The Gopīs’ Longing for Krishna Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

हा नाथ रमण प्रेष्ठ क्वासि क्वासि महाभुज ।

दास्यास्ते कृपणाया मे सखे दर्शय सन्निधिम् ॥ 10.30.39 ॥Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

O Lord, O beloved of the beloveds, where are You? Where are You, O mighty-armed one? O friend, please show Yourself to this poor servant of Yours and grant me the sight of Your presence.

The Moonlit Night of Joy and Longing

It was a night unlike any other. The gentle Yamunā flowed under the silver light of the full moon. The air was sweet with jasmine, and the sound of Krishna’s flute had drawn the gopīs from their homes, hearts pounding with love. The Rāsa-līlā — the dance of divine love — had begun.

Each gopī felt Krishna’s presence as if He were hers alone. Joy overflowed like a river in flood…until, without warning, He was gone.

When Krishna Disappears

The Bhāgavatam tells us that Krishna’s sudden disappearance was not an act of abandonment but a gesture of more profound love. It was the most tender gift of love. By hiding, He drew the gopīs’ love into a sharper, deeper focus — turning joy into a fire that purified every trace of ego.

Separation (viraha) is, in bhakti, not absence but the most intense form of presence. When we miss someone deeply, they live in every heartbeat, every breath. The gopīs now carried Krishna in every thought.

Searching the Forest

Desperate, they searched the moonlit Vṛndāvana. They spoke to the trees: “Have you seen our beloved pass this way?”They asked the deer, the river, the flowers. They sang of His pastimes, mimicking His playful gestures, as they tried to pull Him back into their midst through memory.

The Gopīs’ Longing for Krishna Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

"The Gopīs’ Longing for Krishna Śrīmad Bhāgavatam"- Discover the deep devotion of the gopīs in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.30.39, as their heartfelt cry of separation reveals the beauty of longing for Krishna.

The Cry of Verse 39

And then came this cry — not to the forest, not to the animals, but directly to Him, as if He were standing invisibly before them:

“O Lord! O beloved of the beloveds! Where are You? Where are You, O mighty-armed? Your poor maidservant is helpless without You — O my dearest friend, show me Your nearness.”

Here, love speaks in many voices at once:

• O Lord – They acknowledge His supreme divinity.

• O beloved of the beloveds – The intimacy of a cherished lover.

• Where are You? (twice) – Breathless repetition of longing.

• O mighty-armed – Remembering His strength and protection.

• Your poor maidservant – Complete humility and surrender.

• O friend – Sweetness of friendship woven into love.

• Show me Your nearness – The ultimate prayer: darśan, not material gain.

In our own lives, there are moments when we feel Krishna is “absent.”Our prayers seem unanswered, the heart feels empty, and the world seems strangely dim.

This verse teaches us that such moments are not punishment, but a divine invitation — an invitation to turn our yearning into a constant remembrance. As the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition says: “Separation intensifies union.”When Krishna returns — as He always does — the joy will be more profound than ever before.

Meditation

If you meditate on this verse, try closing your eyes and speaking it as the gopīs did. Let each name — O Lord, O beloved, O friend — rise from your heart, and let the longing be real. The more sincere the call, the closer the Beloved will come.

Sometimes the sweetest way to find God is to cry out to Him as if we cannot live another moment without His presence. In that cry, He is already there.