Srimad Bhagavatam · Canto 10 · Chapter 31

The Gopīs’ Songs of Separation

10.31.1

गोप्य ऊचु: जयति तेऽधिकं जन्मना व्रज: श्रयत इन्दिरा शश्वदत्र हि । दयित द‍ृश्यतां दिक्षु तावका- स्त्वयि धृतासवस्त्वां विचिन्वते ॥ १ ॥

gopya ūcuḥ jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate

The gopīs said: O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indirā, 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.

10.31.2

शरदुदाशये साधुजातसत्- सरसिजोदरश्रीमुषा द‍ृशा । सुरतनाथ तेऽशुल्कदासिका वरद निघ्नतो नेह किं वध: ॥ २ ॥

śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat- sarasijodara-śrī-muṣā dṛśā surata-nātha te ’śulka-dāsikā vara-da nighnato neha kiṁ vadhaḥ

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?

10.31.3

विषजलाप्ययाद् व्यालराक्षसाद् वर्षमारुताद् वैद्युतानलात् । वृषमयात्मजाद् विश्वतो भया- दृषभ ते वयं रक्षिता मुहु: ॥ ३ ॥

viṣa-jalāpyayād vyāla-rākṣasād varṣa-mārutād vaidyutānalāt vṛṣa-mayātmajād viśvato bhayād ṛṣabha te vayaṁ rakṣitā muhuḥ

O greatest of personalities, You have repeatedly saved us from all kinds of danger — from poisoned water, from the terrible man-eater Agha, from the great rains, from the wind demon, from the fiery thunderbolt of Indra, from the bull demon and from the son of Maya Dānava.

10.31.4

न खलु गोपीकानन्दनो भवान् अखिलदेहिनामन्तरात्मद‍ृक् । विखनसार्थितो विश्वगुप्तये सख उदेयिवान् सात्वतां कुले ॥ ४ ॥

na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān akhila-dehinām antarātma-dṛk vikhanasārthito viśva-guptaye sakha udeyivān sātvatāṁ kule

You are not actually the son of the gopī Yaśodā, O friend, but rather the indwelling witness in the hearts of all embodied souls. Because Lord Brahmā prayed for You to come and protect the universe, You have now appeared in the Sātvata dynasty.

10.31.5

विरचिताभयं वृष्णिधूर्य ते चरणमीयुषां संसृतेर्भयात् । करसरोरुहं कान्त कामदं शिरसि धेहि न: श्रीकरग्रहम् ॥ ५ ॥

viracitābhayaṁ vṛṣṇi-dhūrya te caraṇam īyuṣāṁ saṁsṛter bhayāt kara-saroruhaṁ kānta kāma-daṁ śirasi dhehi naḥ śrī-kara-graham

O best of the Vṛṣṇis, Your lotuslike hand, which holds the hand of the goddess of fortune, grants fearlessness to those who approach Your feet out of fear of material existence. O lover, please place that wish-fulfilling lotus hand on our heads.

10.31.6

व्रजजनार्तिहन् वीर योषितां निजजनस्मयध्वंसनस्मित । भज सखे भवत्किङ्करी: स्म नो जलरुहाननं चारु दर्शय ॥ ६ ॥

vraja-janārti-han vīra yoṣitāṁ nija-jana-smaya-dhvaṁsana-smita bhaja sakhe bhavat-kiṅkarīḥ sma no jalaruhānanaṁ cāru darśaya

O You who destroy the suffering of Vraja’s people, O hero of all women, Your smile shatters the false pride of Your devotees. Please, dear friend, accept us as Your maidservants and show us Your beautiful lotus face.

