Rasa Panca Dhyayi Eng v1

Śrī R āsa
Pañcādhyāyī
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
Tenth Canto, Chapters 29-33
çré çré guru-gauraìgau jayataù
Śrīmad Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa̕s
Śrī R āsa
Pañcādhyāyī
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
Tenth Canto, Chapters 29-33
with
Elaborated Translations of Commentaries
by Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda
and Śrīla Viṣvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Translated from the Hindi edition of

tridaṇḍi-svāmī
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

Gosvāmī Mahārāja
Sevā Kuñja Publications

Vṛndāvana
Śrī R āsa Pañcādhyāyī
First edition: October 2019, 1000 copies
Printed at Rakmo Press, Delhi
Published by
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SEVĀ KUÑJA PU BLICATIONS

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Also published by Sevā Kuñja Publications:

●Śrī Gīta-govinda
by Śrī Jayadeva Gosvāmī
with commentary by
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja
●Śrī Padyāvali
by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Dedication
The one-pointed follower of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
and great rasika poet who disappeared on Śāradīya Rāsa-pūrnimā,
the very pure full-moon autumn day, giving a special signal
indicating his return to the eternal mahā-rāsa
my beloved Śrī Gurupāda-padma
çré gauòéya-vedänta-äcärya-kesaré nitya-lélä-praviñöa

oà viñëupäda añöottara-çata
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhakti prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī mahārāja
the best amongst the tenth generation

of descendants in the bhägavata-paramparä
from Çré Kåñëa Caitanya Mahäprabhu,
and the founder of the Çré Gauòéya Vedänta Samiti
and its branches throughout the world
This book has manifested by his inspiration

and is his own creation. Although it is already his,
we offer this publication into his lotus hands.
Inhalt
Dedication..................................................................................v
Introduction.......................................................................... xiii
Foreword.................................................................................xxi
Preface...................................................................................xxxi
Chapter 1 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29

Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs
Meet for the Rāsa Dance................................. 1

The Condition of the Gopīs
in Separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa..................... 179

Gopī-gīta: The Gopīs’ Song
of Separation.................................................. 263

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Reappears and
Consoles the Gopīs........................................ 329

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Performs the
Grand Rāsa Dance with the Gopīs............ 391
Verse Index................................................................ 477
vii
nitya-lélä praviñöa oà viñëupäda añöottara-çata
Śrī Śrīmad
bhaktivedānta nārāyan.a Gosvāmī mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Gosvāmī mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktivedānta Svāmī mahārāja

Photo © bhaktivedanta book trust international, Inc. www.krishna.com. All rights reserved.
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhakti prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī mahārāja
Śrī Śrīmad
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī T.hākura Prabhupāda
Introduction
I
t is our great pleasure to present this edition of Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī,
taken from the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This book is born
out of the causeless mercy and inspiration of our most worshipable
gurupāda-padma, ācārya keśarī nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda
aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. We
have included our ācāryas’ commentaries: Śrīla Śrīdhāra Svāmīpāda’s
Bhāvārtha Dīpikā, which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted, Śrīla
Jīva Gosvāmīpāda’s Saṅkṣepa Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī, and Śrīla Viśvanātha
Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s Sārārtha Darśinī. Furthermore, we have written our
own Bhāvānuvāda explanation based on the three ācāryas’ elucidations.
There were many Bengali translations of these three commentaries, but
there was nothing in Hindi. I hope that the Hindi-speaking public will be
able to relish our Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī with the commentaries.
A few years ago I spoke a series of lectures on Śrī Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī
along with its commentaries. After hearing these deliberations, my audience
again and again requested me to publish these in book form in Hindi. I could
not refuse them. I do not know how this turned out; only the readers can judge.
Padma Purāṇa confirms that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Mahā-Purāṇa is
the very embodiment of Adhoksaja Bhagavān Śrī Nanda-nandana:
pādau yadīyau prathamadvitīyau

tṛtīyaturyau kathitau yadurū
nābhistathā pañcama eva ṣaṣṭho
bhūjāntaraṁ doryugalaṁ tathānyau
kaṇṭhas tu rājan navamo yadīyo
mukharavindaṁ daśamāṁ praphullam
ekādaśo yasya lalāṭapaṭṭakaṁ
śiro'pi tu dvādaśa eva bhāti
tamādidevaṁ karuṇānidhānaṁ
tamālavarṇaṁ suhitāvatāram
apārasaṁsāra samudra-setuṁ
bhajāmahe bhāgavata-svarūpam
xiii
Ś r ī R ā s a - pa ñ c ā d h y ā y ī
“I worship the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the bridge for crossing

the ocean of repeated birth and death; it has appeared for the benefit
of all beings as the literary incarnation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the origin of
all the gods, the storehouse of mercy, and is black like the tamāla tree.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam consists of twelve Cantos, which correspond
to the twelve different limbs of the Lord’s body:
The First and Second Cantos are His lotus feet.
The Third and Fourth Cantos are His thighs.
The Fifth Canto is His navel.
The Sixth Canto is His chest and mighty shoulders.
The Seventh and Eighth are His arms.
The Ninth Canto is His throat.
The Tenth Canto is His blooming lotus face.
The Eleventh Canto is His forehead.
The Twelfth Canto is His head.”
In the Tenth Canto of this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Mahā-Purāṇa,

Chapters 29-33 are known as Śrī Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī. In the very beginning
of his commentary, Śrīla Viṣvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has proclaimed
these five chapters to be the five life airs of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
There are two types of rāsa-līlā: nitya and mahā. Ādi-Purāṇa mentions
the nitya-rāsa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes mahā-rāsa. Again,
mahā-rāsa is divided in two – śaradiya (autumn) and vāsanta (springtime).
Actually, rāsa-līlā takes place every full-moon night, but only śaradiya and
vāsanta have been recorded in the śāstras. Śaradiya-rāsa is described in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Gīta-govinda gives an account of vāsanta-rāsa.
The subject matter of the book in hand is śaradiya-rāsa.
Bhagavān performs His pleasure-filled pastimes to bestow mercy upon
His devotees. Indeed, He has manifested this rāsa-līlā to show special favor
to those who have taken shelter of madhura-rasa, His amorous pastimes.
Hearing about the sweet moods of the madhura-rasa gopīs, the devotees
become inspired to enter rāga-marga bhajana, the path of spontaneous
devotion, under the guidance of the gopīs.
Brahmā and Indra had a doubt about Śrī Kṛṣṇa being the Supreme
Godhead. For one year after Brahmā stole the calves and cowherd boys,
Kṛṣṇa Himself took the forms of those calves and cowherd boys. This
convinced Brahmā of the truth, and he offered prayers glorifying Śrī Kṛṣṇa
xiv
introduction
as Parabrahma, the Supreme Lord. Indra was also skeptical and sent torrential
rains, but his pride was smashed when Śrī Kṛṣṇa held Girirāja Govardhana
aloft. Indra then came with the Surabhī cow to beg forgiveness and perform
abhiṣekha of Kṛṣṇa.
Kāmadeva also thought that Kṛṣṇa was an ordinary cowherd boy,
and came to defeat Him. The proud Kāmadeva had already conquered Śrī
Brahmā, Indra, Candra and other demigods, who had previously thought the
Cause of all Causes, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, to be ordinary. Kāmadeva challenged Krṣṇa,
and summoned Him to enter the arena. Kṛṣṇa gladly accepted the challenge.
Millions of gopīs formed an impenetrable circle and Kāmadeva stepped
inside. It was a beautiful, full-moon night on the bank of the Yamunā where
fragrant breezes were blowing through the secluded bowers – all of these
elements manifested to serve Kāmadeva’s purpose. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed
rāsa-līlā, and when Kāmadeva witnessed Krsna’s supreme beauty in the
circle of the gopīs, he was stupefied; indeed, manmatha-manmathaḥ Śrī
Kṛṣṇa soundly defeated him.
Bhagavān Śrī Veda-vyāsa’s son, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who
spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatām, was completely renounced throughout his
whole life. This crown-jewel of swan-like liberated sages was beyond
the influence of the illusory energy, indeed, he did not even know the
difference between male and female. If this rāsa-līlā were a mundane,
lusty affair, then such a exalted personality would not have described this
in front of all the deva-ṛṣis (sages among the demigods), mahā-ṛṣis (great
sages), vipra-ṛṣis (brāhmaṇa sages) and rāja-ṛṣis (saintly kings) who were
present in Śrī Parikṣit Mahārāja’s assembly. If it were something vulgar,
then he would have referred to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Bhogeśvara, the king of
enjoyers, and Kāmeśvara, the lord of lust, but instead he addressed Him as
Ātmarāma, who finds His satisfaction within, and Yogeśvara, the supreme
master of all mystic powers. At the end of the rāsa-līlā Śrī Śukadeva said:
“vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ – hearing this pastime of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who is the hero of rāsa-līlā, completely expels the disease of lust in
the heart and bestows the supreme bhakti at the lotus feet of Bhagavān”
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.39). It is said that rāsa-līlā is the pastime of
Kṛṣṇa’s victory over Kandarpa; therefore, He has earned the title ‘sākṣāt
manmatha-manmathaḥ’ (directly the enchanter of Cupid), and devotees
call Him Madana Mohana, He who bewilders Cupid.
xv
In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 5.45-47, Śrīman Mahāprabhu,

the crown-jewel of omniscient persons, told Śrī Pradyumna Miśra, glorifying
Rāmananda Rāya:
vraja-vadhū-saṅge kṛṣṇera rāsādi-vilāsa
yei jana kahe, śune kariyā viśvāsa
hṛd-roga-kāma tāṅra tat-kāle haya kṣaya
tina-guṇa-kṣobha nahe, ‘mahā-dhīra’ haya
ujjvala madhura prema-bhakti sei pāya
ānande kṛṣṇa-mādhurye vihare sadāya
“When a person hears about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa and other līlās from the
lips of the devotees with full faith and then relates these pastimes to
others, the disease of material lust is immediately removed from his
heart. The three modes of nature (goodness, passion and ignorance)
cannot arouse material desires in him whatsoever. The result of such
hearing is that he is lifted above the material modes, and thus he no
longer becomes agitated. Indeed, he becomes deeply peaceful. He
comes to understand that holding onto material desires will stand in
the way of his attaining pure prema. He achieves the most relishable,
unmotivated prema-bhakti endowed with the moods of the selfless
gopīs. Then he always basks in the bliss of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.”
Taking the support of these words uttered by Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrīla

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has written in his commentary of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.39: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā is the very best of all
His pastimes. Indeed, it is the crown-jewel of all the līlās. If one hears and then
describes this pastime, speaking or writing about it, with complete faith in the
words of the scriptures, this will bring about his greatest welfare. If one does
this regularly, he attains prema-bhakti, even while material desires still lurk
in the heart. Eventually, the influence of that prema drives out the disease
of lust and other ailments. These two processes go on simultaneously, but
prema manifests first. Anyone can achieve success by following this process;
no qualification is required.”
By cultivating this rāsa-līlā, one can understand that the Vrajavāsīs are
very dear to Kṛṣṇa, and out of all the Vrajavāsīs, His beloved gopīs are the
special recipients of His love. Their devotion to Kṛṣṇa is spotless. For Him
they have given up the bondage of love for husband, father, mother, brother
xvi
introduction
and other relatives. Furthermore, they throw chastity, social restrictions and
other moral codes to the wind, and run to Him. Therefore, even though Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord Himself, the best of the āptakāma and ātmārāma
personalities, and the reservoir of all opulences, He was forced to admit in
front of all the vraja-gopīs, “The flag of My love for you is flying at high-
mast, broadcasting Your glorious victory over Me. Even if I were to live as
long as the demigods, I would not be able to pay you back for what you have
done for Me. Out of your kindness, you may agree to release Me from this
debt, but really and truly I will remain indebted to you for all time.”
Of all the vraja-gopīs, Kṛṣṇa’s topmost beloved is Śrī Rādhā, who is
the embodiment of mahā-bhāva. Madanākhya mahā-bhāva dwells only in
Her heart; it is not found even in Lalitā and Her other sakhīs or in akhila-
rasāmṛta-sindhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is the ocean of all expressions of
love. Only Śrī Rādhā is Rāseśvarī, the mistress of the circle dance. Without
Her, there is no question of rāsa. In this way, through rāsa-līlā Śrī Kṛṣṇa has
proclaimed the greatness of the vraja-gopīs and especially of Śrī Rādhā.
The crown-jewel of paramahaṁsas, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, called
Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Bhagavān ‘sākṣāt manmatha-manmathaḥ.’ Pradyumna of
the catur-vyūha is sākṣāt manmatha as well; his quality of also being the
enchanter of Cupid comes directly from Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the material
realm the demigod Cupid churns the hearts of ordinary humans, making them
feel they have ‘fallen in love,’ but mundane Kāmadeva is merely a shadow of
an expansion of the expansions of Pradyumna. It is this mundane Kāmadeva
who was so bewildered by Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa at the beginning of rāsa-
līlā that he fainted in his excitement to serve Him. This Rāsa-bihārī Madana-
mohāna is a fresh youth (nava-kiśora) dressed as a cowherd boy (gopa-veśa),
holding the flute (veṇu-kara), and the best of dancers (naṭa-vara). He goes to
the hearts of very fortunate persons where He captivates the worldly Cupid,
and when this material Madana faints, Kṛṣṇa tugs at their heart-strings. Now
these persons’ hearts are continuously churning with the desire to attain
their spiritual body favorable for serving Madana-mohāna exclusively in
madhura-rasa, the amorous mellow.
Akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ Śrī Bhagavān is the enjoyer of four rasas –
dāsya, sākhya, vatsalya and madhura – but His topmost beauty manifests
in madhura-rasa. The special moods He displays depend on the particular
dhāma and the associates with whom He appears. It is with the vraja-devīs
xvii
that His sweetness increases to the highest degree, and during the rāsa-līlā
His sweetness and attractiveness are experienced to the ultimate degree. This
Rāsa-bihārī Madana-mohāna is directly sākṣāt manmatha-manmathaḥ.
The crown-jewel of all His beloveds is Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the embodiment of
mahā-bhāva; She relishes the happiness of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa and facilitates
His tasting bliss in rāsa and other līlās in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa was not able to
repay the gopīs for the love-filled sevā they rendered to Him in the rāsa-līlā.
Thus, He feels ever indebted to them. But this entity called prema is beyond
our imagination. One who has relished it on the strength it bestows cannot
describe its characteristics; in the end, the only words they can utter is
“madhura, madhura, how sweet, how sweet.”
Rāsa rasika Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself said:
santi yadyapi me prājyā līlās tās tā manoharāḥ

na hi jāne smṛte rāse mano me kīdṛśaṁ bhavet
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.1.209,
quoted from Bṛhad-Vāmana Purāṇa)
“I enjoy many pastimes, and all of them are enchanting, but rāsa-līlā
is so powerful that as soon as I think about it, I can’t explain what
happens to My heart.”
There are no words to describe His condition when He is drowning

in the flood of the nectar of rāsa, going absolutely mad as He relishes
supreme bliss. Indeed, He gets completely overwhelmed just remembering
it. In rāsa-līlā no one has even a scent of desire for one’s personal
gratification. Therefore, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has called this līlā ‘the
ultimate renunciation’ (nivṛtti-parā). “Nivṛtti-pareyaṁ rāsa-pañcādhyāyī
’ti vyakti kariṣyāmaḥ – I will be describing detachment as generated in
rāsa-pañcādhyāyī.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself has no desire to please His own senses. His only
desire is to give pleasure to the hearts of the devotees. He Himself has said
this in Padma Purāṇa: “mad-bhaktānāṁ vinodārthaṁ karomi vividhāḥ
kriyāḥ – I engage in a vast variety of pastimes just to entertain My dear
devotees in every mellow.” However, the primary purpose of His existence
is to fulfill the vraja-devīs’ heart-felt yearnings. Thus, He performs rāsa-līlā,
by which He also tastes untold joy.
xviii
introduction
Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness is so inconceivable that it awakens a tremendous

enthusiasm to relish it in the heart of whoever hears about His charming
pastimes. Eventually this enthusiasm overpowers him with such greed that
he takes the shelter of a guru and dedicates himself to bhajana. But there is
one point to be emphasized in regard to hearing this kathā. One must hear
only from a Vaiṣṇava who is relishing Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness in his heart at every
moment. An intense desire consequently arises in the heart of the hearer.
But if you hear from one who is in the grip of anarthas, all you will gain is
anarthas. Ordinary persons, not knowing the secret realities of the pastimes,
actually take Kṛṣṇa and the Vraja gopīs in the wrong way and show contempt
for them, but hearing pure devotees’ deliberations on this book will surely
wash away that mistaken understanding. Of this I am completely sure.
I have full faith that the rāganuga sādhakas who are thirsty for vraja-
rasa-bhakti will deeply appreciate this book. The faithful devotee will read
this book and thus become qualified to receive the great treasure of Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s prema. Due to pressure of time, there may be
some mistakes. I request the reader to correct them while reading. Finally,
I appeal to my most worshipable gurupāda-padma, who is the condensed
embodiment of Bhagavān’s mercy, that he showers me with profuse mercy
and thus enables me to fulfill his innermost desire. This is my prayer at his
lotus feet, which bestow kṛṣṇa-prema.
Praying for the mercy of Śrī Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas on the dis
appearance day of Śrīla Gurupāda-padma.
Śaradiya Rāsa-pūrṇimā
14 October 2008
The wretched and fallen

(dina-hina)
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
xix
F or ewor d
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
Prabhupāda’s Special Discourse on
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto
Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Calcutta, 17 May 1930
First published in the weekly Gauḍīya, Volume 8, Number 41
T
here is a great necessity to write a special commentary on the Tenth
Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for those who earnestly thirst to serve
Transcendent Beauty. Such an exposition will not be a display of the
pompous language that big scholars utter in their dissertations on the Tenth
Canto. Nor will it be the exhibition of the imitationists, the prakṛta-sahajiyās,
who accept their cheaply conceived fantasies as part of absolute reality.
Therefore, those in whom ardent spiritual greed has arisen will certainly want
to read this book.
In this world there is no treatise like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is not
hearsay or mythology. If a person truly follows the deliberations of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam without material motivation, he will understand that there is no
text that can ever compare to this scripture – now or in the future. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam presents in sequence the progressively evolved conceptions
of the Absolute. The preliminary conception is doubt in the existence of
any supreme truth (saṁśaya). Next comes denial of the personal Absolute
(nāstikya), then acceptance of the Absolute as impersonal and featureless
(nirguṇa), the theory that God exists but is neuter (klīva), the potent Godhead
(puruṣa) and then the Potent and His Potency (mithuna). The conception
next evolves to svakīya, the eternal matrimony of the Supreme Male and His
consort, and finally parakīya, the paramour conception of the Divine Couple.
In the Tenth Canto Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, the main subject of this book,
are described, so what was the need of presenting the first nine cantos?
They come first to make a platform to highlight the fact that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
the completely independent autocrat. His loving affairs are the paramount
subject of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The first nine cantos present the
rudimentary theories of doubt up to the conception of conjugal love of
xxi
God, and in the Tenth Canto, in chapters like Gopī-gīta, the paramour
conception is revealed.
Before the advent of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, many persons used to study
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But only those who have read the Bhāgavatam after
delving into His biographical anthology Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta – authored
by Śrī Kṛṣnādāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, the foremost follower of Śrīla Rūpa
Gosvāmī – will be able to take to heart the real intention and the explicit theme
of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The professional orators’ and prākṛtā-sahajiyās’ explanations of the
Bhāgavatam actually cover the true conceptions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
presented in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The genuine commentary of the
Tenth Canto will not be written in that way. Countless sahajiyās have
delivered misleading commentaries simply for the gratification of general
people. Thus they have cleared a path to hell for themselves and others.
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the fully matured, succulent fruit of the
wish-fulfilling Vedas, which are the source of aggregate knowledge and
wisdom.
nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ

śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayaṁ
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.3)
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the mature, succulent fruit of the wish-

fulfilling tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī and it has willingly descended upon this Earth
in its entirety, through the disciplic succession of bona fide gurus.
It is saturated with the supremely pleasing ambrosial nectar of
transcendental emotion (rasa). It is completely liquid – having no skin,
hard seed, fibers or other parts to be discarded – and thus is fully
drinkable. O great devotees, you who are bhāvuka, well acquainted
with the transcendental nectarean emotions of divine love, and rasika,
expert in relishing all the specific forms of the liquefied ambrosia of
transcendental emotion, even when you are fully liberated, should
repeatedly drink the sweet nectar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Indeed, the
supremely liberated souls perpetually relish this grand treatise.
xxii
Foreword
The word nigama means the Vedas. They are likened to a wish-fulfilling
tree. The Vedas easily yield the fruit of whatever one may aspire for with
resolve. Seculars resolve to pursue the ordinary fourfold Vedic goals,
namely, dharma (mundane religiosity and righteousness), followed by
artha (resultant prosperity), kāma (sensual exploit of the facilities afforded
by prosperity), and at last mokṣa (the absolute cessation of consequent
material sufferings). On the other hand, those who have abandoned
sensual enjoyment (bhukti) as well as the pursuit of emancipation from
suffering (mukti) and who have factually crossed beyond the realm of
corporeal perception, never aspire for these unpalatable or tasteless things.
The fruitive workers (karmīs), who are full of selfish motives, crave that
which is distorted and repugnant, while the adherents of monism (jñānīs)
try to realize dry and tasteless absolute non-distinction. But the Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam will never yield repugnant or tasteless fruit.
Within the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the increasing excellence of the
intrinsic love between the Supreme Lord (viśaya, or sevya) and His
servitors (āśraya, or sevaka) is readily traced through each of the
successive stages from contracted (saṅkucita); to slightly budding (īṣat-
mukulita); developing, or flowering (puṣpita); expanding, or blooming
(vardhita); mature, or fully developed (paripuṣṭa); and finally profusely
exuberant, or perfected (prapakva).
Similarly, as the wish-fulfilling tree of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
unfolds, all conceptions of the Supreme Absolute are chronicled as they
evolve through doubt, the denial of the absolute, the impersonal absolute,
the personal but impotent God, the Potent, the Potent with His Potency, the
conception of conjugal love with the Supreme, and finally the superlative
conception of parakīya, the Supreme as paramour. For one who anxiously
longs to serve Transcendent Beauty through the parakīya conception, there
is no entity that can award the fruit of their determined endeavor other than
the wish-fulfilling tree of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This holds true in the
whole of existence – throughout all the material universes, or beyond them,
or across the Virajā in Brahmaloka (the endless incorporeal firmament), or
even in any of the innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets.
In considering the parakīya conception, four gradations of increasing
excellence are observed. Initially it is overly tender and immature (taruṇa).
In the growing stage it is astringent (kaṣāya), then ripe (pakva), and finally
xxiii
fully ripened (prapakva). These gradations can be perceived by the topmost

devotees who earnestly long to serve Transcendent Beauty. That is to say,
it can be perceived by the rasika and bhāvuka bhaktas as they relish the
transcendental nectar of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Only they are factually bhāvuka who are situated on the platform
of full, uninterrupted realization of their sthayī-bhāva, their eternal
relationship with Divinity rooted in their own particular mode of service.
Apart from one’s sthayī-bhāva, there are four other ingredients of pure
transcendent love. When these four ingredients of love are integrated with
the realization of sthayī-bhāva, then rasa, the transcendent nectar of divine
loving exchange, will arise.
Those who are immersed in rasa completely surpass the realm of
mundane perceptions. Situated on the platform of the profuse transcendental
astonishment within their hearts, which are resplendent with viśuddha-
sattva (the supreme purity of spiritual existence), they forever relish this
sublime rasa.
Only they who are rasika (who can relish the astonishing humors
of transcendence) can taste the nectar of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the
perfectly succulent fruit of the wish-fulfilling tree of Vedic literature.
There is a possibility of choking if one swallows any other fruit, but
because this perfectly ripened fruit is fully melted nectar, it contains only
juice and is always easy to drink. It has no skin, no hard core, and no
interfering network of fibers. Indeed, there is no aspect at all to be discarded.
Literatures that are tainted by selfish motives (anyābhilāṣa), expectation
of material gain (karma), cultivation of secular knowledge (jñana), or
pursuit of mystic power (yoga) and even those literatures that expound
a form of devotion to God that is mixed with any of these (miśra-bhakti)
are all entangled with undesirable, nonessential matters and are covered
by a coarse layer of misconception. Unlike these, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the supremely pure and perfectly ripened embodiment of transcendent
nectarean rasa. Indeed, it is the infinite reservoir of the absolute totality
of this rasa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. Such divine rasa is meant to be relished
through all stages. Even after the point of liberation the clan of truly free
souls eternally takes pleasure in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The narration of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be heard from the
mouths of the paramahaṁsa Vaiṣṇavas, the most precious jewels among
xxiv
Foreword
liberated souls. Still, the prākṛta-sahajiyās hear from orators whose hearts
are full of innumerable worthless attachments (anarthas) that they are
dedicated to protecting. Such orators are simply obsessed with the flavors
of mundane literature, poetry and syllables. On the pretense of hearing
the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the prākṛta-sahajiyās simply seek the meager
gratification of their material senses mistaking ku-rasa, the unpalatable
flavors of the mundane realm, to be actual rasa. Such imitators can never
taste the pure, succulent transcendental mellows of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
By hearing the explanations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sung by a
liberated paramhaṁsa like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a qualified listener like
Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who was fully convinced regarding the temporary nature
of human life, will at once become immersed in relishing the nectar of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and remain there forever. Thereafter, such a qualified
listener forgets all his prior lower interests that were unrelated to Kṛṣṇa and
becomes freed from worldly attachment.
A precise, written explanation of the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam grounded in profound and thorough deliberation is indis
pensable. Indeed, such a composition, arranged in congruence with the
rūpānuga-gauḍīya conception (the conception of Śrī Caitanyadeva’s
apostles headed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī), elucidating the Tenth Canto’s
chapters such as Rāsa-pañcādhāya, Bhramara-gīta, and Gopī-gīta, must
be set forth without fail. The world is in want of actual beauty, or rūpa, the
conceptions propounded by Śrī Rūpa, for currently only ku-rūpa abounds,
misshapen conceptions that are opposed to his. In order to broadcast their
cleverness and prematurely profess their own elevated status, the sahajiyās
recklessly amuse themselves by dallying with these lofty branches of the Tenth
Canto. Abolishing their misguided interpretations is requisite, as is com
posing the actual commentaries on Bhramara-gīta, Gopī-gīta and the rest.
Until now we have simply occupied ourselves in the process of negation,
rejecting atat (literally, ‘that which is not’). For eight years our periodical,
Gauḍīya, has extensively discussed such issues. The sahajiyās can be
greatly benefited by studying these articles. However, it is not possible to
become advanced in hari-bhajana if we limit the scope of our endeavors
either to simply negating atat or to performing favorable action.
The sahajiyā-sampradāya asserts, “We will not abandon offences to
chanting the Lord’s holy names.” We say, “We do not chant the holy names
xxv
with offences as you do.” The latter declaration indicates the pursuance of
favorable action; but this alone will not give entrance to hari-bhajana. Simply
being committed to favorable action is not enough; kṛṣṇa-anuśīlanam is
absolutely essential, that is, liberally cultivating with every fiber of one’s
existence the uninterrupted performance of pure spiritual service that is
conscientiously devoted to the pleasure and welfare of Kṛṣṇa.
Take the example of an epileptic. Despite his doing favorable activities
to ensure his health, he is still subject to recurring seizures at any time. In
the same way, in the absence of such sturdy and uninterrupted service,
favorable action alone will not prevent the pilgrim on the path of bhakti
from periodically losing his healthy spiritual consciousness and falling
down. Aided by favorable action alone, he may suddenly stumble on any
unfavorable elements appearing in his path or he may get knocked off balance
by consuming the poison of untrue conceptions, mistaking it for ambrosia.
While the benefit of singly performing favorable actions that are
related to bhakti is not lost even after unlimited lifetimes, still, in this
very lifetime, those actions will grant neither emancipation from the
mortal sphere, nor the perfection of the soul, nor the ability to perform
real hari-bhajana. The attainment of Kṛṣṇa will remain completely out of
reach for one who does not become captivated by His graceful, beautiful
form and qualities. But those who have developed real greed for rūpa,
Graceful Beauty, who are longing to serve Graceful Beauty, they alone
gain intimacy with Kṛṣṇa.
The name ‘Śrī Rūpa’ is what is understood by the word rūpa, or ‘Graceful
Beauty.’ Only those who long to serve Graceful Beauty know the meaning
of hari-bhajana. They completely depend on the guidance of Śrī Rūpa and
place all their hopes in following him. The lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī are
their sole object of adoration and service, and the only perfection for which
they yearn is to remain at her lotus feet eternally. It is they who are truly
searching for Graceful Beauty. The commentary on the Tenth Canto of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam must be fashioned for them.
It is true that we do not approve of the fraudulent interpretations of
Bhramara-gīta and Gopī-gīta propounded by the sahajiyās, but then we
must also provide the real explanations in place of the condemned ones.
Simply rejecting adverse elements by declaring ‘not this, not this’ offers no
real assistance. The positive element, ‘it is this,’ must be established. Simply
xxvi
Foreword
rejecting adverse elements leaves one in a negative sphere; it does not bring
one to the positive position.
The impersonal aspect of the Absolute, which is without any
comprehensible features, is designated by the word tat, which literally
means ‘that.’ Simply trying to realize tat by exhaustively negating all limited
matter is insufficient. Leaving aside the dry investigation of tat, one must
enter into the pastimes of saḥ, which literally means ‘He.’ He – the Absolute
Personality, the infinite reservoir and original perfection of all transcendent
features. One must enter into His pastimes by sequentially realizing the true
and absolute nature of His name, His form, His qualities, and the unique
glories of His intimate associates.
Those who limit their vision to tat and simply engage in the process
of negating the unfavorable are bound to make material phenomena their
focus. Then there are those who claim that their vision extends to tat-sat,
namely the Absolute (tat) with transcendental existence (sat). But those who
are factually situated in transcendence even perceive the material world, the
cosmic manifestation of the Supreme Lord, as a reflection of the original
immaculate source – the eternal and incorruptible abode of the Absolute
Divinity. Thus they see saḥ, the non-dual entity, as He who manifests all
features in full and who possesses sublime names, forms, qualities, intimate
associates, and pastimes. Their vision is raso-vai-saḥ, ‘certainly, He is
the divine nectar (rasa).’ He is the absolute form of all sublime nectarean
mellows in their entirety. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī explains:
akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ
prasṛmara-ruci-ruddha-tārakā-pāliḥ
kalita-śyāmā-lalito
rādhā-preyān vidhur jayati
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.1)
Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra is supremely glorious! He is the condensed form of

all the eternal, supra-mundane rasas. Indeed, He has not neglected the
full expression of any divine sentiment. Just see how He subjugates
the extremely submissive gopī Tāraka, just as the vernal full moon
outshines a tiny star, so that her own effulgence is totally engulfed
by His brilliance. And Pāli, who is also controlled by Him, is just like
a constellation keeping the moon at her bosom. His rays overpower
xxvii
her as well. When the vernal full moon accepts the night sky as a
playground, the atmosphere becomes ideal for love dalliance. In the
same way, Śrī Kṛṣṇa makes Śyāmā, who is like the dark blue vault,
and Lalitā, who is love dalliance personified, His very own. Just as
the full moon comes under the powerful influence of the Rādhā-
constellation in the spring season, He comes under the control of the
prema of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, who is the embodiment of mahābhāva and
the origin of all the yūtheśvarīs. Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s love completely
eclipses and defeats Him. She is His everything, without which He is
just the lonely moon.
The school of the selfishly motivated karmīs and jñānīs question: “Why
don’t you manufacture salt? Why don’t you work as weavers or plough the
fields? Why don’t you serve people suffering from cholera by becoming their
sweepers? Or why don’t you cremate the bodies of the deceased?” Hoping to
perfect their favored means of increasing sensual and mental pleasure, they
somehow attempt to subjugate the devotees of Kṛṣṇa for their purposes. Of
course, their cleverness is insignificant compared to the brilliance of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s servants, so there is no possibility that they can ever oppress us.
Śrī Gaurasundara, Śrī Rādhā-Govinda and all Their intimate associates are
superlatively worthy masters. As their loving servants, we have placed all of
them on our shoulders in respectful subservience, and we will never allow
anyone else a place there.
We will follow Śrī Upadeśāmṛta, the essential ambrosial commandments
propounded by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. We will abandon what is unfavorable
and accept the favorable, but we will never consider the practice of
accepting what is favorable to be enough to maintain the progressive flow
of our bhakti. We will not become degraded, losing our healthy spiritual
consciousness like the epileptic who, tortured by recurring seizures,
violently falls to the ground unconscious.
Filled with intense enthusiasm, we will actively cultivate the tendencies
of our minds, bodies and words in the service of Kṛṣṇa’s name and
character (kṛṣṇa-anuśīlana), situate ourselves in Mathurā and Vraja – the
fully transcendental facsimiles of Kṛṣṇa’s unmanifest eternal abodes – and
sing the glorification of His holy name and sublime nature. Thus we will
follow the clear path set forth by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Then we will be able to
xxviii
Foreword
engage in smaraṇa (the act of meditating on Kṛṣṇa and thus remembering

Him constantly).
We will attain permanent residence on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇḍa in
the beautiful forest grove belonging to our most worshipful Goddess.
Remaining there forever, we will engage in service to the Divine Couple
under the direction of our eternal guides, whose hearts are the permanent
resting place of love for Kṛṣṇa (āśraya). Outwardly we will never leave
the shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, and internally, enveloped in spiritual
time – the eternal eightfold divisions of the day (aṣṭa-kāla) – we will
serve the most cherished beloved of King Vṛṣabhānu’s daughter. That is,
we will serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the most beloved of Rādhārāṇī, for all time. This
achievement is the pinnacle of all our expectations. We have no aspiration
besides this. Furthermore, we cannot conceive that any higher aspiration
exists even for greatly liberated souls.
In truth, our divine guide (Śrī Guru), who is the beloved servant of
Kṛṣṇa; the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which unfolds the
pastimes of Kṛṣṇa; Śrī Rādhā-Govinda Themselves; and Śrī Caitanya, who
is known as Śrī Gaurasundara, the combined form of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, are all
non-different features of the Absolute Truth. We need not become like the
fruitive workers and empiricists, who try to fulfill all their separate interests
by the worship of five deities (pañcopāsanā). Their service is never meant
for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Instead, we will render truly pleasing service to Śrī
Kṛṣṇa in five ways to His five non-different features. First we will serve Him
in His aspect of His own beloved servant, our divine guide. Second, we will
serve Him as His holy name, His incarnation as transcendental sound. Third,
we will serve Him as the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Fourth, we will serve Him as
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. And fifth, we will serve Him as Śrī Gaurasundara.
Furthermore, we will worship Kṛṣṇa with all five primary transcendental
mellows (pañca-rasa) – as devotee, servant, friend, guardian and lover.
By becoming the devoted follower of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī (rūpānuga), we
will worship Kṛṣṇa in the paramour conception (madhura-rasa), which
completely contains all five rasas.
We will not be content simply by rejecting the unfavorable, nor will we
expect to flourish in bhakti simply by accepting the favorable. Rather, we
will always actively cultivate the tendency to arrange for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure
(kṛṣṇa-anuśīlana).
xxix
Śrī Caitanyadeva appeared before us as the embodiment of infinite

magnanimity, compassion, and kindness (audārya-vigraha), for He
freely bestowed upon us unnata-ujjvala-rasa, the most elevated, brilliant
conception of devotional service in paramour love, which had not been
revealed for millions of eons.
By immersing ourselves in the endless ocean of His magnanimity we
will become the rightful recipients of that same rare treasure. Following
in the footsteps of Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Prabhu, His most confidential
companion, we will recite:
heloddhūnita-khedayā viśadayā pronmīlad-āmodayā

