Narayana Krishna

Tenth Canto Chapter Forty-seven

In this chapter, the conversation between Uddhava and the Gopikas and the teaching known as Bhramara-gita are covered.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Uddhava, the attendant of Srikrishna, was wearing yellow garments and a garland of lotuses around his neck. He had long arms, eyes that resembled freshly-bloomed lotuses, a face that glowed like a blooming lotus and had worn earrings that shone resplendently due to be being laced with gems.

Gopikas saw this pleasant form of Uddhava and were deeply astonished. ‘Who is this handsome person dressed like Krishna?’ they wondered”.

Even in Brindavan, all the cowherd boys would dress the way Krishna did. They imitated His style. Likewise, Uddhava had similarly dressed like the Lord.

“The Gopikas thought, ‘From where would he have arrived? Who would have sent him here? He is dressed like Krishna.’ In anxiety and eagerness, all the Gopikas quickly surrounded him. Uddhava had sought shelter in the lotus feet of Srikrishna, the Lord who is of great repute.

Upon recognizing him to be a messenger of Krishna, the husband of Lakshmi, the Gopikas took him to a quiet place. Seating him on a suitable mat, all of them, honoured him with their shy smiles and tender gazes, sweet words and offering of water.

Thereafter they offered obeisance to him and, in all humility, enquired, “We have come to know that you are an attendant of Srikrishna, the Lord of Yadavas, and that, at His behest, you have arrived here to give joy to His parents”.

These Gopikas had their own method of obtaining news. One Gopika who had noticed his arrival the previous night informed all her friends that he was a servant of Krishna who had come purely at the behest of the Lord.

“We presume that apart from His parents, there is nothing that He seems to remember in this Gokula”.

In this way the Gopikas were expressing their anguish upon not seeing Him for long. They complained that He appeared to miss only His parents and none else. ‘How can He not remember us or these cows, these ponds, these forests?’

They continued, “Even Maharishis find it difficult to cut away from the bondage to their own family, isn’t it? The human being develops friendship with other people solely for some personal gain and then breaks the bonds upon fulfilment of his goal. Why will any person seek friendship with others apart from his kith and kin without any objective in mind? A man befriending a woman or a bee befriending a flower belong to such category”.

The Gopikas were angry- Krishna had conveyed message only for His parents. There was no mention of the Gopikas and no message for them. Through these words, they were expressing their anguish.

“A prostitute abandons a pauper; citizens abandon an incapable king; students abandon their teacher upon completion of their education and priests abandon the performer of the sacrifice upon receiving their remuneration (dakshina). Birds abandon a fallen tree; guests forget the home of the host upon completion of their meal.”

After completing the meal, guests forget their host. Some guests do not even bother to thank the host for their hospitality.

“Animals discard the burnt forest, while the lover abandons the woman after enjoyment, even though she continues to remain attached to him”.

Some men praise their wives only when they need her services, not otherwise. When their needs are fulfilled they abandon their wives or neglect her.

“In thought, word and deed these Gopikas belonged only to Lord Govinda. To them, He was everything. Their thoughts were focussed solely upon Him. In the presence of Uddhava, the messenger of Srikrishna who had arrived in their midst, they discarded all their material transactions. Remembering all the activities of Srikrishna, from infancy up to the age of ten, these Gopikas sang them for Uddhava”.

Initially they let out their anger. They scolded the Lord who had deserted them after reaching Mathura. Later on they began to sing His glories. Their world was centered around Krishna alone! Hence they scolded Him but yet sang about Him.

“As they were singing, they unabashedly began to shed tears in the presence of Uddhava. One of the Gopikas wanted to meditate upon Srikrishna and enjoy His company in solitude. Exactly at that moment, a bee hovered around her. Considering the bee to be a messenger sent by Srikrishna she said to it,

‘O bee, you are a servant of that cheat Srikrishna. You are a cheat who drinks nectar and then abandons the flower. Akin to you, Srikrishna is also a cheat. After allowing us to drink the nectar from His lips, thus throwing us into infatuation, He has abandoned us all. How does Goddess Lakshmi serve Him, who is a cheat? Believing Maharishi Narada, who praised Him as one with unblemished repute, she gave her heart to Him’.”

Krishna Narayana