10.31.7

प्रणतदेहिनां पापकर्षणं तृणचरानुगं श्रीनिकेतनम् । फणिफणार्पितं ते पदाम्बुजं कृणु कुचेषु न: कृन्धि हृच्छयम् ॥ ७ ॥

praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ tṛṇa-carānugaṁ śrī-niketanam phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ te padāmbujaṁ kṛṇu kuceṣu naḥ kṛndhi hṛc-chayam

Your lotus feet destroy the past sins of all embodied souls who surrender to them. Those feet follow after the cows in the pastures and are the eternal abode of the goddess of fortune. Since You once put those feet on the hoods of the great serpent Kāliya, please place them upon our breasts and tear away the lust in our hearts.

10.31.8

मधुरया गिरा वल्गुवाक्यया बुधमनोज्ञया पुष्करेक्षण । विधिकरीरिमा वीर मुह्यतीर् अधरसीधुनाप्याययस्व न: ॥ ८ ॥

madhurayā girā valgu-vākyayā budha-manojñayā puṣkarekṣaṇa vidhi-karīr imā vīra muhyatīr adhara-sīdhunāpyāyayasva naḥ

O lotus-eyed one, Your sweet voice and charming words, which attract the minds of the intelligent, are bewildering us more and more. Our dear hero, please revive Your maidservants with the nectar of Your lips.

10.31.9

तव कथामृतं तप्तजीवनं कविभिरीडितं कल्मषापहम् । श्रवणमङ्गलं श्रीमदाततं भुवि गृणन्ति ये भूरिदा जना: ॥ ९ ॥

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ

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.

10.31.10

प्रहसितं प्रिय प्रेमवीक्षणं विहरणं च ते ध्यानमङ्गलम् । रहसि संविदो या हृदिस्पृश: कुहक नो मन: क्षोभयन्ति हि ॥ १० ॥

prahasitaṁ priya-prema-vīkṣaṇaṁ viharaṇaṁ ca te dhyāna-maṅgalam rahasi saṁvido yā hṛdi spṛśaḥ kuhaka no manaḥ kṣobhayanti hi

Your smiles, Your sweet, loving glances, the intimate pastimes and confidential talks we enjoyed with You — all these are auspicious to meditate upon, and they touch our hearts. But at the same time, O deceiver, they very much agitate our minds.

10.31.11

चलसि यद् व्रजाच्चारयन् पशून् नलिनसुन्दरं नाथ ते पदम् । शिलतृणाङ्कुरै: सीदतीति न: कलिलतां मन: कान्त गच्छति ॥ ११ ॥

calasi yad vrajāc cārayan paśūn nalina-sundaraṁ nātha te padam śila-tṛṇāṅkuraiḥ sīdatīti naḥ kalilatāṁ manaḥ kānta gacchati

Dear master, dear lover, when You leave the cowherd village to herd the cows, our minds are disturbed with the thought that Your feet, more beautiful than a lotus, will be pricked by the spiked husks of grain and the rough grass and plants.

10.31.12

दिनपरिक्षये नीलकुन्तलै- र्वनरुहाननं बिभ्रदावृतम् । घनरजस्वलं दर्शयन् मुहु- र्मनसि न: स्मरं वीर यच्छसि ॥ १२ ॥

dina-parikṣaye nīla-kuntalair vanaruhānanaṁ bibhrad āvṛtam ghana-rajasvalaṁ darśayan muhur manasi naḥ smaraṁ vīra yacchasi

At the end of the day You repeatedly show us Your lotus face, covered with dark blue locks of hair and thickly powdered with dust. Thus, O hero, You arouse lusty desires in our minds.

10.31.13

प्रणतकामदं पद्मजार्चितं धरणिमण्डनं ध्येयमापदि । चरणपङ्कजं शन्तमं च ते रमण न: स्तनेष्वर्पयाधिहन् ॥ १३ ॥

praṇata-kāma-daṁ padmajārcitaṁ dharaṇi-maṇḍanaṁ dhyeyam āpadi caraṇa-paṅkajaṁ śantamaṁ ca te ramaṇa naḥ staneṣv arpayādhi-han

Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahmā, fulfill the desires of all who bow down to them. They are the ornament of the earth, they give the highest satisfaction, and in times of danger they are the appropriate object of meditation. O lover, O destroyer of anxiety, please put those lotus feet upon our breasts.

