Adi Sankara explains Gopi-Krishna's Divine Play in Bhagavat Purana

॥ श्री कृष्णपरब्रह्मार्पणमस्तु ॥

Sri Adi Sankaracharya ji in his prabodha sudhAkara (Prabodh Sudhakar) प्रबोध सुधाकर explains Gopi-Krishna's Divine Play. Sri Adi Sankaracharya ji explains love-intoxicated state of Gopi-s in Enlightening and Beautiful way. While explaining the divine play, Acharya also explains deceitful behaviour of Krishna and Gopi-s


P.S. There may be typing errors, specially in Sanskrit verses. If you find one, please point them.


prabodha sudhAkara (Prabodh Sudhakar)



प्रबोध सुधाकर


(Notes are comments by Samvid, translator of Prabodh Sudhakar, published by Samata Books)


आत्मा तावदभोक्ता तथैव ननु वासुदेवश्र्वेत् ।
नाकैतवयत्नैः पररमणीभिः कथं रमते ॥ २१८ ॥

218. Objection: As for the Self, is it not indeed a non-enjoyer? If vAsudeva (kruShNa) is just so, how does he sport with the wives of others, through carious deceitful endeavours?

सुन्दरमभिनवरुपं कृष्णं दृष्ट्वा विमोहिता गोप्यः ।
तमभिलषन्त्यो मनसा कामाद्विरहव्यथां प्रापुः ॥ २१९ ॥

219. (Reply): the cowherdesses, having seen kruShNa who was lovely and had a fresh (or youthful) appearance, were infatuated. Longing for him with their heart, they suffered the agony of separation on account of love.

गच्छन्त्यस्तिष्ठन्त्यो गृहकृत्यपराश्र्च भुज्जानाः ।
कृष्णं विनाऽन्यविषयं समक्षमपि जातु नाविन्दन् ॥ २२० ॥

220. Moving, standing, eating and wholly engaged in the duties of the house, they did not at all experience (any) other object except kruShNa, though before the eyes.

दुःसहविरहभ्रान्त्या स्वपतीन्ददृशुस्तरुत्तरांश्र्च पशून् ।
हरिरयमिति सुप्रीताः सरभसमालिग्ङ्याश्र्चक्रुः ॥ २२१ ॥

221. On account of the delusion caused by the unbearable feeling of love in separation, they saw their own husbands, trees, men and animals thus: ‘This is Hari.’ And, being much delighted, they embraced them hurriedly.

कऽपि च कृष्णायन्ती कस्याश्र्चित्पूतनायन्य्ताः ।
अपिबत्स्तनमिति साक्षाद्वयासो नारायणः प्राह ॥ २२२ ॥

222. A certain cowherdness, acting like kruShNa drank from the breast of someone acting as pUtanA; ‘thus says vyAsa, who is nArAyaNa incarnate.

Note: This incident is narrated by the great vyAsa, who is considered to be an incarnation of Lord nArAyaNa, in his famous bhAgavata. The love-intoxicated cowheardesses not only saw kruShNa everywhere but behaved as if they were kruShNa, enacting the wonderful incidents in his life.

तस्मान्निजनिजदयितान्कृष्णाकारान्व� ��रजस्त्रियो वीक्ष्य ।
स्वरपरनृपतिपत्नीनामन्तर्यामी हरिः साक्षात् ॥ २२३ ॥

223. Therefore, the women of vraja (the place where the cowherdesses lived), beholding their own respective husbands in the form of kruShNa (embraced them). It is harI who is actually the inner controller of themselves, others abd the wives of king.

Note: the Author presents an interpretations of the much misunderstood account of the love of the cowherdesses of kruShNa.


परमार्थतो विचारे गुडतन्मधुरत्वदृष्टान्तात् ।
नश्वरमपि नरदेहं परमात्माकारतां याति ॥ २२४ ॥

किं पुनरनन्तशक्तेर्लीलावरीश्वरस्येह ।
कर्माण्यलौकिकानि स्वमायया विदधतो नृहरेः ॥ २२५ ॥

224-5: On reflection from (the point of view of) the highest Trut, the human body, though perishable, attains to the state of identity with the Supreme Self, (as deduced) from the example of jaggery and its sweetness. How much more would it apply to the sportive body of hari, become man, who is the Divine Lord having infinite powers, performing unearthly (or unusual) actions here (in this world) through His mAyA (or Divine illusive Power)?

Note: Jaggery and its sweetness cannot be separated, so the body of the Supreme Spirit is identical with it. Certainly, the body of kruShNa assumed by the Divine Lord viShNu sportively out of his infinite powers, is not different from the Transcendent Reality. His unearthly deeds were part were of this Divine Play and had a Divine Purpose.

मृद्भक्षणेन कुप्तां विकसितवदनां स्वमातरं वक्त्रे ।
विश्वमदर्शयदखिलं किं पुनरथ विश्वरुपोऽसौ ॥ २२६ ॥

226: He showed the entire universe in his mouth, to his mother, who was angry due to his eating clay (and subsequently had) her mouth fully opened (by surprise). Then, what more (is needed to prove that) He is of the form of the whole universe?

Note: Here is another incident which happened during the boyhood of kruShNa. When questioned by his mother on his having eaten clay, while playing, he opened his mouth wide to disprove it. His mother was wonder-struck when she saw the whole universe with all its beings within kruShNa’s mouth. The Supreme Spirit is all-pervasive. All this is indeed the Supreme Spirit.

Jai Shri Krishna

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