śāmyac-chāstra-vivādayā rasa-dayā cittārpitonmādayā
śaśvad-bhakti-vinodayā sa-madayā mādhurya-maryādayā
śrī-caitanya dayā-nidhe tava dayā bhūyād amandodayā
Śrī Caitanya-candrodya nātaka (8.14) quoted in
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 10.119)
“O Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, ocean of compassion! May Your
auspicious mercy be awakened everywhere. It easily dispels all kinds
of mundane lamentation, and it illuminates everything with purity. It
thoroughly awakens supreme transcendental bliss and removes all
confusion arising from disparities among scriptures. Your auspicious
mercy releases a shower of all of the transcendental mellows, leaving
one intoxicated. In other words, one becomes situated in the fully
condensed bliss of separation, causing the heart to surge with divine
madness. Your mercy perpetually stimulates bhakti’s own delightful
nature, so that by the influence of the original transcendental Cupid,
profuse ecstatic transformations are aroused that plunder one’s
faculty of discrimination between right and wrong. The appearance
of Your mercy heralds the complete cessation of all of the conditioned
soul’s selfish desires and at the same time, it confers the last limit of
divine sweetness. Your boundless mercy recklessly distributes the
most valuable benediction without any restriction. Please, awaken
Your causeless mercy within my heart.”
Translated from Śrīla Prabhupādera Harikathāmṛtam

published by Śrī Caitanya Maṭha
xxx
Preface
O
n 14 October 2008, Śaradiya Rāsa-purṇima, the disappearance day
of Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, our beloved
Gurudeva nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī
Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja presented Śrī Rāsa-
pañcādhyāyī to the Hindi-speaking public. Thus he answered the call of our
guru-varga to disseminate the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the
bona fide commentaries. By doing so, he has assured that the world can have
access to the true understanding of the astonishing activities and nature of
parama-puruṣa Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara in Goloka Vraja.
Rāsa-līlā is the very zenith of all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s activities. Everything
about this pastime is phenomenal, to the utmost degree. This festival of
divine love proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nanda-nandana is no
ordinary person. How he danced with billions and billions of the fabulously
beautiful, sweet and enchanting Vraja maidens at the same time and tho
roughly satisfied each and every one of them is simply a feat beyond the
grasp of our material understanding! Only Svayam Bhagavān, the Supreme
Godhead Himself, can effect such an accomplishment. In all of existence,
indeed, there is no one else capable of doing this. And what was the purpose
of His inconceivable, extraordinary behavior? He wanted to share higher
and higher levels of prema with the gopīs, whose love and dedication for
Him outshine His love for them.
Another aspect of the beauty of this rāsa-līlā is that the joy that filled
the forest on that full-moon autumn night was not limited to just Kṛṣṇa’s and
the gopīs’ experience. No, it touched the whole universe and removed the
sufferings of all beings at that time. And even today its effect is still flowing
down on Earth, blessing everyone with the promise that we too can become
devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa like the gopīs just by hearing about this startling,
prema-filled pastime from pure Vaiṣṇavas. The joy that spread throughout
the universe on that Śaradiya Rāsa-purṇima is ultimately available to us
as well. So how merciful is the Supreme Lord that He wants to share His
happiness with us and has thoughtfully provided us the effective tool to join
Him in the form of this very book!
xxxi
In the prelude to his commentary of Gopi Gita, the third chapter of

Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī, Śrīla Jiva Gosvami said, “I desire to write the meanings
of the words of the gopīs, which cannot be understood by anyone else
except Śrī Kṛṣṇa. May the most gracious damsels of Vraja (karuna-mayi
vraja-devīs) please accept my entreaty.” Similarly, we pray, “O Gurudeva,
give us your mercy so that we may fully understand the bhāvas that you
have expressed in the pages of this guhya rasa-sampatti, this confidential,
nectar-filled literary treasure. When Kṛṣṇa returned to the assembly of the
gopīs after having tested their love for Him by disappearing, He finally said
to them, ‘na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ – I am eternally indebted
to you for your sacrifice and selfless dedication to Me.’ In the same way,
Gurudeva, we are eternally indebted to you for manifesting this priceless
book, thereby helping us to take a Trivikrama-like giant step to enter our
rightful home in the land of eternal love and beauty where we will serve Śrī
Śrī Rādha-Kṛṣṇa in Their amorous affairs under your guidance. The value
of your gift to us is beyond our understanding.”
The book in hand is a preliminary publication. We wanted to put this in the
hands of the devotees now because we have been working on this for almost
six years and we want to share with everyone the profound nectar found in
these pages. Please forgive any mistakes, and give us your feedback so that
we can make any needed corrections for the next printing. Many thanks to
the devotees who helped with this publication, especially to Smt. Janaki dāsī
and Smt. Vraja Sundarī dāsī, who translated the text from Hindi. Without their
dedicated efforts, this English translation would not have happened. Many
others also contributed in various ways: Śrī Premadāsa Śastri Mahārāja,
Śrīpad Bhaktivedānta Nemi Mahārāja, Rādhikā dāsī (Russian), Madana
Mohana brahmacārī (Mayank Mittal), Kṛṣṇadāsa brahmacārī, Acintya Kṛṣṇa
dāsa (Abhijit Raya), Kṛṣṇa Mohan prabhu, Sundara-gopāla prabhu, Sāvitrī
dāsī, Bakula dāsī and Kṛṣṇa Karunya brahmacārī.
Praying to serve Śrī Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas
Vicitrī dāsī (editor)
Sevā Kuñja, Vṛndāvana

6 September 2019, Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī
xxxii
7 Śrī R āsa Pañcādhyāyī 7
7 C h a pter 17
Ś r ī m a d -B h āgavata m 10.29
Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs
Meet for the Rāsa Dance
Verse 1
śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca
bhagavān api tā rātriḥ
śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ
vīkṣya rantuṁ manaś cakre
yoga-māyām upāśritaḥ
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: “When Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

saw the unparalleled splendor of the autumn night beautified
by blossoming jasmine flowers, He was inspired to perform the
love-play of rāsa-līlā to fulfill the desire of His beloved gopīs.
Thus, although He is complete in six opulences, He took shelter of
His internal potency Yogamāyā. [When Śrī Kṛṣṇa stole the gopīs’
clothes, He informed them about those future nights, which all
came together as this exquisite, divine night.]”
Maṅgalācaraṇa
namaḥ oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya gaura-preṣṭhāya bhūtale
śrī-śrīmad-bhakti-prajñāna-keśava iti nāmine
I offer praṇāmas unto oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti

Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who is most dear to Śrī Gaurahari.
atimartya-caritrāya svā-śritānāñ ca pāline

jīva-duḥkhe sadārttāya śrī-nāma-prema-dāyine
He is graced with supramundane character, and like a parental guardian

he nurtures with extreme, divine affection those who take shelter of
him. He is always genuinely aggrieved to see the suffering of the jīvas
who have turned away from Kṛṣṇa, and bestows upon them śrī nāma
along with prema.
1
gaurāśraya-vigrahāya kṛṣṇa-kāmaika-cāriṇe
rūpānuga-pravarāya vinodeti-svarūpiṇe
He is the manifestation of the receptacle of Mahāprabhu’s prema,

foremost among the followers of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and his
name is Vinoda as he is very skillful in giving pleasure (vinoda) to
Vinodinī Rādhikā (as Vinoda Mañjarī) and to Mahāprabhu (as Vinoda
Brahmacārī).
viśvasya nātharupo ’sau bhakti vartma pradarśanāt

bhakta-cakre varttitatvāt cakravartty ākhyayā bhavat
Because he indicates the path of bhakti, he is known by the name

Viśvanātha, the lord of the universe, and because he always remains
in the assembly (cakra) of pure devotees, he is known by the name
Cakravartī (he around whom a circle or assembly revolves).
śrī-rūpa-caraṇa-dvandva-rāgiṇaṁ vraja-vāsinaṁ
śrī jīvam satataṁ vande mandeṣv ānanda-dāyinaṁ
I perpetually pay respects to Śrī Jīva, who is full of affection for the
lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa, who is a resident of Vraja, and who bestows bliss
to the ignorant.
namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
I offer praṇāma unto Śrī Kṛsṇa-Caitanya, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself.

Having assumed the golden hue of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, He munificently
bestows kṛṣṇa-prema, the rarest of all gifts.
I prostrate again and again at the lotus feet of our guru-varga, and I
pray to all of them for their mercy: my gurupāda-padma, oṁ viṣṇupāda
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, who is an ocean
of unconditional mercy; Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, who is
the greatest of exalted teachers and the foremost of preceptors adept in
relishing rasa; Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda, who is the authority on conclusive
Gauḍīya philosophy; the supremely worshipable Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda;
and Śacīnandana Gaurahari, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa beautifully adorned with
Śrī Rādhā’s golden complexion and mood. Although unqualified in every
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way, I am undertaking the presentation of elaborated translations of their

commentaries on śrī rāsa-līlā described in Chapters 29-33 of the Tenth
Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Bhāvārtha Dīpikā, Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī and
Sārārtha Darśinī.
Bhāvānuvādas
Elaborated Translations
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s

Bhāvārtha Dīpikā
This 29th Chapter begins with the conversation between Śrī Hari and
the gopīs, consisting of clever questions, statements and retorts that took
place at the onset of the rāsa-līlā. This is followed by the description of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s surprising disappearance upon His witnessing the rising of the
gopīs’ pride at the beginning of the rāsa-līlā.
The commentator’s auspicious invocation:
All victory to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Master of the goddess of fortune, who looked
most beautiful in the rāsa-maṇḍala surrounded by the gopīs. He obliterated
the pride of Cupid, who had become extremely proud of defeating the creator
Brahmā and other demigods, after successfully instilling lust in their hearts.
‘He who obliterated Cupid’s pride:’ Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmī wrote this
auspicious invocation, thinking that ordinary persons might wonder,
“How can Bhagavān have conquered Cupid? The Supreme Lord is
enjoying with others’ wives, so it appears that Cupid defeated Him." The
commentator has himself posed this doubt, and he resolves it by presenting
the following philosophical conclusions. As stated in the phrase ‘yoga-
māyām upāśritaḥ,’ Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed the rāsa-līlā under the shelter of
Yogamāyā, who, as His internal potency, has the special ability to make the
impossible possible (aghaṭana-ghaṭan-paṭīyasī). He did not rely upon His
external illusory potency for this. “Ātmārāmo ’py arīramat (10.29.42) – Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is self-satisfied, but still He engaged in amorous pastimes.” In other
words, one who is self-satisfied can never experience the rising of lusty
desires in his heart. “Sākṣāt manmatha-manmathaḥ (10.32.2) – Kṛṣṇa is
the transcendental Kāmadeva, and He churns the heart even of Cupid, who
3
agitates the hearts of everyone else.” “Ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ1 – in

whose heart all symptoms of amorous feelings, such as hāva and bhāva,
have been enclosed.” This evidence shows that Śrī Kṛṣṇa exhibited His
supreme independence in the rāsa-līlā, and that this independence was
broadcast in a special way. To announce to the world that He is the one
who conquered Cupid, Śrī Kṛṣṇa tricked Kāmadeva with the rāsa-līlā. Thus
rāsa-līlā was performed to announce victory over Cupid, and this is the
underlying truth regarding this pastime. In this discussion of the amorous
mellow in Rāsa-pañcadhyayī, I will focus more on the subduing of lust
rather than its victory.
“Tā rātrīḥ – those nights.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.27, beginning
with yātābalā, Bhagavān said, “O fair ones, you have achieved perfection,
so return home. I will romance with you in the coming nights.” Seeing that
those nights were appropriate to fulfill His benediction, Śrī Kṛṣṇa developed
the desire to perform rāsa-līlā.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda’s

Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī
Again and again I offer my obeisances to the rāsa-rasikas, those who
are expert in relishing the mellows of rāsa-līlā. In his commentary on this
verse Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda writes: rāsa-saṁrambhe. This means that
this First Chapter on the rāsa-līlā begins with the conversation consisting
of retorts and rejoinders between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, and it finishes
by relating Kṛṣṇa’s shrewd and skillful act of going into hiding when he
observed the gopīs’ rising arrogance. With the phrase kandarpa-jetṛtva-
pratīteḥ, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has raised the following doubt: Bhagavān Śrī
Kṛṣṇa actually defeated Cupid by performing rāsa-līlā, but to an ordinary
person it may appear that, since Kṛṣṇa romanced with others’ wives, He
Himself was conquered by Cupid. To remove this doubt, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda
replies, “It cannot be said like that, because the glories of Bhagavān’s rāsa-
līlā are widely known.”
To show the influence of this extremely powerful pastime, the verse
begins with ‘śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca’ (Śrī Śukadeva said). The name
1 An elaborate explanation of this phrase is given in Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary

on Verse 10.33.25
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‘bādarāyaṇi’ is used for the following reasons. Śrī Vyāsadeva performed

very severe austerities in Badarikāśrama, and therefore he is known
as Bhagavān Vyāsadeva Śrī Bādarāyaṇa. His worship was the topmost
because His austerities were to satisfy Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the
supreme object of worship, Śrī Bādarāyaṇa is the best of omniscient
persons. Consequently, it was possible only for the omniscient Vyāsadeva
to perform such supremely excellent asceticism for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa.
The fruit that Śrī Vyāsadeva received for performing such austerities
in Badarikāśrama came in the form of a son, Śrī Śukadeva, who is thus
known as Śrī Bādarāyaṇi. Since he appeared as a result of Śrī Vyāsadeva’s
austerities, he naturally developed all the sublime qualities of pure
devotees, such as omniscience, prema for Bhagavān, and being filled with
rasa (transcendental mellows); but the significance of the name Bādarāyaṇi
finds its final glories when he described the extremely confidential
rāsa-līlā. In other words, only to propagate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam did
Śrī Vyāsadeva attain his son as a fruit of his rigorous austerities. Thus,
the ultimate accomplishment of Śrī Śukadeva’s glory as the son of Śrī
Vyāsadeva was indeed to describe the topmost pastime, rāsa-līlā. Hence,
it is appropriate to remember the original speaker, Śrī Bādarāyaṇi, and to
hear the pastimes of rāsa-līlā with a heart purified by bhakti, just as he
did. This is the intention in using the name Bādarāyaṇi.
In some editions an alternative reading, ‘śrī śuka uvaca,’ is seen. The
voice of parrot (śuka) is naturally sweet and soft. Thus the statement ‘śrī
śuka uvaca’ implies that Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, has very naturally presented
the topmost sweetness and softness of this rāsa-līlā pastime, because he
is eternally situated in the supremely brilliant mellow of conjugal love
(unnatojjvala-rasa). Therefore, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the only effective
speaker of rāsa-līlā, which is saturated with unnatojjvala-rasa. Just as the
speaker is absorbed in unnatojjvala-rasa, so the audience also has to listen
with the same mood. This is what is indicated by using ‘śuka.’
It is seen that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s purpose is to give joy to the gopīs,
who are filled with the topmost love, by fulfilling their innermost desires.
To achieve this end He performs rāsa-līlā, and thereby He Himself relishes
supreme happiness. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī highlights these two blissful
achievements in these five chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, by narrating
Śrī Bhagavān’s performance of the dancing pastimes with the beautiful
5
maidens of Vraja. These five chapters, which are like the five senses of the
Bhāgavatam, are very dear to the devotees.
In front of the vraja-gopīs Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested His supremely lovely
and enchanting form, which is the only shelter of all the beauty found in
the three worlds. This form is so beautiful that it churned the heart of even
Cupid, who captivates the hearts of all others. “Gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran –
What austerities did the gopīs perform in order to continuously drink with
their eyes Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unparalleled sweet beauty” (SB 10.44.14)?
One comes to understand by examining this verse and some others from
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that only the vraja-devīs have relished in the most
intimate way Kṛṣṇa’s unparalleled beauty, flavor, fragrance, touch and
speech. It is extremely rare even for the self-satisfied sages to receive such
experience. The vraja-gopīs are the only ones who can drink the nectar of
Śrī Bhagavān’s lips; it is completely impossible for others. This is the reason
why it is widely accepted that the vraja-gopīs are the perfect candidates to
participate in the rāsa-līlā because in them ujjvala-rasa flourishes to the
highest degree.
There are many similar instances where Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes
the glories of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. “In the amorous diversions
of the rāsa-līlā, the vraja-sundarīs, with their bee-like eyes, drank the
nectarean honey of Śrī Mukunda’s lovely lotus face, which removed the
burning they experienced in the fire of separation” (10.15.43). “The gopīs
became supremely joyful to see Śrī Govinda” (10.19.16). “Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered
the immensely alluring Vṛndāvana, which was exquisitely decorated by
the autumn season with its lakes and rivers filled to capacity with crystal
clear waters” (10.21.1). “The unmarried vraja-gopīs took a vow to follow
strict rules and worship Kātyāyanī in the first month of the winter season”
(10.22.1). These verses describe in a special way the sprouting passion of
Kṛṣṇa and the vraja-sundarīs for each other.
Remembering Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs spoke the forthcoming verses. “O Master
of amorous affairs, the side-long glance emanating from Your eyes, which
defeat the beauty of the lotus in the autumn pond, has made us Your unpaid
maidservants” (10.31.2). “O dear one, we remember Your special smile,
Your beautiful glances, Your many amorous intrigues, Your heart-touching
laughing, joking and intimate talks. All these memories bring extreme
pleasure, and at the same time they have left us spell-bound” (10.31.10). “O
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Chapter 1
hero, in the evening You arouse romantic desires in our hearts by again and
again showing us Your gorgeous lotus face, surrounded by beautiful dark
locks and coated with dust raised by the cows’ hooves” (10.31.12). “The
suggestive way You spoke to us in private; the sight of Your smiling lotus
face, which is the root cause of amorous desire; Your loving glances; Your
broad chest, which is the abode of Lakṣmī – all these make us long to be
with You” (10.31.17). In this way, the vraja-sundarīs themselves described
their budding desire.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī deeply remembered Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s and the vraja-
gopīs’ fresh meetings, and felt it appropriate to describe them in a special
way. Thus he spoke this first verse “bhagavān api – although (api) Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is the Supreme Lord, He desired to dally with the gopīs.” Here, the word
‘api’ leads one to meditate on the gopīs’ newly arising passion, which was
described earlier, and also it indicates the freshness of the forthcoming
meeting. Since the time of vastra-haraṇa-līlā (the pastime of Kṛṣṇa stealing
the gopīs’ garments) the cowherd maidens had been waiting restlessly to
engage in amorous amusements with Kṛṣṇa, their excitement having been
aroused in pūrva-rāga, the passion of anticipation before actually meeting
with their beloved. Intense feelings of love (anurāga) had already risen
in Kṛṣṇa’s heart, but He was controlling Himself, waiting patiently for the
proper moment till the gopīs’ amorous emotions developed the necessary
fervor. That is why He did not act on His desires immediately.
Now the vraja-sundarīs are in mid-adolescence (madhya-kaiśora) and
are naturally exhibiting the spreading of joy and auspiciousness, which are
the qualities of that age. Those gopīs have come to understand the language
of the flute, and due to this ability they are extraordinary. During the vastra-
haraṇa-līlā, Śrī Bhagavān promised the gopīs, “O tender girls, now you have
attained perfection, so you should return to Vraja. In the future nights, I
will perform delightful pastimes with you.” When Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw
the advent of those nights illuminated by the full moon, which were just
right for keeping His pledge and which were radiant with deep anurāga, He
gave up His self-control and indulged in amorous play. This indicates that
although the ātmārāma munis, the self-satisfied sages, do not engage in
any activity [except for meditating], they still perform bhakti to Bhagavān.
Similarly, although Bhagavān is fully satisfied in every respect, the sight of
those special nights stimulated His desire to experience amour.
7
In this way, the logic of ‘how much more?’ or ‘how much less?’
(kaimutika-nyāya) demonstrates the glories of the prema of the vraja-
sundarīs, who are the abode of love (ālambana-rūpa). If such charming,
sweet nights are the stimulant (uddīpana), then what can be said about these
gopīs, who are the vessel of that love? Here, seeing the beauty of the night,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa remembered the gopīs in His heart and this stirred His desire for
amour. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa’s adolescent age is supremely glorious because
it manifests everything [needed for the accomplishment of His līlā]. The
description of the rāsa-līlā shows that both Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs were
in their kaiśora stage (10-15 years old). The Viṣṇu Purāṇa confirms this:
“Bhagavān Śrī Madhusūdana, who takes away all miseries, honored His
adolescence by associating in a delightful way with the gopīs for many
nights.” The Hari-vaṁśa also mentions this: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is
expert in determining the appropriate time (kālavid), respected His kiśora
age, and engaged in amorous play with the young gopī maidens for many
nights.” Here, kālavid has the same meaning as ‘tā rātṛīḥ vīkṣya’ in this first
verse. That is, “He experienced those nights as the stimulant.” ‘Saḥ tābhir
mumoda ha’ (from this verse from Hari-vaṁśa) and ‘rantuṁ manaś cakre’
(from the main verse) mean: “Thus, He was inspired to revel with the gopīs.”
Here, the verbal root kṛ in the verb ‘cakre’ (did) indicates that the action
reverts to the self (ātmanepada), revealing Kṛṣṇa as the enjoyer of the fruit
of the activity. Hence, this rāsa-līlā is not only for the gopīs’ pleasure; it is
also meant for Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s happiness.
The word ‘tāḥ’ (those nights) in the original verse indicates a very
special and astonishing time for Śrī Bhagavān. The phrase ‘śāradotphulla-
mallikāḥ’ describes the sweet beauty of Vṛndāvana: “Vṛndāvana had become
extremely beautiful with the blossoming of the mallikā and other autumn
flowers.” Ordinarily, mallikā flowers do not blossom in the autumn, yet in
this instance both mallikā and seasonal flowers were present at the same
time, constituting an unprecedented phenomenon. Although only mallikā
is mentioned, it is implied that all other varieties of flowers were also in
bloom. This verse reveals that the vraja-sundarīs, as the dwelling place of
love (ālambana), and the ideal place and time as the stimulus (uddīpana)
give supreme, love-filled happiness to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The time, place and other stimuli are extremely favorable for creating
the proper atmosphere for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā. This pastime is the intrinsic
8
Chapter 1
form of love (prema-svarūpa), being the symptom of amorous delight

emanating from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s internal pleasure potency (hlādinī-śakti). Thus
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s special desire for amorous delight is filled with pure love; it has
no connection with mundane lust. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda wrote, “All
glories to Śrīpati (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), who looked so beautiful when surrounded by
the gopīs in the rāsa-maṇḍala that He churned the heart of even Cupid, who
captivates the hearts of all others.” This statement is absolutely proper, for
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has proclaimed the Rāsa-pañcadhyāyī as the vehicle
for defeating lust. To support his statement, he writes in his maṅgalācaraṇa
in the forthcoming commentary of Chapter 32: “In separation from Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, the vraja-sundarīs began to wail loudly. When Kṛṣṇa heard them, His
heart melted. He appeared among the gopīs and very respectfully consoled
them. He saw that the gopīs’ hearts were overwhelmed by the nectarean
waves of His love, and by appearing among them He very mercifully gave
pleasure to their hearts.”
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the best of the sages, concluded his recitation
of rāsa-līlā with the verse “vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca – A sober
person who in the beginning faithfully and continuously hears from his
guru about the supremely sweet narrations of the all-pervading Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
unprecedented rāsa-līlā with the young brides of Vraja, which is full of
pure love, and later describes those pastimes, very soon attains supreme
love for Bhagavān. And after that, very quickly his heart disease of material
lust will be dispelled” (10.33.39). Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s declaration
clearly proclaims that this rāsa-līlā conquers lust, because it is full of pure,
transcendental love, and has no tinge of material wantonness. The rāsa-līlā,
which is the all-time embodiment of supreme transcendental bliss, has not
even a scent of the play of mundane lust.
Śrī Bhagavān has shown in the rāsa-līlā the crucial role played by
Yogamāyā, who is the very embodiment of His inconceivable energy, and
who can make the impossible possible. Therefore, just as Yogamāyā is the
very form of unimaginable potency, so rāsa-līlā is also endowed with the
same powers. This is what one should understand. The sunrays are never
separated from the sun; similarly Bhagavān does not perform any pastime
without the help of Yogamāyā. Wherever Kṛṣṇa enacts His play, she is
always there supporting the līlā. This indicates that Yogamāyā is Bhagavān’s
intrinsic śakti. Yoga means ‘to unite;’ so Yogamāyā is the potency who
9
arranges for Bhagavān’s devotees to unite with Him in His pastimes. The
Viśva Koṣa dictionary defines māyā in two ways: dambha (deceit) and kṛpā
(mercy). Here māyā is taken as mercy, and that is why it is said, “yoga-
māyām upāśritaḥ – He took shelter of His internal potency Yogamāyā.” In
the word upāśritaḥ, the syllable upa means ‘to be very near.’ That is, coming
under the sway of His full mercy, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa desired to engage in
romantic activities with the gopīs.
A special meaning comes to light for ‘tā rātṛīḥ vīkṣya’ (seeing all those
nights). All those nights found fruition in the full-moon night (pūrnimā), the
queen of nights, when the rāsa dance took place. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s enthusiasm to
meet with the gopīs increased along with the waxing of the moon, and reached
its peak on the full-moon night. At that time Śrī Kṛṣṇa displayed full zeal
to meet with the gopīs. That full-moon evening, He returned from the cow
shed, finished His supper, sneaked past His mother, and went upstairs to His
bedroom. There He decided, “Now the time is right to perform the rāsa-līlā.”
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s

Sārārtha Darśinī
I offer obeisances to Śrī Rāma (Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa, my dikṣā-guru),
who is filled with supreme divine love, to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa,
my parama-guru) and to Śrī Gaṅgā-caraṇa (Kṛṣṇa-caraṇa’s guru). I then
bow down to Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and to his guru, Śrī Lokanātha
Gosvāmī, and also to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. After prostrating again and
again before śrī guru (my dikṣā-guru Śrī Rādhā-ramaṇa), I offer pranāma
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of mercy. I take complete shelter of both Lokanātha
Gosvāmī, who protects and nourishes everyone, and Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī,
who is as brilliant as the sun, and who dissipates the dense darkness of this
world with the light of knowledge.
I offer myself and everything in my possession in the service of
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the possessor of all potencies (sarva-śaktimāna),
and who is much dearer to the charming, young gopīs than millions of their
own lives. Furthermore, I also offer myself to the servitude of His beloved
associates.
Now I will describe the crown-jewel of all of Śrī Hari’s pastimes, the
rāsa-līlā. This is described in five chapters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which
are likened to the Bhāgavatam’s five vital airs.
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All victory, all victory to that rāsa-līlā! Śrī Lakṣmī-devī, who resides in
the topmost realm of Vaikuṇṭha, was denied entrance to this pastime, yet
Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave the vraja-gopīs the good fortune to participate, even though
they reside in this earthly realm.
This 29th Chapter discusses the intense showering of the flute’s poison-
like sound on the gopīs, who are like caṭaka birds [which drink only rain-
water during the svati-nakṣatra constellation]. It also describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
playful verbal exchanges with the gopīs, and His disappearance.
On the dark-moon night of Kārtika, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then aged
seven, enlightened Śrī Nanda Bābā and the other gopas regarding the
doctrine of karma, and stopped them from performing the sacrifice to
Indra. The Govardhana festival took place on the next day, which was the
first day of the bright fortnight, and on the following day, the vraja-vāsīs
celebrated Yāma-dvitīyā [the day when sisters honor their brothers] with a
feast on the bank of the Yamunā. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the king of sages,
did not mention the second festival, but we should understand that it took
place. Thereafter, Indra became very angry and sent a ferocious rain-storm
replete with thunderbolts to destroy Vraja. Then, for seven days, from the
third to the ninth day of this fortnight, Śrī Kṛṣṇa held Śrī Govardhana aloft
and protected the Vrajavāsīs. On the tenth day, in total amazement, the
whole cowherd community discussed and conjectured about Śrī Kṛṣṇa and
His power. The next day, on Ekadasī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s abhiṣeka ceremony took
place. At the end of that night Varuṇa-deva’s servant kidnapped Śrī Nanda
Mahārāja, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa went to Varuṇa-loka to retrieve his father. On the
full-moon day He gave the cowherd men darśana of Brahma-loka. In this
way the autumn season came to an end. The following year on Janmāṣṭamī
He celebrated His eighth birthday. After that, on the full moon night of the
month of Āśvin, He accomplished the crown-jewel of all festive pastimes,
the rāsa-līlā, the description of which starts with the words ‘bhagavān api.’
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī uttered this first verse of the rāsa-līlā, ‘bhagavān
api . . . rantuṁ manaś cakre,’ in a unique style and with great sweetness.
The word ‘api’ in the phrase ‘bhagavān api’ suggests a special meaning:
Bhagavān is full with six opulences, and He is self-satisfied because He
is complete with all kinds of pleasures. He does not depend upon anyone
else for His happiness; even so (api), the place, the time and the persons
stimulated His desire to engage in amorous diversions. The place for these
11
amusements was the beautiful, enchanting Vṛndāvana; the time was the
autumn full-moon night; and the participants were the young Vraja maidens,
who, as the shelter (ālambana) of prema, were positively overflowing with
love for Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān was enraptured by the topmost sweetness of all
these three excitants, and longed to engage in amorous activities. This is
the meaning.
This verse explains that when Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the beauty of the autumn
nights, which acted as stimulus (uddipana) for Him, He remembered
what He had promised the lovely Vraja damsels. In this regard one has
to understand that Śrī Kṛṣṇa desired to relish with His ears and all other
senses the many charms of the millions and millions of playful, coquettish
gopīs, who are the gemstones that fulfill desires for divine amorous love.
He wanted to savor with all His senses their beautiful voices, their beautiful
forms, their youthfulness, their fragrance, their sweetness, their cleverness
and expertise in dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. Kṛṣṇa
Himself is subjugated by the love of the vraja-gopīs, so He wanted that they
should in turn relish with their ears and other senses His sweet voice and all
His other sublime attributes.
Inspired by Kṛṣṇa’s satya-saṅkalpa-śakti, His potency that makes all
His desires come to pass, Yogamāyā, who can make the impossible possible,
was able to condense millions and millions of nights suitable for the
romantic activities of the rāsa-līlā into one 12-hour night. In the phrase ‘tā
rātṛīḥ vīkṣya’ (seeing those nights), the plural form ‘tā’ indicates ‘all those
nights,’ to which Śrī Kṛṣṇa referred when He stole the gopīs’ clothes. The
Bhāgavatam mentions this again further on in 10.33.38: “brahma-rātra
upāvṛtte – after one night of Brahmā passed.” Taking the general, well-
known meaning of this phrase, this clause establishes the superiority of
that remarkable night of Brahmā.
“Śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ – the jasmine flowers were blossoming out
of season during the autumn full-moon.” “Kunda-srajaḥ kula-pater iha
vāti gandhaḥ – We are detecting the scent of the enchanting fragrance of
His kunda garland” (10.30.11); and “reme tat-taralānandi kumudāmoda-
vāyunā – the wind was carrying the fragrance of lotuses” (10.29.45). These
statements reveal the miraculous beauty of Vṛndāvana at that time: the
kunda flowers were blooming out of season, and lotuses were blossoming
at night, although they usually open only during the day. In this way, the
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appropriate time, place and persons were simultaneously at hand to furnish

the needed ingredients for the rāsa-līlā, namely: the enchanting Vṛndāvana,
the bright, full-moon autumn night, the superbly beautiful young gopīs, and
the youthful, lovely Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. This favorable kiśora form, which
churns the mind of even Cupid, was endowed with such extreme beauty that
it seemed like a direct manifestation of His desire to dally with the gopīs.
Bhagavān is self-satisfied (ātmārāma) and all His desires are fulfilled
automatically (svataḥ pūrnakāma). Despite that, He showed the desire to dally
with the charming Vraja maidens (bhagavān rantuṁ manaś cakre) because
of His affection for His devotees, who are able to bring Him under their
control. The Lord is beyond the material plane; nevertheless, He descends to
this realm where He performs human-like pastimes. That is, He manifests His
transcendental līlā, which resembles ordinary human activity, and thereby
increases the devotees’ bliss. “Bhagavān showed the desire to enjoy romantic
affairs;” by this it is understood that this enjoyment was experienced internally,
not externally. In meeting with the gopīs, Bhagavān fulfilled not only the
yearnings of the vraja-sundarīs, but also His own inner longings. The phrase
‘rantuṁ manaś cakre’ uses the ātmanepada form of the verb, meaning that
the doer enjoys the activity. This indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is the
doer of the activity, also enjoys the fruit of the action.
Again, “ittham-bhūta-premāṇo vrajasundaryo – Śrī Hari possess such
wonderful qualities that He attracts even the sages who are the personifica
tion of complete bliss and are naturally self-satisfied.” Nonetheless, Svayaṁ
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa was Himself allured by the vraja-sundarīs’ prema, which
had such astonishing power that it drove Him to engage in amorous intrigues
with them. This demonstrates the super-excellence of the vraja-sundarīs.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa explains that the rāsa-līlā took place during His
early teenage years. “Madhusūdana, who removes all miseries, performed
amorous play with the vraja-sundarīs for many nights during His kaiśora
age.” Śrī Hari-vaṁśa also describes this: “In compliance with His age,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa respected His adolescence and romanced with the young gopī
damsels at night.” These two statements make it clear that Bhagavān
fulfilled the purpose of His teenage years. Kṛṣṇa complied with the inner
purpose of His teenage years by dallying with the gopīs, for the carefree
amusements in His kaiśora age would otherwise not have been successful.
The great authority, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmi, has written, “Partaking of amorous
13
amusements in the kuñja, Kṛṣṇa makes His adolescent years triumphant”

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.1.231). This statement also proclaims the
superiority of the beautiful Vraja maidens.
To carry out His supremely sweet rāsa-līlā, Bhagavān manifested the
special aspect of His great, inconceivable potency that makes the impossible
possible. In this way He reconciled all of His activities, including those that
have been described as well as those that have been left unsaid. “Yoga-
māyām upāśritaḥ – He took shelter of His own inconceivable, internal
energy, Yogamāyā, to enjoy loving play with the gopīs.” This pronounces
Yogamāyā’s immense good fortune.
Verse 2
tadoḍurājaḥ kakubhaḥ karair mukhaṁ

prācyā vilimpann aruṇena śantamaiḥ
sa carṣaṇīnām udagāc chuco mṛjan
priyaḥ priyāyā iva dīrgha-darśanaḥ
When a husband returns home after a long absence from

a foreign land, he applies kuṅkuma on his beloved wife’s face
with his comforting hands. In the same way, when the moon,
the consort of the stars, rose in the sky, he colored the face of his
beloved, the eastern horizon, with his soothing, red radiance
that bestows happiness. At the same time, the moon also
removed the agony of the living entities, who were scorched by
the rays of the autumn sun.

When Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa showed the desire for amorous activity, the
autumn moon (the king of all the stars) rose in his fullness for the Lord’s
pleasure. What did he do? When a man comes home after a long absence,
he will take red kuṅkuma and spread it on his wife’s face. In the same way,
the full moon smeared the face of his beautiful beloved, the eastern horizon,
with kuṅkuma in the form of his red rays, which give supreme happiness.
Thereby the moon removed the distress of the living entities, who were
burning in the heat of the sun. ‘Sa’ (he) – the famous full moon (rose).
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The moon approached his consort, the eastern horizon, for amorous
pleasure in the same way a lover desiring dalliance presents himself to his
sweetheart. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the full moon rising, the same mood arose
in Him. In other words, Kṛṣṇa thought, “Just as I am disposed to meet with
the vraja-devīs, the moon is ready for romance with the eastern horizon.”
In this way, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī first expressed the moods that arose in
Bhagavān’s heart, and then in this verse starting with ‘tadā’ he described
the events that augured auspiciousness on that pūrṇimā (full moon night),
which was the best of among all those nights. At that time (tadā), when
Bhagavān displayed the desire for amour, the moon, which is the husband
of the stars (uḍurājaḥ), simultaneously rose along with his family (all the
stars). This is what this verse suggests. The reddish hue (aruṇena) spread by
the moon rays (raśmibhiḥ) were the perfect means to inspire Śrī Kṛṣṇa for
dalliance. As the moon rose, he painted the face of his beloved, the eastern
horizon, with his soft, reddish rays. Observing the moon’s activity, Bhagavān
thought that it was a sign for Him to meet with the fervently impassioned
gopīs. ‘Vilimpann’ (viśeṣeṇa limpann) means smearing with a special mood;
this expression has been used because it was a special tithi, pūrṇimā, the
full-moon night. ‘Tadā’ means ‘when Bhagavān desired;’ all the other billions
of nights remained as full-moon nights, because of Bhagavān’s intrinsic
rasika nature as the master of loving exchanges.
‘Utphulla-mallikāḥ’ – seeing the nights decorated with blossoming
jasmine. Just as the full moon is a stimulant, so also are the nights. The rising
of the full moon is very favorable. In this same narration, Bhagavān will
Himself say later on, “rākeśa-kara-rañjitam – resplendent with the light of
the full moon” (SB 10.29.21). This verse also refers to the full-moon night. In
the first verse we find the phrase ‘tā rātṛīḥ,’ meaning ‘all those nights;’ ‘tāḥ’
means ‘those’, indicating that those nights are the uddipana, or stimulant.
Similarly ‘sa’ (he) in this verse refers to the moon, who is also an uddipana.
This is the meaning. That moon not only removed the sorrow of his beloved,
the eastern horizon, it also gave relief to everyone in the world suffering
mentally due to the heat of the autumn sun. The purport is that the vraja-
devīs, being the shelter of all of Bhagavān’s potencies, are the embodiment
of the supreme power. Therefore, the happiness or unhappiness that they
15
undergo automatically reflects in all the living entities of the world. Kṛṣṇa’s
birth and other pastimes are the evidence of this. Indeed, the day Kṛṣṇa was
born, all living entities became joyful. Similarly, this night also removed the
sufferings of all creatures. This is the conclusion.
“The way the lover desiring to dally goes to his beloved” – this example
applies to the special attraction between the moon and the eastern horizon,
exhibited by their great passion, their loyalty and their one-pointedness
towards each other. When the beloved head of the family returns home after
a long absence, he wipes away his family members’ tears of sorrow. Similarly,
the moon smeared the face of his mistress, the eastern horizon, with the red
color of his passion. This suggests that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with His supremely blissful
lotus hand, lovingly spread red kuṅkuma on the lotus faces of His beloveds.
‘Dīrgha-darśanaḥ’ (meeting after a long time) indicates extreme eagerness.
In this way, when Śrī Bhagavān has a desire for romance, to comply with His
intention, the environment manifests favorable arrangements, such as the
rising of the moon in the eastern direction. This is the external indication of
His longing for amorous affairs.

