Srimad Bhagavatam – day 734
The Gopika Geeta is filled with the essence of Vedanta
Krishna Narayana
“Na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān akhila-dehinām antarātma-dṛk
Vikhanasārthito viśva-guptaye sakha udeyivān sātvatāḿ kule
This is a verse from the song Gopika-Geeta sung by the Gopikas.
O dear friend, You, the son of Gopika Yashoda, are the eternal witness who watches over all the mental modifications within every living entity. When Lord Brahma sought the protection of the universe, You incarnated in the clan of the Yadavas.
O dearest one, You are the best among the descendants of the Vŗṣni clan. When those who, fearing this terrible cycle of repeated re-births (samsāra), seek refuge under Your feet, You offer them protection by showing your lotus-like hand.
Kindly retain on our head, that hand, with which You clasped the hand of Goddess Lakshmi and with which You fulfill the desires of the devotees. O dear friend, You are the valiant one who drives away the sufferings of the people of Brindavan. Your tender charming smile is adequate to destroy the pride in us, your kinsmen.
O Lord, please fill us, your servants, with happiness by showing to us Your lotus-like face. Your lotus feet, which destroy the sins of those who have sought refuge under them, follow the animals that live on grass. With those feet, which is the dwelling place of Mother Goddess Lakshmi, You have stamped the hoods of the serpent Kaliya. Kindly retain those feet on our chests thereby dispelling the agony from our tormented hearts.
O valorous one! Your eyes resemble a lotus. Your melodious speech which is pleasant and nectarous deludes even the most learned scholars. We who abide by Your commands have been deluded by the pleasant words uttered by You. Kindly bless us, your humble servants, with the nectar from Your lips.
O Supreme Lord, Your divine story which is extolled by all learned scholars, reinfuses life in those who are agonized with afflictions. Mere listening to Your glories destroys all sins and showers auspiciousness. In this world those who narrate Your divine story, which is astounding and famous, are considered truly philanthropic”.
From this it is evident that there is no charity greater than sharing of knowledge.
“O beloved, You undoubtedly are a swindler. Your charming smile which immediately bestows auspiciousness upon those who meditate upon You, Your tender gaze filled with affection, Your transcendental sports and the secretive signals that You have been sending out to us from within our hearts have now caused in us agonizing mental agitation due to separation.
O dearest Lord, in the mornings when You take the cows for grazing into the deep forests, worrying that the sharp husk from the grains and the sharp grasses will prick Your tender, beautiful lotus feet , our minds experience unexplainable distress. O valorous one, at times of Sunset, You have always shown to us Your lotus-like face covered with the dusty, dishevelled curly locks and have aroused the love in our hearts.
O Srikrishna, You derive great delight in driving away sorrows from the mind. All the desires of those who offer obeisance to Your holy feet obtain fulfilment. Your feet, which are worshipped by the lotus-born Lord Brahma and by Mother Goddess Lakshmi is currently ornamenting this Earth. These lotus feet of Yours, which dispel every form of sorrow, are most appropriate to be worshipped during times of adversities. O dear Lord we pray to You to please retain such feet within our hearts.
O beloved one, please bestow upon us the nectar from Your lips which inflames love towards You while destroying all forms of grief. Lucky is the flute which kisses Your lip when You play it. Love towards You, O Supreme Lord, causes human beings to forget their attachment towards other objects in this universe.
During daytime, unable to catch a glimpse of You who have taken the cattle for grazing, each second passes painfully like an eon. Surely we can say that Brahma, who has provided eyelids which interrupt our eyes from completely feasting on Your lovely face covered by dusty, curly locks when you return in the evenings, is dim-witted”.
The reader should understand that the devotion of the Gopikas is at its peak and hence they utter such words. They do not have any intent of abusing Lord Brahma. Their inability to completely feast upon the face of their dearest Lord triggered them to utter those words.
“O infinite Lord, You surely are an imposter who deluded us totally with the rendition of the flute. Abandoning our husbands, sons, brothers, and other relations, we have rushed towards You. Although very well aware of our presence in this forest, You have abandoned us. Will any man allow women to wander alone in the forests?
O Lord, time and again, the words that You secretively utter within our hearts, Your charming face that kindles love in our hearts, Your love-filled gaze and Your broad chest within which Goddess Lakshmi dwells, delude us completely by filling us with feelings of love towards You. This incarnation of Yours dispels the sorrows of us, the inhabitants of Brindavan, as well as of the Maharishis who dwell within the forests while simultaneously causing the well-being of the entire universe.
O Lord, our hearts are overflowing with love for You. We belong totally to You, O Lord. Kindly feed us with at least a little of that medicine which can dissipate our unbearable agony.
O beloved, we shall, in great alertness and nervousness, gently place Your tender, dainty lotus-like feet upon our rock-like hard chests. When You walk through these forests with those dainty feet, don’t they get bruised due to the presence of hard rocks and gravel? Thinking of You, who is the centre of our lives, our minds are soaked in grief”- in this way the Gopikas prayed to the Lord”.
This song of the Gopikas is filled with the essence of the Vedanta. Although it appears like a song of love, the in-depth meaning is beyond normal comprehension. These Gopikas had undertaken intense Yogic practices in their past lives and had reached that supreme state wherein they dwelled mentally only in that Lord. To them, no existence was superior than Him. The deep love for the Lord that had surged in their hearts and the pangs of separation that they experienced caused them to sing for the Lord seeking His arrival back in their midst. A lot of spiritual significance is being secretively explained by them through this song. It is also said that each Gopika sang her own composition for the Lord and then, they sang the verses collectively. A lot of inferences can be drawn from this song.
Separation from the Lord filled them with remorse. All those who listen to this song or who explain its significance are truly fortunate. They will be blessed with liberation.
With this the thirty-first chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.
Krishna Narayana