FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.2

गत्यानुरागस्मितविभ्रमेक्षितै- र्मनोरमालापविहारविभ्रमै: । आक्षिप्तचित्ता: प्रमदा रमापते- स्तास्ता विचेष्टा जगृहुस्तदात्मिका: ॥ २ ॥
gatyānurāga-smita-vibhramekṣitair
[gatyaanuraaga-smita-vibhramekshitair]
mano-ramālāpa-vihāra-vibhramaiḥ
[mano-ramaalaapa-vihaara-vibhramaih]
ākṣipta-cittāḥ pramadā ramā-pates
[aakshipta-chittaah pramadaa ramaa-pates]
tās tā viceṣṭā jagṛhus tad-ātmikāḥ
[taas taa vicheshtaa jagrihus tad-aatmikaah]
gatyā — by His movements anurāga — affectionate smita — smiles vibhrama — playful īkṣitaiḥ — and glances manaḥ - rama — charming āIāpa — by His talking vihāra — playing vibhramaiḥ — and other allurements ākṣipta — overwhelmed cittāḥ — whose hearts pramadāḥ — the girls ramā - pateḥ — of the husband of Ramā, the goddess of fortune, or of the master of beauty and opulence tāḥ tāḥ — each of those viceṣṭāḥ — wonderful activities jagṛhuḥ — they enacted tat - ātmikāḥ — absorbed in Him .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gatyānurāga-smita-vibhramekṣitair
gatyā
by His movements
anurāga
affectionate
smita
smiles
vibhrama
playful
mano-ramālāpa-vihāra-vibhramaiḥ
ākṣipta-cittāḥ pramadā ramā-pates
tās tā viceṣṭā jagṛhus tad-ātmikāḥ
īkṣitaiḥ
and glances
manaḥ - rama
charming
āIāpa
by His talking
vihāra
playing
vibhramaiḥ
and other allurements
ākṣipta
overwhelmed
cittāḥ
whose hearts
pramadāḥ
the girls
ramā - pateḥ
of the husband of Ramā, the goddess of fortune, or of the master of beauty and opulence
tāḥ tāḥ
each of those
viceṣṭāḥ
wonderful activities
jagṛhuḥ
they enacted
tat - ātmikāḥ
absorbed in Him .
  • anurāga — affectionate (smiles)
    A technical term in Rūpa Gosvāmī's rasa-śāstra: anurāga is the eighth stage in prema's intensification (sneha → māna → praṇaya → rāga → anurāga → bhāva → mahābhāva). It is the gopīs' specific register, the love that ever-newly tastes the beloved as if seen for the first time.
  • vibhrama — playful (glances)
    From vi-√bhram (to wander, play). One of the alaṅkāras (ornaments of feminine erotic behavior) Rūpa catalogs in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi. The gopīs are remembering not abstract grace but specific erotic-aesthetic gestures — Kṛṣṇa's flirtatious sidelong look.
  • ramā-pateḥ — of the husband of Ramā
    Compound: ramā (Lakṣmī) + pati (husband). Even when seen as a Vraja-boy, He remains the Lord of Lakṣmī — but here she is named only to be quietly outranked. Gauḍīyas note that Lakṣmī herself longed to enter rāsa and could not; the gopīs' position is higher than hers.
  • tat-ātmikāḥ — absorbed in Him
    Compound: tat (Him) + ātmikāḥ (whose self is). Their selfhood has migrated into Him. Gauḍīya readers find here a perfect emblem of acintya-bhedābheda: the gopīs are not Kṛṣṇa (bheda preserved) yet their inner being is Him (abheda manifest).
  • jagṛhuḥ — they enacted
    Perfect of √grah (to grasp, take up). Not pretense — the verb means they 'took up,' bodily seized, His gestures. Foreshadows verses 14–23 where the enactment becomes the entire līlā re-played by the gopīs themselves.
As the cowherd women remembered Lord Kṛṣṇa, their hearts were overwhelmed by His movements and loving smiles, His playful glances and enchanting talks, and by the many other pastimes He would enjoy with them. Thus absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Ramā, the gopīs began acting out His various transcendental pastimes.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes the following charming exchange between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs: “Kṛṣṇa said to a gopī, ‘My dear land lily, are you going to offer your honey to this very thirsty honeybee or not?’ “The gopī replied, ‘My dear bee, the husband of the lilies is the sun, not the bee, so why are You claiming that my honey belongs to You?’ “But My dear lily, the very nature of you lilies is that you don’t give your honey to your husband, the sun, but rather to your paramour, the bee.’ The gopī, defeated by the words of Kṛṣṇa, laughed and then gave Him her lips as honey to drink.” Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also describes the following conversation: “Kṛṣṇa said to a gopī, ‘Ah, I can understand that as you approached this nīpa tree standing here, you were bitten by an audacious snake. Its venom has already reached your chest, but since you are a respectable maiden you haven’t asked Me to cure you. Still I’ve come, being merciful by nature. Now, while I massage your body with My hands, I’ll chant a mantra to counteract the serpent’s poison.’ “The gopī said, ‘But, my dear snake charmer, no snake has bitten me. Go massage the body of some girl who actually has suffered a snakebite.’ “‘Come now, My dear respectable girl, from your trembling voice I can tell that you are experiencing a feverish reaction to poisoning. Knowing this, if I don’t take care of you I’ll be guilty of killing an innocent woman. So let Me treat you.’ “With this, Kṛṣṇa applied His fingernails to the gopī’s chest.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
As the cowherd women remembered Lord Kṛṣṇa, their hearts were overwhelmed by His movements and loving smiles, His playful glances and enchanting talks, and by the many other pastimes He would enjoy with them. Thus absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Ramā, the gopīs began acting out His various transcendental pastimes.
Commentary