The husband of the stars (the full moon) rose when Bhagavān showed
the desire for romance. It is not that Bhagavān found His inspiration from
seeing the rising of the full moon. Rather, the moon’s ascent served to
increase Kṛṣṇa’s desire for amour, and also authorized Him to roam about
with the gopīs. This is confirmed by the phrase ‘kakubhaḥ karair mukhaṁ’ –
coloring the face of his beloved, the eastern horizon, with his hands (his red
rays). That is, when the lover returns after a long separation, he takes red
kuṅkuma and spreads it on his beloved’s face. Similarly, when the lord of
the stars, the moon, rises after a long time, he takes his rays in his soft hand,
and with rising passion smears the face of his beloved, the eastern direction.
‘Sa’ (he) – the famous full-moon. ‘Carṣaṇīnām’ (humankind) – this word
is also used in Srīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.6.42: “aryamṇo mātṛkā patnī tayoś
carṣaṇayaḥ sutāḥ – Mātṛkā, the wife of Aryamā, gave birth to many sons,
the progenitors of the human race.” In the present verse, ‘carṣaṇīnām’ is
used in conjunction with the moon, which removed the agony (śuco mṛjan)
of the human race suffering from the heat of the sun.
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The essence of this verse is as follows. The rising moon instructed

Kṛṣṇa, “He Kṛṣṇa, You have come in my dynasty; I am its founder and I
am eminent among the brāhmaṇas. Furthermore, I am ancient and am
the husband of many beautiful damsels.” That is, although the moon had
many wives of his own (the stars), with his own hands he touched the
eastern direction, the wife of Indra, and anointed her face with red dye.
What is more, he became immensely fond of her and aroused in her a
passion for him. Therefore, it is as if the moon was saying, “You have
appeared in my dynasty. As a fresh, unmarried youth, You are completely
faultless and totally beautiful. Because of all this, You make the human
race intoxicated with joy. For such a cowherd boy as Yourself, what is
wrong in dallying with the beautiful gopīs? Therefore, go and freely enjoy
amorous intrigues. You will not be touched by even a scent of immorality.”
Verse 3
dṛṣṭvā kumudvantam akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalaṁ

ramānanābhaṁ nava-kuṅkumāruṇam
vanaṁ ca tat-komala-gobhi rañjitaṁ
jagau kalaṁ vāma-dṛśāṁ manoharam
The full, round moon – reddish as if tinted with fresh

kuṅkuma, and lovely like the round face of Lakṣmī-devī –
brought the kumud night lilies to blossom, and with its soft rays
enhanced the unparalleled beauty of Vṛndāvana. Seeing all these
effects of the full moon (complete with its sixteen phases and all
its potencies), Śrī Kṛṣṇa played a sweet, mysterious note on His
flute, the kāma-bija – ‘klīṁ’ – to charm the pretty-eyed gopīs.

‘Kumudvantam’ – that which makes the kumud lilies blossom. ‘Akhaṇḍa-
maṇḍalaṁ’ – the sixteenth phase (the full moon). ‘Ramānanābhaṁ’ –
lustrous like Śrī Ramā-devī’s (Lakṣmī-devī’s) round face. ‘Nava-
kuṅkumāruṇam’ – red like fresh kuṅkuma (the rising moon with a reddish
hue). When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the moon with all these special features, and
witnessed the beauty of Vṛndāvana colored by the delicate, cooling moon
17
rays, He played an enchanting melody on His flute. What was the purpose of
that soft sound? The reply is ‘vāma-dṛśā’ – the fair-eyed maidens with their
playful glances; He played an enchanting song on His flute to attract them.

After Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the full moon, a special mood appeared
in His heart. He left His home and entered the Vṛndāvana forest, which was
tinted with the red rays of the moon. He arrived at a raised area called Rāsaulī
on the bank of the Yamunā. Soon afterwards, Śrī Vrajranābha established a
village at this place, which exists even today, and is still known as Rāsaulī.
Reaching this bank of the Yamunā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa played an indescribable melody
on His mesmerizing flute to attract the love-filled gopīs. This verse starting
with ‘dṛṣṭvā’ describes how Kṛṣṇa, after waiting for many bygone nights, used
the flute to accomplish His purpose. ‘Ramānanābhaṁ’ – that Ramā who is
engaged in love-play with Bhagavān; or that Ramā who inspires Bhagavān
to enjoy amorous affairs. It should be understood that the word ‘ramā’
refers to Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds, who are the highest embodiments of pleasure.
Of all His beloveds Śrīmatī Rādhikā is His very favorite; the word ‘ramā’ is
meant for Her. Up till now Śrī Bhagavān was lax in using His flute’s special
expertise, because He wanted to meet with this supreme beloved only. This
indicates His indifference towards meeting with His other sweethearts.
‘Ramānanābhaṁ’ – seeing the moon, Kṛṣṇa remembered the face
of Ramā Śrī Rādhikā, which was effulgent like the moon. Then, deciding
to show Himself openly, He played a soft, melodious sound on His flute.
The speciality of that flute sound was that only the vraja-gopīs, who were
overflowing with deep love, could hear it, not anyone else. The sight of
the moon reminded Kṛṣṇa of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s face. The reasons for this
could be as follows: ‘kumudvan’ – as soon as the moon rises, the kumud
night lilies blossom; therefore, one of the moon’s names is kumudvan.
This indicates that at that time the night lilies were blooming. According to
Sahitya-darpana the day lotuses (padminī) blossom by the rays of the sun;
“they sleep at night, and the rising sun breaks their sleep.” In the first case
the moon is the subject of the adjective, and in the second case the subject
is the sun. The adjective ‘kumudvan’ refers to the round face of Ramā (Śrī
Rādhā). Ku means ‘the Earth’, and mut means ‘joy’: it is the natural quality of
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Chapter 1
that round face to increase the joy of the Earth. There seems to be a gender
change in the noun and thus the adjective kumudvant becomes kumudvat.
When ‘akhaṇḍa-maṇḍalaṁ’ (full disk) is applied to the moon, it
denotes the full moon, complete with sixteen phases and full potency. In
the case of Śrī Rādhā, all Her facial features, including Her nose, ears and
eyes, are in proper proportion. The beauty of Her round face expresses
the topmost mellow of conjugal love, and the appearance of many kinds
of ecstatic transformations, such as hāva-bhāva, does not distort that
beauty in the slightest.
‘Nava-kuṅkumāruṇam’ (newly applied kuṅkuma) – in regard to the
moon, the reddish color is like a ball of fresh kuṅkuma; and in regard to
Śrī Rādhājī, Her anurāga for Śrī Kṛṣṇa makes Her face glow with a reddish
hue. In this way it is established that the time was right for romance. The
next phrase, ‘vanaṁ ca,’ shows the suitability of the place. The forest was
illuminated by the soft rays of the moon (komala-gobhī rañjitaṁ). As the
moon started rising, its first rays were just slightly lighting up the forest. In
this way the stimulants for romance were exhibited. In the phrase ‘komala-
gobhī rañjitaṁ,’ ‘ra’ is hidden at the end of the word gobhī to ensure that the
meter falls in place, and ‘bhī’ at the end of gobhī is not pronounced with a
long ī as in pique.
‘Kalaṁ’ – the sweet, low sound coming from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s flute (jagau).
In Verse 40 of this chapter, the gopīs say, “O Kṛṣṇa, what beautiful lady in
all the three worlds would not deviate from moral codes upon hearing the
sweet, mysterious song from Your flute?” This melody is purposely sweet in
order to steal everyone’s hearts, and it is described as magical because Śrī
Kṛṣṇa beckoned the gopīs to come by pronouncing each one of their names
in such an indistinct way that all of them became bewildered and thought,
“Kṛṣṇa is only calling me.”
‘Vāma-dṛśāṁ manoharam’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa played the flute song in a way
that would enchant only the playful-eyed, love-filled gopīs. In other words,
that flute song was meant exclusively for them. Since they were the only
ones who heard it, only they came to Kṛṣṇa, no one else.
Śrī Bhagavān sang a special melody that stimulated amorous sentiments.
This is explained in the next verse: “anaṅga-vardhanaṁ – after hearing
the flute song, which increases amorous sentiments, the Vraja maidens
were completely overwhelmed with prema and were pulled to their beloved
19
Kṛṣṇa.” The melody that Śrī Kṛṣṇa played was surely a middle scale melody
(madhyama rāga) because it aroused the vraja-sundarīs’ romantic desires.
Saṅgīta-śāstra, a treatise on classical music, explains the māyūra rāga, the
peacock melody: “It is the middle scale melody that rises from the middle
scale and ends on the middle note, and it is played only in the evening. In
the amorous mellow, the ṛṣabh and daivat notes are excluded.” In this verse,
ma (madhyama), ṛ (ṛṣabh) and da (daivat) are offered at the beginning of
the song; this is called graham, the beginning of any piece of music. Earlier,
in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.6, we read, “O King, the sound of the flute
enchants all the living entities.” This quotation presents the sound of the
flute in a general way, but even so, the bewitching nature of the flute song
hypnotized all the vraja-sundarīs. But in the present situation, they were
uncontrollably allured since the flute exclusively transmitted the romantic
mellow (ujjvala-rasa). In all circumstances the vamśī plays a special role.
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.368-372) lists Kṛṣṇa’s three kinds of
flutes: vamśī or veṇu, mahānandā (great joy) or sammohinī (enchanter), and
ākarṣiṇī (attractor). The vamśī is described first. It is made of bamboo, and
has eight holes half a finger’s length apart from each other. Before all these
holes is a round hole for the mouth, which is 1 ½ fingers away from the first
finger hole; its diameter is 3/4". Hence, there are nine holes altogether. The
front is four fingers long, and the last part is three fingers long. In total it
is seventeen fingers long. This is the general description of vamśī, or veṇu.
When the mouth-hole is ten fingers away from the first finger-hole, it is
called mahānandā, or sammohinī, which is made of jewels. Then comes
ākarṣiṇī, which is made of gold. The mouth-hole is twelve fingers distant
from the first finger-hole. The flute with a distance of fourteen fingers is
known as ānandinī (giver of bliss), or vaṁśulī. It is made of bamboo and is
very dear to Kṛṣṇa’s friends. Each flute emits its own particular sound.
The phrase ‘vāma-dṛśāṁ’ implies that Śrī Kṛṣṇa played this song
specifically to attract all the gopīs’ senses, especially their minds – the
controller of the senses – and their playful eyes, with which they always
cast Him sidelong glances. Within this explanation, a hidden meaning
comes to the surface, namely the formation of the kāma bija (klīṁ). Śrī
Bhagavān played the kāma bija to attract the vraja-sundaris’ minds and
senses. According to the scriptures (tantra), the derivation of the word klīṁ
is as follows: ka and la come from kalaṁ; ī comes from the fourth letter
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of vāma-dṛśāṁ (ṛ, or rī) – this produces the syllable klī. What is the effect
of the flute song? The answer is ‘manohara’ – it steals the mind. The word
manas (as in manohara) indicates Candra, the presiding deity of the mind,
or the moon, which is the form of the mind. The flute song is a harvester
(lavaka), meaning that it plucks the mind and the moon, attracting and
stealing them both. Consequently, the moon is joined with the mind, shown
in the form candra-bindu (̐), a crescent with a dot over it. With the addition
of the candra-bindu, klī becomes klīṁ, the kāma-bija.
Now this kāma-bija must have some sound. The song of Kṛṣṇa’s
flute is its natural sound. This is how kāma-bija becomes endowed with
sound. Therefore, it is said: kalā tu māyā lavakā tu mūrtiḥ kalakvaṇaḍ
veṇuninād-ramyaḥ. Kalā refers to Māyā, or actually to Rādhā. Lavaka
means mūrti, or ‘form’ as well as ‘sound;’ that is, Śrī Kṛṣṇa absorbed in
playing a sweet and mysterious melody on the flute, as He stands beside
the enchanting Śrī Rādhā. Taking the meaning of lavaka as ‘to cut,’ this
phrase explains the formation of the kāma-bija (klīṁ): the a in ka is cut,
or removed, and the a in la is cut and replaced by ī; these join together to
form the conjunct klī. Then, as explained just above, candra-bindu (̐) is
added to create klīṁ. Lavaka also means ‘to take on a form,’ in which case
the kāma-bija syllable (klīṁ) means that Kṛṣṇa took on a form and entered
the sound of His flute. It traveled across Vraja to the gopīs, who saw His
form in the flute song and instantly ran to the arena of the rāsa.

Sārārtha Darśanī
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa then looked at the full moon, the sight of which
precipitated an astonishing augmentation of amorous desire in His heart.
“Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ – Whatever behavior a great
personality practices, ordinary persons follow” (Gītā 3.21). Remembering
these words and observing the conduct of the moon, who was the progenitor
of His dynasty, Kṛṣṇa initiated an unfailing attempt to attract others’ wives,
without feeling the slightest remorse. To show this, this third verse beginning
with ‘dṛṣṭvā’ has been spoken.
‘Kumudvantam’ means ‘whose duty is to make the kumud night lily
bloom.’ The rising of that moon brought tremendous joy to all the residents
of the world. ‘Kumudvat’ – ku means the Earth and mut means happiness.
21
The duty of the moon’s round face is to increase the happiness of the Earth.
Here, the adjective ‘akhaṇḍa-maṇḍala’ (round disk) is used to specify the
full moon, in its sixteenth phase. Another meaning is that the form of that
round face is never broken (akhaṇḍa). ‘Ramānanābhaṁ’ means Lakṣmī
(Ramā), the sister of the moon. [Both Lakṣmī and the moon came out from
the churning of the Milk Ocean.] Usually a brother’s and sister’s faces
bear some similarity; therefore it is proper to say that the effulgent moon
resembled Lakṣmī’s lustrous, beautiful face.
The following verse is found the Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra:
devī kṛṣṇa-mayī proktā

rādhikā para-devatā
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva
kāntiḥ sammohinī parā
According to this verse, Śrī Rādhikā is the Supreme Goddess (para-

devatā); that is why She is Kṛṣṇa’s direct counterpart (kṛṣṇa-mayī); She is
the source of all the goddesses of fortune (sarva-lakṣmī-mayī); She is all-
attractive (sarva kānti) and thus attracts Kṛṣṇa Himself (sammohinī); and
She is the Supreme Potency (parā). Therefore, the name Ramā indicates
Rādhā, and no one else. Smṛti further substantiates this, affirming that Ramā
is to be understood as Śrī Rādhā, who partakes of delight and who exudes
it. In addition, Ramā also refers to the gopīs. ‘Ramānanābhaṁ’ – seeing the
full moon lustrous like the gopīs’ round faces made Śrī Kṛṣṇa remember
the Vraja damsels, and to attract them, He played a sweet tune on His flute.
Alternatively, when Śrī Rādhā and all the gopīs saw the full moon, they
remembered Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful round face, thus causing all of their amorous
sentiments to reflect fully on their effulgent faces.
‘Nava-kuṅkumāruṇam’ – the rising moon was reddish like a ball of
fresh kuṅkuma. Witnessing that reddish moon, Kṛṣṇa’s body reflected that
same color. Alternatively, He remembered how His body becomes reddish
when smeared with kuṅkuma. And He saw that the forest where He brings
His cows for grazing had also become reddish.
Observing all these stimulants and remembering the gopīs, who are the
shelter (alambana) of love for Him, Kṛṣṇa played a heart-capturing, sweet
and melodious song on His flute to attract the beautiful-eyed Vraja maidens.
Further on, in Verse 40 of this chapter, the gopīs confirm that Kṛṣṇa sang
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Chapter 1
through the flute: “What beautiful lady in all the three worlds would not
digress from moral codes upon hearing the sweet, mysterious song from
Your flute?”
‘Kalaṁ vāma-dṛśāṁ manoharam’ – the hidden meaning of this phrase
is the kāma-bija. With the sound of His flute, Śrī Kṛṣṇa planted the kāma-
bija in the hearts of the gopīs and drew them to Him. The śrutis also confirm
this with “gāyantaṁ striyaḥ kāma yanta – that singing filled the women
with desire.” Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa vibrated the kāma-bija mantra, the most
excellent seed mantra of divine amorous love. The word klīṁ derives from
the phrase ‘kalaṁ vāma-dṛśāṁ manoharam.’ Kala – ka and la; the fourth
letter of vāma-dṛśāṁ is ī. When ī is joined with ka and la, it becomes klī. In
the phrase manoharam are the words mana (mind) and haram, which mean
to attract the presiding deity of the mind, which is the moon, whose symbol
is the candra-bindu (̐). By connecting this candra-bindu with klī, the word
klīṁ, which is the kāma-bija, is produced.
Verse 4
niśamya gītāṁ tad anaṅga-vardhanaṁ

vraja-striyaḥ kṛṣṇa-gṛhīta-mānasāḥ
ājagmur anyonyam alakṣitodyamāḥ
sa yatra kānto java-lola-kuṇḍalāḥ
The minds of the Vraja maidens were naturally rapt in Śrī

Kṛṣṇa, and after hearing the flute song, which arouses erotic
desire, they were completely stupefied by prema and were pulled
to their beloved. Unseen by each other, all the gopīs ran to Him,
their earrings swinging because they were moving so swiftly.

‘Anyonyam alakṣitodyamāḥ’ – each of the vraja-devīs went by
herself to meet Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They did not let anyone else know that they
were going to Him so that they would not feel rivalry between themselves.
Following the sound of the flute, they proceeded towards the place where
their beloved was waiting. They walked so fast that their earrings were
swinging to and fro.
23

Only those gopīs who were Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds heard His
flute melody, not any of the other ladies of Vraja, and by the power of that
flute song, they were drawn to Him. Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke this verse
beginning with ‘niśamya’ to indicate Śrī Bhagavān’s extraordinary potency.
Hearing the flute melody that arouses amorous sentiments (anaṅga-
vardhanaṁ), the gopīs rushed towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Here the use of the
word ‘anaṅga’ indicates that the romantic feelings that the gopīs had been
nurturing in their hearts for Kṛṣṇa were in a seed form. Now, when they
heard the flute, that desire started to flourish. In the previous verse, the
phrase ‘vāma-dṛśāṁ manoharam’ implied that amorous desire was already
present, and now it vastly increased, as inferred by the phrase ‘anaṅga-
vardhanaṁ’ (increasing erotic desire).
Here ‘anaṅga’ means ‘a seed that is sprouting.’ That is to say, when a seed
starts to sprout, the plant grows to its full beauty, producing leaves, flowers
and fruits. Later on, those fruits in turn produce seeds. Similarly, the gopīs’
shyness, self-control, and other constraints had previously hidden the seed
of amorous desire that was lying in their hearts, but now this sprout had
developed to the leafy stage. This is the intended meaning. In other words,
after hearing the flute song, the vraja-sundarīs pierced through the barriers
of bashfulness, composure, etc., and arrived before Kṛṣṇa. This proves that
the flute song is full of nectar because just hearing that sound caused the
seed of romantic feelings (anaṅga) to burst forth into leaves. That is, as soon
as the nectar of the flute song watered the kāma-bija sprout in the gopīs’
hearts, it became full with foliage. In the phrase ‘anaṅga-vardhanaṁ,’ aṅga
means ‘lustful acts;’ anaṅga (na aṅga) means ‘that which is not aṅga, or
lust. In other words, it refers to pure prema, or aṅgī, the original form [from
which the contaminated form of lust comes]. The expanding of this prema,
or anaṅga, is ‘anaṅga-vardhanaṁ.’
Here, ‘vraja-strī’ has some special meaning; it refers not to all the ladies
of Vraja, but only to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds, because other gopīs did not join
the rāsa dance. The only ones to hear the flute song were these special
beloveds, whose hearts the supremely attractive Śrī Kṛṣṇa had already
captured. Unseen by each other, they went alone to join the precious master
of their hearts. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda explains why the gopīs went alone
24
Chapter 1
and did not see each other. All of Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds are actually friends with
each other, but they are divided into separate groups, such as the yutha of
Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Candrāvalī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa attracted all of them at the same
time, but none of them saw any of the others. Wherever they were, they
started walking hastily without informing anyone. The reason why the gopīs
did not see each other is that their hearts were dragged by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and
thus their thinking power disappeared.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “They arrived before Him very quickly.”
From this explanation we may understand that the sage was always with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, in that he saw Him in his heart. In other words, Śrīpāda Bādarāyaṇi
was pulled to Kṛṣṇa just as the gopīs were. While relating the gopīs’ endeavors
to go to Kṛṣṇa, he saw in his vision that he had arrived in front of Kṛṣṇa
just as the cowherd damsels had. That is why he used the word ‘ājagmur’
(they arrived), to communicate that he was feeling very close to Kṛṣṇa. In the
next verse he used the word ‘yayuḥ’ (going), the verbal root ‘ya’ meaning
‘to move,’ or ‘to go.’ And in this fourth verse, the word ‘sa’ (He) indicates
the enthusiasm of the speaker in remembering Kṛṣṇa. ‘Sa yatra kānto’ –
the gopīs arrived ‘where their beloved was.’ The reason is that the supreme
lover, Bhagavān, is ornamented with all the qualities of many different kinds
of nāyakas. When the speaker remembered this, enthusiasm arose in his
heart. This is what is expressed here.
Bhagavān’s supremely attractive form, qualities, flute melody and
moods increased the gopīs’ heartfelt desires without limit, so the spot where
their beloved was waiting was the most joyful place. Indeed, Bhagavān’s
flute playing was so hypnotizing that the gopīs did not roam about, but went
straight to Him. This is the essence.

As soon as the gopīs heard the flute song, like golden puppets pulled
by the strings of that sound, they started rushing to the place where their
beloved was waiting. To express this, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “That
sound was not only spellbinding, but it also increased their amorous love
(anaṅga-vardhanaṁ).” In other words, the loving sentiments that were
already present in the vraja-sundarīs blossomed upon their hearing that
flute melody. Being inspired by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the sound of the flute, like a great
25
thief, entered the treasure-chambers of their hearts through the open doors
of their ears. That melodious song stole the gopīs’ minds, as well as the
great wealth of their self-control, bashfulness, fear and discrimination, and
instantly it delivered these valuables to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. ‘Kṛṣṇa-gṛhīta-mānasāḥ’ –
Śrī Kṛṣṇa captured their minds and those things related to it, such as their
composure, memory, discrimination, shyness, fear and intelligence.
‘Ājagmuḥ’ – started going. This shows that the vraja-sundarīs dashed
off in the direction of the flute sound, as if chasing after that master thief to
recover their wealth. By this one can understand that the gopīs were going
to the emperor of thieves to beg him to return their valuables. Another point
to be understood is that they were so anxious to catch that great thief that
they ran off blindly, without seeing each other. Where were they running to?
To the place where their darling, who had looted their precious jewels, was
waiting. They ran so fast that their earrings, bangles and ankle bells started
swinging. That thief actually did not burgle anything from their houses,
knowing those items to be of no value. This is the essence.
Verse 5
duhantyo ’bhiyayuḥ kāścid

dohaṁ hitvā samutsukāḥ
payo ’dhiśritya saṁyāvam
anudvāsyāparā yayuḥ
As soon as they heard Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s flute song, those gopīs

who were milking the cows abandoned what they were doing
and started off. Some gopīs were heating milk on the stove and
simply left it there, resulting in it boiling over. Others were
cooking cracked wheat and left it on the fire. All of them rushed
towards the sound.

Persons whose hearts are infused with love for Kṛṣṇa immediately give
up material religion, economic endeavors and sense gratification as soon as
they hear anything about Kṛṣṇa or His flute song. That is why the gopīs left
their household chores half-finished, and rushed off in whatever condition
26
Chapter 1
they were and however they were dressed. This is the subject matter of this
verse starting with ‘duhantyo.’ The gopīs who were boiling the milk did not
wait to even remove the pots from the fire, and those who were cooking the
wheat left it on the stove, although it had finished cooking, and ran off in the
direction of the flute sound.

Śrīpāda Śukadeva Gosvāmī has described the manner in which the
gopīs reached Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Possessed by the supremely enchanting flute
melody, they neglected all activities for the body and anything relating to
it. They also gave up all social restrictions and other considerations and
rushed to Kṛṣṇa. In three verses, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī specifies how all
the gopīs forsook their homes. This verse and the next describe how some
gopīs abandoned their household duties. Here ‘duhantyaḥ’ indicates that in
the middle of milking the cows, they ran in the direction of the sound of the
flute. ‘Kāścit’ (some of them) indicates that, from Rādhā’s and all the other
yūtheśvarīs’ groups of gopīs, some parties were engaged in one type of
activity. Further on, Verse 44 of this chapter states: “vanitā-śata-yūthapaḥ –
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the leader of many hundreds and hundreds of women.” This topic
will be described later on.
‘Dohaṁ hitvā samutsukāḥ’ – duha, ‘milking,’ hitvā, ‘giving up’,
samutsukāḥ, ‘extremely eager.’ They were so eager that they were incapable
of waiting another moment. This understanding applies to the coming
verses also. ‘Aparā’ (some other gopīs) also applies to the previous and next
verses. All the rest is in accordance with Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary.
That is to say, some gopīs left milk boiling on the fire, without removing it
from the stove. Other gopīs left cracked wheat on the stove, and ran to the
holder of the flute.
The gopīs were so tremendously excited to meet with Śrī Kṛṣṇa that
they could not tolerate waiting another instant. This and the next two verses
describe how they gave up their activities related to ‘I and mine,’ and they
rushed away. Some gopīs neglected family duties, such as milking the cows
27
themselves or overseeing the milking. Some cowherd girls failed to remove

the boiling milk from the fire, and some left cooked wheat on the stove. All
of them ran off in great haste.
Verse 6
pariveṣayantyas tad dhitvā

pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn payaḥ
śuśrūṣantyaḥ patīn kāścid
aśnantyo ’pāsya bhojanam
Some gopīs were serving the evening meal to their families;

some were giving milk to little children; some were serving their
husbands; and some were taking their supper. They all dropped
what they were doing and ran to their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Some gopīs gave up their three main evening activities, such as milking
the cows. They forgot moral conduct, got up hastily and ran to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This
is what is expressed in these three verses. Those gopīs who were feeding their
household members and servants left their service and dashed off. ‘Yayuḥ’
(they went) in the previous verse is connected with ‘pariveṣayantya’ (serving
up meals) in this verse. The word ‘pāyayantyaḥ’ (feeding milk) indicates
that they even abandoned service to their more loved ones. This verse also
describes how the gopīs gave up their duties. Some gopīs were feeding
cows’ milk to the children of their sisters or sisters-in-law; they stopped in
the middle and ran off. These children could not have been their own, for
that would have incurred the fault of rasābhāsa, the overlapping of mellows
against the principles of rasa. This shows how the gopīs neglected their duties
to their extended families, and ‘śuśrūṣantyaḥ patīn’ (serving their husbands)
indicates that they even renounced their own personal responsibilities as well.
Some gopīs were heating water for their husbands’ bath, but they stopped and
dashed off. ‘Aśnantyaḥ’ (eating) – some gopīs were eating their meal; they
stopped in the middle of their meal and ran, ignoring even their own bodily
needs. This makes it clear that those who are deeply absorbed in prema for
Bhagavān are not aware of whether their body is pure or impure.
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This verse indicates that the gopīs even gave up their natural family
duties. Some were serving meals, and some were heating water for their
husbands, but they dropped everything and ran.
Verse 7
limpantyaḥ pramṛjantyo ’nyā

añjantyaḥ kāśca locane
vyatyasta-vastrābharaṇāḥ
kāścit kṛṣṇāntikaṁ yayuḥ
Some gopīs were anointing themselves with kuṅkuma and

candana, some were cleansing their bodies with herbal paste,
and some were applying mascara. Regardless of their condition,
they all dashed off. Some of the gopīs were so overwhelmed with
all-consuming passion that their dresses and ornaments were all
in disarray as they rushed towards their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Some gopīs were cleaning themselves, others were applying unguents,
and some were putting on ornaments to please Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Whatever they
were doing, they all abandoned their activities and ran. Those whose hearts
are attached to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa perform their every activity for Kṛṣṇa’s
pleasure; and even if it is incomplete, it still bears the full fruit. This is what
the phrase ‘vyatyasta-vastrābharaṇāḥ’ (their ornaments and clothes were
jumbled) indicates. Some gopīs’ dresses and ornaments were in disorder,
meaning that they put the lower garments above their waists and their upper
garments below the waist. They also wore their ornaments in the wrong places.
Some gopīs, lost day and night in separation from Kṛṣṇa, were adorning
themselves with ornaments in the hope of attaining Him. As stated in Śrī
Gīta-govinda, one gopī was so extremely eager that she neglected to put on
the ornaments that attract Kṛṣṇa for amorous enjoyment. This same mood
29
is expressed in the present verse. ‘Limpantyaḥ’ (applying cosmetics) – they

stopped in the middle of applying their makeup and left. ‘Anyāḥ’ (others) is
connected with ‘limpantyaḥ’ and ‘pramṛjantyaḥ’ (cleaning themselves). The
gopīs abandoned all these activities because they were oblivious even to their
bodies and their belongings, what to speak of other matters. Consequently,
their dresses and ornaments were in disarray (vyatyasta). The gopīs’
behavior here demonstrates the external manifestation of love (anubhāva)
known as vibhrama, or bewilderment. This state of extreme confusion arose
due to their overwhelming enthusiasm to meet with Kṛṣṇa, and manifested
in their abandoning all the previously mentioned activities. “Vibhrama –
impelled by the powerful upsurge of erotic desire to meet with her beloved
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the disconcerted heroine puts on her necklaces, garlands and
other ornaments in the wrong places” (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 11.39). This proves
the intensity of the gopīs’ love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which made them so blind with
eagerness for Him that they completely disregarded their external dress.
When they met afterwards, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself joked about their appearance,
and He rearranged their ornaments and clothes in a proper manner.
The cowherd maidens’ activities such as milking the cows are essential,
but we see that each of the activities in these verses is more important than
the previous ones. In other words, removing the boiling milk from the fire
is more crucial than milking the cows, and feeding the servants and family
members is more important than boiling the milk. Lovingly feeding milk
to the children takes precedence over serving the food to others. Service
to their husbands has the topmost priority for these young wives. In this
way, the superiority of their love is shown by the comparative priority of
the activities that they abandoned. In any case, they gave up all household
activities and ran to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
This verse starting with ‘limpantyaḥ’ describes those gopīs who had
given up their absorption in themselves and their belongings. Some gopīs
were smearing candana on their bodies, and some were applying herbal
unguents. They gave up all these activities and hastened off. Some were in the
midst of getting dressed, but they lost all bodily consciousness because they
were in so much haste to leave. This is explained by the word ‘vyatyasta’ –
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Chapter 1
putting on their clothes and ornaments in the wrong places. Here the gopīs
were experiencing a state of bewilderment, an anubhāva called vibhrama.
Verse 8
tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ
pitṛbhir bhrātṛ-bandhubhiḥ
govinda-apahṛta-ātmāno
na nyavartanta mohitāḥ
The husbands, fathers, brothers and other relatives tried to

check the vraja-sundarīs, whose hearts had been stolen by Śrī
Govinda. But because the cowherd maidens were spellbound and
had lost their external discrimination, they could not be deterred.

This verse starting with ‘tā vāryamāṇāḥ’ conveys the idea that there
is no obstacle that has the power to obstruct one whose heart has been
attracted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The gopīs, whose hearts had been possessed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, had no
awareness of the external environment or any activities. Their so-called
husbands, children and other relatives tried to bring them back to external
consciousness by force, but were unable to do so, because these gopīs had
abandoned the natural behavior inherent in married women, like chastity
and their sense of shame, even though these qualities are difficult to
relinquish. This verse, beginning with ‘tā vāryamāṇāḥ,’ relates this. These
gopīs, who were madly in love with Kṛṣṇa, were stopped again and again by
their husbands, fathers, brothers and other relatives, who were questioning
them, “Where do you think you’re going at this time of night?” But they
paid no heed and kept on going. Why? The answer is ‘mohitā’ (bewildered),
meaning they were devoid of prudent judgment. One might ask why they
were bewildered. The reply is that Govinda had kidnapped not only their
hearts, but also the hearts of their husbands and other family members as
31
well. Thus, due to weakness of heart, their relatives had no power over the
gopīs and could not stop them.
Bhakti for Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has the power to remove all kinds
of obstacles and adversities. The married gopīs were challenged by their
husbands, and the unmarried gopīs were confronted by their fathers,
brothers and other family members. In this regard, the smṛti śāstra declares
that ladies are never allowed to be independent at any time. They are
protected by their fathers in childhood; by their husbands as adults; and in
old age, by their sons or, in the absence thereof, by other family members.
The vraja-sundarīs, driven by their all-consuming passion for Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
easily dropped all their obligations and rushed to their lover. They could do
this, but how could the gopīs’ fathers, husbands and other family members
grant them the freedom to run off? This verse starting with ‘tā vāryamāṇāḥ’
reconciles this paradox. The young wives were checked by their husbands,
and the unmarried girls were stopped by their fathers and brothers. Even
so, none of these gopīs could be halted. The reason is “govinda-apahṛta-
ātmānaḥ – their hearts had been stolen by Govinda.” Thus they had lost all
sense of fear and shame, and in this condition they could not be restrained.
As Govinda had plundered even their souls, they were in a stupor (mohitāḥ),
and they were pulled to Him like puppets on a string.
One might ask how the gopīs were able to leave. Usually, out of fear
of a wife losing her reputation, a husband would not tolerate his spouse
leaving the house alone at night, even in a life-threatening situation.
The answer is this: yes, this is correct, but Yogamāyā accomplished this
extraordinary feat by manifesting duplicate forms of the gopīs, who
returned with their husbands and fathers to their houses. This will be
explained in more detail later on.
Verse 9
antar-gṛha-gatāḥ kāścid
gopyo ’labdha-vinirgamāḥ
kṛṣṇaṁ tad-bhāvanā-yuktā
dadhyur mīlita-locanāḥ
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Chapter 1
Some gopīs were stopped by their husbands and other family

members, and could not get out of their houses. Completely
submerged in love for their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, those gopīs closed
their eyes and meditated on Him deeply.

