Sri Gopi Gita: The Song of the Longing Hearts

By Paramahamsa Vishwananda

This book is based on the heartfelt commentary of the Sri Gopi Gita that Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda gave during His seven-day course: The Essence of Shreemad Bhagavatam. Those specific verses and His commentary are lovingly assembled in this book so that one might enjoy the Sri Gopi Gita in its fullness and on its own.
As Paramahamsa Vishwananda puts it, ‘The Sri Gopi Gita is the heart of the Shreemad Bhagavatam. There is no Shreemad Bhagavatam without the Gopi Gita, which is the song of the gopis, where they express the longing for their Beloved. The gopis were filled with intense love but, at the same time, their hearts were breaking because they could not see Krishna. And so, in their agony, they started singing in praise of their Beloved Lord Krishna.’

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bhakti Marga Publications
• Release date: Feb 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9783963431098

Book preview

Table of Contents

FOREWORD TO ŚRĪ GOPĪ GĪTĀ

PROLOGUE

The Enchanting Call of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute

Kṛṣṇa Hides Himself

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

EPILOGUE

Mahā-rāsa-līlā

Foreword to

Śrī Gopī Gītā

I first met my satguru, Mahamandaleshwar Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda, on 12 June 2006. A few months later, He accepted me as his devotee, and then a few years passed with Gurudev teaching me through my own experience. The lesson always was about humility: you can always be more humble.

After many painstaking hours spent trying to write a Foreword to this Śrī Gopī Gītā, it dawned on me that there simply can be no Foreword to this book. There is nothing that one can say to describe the Śrī Gopī Gītā that gives the reader any more insight than the story itself can give. So once again, Gurudev was showing me the lesson of humility. Where there is even a little bit of pride, love cannot blossom. This is the universal lesson that Kṛṣṇa taught to mankind through the gopīs, and if the heart is open, each verse offers a way to experience this truth.

The satguru carries the grace of God. Therefore, his words are not just mere words. His words carry the grace of God. It is this grace that brings about the transformation in oneself.

So I urge you, the reader, to read the words and to feel the blessing. Feel the grace of the humblest being that I have ever known: Paramahamsa Vishwananda. He who is the humblest has the highest capacity to love unconditionally. He alone has the ability to awaken this unconditional Love, which the gopīs expressed so naturally, and which lives in all of our hearts.

So let him do that. Let him awaken the universal Love within you through these verses, through his words, and through the eternal story of our Love affair with the Divine. Enjoy.

– SVM

On behalf of Bhakti Marga

Vṛndavāna, India

This book is based on the heartfelt commentary of the Śrī Gopī Gītā that Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda gave during his seven-day course: The Essence of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Those verses and his commentary are lovingly assembled here so that one might enjoy the Śrī Gopī Gītā in its fullness and on its own.

The Enchanting Call of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute

The moment Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa started playing the flute, the minds of the gopīs were attracted to its music. This was the sign Kṛṣṇa gave to the gopīs. He was calling them, ‘Come!’

When the gopīs heard the sound of the flute inside of their hearts, they felt attracted by the Lord. In the deepness of their hearts arose a romantic feeling, and like bees are attracted to a flower from far away, the gopīs could feel some ‘sweetness’ pulling them. Like the shark is attracted from far away by one drop of blood, their hearts were pulled, and their minds were captivated by the Lord.

They started running around, looking for Him, ‘Where is our Beloved? Where is our dear Kṛṣṇa?’ Each one was unaware of what was going on with the other ones, so they didn’t all gather in one place and say, ‘Let’s all go together.’ They were all mesmerised by the call of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, which made them forget everything. They immediately left their duties, and ran like mad to meet Kṛṣṇa. Some of them were cooking, others were engaged in various household chores. Some of them were getting dressed, some of them were feeding the children. Others were with their husbands. However, the moment they heard Kṛṣṇa’s call, they left everything. They all stopped their activities and went looking for Kṛṣṇa.

Their husbands, fathers, brothers and relatives tried to stop them, but their