10.31.14

सुरतवर्धनं शोकनाशनं स्वरितवेणुना सुष्ठु चुम्बितम् । इतररागविस्मारणं नृणां वितर वीर नस्तेऽधरामृतम् ॥ १४ ॥

surata-vardhanaṁ śoka-nāśanaṁ svarita-veṇunā suṣṭhu cumbitam itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇāṁ vitara vīra nas te ’dharāmṛtam

O hero, kindly distribute to us the nectar of Your lips, which enhances conjugal pleasure and vanquishes grief. That nectar is thoroughly relished by Your vibrating flute and makes people forget any other attachment.

10.31.15

अटति यद् भवानह्नि काननं त्रुटि युगायते त्वामपश्यताम् । कुटिलकुन्तलं श्रीमुखं च ते जड उदीक्षतां पक्ष्मकृद् दृशाम् ॥ १५ ॥

aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ truṭi yugāyate tvām apaśyatām kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām

When You go off to the forest during the day, a tiny fraction of a second becomes like a millennium for us because we cannot see You. And even when we can eagerly look upon Your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks, our pleasure is hindered by our eyelids, which were fashioned by the foolish creator.

10.31.16

पतिसुतान्वयभ्रातृबान्धवा- नतिविलङ्‌घ्य तेऽन्त्यच्युतागता: । गतिविदस्तवोद्गीतमोहिता: कितव योषित: कस्त्यजेन्निशि ॥ १६ ॥

pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān ativilaṅghya te ’nty acyutāgatāḥ gati-vidas tavodgīta-mohitāḥ kitava yoṣitaḥ kas tyajen niśi

Dear Acyuta, You know very well why we have come here. Who but a cheater like You would abandon young women who come to see Him in the middle of the night, enchanted by the loud song of His flute? Just to see You, we have completely rejected our husbands, children, ancestors, brothers and other relatives.

10.31.17

रहसि संविदं हृच्छयोदयं प्रहसिताननं प्रेमवीक्षणम् । बृहदुर: श्रियो वीक्ष्य धाम ते मुहुरतिस्पृहा मुह्यते मन: ॥ १७ ॥

rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ prahasitānanaṁ prema-vīkṣaṇam bṛhad-uraḥ śriyo vīkṣya dhāma te muhur ati-spṛhā muhyate manaḥ

Our minds are repeatedly bewildered as we think of the intimate conversations we had with You in secret, feel the rise of lust in our hearts and remember Your smiling face, Your loving glances and Your broad chest, the resting place of the goddess of fortune. Thus we experience the most severe hankering for You.

10.31.18

व्रजवनौकसां व्यक्तिरङ्ग ते वृजिनहन्‍त्र्यलं विश्वमङ्गलम् । त्यज मनाक् च नस्त्वत्स्पृहात्मनां स्वजनहृद्रुजां यन्निषूदनम् ॥ १८ ॥

vraja-vanaukasāṁ vyaktir aṅga te vṛjina-hantry alaṁ viśva-maṅgalam tyaja manāk ca nas tvat-spṛhātmanāṁ sva-jana-hṛd-rujāṁ yan niṣūdanam

O beloved, Your all-auspicious appearance vanquishes the distress of those living in Vraja’s forests. Our minds long for Your association. Please give to us just a bit of that medicine, which counteracts the disease in Your devotees’ hearts.

10.31.19

यत्ते सुजातचरणाम्बुरुहं स्तनेषु भीता: शनै: प्रिय दधीमहि कर्कशेषु । तेनाटवीमटसि तद् व्यथते न किंस्वित् कूर्पादिभिर्भ्रमति धीर्भवदायुषां न: ॥ १९ ॥

yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad-āyuṣāṁ naḥ

O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our life rests only in You. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that Your tender feet might be wounded by pebbles as You roam about on the forest path.