Then the gopis began searching for Krsna here and there, and not finding him, their pain in separation increased more and more. The sancari bhava of unmada which appeared due to this pain of separation is described in two verses in its manifest and unmanifest state. First, Krsna, rama pati, the master endowed with all beauty, approached the gopis with natural foot movements, and then he smiled his attractive soft, sweet smile, glancing with movements of the pupils of his eyes. Then he engaged them in attractive conversations such as the following. "O lotus laides! Will you give nor not give the honey of your lips to the thirsty bee?" "O bee! The husband of the lotuses is the sun, not the bee. How can be allow you to drink our honey?" Krsna answered, "O lotuses, Those who have natures like you do not give your honey to your husband the sun, but to their illicit lover the bee." He would carry out such pastimes as drinking the honey of the lips of the smiling gopis who had been defeated in such conversations. Or "I know, you have been bitten by a very proud snake while approaching me under the kadamba tree. That poison has risen to your chest. As you are a chaste women, you do not ask me to relive you of the poison, but I, being merciful, without asking, will come to you and, chanting a mantra to remove poison, will rub my hands on your body." " O poison remover, no snake has bitten me. You should rub your hands on the body of one who has been bitten by a snake." "O chaste woman, I understand by your choked voice that you are afflicted with the poison. Knowing this, if I ignore you, I will be tainted with the sin of killing a woman. Therefore I will remove this poison from you." Saying this he scratched her chest with his nails. Then they would have pastimes (vihara) of union (samprayoga). After that there would be vibhrama, madness due to love. The scriptures say, " Vibrama is the unsteadiness of the mental functions due to srngara." rasa." When in the state of separation, all these things arise intensely in the memory, the mind becomes aksipta (overturned). "O mind, what are you doing? Don’t go out seeking after the dearmost of our life." In this way one scolds the mind. When the mind leaves the body there is pramada. (pra extreme mada intoxication). When those who are pramada reach the state of unmada, their minds and intelligence attain that of Krsna (tadatmika), and thus they perform Krsna various pastimes. This means the gopis imitated the pastimes of Krsna , using their intelligence.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Their sorrow is described. This description continues for over two chapters (till 10.32.1). They were overwhelmed by his general movement, by his attraction to them, suitable for a lover (anurāga), by his smile and glance with sweetly moving eyebrows (vibhrama) as well as by his attractive speaking, his actions of conjugal love (vihāra) and his vibhrama. Citta-vrtty-anavasthānaṁ śṛṅgārād vibhramo mataḥ: instability of mental functions because of conjugal love is called vibhrama. This vibhrama and anurāga take place in the mind. His movements, smile, moving glance and conjugal actions are bodily features. His speaking is a verbal feature. This list is representative of other features as well. Movement is listed separately because of its general nature. His smiling and moving glances arise from anurāga and are thus mentioned together with anurāga. His conversations and conjugal actions arise from his vibhrama and are thus mentioned with it. The gopīs were agitated by these items which were mentioned in SB 10.29.43-46. These women identified with him and accepted various actions such as his embraces. Pramadā can be taken etymologically: those who by nature became extremely insane. But in this case, they became insane because of prema. Kṛṣṇa was the superintendent (pati) or supreme controller of the śakti (ramā) presiding over all sweetness, form, qualities and powers. Or ramā means Rādhā to indicate that she accompanied him when he disappeared. The gopīs then began imitating his various actions.