taḿ praśrayeṇāvanatāḥ su-sat-kṛtaḿ
sa-vrīḍa-hāsekṣaṇa-sūnṛtādibhiḥ
rahasy apṛcchann upaviṣṭam āsane
vijñāya sandeśa-haraḿ ramā-pateḥ
tam -- him, Uddhava; prasrayena -- with humility; avanatah -- bowed down (the gopis); su -- properly; sat-kritam -- honored; sa-vrida -- with shyness; hasa -- and smiling; ikshana -- by their glances; sunrita -- pleasing words; adibhih -- and so forth; rahasi -- in a secluded place; apricchan -- they inquired; upavishtam -- who was seated; asane -- on a cushion; vijnaya -- understanding him to be; sandesa-haram -- the message carrier; rama-pateh -- of the master of the goddess of fortune.
Bowing their heads in humility, the gopis duly honored Uddhava with their shy, smiling glances and pleasing words. They took him to a quiet place, seated him comfortably and began to question him, for they recognized him to be a messenger from Krishna, the master of the goddess of fortune.
The chaste gopis were enlivened to see that a messenger had come from Krishna. As Uddhava will discover during his stay in Vrindavana, the unique gopis could not think of anything but their beloved Krishna.
