Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
गोप्य: कृष्णे वनं याते तमनुद्रुतचेतस: ।
कृष्णलीला: प्रगायन्त्यो निन्युर्दु:खेन वासरान् ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
gopyaḥ kṛṣṇe vanaṁ yāte
tam anudruta-cetasaḥ
kṛṣṇa-līlāḥ pragāyantyo
ninyur duḥkhena vāsarān
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
gopyaḥ
—
the gopīs
;
kṛṣṇe
—
Lord Kṛṣṇa
;
vanam
—
to the forest
;
yāte
—
having gone
;
tam
—
after Him
;
anudruta
—
chasing
;
cetasaḥ
—
whose minds
;
kṛṣṇa
—
līlāḥ — the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
;
pragāyantyaḥ
—
singing loudly
;
ninyuḥ
—
they passed
;
duḥkhena
—
unhappily
;
vāsarān
—
the days .
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Whenever Kṛṣṇa went to the forest, the minds of the gopīs would run after Him, and thus the young girls sadly spent their days singing of His pastimes.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Whenever Kṛṣṇa went to the forest, the minds of the gopīs would run after Him, and thus the young girls sadly spent their days singing of His pastimes.
KB 10.35.1
The gopīs of Vṛndāvana were so attached to Kṛṣṇa that they were not satisfied simply with the rāsa dance at night. They wanted to associate with Him and enjoy His company during the daytime also. When Kṛṣṇa went to the forest with His cowherd boyfriends and cows, the gopīs did not physically take part, but their hearts went with Him. And because their hearts went, they were able to enjoy His company through strong feelings of separation. To acquire this strong feeling of separation is the teaching of Lord Caitanya and His direct disciples, the Six Gosvāmīs. When we are not in physical contact with Kṛṣṇa, we can associate with Him like the gopīs, through feelings of separation. Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form, qualities, pastimes and entourage are all identical with Him. There are nine different kinds of devotional service. Devotional service to Kṛṣṇa in feelings of separation elevates the devotee to the highest perfectional level, to the level of the gopīs.
It is stated in Śrīnivāsācārya’s prayer to the Six Gosvāmīs that they left the material opulences of government service and the princely status of life and went to Vṛndāvana, where they lived just like ordinary mendicants, begging from door to door. But they were so much enriched with the gopīs’ feelings of separation that they enjoyed transcendental pleasure at every moment. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya was at Jagannātha Purī, He was in the role of Rādhārāṇī, feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa. Those who are in the disciplic succession of the Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya should always feel separation from Kṛṣṇa, worship His transcendental form and discuss His transcendental teachings, His pastimes, His qualities, His entourage and His association. That will enrich the devotees to the highest devotional perfection. Feeling constant separation while engaged in the service of the Lord is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Purport
Although the
gopīs
enjoyed direct association with Kṛṣṇa at night in the
rāsa
dance, during the day He went about His normal duties, tending His cows in the forest. At that time the minds of the
gopīs
would run after Him, but the young girls had to stay back in the village and do their own duties. Thus feeling the pain of separation, they would sing about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In the thirty fifth chapter, the gopis, pining in separation from Krsna, spend their days relishing him through reciting twelve pairs of verses. Prema, in order to nourish itself, divided itself into two parts, the coolness of enjoyment in the moonlight, and the heat of separation in the daylight.
The gopis spent their nights as previously described, directly associating with Krsna, singing and dancing, conversing, kissing, absorbed in the conjugal rasa. That has been described. In the daytime, they could only associate with Krsna by thinking of him. Tasting the flute song, they became absorbed in the rasa of separation.
When Krsna went to the forest to herd the cows, the gopis’ minds followed after him quickly (tam anu druta cetasam).
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Whenever Kṛṣṇa went to the forest, the minds of the gopīs would run after him, and thus the young girls sadly spent their days singing of his pastimes.
The gopīs who delighted in Kṛṣṇa during the night with the rāsa pastimes would be overcome with great sorrow during the day. Parāśara says
sa tathā saha gopībhir rarāma madhuṣudanaḥ
tathābda-koṭi-pratimaḥ kṣaṇas tena vinābhavat
Kṛṣṇa sported with the gopīs in such a way that during the day a moment felt like millions of years in his absence.
How could they tolerate such unhappiness?
Describing their separation during the days in order to nourish their enjoyment during the nights, Śukadeva shows how they passed their time. Their minds went quickly with him (anudruta-cetasaḥ). Or their hearts melted on thinking of him. Because of absorption in him, they stopped their household duties. All glories to the unprecedented greatness of the gopīs. Taking a particle of their support, I will explain their song.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
The gopīs who delighted in Kṛṣṇa during the night with the rāsa pastimes would be overcome with great sorrow during the day. Parāśara says
sa tathā saha gopībhir rarāma madhuṣudanaḥ
tathābda-koṭi-pratimaḥ kṣaṇas tena vinābhavat
Kṛṣṇa sported with the gopīs in such a way that during the day a moment felt like millions of years in his absence.
When Kṛṣṇa, the most attractive person or he who was filled with the highest bliss, went to the forest of Vṛndāvana during the day, the gopīs could not tolerate the separation. Their hearts quickly pursued him because of the attachment. They sang in a remarkable manner which attracted the whole universe, predominated with the beguiling sound of the flute about Kṛṣṇa’s forest pastimes with Kṛṣṇa dressed in his forest outfit. Because their hearts followed him they could not do their household chores. They absorbed themselves in his pastimes since they were non-different from him. They passed the remaining time in sorrow singing. This is confirmed in verse 26. Since they passed their time singing, the greatness of singing his pastimes is shown.
Or they passed their days with difficulty, not able to tolerate the separation, because they sang about his pastimes. This was because they were gopīs, devoted to him alone.
All glories to the unprecedented greatness of the gopīs. Taking a particle of their support, I will explain their song.