atra hi
dayita drsyatam diksu tavakas
tvayi dhrtasavas tvam vicinvate
SYNONYMS
gopyah ucuh — the gopis said; jayati — is glorious; te — Your; adhikam — exceedingly; janmana — by the birth; vrajah — the land of Vraja; srayate — is residing; indira — Laksmi, the goddess of fortune; sasvat — perpetually; atra — here; hi — indeed; dayita — O beloved; drsyatam — may (You) be seen; diksu — in all directions; tavakah — Your (devotees); tvayi — for Your sake; dhrta — sustained; asavah — their life airs; tvam — for You; vicinvate — they are searching.
TRANSLATION
The gopis said: O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indira, the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.
PURPORT
Those who are familiar with the art of chanting Sanskrit verses will be able to appreciate the especially exquisite Sanskrit poetry of this chapter. Specifically, the poetic meter of the verses is extraordinarily beautiful, and also, for the most part, in each line the first and seventh syllables begin with the same consonant, as do the second syllables of all four lines.
TEXT 2
sarad-udasaye sadhu-jata-sat-
sarasijodara-sri-musa drsa
surata-natha te ‘sulka-dasika
vara-da nighnato neha kim vadhah
SYNONYMS
sarat — of the autumn season; uda-asaye — in the reservoir of water; sadhu — excellently; jata — grown; sat — fine; sarasi-ja — of the lotus flowers; udara — in the middle; sri — the beauty; musa — which excels; drsa — with Your glance; surata-natha — O Lord of love; te — Your; asulka — acquired without payment; dasikah — maidservants; vara-da — O giver of benedictions; nighnatah — for You who are killing; na — not; iha — in this world; kim — why; vadhah — murder.
TRANSLATION
O Lord of love, in beauty Your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. O bestower of benedictions, You are killing the maidservants who have given themselves to You freely, without any price. Isn’t this murder?
PURPORT
In the autumn season, the whorl of the lotus has a special beauty, but that unique loveliness is surpassed by the beauty of Krsna’s glance.
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