Those gopīs who were trapped in their houses absorbed their thoughts
in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In other words, they cherished Śrī Kṛṣṇa in their hearts, which
He had already captured.
If those gopīs’ movements had been hindered, at that very time they
would have attained the tenth and last stage of separation, dasamī-daśā,
the verge of death. Now, three verses, starting with this one, ‘antar-gṛha,’
describe the situation of some of the gopīs who attempted to rendezvous
with Kṛṣṇa. Examples are given that reveal their special moods. In this
regard, one should know that Śrī Kṛṣṇa has two types of beloveds: nitya-
siddha and sādhana-siddha. The eternally perfected nature of the nitya-
siddha gopīs is illumined within the 18-syllable mantra because Kṛṣṇa is
worshiped with this mantra together with His nitya-siddha Śrī Rādhikā and
other gopīs. In other words, the phrase gopī-jana-vallabha in this mantra,
as declared in the śrutis, shows that Kṛṣṇa is worshiped with Śrī Rādhā and
Her girlfriends from time immemorial.
Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29 states: “I worship the original Supreme Male,
param-puruṣa Śrī Govinda, who resides in His abode, Vrajabhūmi, which is
adorned with hundreds of thousands of desire-fulfilling trees and palaces
made of jewels. There, uncountable kāmadhenu cows fulfill everyone’s
desires, and thousands and thousands of goddesses of fortune (gopīs) serve
Him with great love.” Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37 furthermore states: “ānanda-
cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis – I worship the original personality
Śrī Govinda, who, while dwelling within the hearts of all beings, resides
in Goloka-dhāma with His pleasure potency, hlādinī-śakti Śrī Rādhā,
who, being the counterpart of His own spiritual form, is the epitome of
transcendental mellows, and is expert in sixty-four arts. They are surrounded
by the sakhīs, who are the direct expansions of Her own transcendental
33
body and who are infused with blissful, spiritual nectar (ānanda-cinmaya-
rasa).” Brahma-saṁhitā 5.56 affirms: “In that spiritual realm the beloveds
are transcendental goddesses of fortune, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Male,
is the only lover (śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo).” In
this way, it is confirmed everywhere that nitya-siddha gopīs are goddesses
of fortune, and moreover, among all these gopīs, it is asserted that Śrī
Rādhikā is preeminent.
In Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra we find the verse:

Śrī Rādhā-devī is supremely beautiful (devī), and She is the dwelling

place for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s amorous play. Kṛṣṇa-mayī – She sees Kṛṣṇa
everywhere, inside and outside, and is Kṛṣṇa’s counterpart. Rādhikā –
She fulfills all of Kṛṣṇa’s desires. Sarva-lakṣmī-mayī – as the shelter
of all the Lakṣmīs, She is the source and ruling goddess of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
six opulences and She possesses all beauty. Sarva kānti – She who
fulfills all desires.2 Sammohinī – She infatuates Kṛṣṇa. Parā – She is
the topmost of all beings. In this verse parā sammohinī indicates that
nothing can surpass Śrī Rādhā’s prema – Her love is the ultimate.
Ṛg-pariśiṣṭa (the supplement to the Ṛg Veda) describes Śrī Rādhā-

Kṛṣṇa’s one-pointed love for each other: “rādhayā mādhavo devo
mādhavenaiva rādhikā – Śrī Mādhava is with Rādhā, and Rādhikā is with
Mādhava.” In this verse eva (with) is related to Rādhā; Śrī Mādhava looks
most beautiful with Rādhā, meaning that His beauty always manifests
substantially more when He is with Her than when He is with any other gopī.
This demonstrates Their one-pointed focus on each other. Matsya Purāṇa
mentions: “Śrī Rādhikā’s beauty is pre-eminent in Vṛndāvana, and Rukmiṇī
is similarly celebrated in Dvārakā.” Although both of them are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
energies, we have to understand that Śrī Rādhā is superior.
2 From Caitanya Caritāmṛta 4.93: kimvā ‘kānti’-śabde kṛṣṇera saba icchā kahe/
kṛṣṇera sakala vāñchā rādhātei rahe – kānti means all beauty and luster. Kānti may
also mean ‘all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires.’ All of Kṛṣṇa’s desires rest in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
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Now for the sādhana-siddha gopīs. The Padma Purāṇa tells the story:
purā maharṣayaḥ sarve

daṇḍakāraṇya-vāsinaḥ
dṛṣṭvā rāmaṁ hariṁ tatra
bhoktum aicchan su-vigraham
te sarve strītvam āpannāḥ

samudbhūtāś ca gokule
hariṁ samprāpya kāmena
tato muktā bhavārṇavāt
“In a previous age, the great sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya had darśana of

the handsome Rāmacandra. Seeing Him, they desired to become gopīs
in Gokula so that they could enjoy with the Lord in His much more
beautiful form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Rāmacandra remained silent. However,
because He is a desire-fulfilling tree, He was actually blessing them to
get Kṛṣṇa’s association. Later, they were born as gopīs in Gokula, and
thus their desire to meet with Hari Śrī Kṛṣṇa was fulfilled. Śrī Kṛṣṇa
of earthly Gokula appeared in the inner chambers of their houses,
and they were liberated from the material ocean of birth and death.”
‘Attaining Śrī Hari’ means that they associated with Kṛṣṇa in Gokula.
Bhagavād-gītā 4.11 declares: “In whatever way devotees worship Me,

I reward them accordingly.” Consequently, the great ṛṣis of previous times
took birth as females in Gokula, having worshiped Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the mood
of gopīs. When the ṛṣiṣ had darśana of Śrī Rāmacandra, whose beauty and
face resembled Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s, they got absorbed in their worshipable deity Śrī
Kṛṣṇa. This awoke their past impressions from their earlier performance
of bhakti. Thus they desired to enjoy their venerable Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness,
but being shy, they were not able to directly establish their relationship with
Lord Rāma as their lover. However, Śrī Rāmacandra is a wish-fulfilling tree,
and He mercifully fulfilled their cherished desire. This story is narrated
in the above verse from Padma Purāṇa with the words te sarve. All those
ṛṣis received female forms, and took birth from the wombs of the gopīs
of Gokula. There, according to their personal desires, these ṛṣi-cārī gopīs
attained Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who appeared in their own homes. Simultaneously, they
were liberated from the material ocean of birth and death.
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Taking birth from a gopī’s womb does not guarantee that one’s body will
be totally free of the influence of the material energy; even in prakaṭa-līlā
some material contamination is bound to be there. Therefore, the material
energy may still touch the bodies of the gopīs who took birth in Gokula.
Here, we may cite the parallel example of Kaṁsa killing Devakī’s six children
in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes on Earth.
Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa makes it known that some śrutis accepted birth
from the wombs of the gopīs of Gokula. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also tells
us that the śrutis took birth as the śruti-cārī cowherd maidens. Therefore
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam 10.87.23 narrates, “We śrutis will attain that nectar
flowing from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet by getting a gopī body and taking
guidance from Śrī Rādhikā and Her friends, who relish the nectar of His
lotus feet (the wealth of His sweetness filled with love) and who intensely
hanker for the tight embrace of His serpentine arms.”
The Gāyatrī mantra herself has taken birth from a gopī’s womb. In the
chapter on the creation (Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa) in Padma Purāṇa, Śrī Viṣṇu spoke to
the cowherd boys at the time of Brahmā’s marriage with Gāyatrī, who had
assumed the form of a cowherd maiden: “I am giving this girl to Brahmā. I
know the past, present and future – this girl Gāyatrī will be My beloved when
I appear in your dynasty to accomplish the work of the demigods.” Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.1.23 similarly states, “Therefore, to give pleasure to Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
the wives of the demigods will take birth in Gokula as the deva-kanyā gopīs.”
The Padma Purāṇa has grouped the gopīs in four categories: ṛṣi-cārī,
śruti-cārī, deva-kanyā and gopa-kanyā. “O King, these four kinds of gopīs
are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds. None of them are human.” Of these, the gopa-
kanyās are accepted as eternally perfect (nitya-siddha) because the narration
of their birth or their sādhana is not found in any śāstra. Therefore, they
cannot be regarded as ordinary humans with a material body.” The Padma
Purāṇa describes the previous life of the ṛṣi-cārī gopīs and how they achieved
perfection in their sādhana. The cowherd maidens mentioned in this ninth
verse, ‘antar-gṛha-gatāḥ,’ are none other than the ṛṣi-cārī gopīs. Evidence for
this is found in both Padma Purāṇa and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which give
similar descriptions of those ṛṣi-cārī gopīs attaining liberation.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.6 states, “Some gopīs were serving their
husbands.” These words make it clear that they were sādhana-siddha ṛṣi-
cārī gopīs. None of them were engaged in milking the cows or in other outside
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activities. Rather, they were serving their husbands in the inner chambers
of their houses. We conclude that all these gopīs were sādhakas because
we hear about them giving up their bodies, and Padma Purāṇa confirms
this. Thus we can understand that those who had taken birth in Gokula as
a result of sādhana, had attained the full, perfected mood, but they had not
yet received their completely perfected spiritual body. Therefore, they were
not nitya-siddha like Rādhikā.
These sādhana-siddha gopīs were in the inner chambers serving their
husbands when they heard Kṛṣṇa’s flute song. Immediately, they stopped their
service and started moving towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But their husbands forcefully
shut the doors, and prevented them from leaving. These gopīs could not
get Śrī Govinda’s direct association since they did not have their perfected
bodies to meet with Him. In other words, unlike the nitya-siddha gopīs, they
were prevented from reaching Kṛṣṇa. One should understand that Bhakti-
devī did not cause their husbands’ minds to become slack as she did with the
nitya-siddha gopīs’ husbands. Thus, completely thwarted from coming out
of their houses, they meditated on Śrī Kṛṣṇa with deep yearning. As He had
already captured their hearts, they completely submerged themselves in His
mood. The visible symptom (anubhāva) of that meditation is their closing
their eyes. This happens when one is in lost in extreme sorrow or absorbed
in profound contemplation. Mention of the eyes being closed indicates they
were unaware of all externals and lost in deep meditation.

Here we will draw from the conceptions that Rūpa Gosvāmī presents
in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has two kinds of gopī sweethearts: nitya-
siddha and sādhana-siddha. The sādhana-siddhas fall into two categories:
yauthikī (those who came to Kṛṣṇa in groups) and ayauthikī (those who
came alone). Yauthikī again are of two types: muni-cārī and śruti-cārī. In
other words, all the śrutis who performed sādhana together in a group
are known as śruti-cārī, and the munis who executed sādhana together
are known as muni-cārī. Padma Purāṇa names four categories of gopīs:
“O King, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds are of four types: ṛṣi-cārī, śruti-cārī, deva-
kanyā and gopa-kanyā. They are not ordinary humans.” The gopa-kanyās
mentioned here might appear as ordinary human girls, which is why it is
37
stated that this is not so, confirming that the gopīs are not mortal beings.
The gopa-kanyās mentioned in this verse are clearly nitya-siddha because
no scripture mentions their attaining Kṛṣṇa by performing sādhana. Here
the question comes: if they are nitya-siddha gopīs, why did they worship
Kātyāyanī-devī? We can reconcile this as follows. It is true that the gopa-
kanyās did worship Kātyāyanī-devī, but this is only related as part of
nara-līlā, human-like pastimes. In other words, because they are cowherd
maidens (gopa-kanyā), they are nitya-siddha and do not need to perform
any sādhana. This deliberation is explained in more detail in the pastime of
Kṛṣṇa stealing the gopīs’ clothes.
Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37 gives the evidence that these gopīs are nitya-
siddha. “Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitā – I worship the original
personality Śrī Govinda, who, while dwelling within the hearts of all beings,
resides in Goloka-dhāma with His pleasure potency, hlādinī-śakti Śrī Rādhā,
who, being the counterpart of His own spiritual form, is the epitome of
transcendental mellows, and is expert in sixty-four arts. They are surrounded
by the sakhīs, who are the direct expansions of Her own transcendental
body and who are infused with blissful, spiritual nectar (ānanda-cinmaya-
rasa).” This verse proves that the gopīs are the embodiment of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
pleasure potency (hlādinī-śakti), and thus exist eternally in full perfection.
Gautamīya-tantra confirms this: hlādinī yā mahā-śaktiḥ. From time without
beginning, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is engaged in amorous pastimes with these Gokula
maidens. The phrase gopī-jana-vallabha in the 18-syllable mantra refers to
these gopīs. The kṛṣṇa-mantra, along with the śrutis that explain the method
for the worshiping the mantra, have existed since time immemorial.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.1.23 states: “sambhavas tv amara-striyaḥ3 –
The deva-kanyās will take birth in Vraja to give pleasure to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
When Śrī Kṛṣṇa incarnates in the heavenly planets, the expansions of His
eternal consorts appear along with Him for His pleasure. These are the
goddesses who take birth as cowherd girls when Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends to Vraja.
Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 3.52–53 explains that they become the priya-sakhīs, the
confidential girlfriends of the root nitya-siddha gopīs.
Śruti-cārī gopīs are sādhana-siddha. The Prayers of the Śrutis (Śruti-
stava) in the Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa testify to this when they extoll the
3 Some editions say sura-striyaḥ
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Lord, “O Kṛṣṇa, Your beauty is such that it defeats the luster of millions
of Cupids. The darśana of that beauty has aroused lusty desires in our
minds, and we are surely attracted to You in a mood of amorous pleasure.
We are nourishing the desire to attain You in the same mood as the cowherd
damsels of Gokula, who understand You to be their lover and worship You
as the essence of erotic joy.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa answered, “O śrutis, your sublime,
heart-felt desires are rare and most difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, by My
wish, they will be granted.”
Now we will discuss the muni-cārī gopīs. Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi states:
‘gopālopāsakāḥ pūrvam aprāptābhīṣṭa-siddhayaḥ’ – “Earlier they were
worshiping Gopāla and their desire was fulfilled.” This statement proves
that the muni-cārī gopīs are sādhana-siddha. The Padma Purāṇa confirms
this: “The sages residing in the Daṇḍaka forest previously worshiped
Gopāla, but their desire was not fulfilled. After a long time had passed,
they received darśana of Śrī Rāmacandra. Being charmed by His beauty,
they developed a deep yearning to taste amorous pleasure with Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
They did not express this outwardly, but in their minds they prayed to Śrī
Rāmacandra that He would mercifully fulfill their cherished longings. Like
a desire-fulfilling tree, Śrī Rāmacandra bestowed His mercy silently (by
mind).” As a result of that mercy, they engaged in sādhana, and attained the
stage of bhāva. They received gopī bodies, taking birth from the wombs of
the vraja-gopīs at the time of Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes (His prakaṭa-līlā),
and attained Śrī Hari according to their amorous yearnings. Their cherished
desire thus bore fruit, and they were liberated from the material realm.
In his commentary on the Tenth Canto, Śrīla Kavi Karṇapūra Gosvāmī
explains that the gopīs who had borne children were the ones closed inside
their homes by their husbands. The evidence for this is found in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.29.20: “Your mothers and fathers, sons, brothers and
husbands are looking for you;” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.32: “O beloved,
You say that ladies must be under the guidance of husbands, sons and other
guardians;” and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.31.16: “O Acyuta, we have left
behind our husbands, sons, and other family members and come to You.”
This proper meaning is evident everywhere.
Now we will examine the muni-cārī gopīs in greater detail. After the
maharṣis who were worshiping Gopāla witnessed Śrī Rāmacandra’s sweet
beauty, their bhakti became infused with fervent emotions (rāgamayi).
39
Thus they developed from anartha-nivritti to niṣṭḥā, ruci, asakti, and came
up to rati, the first sprout of prema. Even though they were still slightly
influenced by the material modes, Yogamāyā-devī brought them to Gokula
and gave them birth as cowherd damsels from the wombs of gopīs. Of
these sādhana-siddha gopīs, some were fortunate to gain the association
of nitya-siddha gopīs. Thus, when their adolescence was just starting to
blossom, they became filled with pūrva-rāga, the intense hankering to meet
with Kṛṣṇa (before having had any contact with Him). At this time in trance
they received the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body, and consequently all vestiges
of contamination were completely burnt off. All remaining blemishes
disappeared, and their kṛṣṇa-rati, their overwhelming attraction to Kṛṣṇa,
ascended to prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya and higher stages.
Like the other gopīs, they also were married, but right from the
beginning Yogamāyā always protected them from their husbands’ touch by
providing shadow forms. Thus they were never contaminated by contact
with their husbands, and in their transcendental bodies, they attained the
good fortune to join Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa dance for His pleasure. On the
night of the rāsa, they heard the flute song and, like the other gopīs, they
became very eager to go to Kṛṣṇa. Even though they were obstructed by
their husbands, Yogamāyā helped them to proceed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the
nitya-siddha gopīs.
Some other gopīs were deprived of the association of the nitya-siddhas;
thus their remaining contaminations were not burnt off. They were also
married, like all the other gopīs; but they were enjoyed by their husbands,
and had given birth to children. Later on, they got the company of the nitya-
siddha gopīs, by which they developed pūrva-rāga for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus their
yearning to have direct contact with Him was awakened. However, despite
having received the mercy of the nitya-siddha gopīs, they were still not
fit for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s physical touch because they had had contact with their
husbands, and consequently were not eligible to serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore
Yogamāyā did not assist them in joining Him that night.
Yogamāyā helped those gopīs whose prema had ripened (jāta-prema),
but she did not facilitate these gopīs who had had relations with their
husbands. That is why their husbands could stop them from going to meet
with Kṛṣṇa. Locked in their houses, these gopīs underwent intense anguish,
regarding their husbands as the greatest enemy of their lives. Indeed, they
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felt that they were bereft of all good fortune, and were on the verge of death.
On reaching this condition, one ordinarily remembers one’s mother and
other beloved family members, but these gopīs thought only of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
and they meditated on Him deeply, perceiving Him as the only friend of
their soul. This is the purport of this verse starting with ‘antar-gṛha.’ Their
husbands stopped them at the doorway of the house, threatening them
with sticks in their hands and chastising them. Prevented from going out,
they were trapped inside the house. Therefore, it was not possible for them
to join Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs then focused their minds fully on Him, accepting
Him as their one and only soul-mate. In great lamentation they called out
to Him, “Hā hā prāṇeka-bandho! Alas, alas, friend of my life airs! O ocean
of amorous arts in Vṛndāvana! Let me be Your beloved life after life. At this
last moment, I am unable to behold Your beautiful moon-like face, but in
my heart I am having Your darśana.” Closing their eyes, the gopīs meditated
with intense hankering on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and connected with Him in their hearts.
Verses 10 –11
duḥsaha-preṣṭha-viraha-
tīvra-tāpa-dhutāśubhāḥ
dhyāna-prāptācyutāśleṣa-
nirvṛtyā kṣīṇa-maṅgalāḥ
tam eva paramātmānaṁ
jāra-buddhyāpi saṅgatāḥ
jahur guṇa-mayaṁ dehaṁ
sadyaḥ prakṣīṇa-bandhanāḥ
Those gopīs who were not able to meet with their beloved
were subjected to extreme suffering in the intolerable fire of
separation; and thus all their remaining inauspiciousness was
burned off. Then, attaining the tight (acyuta) embrace of Śrī
Acyuta in their meditation, they felt a supreme bliss that wiped
away all their material piety. Thus becoming free from all
kinds of auspicious and inauspicious bondage, they met with
Paramātmā Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, and instantly gave up
their remaining subtle material attachments.
41

Then, attaining Paramātmā Śrī Kṛṣṇa in their meditation, those gopīs
gave up their remaining subtle material attachments (guṇa-maya deha).
This is explained in these two verses containing the word ‘jahuḥ’ (they
gave up). The following question might arise: How did the gopīs’ subtle
material bodies disappear if they did not know Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Soul?
The answer is that attaining Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their paramour caused them to
relinquish those bodies. They no idea of Kṛṣṇa’s full identity, but meeting
with Him nonetheless destroyed their last mundane attachments because
the efficacy of an object does not depend on one’s understanding its power.
For example, if someone drinks amṛta thinking it to be poison, it still acts as
nectar. Similarly, although the gopīs met with Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their paramour,
the effect of that association still removed their materially-tinged subtle
bodies. Another question might come: If they were still bound by their
prārabdha-karma, how did their bodies disappear? The answer is ‘sadyaḥ,’
meaning, that instant the ties of their prārabdha-karma were completely
destroyed.
This is the topic discussed in this verse ‘duḥsaha-preṣṭha-viraha’
(intolerable separation from their beloved). The agony that those gopīs
underwent being parted from Śrī Kṛṣṇa annihilated all their sins, and they
attained Acyuta’s tight embrace in their meditation. The supreme bliss that
they enjoyed freed them from their bondage caused by material piety. Thus,
the suffering they underwent and the subsequent happiness attained from
meeting with Him in their meditation, completely destroyed all karmas; and
hence the last vestiges of material qualities disappeared.

After that, those gopīs united instantly with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is related
in these two verses starting with ‘duḥsaha.’ The first half of this verse
explains the result of their enthusiasm, and the second half relays the
result of their meditation. In their extreme eagerness, the intolerable
separation from their beloved caused an intense burning, which consumed
all their inauspiciousness. Attaining happiness in their meditation from
the embrace of Śrī Acyuta (who never fails to give unending mercy to His
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devotees) eradicated all kinds of material fortune. Here the use of the words
‘duḥsaha’ (intolerable) and ‘tīvra’ (intense) communicates the ultimate
limit of anguish, and the words ‘acyuta’ (infallible) and ‘nirvṛti’ (finished)
indicate the topmost level of happiness. ‘Aśubha’ (misfortune) connotes the
pain they experienced in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa before achieving ever-
ongoing meeting with Him. ‘Maṅgala’ is the happiness that they enjoyed in
associating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in their trance immediately after undergoing the
distress of separation. The mature sādhaka receives perfection by feeling
sorrow and joy in equal measure in his trance. These gopīs had been suffering
slowly, but now they experienced happiness and distress simultaneously.
That is why the words ‘dhuta’ (removed) and ‘kṣīṇa’ (diminshed) are used.
With regard to Śrī Kṛṣṇa meeting with those gopīs in their own homes,
Markendeya has said in Vāsanā-bhāṣya: “At that very moment all those
gopīs attained in their trance the supremely blissful Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is
affectionate to His devotees.” The words ‘aśubha’ and ‘maṅgala’ in Verse 10
cannot possibly mean ‘sin’ and ‘piety;’ they do not express the same notion.
Sin and piety inevitably dispense their results at every moment. If the gopīs
were subject to sin, they would never receive sphūrtis (visions) of Kṛṣṇa
in their love-filled separation from Him. The Padma Purāṇa confirms this:
“The birth of the Vaiṣṇavas is not the result of any karma.”
Thus, these gopīs’ births were not governed by prārabdha karma.
Furthermore, in their previous lives as sādhakas, they had passed through
anartha-nivṛtti and were already liberated from the bondage of their karmas.
Even so, the words ‘aśubha’ and ‘maṅgala’ are defined as ‘sin’ and ‘piety.’
This can be understood from the pastime described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.45.45 in which Śrī Bhagavān Himself brought the son of His guru,
Sāndīpani Muni, from the abode of Yama. At that time He mentioned this
type of karmic bondage: “He Yamarāja, you should hand over My guru’s son
to Me, even though he is still undergoing his prārabdha karma.” Actually,
it is only by the desire of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is independent and who likes to
perform a variety of pastimes, if one is saved from his past activities or not.
Bhagavān does this to increase one’s prema for Him. Such behavior is a sign
of His very attractive rasika nature as a connoisseur of loving exchanges. It
should be understood that Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed this pastime with the gopīs
with the same objective in mind. Therefore, no other explanation can be
given in regard to upholding the principle of prārabdha karma.
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One might ask: Did the gopīs meet with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a paramour
mood (jāra-buddhi)? The answer is no, it is not like that. They accepted the
paramour mood as a stepping stone due to their vehement desire. Paramātmā
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the root cause of all existence. He is known as Yadu-pati and
similar designations that indicate that He is the maintainer, so naturally He
is everyone’s master. He is the master of the gopīs, who accept Him with a
special mood as their hero in amorous play. Therefore, He is their pati, their
husband. This is the meaning here.
The purport is that the vraja-sundarīs have unparalleled passion for
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and their paramour mood towards Him serves as a stepping stone
to increase their passion to the ultimate limit. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is actually their real
husband even though they have this paramour mood. The name Yadu-pati
means that He is the master of the Yadus because He is their maintainer. As
the original Paramātmā of every living being, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Soul,
and therefore He is naturally everyone’s maintainer and master. Similarly, in
a conjugal relationship He is certainly the gopīs’ spouse. Śrī Kṛṣṇa engages
in very private, playful affairs with the vraja-sundarīs; therefore He is their
lover (ramaṇa). Only the husband can be the ramaṇa, so Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the
gopīs’ husband. When they performed love-play with Him, they were also
absorbed in this same mood. In other words, they accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their
legitimate hero when they met with Him.
One may argue that the mood of a ramaṇa as the master or husband
is not apparent here, so it is natural to think that the gopīs meet with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa in a paramour mood. The response is that even though they see Him
as their paramour while on their way to meet with Him, their greed to unite
with Him becomes so much stronger that the paramour mood (jāra-buddhi)
is forgotten.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.6.35 explains how Pūtanā came with evil
intentions, planning to kill Kṛṣṇa: “Though Pūtanā came to kill baby Kṛṣṇa
by feeding Him her breast milk, she was delivered to the spiritual realm.”
Similarly, a paramour mood (jāra-buddhi) also indicates a degraded
consciousness. When all these gopīs met with Bhagavān in deep meditation,
their previous bodies disappeared. Concomitantly, their relationship with
their husbands was automatically dissolved. How, then, is it possible for
these gopīs to be meeting with another partner out of wedlock? A fallen wife
who is attached to another man in the presence of the husband is known as
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an adulteress. But here, the gopīs have already relinquished their husbands
along with their previous bodies, so they cannot consider Kṛṣṇa as their
paramour. The Viśva-prakāśa Sanskrit dictionary states that ramaṇa
means ‘dear one.’ According to the Amara-kośa dictionary, dhava, priya,
pati and bharttā are synonyms, meaning ‘master;’ and jāra and upapati are
synonyms, meaning ‘paramour.’ It is not appropriate to equate the words
ramaṇa, pati, etc., with jāra, because they actually have opposite meanings.
One might inquire why the word jāra, which implies degradation, is
used instead of ramaṇa, pati, and other such decent words. We see the
example of Pūtanā, who came with the depraved desire to kill Kṛṣṇa. Here
also, the speaker seems to be casting aspersions by using the term parakīya-
bhāva (paramour mood) because the word ‘paramour’ indicates a sinful
relationship. The Trikāṇḍa-Śeṣādi Koṣa dictionary and traditional society
also hold the same idea. To reconcile this we submit that these implications
do not apply here. It is true that social etiquette and religious behavior
both condemn paramour love, but the gopīs’ overwhelming love had
driven them beyond these worldly conventions. The speaker uses the term
‘paramour love’ here to indicate the super-excellence of the gopīs’ highly
developed prema, their anurāga. Prema is denoted here as kāma because
the activities based on lust (kāma) and prema appear similar. However,
this kāma exhibited by the gopīs is nothing but a display of pure love
because the sole purpose of these activities in prema is to please the lover.
Hence, the vraja-sundarīs’ feelings of committing adultery are exclusively
for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, and giving delight to Kṛṣṇa is their natural instinct.
Consequently, the apparently contemptible view of their being paramours
(jāra) is completely invalid because their jāra-bhāva is to be understood as
pure kṛṣṇa-prema. This indicates that the crest jewel of all the goals of life
is to attain that supreme love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is overflowing with prema.
All of the gopīs’ activities are only for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam relates this later on, in 10.31.19: “He priya! O dearly beloved!
When we hold Your lotus feet to our breasts, we do so very gently, because
we are afraid that our hard breasts will hurt Your soft feet.” There are many
other similar examples of the gopīs’ prema. Śrīman Uddhava also says:
“āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ – I only pray that I may take
birth as a creeper, bush or herb in the Vṛndāvana forest so that I can always
be bathed in the dust of the Vraja damsels’ lotus feet. It is very difficult to
45
abandon conventional morality and give up one’s dear ones, but these
vraja-gopīs have done so to serve Śrī Govinda’s lotus feet, which the śrutis
are still seeking till today” (SB 10.47.61). Verse 58 in the same chapter states:
“The gopīs are situated in rūḍha-mahābhāvā for Supersoul Bhagavān Śrī
Govinda. Thus they are the most super-excellent of all embodied beings on
this Earth, for they are the only ones who have achieved the real purpose
of life. The greatest sages, who are afraid of material existence, desire this
pure love, and so do we as well. Aho! If one has not developed taste for
hearing the ambrosial narrations of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, even taking
birth as Brahmā is useless.” These considerations show that the jāra-bhāva
of the gopīs cannot be considered as degraded because it gives them a most
relishable prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and this is the topmost goal of life.
An accompanying fruit of this paramour love is that all those gopīs
gave up their residual material attachments. As mentioned above, all ties
were cut, and the influence of the material elements was withdrawn. This
indicates that they attained their fully blossomed transcendental forms.
‘Jāra-buddhyāpi’ – they indeed went for rendezvous in a paramour
mood. Here the word ‘api’ (still) establishes the sordidness of jāra-buddhi.
Although “Pūtanā came with the intention to kill baby Kṛṣṇa with her breast
smeared with poison, still she was awarded the position of a nursemaid”
(SB 10.6.35). Here the word api in the phrase ‘jighāṁsayāpi’ highlights the
evil nature of the desire to kill. Similarly, the word api in jāra-buddhyāpi
emphasizes the apparent baseness of paramour relations. One may say that
‘coming with the desire to kill’ and ‘paramour mood’ are both contemptible,
but how can one say that ‘jāra-buddhi’ is immoral when it is connected with
‘paramātmānaṁ’? Supersoul Śrī Kṛṣṇa can never be subject to censure. This
can be reconciled in the following way. “Pūtanā gave her breast smeared
with poison to Hari.” The use of the word ‘Hari’ here indicates that Supersoul
who steals the minds of all by His compassion and other wonderful qualities.
Therefore, even a cruel-hearted person cannot harbor the desire to kill Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who is full of transcendental qualities. After considering the above,
if the desire to kill Kṛṣṇa or to have a paramour relationship with Him does
appear in a cruel heart, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself will take away these
unwholesome desires, just as He made Pūtanā give up Her intention to kill
and removed the impropriety of the gopīs’ paramour love also. The reason
for this is that He is directly the Supersoul, or Hari, and He is causelessly
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merciful. Kṛṣṇa Himself will therefore destroy unseemly tendencies in one

who has corrupt intentions, and that is what He has done here.
Bhagavān saw Pūtanā’s giving poisoned breast milk as an envious act,
but He nevertheless accepted it as a semblance of bhakti. Therefore He
granted her the position of a nursemaid. The gopīs, on the other hand, were
supremely devoted to Him, and were suffering intolerable separation from
their beloved (duḥsaha-preṣṭha-viraha). Why, then, would He not accept
them as His beloveds and give them happiness by meeting with them in their
hearts? Surely He would do that! These gopīs’ actual meeting with Śrī Kṛṣṇa
took place in the eternal realm of Goloka, which is above and non-different
from this earthly Gokula.
All these considerations explain why Śrī Bhagavān told Uddhava:
“Those fortunate gopīs were unable to join Me on the night of the rāsa dance
even though they were in Vraja, but they attained Me by thinking about My
splendid pastimes.” The rāsa love dance mentioned to Uddhava in 10.47.37
took place on the same day as the play-filled rāsa-līlā described in this 29th
Chapter. Śrī Kṛṣṇa plays as a cowherd boy eternally in His pastimes in the
spiritual sky (aprakaṭa-līlā), so it is possible that the rāsa dance could have
taken place there some other day also.
Srīmād-Bhāgavatam 10.33.37 confirms that this happened on the
same night: “nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya – the gopīs’ so-called husbands did not
blame Kṛṣṇa for any improper conduct.” This shows that the husbands were
not disturbed by their wives’ giving up their bodies, because Bhagavān’s
Yogamāyā made those bodies vanish and manifested duplicate forms to
take their place. The nitya-siddha beloveds who joined Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa
dance had no idea about this secret. They did not know about Bhagavān
performing this rāsa-līlā with the sādhana-siddha gopīs until He sent His
message with Uddhava to Vraja. Actually, the nitya-siddha gopīs could not
understand Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s supernatural powers.
How amazing it is that these gopīs were still able to attain Kṛṣṇa even
though their husbands stopped them from following the sound of the flute
to reach Him! The reason is this: “Kṛṣṇa came to those gopīs who were
locked inside their houses, and met with them in their private quarters.”
This is disclosed in the verse beginning with ‘antar-gṛha-gatāḥ.’ Their
inauspicious separation was removed by the excruciating burning they
underwent and by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Not only their inauspiciousness was
47
eliminated, but through the gopīs the inauspiciousness of the whole world
was also destroyed. Śrī Bhagavān has confirmed this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
11.14.24: “By the power of My bhakti-yoga, the devotee purifies not only
himself, but the whole world also.”
When the gopīs’ received such complete happiness from His embrace,
their auspiciousness escalated, and this nourished the rest of the world
as well. As mentioned before, the phrase ‘guṇa-maya’ here means ‘full
absorption in a mood of separation.’ The description of the creation in the
Third Canto relates that Brahmā also gave up his body when he became
completely absorbed and changed His mood. The rest of the meaning
is according to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s explanation. ‘Antar-gṛha-gatāḥ’
(remaining inside their houses) – without being seen by anyone, Kṛṣṇa
manifested in their houses and met with them there. All their bondage was
thus cut at that moment. In this way, it was only that night that those gopīs
were not able to join the rāsa dance (alabdha-rāsā – SB 10.47.37). This is
the understanding.
The meaning is that, by the power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, the gopīs who
were confined in their houses gave up their subtle material bodies in their
meditation, and met with Him in their fully transcendental bodies. Kṛṣṇa met
with these gopīs in their homes and He dispelled all inauspiciousness that
had made them suffer in separation. ‘Alabdha-rāsā’ means that it was only
on this particular night that these gopīs could not directly go to the rāsa-
maṇḍala in the prakaṭa-līlā.

