Text 52
he nātha he ramā-nātha
vraja-nāthārti-nāśana
magnam uddhara govinda
gokulaṁ vṛjinārṇavāt
he nātha — O master; he ramā-nātha — O master of the goddess of fortune; vraja-nātha — O master of the cowherd village; ārti — of suffering; nāśana — O destroyer; magnam — submerged; uddhara — uplift; govinda — O Govinda; gokulam — Gokula; vṛjina — of distress; arṇavāt — from the ocean.
O master, O master of the goddess of fortune, O master of Vraja! O destroyer of all suffering, Govinda, please lift Your Gokula out of the ocean of distress in which it is drowning!
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī presents the following insight into this scene: Someone might propose to the gopīs, “Why don’t you just go somewhere else? Leave Vṛndāvana, and then you won’t have to see these rivers, mountains and forests. Cover your eyes with your garments, use your intelligence to lead your minds to some other thought, and thus forget Kṛṣṇa.” The gopīs answer this suggestion in the previous verse by stating, “We no longer possess our intelligence, for Kṛṣṇa has taken it away by His supreme beauty and charm.”
Now in the present verse the feelings of the gopīs become so strong that they disregard Uddhava and, turning toward Mathurā, address Kṛṣṇa Himself with humble cries. They address Kṛṣṇa as Vrajanātha because in the past young Kṛṣṇa performed many inconceivable pastimes to protect His beloved village people, such as lifting Govardhana Hill and destroying many monstrous demons. In this heartrending verse, the gopīs cry out to Kṛṣṇa to remember the wonderful, sweet relationship they once enjoyed together as innocent village people. Indeed, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would lovingly take care of His father’s cows, and the gopīs appealed to Him to remember these duties and return so He could resume them.