FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.3

गतिस्मितप्रेक्षणभाषणादिषु प्रिया: प्रियस्य प्रतिरूढमूर्तय: । असावहं त्वित्यबलास्तदात्मिका न्यवेदिषु: कृष्णविहारविभ्रमा: ॥ ३ ॥
gati-smita-prekṣaṇa-bhāṣaṇādiṣu
[gati-smita-prekshana-bhaashanaadishu]
priyāḥ priyasya pratirūḍha-mūrtayaḥ
[priyaah priyasya pratiroodha-moortayah]
asāv ahaṁ tv ity abalās tad-ātmikā
[asaav aham tv ity abalaas tad-aatmikaa]
nyavediṣuḥ kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhramāḥ
[nyavedishuh krishna-vihaara-vibhramaah]
gati — in His movements smita — smiling prekṣaṇa — beholding bhāṣaṇā — talking ādiṣu — and so on priyāḥ — the dear gopīs priyasya — of their beloved pratirūḍha — fully absorbed mūrtayaḥ — their bodies asau — He aham — I tu — actually iti — speaking thus abalāḥ — the women tat - ātmikāḥ — identifying with Him nyavediṣuḥ — they announced kṛṣṇa - vihāra — caused by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa vibhramāḥ — whose intoxication .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gati-smita-prekṣaṇa-bhāṣaṇādiṣu
gati
in His movements
smita
smiling
prekṣaṇa
beholding
bhāṣaṇā
talking
ādiṣu
and so on
priyāḥ priyasya pratirūḍha-mūrtayaḥ
priyāḥ
the dear gopīs
priyasya
of their beloved
pratirūḍha
fully absorbed
mūrtayaḥ
their bodies
asāv ahaṁ tv ity abalās tad-ātmikā
asau
He
aham
I
tu
actually
iti
speaking thus
abalāḥ
the women
tat - ātmikāḥ
identifying with Him
nyavediṣuḥ kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhramāḥ
nyavediṣuḥ
they announced
kṛṣṇa - vihāra
caused by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
vibhramāḥ
whose intoxication .
  • pratirūḍha — fully absorbed
    Past participle of prati-√ruh (to mount, ascend upon). His mood has 'climbed onto' their bodies. The Gosvāmīs distinguish this bhāva-āveśa from Advaitin fusion: the gopī remains a gopī, the body remains hers — but the indwelling mood is fully Kṛṣṇa's.
  • asau-aham — He, I
    The famous half-line: 'He — I am!' Read in Advaita as identity-statement; read by Gauḍīyas (Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Jīva Gosvāmī) as the eighth-stage symptom of mahābhāva called tādātmya, where viraha so heats the soul that it loses track of where the beloved ends and the self begins — without losing distinction. Bhedābheda exactly.
  • abalāḥ — the women
    Literally 'the strength-less ones' — a poetic name for women in Sanskrit. The Bhāgavatam loves the irony: these 'weak' women have just overpowered the speech, gait, and glance of the all-powerful Lord. Their helplessness is their conquering instrument.
  • kṛṣṇa-vihāra — caused by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
    Compound: kṛṣṇa + vihāra (sport, play, dalliance). Vihāra is Rūpa Gosvāmī's term for the specific erotic-playful līlā of Vraja, distinct from līlā in general. It is intoxicating (vibhramāḥ) precisely because it is personal, sensuous, and unique.
  • vibhramāḥ — whose intoxication
    Here in plural — the gopīs are in many simultaneous madnesses caused by remembrance. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's biographers use this exact word for His Purī years; the verse describes the Gauḍīya state of art.
Because the beloved gopīs were absorbed in thoughts of their beloved Kṛṣṇa, their bodies imitated His way of moving and smiling, His way of beholding them, His speech and His other distinctive features. Deeply immersed in thinking of Him and maddened by remembering His pastimes, they declared to one another, “I am Kṛṣṇa!”

Spontaneously, the gopīs began moving like Kṛṣṇa: they smiled as He would smile, glanced boldly as He would and spoke as He would. The gopīs were completely absorbed in the existence of Kṛṣṇa and mad with love at their sudden separation from Him, and thus their dedication to Him attained absolute perfection.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Because the beloved gopīs were absorbed in thoughts of their beloved Kṛṣṇa, their bodies imitated His way of moving and smiling, His way of beholding them, His speech and His other distinctive features. Deeply immersed in thinking of Him and maddened by remembering His pastimes, they declared to one another, "I am Kṛṣṇa!"
Commentary