Here Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is presenting two ways of understanding
the verse starting with ‘duḥsaha.’ For materialistic persons he is only giving
an external meaning, which hides the real object of the gopīs’ attainment,
whereas for intimate devotees who are well versed in siddhānta, he is
revealing the deep, internal purport, which is dear to his heart.
First, for the materialists, he says, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave liberation to the
gopīs.” In other words, the gopīs’ inauspiciousness was cleansed by the
intense heat produced from intolerable separation, and the bliss they
received from Acyuta’s embrace in their meditation severed all their piety.
When all their prārabdha ties were cut, the gopīs attained Paramātmā in
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a paramour mood, and they gave up all their remaining subtle material
attachments (guṇa-maya deha).
Now, for the internal devotees, Śrī Śukadeva says that the gopīs were
suffering in the blazing fire of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but when they
went into deep trance, they attained unlimited happiness by meeting with
Him, and all their desires were fulfilled. Their unbearable separation caused
such intense heat that all types of inauspiciousness were shaken to the core.
This includes the heat generated in millions of universes from underwater
fires in the oceans, mahā-kālakūṭa poison [produced from the churning of
the milk ocean], and any other dangerous occurrence that causes sudden
death. All of these gave up their pride and shivered in defeat upon witnessing
the gopīs’ agony. In their trance the gopīs met with Acyuta in transcendental
bodies full of prema, in accord with their desires and natural sentiments.
The joy they experienced from His embrace annihilated all their mundane
and supra-mundane good fortune (maṅgala).
The happiness that the gopīs enjoyed from Kṛṣṇa’s embrace in their
meditation reduced to insignificance all the material happiness contained
in millions and millions of universes, as well as the spiritual joy experienced
by thousands who have realized the impersonal brahma. Some might think
that the gopīs’ agony in separation and their happiness in union with
Bhagavān were the reactions to their previous sin and piety because sinful
and pious reactions (prārabdha karma) are only wiped out by suffering and
enjoying them. Vaiṣṇavas, however, do not accept this view. Misery felt in
separation from Bhagavān is not the reaction of sin, and the bliss enjoyed
in meeting with Him is not the fruit of piety. But the sādhaka in the stage
of anartha-nivṛtti, who is still undergoing the reactions to his previous
activities, is able to destroy his prārabdha karma by worshiping Kṛṣṇa. This
is the rational conclusion.
Paramātmā Śrī Kṛṣṇa possesses the most sublime level of love. The gopīs
met that Paramātmā in their meditation, in the disrespectable paramour
relationship. In contrast, Rukmiṇī and the other queens enjoyed being Kṛṣṇa’s
respectable wives, seeing Him as the topmost husband that anyone could
attain. The gopīs, however, realized Him in a much more intimate way because
the unrestrained love in the paramour mood reaches the highest peak. The
noble devotee Śrī Uddhava Mahāśāya loudly sings the great glories of the
gopīs: “yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā – to worship the lotus
49
feet of Śrī Govinda, the vraja-gopīs gave up their husbands, family members
and Vedic morality, which are very difficult to renounce” (SB 10.47.61). The
gopīs could do this because their love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa was so strong. The śrutis
present the same opinion and they are still striving to attain that love-filled
form of Kṛṣṇa, which is the supreme goal.
Especially in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s manifest līlā on Earth, it is seen that an act
regarded as deplorable by material calculation is acknowledged as very
elevated and respectable. Grandfather Bhiṣma says in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
1.9.39: “That Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who bestows sārūpya-mukti, is now looking
beautiful as Arjuna’s chariot driver, holding a whip and protecting the
chariot.” This statement proves that Kṛṣṇa’s pastime as Pārtha-sārati, the
chariot driver, is superior to His activities as an emperor. Similarly, in the
material realm, extra-marital affairs (śṛṅgāra-rasa) are considered debased,
but in the prakaṭa-līlā they become more exalted than the ordinarily higher
śanta-rasa, because we observe that in the Vraja pastimes paramour love
excels marital love. We also see clearly in this manifest līlā that insignificant
items like a guṅja-mālā, red chalk (gairika-dhātu) and peacock feathers
are more precious than expensive ornaments made from jewels and pearls.
Here, the word ‘saṅgatā’ (attaining His direct association) indicates that
Yogamāyā helped some gopīs to escape from the bondage of their husbands
and fathers so that they could meet with Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa on that night
of the rāsa-līlā; others joined Him on subsequent nights.
One might question how it is appropriate for Śrī Bhagavān to perform
amorous pastimes like the rāsa dance with gopīs who have been enjoyed by
another man? The answer is: “jahur guṇa-mayaṁ dehaṁ – those gopīs gave
up their materially tinged subtle body.” Here ‘deha’ is used in the singular to
indicate that they are all of one type. Some say that Yogamāyā made those
bodies disappear without anyone noticing, and replaced them with another
body. Others say that the bodies given up were contaminated by the three
modes of nature. Even if we do not accept that those bodies were material, they
are still to be understood as perishable. Why is the phrase ‘guṇa-maya’ used
so often? This point can be settled thus: before the gopīs heard the sound of
the flute, their bodies were divided into two parts – guṇa-maya and cinmaya,
material and transcendental. The bodies that the gopīs gave up were the ones
that had been enjoyed by their husbands. Otherwise, if we accept guṇa-maya
deha to mean ‘their own bodies,’ this phrase would contradict the subject.
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In this regard, we should consider the following point. In the beginning

of one’s devotional practice, following the instruction of guru, the devotee
uses his ears and other external senses for hearing, performing kīrtana,
remembering, bowing down and serving the Deities. As he advances
in his practices, pure bhakti begins to pervade the functioning of his
senses. “Nirguṇo mad-apāśrayaḥ – a surrendered person becomes
transcendental” (SB 11.25.26). According to these words of Bhagavān,
the devotees rise above the material modes when they accept the Lord’s
qualities through their senses by hearing, chanting, etc., and yet they still
remain in the three modes of nature when they accept mundane sound and
other sense objects. In this way, the devotees have two aspects – material
and spiritual.
In this connection, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.42 says: “bhaktiḥ
pareśānubhavo viraktir – With each successive mouthful of food, one
becomes satisfied, nourished and relieved of hunger, accordingly. Similarly,
as surrendered devotees engage in the limbs of devotion, prema-bhakti, the
manifestation of Bhagavān’s love-filled form, and renunciation of material
enjoyment arise simultaneously.” According to this logic, the material body
is reduced as bhakti increases, and when prema emerges, the material aspect
of the body is completely destroyed, giving rise to the transcendental body.
Just as Śrī Bhagavān displayed the destruction of the Yādavas’ material bodies
in mauṣala-līlā, He similarly showed through His illusory energy the demise
of the gopīs’ gross bodies in order to delude the atheists and to protect the
confidentiality of bhakti-yoga.
To establish the superiority of bhakti-yoga, sometimes the devotee
goes to the spiritual realm in their same gross body, as in the case of Dhruva
Mahārāja. Evidence for this is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.25.32:
“yeneme nirjitāḥ saumya guṇā jīvena citta-jāḥ – He saumya! O gentle
Uddhava! One who practices bhakti-yoga with complete faith conquers all
the material modes arising in the mind, and that pure devotee can attain Me
in dāsya, sakhyā or one of the other relationships.” This shows that the
performance of bhakti-yoga, which is beyond all material qualities, defeats
the material modes. Dhutāśubhāḥ: the intense, intolerable fire which
arose from separation from their loved one; this fire removed the gopīs’
inauspiciousness. In other words, the material aspect of their bodies was
purified in a special way, and in their meditation they attained Śrī Acyuta’s
51
embrace. Thus, their auspiciousness (maṅgala) increased, which means

that their bodies became fully spiritual. This makes proper sense. ‘Prakṣīṇa-
bandhana’ – by receiving the favor of Yogamāyā, they were liberated from
the bonds of ignorance and from the obstacles presented by their husbands.
However, it is wrong to say that they died because Kṛṣṇa Himself says in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.37:
yā mayā krīḍatā rātryāṁ

vane ‘smin vraja āsthitāḥ
alabdha-rāsāḥ kalyāṇyo
māpur mad-vīrya-cintayā
“All those fortunate gopīs who were stopped by their husbands were
not able to join Me on the night of the rāsa dance; by thinking of My
heroic activities they attained Me right in their own houses.”
Bhagavān has used the word ‘kalyāṇī’ to show that those gopīs who
were checked by their husbands burned in the conflagration of separation,
and desired to give up their bodies. “But at the beginning of the supremely
auspicious rāsa festival, I did not agree to their dying, which would have
been inauspicious.” Consequently, no death took place; rather these gopīs
became greatly fortunate.
“Tā ūcur uddhavaṁ prītās tat-sandeśāgata-smṛtīḥ – Śrī Śukadeva said,
‘When those gopīs heard their beloved’s message from Śrī Uddhava’s mouth,
their previous memories were awakened’” (SB 10.47.38). Here, the word ‘tā’
refers to those gopīs who were locked in their houses by their husbands and
thus prevented from joining the rāsa. Hence, they actually did not die, only
their subtle material body was removed. This is the understanding. They
gave up their residual material attachments by burning in the intense fire of
separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and attained pure spiritual bodies, like Dhruva
and others. In this context, ‘deha-tyāga’ means giving up the body, and
receiving a spiritual body. The phrases ‘alabdha-vinirgamā’ (SB 10.29.9)
and ‘vraja āsthitāḥ’ (SB 10.47.37) have the same meaning – they remained
in their houses. The phrases ‘dhyāna-prāptācyutāśleṣa’ (Verse 10 in this
chapter) and ‘māpur mad-vīrya-cintayā’ (10.47.37) also have the same
meaning – they attained His embrace in their trance. ‘Saṅgatā’ (10.29.11)
means they attained Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and ‘alabdha-rāsā’ (10.47.37) means they
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did not join the rāsa dance. These references indicate that there were two
types of gopīs who were restricted in their houses.
When the gardener sees that seven or eight mangoes on a tree are nearly
ripe, he concludes that all the fruits on that tree are ready. He picks all of them
and brings them home. In time, by the rays of the sun and other stimulants,
the mangoes take on a beautiful color, exude a sweet fragrance and become
tender with juice. Then they are suitable for the king’s enjoyment. As the
fruits mature, the king’s prudent servant will select the ripest and present
to the king for his pleasure. Some mangoes may be ripe inside but are not
suitable for tasting as they are still unripe outside, not having any color or
fragrance. Knowing this, the gardener allows them to ripen in the heat of the
sun or by some other means, and after a few days, they are also ready to offer.
Similarly, in Gokula, some of the muni-carī gopīs took birth with
completely pure, transcendental bodies, and were not touched by any man.
Therefore, Yogamāyā helped them, and they went for abhisāra to meet with
Śrī Kṛṣṇa along with the nitya-siddha gopīs. On the other hand, those muni-
carī gopīs who externally maintained some attachment to the material modes
were placed by Yogamāyā in the intense fire of separation, which removed
their remaining attachments and eradicated their blemish of having been
touched by another man. Thus, by Yogamāyā’s arrangement they received
their pure, spiritual bodies with which they were able to meet Kṛṣṇa towards
the end of that night of the rāsa-līlā.
Some gopīs had a slight touch of impurity, which was eventually burnt up
in the fire of separation. Yogamāyā arranged for them to meet with Śrī Kṛṣṇa
some other night. After this, the sādhana-siddha gopīs who enjoyed the rāsa
pastimes returned to their husbands’ houses, just as the nitya-sidda gopīs
did. From that time on, Yogamāyā protected them from being touched by their
husbands, and they no longer had any sense of belonging to their husbands,
sons and the rest of the family. Since they were completely overwhelmed by
kṛṣṇa-prema, their breast milk dried up, and they were unable to nourish
their babies. Their family members, thinking them to be mad or under the
influence of a dark planet, remained silent. This is the faultless conclusion,
leaving no loose ends to be reconciled. Some persons say that the gopīs who
were locked in their houses did not have any children. The use of the word
‘apatya’ (children) in a later verse indicates the sons of a co-wife, an adopted
child, or the sons of a brother or other family member.
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Verse 12
śrī-parīkṣid uvāca
kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ paraṁ kāntaṁ
na tu brahmatayā mune
guṇa-pravāhoparamas
tāsāṁ guṇa-dhiyāṁ katham
Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked: “O great sage, the vraja-

ramaṇis knew Śrī Kṛṣṇa only as their beloved; they never saw
Him as the Supreme Spirit. As their hearts were ever attached
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, how were they able to become detached
from the influence of the three modes of material nature?”

One may raise the question: since in actuality husbands, sons and other
family members are spiritual personalities (brahma), why would one not
attain liberation by serving them? The answer is that the gopīs were not
conscious of the spiritual natures of their husbands, sons and other family
members, so they would not become liberated through their service to them.
Then automatically the question arises: How did the gopīs become liberated
by associating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, since they did not see Him as the Supreme
Spirit? This verse starting with ‘kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ’ presents this doubt: “These
gopīs knew Śrī Kṛṣṇa only as their beloved.”

The name Parīkṣit is explained in this way: ‘pari’ means ‘from every
angle,’ and ‘īkṣate’ means ‘he knows everyone’s mood.’ Mahārāja Parīkṣit
knew Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Spirit, that is to say, he knew the power of
His mercy and His inconceivable glories. However, there were some sincere
devotees present, who had withdrawn from the external world, but who still
harbored doubts in their hearts. That is to say, they believed in the power of
Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and in the inconceivable greatness of bhakti, but they were
dubious about Kṛṣṇa’s confidential pastimes. Śrī Parīkṣit expressed their
mood in a special way to remove their uncertainty.
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Now, for the externally-oriented brahma-jñānīs and karmīs, who

speculate about the conclusive truths of bhakti. To clear away their
skepticism, Śrī Parīkṣit presented this doubt from the point of view of a
brahma-jñānī. Their doubt can be expressed in this way: brahma-jñānīs
very rarely attain liberation. How, then, could the gopīs attain liberation
through their amorous mood (kānta-bhāva) when they did not understand
Bhagavān as the Supreme Spirit? In some versions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
the verse reads ‘rājo uvāca, the King said.’ Both versions have the same
meaning – one who understands everyone’s moods. Śrī Śukadeva, the best
of the sages, understood the motive behind Parīkṣit Mahārjāja’s question,
and removed the doubt of the sincere devotees while at the same time
condemning those averse to bhakti. The explanation he gave for the latter
group is well known.
The meaning for sincere persons is as follows. Wherever it is said, “The
gopīs gave up their residual subtle material body (guṇa-maya deha),” the
word ‘guṇa’ refers to the three modes of nature, namely goodness, passion
and ignorance. In other words, they gave up their body that was under the
influence of the material modes. Then the question arises: the contemptible
material body is already known to be intrinsically composed of the three
modes of nature, so why emphasize the phrase guṇa-maya deha? One might
propose that the word ‘guṇa’ implies qualities of the mind, like compassion,
which progress into a flow of more attributes, and ‘maya’ means plentiful.
In that case ‘guṇa-maya’ would mean ‘one who possesses a host of excellent
attributes.’ Even then, the question arises: how was the gopīs’ residual subtle
material body removed if they only knew Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the ultimate lover and
not as the Supreme Spirit (brahma)? How were the gopīs able to terminate
their material attachment when their hearts were attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a
material sense?
The gopīs who performed the rāsa-līlā with Bhagavān had fully
transcendental bodies, untouched by the three modes. The gopīs who were
locked in their houses did not receive bodies that were beyond material
nature until later on. The subtle material body (guṇa-maya deha) of those
gopīs who were prevented from going to the rāsa-maṇḍala, was replaced by
a pure, transcendental body when they absorbed themselves in meditation
on Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is to indicate this transformation that the adjective ‘guṇa-
maya’ is used here. With regard to giving up the subtle material body, mental
55
virtuous qualities [such as being truthful, not criticizing others] are nothing
but a product of the material mode of goodness, so they are considered to
be equally disdainful.
This verse starting with ‘kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ’ presents this enquiry. The
meaning of the verse is as follows: the gopīs only knew Kṛṣṇa as their
beloved, ‘paraṁ kāntaṁ.’ Here, paraṁ means ‘only,’ and kānta means ‘their
dearmost lover,’ who steals the minds of all with His uncountable, astonishing
attributes. ‘Na tu brahmatayā’ – they did not know anything about Kṛṣṇa
being the Absolute Truth. ‘Tāsāṁ guṇa-dhiyāṁ’ – the gopīs’ hearts were
devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa because of His amazing qualities, which are so powerful
that even staunch impersonalists give up their meditation on brahma and
come running to Him. Those gopīs were so exclusively fixed on Śrī Kṛṣṇa
that their loving tendency became one with Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful qualities. Thus
they became endowed with transcendental attributes. This is the meaning.
The purport is that when the core of the heart is absorbed in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
supreme beauty and other qualities, then one understands the paltriness of
the impersonal brahma. The hearts of the vraja-sundarīs were endlessly
submerged in Kṛṣṇa’s amazing attributes so, just as the gopīs were over
whelmed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited qualities, He was similarly intoxicated by
theirs. That is, He was subjugated by their prema. The gopīs’ qualities were
connected to Kṛṣṇa’s because all their endeavors, inspired by their one-
pointed prema for Him, were related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental merits. That
is why it is said that the gopīs were endowed with transcendental qualities.
A question may emerge: all the sādhana-siddha gopīs were not situated
in their completely pure spiritual bodies, so they gave up those bodies.
But how could they possibly give up transcendental attributes, which are
permanent? The answer is this: For those who worship brahma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
manifests His effulgence only, but this was not the case for the gopīs who
were locked in their houses. Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared before them in His full
form with all His attributes. The worshipers of brahma are in the mode of
goodness, so it is possible for them to be extricated from the current of
the material modes. In contrast, there was no need to renounce Bhagavān’s
unlimited, fully transcendental qualities that were transmitted to the gopīs.
This is the meaning. The qualities that are related to the gopīs’ eternal forms
are intrinsic to those forms, and it is impossible that the eternal body, with
its inherent qualities, will ever be destroyed.
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Another kind of enquiry arises. The gopīs knew Śrī Kṛṣṇa only as their
beloved; they did not see Him as the all-pervading Supreme Spirit (brahma).
“Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante – I reciprocate with devotees according to the
way they worship Me” (Gītā 4.11). This being the case, since the gopīs did
not know Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s all-pervading quality, how could His all-pervasive form
manifest in their houses? And is it possible that the gopīs would give up the
nectar that flows in meeting? They only knew Kṛṣṇa as being the handsome,
expert lover, so how could they possibly give up such transcendental
qualities related to their eternal forms? In which way did they meet with
Bhagavān? Mune refers to Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī and means ‘omniscient.’

Parīkṣit Mahārāja saw on the faces of those listeners who were
indifferent to bhakti that they were harboring a doubt in their hearts. Even
though Mahārāja Parīkṣit had understood the essence of the subject matter
by the mercy of Śrī Śukadeva, he presented their doubt to Śrī Śukadeva as if
it were his own, in order to remove their skepticism. Thus he spoke this verse
‘kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ.’ “He mune, O omniscient sage! Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul
and the Supreme Godhead, but these gopīs only knew Him as their intimate
lover. They did not recognize Him as the Supreme Spirit (brahma). Rather,
their mood was, ‘We enjoy dallying with Kṛṣṇa.’ How, then, were they freed
from the influence of the three modes?” The śrutis and smṛtis declare: “Only
by knowing the Supreme Lord can one become liberated. There is no other
way” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.8). Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.24 confirms
this: “svātmānam ātmātmatayā vicakṣate – one who knows or sees You as
the Supersoul of all souls can attain liberation.” By this it is understood that
one can achieve emancipation by realizing the Supersoul.
Verse 13
śrī-śuka uvāca
uktaṁ purastād etat te
caidyaḥ siddhiṁ yathā gataḥ
dviṣann api hṛṣīkeśaṁ
kim utādhokṣaja-priyāḥ
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Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: “O Parīkṣit, I have already

explained this topic to you (in the Seventh Canto). Śiśupāla
attained liberation (parampada – the topmost goal) even though
he was envious of Hṛṣīkeśa Śrī Kṛṣṇa, so what to speak of the
gopīs, who knew Bhagavān Adhokṣaja as their beloved?”

This verse answers the question posed in the previous verse. The
essence is that the spiritual nature of living entities in general is covered,
whereas the divinity of Hṛṣīkeśa Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the controller of all the
senses, is always apparent; it is never covered. Therefore, He cannot be
understood by the intelligence.

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī understood Śrī Parīkṣit’s question, but in order
to denounce and deprive those averse to bhakti, and at the same time to
remove the doubt of the inquisitive devotees, he became a little angry. It was
with this intention that he spoke this verse ‘uktaṁ purastāt.’ “O Parīkṣit, I
have already told you about this (in the Seventh Canto). Śiśupāla attained
perfection by hating Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Here ‘perfection’ is understood to mean
‘attaining the desired goal.’ That is to say, Śiśupāla was reinstated in his
previous position as a Vaikuṇṭha associate. This is related in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 7.1.47: “These two associates of Śrī Viṣṇu were always
absorbed in enmity towards Him. In this deep absorption they received
bodily features like Acyuta’s (sārūpya-mukti), and went back to Śrī Hari.”
They were inimical towards Bhagavān, so their transcendental qualities
were hidden, though present within them. When their envy was removed,
they attained their previous position as associates of the Lord, endowed
with the same transcendental qualities as before. Adhokṣaja Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who
is beyond the limits of sense perception, is the object (viṣaya) of prema, and
the gopīs are the shelter (aśraya) of that prema. Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His qualities
manifest in ever-new forms, and the gopīs experienced them in ever-new
ways, through their constantly increasing prema. This is the understanding.
Śrī Śukadeva said, “I have already told you (in the Eleventh Verse) that
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the gopīs gave up their bodies that were influenced by the three modes
of nature (guṇa-maya deha). As soon as they attained their true spiritual
body with its intrinsic form under the functions of the svarūpa-śakti, their
material body, with its beauty and other virtues, was removed at the root.”
The second meaning of Śrī Parīkṣit’s question in Verse 12 is answered here:
“I fulfill one’s inner desire corresponding to the mood in which one worships
Me (Gītā 4.11). Accordingly, although all of My qualities are always present
in Me, I only display to the gopīs the qualities that are appropriate for them.”
This is the correct conception. Śrī Bhagavān loses track of Himself when He
is so absorbed in bhakti, and at that time, līlā-śakti, seeing the opportunity to
serve, manifests the whole gamut of His qualities. This is how the sādhakas
who sincerely worship Him in an exclusive mood of mādhurya, though
they are as yet far away, will attain their desired goal. Here ‘dviṣann api’
(even with enmity) provides an example given through kaimutika nyāya
(the logic of ‘how much more, how much less?’). Śiśupāla, the king of Cedi,
hated Śrī Kṛṣṇa; even so, he attained perfection and was reinstated as an
associate in Vaikuṇṭha. If this is the case, then surely Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s treasured
sweethearts will attain their perfection; there is nothing more to be said. In
other words, Śrī Bhagavān’s natural propensity is to give Himself equally to
all. That is why He gives Himself in charity to His devotees, and at the same
time dispenses the opulence of liberation to those who see Him as their
enemy. This is the meaning.
Bhagavān is called ‘Hṛṣīkeśa’ (the controller of the senses) and
‘Adhokṣaja’ (who is beyond material sense perception). These two names
convey His qualities that manifest His opulence of bestowing liberation,
etc. The use of these names in this verse makes it clear that even if one is
unaware of Śrī Bhagavān’s opulent nature, the Lord’s particular qualities
(that relate to the sādhaka’s mood) manifest automatically to help the
sādhaka attain perfection.

The king of sages, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, knew that this was not the
king’s own question. Even so, he chastised him, “O King, it seems that you
have asked such a question without any understanding.” Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī was actually using the king as a vehicle to reprimand all those
59
who were averse to bhakti. “I have already told you (in the Seventh Canto)
that Śiśupāla, the king of Cedi, attained perfection through his enmity for
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This shows that one can achieve impersonal liberation (sāyujya-
mukti) even through an unfavorable, envious mood, so what to speak of
the gopīs attaining Śrī Kṛṣṇa with their favorable mood of amorous love
(kāma-rūpa-bhāva)!”
‘Hṛṣīkeśa’ (the controller of the senses): Śrī Bhagavān is beyond the
sense perception of Brahmā and other demigods. Nonetheless, when He
Himself appears in this mortal world out His unconditional mercy, His
inconceivable power enables even the most ignorant persons to perceive
Him through their senses. Kṛṣṇa does this to deliver them; for these persons
He is the Lord full of profuse mercy. If that Adhokṣaja Śrī Bhagavān (who is
beyond the perception of the material senses) displays such mercy for the
most fallen souls, how He will reciprocate with His beloved gopīs, who are
the receptacle (aśraya) of His love! Indeed, He regards them so highly that
they become the object (viṣaya) of His love. Surely, then, they can attain Śrī
Kṛṣṇa by continuously remembering Him with love.
One may ask why Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī quoted the example of the
King of Cedi attaining liberation. He could have mentioned Kṛṣṇa killing
Aghāsura in His Vṛndāvana pastimes, an event that took place closer in
time to the topic under discussion. So what was his intention in citing this
example from the Mathurā pastimes? Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī explained to
the king the deeper understanding of the example of Śiśupāla. “O King,
Śiśupāla’s heart was absorbed in Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a mood of enmity. It was
only his material body given by the curse of the Four Kumāras that was
destroyed. His spiritual body as an eternal associate was always present.”
The reason for this is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.46: “viṣṇu-
cakra-hatāṁhasau – Viṣṇu’s disc destroyed all his sins, but not his spiritual
body. That is, his body as an eternal associate remained when he gave up
his material body.” Here, ‘siddhi’ means attaining the cherished position as
an associate. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.47 states: “Śiśupāla and Dantavakra
were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa’s form in an envious mood. By the influence
of this constant meditation, they were liberated from their demonic mood
and reinstated as Viṣṇu’s associates in Vaikuṇṭha.”
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Verse 14
nṛṇāṁ niḥśreyasārthāya
vyaktir bhagavato nṛpa
avyayasyāprameyasya
nirguṇasya guṇātmanaḥ
O King, though Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is unlimited,

immeasurable, and untouched by the modes of nature because
He is their controller, He personally appears out of His own
sweet will for the supreme welfare of the living entities.

The question arises: how can the soul be liberated from its material
coverings? The answer is found in this verse beginning with ‘nṛṇāṁ.’ Just
for the auspiciousness of humanity, Śrī Bhagavān, the master of the material
modes, manifests in a human-like form. However, it is not proper to say that
His body is material.
This explanation brings to light the power of meditation on Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Jaya and Vijaya, eternal associates of Śrī Bhagavān, were cursed by the
Four Kumāras. Accepting a demoniac mood, they appeared as Śiśupāla
and Dantavakra during Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes, and facilitated His
relishing the activity of fighting. Similarly, the gopīs, who abound with love
for Kṛṣṇa, came to perform blissful pastimes with their beloved, and assisted
Him in actualizing those līlās. This verse ‘nṛṇāṁ’ makes use of kaimutika
nyāya (the logic of ‘how much more, how much less?’). When Śrī Bhagavān
appears in this world, He bestows auspiciousness upon the living entities
in general, giving them the qualification to relish the fruit of the pleasure
of His pastimes (līlānanda.). What, then, will He give to His associates and
His sweethearts? This idea is communicated through the use of kaimutika
nyāya. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī employed the term ‘bhagavataḥ’ to assure
us that Bhagavān can indeed bestow this kind of fruit. Since He can destroy
billions of universes just by the flick of His eyebrows, it is illogical to say
that He manifests in the material realm only to remove the burden of the
61
Earth. “He rājan, O King!” – the purport of this address is that “a king like
you goes here and there for the benefit of the populace, and Śrī Bhagavān
similarly descends for the welfare of the living entities.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ‘aprameya,’ unlimited, and ‘guṇātmanaḥ,’ whose unlimited
qualities, such as mercy, are usually dormant but particular qualities become
manifest for the specific līlās. These qualities are intrinsic to His nature.
Therefore, for the auspiciousness of humanity He awakens His mercy and
other unlimited qualities, just as someone awakens a sleeping person. In
this regard, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda says in his commentary on Verses
13–14, “All the living entities have a spiritual nature, which is covered. But
as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the controller of all the senses, His divinity is apparent, it is
never covered. This is understood automatically. Such understanding does
not require the use of one’s intelligence.” To remove the doubt of averse
persons, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda gives this meaning.
In this verse Śrī Śukadeva used ‘avyayasya’ (inexhaustible) and the
three other adjectives to indicate Kṛṣṇa’s Godhood. Śrī Kṛṣṇa continuously
gives Himself to His different devotees in different manifestations, but He is
never depleted; this proves that He is limitless. How is it possible for Him to
be inexhaustible? The answer lies in the word ‘aprameya,’ meaning that He
is not limited by time, place, etc. One may then ask how He can be unlimited,
without boundaries in time and space? The answer is that He is ‘nirguṇa’ –
beyond the material qualities. What is the evidence that He is ‘nirguṇa?’ In
response, the phrase ‘guṇātmanaḥ’ is employed, meaning that He manages
the material modes. Bhagavān appears in this world for the benefit of the
living entities by bestowing on them the results of different kinds of practices.
To establish that it is not possible that He came here for any other reason,
‘avyayasya’ and three other adjectives are used. ‘Avyayasya’ also means
that He does not undergo any material transformations, such as birth.
The explanation of Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary is as follows.
The question may arise: since brahma, the Supreme Spirit, has amorous
desires that He fulfills, will the living entities not also have desires for
such enjoyment? From the angle of consciousness, the living entity and
the Supreme Spirit are the same; the only difference lies in their potencies.
Therefore, since the living entities have a spiritual nature, it follows that
the gopīs’ husbands are also spiritual beings. This being the case, why did
the cowherd maidens not attain absorption in brahma when they looked
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at their husbands with amorous desire? Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda answers

this question thus: yes, it is true that the living entity’s nature is spiritual, but
it is hidden, being covered by Māyā.
Brahma Himself, as Hṛṣikeśa, controls the senses of everyone, including
Brahmā. However, the living entities are dependent on the knowledge
acquired from the senses. In this way, their knowledge is under the control
of their senses. And as their consciousness is always directed towards
external sense objects, their spiritual nature is hidden. Because of being
absorbed in material designations, the conditioned souls do not focus on
the ever-existing spiritual objects and that is why they do not see their own
spirituality or that of others. But as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣikeśa, the controller of
everyone’s senses, His spiritual nature is automatically manifest. That is to
say, Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual nature is self-evident, it is not covered. This is the final
conclusion. One will achieve the Absolute Reality according to the desire
or mood in which one becomes absorbed when approaching the Supreme
Spirit. This is the essential meaning.
The question arises: How can an embodied soul be uncovered
brahma? According to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda, the answer is this: the word
‘body’ means that Kṛṣṇa seems to have a body like the husbands of the
gopīs. The conclusion of this subject is expressed through the phrase
bhagavato eva. ‘Aprameya’ and the other adjectives describe Bhagavān’s
distinctive characteristics of being inexhaustible, unlimited, etc., which are
automatically understood in the term Bhagavān, as these are intrinsic to
Him. Evaṁrūpā – Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pure spiritual form is not like appearance
of the embodied being, so the bodies of the gopīs’ husbands or ordinary
persons cannot possibly be equated with the Lord’s. How, then, can anyone
designate Him as an ‘embodied soul’ when there is no similarity? How can
we say He possesses a body when His form, along with His internal potency
and all His variegatedness, is actually the Supreme Absolute Truth?
The scriptures that learned scholars have studied and realized, present
evidence proving that the Lord’s body is eternal and fully spiritual. Further
more, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.9.3 Lord Brahmā says: “O Supreme Person,
the visible form that You manifest is constituted of and is non-different from
spiritual bliss, nothing else. Your spiritual effulgence, which is not covered and
which is full of bliss, is beyond time and place; it is the partial manifestation
of and is non-different from Your non-dual form. You, O Supreme Soul, are
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the original worshipful Lord, one without a second. You are the creator of
the universe yet You are separate from it, and You are the cause of the living
entities and the senses. I take shelter of this unparalleled form.”
Śrī Bhagavān comes to this realm to bestow auspiciousness on
humanity. Therefore, if one has any kind of connection with Him, He grants
him the goal he desires. This verse ‘nṛṇāṁ’ confirms that, by the power of
the Lord’s mercy alone, one can attain Him, even if one has not performed
any kind of spiritual practices. That is to say, Śrī Bhagavān manifests only
for the benefit of human society. ‘Auspiciousness’ is understood to mean
the highest benefit in the form of bhakti. He manifests to some to give
impersonal liberation (sāyujya), for some He comes to give sālokya, equal
facility to live on the same planet with Him, and to some others He bestows
the fruit of prema-bhakti.
The purpose of His appearance is not just to remove the burden of the
Earth caused by the demons. He also comes to bestow to the devotees the
fruit of their practices. It is not that He comes only to kill Kaṁsa and other
rogues, because just by a flick of His eyebrows He can destroy the demons
in millions of universes. He is inexhaustible (avyayasya) – the demons’
atrocities cannot harm Him in any way, and by continuously manifesting
Himself in many kinds of forms, He gives Himself to many types of devotees.
This does not deplete Him because, being unfathomable (aprameya), He is
beyond logic and measure. Consequently, no one can describe His reality
because He is beyond the material modes (nirguṇa). He is ‘guṇātmā,’ meaning
that His qualities like opulence are intrinsic to Him. His inherent qualities
are naturally auspicious, and therefore He is the ocean of transcendental,
blissful qualities. Is there anyone capable of possibly understanding His
uncountable glorious characteristics?
Verse 15
kāmaṁ krodhaṁ bhayaṁ sneham

aikyaṁ sauhṛdam eva ca
nityaṁ harau vidadhato
yānti tan-mayatāṁ hi te
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Therefore, one who constantly thinks of Śrī Hari, in a mood

of lust, anger, fear, affection, oneness or friendship, will become
completely absorbed in Him, and due to this absorption, will
eventually attain Him.

If anyone has even a tiny bit of attachment in any way for Śrī Bhagavān,
this attachment will be the cause of one’s liberation. This is the meaning of
this verse ‘kāmaṁ.’ ‘Aikya’ – relationship; ‘sauhṛda’ – bhakti.
This method is applicable for all times, not just at the time of Kṛṣṇa’s
personal presence. That is, when Kṛṣṇa’s performs His manifest pastimes,
everyone – devotees and non-devotees alike – gets His direct darśana, and
they receive the appropriate fruits. But when kṛṣṇa-līlā is not manifest, one
can still attain Him by becoming absorbed in Him. This process is explained
in this verse beginning with ‘kāmaṁ.’ This kāma is of two types: one is full of
selfless love, prema-maya-kāma, as seen in the gopīs, and the other is desire
for amorous self-satisfaction, sambhoga-icchā-maya-kāma, as exemplified
by Kubjā of Mathurā. One may become absorbed in Kṛṣṇa through anger
and envy, as Śiśupāla did; fear as exhibited by Kaṁsa; familial affection
that the Yādavas, Paṇḍavas and Vrajavāsīs displayed; oneness leading to
liberation as in the cases of the self-satisfied sages, and friendship as seen
in Kratha and Kauśika. Among these, fear and envy are unfavorable moods
and are thus not accepted because a person with such a mood always sees
Śrī Bhagavān as dangerous, although He is actually the embodiment of all
auspicious attributes. Some who fear Him hide their feelings and hate Him
internally, and some who envy Him display their hatred outwardly, but the
astonishing thing is that Bhagavān bestows auspiciousness upon such
impudent persons as well. Therefore, who can be so fallen as to maintain
fear and antagonism towards Bhagavān? On the contrary, everyone should
feel friendship and affection for Him. This is the purport.
This is the reason why Nārada, the sage of the demigods, advised in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.32: “Everyone’s supreme duty is to somehow
engage his mind in Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Here we should understand the appropriate
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way to absorb the mind. In this regard, Nārada said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

7.1.27: “A person meditating on Śrī Kṛṣṇa with an inimical mood will
attain a more intense absorption in the Lord than one engrossed in Him
in a mood of devotion. This is my firm opinion.” Loving devotees disdain
animosity towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and yet scholars learned in the scriptures have
challenged the norms of the sublime path of bhakti-yoga and have stressed
the power of animosity to produce very intense absorption. That is why it is
said, “even through enmity.” Still the scholars agree that one should accept
one of the favorable moods, such as affection or friendship. The word ‘even’
indicates that the mood of hatred is contemptible and unacceptable. Unity
(aikya) also is not acceptable, because in oneness with Śrī Kṛṣṇa there is no
manifestation of His personal attributes. In this verse, ‘eva’ (indeed) implies
that one can achieve success through any one of the moods, such as lust. It
should be understood that the Lord definitely (hi) bestows the desired goal
to one completely absorbed in a plenitude of lust or any of the other moods.
‘Tan-mayatā’ – any of these moods should manifest in fullness, with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa being the sole object of absorption.
However, Śrī Bhagavān has said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.21: “I
am very dear to My devotees; indeed, I am their heart and soul. I am known
only through bhakti performed with faith.” In Padma Purānā (Uttara
Khaṇḍa) it is stated: “Yogīs have audience of Janārdhana by the power of
their bhakti, but one cannot have His darśana through anger and envy if
he has no bhakti.” From this one can understand that through envy and
hatred it is not possible to attain the Lord. In Bhagavad-gītā 7.25 the Lord
says, “nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. Not everyone can
see Me, because I am covered by Yogamāyā.” In these statements Bhagavān
makes it clear that one who is envious of Him will not have darśana of
His genuine form; he will see only a covered form. But by the influence of
Bhagavān’s mercy, a vision of His true form will later manifest in the heart.
Therefore, here anger and fear are acceptable in sādhana. Thus, what to
speak of those who are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds (adhoksaja priyā)? The logic
kaimutika-nyāya demonstrates that the gopīs’ kāma is superior due to
their being very intimate with Him. The conclusion is that it is one’s duty to
follow the vraja-gopīs’ mood of amorous desire for Kṛṣṇa. In this verse ‘ca’
can be read as ‘va,’ and the meaning is the same.
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Śrī Śukadeva’s intention in speaking this verse starting with ‘kāmaṁ’ is
this: “O Parīkṣit, accept this conclusion, which is generally applicable.” The
gopīs attained Śrī Kṛṣṇa through amorous love, Kaṁsa through fear, Śiśupāla
through envy, the Yādavas through family relationship, the Paṇḍavas through
friendship and affection, Śrī Nanda through parental love, and Śrī Nārada
through bhakti. Self-satisfied sages achieved absorption by cultivating a
mood of oneness with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Nowadays also, many persons will eventually
attain Him by entering deep absorption (tan-mayatā) in Him through lust,
anger or any of the other moods. This establishes that Bhagavān’s pastimes
go on continuously. Here, ‘tan-mayatā’ is understood to mean ‘having
attachment or intense devotion.’ Just as lusty men always meditate on women,
the gopīs have a similar deep attachment for Śrī Kṛṣṇa through love-filled
amorous desire. Anger and fear are almost the same; by totally absorbing in
such a mood, one attains oneness (sāyujya) with Bhagavān.
Verse 16
na caivaṁ vismayaḥ kāryo

bhavatā bhagavaty aje
yogeśvareśvare kṛṣṇe
yata etad vimucyate
“O King, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of all the masters

of mystic powers, is not subject to birth and death. By having a
relationship with Him, all the moving and non-moving living
entities of the world can attain liberation from the three modes of
nature. Thus, it is not proper for you to be even slightly astonished
by that Supreme Lord.”

It is not difficult at all for Śrī Bhagavān to bestow one with that sort of
absorption, so it is not proper to be astonished by His actions. All moving
and non-moving entities in the whole universe can be delivered, if Kṛṣṇa
simply desires this to happen.
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Now, in this verse beginning ‘na caivaṁ,’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī says:
“O Parīkśit, let others be surprised, but it is not befitting for you to be
astonished, because you personally experienced Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories right
from the beginning, while still in your mother’s womb.” Śrī Śukadeva was
proud of his disciple Parīkṣit, so he used the word ‘bhavatā’ (by you), a term
of respect, instead of toyā, the informal form of address. This matter is not
so astonishing because Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa possesses unlimited opulences.
If He is Bhagavān, then why does He accept birth from Devakī’s womb? The
answer is ‘aja,’ unborn; He did not take birth like an ordinary living entity.
Rather, He came of His free will to taste the vatsalya-prema of His devotees.
As Bhagavān, He is the master of all mystics, and furthermore, in His form
as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, from every point of view He is full and complete in all rasas.

“O Parīkśit, others may be surprised, but you should not be. There is
no need for you to have any doubt because you saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s greatness
while in your mother’s womb. Even if He goes for cow-grazing, He is still
Bhagavān, and even though He is the son of Devakī, still He is unborn.
Though He is a debauchee enjoying with the vraja-gopīs, He is still the Lord
of all masters of mystic powers. Furthermore, that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the source
of all the incarnations, so please have no doubt about Him. Śrīdhara Svāmī
has stated, ‘All moving and non-moving living entities are liberated by the
power of that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories.’” Another meaning is given: not only His
associates in the līlās get delivered; even at the present time any living
beings can be liberated from the force of the three modes of nature if they
remember Him with moods such as amorous love.
Verse 17
tā dṛṣṭvāntikam āyātā
bhagavān vraja-yoṣitaḥ
avadad vadatāṁ śreṣṭho
vācaḥ peśair vimohayan
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[Now listen to what happened on the other hand:] Seeing

those vraja-sundarīs in front of Him, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the
crown-jewel of expert speakers, bewildered them with His witty,
charming words.