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Their pain is described. This continues for two chapters. Their minds were overwhelmed by his all his bodily actions (gati--physical) by his affectionate smile, by his playful glances (mental), because they were offered with affection. They were overwhelmed by his attractive conversations (verbal), by his attractive actions such as lifting Govardhana and playing his flute and by his vibhrama, activities in śṛṅgāra-rasa. Citta-vrtty-anavasthānaṁ śṛṅgārād vibhramo mataḥ: instability of mental functions because of conjugal love is called vibhrama. The later elements in the list are of superior excellence. These were previously performed by Kṛṣṇa. They become filled with these memories. Or being overwhelmed in the mind and becoming completely absorbed can be taken as two separate actions since imitating his actions and becoming one with him are described later. They had extreme pride (pramadāḥ). This includes their previous anger as well. Or they had been extremely joyful (pramadāḥ), but now were filled with sorrow. They were absorbed in the actions of the husband of Lakṁsī. This indicates his cleverness in love and that they were his wives. Or he was the husband of Rādhā. He was with her. They imitated his actions which were were indescribable (tāḥ tāḥ). They were incapable of imitating him but did so. Or they imitated all his various activities (viceṣṭāḥ). These are natural to women in prema. Priyānukaraṇaṁ līlā: imitating the lover’s actions is called līlā. (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.28) Or the various pastimes of Kṛṣṇa accepted the women who were absorbed in him.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
The gopīs' minds were so steeped in Kṛṣṇa that His every gesture replayed in them — His glance, walk, smile, words. Real remembrance is not effort but the natural overflow of a heart fully given.
Reflection Questions
  • What does my mind replay when it is idle, and what does that say about what I love most?
  • Could I let one of Kṛṣṇa's qualities — His humor, His sweetness — become the background music of my day?

A dancer learning her teacher's gait will, without noticing, begin to walk like him in the marketplace — the loved form leaks out through the limbs. The gopīs, remembering Kṛṣṇa's smile, glance, and stride, find their own bodies enacting Him; love has overwritten the boundary between rememberer and remembered.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu in gopī-bhāva

At Purī, Mahāprabhu would gaze at the ocean and mistake it for the Yamunā, mistake a sand-dune for Govardhana, mistake gardens for Vṛndāvana — and run toward them calling Kṛṣṇa's name. His servants Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya recognized the mood as identical to that of these gopīs in SB 10.30 (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā).

Gauḍīyas regard Caitanya as Rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitam — Kṛṣṇa internally tasting the gopīs' separation. The verse before us is, in this reading, the very text Caitanya was living.

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