This verse describes the gopis when they reached a deep state of unmada. Absorbed in the gait and other characteristics mentioned in the previous verse, the gopis imitated the lord (pratirudha murti). That is, their bodies became similar to Krsna’s in senses and mind. First the actions of Krsna entered the senses and mind of gopis’ bodies and then the gopis bodies entered into the various actions and qualities of Krsna. When the two mixed due to unmada, there was a loss of distinction between "I am Krsna" and "Krsna is me." Attaining the deep state of "I am Krsna (asava aham)", for tasting rasa, the gopis became identical with Krsna (tad atmika). But this is not the same as the state of aham grahopasana. They announced to each other "I am Krsna". None of them were conscious at all that they were women of Vraja. They had attained a state of unmada (vibhramah) in which they identified completely with Krsna in his pastimes.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

This verse describes their absorption in Kṛṣṇa. They imitated the movements, smiles, glance and speech of their beloved. Ādi indicates his conjugal actions and vibhrama which were mentioned in the previous verse. They imitated him with the whole bodies with all senses (mūrtayaḥ). They attained his state internally and externally. They were women (abalāḥ) and should have imitated other women. But now they imitated Kṛṣṇa. They said to each other “I am he, that fellow performing pastimes whom you desire.” They performed pastimes like Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhramāḥ) or they were bewildered by his pastimes. They identified with him because that is the nature of activities in prema (they are called priyāḥ) and not as a sādhana used by impersonalists (ahamgrahopāsana). They had natural prema (priyāḥ) for him and he had similar prema (priyasya) with remembrance of them. This anubhāva is called līlā. priyānukaraṇaṁ līlā ramyair veśa-kriyādibhiḥ: Imitating the lover by attractive garments and actions is called līlā. (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.28) This is illustrated in the following. Muhūr avalokita-manḍana-lilā madhu-ripur aham iti bhāvana śīlā: looking at her ornaments constantly, she thought “I am Kṛṣṇa.” (Gīta-govinda)

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

This verse describes their absorption in Kṛṣṇa. The list was mentioned in the previous verse. ādi indicates his activities and vibhrama. Since they were already mentioned, the adjectives used with them are not again mentioned. Their bodies with senses and limbs (mūrtayaḥ) were absorbed in imitating his pastimes. Internally and externally they were overcome with this bhāva. tadā pumān mukta-samasta-bandhanas tad-bhāva-bhāvānukṛtāśayākṛtiḥ nirdagdha-bījānuśayo mahīyasā bhakti-prayogeṇa samety adhokṣajam By those methods, that person, liberated from all bondage, with mind and body acting for the Lord and thinking of the Lord, having already burned up the seed of desire, achieves a direct meeting with the Supreme Lord through his rāga-bhakti. SB 7.7.36 They were women (abalāḥ). It was suitable that they imitate women. Or because of the pain they were without strength. Tu means certainly. They said “I am h” because of great pain or because of absorption in the pastimes. The reason is given. They were filled with Kṛṣṇa (tad-ātmikāḥ). They did not say “I am Kṛṣṇa” because of their separation or because they identified with him. Being filled with Kṛṣṇa is natural when one is absorbed in pastimes of prema. It does not mean that they became one with him as in jñāṇa. They were affection to him (priyāḥ priyasya) because he was Kṛṣṇa, most attractive. Or this identity with Kṛṣṇa can be part of the imitation. They show the imitation in this verse. They say, imitating Kṛṣṇa, “O women! I am that playful lover.” It is understood that previously he said this as a joke. Why is the statement not complete? It was their mental creation (tad-ātmikaḥ). Or tad-ātmikā indicates that the imitation was a complete duplicate. Their activities of kissing, embracing and vibhrama were like Kṛṣṇa’s actions. Or vihāra-vibhramā can mean that they performed his actions of losing a necklace. Kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhrama can also mean that they were completely bewildered about whether Kṛṣṇa was playing or not or that they imitated his playing. The incomplete sentence is because of confusion due to separation. Or she who had enjoyed with Kṛṣṇa in plenty (asau) said, “I am he.” Her identity is not revealed out of confusion in separation or out of playfulness. They spoke in this way because their minds were on death (tad-ātmikāḥ). They spoke with a desire to die out of great grief because they were mad (vibhramāḥ) for the pastimes of Kṛṣna. They became confused on remembering his pastimes.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
Identifying with Kṛṣṇa rather than thinking of Him as separate is the gopīs' secret. Their voices, gestures, and even names became His because the line between lover and beloved had dissolved.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I keep Kṛṣṇa at arm's length as an object of worship, or do I let Him reshape who I am?
  • What would change about my speech today if I let Kṛṣṇa speak through me?

A flute lying empty makes no sound; the player's breath running through it is what the listener calls music. The gopīs, emptied of themselves by Kṛṣṇa's disappearance, become the flute He plays from inside — they walk, smile, and speak as He, declaring 'asau aham — I am He,' not in Advaitin fusion but in love's intoxication.

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