This verse beginning with ‘tā dṛṣṭā’ presents the topic related to ‘vācaḥ
peśeḥ’ – with playful, decorative talk.
“O Parīkṣit, it is not proper to present any type of obstacle in the
discussion of this supremely nectarean rāsa-līlā, but you still diverted
the narration with your question for the sake of the audience, in order
for them to fix their minds. Upon your request I have presented the final
understanding.” After expressing this, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī was very
enthusiastic to describe the rāsa-līlā and, even without Parīkṣit asking him
to continue, immediately spoke this verse ‘tā dṛṣṭā.’ ‘Tā’ (them) refers to
‘those gopīs.’ “Kṛṣṇa saw the gopīs coming to Him in an extremely perturbed
condition, having been attracted by the sound of the flute.” It is proper for
Vraja ladies to stay in the village, not out in the forest. This is the meaning.
The gopīs approached Him but remained at some distance due to shyness;
seeing this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa began to speak to them playfully.
There are two categories of playful speech: words (śābdika vāga-
vilāsa) and meaning (ārthika vāga-vilāsa). Verbal (śābdika) incorporates an
extremely charming flow of words and beautiful pronunciation, accompanied
by a smiling face, playful and inviting glances and gesturing eyebrows. All
of these together constitute a playful verbal exchange that makes the ocean
of beauty rise. Meaning (ārthika) includes all kinds of meaningful conversa
tions manifesting the special internal moods. These words communicate
nectarean expressions of mellows (rasa), deep emotions (bhāva), ornamental
play on meanings of words (alaṅkāra), and the enduring, most excellent
object – excessive prema (vastu-rūpa). These are profusely present in this
ārthika vāga-vilāsa in full, and they manifest in four ways: speech indicating
indifference, pleading words, witty double meanings and straightforward
meanings. Śrī Kṛṣṇa employed all of these when He spoke with the gopīs, who
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thus came to know His deepest feelings. Sometimes He ignored them through
bodily expressions, sometimes He begged them for romance, and sometimes
He jokingly did both at the same time, thus conveying a double meaning, and
sometimes He expressed His feelings directly.
In this way Śrī Kṛṣṇa bewildered the gopīs with the artful flow of His
speech, and thus captured their hearts and discretion. First, He spoke
prayerful words and a straightforward meaning, and later on He used
other types of speech. Out of them, the śābdika vāga-vilāsa manifests in
different ways, depending on one’s nature and emotions. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa
displayed indifference during this vāga-vilāsa, He did so to increase the
gopīs’ enthusiasm for Him, and not really to neglect them. This is confirmed
by previous statements spoken in this episode: “Śrī Bhagavān showed the
desire for romance,” and “He played a sweet sound on the flute to attract
the Vraja maidens.” The purport is that hearts of the damsels of Vraja
filled with joy when they heard Bhagavān’s beseeching words expressing
His real intention. Afterwards, His gestures of rejection and simultaneous
prayers for meeting left them bewildered and they lost their discrimination.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa poured out His inner mood through śābdika vāga-vilāsa – His
prayerful requests expressing His true feelings.
Although He seemingly ignored the gopīs through ārthika vāga-vilāsa,
this was only an external show of clever words to increase their eagerness. One
hides his inner feelings by saying something else – this is called avahitthā,
concealment of emotions. Śrī Kṛṣṇa used avahitthā to increase the gopīs’
eagerness, and thus He cast them into lamentation, thereby robbing them
of their intelligence. His prayerful words were meant to excite the cowherd
maidens, and His speech having a double meaning – beseeching as well
as ignoring them – was only to tease them. ‘Vadatāṁ śreṣṭha’ (the best of
speakers): through kaimutika nyāya this phrase indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
the best of speakers. Being Bhagavān, He is the greatest of all expert talkers,
and His knowledge is naturally way beyond all others’.
The word api (even though) should be seen in every phrase of this
verse. For example, vraja-yoṣita api: even though the gopīs are famous
for their natural, perfect love for Kṛṣṇa, even though they have attained the
highest symptoms of prema, and even though they have come before Him,
Bhagavān, being omniscient and knowing their intention, still confused
and agitated them through His playful double-talk. Why did He do this? Śrī
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Kṛṣṇa is the crown-jewel of impudent jokesters. For His own amusement He

spoke in this jesting way with them. This is the meaning.

Now Śrī Śukadeva picked up the subject matter again after reconciling
the apparent diversion from the topic under discussion. ‘Tā’ (them) – the
gopīs had been attracted by the sound of the flute, and were thrown into a
confounded condition. Seeing them come before Him, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa
bewildered the cowherd damsels even more with His words. After all, He is
the most expert of those who are clever in talking according to time, place
and audience, employing decorative, shrewd, suggestive speech (vācaḥ
peśaiḥ), which is sometimes facetious and sometimes affectionate. The
gopīs were already bewitched by the sound of the flute, and Śrī Bhagavān
baffled them even more with His sarcastic speech.
By this, Bhagavān would fulfill His three cherished desires. “First of
all, I am the object of the vraja-sundarīs’ love, which will not decrease
even when I show them indifference. Thus, I will exhibit their pure, ideal
love to the world. Secondly, I will display a contrary mood in the assembly
today, and taking the śṛṅgāra-rasa heroines’ leftist mood, I will hide My
inner feelings and make them accept a hero’s submissive mood. Thirdly, I
will act in a contrary way in our meeting, and although the bashful vraja-
sundarīs naturally hide their inner moods, I will force them to assume a
mood opposite to their nature, and then I will listen to what they say.”
Scholars of rasa explain that just as impassioned maidens who
cover their breasts and other limbs with their clothes still make quite an
astonishing impression, similarly, when such women hide their enthusiasm
with a leftist, contrary mood, they generate even more excitement by not
exposing their inner feelings. Sometimes, however, a hero wants to see his
sweetheart’s bare beauty; similarly he may also be eager to hear her express
her inner fervor hidden under her contrariety. But he would not show any
desire to see or hear these things in the presence of even a close friend,
what to speak of others. Similarly, Śrī Kṛṣṇa first saw the gopīs naked at
the time of stealing their clothes, and now He desired to hear their internal
thoughts by removing their leftist behavior. Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s priya
narma sakhas were not with Him at this time. This is the understanding.
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Verse 18
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgāḥ
priyaṁ kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ
vrajasyānāmayaṁ kaccid
brūtāgamana-kāraṇam
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “Greetings, O supremely fortunate gopīs!

Was your journey here trouble-free? What can I do for you? Is
everyone alright in Vraja? Now, please tell Me the reason for your
coming here.”

Seeing the gopīs perplexed, Śrī Kṛṣṇa feigned apprehension and asked:
“Is everything fine in Vraja?”
First of all Śrī Kṛṣṇa welcomed the gopīs respectfully with ‘svāgataṁ.’
Hiding His inner feelings, He acted as though indifferent to their coming.
“It is very auspicious that You have arrived here.” Or, He might ask them,
“O supremely fortunate gopīs, did you arrive safely?” He addressed
them as ‘mahā-bhāgāḥ’ – ‘mahā’ means great, and ‘bhāga’ means one
who is fortunate to have all the qualities of a chaste wife. In this way, He
congratulated the greatly fortunate vraja-sundarīs for faithfully following
the duties of a virtuous wife. “O beautiful, chaste ladies, how can I please
you? Actually, I cannot do anything.” This is the meaning. Or, “O greatly
blessed ones, what can I do to please you? Command Me. My special duty is
to satisfy you highly exalted ladies.” This is the purport.
Śrī Bhagavān had previously greeted the wives of the Mathurā
brāhmaṇas in a similar way (SB 10.23.25): “svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgā –
Welcome, O most fortunate ladies!” At that time He asked them, “asyatāṁ
karavāma kim – Please sit down. What can I do for you?” Respecting
them thus, He then asked, “What can I do?” He actually meant, “I cannot do
anything for you.” In this way, He only displayed His indifference. Now He
asked the same question to the gopīs: “Is there something special I can do to
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please you?” With this equivocal question Bhagavān expressed His desire,
that is, by saying ‘priyaṁ kiṁ,’ He not only showed indifference, but also
intimated His desire to please them.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa actually spoke the verse ‘svāgataṁ’ with great affection when
He saw the gopīs arrive in a disarrayed condition. His intention in saying
‘mahā-bhāgā’ was to acknowledge that the vraja-ramaṇīs had given up
everything to come meet their beloved whereas Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to maintain
His love for all types of devotees, so His love is not one-pointed like the
vraja-gopīs’. To show the greatness of the gopīs’ prema, which is much
higher than His, He addressed them as ‘mahā-bhāgā.’ Here, the word bhāga
means bhajana, or adoration. His question “priyaṁ kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ –
What can I do to please you?” really indicated that He is subjugated by their
love. He is indeed the crown-jewel of clever persons expert in subjugating
their beloveds. That is, He is the topmost of all jokers – this is Bhagavān’s
intrinsic nature as a connoisseur of enjoyment. Up to this point, this is the
actual meaning.
Now we will define ‘joker.’ Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw the gopīs coming towards Him
in a flurry, and feigning some apprehension, He courteously asked them,
with a joking undertone, “vrajasyā – Is everything fine in Vraja?” The gopīs
might reply, “O crown-jewel of clever persons! You can understand that
nothing unpropitious has happened there, because if there were anything
inauspicious in Vraja, all the cowherd men would have come as well.”
To this, Kṛṣṇa would respond with a mischievous mixture of doubt and
arrogance, “brūtāgamana-kāraṇam – O gopīs, in that case, some problem
must have arisen for you ladies in Vraja, so please tell Me the reason for
your coming here.” The gopīs did not understand the intention behind Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s question, and they remained silent due to their shyness. Observing
their hesitation, He said, “I suspect that you are not replying because you
are undergoing intense suffering and it is not proper to give bad news. That
is why you cannot say anything.” Having revealed His mood in this way,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa now eagerly changed the subject and asked, ‘vrajasyā.’ Similarly,
wherever words of doubt are seen later on, we can understand that Śrī
Bhagavān is speaking with clever double meanings.
On this occasion also, the gopīs did not reply to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s enquiry.
They simply stood in front of Him, delighted in their hearts and looking
down. Seeing the vraja-ramaṇīs’ mood, He acted as if He was consoling
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them and asked them bashfully, “brūtāgamana-kāraṇam – What is the

reason for your coming? Even after some deliberation, I cannot figure out
why you have come, so you have to tell Me.” Every sentence here is laced
with indifference as well as pleading. The mood of indifference has already
been examined, and now we will discuss the pleading.
In the forthcoming verses also, the statements expressing begging
must be understood to have a double meaning. Śrī Kṛṣṇa addressed the
cowherd maidens, “O greatly fortunate gopīs, what else can I say about
your fortune? I am favorable to you in every way, and you are fresh,
young maidens standing in front of Me on such an effulgent, full-moon
night in this completely secluded forest. What else is needed to establish
your good fortune?” Here Śrī Kṛṣṇa was asking His heartfelt question in
the form of a prayer. That is to say, “Have you reached here without any
trouble?” He appealed to them, “How can I please you? Your every wish is
My command.” This is the meaning. Seeing the vraja-sundarīs remaining
silent, Kṛṣṇa wondered, “vrajasyānāmayaṁ kaccid – Is everything fine in
Vraja?” Humbly supplicating them, He said, “Please tell Me the reason you
have come. Don’t be shy.”
In general, when an impassioned man approaches his ladylove and
reveals his eagerness for conjugal enjoyment, the woman ordinarily
cannot tolerate his advances, even though enthusiastic, and she becomes
angry. That is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa first honored the accepted custom regarding
amorous exchanges and spoke the verse ‘svāgataṁ vo.’ “Was your journey
comfortable? You are so vastly fortunate that from birth you have not
experienced any miseries yourselves, nor has any sorrow ever crossed your
vision.” Or, this sentence may be an answer, rather than a question: “Today
your coming here is extremely auspicious. You are most fortunate, and that
is why you faced no obstacles in coming. This is true for all blessed women;
whatever they do is successful. They reap happiness and spread it to others.
Pray tell Me, how may I please you? Now it is nighttime in this remote forest,
I am a young man alone, and you are tender maidens, so tell Me what I can
do to make you feel welcome. I am most eager to fulfill your desires. Please
be merciful and tell Me clearly in simple words what you want from Me so
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I can act accordingly. I will certainly carry out your order. Have no doubt
about this.”
Kṛṣṇa expected that when the gopīs heard this, they would respond, “O
bold one, O debauchee, we are chaste housewives. How dare You speak to
us like this! Aren’t You afraid of transgressing religious codes and being
punished by the King?” However, not receiving this type of reply, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
retorted, “How can I please you?” This sentence suggests His desire for
intimate contact. Out of shyness, the gopīs remained silent, tacitly giving
their consent. Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa deliberated, “If these gopīs are not assuming
their usual contrary mood today, then I will not exhibit any enthusiasm
either. Rather, I will say something in a leftist mood.”
Kṛṣṇa now thought, “Just as opposite moods exhibited by lovers in
their romantic dealings give rise to delight, similarly the reversal of roles
in actual union is also very agreeable. Because these gopīs have become
helpless in prema from drinking the intoxicating beverage of the flute
song, they have changed their nature, and assumed a submissive mood. But
as I do not become helpless in prema, it is My duty to artificially adopt a
contrary mood in order to promote the excellence of the līlā. At the same
time, My natural eagerness will still be active internally.” Thinking like this,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed a leftist mood, and with trepidation and deference He
asked, “vrajasyānāmayaṁ kaccid – Is everything fine in Vraja? Has Indra
or anyone else stirred up any disturbance there? Being afraid, have all of
you come running to Me for protection?” At this, the gopīs smiled at each
other in amazement, and wondered, “What sort of roguish antics is He
playing today?” Seeing the gopīs’ reaction, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “Observing your
silence, I can understand that there is no type of trouble or disturbances in
Vraja, which means that everything is auspiciousness. Very well, then please
tell Me why you have come here. I cannot ascertain the reason for your
coming.” This is the purport.
Verse 19
rajany eṣā ghora-rūpā

ghora-sattva-niṣevitā
pratiyāta vrajaṁ neha
stheyaṁ strībhiḥ su-madhyamāḥ
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“O slender-waisted ladies, this is a frightful night, and there

are terrifying animals roaming about in this forest, so all of you
should immediately return to Vraja. It is not advisable for tender
maidens to linger in the deep, dark forest, especially at night.”

When the gopīs heard Śrī Bhagavān’s words, they felt bashful and
displayed a slight smile on their faces. Seeing this, He spoke this verse
beginning with ‘rajany eṣā.’

“This night is very frightening, and you are directly witnessing this.” Śrī
Kṛṣṇa suspected that the gopīs might counter with some clever argument,
so He used the word ‘pratyakṣa’ (direct perception) to make it clear that
this night was indeed terrifying. The gopīs might say, “This night does
not inspire any fear. Rather, it has many good qualities and allows one to
accomplish one’s purpose.” To firmly establish the fearsomeness of the
night, Kṛṣṇa replied, “It is not proper for you well-bred ladies to venture
out in this obviously fearsome night and especially to come to this forest.”
The gopīs might respond, “It is not improper because we ladies are many,
and have come here together in a group. And anyway, this same night is
prevailing in Vraja also, isn’t it?” Kṛṣṇa continued, “In this forest this night
submerges one in fear and extreme misery, because it is experienced in the
mode of ignorance. But it’s not like that in Vraja, where your family and
friends are present and can come to your aid. Here there is no one to help
you.” This is the purport. Furthermore: “It is not advisable to stay here any
longer, because the night itself is frightening. In addition, lions and other
ferocious animals are roaming about, so all of you should go back to Vraja.”
With this argument, He was forbidding them to remain there.
The gopīs might ask Kṛṣṇa, “What are You doing here?” The reply would
be, ‘strībhiḥ’ (ladies): “It is not proper for ladies to stay here. I certainly will
not be afraid, because I am a man, and males have much more strength
than women.” In addition, “You are slender ladies. ‘The shape of one’s body
indicates one’s character.’ According to this logic, you are beautiful and
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virtuous, so it is not proper for you to stay here.” The rest of commentary
follows Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s explanation. That is, “He Rasika-śekhara,
O supreme connoisseur of loving exchanges! Just like You, we have come
to this forest to roam about and pick flowers.” With this excuse, the gopīs
would justify their remaining in the forest. So, in answer to them, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
spoke this verse ‘rajany eṣā.’ In other words, “It is nighttime, not daytime.
Daytime is for roaming and picking flowers. It is quite irregular for ladies to
come to the forest and do this at night.”
Kṛṣṇa thought that they might reply, “O enjoyer of the nights (Śrī Kṛṣṇa),
what is wrong if we come at night?” Thus He said, “ghora-rūpā – This night
is frightening. This is the problem.” The gopīs retorted, “He kamala-locana,
O lotus-eyed one this night is not terrifying because the moon is diffusing
its rays everywhere.” Kṛṣṇa then replied: “ghora-sattva-niṣevitā – It may be
a full-moon night, but the forest is full of ferocious animals.” Here another
meaning can be taken: “There are so many of you gopīs, all in a group
together. I am all alone, and I am not capable of pleasing all of you, so it
is not right for you to loiter here. That is why you should return to your
husbands in Vraja and please them.” With these words He teased them.
The gopīs retorted, “O greatest of weak-hearted men, we are not afraid
of the ferocious animals.” Kṛṣṇa replied with “su-madhyamā – O slender-
waisted girls, your waists are very thin, and therefore you are weak. Where is
your strength? Frail ladies naturally fear strong animals.” This is the meaning.
Actually, Bhagavān used all these excuses to increase His own pleasure. In
other words, He was doing all this so that the gopīs would display their love
for Him, and He was teasing them to increase their eagerness.
Another meaning is in the mode of begging. The first half of this
verse conveys the idea that even if something happens that arouses fear,
one should not give up trying to achieve one’s desired goal. “This full-
moon night causes everyone’s hearts to be steeped in passion. There is no
possibility that anyone else will come to this beautiful, dark forest on this
lovely, dark night.” In other words, the intention is this: “O frail girls, no one
will come over here, so all of you come close to Me without any fear because
I am brave. The full-moon naturally removes all darkness, so this night is
aghora-rūpā, it is not terrible. And due to the influence of Vṛndāvana, the
animals here are aghora-sattva, non-violent. They are naturally friendly
with each other and do not instill fear in anyone. In addition, the night is
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like day because of the full moon, and the bees, cuckoos and all the other
peaceful creatures are roaming about freely.”
The word ghora implies that fear is aroused only in wicked persons.
Separating the syllables differently (moving the a from the previous word),
the word becomes aghora, not causing fear to anyone. That is to say, “This
forest does not inspire fear in any living entities. Besides, I am here in this
forest and I am a powerful person.” This is all meant to reassure the girls
of Vraja. The sakhīs who were standing in the back and laughing, kept on
looking back when they heard this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s words in the second half
of this verse are directed to these gopīs. “Do not return to Vraja. Remain
here. Why? It is proper for you to stay in such a place since you are ladies.
Furthermore, you are slender and supremely beautiful, so you are just the
right persons to be with Me.” This is the meaning.

“Alas! How sad this is! Kṛṣṇa enjoys with us in so many ways every day,
and He has destroyed our self-control, our shyness, and our standing in
society. He Himself attracted and summoned us today by playing His flute,
and now He is asking us why we have come!” The vraja-devīs were looking
at each other in disbelief. Seeing the expressions on their faces, Kṛṣṇa said,
“So, are you looking at the bushes to try to convince Me that you have come
to this forest to gather the night-blooming flowers for the worship of the
gods? Listen! I do not accept this possibility because people pick flowers and
engage in other such activities according to time, place and persons.” Kṛṣṇa
spoke this verse ‘rajany eṣā’ to express this idea. “This night is illuminated
with the brilliant rays of the full moon, but it is still dangerous because it
is night and not day. There are snakes, scorpions and other such gruesome
creatures hiding unseen under the leaves and roots of the creepers, so it is
not a good time to pick flowers. Tigers and other terrifying animals (ghora-
sattva) are regularly roaming around here. Really, Vṛndāvana forest is not
safe at night. Return to Vraja.”
The gopīs might respond, “We will rest for awhile, and then we will go.”
To this Kṛṣṇa answered, “neha stheyaṁ strībhiḥ – It is not advisable for
girls from respected families to linger here at night. The time and place
are unfavorable. O slender-waisted damsels, you are beautiful, young girls
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and I am a handsome youth, and we are alone here in this remote forest
in the dead of night. There is no fault for us to be together here, as all of
you are supremely virtuous and chaste, and also, according to the well-
known evidence in Gopāla-tāpanī, I am kṛṣṇo brahmacārī. Nevertheless,
we certainly cannot trust our minds.”
An opposite meaning can be read for this verse, revealing the
eagerness in Kṛṣṇa’s heart. Again He said, “You are so shy that you do not
want to disclose the reason that you have come. You need not say anything
because I know why you have come. Hear the actual truth. This full-moon
night is beautiful and tranquil (aghora-rūpā), and delights everyone’s
hearts. And see how this forest-land is inhabited by peaceful, beautiful
deer and other such non-violent animals (aghora-sattva-niṣevitā). Even
ferocious creatures like tigers are also peaceful due the natural character
of Vṛndāvana. Here all the animals and birds maintain friendly relations
with each other. Therefore there is no cause for any kind of fear. And you
need not be afraid that your husbands will come here because this forest
is filled with ferocious animals at night.
“Therefore, do not go back to Vraja. Stay here with Me.”
“Why?”
“Because you are ladies.”
“Do You want only ladies to be with You?”
Kṛṣṇa replied, “He su-madhyamā, O beautiful, slender-waisted girls!
Lovely, young ladies like you are just the right persons to be with Me; only
you, and no one else.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s words here express both neglect and
hopeful expectations.
Verse 20
mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrā

bhrātaraḥ patayaś ca vaḥ
vicinvanti hy apaśyanto
mā kṛḍhvaṁ bandhu-sādhvasam
“Not seeing you at home, your mothers, fathers, husbands,

sons and brothers must surely be searching for you. Therefore,
please do not cause distress for your friends and relatives, and
for Me as well.”
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“And also see that you are causing unnecessary distress for your
mothers, fathers and other family members, who are concerned about your
welfare. They certainly must be looking for you in all four directions.”
“O best of men, You are so strong, and we are with You, so why should
we fear anyone?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa presumed that the gopīs must be thinking like
this, therefore He spoke this verse beginning with ‘mātaraḥ.’ “When your
mothers, fathers, brothers and husbands do not see you at home, they will
be searching for you everywhere.” Here, He mentioned parents and brothers,
pointing to the unmarried girls, and for the married ladies, He indicated
husbands and sons. But it will be established later on that this was imaginary,
meant only as a joke. ‘Ca’ (and) means ‘all of your family members,’ and ‘hi’
means ‘certainly.’ “If, by chance, any one of your mothers, fathers or other
family members might come here and see you with Me, not only you but I
also would be scared and ashamed.” This is the meaning. “So do not linger
here any longer and cause distress for your relatives or yourselves.”
The gopīs might reply, “O knower of powerful mantras, they will not
venture into this remote forest, and even if they come, they will not be able
to see us.” To this Kṛṣṇa would respond, “When your family members do
not see you at home, they will think that something bad has happened to
you, and fear will arise in their hearts. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.6 declares
that saintly persons are affectionate to their well-wishers. According to
this logic, you should return home and thus show affection to your family
members.” This is the intention.
Verses 19 and 20 can both be explained as follows. The gopīs might
say, “He Suvrata, O highly virtuous one! We do not fear anyone because
we are here with You.” Thinking that the gopīs would speak in this way,
Kṛṣṇa pretended to close His eyes and said, “neha stheyaṁ strībhiḥ – It
is not proper for ladies to stay here with Me because I am a brahmacārī
from childhood, and I always stay far away from ladies.” The gopīs might
retort, “Alas, how astonishing! There is no fault in staying with little girls
and old ladies.” To this, Kṛṣṇa would reply, “All of you have just now stepped
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into fresh adolescence.” With this intention He said, “O su-madhyamā, O

slender-waisted ones, you are supremely beautiful young maidens, and if I
am with you, some chance mishap might occur.” The gopīs might reply, “O
greatest of expert cheaters, don’t You remember that we have already met
with You in this Vraja many times? So why are You pretending with us in this
way?” Hearing this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would say, “neha stheyaṁ strībhiḥ – Ladies
should not stay here in this remote forest, especially at night.” Kṛṣṇa then
made an expression with His lotus face indicating that it would be a mortal
sin for them to stay there. “Go back to Vraja because associating with you
here at this time will surely bring Me bad luck.”
The gopīs might counter, “O You who are celebrated as a noble man!
Don’t fear for Your reputation. Who will find out if we stay here with You?”
To this, Kṛṣṇa replied with this verse beginning with ‘mātaraḥ.’ “When your
mothers, fathers, husbands and other family members do not see you at
home, they will definitely go out searching for you. It is sure and certain that
they will come over here and find you with Me, so don’t put Me in jeopardy
with your family members.” The rest of the verse can be understood in
accord with what has been explained previously.
Actually, the real reason Kṛṣṇa said this was to arouse fear in the gopīs
so that He could lead them to an area more distant and secluded than where
He had played the flute. There is another meaning in a prayerful mood: “If
you enter a very deep forest, there is no chance that your relatives could
come there. No one will ever find you.” The word ‘hi’ (certainly) here means
eva (indeed). “Your parents might wander here and there in this deep forest,
but like blind persons, they would not be able to see you. So, instead of
worrying about them, just enter the dense, dark forest and enjoy yourselves
freely, without hesitation.” This is the meaning.
The gopīs might suggest, “It is true that we beautiful maidens have
entered the forest at night. However, there is no possibility of any impropriety
because we have come here huddled together in a tight group. Therefore,
no one can accuse us of any indiscretion.” To this Śrī Kṛṣṇa would reply,
“This is true. Even so, your family members, not seeing you at home, must
be searching for you by now, fearing that you might have encountered
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some mishap. It is not proper to put them in anxiety.” Kṛṣṇa spoke this
verse ‘mātaraḥ’ with this intention. “Your mothers, fathers, husbands, sons
and other relatives must be looking for you.” Because mothers are full of
affection, they are mentioned first. Next, fathers are mentioned because it
is very difficult for ladies to go out searching in the forest at night on their
own. Out of all the family members, the husbands are the closest and will
worry more; so surely they will come to the forest. This is the explanation.
Verse 6 of this chapter states: “pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn payaḥ – Some
gopīs were feeding milk to the babies.” However, two– or three-month-old
children would not be searching for those gopīs. Verse 22 says: “krandanti
vatsā bālāś ca – Return to your homes because the young children and
calves are crying.” Bhagavān used the word ‘sons’ here in Verse 20, but
He did not mention their age, pretending not to know how old they were.
Thus, we can understand that He was joking with the gopīs. The meaning
can be taken in another way: “Do not fear your family members. Even if they
come searching for you, they will not be able to see you in this deep forest.
Therefore, you may freely engage in amorous play with Me tonight.”
Verse 21
dṛṣṭaṁ vanaṁ kusumitaṁ

rākeśa-kara-rañjitam
yamunānila-līlaijat
taru-pallava-śobhitam
“He vraja-ramaṇīs, O beautiful damsels of Vraja! You have

already admired the beauty of the forest decorated with flowers
and illuminated with the rays of the full moon. And you have also
seen how the leaves on the trees are swaying in the gently blowing
breeze, which has been cooled by touching the Yamunā’s water.”

Seeing the gopīs displaying their gentle, loving anger by looking away
from Him, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “Haven’t you already seen the forest? This forest
is resplendent with many kinds of flowers and the rays of the full moon.
The gently blowing breeze, cooled by touching the water of the Yamunā,
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tremendously increases the beauty of the forest by making the leaves on

the trees tremble.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa observed the behavior of the vraja-ramaṇīs as they looked
towards the forest. Perceiving their loving anger, He spoke this verse,
saying, “Have you come to see the beauty of Vṛndāvana forest, bedecked
with so many kinds of flowers?” If this verse is joined with the next one, ‘tad
yāta mā ciraṁ goṣṭhaṁ,’ then Śrī Kṛṣṇa continued, “You have observed the
beauty of the forest, so immediately return to the cowherd village.” Here
‘kusumitaṁ’ and other adjectives describe the vision of Vṛndāvana. When
the gopīs turned their eyes away from Kṛṣṇa in a mood of loving anger,
and looked at the beautiful forest, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “dṛṣṭaṁ vanaṁ – You
have seen the forest.” After that, when the gopīs looked up, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:
“rākeśa-kara-rañjitam – The forest land is illuminated by the rays of the
full moon. Have you come to see this superb sight?” Then the gopīs looked
at the bank of the Yamunā, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “Aho! I understand. You have
come to see the beauty of the leaves on the trees dancing in the cool, gentle
breeze that has touched the Yamunā.” The rest of the explanation follows
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary.
The gopīs stood their ground, to make their point: “He mahā-mohan,
O great enchanter, we have disregarded our family members, completely
ignoring their words, so who else is there to fear?” To this Śrī Kṛṣṇa
replied, “This may be so, but why did you need to come here at night? You
could have come during the day.” Then He closed His eyes, pretending to
go into meditation, and said, “Ahhh! I understand. You have come to My
Vṛndāvana to admire the beauty of the full-moon night. Very good! Now
you have accomplished your purpose.” Then, He gestured by pointing
His finger, and spoke this verse ‘dṛṣṭaṁ,’ meaning, “Now your darśana is
complete, so return home.”
The actual meaning is this: In order to increase the gopīs’ feelings for
Him, Kṛṣṇa directly pointed out all the elements contributing to the beauty
of the forest. Humbly begging them to stay, He might say, “If you stay here,
not only will you be relieved of fear of your family members, you will also
enjoy the profusion of all the supreme delights provided by the forest.” To
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stimulate the gopīs’ emotions, He pointed His finger at the beautiful forest
and spoke this verse ‘dṛṣṭaṁ.’ “You have imbibed the beauty of the forest,
enhanced with all these elements.” If this verse is joined with the first line
of the next verse, ‘tad yāta mā ciraṁ goṣṭhaṁ,’ then Śrī Kṛṣṇa repeats, “You
have observed the beauty of the forest, so do not return to the cowherd
village.” This is the sequence.

After that, the vraja-devīs looked about shyly. Seeing this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
spoke this verse ‘dṛṣṭaṁ.’ “Aho! Now I understand. You have come to see
the charm of the forest. Very well, have you taken in its beauty decorated
with lovely flowers?” When the vraja-devīs heard this, they looked upwards,
and Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “rākeśa-kara-rañjitam – How beautiful this Vṛndāvana
forest is, tinted with the rays of the full moon!” Then the gopīs looked toward
the bank of the Yamunā. Observing this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa continued, “The breeze
that has touched the Yamunā’s water is wafting, making the leaves and
flowering branches of the trees tremble. This is breathtakingly beautiful.
You have seen the forest, and your cherished desire has thus been fulfilled.
So at once, return to Vraja. Do not tarry another minute.” Now for the
meaning in a prayerful mood: “This Vṛndāvana is the topmost of all places.
Furthermore, it is resplendent with the rays of the full moon. On top of that,
the breeze, now cool having touched the Yamunā’s water, is filled with the
fragrance of the flowers, and is spreading it in all directions. All these are
stimuli (uddipana-vibhāva) for tasting rasa, and I am directly present as the
object of love (alambana-vibhāva), so today you will be put to the test for
relishing rasa.” This is the essence.
Verse 22
tad yāta mā ciraṁ goṣṭhaṁ

śuśrūṣadhvaṁ patīn satīḥ
krandanti vatsā bālāś ca
tān pāyayata duhyata
“O chaste ladies, do not delay here another second. Quickly

return to Vraja, and serve your husbands there. The calves and
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babies are crying in your homes. Go and feed all of them milk,
and milk the cows.”

‘Satīḥ’ – O chaste ladies!
“Your cherished desire is fulfilled by having darśana of the beautiful
forest. Do not wait here any longer. Return to the cowherd village.” The
cowherd village (ghoṣa) is the place where the cowherd community resides
and where the churning of yogurt and the mooing of the cows resound
loudly. Another meaning can be taken: the place where loud sounds indicate
the activities being performed there. In some books it is read as ‘goṣṭha,’ the
residence of the cowherders. “Return to your village. It is not proper for you
to leave that village to roam around the forest. All facility is available for you
there, so it is logical for you to go back.” This is the intention. “Quickly go
back to the village. Do not dally.” This is the meaning of ‘mā ciraṁ.’
“Why should we go back?”
“To serve your husbands.”
“Why?”
“All of you are famous for your chastity. If you do not act as faithful
wives, your reputation will be spoiled. I am not your husband, so it is not
proper for you to stay here with Me.” This is the intention.
The gopīs might reply: “You are the supreme object of service, but our
husbands cannot tolerate our serving You. They are always jealous of You.
That is why we have given up those inimical husbands, and thrown our duty
as loyal wives far away by sacrificing it at Your lotus feet.” Feeling that the
gopīs might reply in this way, Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke the second part of this verse
to arouse their love for their family members. “Krandanti vatsā bālāś ca –
The calves and children you look after are crying. Therefore, return home.
Let the calves have their mothers’ milk, and milk the cows for the children.”
The babies and calves were actually very fond of the gopīs who looked after
them, and that is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa mentioned them.
At this point, there is one principle to bring up: (Actually, in truth, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is the only husband of all the gopīs.) The Gopāla-tāpanī confirms to
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the vraja-gopīs, “That Śrī Kṛṣṇa will certainly be your husband.” Brahma-
saṁhitā 5.56 declares: “śriyaḥ kāntā kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ – the
Lakṣmīs are the beloved consorts, and Śrī Govinda is their only lover.” The
śrutis, agamas and other scriptures all arrive at the same conclusion, and so
do the 10-syllable and other mantras. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that the
gopīs are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s consorts (kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ). Therefore, it is not possible
for the gopīs to be married to anyone other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa, since He is their
one and only lover. Admittedly, they are convinced that they are married to
others, but this is only to increase their eagerness for rāsa-līlā. This belief
has been arranged by Yogamāyā, whose powerful position is made clear in
the first verse of this chapter: “yoga-māyām upāśritaḥ – He took shelter of
His internal potency, Yogamāyā.”
The cowherd men think they are the gopīs’ husbands, but Yogamāyā
cheats them by creating duplicate gopīs. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.9 says:
“nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya – Yogamāyā bewildered the gopas, who thought
that they were the gopīs’ husbands. Seeing that their wives were with
them, they did not accuse Śrī Kṛṣṇa of any wrongdoing.” According to this
conclusion, although the gopas believed they were husbands, they never
had intimate connection with the gopīs. Therefore, they had no children. The
gopīs looked after their brothers’ children simply out of affection. These are
the children mentioned in the verse. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī explained in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.68.52 that it is customary to accept the brothers’
and other family members’ children as one’s own: “sa-sutaḥ sa-snuṣaḥ
prāyāt suhṛdbhir abhinanditaḥ – While being praised by His well-wishers,
Śrī Baladeva left Hastināpur with His ‘son’ and daughter-in-law.” Here, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s son, Sāmba, is being referred to as Śrī Baladeva’s son.
The gopīs had no milk in their breasts and would feed cows’ milk to
those sons, who were the objects of their affection. That is why it is said in
this verse, “Arrange for the calves to get their milk, and milk the cows for
the children.” Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said (SB 10.29.5): “pāyayantyaḥ śiśūn
payaḥ – they were feeding milk to the children.” Here, he says ‘children’
instead of ‘sons’ or ‘daughters’, and he says just ‘milk’, not ‘breast milk.’ If the
children had taken birth from those gopīs’ wombs, then the heroines of the
amorous mellow would have been contaminated, and that would have spoiled
the rāsa dance. It is mentioned in Verse 20: “mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrāḥ –
your mothers, fathers, sons and other family members are searching for
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you.” Śrī Bhagavān clearly mentions ‘sons.’ This is understood to refer to

any sons who are old enough to look for their mothers in the nighttime –
such mothers would be nearing old age. This appears to be the logic. If this
were the case, the rāsa and the rasa would be completely spoiled.
In this regard, the sage Śrī Vaiśampāyana does not agree with this idea.
He himself said, “The omniscient Śrī Kṛṣṇa called together the young cowherd
damsels and enjoyed amorous pastimes with them.” The best of sages, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī has described the beauty of the gopīs (alambana) as the
stimulant of the amorous mellow, and he also does not accept the conclusion
that some gopīs had children. ‘Bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ’ (10.29.1) – This verse
says how nature presented wonderful stimuli on the first night of autumn,
and these caused Śrī Kṛṣṇa to remember the beauty of the gopīs, who are the
very object of love, and thus He desired to engage in love-play. That is why
His mind turned towards romantic intrigue (rantuṁ manaś cakre). For this
reason this verse has been quoted.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī also described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.6
the stunning beauty of the gopīs, who were younger in age than Kṛṣṇa.
“Yaśoda-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa looks very brilliant surrounded by the golden
gopīs, just like a pendant with a sapphire in the center surrounded by golden
gems.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.43 relates: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa looked charming
in the circle of the gopīs, just like the moon in the middle of the stars.”
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33.7 also says: “The gopīs dancing with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
expansions looked very beautiful, like lightning flashes in the middle of a
cloud bank.” All these verses describe the gopīs’ beauty and confirm the fact
that they were younger than Kṛṣṇa.
When Śrī Bhagavān spoke about the gopis’ sons, He was simply joking.
He was not implying that they were at fault. Verse 17 of this chapter says:
“vācaḥ peśair vimohayan – He bewildered them with His playful speech.”
Verse 42 of this chapter says: “prahasya sa-dayaṁ gopīr – He was laughing
mercifully at the gopīs.” All these verses clearly show that He was joking, and
that is why He said, “Your mothers, fathers, sons and other family members
are searching for you.” This statement is fanciful and was spoken in jest. If
Kṛṣṇa were to condemn the gopīs and accept them at the same time, there
would be no rasa, but when He jokingly directed attention to their faults,
the rasa increased. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crown-jewel of heroes, pointed out the
gopīs’ flaws to them, but if the support of ecstasy (ālambana) were actually
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marred with any type of blemish (having given birth to children), this would
be a detriment to the hero in relishing rasa. In poems describing high-class
lovers, it is impossible that the hero will see any faults in his heroine. What
to speak, then, of the poetry of great (Vaiṣṇava) poets who describe the rāsa-
līlā, in which param-puruṣottama Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends to shower the nectar
of this pastime? It is not possible that He will see faults in His heroines
(ālambana). What more is there to be said about this?
In the conclusion of the shower of rasa in the rāsa-līlā, Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.36 says: “To show mercy to the devotees, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
performs such activities that attract the hearts of all. When one hears these
pastimes, one becomes inspired to cultivate bhakti.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.33.25 states: “Śrī Bhāgavan enclosed inside Himself all the gopīs’
gestures indicating their budding amorous desire, and He enjoyed all those
nights that displayed the autumnal beauty that the famous poems and
narrations describe.” Those gopīs’ husbands were the illusion created by
Yogamāyā, and their sons were not actually their own.
Now Kṛṣṇa spoke in a mood of humble request: “Therefore, there is
no need to fear your family members coming here. Everything here in this
grove is conducive to romance, so do not go back to Vraja so quickly. Go a
little bit later if you need to; you can go at the end of the night.” If ‘ca’ (and) is
connected with ‘mā’ (no) in the phrase ‘mā ciraṁ’ and is used everywhere in
this verse, then the meaning would be: “Do not serve your husbands, and do
not observe the path of chaste wives; otherwise, the happiness derived from
your independence will be destroyed.” Kṛṣṇa spoke this as a joke. All these
negative statements were meant to fortify the gopīs’ independent spirit. “The
calves and the children will not cry, so there is no need for you to go to give
them their milk, or to milk the cows for the children.” Kṛṣṇa spoke all these
words to inspire the gopīs’ sense of freedom.

“Therefore, O chaste ladies, don’t delay. Immediately return to your
homes and accept your duty to serve your husbands as faithful wives.” This
was directed towards the married gopis. Then, for the unmarried girls, He said:
“Your pet calves are crying. Pacify them by milking the cows.” Addressing the
municari gopīs, He said “The children are crying. Feed them milk.”
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Kṛṣṇa’s words can also be interpreted as a humble entreaty: “You have

seen the beauty of the forest, but do not go back to Vraja. Pass the whole
night, romancing with Me. Do not serve your husbands. Do not play the role
of virtuous wives because you should not waste the beauty and sweetness
of the youth that the creator has bestowed upon you. Do not bother to milk
the cows or feed milk to the children. O My fervent beloveds! What is the
need for you to do any of this?”
Verse 23
atha vā mad-abhisnehād
bhavatyo yantritāśayāḥ
āgatā hy upapannaṁ vaḥ
prīyante mayi jantavaḥ
“But perhaps you have come over here because you are
controlled by inordinate love for Me. This would certainly be
befitting, since all living entities naturally have affection for Me.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is perhaps speaking this verse beginning with ‘atha vā’ to
send back those gopīs who were looking very disturbed due to being angry.
“Yantritāśayāḥ – it is proper for you to come here as your hearts have been
subjugated by affection, just as all living entities are pleased to love Me.”
Meaning displaying indifference: After that, Kṛṣṇa spoke this verse ‘atha
vā’ to indicate to those gopīs, whose restless eyes reflect their loving anger,
that they should go back home. In order to make the gopīs even angrier, Kṛṣṇa
compared their love with the ordinary love of the other living beings. ‘Atha vā’
can also be understood to imply ‘another reason.’ Just before, in Verse 21, Kṛṣṇa
said, “You have seen the beautiful forest.” Now He is giving another reason why
they might have come here. “Mad-abhisnehāt – If you have come here out of
natural love for Me, this is befitting because all beings nurture inborn love for
Me. Not only you, but everyone in Vraja possesses this sort of affection for Me.
But it may be possible that your love is much greater than theirs.”
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Here, the phrase ‘abhisnehāt’ has been used in a general way and does
not imply the love between a man and woman. Rather, Kṛṣṇa is purposely
slighting the gopīs. He says ‘hi’ (indeed), indicating that indeed all living
entities love Him. “Therefore, you also love Me, but you do not possess that
special intense amorous love (rati) for Me. So what is so great about your
love?” Using the phrase ‘mad-abhisnehāt’ (your love for Me), He minimizes
their love, implying that they possess the same type of love that is common
to all others. That is why He addressed them with ‘bhavatyaḥ,’ the formal
form of ‘you.’ The explanation of the rest of the verse follows Śrīla Śrīdhara
Svāmīpāda’s commentary.
In an additional interpretation, the gopīs might reply, “Alas, it is very sad
that we have given up our parents, husbands and sons, so why is it necessary
to repeat their names?” In response, Śrī Kṛṣṇa praises them, and presents an
alternative explanation with the words ‘atha vā’ (or else). The meaning is that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa has glorified the love of the gopīs very cleverly, and yet He has displayed
His indifference at the same time. His conduct was harder than a thunderbolt,
and it broke the gopīs’ hearts. Actually, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s apparent indifference was
meant to increase the gopīs’ loving sentiments – there was no other reason.
Meaning as a humble entreaty: “Although you have come with another
purpose, I request you to take some rest here.” This is another understanding
of ‘atha vā.’ “If you have come here out of affection for Me (abhisnehāt),
this is befitting.” Here abhi denotes a very high stage of affection (sneha),
indicating the mood of rati. The reason expressed here is this: “All living
entities have affection for Me and they are fully devoted to Me, so what
to speak of you, who nourish even greater sentiments for Me!” This is the
meaning. Kṛṣṇa has used the word ‘bhavatyaḥ,’ the respectful form of ‘you,’
to show that He is in love with them. “So now you can freely dally with Me.”
“Alas, up till now, I was thinking in vain about your purpose for coming
here, but now I have understood the reason why you have come.” The word
‘mayi’ (for Me) is used in the verse with this purpose. “You hold very deep
affection for Me in every respect, and being controlled by this affection, you
have come to Me. You have achieved Your purpose by having My darśana.
It is My true fortune that all the living entities naturally have inborn love for
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Me. So you also love Me in a general way like everyone else; your love is not
influenced by any amorous desire.” This is the suggested meaning.
In the mood of humble entreaty: “You have natural love for Me with the
sentiments of a beloved, so you have come to Me under the control of that
love. And your hearts have also forcibly pulled Me to join you here. Thus
your arrival is proper; it is not without good cause. All living entities love Me
in this way, but you are positively overflowing with the highest love for Me,
so what else is there to say?” This is the meaning.
Verse 24
bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ strīṇāṁ

paro dharmo hy amāyayā
tad-bandhūnāṁ ca kalyāṇaḥ
prajānāṁ cānupoṣaṇam
“O noble ladies, a woman’s topmost religious duty is to

earnestly serve her husband, his parents and relatives, and to
nourish the children and servants.”

In this verse starting with ‘bhartuḥ’ and the next two verses, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is asking the gopīs to return by instilling in them fear of transgressing
religious codes, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Meaning showing indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa anticipates some opposition
from the gopīs: “If we really have some affection for You, then it is proper
for us to serve You.” With these three verses beginning with ‘bhartuḥ,’ He is
instructing them on the regulations of religiosity by instilling fear in them.
“Comparatively speaking, the topmost of all a woman’s obligations is to
serve her husband. That is, her highest duty is to serve her husband, and
not a paramour like Me.” The gopīs might answer, “We are already doing
that according to our capacity.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies with ‘amāyayā’ (without
duplicity): The hypocrisy of serving Me, a paramour, corrupts the religious
duty of serving the husband.” This is the meaning.
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By addressing the gopīs as ‘kalyāṇaḥ’ (O noble ladies), Kṛṣṇa is

instructing them, “It is proper for you to serve your husbands sincerely.” By
this kind of deceptive double-talk Śrī Kṛṣṇa is outwardly encouraging them
to serve their husbands and other family members, but actually He is making
fun of them because serving the husband is not really the topmost religious
duty. Dharamarāja himself has said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.22: “The
supreme religious principle for all beings in this world is to perform the
limbs of bhakti-yoga, beginning with chanting the holy names of the Lord.
Nothing is better than this.”
Explanation according to humble entreaty: “Your arrival here, due
to your very intense love for Me, is proper, and not only that, it is also
in accordance with religious principles.” This is explained in this verse
starting with ‘bhartuḥ.’ “The real husband is that person whom noble ladies
accept sincerely (amāyayā) with a pure heart, and their topmost duty is
to serve Him. But when their fathers and other relatives force them to get
married, it is not their duty to serve those husbands. In other words, when
the relatives give away the hand of a girl by force to someone, she may
accept him externally as her husband, but her relationship with him is based
on formal appearances, being devoid of an internal loving connection. We
see the evidence for this in Śrī Mahābhārata: the extremely religious Śrī
Bhiṣma-deva rejected Ambā Devī, because in her heart she had chosen
Śalva as her husband. He was her real husband; nobody else could take that
position. In the same way, none of you have chosen your own husbands, so
they are your illusory husbands. You have accepted Me by the emotions in
your hearts. I am your true husband, so your topmost duty is to serve Me.
You have been in love with Me from your childhood, and I also love you all
in the same way. Your hearts are the witness of this.” This is the meaning. Śrī
Kṛṣṇa will establish this understanding later on.
“We love You as our paramour.” Anticipating such a reply from the
gopīs Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, “This may be the case but You should still return to
Vraja.” The gopīs answer, “You know that we have overwhelming love for
You. So why are You telling us again and again to go back to Vraja? Can
those who are the abode of love ever abandon the object of their love?” Śrī
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Kṛṣṇa replies, “What you say is correct, but we still have to reconcile the
inclination of a love-filled woman with the scriptural injunctions. Listen to
this – the conclusion of all scriptures is that a woman’s topmost obligation is
to serve her husband. This being the case, you should engage in the service
of your spouses with one-pointed focus and without any duplicity. And you
should also serve your fathers-in-law and other relatives as is appropriate.”
Meaning in the mood of humble entreaty: the word ‘strīṇāṁ’ means that
the foremost duty for women, and especially for the vraja-sundarīs, is to
serve to the husband, and not the relatives. They are not obliged to serve the
other family members. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.15.12 states: “A person well
versed in religion rejects these five branches of irreligion: unjust dharma
(vidharma), someone else’s duty (para dharma), a semblance of religion
(ābhāsa), subordinate duties (upadharma), and cheating religion (chala
dharma).” “The scriptures declare that I am Viṣṇu, and you are well known
as Vaiṣṇavīs, so to serve Me is your natural dharma. All else is para dharma,
the obligations of others; performing para dharma does not bring anyone
auspiciousness. Śrī Bhagavān said, ‘One who gives up varnaśrama and all
other such duties to worship Me is the best’ (SB 11.11.32). According to
this scriptural injunction, your real duty is to reject all other obligations and
serve Me exclusively.”
Verse 25
duḥśīlo durbhago vṛddho

jaḍo rogy adhano ’pi vā
patiḥ strībhir na hātavyo
lokepsubhir apātakī
“Women who desire a good destination in this life and the

next should never reject a husband unless he is extremely sinful
and fallen, even if he is wicked, unlucky, old, stupid, sickly or
impoverished.”

“O Paṇḍita, expert in giving instructions to others! We have abandoned
our husbands in all respects, so what is the point in accepting instructions
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concerning their service?” Anticipating such an answer from the gopīs, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa spoke this verse starting with ‘duḥśīlaḥ.’ The husband may be full
of defects: wicked, thieving, unlucky, useless, old, incapable of working,
suffering from terrible disease, extremely poor, or incapable even of filling
his own belly. Still, he should not be rejected. The original verse states,
‘adhano api’ (even though poor) – here ‘api’ (even though) is related with
every word of the verse. “A husband should not be abandoned even though
he may be wicked and unfortunate. Considering this, how can you reject
your husbands who are Vrajavāsīs and are endowed with all good qualities?”
‘Lokepsubhiḥ’ – the duty of those ladies who want a good destination
in this world and the next is to serve their husbands; otherwise, they have to
suffer in both worlds. One is allowed to reject the husband only if he is fallen.
But in this verse the adjective ‘apātakī’ (not fallen) is used. Here pātaka
means one who performs sinful activities. One who is not sinful is called
apātakī according to the smṛti-śāstra, which instructs: “Serve your sinless
husband.” Hence, Kṛṣṇa reiterates, “There is absolutely no justification for
you to reject your husbands, because they are all Vrajavāsīs, and they do
not have even a scent of sin.” This is the meaning. The gopīs’ bhāva for Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is so fixed that they are unwavering in their love for Him. Even so, He
is presenting all these arguments just to increase their eagerness.
Kṛṣṇa’s humble entreaty: “In actuality it is confirmed that I am your
husband. And it is also proven that a husband is not to be rejected, even he is
wicked and has other bad qualities. Then, on what grounds can you reject Me,
since I am your real husband and am endowed with all kinds of auspicious
qualities? Those gopas who consider themselves husbands have all bad
qualities, and furthermore they are not your real husbands, so they should
certainly be rejected.” This verse ‘duḥśīla’ has been spoken with this intention.

The gopīs might say, “We have loving affection for You. Those husbands
are uninspiring because they have an unsuitable, contrary nature, so why
should we serve them?” In answer to this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse starting
with ‘duḥśīlo.’ A husband may be wicked, but he is to be served as long as
he is not fallen. The smṛti states: “One should serve an upright husband.”
Accordingly, only a fallen husband is to be rejected. ‘Lokepsubhiḥ’ means
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‘women who desire the happiness of joining their husbands on their planets
in their next birth.’
Alternate explanation: “Those ladies who are desirous of the
insignificant reputation and happiness afforded in this world and the next
should not give up husbands who are wicked, unlucky, old, dull, sickly and
penniless. But all of you have already taken a vow to give up both worlds
and are drowning in the ecstatic ocean of My sweetness, so you in fact
already rejected your husbands long ago.”
Verse 26
asvargyam ayaśasyaṁ ca
phalgu kṛcchraṁ bhayāvaham
jugupsitaṁ ca sarvatra
hy aupapatyaṁ kula-striyaḥ
“It is contemptible for respectable ladies from good families

to commit adultery. Such sordid behavior prevents them from
reaching heaven, ruins their reputation, and brings misery; it is
ghastly and condemnable in every respect.”

It is very despicable for ladies from upright families to accept a
paramour (for the pleasure derived in an extramarital affair). Such behavior
brings misery.

“O Prince of Vraja, we have kept Your order on our heads, understanding
that there is no justification for rejecting a husband. But since long, they
have been our husbands in name only. You are our actual husband, and
it is proper for us to relate with You as such.” Anticipating these words
from the gopīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa censured their long-cherished desire, and hid
His inner sentiments. In this verse starting with ‘asvargyam,’ He spoke
extremely unpleasant words as if He were displeased. “For well-bred ladies
to have a relationship with a paramour prevents them from reaching
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Svarga. O impassioned ladies, you have not seen Svarga, so perhaps you
have no desire to go there. Let that be. In any case, this society expects
one to maintain one’s reputation, but having an extra-marital relationship
certainly obstructs this.”
The word ‘ayaśasyaṁ’ (unfavorable for maintaining one’s reputation)
is spoken with this intention. “An extra-marital affair not only destroys
one’s respectability, both present and future, but it also ruins all of one’s
past repute.” The gopīs might retort, “No one will ever come to know of our
affair as it is extremely confidential.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “But these affairs
quickly fall apart; they are very temporary and thus insignificant.” The
gopis say, “He Acyuta, O infallible one! Our relationship with You will be
permanent because You never fall down.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa answers, “But it results
in unhappiness.” Gopīs: “O best of wayward men! You are independent to
roam around freely in Vraja and Vṛndāvana, so union with You results in
pleasure, not in misery.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “Even so, paramour love is terrible. It
causes one to live in constant terror – of the husband in this world, and of
hell in the next world.”
The gopīs might say, “O Beloved, Your lips are nectarean, and they
deserve to be worshiped with nectar. We have neglected all others just
for You. We are not afraid of anyone.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “That may be so;
nonetheless, this kind of relationship is certainly scandalous, and it is
condemned universally, both at home and abroad. Furthermore it dooms
one in society and checks one’s spiritual advancement.”
“O best of philosophers! To achieve one’s desired goal, one can tolerate
this kind of blasphemy without difficulty.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies with ‘kula-
striyaḥ,’ meaning ‘a woman from a respectable family;’ the singular form is
used here to denote the whole female race. “The whole family is disgraced if
one of its women is involved in an extra-marital relationship. Such activity is
thoroughly improper, and should be repudiated in every respect.” In essence,
just as before, Kṛṣṇa was saying this just to increase the gopīs’ eagerness.
Alternate meaning as humble entreaty: as stated before, a woman’s
true husband is that man whom she accepts in her heart. Anyone else is
considered a paramour. A man accepted in marriage according to religious
rites is a husband, and anyone else is a paramour. Śrī Kṛṣṇa jokingly stated
the opposite meaning of the scriptural evidence. “So a husband who is
living with his wife is upapati (paramour) because upa means ‘near’ and
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pati means ‘husband.’ And this mood is ‘aupapatyā.’ One who has this kind
of upapati-bhāva, living with the legal husband who is actually not the real
husband, is always full of faults and is barred from reaching heaven. It is
irreligion to serve such a husband, so you should serve Me.” This meaning
is to be understood.

“It is natural that all of you have a general type of fondness for Me.
But a special affection mixed with lust is against religious principles and
it should be rejected in every respect.” This verse starting with ‘asvargyam’
has been spoken with this intention. “For respectable women from good
families, the pleasure derived from a paramour is despicable and illusory.
It prevents one from reaching heaven, and it harms one’s reputation.” The
gopīs may say, “Let this pleasure be very low-class and illusory, but the
delight it affords is the best of all.” Obstructions created by the husband are
extremely painful, but according to rasa-śāstra this situation is topmost.
This is corroborated by the poet Rudra as quoted in Ujjvala-nilamaṇī 3.20:
a lady’s contrary mood (vāmatā), the rarity of meeting (durlabhatā), and her
many rebuffs (nivāraṇatā) are Cupid’s extraordinary weapons forcing the
lover to come under her control.
When praṇaya condenses and reaches its climax, then anurāga, a very
deep attachment, arises in the heart, and due to its influence, pain in the
heart is experienced as joy. For example, the prospect of meeting with one’s
paramour makes intolerable suffering feel like pleasure.
The scriptures on societal injunctions strictly forbid extramarital
relations, warning that such unacceptable behavior brings one fear in this
life and the next. Nevertheless, Śrī Viṣṇugupta-saṁhitā declares, “A doe-
eyed heroine, while encountering obstructions in meeting with her lover
and only occasionally getting the chance to meet with him, feels great
excitement in her heart from her love affair.” According to this rule of rasa-
śāstra, societal restriction is not unfavorable as it helps in creating more
pleasure for the lover. Śrī Kṛṣṇa uses the word ‘jugupsitaṁ’ (contemptible):
It is universally condemned for noble ladies to engage in a paramour
relationship (aupapatyaṁ). The pleasure derived from such an affair is
contemptible. All of you can tolerate extensive criticism happily just to
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achieve your desired goal, but as you are very dear to Me, how can I tolerate
your being censured? For this reason, it is better that you go back to Vraja.”
The meaning in a mood of humble entreaty: “It is well known that
the paramour relationship is highly condemned, but in this regard, you
have heard from Śrī Gargācarya and other public authorities that I am
like Nārāyaṇa. In that case, if I am indeed like Nārāyaṇa, then it is not
reprehensible for Me to be your paramour. Rather, our affair is to be praised
because, as Parameśvara, I am beyond all kinds of ordinary auspicious and
inauspicious actions.”
Verse 27
śravaṇād darśanād dhyānān

mayi bhāvo ’nukīrtanāt
na tathā sannikarṣeṇa
pratiyāta tato gṛhān
“Ecstatic love for Me arises in devotees’ hearts when they

hear about Me, take darśana of My deity, meditate on My beauty,
and continuously chant My names, which are endowed with My
attributes. Being in My physical presence does not yield the same
result, so you should return back to your homes.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa continues His argument with ‘śravaṇāt,’ meaning, ‘Love for
Me arises by hearing about My glories.’
Meaning in a mood of indifference: “These gopīs will not go back, even
after several attempts to persuade them.” Suspecting this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa displayed
indifference in this verse beginning with ‘śravaṇāt,’ which points out the
shortcomings in their passion for Him. “Receiving My direct association
does not arouse the mood that manifests by hearing My glories.” The anxiety
produced in the state of separation causes the sentiments to escalate very
quickly, but in union the mood loses its intensity, and this longing slackens.
The vraja-sundarīs’ mood was at the topmost level, but by His crooked talk,
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Kṛṣṇa rejected it as being inadequate, pointing out flaws in their love. In pūrva-
rāga hearing usually comes first, followed by directly seeing the hero, but since
they are unable to meet, constant flashes of the hero manifest in the heroine’s
heart. This explanation delineates the process of the awakening of bhāva by
means of hearing and chanting. Actually, Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke in this tricky manner
to enhance the eagerness in the prema of the tender-hearted vraja-devīs, who,
in a mood of compliance, were ever absorbed in their deep love for Him.
Meaning in a spirit of humble entreaty: “Before marrying our cowherd
husbands, we accepted You as our true husband out of our loving attraction
and faithfulness to You, even though we did not live with You. Now we are
married to the gopas, but we feel no loyalty to them and have accepted this
relationship only due to being bound by the knot of marriage. How, then, is it
possible for us to feel affection for them?” Anticipating this mood, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
spoke this verse beginning with ‘śravaṇāt.’ “The bhāva that arises when
one hears narrations about Me that are imbued with special rasa is more
intense than the bhāva that grows in My direct presence.” The conclusion
here is this. It is well known that loving couples get tied up in affection for
each other by living together; such emotional bonds do not develop just
by hearing. The gopīs, however, did not experience feelings of intimacy for
their so-called husbands, even though they lived together.
In this context, it is said: ‘na tathā sannikarṣaṇa pratiyāta tato gṛhān.’
If the word ‘na’ is inserted in ‘pratiyāta’ in this half of the verse, the sentence
becomes ‘tasmāta gṛhān prati na yāta,’ which means, “Don’t go home and
leave Me alone here.” The phrase ‘pratiyāta tato ’gṛhān’ can be broken into
tato + agṛhān. When ‘a’ is combined with yāta, it becomes ayāta, “Don’t go
back home.” When the word prati is prefixed with the root word, it reverses
the meaning. For example, in the word pratipakṣa, pakṣa means ‘party’ and
pratipakṣa signifies ‘opposite party.’ In this verse also, prati can be used
to reverse the meaning, which then becomes a prohibition, forbidding the
gopīs to go back home. Thus, both types of meanings – indifference and
humble entreaty – generated newer and newer flavors of emotions in the
vraja-devīs’ loving exchanges with Kṛṣṇa. Their affectionate exchanges with
Him influenced them in both ways, but His mood of apparent indifference
affected their love-filled hearts more. In some vraja-devīs the true meaning
manifested in their hearts, and newer and newer emotions arose in some
other Vraja maidens, due to their hearts being churned by their anurāga.
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Meaning in a mood of indifference: The gopīs might object, “O Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, we have not come here for Your direct association, so why do You
presume such a possibility? Still, Gargācarya has declared that You are like
Nārāyaṇa, and we accept his statement. Thus, we have come here with the
desire to perform bhakti at Your lotus feet. You should therefore keep us
with You tonight, and mercifully fulfill our hearts’ desire by affording us
worshipful service to Your lotus feet.” Expecting this kind of statement from
the gopīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke this verse starting with ‘śravaṇāt.’
“Love for Me is achieved by hearing about Me, seeing and remembering
Me, and singing My glories. One does not get this prema by directly asso
ciating with Me. My pure devotees do not desire the four kinds of liberation,
such as sāmīpya and sālokya. Rather, they pray for bhakti by performing
śravaṇa, kītana, etc. All of you are Vaiṣṇavīs, so you are certainly aware of
this well-known, fundamental truth.”
Meaning in a spirit of humble entreaty: “Intense amorous emotions for
Me are stimulated by close association with Me. Śravaṇa and kīrtana do not
generate the same result. Therefore, none of you should go back to Vraja.”
In the original verse the phrase ‘pratiyāta tato gṛhān’ is found, but in this
commentary the meaning ‘tataḥ agṛhān pratiyāta’ has been accepted. Here
the addition of a presents the negative meaning, which prohibits the gopīs
from returning home.
Verse 28
śrī-śuka uvāca
iti vipriyam ākarṇya
gopyo govinda-bhāṣitam
viṣaṇṇā bhagna-saṅkalpāś
cintām āpur duratyayām
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing Govinda speak such

unpleasant words, the gopīs became extremely dejected, and
drowned in the abysmal ocean of despair.
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In this verse, ‘iti vipriya,’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains the meaning
of the name Govinda. This name suggests that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is indra, the chief,
of Gokula, and the well-wisher of all its residents. Since He takes care of
His own people, He will certainly see to the happiness and comfort of the
gopīs. What need is there to mention it separately? ‘Bhāṣitam’ – what He
says in clear words is unpleasant (vipriya). But His every sentence has
a double meaning, so it was not certain whether His words were meant
favorably or unfavorably. However, the unfavorable meaning manifested
in the gopīs’ hearts because of their natural eagerness, and they took His
words as unpleasant. ‘Viṣaṇṇā’ (broken-hearted) – for a long time the gopīs’
had been harboring in their hearts the resolve to enjoy intimate association
with Kṛṣṇa; this resolution was now shattered, and thus their hearts became
inflamed. ‘Duratyayā’ (insurmountable) – the gopīs were being forced
into an unpalatable situation, unable to attain their desired object. Thus
devastated, they drowned in an abyss of anxiety.
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s very tender heart melts with love, but now He has become
very cruel. This is our ill-fortune. Now what is our duty? Should we catch
hold of His lotus feet and humbly pray to Him, or should we argue with Him
and press upon Him the unreasonableness of His words? Should we exercise
some patience and stay here? Or should we very cunningly pretend to start
moving towards Vraja, and after walking some distance, try to understand
His real intention, which is profound and inconceivable? Or should we give
up our lives, but how and where? Should we do it in front of Him or behind
His back? Should we drown in the Yamunā or die some other way? In any
event, we should give up our lives.” In this way, the gopīs considered so
many alternatives.
‘Govinda’ (ga + vindate): ga means ‘who is an entertaining speaker,’
vindate means ‘who knows.’ In other words, Govinda is one who is expert
in witty, eloquent speech. ‘Bhāṣita’ – the words spoken by Govinda were
‘vipriyam,’ unpleasant. Even the presiding goddess of speech could not
catch the meaning of His crooked words, but it was not hard for the love-
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filled vraja-devīs to understand the inner meaning, which was internally

pleasing to them. However, only the external meaning of the words
indicating disinterest manifested in the gopīs’ hearts, which were saturated
with prema, and the cowherd maidens started to burn from within. Not
seeing any reason for Govinda’s unpleasant words, they doubted whether
His unspoken words could contain any comfort either.
After this, humility arose in the gopīs’ hearts from their sthayi-bhāva
of intense love, and they decided, “Certainly we are unqualified for Kṛṣṇa’s
service, and that is why He is neglecting us.” Fixed in this conclusion, they
became morose and started contemplating their situation. “Alas! We gave up
our husbands, in-laws, our parents, religiosity, patience, fear and shyness
for Kṛṣṇa, but He has rejected us!” In this way, their plan shattered, they
drowned in the deep sea of distress. “What should we do now? Should we
take hold of His lotus feet and satisfy Him with our humble prayers? Or
should we exercise self-control and slyly make a show of returning to Vraja,
while we try to understand His hidden intention? Or should we just give up
our lives – either in His presence or by drowning far away in the Yamunā,
or by any other means?
“Alas, alas! What a predicament we are facing! How will we be able to
see His sweet lotus face if we give up our lives? And if we do not do so, how
can we still manage to be near Him?” In this way the gopīs were tortured,
being beaten by millions and millions of waves of anxiety. “Or how can we
follow Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s order and convince ourselves to eat that which we have
already vomited – service to our husbands and relatives? What should we
do? Where should we go?”
Filled with such worries, the gopīs were at a complete loss and remained
standing in the same spot like dead sticks. It is said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is like a
dark cloud, and the sound of His flute is like the rumbling of thunder that
invites the cataki bird-like gopīs to approach this cloud and drink its nectar.
However, instead of showering the rain of nectarean pastimes, this cloud
was pouring out poisonous words of neglect, which the gopīs quickly drank
in astonishment, since nobody in this world can give up their own nature.
Verse 29
kṛtvā mukhāny ava śucaḥ śvasanena śuṣyad

bimbādharāṇi caraṇena bhuvaḥ likhantyaḥ
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asrair upātta-masibhiḥ kuca-kuṅkumāni

tasthur mṛjantya uru-duḥkha-bharāḥ sma tūṣṇīm
Overwhelmed by excessive grief, the gopīs held their heads

down and breathed heavily, exhaling hot air that dried up their
reddish bimba-fruit lips. As they scratched the ground with their
toenails, their tears mixed with their kajjala and washed away
the kuṅkuma from their breasts. Their hearts were so burdened
with sorrow that they simply stood there without saying a word.

In this verse beginning with ‘kṛtvā,’ Śrī Śukadeva describes the condition
of the distressed gopīs. Out of excessive grief, they were breathing heavily
and exhaling hot air that dried up their reddish bimba-fruit lips. Hanging
their heads down, they started scratching the ground with their left toes,
while the kuṅkuma on their breasts was washed away in the flow of their
tears mixed with kajjala. Due to their severe suffering they fell silent and
remained standing there.
Overwhelmed by anxiety, the greatly distressed vraja-devīs were
benumbed and for a moment they lost their power to speak. ‘Śucaḥ’ and
‘śuṣyat’ – these two words denote hot and heavy breathing. In the word
‘śuṣyat,’ the prefix śatra indicates the continuous dryness of the lips. Their
red lips, akin to bimba fruits, started to dry up. The use of the word ‘bimba’
signifies the redness and tenderness of their lips, which had now become
parched and pale. ‘Caraṇena’ – the gopīs externally displayed their very
deep anxiety by scratching the ground with their left toenails. “O Pṛthivī,
O Mother Earth, you should split asunder so that we can enter inside you.”
This is indeed their intention. “It is favorable for us to enter into your womb
instead of remaining on top of you.” This statement indicates that the gopīs
were standing on the ground. ‘Upātta-masibhiḥ:’ due to the flow of their
kajjala-mixed tears, the kuṅkuma smeared on their breasts was washed
away. ‘Mixed with kajjala’ and ’flowing down’ – these two descriptive
phrases are used in the plural form to indicate a mighty stream of tears. The
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gopīs are in this condition due to the severe and deep sorrow in their hearts.
Torment, pain and many other afflictions which have not been named are
also included. This caused two sattvika-bhāvas to manifest – becoming
pale (vaivaryna) and becoming stupefied (stambha). This is the meaning.
In this verse ‘sma’ means ‘famous.’ It is a well-accepted fact that even Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s joking words can make the gopīs feel sad. Or ‘sma’ can also mean
‘astonishment.’ “Aho! Do not be astonished to see how glorious the gopīs’
prema is!” Even an ordinary joking word from Śrī Kṛṣṇa can cause them to
drown in an indescribable state of grief. Śrī Kṛṣṇa had challenged the gopīs
with prohibitive words, but in Verse 31, the gopīs display their indifference
and answer Him in such a way that neither injures nor breaks their prema.
The gopīs are exhibiting external symptoms (anubhāvas) caused by
anxiety. Even so, their speech, in particular, does not indicate any negative
intention or present any obstacle to their meeting. It is not unusual for noble
ladies to become speechless when a lusty man humbly proposes to them,
but one way they manifest their inner feelings is by scratching the earth.
Kṛṣṇa’s rude behavior obstructed their natural flow of rasa, but the nature
of rasa is such that in the face of obstruction, it expresses itself through
anubhāvas, such as their tears, which reveal their true sentiments. They may
utter some prohibitory words, but at the same time, tears will flow or some
other anubhāvas will manifest. Unless we accept this special explanation,
their behavior appears contrary to the rasa.
In this verse Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains how the gopīs experienced
their desperation. The gopīs became silent and held their heads down,
indicating shyness (lajjā). “Alas! We gave up our deep-rooted bashfulness
for the sake of prema, but this has become the cause of our embarrassment.
We are extremely shy ladies coming from respectable families, but our love
for Kṛṣṇa impelled us to forfeit our modesty.” The connoisseurs of prema-
rasa praise this prema extensively, and never condemn it. The symptom of
prema is that it can control its object, Parameśvara, the Supreme Person.
“We could not control Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the object of our love, so certainly our
prema is not genuine. Thus it was to no avail for us to give up our shyness,
indeed, it was a waste.”
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The vraja-devīs thus felt remorse, shame and anxiety. The symptom of
the gopīs’ remorse was that their faces turned dark and dry. Just as the heat
of the sun dehydrates bimba fruits, so the air that the gopīs exhaled as they
breathed deeply in the flurry of their lamentation was hot like the blazing
sun, and their very tender bimba-fruit lips became dry and dark. Next, the
reason for the gopīs’ shyness and worry is explained. Holding their heads
down out of shyness and anxiety, the gopīs started scratching the earth with
their left big toes, by which they meant to say, “O Mother Earth, break open
and we will enter inside you.”
Now their grief is described. The stream of the gopīs’ kajjala-mixed tears
washed away the kuṅkuma smeared on their breasts and left two black lines
there. It seemed that the sharp blade of the torment of separation severed
their bodies in half, making use of the black thread of their dark tears as
the cutting line. This assumption is implied. The use of ‘asrair’ (tears) in the
plural and the present tense of ‘mṛjantya’ (washing away) indicates that the
abundant flow of tears soaked their inner garments and washed away the
kuṅkuma on their breasts. In other words, two currents of the Yamunā were
flowing from their eyes, while the fire of their torment raged in their hearts.
These two were battling with each other, one attempting to extinguish the fire,
and the other trying to evaporate the water. That is, desiring to extinguish
the conflagration of the agony in their hearts, the Yamunā took shelter of
the gopīs’ eyes, and was flowing in two currents that cut their bodies in half.
In this conflict it is not seen if either party was defeated or victorious. The
gopīs were stunned and, unable to tolerate such extreme misery, they stood
still like statues, drowning in intense sorrow.
Verse 30
preṣṭhaṁ priyetaram iva pratibhāṣamāṇaṁ

kṛṣṇaṁ tad-artha-vinivartita-sarva-kāmāḥ
netre vimṛjya ruditopahate sma kiñcit
saṁrambha-gadgada-giro ’bruvatānuraktāḥ
The gopīs, being filled with the topmost prema for Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
had given up all other desires for His sake. Thus they remained
unwavering in their love for Him even upon hearing His cruel
words. His harsh utterances aroused such splitting pain in them
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that their eyes filled with tears, causing them to lose their power
of sight completely. Wiping away their tears, they replied to Him,
their voices faltering due to love-laden anger.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s words telling the gopīs to return back home were unpalatable
to them. In the present verse the gopīs, having become somewhat angry, started
speaking to their beloved. What was the reason for the anger arising from their
prema? Śrī Kṛṣṇa was their lover but He was speaking harshly and sending
them back. This was the cause of their love-filled anger, praṇaya-kopa.
One may object that ‘preṣṭha,’ the vraja-devīs’ beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was
being apriya, unloving, by sending them back. Why, then, did they not drive
Him out of their hearts? The answer is ‘tad-artham,’ to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is,
their desire to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa was so fervent that they had totally renounced
all other aspirations and did not want to maintain any trace of material
connection. They wanted only Kṛṣṇa. Offering a palmful of water, the gopīs
had bidden farewell to their husbands, children and other attachments. That
is why they could not drag their hearts away from their lover. If one asks why
that was so, the reply is that Kṛṣṇa is the condensed form of supreme bliss,
and He steals the hearts of everyone. His very name Krṣṇa encompasses this
quality. Therefore, once someone gives their heart to Śrī Vrajendra-nandana,
who is well-known as Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to take it back.
One might ask, “How were the gopīs able to speak after being so
devastated?” This is implied in the use of the word ‘saṁrambha’ (agitation).
When the gopīs’ anger was aroused, it overlaid their despondency, and
enabled them to speak. That is, the force of Kṛṣṇa’s neglectful words caused
dejection to manifest in their hearts. But then they remembered the entreaty
that His words implied, and this brought their transcendental anger to the
surface, covering their grief. Wiping away the tears from their eyes and
looking at the face of their beloved, who was being unloving by sending
them back, they started to speak, their voices stammering from indignation.
The combination of these two moods – anger and despondency – enabled
them to wipe away their tears.
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Compelled by this loving anger, they glanced at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s face,

and they wiped their eyes, intending to answer back His every word. It is
understood that their bashfulness abated due to intense sorrow. The burden
of the gopīs’ grief was so heavy that they could not lift their heads, so they
saw His face only partially (kiñcit), not fully. Their voices were stammering
with agitation due to grief and shyness. ‘Anuraktā’ (firmly attached): their
unwavering attachment to Him inflamed their deep sorrow upon hearing
His ungracious words, as they never expected such treatment from Him.

Thereafter, Śrī Kṛṣṇa raised His voice and said, “O gopīs, why are you
crying in the forest for no reason? Be happy and go back to your homes.”
When His loud voice entered the ears of the vraja-devīs, they returned
to consciousness and began speaking. The verse starting with ‘preṣṭham’
was spoken to describe this situation. Śrī Kṛṣṇa had associated with the
gopīs many times, so they saw Him as their beloved. But now, without
considering this, He spoke very harsh, unpleasant words to them, “All of
you go back home and serve your husbands.” It was not proper for Him
to speak like this, because the gopīs had given up everything for Him.
‘Vinivartita’ (cease): they had given up all their desires so fully that there
was not even a trace of material attachment left in them. ‘Sarva-kāmāḥ’
(all desires): in using this phrase Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s intention is to
communicate that ‘kāma’ used in the service of Bhagavān for His pleasure
is not lust, rather it is prema. That is why he has used sarva (all) instead
of anya (others).
Almost blind from profuse tears, the gopīs wiped their eyes, thinking,
“Now our lives are about to end. So let us first behold our beloved to our
hearts’ content and then we will give up our lives. Alas, alas! Kṛṣṇa has
pronounced our death sentence, even though He is our beloved and we have
not committed any crime.” This is why the gopīs’ transcendental anger was
aroused. “He is rebuffing us because our beauty and qualities are not up to
His standard. Thus we are ineligible for intimate association.” Thinking like
this, the gopīs’ felt dejected and hapless. But then love-filled anger suddenly
sprouted in them, and under its influence, they began to stammer their
protest against Kṛṣṇa’s harsh words.
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One might pose a question: Whether the gopīs felt unlucky or annoyed,
in either case, why did they not pull their hearts away from their beloved if
they were devoid of prema? This query is resolved by the word ‘anuraktā’ –
no logic whatsoever can possibly influence those who are blinded by
anurāga, or controlled by overwhelming attraction.
Verse 31
śrī-gopya ūcuḥ
maivaṁ vibho ’rhati bhavān gadituṁ nṛśaṁsaṁ
santyajya sarva-viṣayāṁs tava pāda-mūlam
bhaktā bhajasva duravagraha mā tyajāsmān
devo yathādi-puruṣo bhajate mumukṣūn
The gopīs said: “O omnipotent one! O dearest beloved! You

are all-pervading, so You know our hearts. It is not proper for You
to speak such cruel words to us. We, Your loving maidservants,
have given up all our material attachments so that we can devote
ourselves to serving Your lotus feet. There is no doubt that we have
no control over You, because You are independent and obstinate.
Still, You should reciprocate with us just as the primeval Lord
Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa mercifully fulfills the desires of those who
seek liberation from this world. Do not discard us.”

The gopīs said, “O tyrannical one! O independent one! We have given
up everything for the service of Your lotus feet, so please accept us. Do not
reject us.”
The beautiful gopīs started speaking. There is one point to consider
here. All the gopīs have a similar mood, and thus might all speak the same
thing at the same time. If they were to do this, it would create a great uproar,
which would not be congenial for rasa. So we should accept that the four
main group leaders (yūtheśvarīs) uttered these statements of the gopīs
simultaneously. Just ahead in this chapter there are four most excellent
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statements (mahāvakya) that end with the following words: “O Supreme

Person, be gracious with us” (10.29.33), “Pour the ambrosia from Your
lips upon us and extinguish the fire blazing in our hearts” (10.29.35), “O
subduer of all misery, kindly gratify us” (10.29.38), and “Please place Your
lotus hands on our breasts” (10.29.41).
Each one of these four requests was spoken by a different yūtheśvarī.
That means that the four groups of gopīs were surrounding Śrī Kṛṣṇa on
all sides, and the chief gopī from each of the four groups spoke at the same
time, expressing the same feelings in four distinct ways. Even though they
were standing at their respective places, they were still all situated in front of
Him. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatām 10.13.8 describes Kṛṣṇa’s picnic with his friends
on the bank of the Yamunā in the van-bhojana-līlā: “He was surrounded by
many circles of His cowherd boyfriends, yet He was facing everyone.” All the
gopīs were facing Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the same way.
[Before presenting his commentary, the respectable commentator, Śrī
Jīva Gosvāmī prays at the lotus feet of the gopīs.] “The vraja-devīs are the
topmost of all heroines (nāgareśvarī). By their mercy one can understand
the profound truths behind the words they directed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. I bow down
to such nāgareśvarīs, and I offer pranāṁa to gopī-jana-prāṇa-vallabha Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, the lover and the very life of the cowherd maidens.”
Subsequently, the gopīs said, “We will decide later on whether having
renounced our parents, husbands and other family members to serve You
is to be considered religious or irreligious. In any event, we see that You
will certainly be at fault for rejecting us, and there will be no way for You to
rectify this.” The gopīs spoke the present verse ‘maivaṁ’ to communicate
this idea. “He vibho, O almighty one, it is improper for You to speak such
cruel words to us.” The word ‘maivaṁ’ (mā + evam – not in this manner) has
been used to express extreme anguish. ‘Evaṁ’ – “You have ordered us to go
back, but it is not proper for You to say anything like this to us.”
Why are the gopīs saying this? “Nṛśaṁsa – These words are brutal, and
they pierce our hearts to the core like a hard thunderbolt. They are death
itself for us.” According to the Amara-kośa dictionary, nṛśaṁsa means
‘fatal’ or ‘cruel.’ “Gadituṁ (speak): one should not even utter these words,
what to speak of acting upon them.” The root word ‘gad’ means ‘to say
clearly.’ “It is not proper to speak such cruel, heart-tormenting words openly.
Furthermore, You are our prāṇa-vallabha, the Lord of our lives. You know
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full well that our hearts are very soft, melting with prema for You, so it is not
right for You to speak such harsh words to us for any reason whatsoever.”
This is the meaning. The previous verse ends with ‘saṁrambha-gadgada-
gira,’ which means that their voices were faltering due to transcendental
anger. Even being in a humble position, the gopīs openly expressed their
indignation through all their bodily gestures, as well as through their voices.
In Verse 18 of this chapter, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “Svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgāḥ
– O greatly fortunate gopīs, greetings! Was your journey here trouble-free?
Priyaṁ kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ – What can I do for you?” The gopīs thought to
themselves, “Did He speak these words so respectfully in a gentle voice so
that later He could order us to go back? This is against the principles of
rasa.” The gopīs understood that His intention was contrary to His words,
and thus they answered appropriately. The cowherd maidens anticipated
that Kṛṣṇa would say, “He priya-vadinī, O you who speak sweet words, what
can I do for you?” Expecting this, the gopīs reply, “You should worship us.
Fulfill our hearts’ desire and serve us.” One might ask why He should serve
them. They say, “We have given up everything to become the maidservants
of Your feet.” This is the humble statement of the gopīs. Here the gopīs only
said ‘feet,’ not ‘lotus feet,’ because Śrī Kṛṣṇa had spoken very harshly to
them, and thus His feet lacked the tenderness of the lotus; indeed, they had
become the very resting place of harshness. In this way the gopīs replied to
Kṛṣṇa’s question, “priyaṁ kiṁ karavāṇi vaḥ – What can I do to please you?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might respond, “O gopīs, I will certainly serve you, but your
service is to look after your husbands’ welfare, not to serve your own
personal desires.” In reply the gopīs say, “We have completely rejected
(santyajya) our husbands and all other objects of sense enjoyment, and have
come to You.” The prefix san derives from samyaka, meaning ‘completely.’
The gopīs have given up all of these with the firm resolve not to accept them
again (“because they are unfavorable in our service to You”). In this verse
the gopīs have responded to all of Kṛṣṇa’s statements, starting with the third
line of Verse 18 in this chapter, ‘vrajasyānāmayaṁ kaccid,’ up to Verse 22,
ending with ‘duhyata.’
One might think that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had frightened the gopīs by saying,
“rajany eṣā ghora-rūpā – this is a frightful night” (10.29.19). In the next
verse, ‘mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrā,’ He chastised them: “It is not proper to put your
family members in distress.” For these two reasons, He ordered the vraja-
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ramaṇīs to return to Vraja. So how did they answer these two statements? The
gopīs had fully renounced all attachments, and had no affinity even for their
bodies, so the fearsome words ‘rajany eṣā,’ etc., were ineffective.
The meaning is that in these two verses quoted here, Śrī Kṛṣṇa targeted
the vraja-ramaṇīs’ love for their bodies. But the gopīs countered all of His
arguments with the words ‘santyajya sarva-viṣayān,’ meaning that they had
given up all attachments. The gopīs had completely abdicated all sense objects
and all interest in the body, and had come to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, so what is
the question of maintaining affinity for their bodies? They answered Him by
indirect inference, “O obstinate one! We have no recourse other than You. Do
not reject us because You will be at fault if you do so.” This is the intended
meaning. How is this so? Even the Supreme Lord, who is beyond religion and
irreligion, is expected to follow dharma, the path of righteousness.
It was with this intention that the gopīs used the word ‘deva’ (divine
one) to refer to the primeval Lord Nārāyaṇa, who reciprocates with those
who seek liberation. “So won’t He gratify those who desire to attain You,
the original Supreme Person?” That is, those who do not seek liberation
and have firm conviction only in bhakti are known as amumukṣu jana
(mumukṣu meaning ‘liberation’ and a meaning ‘not interested’). ‘Mumukṣu’
can also refer to those who have rejected everything except the Lord Himself.
It applies as well to those who have a strong desire to give up all varieties
of sense enjoyment to attain Bhagavān. The primeval Lord accepts all of
these devotees who give priority to their bhajana, and the gopīs implied,
“You should also reciprocate with us in the same way.”
In some editions ‘bhajataḥ’ is found instead of ‘bhajasva.’ Bhajataḥ is in
the plural and ends in the second case. In such an instance ‘mumukṣūn’ (also
second case and plural) will become the adjective of bhajataḥ (worshipers).
Then, if bhajasva (please reciprocate, present tense) in the original verse is
replaced by bhajataḥ, the interpretation is as follows: “The primeval Lord
accepts all those who are desirous of doing His bhajana, including those
who are practicing and those who are perfected.” (Sakāma devotees, those
with some personal motives, are excluded here.) “He does not reject them.
You should also reciprocate with us in the same way.”
The gopīs were exclusively devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form as a cowherd boy
(gopendra-nandana), and they had no respect for any kind of jnāna, yet all
kinds of knowledge serve the gopīs. The evidence for this is found in Śrīmad-
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Bhāgavatam 5.18.12: “The demigods, along with their good qualities, reside
in one who has unalloyed devotion to Bhagavān.” In Nārada Pañcarātra it is
stated: “bhukti, mukti, siddhi, etc., which grant astonishing enjoyment, serve
as maidservants to hari-bhakti Mahā-devī, the grand goddess of devotion
to Śrī Hari.” Therefore, incited by jñāna and other śaktis, the loving words
spoken by the gopīs were endowed with supreme opulence and knowledge.
Such love-filled speech manifested due to the special miraculous power of
bhakti, and pronounced the glories of the gopīs. In other words, when the
gopīs were in a humble state, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s majesty manifested to them; they
understood Him to be the Supreme Lord, so they spoke words expressing His
opulence. That is why they said, “He vibho, all-powerful one! O omniscient
one! You are all-pervading, residing within us and outside also. Thus You
know the desires of our hearts. We are surrendered to Your lotus feet, so
please reciprocate with us. Otherwise Your promise in Gītā 4.11 to reward
Your devotees according to their surrender to You will become false.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might respond, “O respected gopīs, supreme philosophers,
why do you desire material happiness?” Apprehending this, the gopīs said
‘santyajya’ (completely renouncing): “We have renounced all varieties of mate
rial enjoyment and desire only transcendental pleasure, because amorous play
with You is the mature fruit (vilāṣa) of prema; it is the essence of all goals and is
the greatest wealth. So to prove the truth of Your statement in Gītā, You should
also renounce everything and enjoy with us.” This is the deep meaning. “He
duravagraha, O independent and obstinate one! You are free to do whatever
You like. You do not depend on anyone, but don’t reject us, who are surrendered
to You. You are Parameśvara, the Supreme Lord, and irreligion cannot touch
You. Furthermore the śrutis have declared that You are satya-saṅkalpa,
whatever You speak comes to pass, and You have pledged to fulfill the solemn
vows of the devotees. To reject us would contradict the affirmations of the
śrutis, and to violate their words would be highly improper.”
‘Sarva-viṣayān’ refers to rejection of all kinds of personal enjoyments,
starting from ruling the universe up to the attainment of Vaikuṇṭha. ‘Te’ (You):
“Those who are incapable of renouncing You, because they are unwilling to
do so, are the amumukṣun. Please accept such loyal, surrendered souls.”
This meaning comes out by using the second case instead of the sixth case
for the syllable te. If the fourth case of te is also replaced with the second
case, then the meaning would be ‘mumukṣu’ – “desirous of renouncing all
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kinds of enjoyment to attain You only. You are respected by the whole world
(deva), so please reciprocate with such loyal, surrendered souls because by
not doing so, You would negate Your godliness. The whole world worships
You because You are the complete primeval Lord (yathādi-puruṣo) and
the Supreme Bhagavān, so it is not appropriate to speak such harsh words
(maivaṁ vibho ’rhati bhavān).”
The yajña-patnīs also uttered such pleading words. The prayers they
offered were similar, but the heart-felt meanings were not the same. The
very beautiful Vraja maidens are naturally astute, and their grief-filled
prayers reflected their innate contrary mood. In other words, due to their
natural expertise in cleverly churning the rasa, they expressed their
contrariness even while they stammered their humble plea, immersed in
supreme grief. For example they said: “evaṁ (in this way) – Please act
agreeably and talk to us sweetly. It is not proper for You to speak rudely
to those who have renounced all personal gratification and become
the maidservants of Your lotus feet. Duravagraham, O stubborn one,
reciprocate with us without restriction.” Then, due to their contrary mood,
they spoke in jest: ‘Asmān’ – us, ‘ā’ – completely; ‘tyaja’ – reject: “Reject
us completely.” Prabhu accepts only devotees, not the non-devotees. The
gopīs acknowledged this by saying ‘deva,’ which implies reverence, but
actually they were joking, and thus they reflected their inner moods.

After hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rude words, the gopīs became surcharged with
emotions and voiced their love-filled anger. “You are giving us religious
instruction, yet at the same time You are bringing a mass of sin upon
Yourself. This is not favorable for You.” With this intention the gopīs spoke
this verse starting with ‘maivaṁ.’ “He vibho, O all-mighty one! Why are You
using such harsh words and indulging in sin by murdering us? Just like a
brutal killer, You have shot the arrow of your cruel (nṛśaṁsaṁ) words at us.
This will surely bring about our death. We will give up our bodies and go to
Yamarāja’s abode; we will not follow Your instruction to return to Vraja. There
are millions of us, and You will be responsible for killing millions of women.
It is not proper for You to commit such a sinful act, for You are the son of
Śrī Nanda Mahārāja, who is celebrated as a most religious person. If You do
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not want to perpetrate this sinful act of killing all of us, then accept us. We
have given up all types of sense enjoyment and worship You exclusively, so
in the same way You should also renounce all Your sense enjoyment and
reciprocate with us.” Here the word ‘sarva-viṣaya’ (all sense enjoyment) is
used instead of anya-viṣaya (other sense enjoyment). This indicates that
physical contact with Śrī Bhagavān cannot be considered sense enjoyment.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “O lustful women, you have rejected your husbands
and are attracted to Me. Have your husbands not satisfied your passion?”
The gopīs reply, “He duravagraha!” Here ‘duravagraha’ is understood
thus: du means ‘full of faults,’ and avagraha means ‘restricted rainfall.’ For
example, a farmer desires rainfall, but the cloud is duravagraha, that is, it
releases poison instead of water. The gopīs argued: “O cloud, You are only
pouring poison. We are cātakī birds, and You are like a rain cloud. Even
though far away, the cloud saves the cātakīs’ lives by quenching their thirst,
thus it is their dearmost friend. So the cātakīs drink only the water raining
from the clouds. They do not drink water from any other source, even it may
be an ocean full of nectar. We are also cātakīs of the Kṛṣṇa-cloud only. Even
if You are far from us, You are still our dearmost, but due to our misfortune,
You are pouring poison, and not the rainwater that will quench our thirst. It
is Your choice if You do not agree to pour rainwater. We will not be unhappy,
but You must know that we will drink this poison and accept death. We will
not take anything else to quench our thirst. That is, we will not drink water
from the nearby reservoir of our husbands. This is our nature. If You are
even slightly inclined to show Your gratitude, then don’t reject us.”
Kṛṣṇa might reply, “It is true that cātakīs depend on clouds, but clouds
do not rely on the cātakīs for anything. It is inconsequential to the cloud
whether the cātakīs live or die; in either case, there is no loss or gain for
the cloud.” The gopīs reply, “This is true, because the cloud is made of dull
matter, and it can be indifferent to the life and death of cātakīs. But you
are not inert like the cloud. You are like Nārāyaṇa, and the crest-jewel of
clever persons, so You should act like Nārāyaṇa. You should be merciful and
should accept us; do not reject us. Those who desire liberation renounce all
kinds of sense enjoyment and worship the primeval Lord Nārāyaṇa, who
mercifully accepts them and fulfills their heartfelt desires. So why don’t You
fulfill our heartfelt desire? We have given up all varieties of sense pleasure
to serve Your lotus feet.”
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Verse 32
yat paty-apatya-suhṛdām anuvṛttir aṅga

strīṇāṁ sva-dharma iti dharma-vidā tvayoktam
astv evam etad upadeśa-pade tvayīśe
preṣṭho bhavāṁs tanu-bhṛtāṁ kila bandhur ātmā
“O beloved, You are fully conversant with the esoteric aspects

of religion. You have instructed us on the ethical principle that
a lady’s prescribed duty is to serve her husband, children and
relatives appropriately. According to this, we should serve You,
our preceptor, because You, being directly the Supreme Lord,
are the ultimate goal of all instructions. You are the dearmost
friend and the very soul of all living beings, so service to You
automatically includes the service of husbands and children.”

The gopīs said (sarcastically), “O Kṛṣṇa, You know all the principles of
religion, thus You are telling us that a lady’s prescribed duty is to serve her
husband, children and relatives. You are imparting religious instruction to us,
but keep Your counseling to Yourself.” One might ask, “What is the reason to
give such advice?” The answer is this: “You are the Supreme Lord. According
to the truths revealed in the scriptures, all instructions lead to You, so You are
the only suitable object for all these instructions.” Kṛṣṇa might respond, “How
do you know that I am the Supreme Lord?” Anticipating this, the gopīs said,
“You are certainly the Paramount Soul, the enjoyer of all that exists. You are
indeed the Supreme Master. Thus, You are the dearmost friend of all living
beings, so whatever duties we have towards our kinsman culminate in You.
“We would have followed whatever instructions You gave us if You were
a religious teacher, and we had come to inquire from You about dharma,
accepting that You are truly knowledgeable regarding dharma. But You are
not a spiritual teacher, and furthermore we have not come to inquire about
dharma. Rather, You are the Supreme Soul, the conclusion of all religions. So,
since we have achieved You, why do we need to perform any other religious
procedure? ‘Bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ strīṇāṁ’ (10.29.24): these instructions that
You have given should remain with You only. Don’t You know that instruction
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should be given to those who need it? But You are the Supreme Lord and
Master. Are masters like this? Should You give such instructions to those who
have accepted You as Master? No! This can never be proper.”
Kṛṣṇa: “Why do You say that it is not proper to give such instructions
to those who see Me as their master?” The gopīs answered, “You are the
soul and the ultimate goal of all living beings. You are telling us that our
husbands deserve our service, but actually You occupy the post of husband.”
One might ask, “How so?” The gopīs replied, “You are the Supreme Lord, the
presiding deity of all husbands and children, and the Master dwelling in
everyone. Husbands and children have no existence without the Supreme
Lord. Take the example of someone mistaking a rope for a snake. In this
instance, the snake is situated in the rope, but one who has understood
the reality of the rope does not think of a snake. In the same way, how will
the presence of so-called husbands and children delude those who have
understood that everything dwells in You?”
All the rest is the same, and there is no need to expand the discussion
any further.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object: “bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ strīṇāṁ – ‘It is a woman’s
duty to serve her husband and other family members.’ Why are you violating
this injunction? For noble ladies such as yourselves, serving one’s husband
is the supreme dharma. Why are you transgressing this command?” The
gopīs anticipated that Kṛṣṇa would present the doctrine expounding karma
(karma-mīmāṁsā), and they countered with Vedānta (brahma-mīmāsā), which
is the ultimate conclusion of the Absolute Truth and which opposes karma-
mīmāṁsā. On the strength of their intellect, they showed the shortcomings
in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s statement by imposing ātmā-tattva on Him. And in the present
verse ‘yat pati,’ they affirm, “We are not involved in any irreligious act.”
‘Dharma-vid’ (knower of religion) is a sarcastic comment referring to
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “Your directive that a woman’s topmost duty to serve her husband
portrays the actual knowledge of a dharma-vid like You. ‘Upadeśa-pada’ – in
reality, this instruction applies to You only.” Here the phrase ‘upadeśa-pada’
means ‘the collective instructions from all the scriptures.’ “Śāstra-yo-nitvāt
(Brahma-sutra 1.1.3): Brahma is the origin of all the scriptures. All the Vedas
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and other scriptures give evidence for this.” “Tattu samanvayāt (Brahma-
sutra 1.1.4): all the scriptures are linked with brahma.” According to this
logic, all the conclusions of the scriptures terminate in brahma, the Supreme
Spirit, so this instruction of serving one’s husband actually applies to Him.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “How can I be the subject matter of all the teachings
of the scriptures?” The gopīs shrewdly reply, “Certainly (kila) You are the
Supreme Soul.” One might ask, “How is that?” The answer is this: “You are
the dearmost of all embodied beings. When a person loves someone else,
they do so for the pleasure of their own soul, and You, the Supreme Soul,
are the object of everyone’s unalloyed prema. You are also everyone’s ever
well-wisher and pure-hearted friend. Paramātmā, the Supersoul, infuses
the living force into the senses and bodies of all the living beings, so You
are their dearest friend. This proves that You are the Supreme Soul and the
Almighty Master. Consequently, You are the only one worthy of service,
and by that service to You, one reaps the result of all kinds of religious
performances.” This is the meaning.
Kṛṣṇa might say, “O worshipful ones among the society of righteous
people! You may give up all the objects of sense enjoyment if you wish, but
you must still perform your own duty.” The gopīs respond with a bit of envy
with the phrase ‘yat pati.’ “You are imparting instruction, but it is You who
should be the object of that instruction, not us. You are the right candidate
for Your religious commands.” Kṛṣṇa might say, “How is this possible?” The
gopīs reply with the words ‘preṣṭha’ (dearmost) and ‘bandhu’ (You fulfill all
desires): “You attract the hearts of all the embodied living beings because
You inspire everyone as the presiding deity of the heart. Therefore, you are
the Soul. It is Your fault, not ours, and You are the one who must be taught
to rectify Your fault.”
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s explanation is in the mood of awe and
reverence, but it is relevant for this commentary as well. He has proved that
only the Supreme Soul is to be accepted by explaining the theory of illusion
(vivarta-vāda), in which one mistakenly accepts the individual soul as the
Supreme Spirit (brahma), and he has also given the logic of briefly accepting
a hypothetical tenet (abhyupagama). He has indicated that ātmā is the
enjoyer, without specifying whether this ‘soul’ is jīvātmā or Paramātmā. Yet
it should be understood that this ātmā indicates the Supreme Lord, who is
the sole enjoyer.
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An example is given to explain this point. The king is called the enjoyer
of the country, but it is actually the residents, and not the king, who relish
the kingdom. Here the enjoyer means the ‘master’ or ‘controller.’ In the same
way, this enjoyment of the soul is also understood as the enjoyment of the
Supreme Lord. If this meaning is not accepted, then Śrī Kṛṣṇa is understood
to be a jīva, in which case, the present subject becomes meaningless. (The
Supreme Master is implied, not the jīvas, the individual souls). This means
that, as the Supreme Controller, He is the enjoyer of all objects. Nevertheless,
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has not specifically said this. He has only used the word
ātmā in a general sense to establish that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is sarva-svarūpatva,
meaning that everything is in Him, and nothing is separate from Him.
In his commentary Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda gives a second meaning, for
example: “You are not the instructor of dharma, and we have not come to
You to inquire about it. You are ātmā, You are the soul.” This statement
should be understood as a humble entreaty. “Ātmā cannot be the instructor;
it has to be somebody else. Ātmā cannot be the teacher of ātmā. So we do
not have any instructor, and we have seen You, the ātmā, directly. Therefore,
we are outside the jurisdiction of the rule of serving the husband.”
According to the Vaiṣṇava viewpoint (regarding the commentary of
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda), yadu-uktam is explained in two different ways.
Firstly, ‘svāmini’ is accepted as ‘master;’ actually, it means ‘sole shelter.’
Those who take shelter of Śrī Bhagavān are not under the command of
any religion or irreligion. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.41 states: “All those
who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Mukunda by body, mind
and words are no longer indebted to the demigods, sages, family members,
ancestors, or anyone else.” In this way, bhakti to Bhagavān has superseded
dharma, and this is also confirmed according to objective reality (vastu-
vicāra). Secondly, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has given the meaning of the word
adhiṣṭhān as iśvara being the cause of the vitality of husband, children and
family members.
The śrutis (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.15, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 2.2.10, and
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.14) confirm this: “yasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ
vibhāti – this whole world is dazzling due to the effulgence coming from
Bhagavān.” In the present verse the word ‘kila,’ meaning ‘certainly,’ is in a
mood of awe and reverence. ‘Upadeśa-pade’ means that ‘the instructions
given by śāstra and guru culminate in the lotus feet of Śrī Bhagavān.’ “Some
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persons accept the position of a husband or a son, but You, as ātmā and
Paramātmā, are the original basis (adhiṣṭhān) of husband and son. You are
the source of their living force, so You are the only one to be served, even
in service to their bodies.” All the scriptures and all gurus prohibit all the
cheating religions, and give instruction to worship only the lotus feet of Śrī
Bhagavān.
The gopīs’ joked with Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “You should keep to Yourself these
instructions regarding service to the husband. When You assumed the
irresistible feminine form of Mohinī, did You practice the duty of serving
a husband? Why not? You are upadeśa-pada, the preceptor. If guru gives
the instruction to follow dharma but does not practice himself, the disciple
will not be inclined to follow that advice.” The gopīs say ‘īśa’ (Supreme Lord)
to assert, “You are directly the Supreme Lord, and thus, being expert in all
the arts and in all fields of knowledge, You are qualified to practice such
dharma. You may think that no one will love You for disguising Yourself
as a woman, but You should not think like that because You are loved by
everyone.” Indeed, because He has such a fascinating nature, He is loved
by all. That is why the gopīs said ‘preṣṭham’ (dearmost) and ‘bandhur ātmā’
(close relative, indeed one’s very self).
Contrary meaning: “He Śrī Kṛṣṇa! You are expert in dharma; that is
why You are instructing us to serve our husbands and children, this being
a woman’s foremost duty (sva-dharma).” Here the meaning of sva-dharma
is given as su + adharma – extremely irreligious. All this has been said in
a mocking tone to accomplish a particular purpose. “One should serve the
actual husband, not the illusory one. You are that real husband, and You
are to be served.” The gopīs continue, “You spoke this instruction. You, as
the all-powerful master (iśa), are capable of speaking and putting this into
practice, so You are the most qualified recipient for this instruction.”
Kṛṣṇa might ask, “Why?” The gopīs reply, “tanu-bhṛtāṁ (for all
embodied living beings): You are the shelter of prema for four kinds of
living beings [demigods in the sky, birds in the air, aquatics in the water
and other living entities who wander on land] in Vṛndāvana. You are the
dearmost (preṣṭham) object of love; as bandhu, You are the cause and
abode of prema; thus You are the soul. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.68 states:
‘sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham – sādhus are
My heart and I am their hearts.’ In this way, You are the object as well as
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the shelter of the saints’ hearts, and vice versa, they for You. If You become
indifferent to the unlimited sādhus in Vṛndāvana, then we can give up our
attachment to our husbands, for they are also residents of Vṛndāvana but
few in number.” Jokingly, the gopīs also state, “This is the reason why you
are so unconcerned about us.”
If we consider the phrase ‘bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ’ (faithful service to
the husband) in Verse 24 in relation to the gopīs’ words in this verse, the
meaning will be contrary: “He Kṛṣṇa, You have commanded women to serve
their husbands, children and other family members as their prescribed duty.
Let the recipient of this service be You, the Supreme Master, the instructor
Himself, as You are the dearmost friend and very soul of the living entities.
We know very well how to deal with our husbands. There is no need to advise
us any further in this regard.”

Then some brazen (prakharā) gopīs spoke this verse starting with ‘yat,’
intending to defeat Śrī Kṛṣṇa through His own words. “Reminding us of a
woman’s prescribed duty, You have commanded us to serve our husbands
and other family members. We neither oppose Your order nor do we present
any argument against it; on the contrary, we follow it all the time. You might
ask, ‘How do you observe it?’ We answer with ‘upadeśa-pade’ – apply this
advice to Yourself. You are the most qualified instructor of dharma, and
You are advising us to serve our husbands. We have come here to assist
that husband who is worthy of our devoted attention. So tell us, is there any
husband other than You whom we should serve? The scriptures tell us that
we should first tend to the ācārya, and then later serve others. According to
this logic, by attending to the ācārya, one achieves genuine religiosity, and
thus attains the Supreme Lord. Furthermore, if the ācārya is accepted as the
Supreme Lord Himself, then how can one find someone superior to Him to
worship? This means that when the Supreme Lord Himself is the guru, one
is expected to serve Him, and no other husband.”
The gopīs addressed Kṛṣṇa as ‘īśa’ (Supreme Master) “You are dear to
everyone as their true friend since You Yourself are the Supreme Controller
and the Soul of all living beings. To serve a husband who accepts the
presence of Paramātmā is real dharma, but the scriptures do not approve
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service to a husband who is against Paramātmā. Husband, sons and other

relatives are dead bodies without You. When someone dies, the relatives take
the body to the cremation ground and perform the last rites. This is the
process prescribed in the scriptures. You are the Supreme Lord incarnate, so
by serving You, service to the husband is automatically accomplished. What
is the purpose of serving a husband whose face has already been burned
in the funeral pyre because he is unaware that You are the Supersoul and
is opposed to You?”
The objection might be raised that pure love naturally keeps aiśvarya-
jñāna covered. Therefore how could these love-filled gopīs have this
knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s majesty in their hearts? The answer to this is found in
Śrī Nārada-Pañcaratna and other such books, which record the symptoms
of prema. These are explained in Śrī Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: “Prema is by
nature sometimes heating and sometimes cooling, and the combination of
meeting and separation releases many different kinds of rasas; thus prema
manifests an indescribable grandeur.”
Rūpa Gosvāmī also writes in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.38):
brahmānando bhaved eṣa
cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ
naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ
paramāṇu-tulām api
“If the bliss of merging in the Brahman effulgence (brahmānanda) is
multiplied by the number of days in Brahmā’s lifespan, it still cannot
be compared to a single particle of the pleasure of tasting the mellows
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.”
This shows that the bliss of performing devotional service is vastly
greater than the pleasure derived from brahmānanda. For the gopīs at the
time of separation, the same bliss generates a drastic anguish, which is more
intense than the heat from millions of suns. At this time Śrī Bhagavān’s
attributes related to aiśvarya and mādhurya are clearly manifested. That is,
prema arising out of separation has a heating effect and, like full sunshine,
illuminates everything very clearly. Thus all of the beloved’s majesty and
sweetness are revealed vividly; nothing remains hidden.
In contrast, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the vraja-devīs meet, the same prema
generates a bliss that is as cooling as millions of moons, and only His
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sweetness is visible. Meeting with Śrī Kṛṣṇa is nectarean, and the taste of
this nectar, like the ambrosia of the moon, is so intoxicating that His majesty
remains hidden. However, the prema at the time of separation is different; it
is always dazzling, so it reveals both aiśvarya and mādhurya. Hence, if there
is some aiśvarya-bhāva at the time of union, it indicates that the prema is
immature. However, in this case, the vraja-devīs anticipate separation even
while meeting directly with their beloved, and thus, due to their full-blown
prema, they realize His aiśvarya and speak about His regal qualities. What
to speak of prema revealing qualities that do exist, the power of prema is so
great that it inspires one to glorify qualities that actually do not exist. Such
a phenomenon of exaggerating qualities that are not factual is witnessed
in the character of Bharata Mahārāja, who, after seeing the footprints of
the baby deer, said: “kiṁ vā are ācaritaṁ tapas tapasvinyānayā yad iyam
avaniḥ! Ah! This Earth is most fortunate! What austerities has it performed
that it is adorned with the footprints of the baby deer and is thus used as
the place for the brāhamaṇas’ fire sacrifices?” (SB 5.8.23). Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī
has confirmed this.
Verse 33
kurvanti hi tvayi ratiṁ kuśalāḥ sva ātman

nitya-priye pati-sutādibhir ārti-daiḥ kim
tan naḥ prasīda parameśvara mā sma chindyā
āśāṁ dhṛtāṁ tvayi cirād aravinda-netra
“O beloved, exalted personalities who are expert in śāstra

love only You because, being eternally dear to all living entities,
You are their most intimate friend and indeed their very Soul.
What is achieved by loving husband, children and other relatives,
who are all subject to death and are simply the cause of suffering?
O almighty one, You should be pleased with us. O lotus-eyed
one, kindly do not cut down the creeper of our long cherished
aspiration to have Your association.”

In this verse starting with ‘kurvanti,’ the vraja-devīs appealed to Kṛṣṇa,
strengthening their argument on the basis of morality. ‘Kuśala’ means
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‘expert in śāstra.’ “We are Your subjects, subservient to Your rule, so what
business do we have with children, etc.?” Those who have directly seen the
very Soul of all living beings have no need to maintain any relation with
children and other family members.
The vraja-devīs had renounced their service to their husbands and
other family members on the strength of śāstra, and in the present verse they
abdicated their family responsibilities on the basis of righteous behavior.
Verse 20 of the present chapter, ‘mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrā,’ describes in detail
the bonds of the gopīs’ affection, but in the first half of the present verse
starting with ‘kurvanti hi,’ they thoroughly rejected these domestic ties. The
word ‘hi’ (indeed) affirms their decision. ‘Kuśalāḥ’ (proficient) means clever,
expert persons who can discriminate the substance from the insubstantial.
Śrī Gargācārya confirms this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.26.21: “prītiṁ
kurvanti mānavāḥ – Those most fortunate persons who love Kṛṣṇa are
kuśala. Such proficient persons have an eternal, spontaneous love for You
(rati). For this reason, we gopīs and others always cherish the desire to have
a blissful loving exchange with You. In contrast, husbands and other family
members cause us misery because they are contrary.” ‘Sva ātman . . . ārti-
daiḥ’ – sve means ‘relatives,’ ātman means ‘self,’ ārti-daiḥ means ‘those
who give misery.’ “Due to being opposed to You, our husbands and others
obstruct us when we are going for abhisāra and thus give us pain. Therefore,
we should cut off all relations with such inimical persons, who are trying to
keep us away from You. We have no interest in such relatives.”
The word sva is a pronoun, but here the words sve and svasmin are
both in the seventh case singular, because the word sva comes under the
category of pūrva and other pronouns. The nine words beginning with
pūrva, smāt and smin are optional.4
In Verse 31 the Vraja maidens in the first group said, “bhaktāḥ bhajasva:
We have worshiped Your lotus feet, so You should reciprocate with us. Don’t
reject us.” The gopīs concluded their appeal with the same mood in the
present verse: “tan naḥ – You should be pleased with us. This is our desire.”
4 Ed: This is explained in Harināmāmṛta-Vyākaraṇa, Chapter Kṛṣṇa-nāma,

aphorism 323: pūrvādibhyo navabhyaḥ smāt-sminau vā.
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Having told their beloved what He should do, the gopīs next confirmed their
intention by telling Him what He should not do: “mā sma chindyā – Do
not cut down the flourishing creeper of our hope. We have been enamored
of You from babyhood. As soon as our awareness started developing, we
became fixed in our desires towards You. Don’t cut the creeper of our
desire. Rather, let it fructify. Otherwise, our life will shortly come to an end
because we totally depend on You.” This hope had completely negated the
gopīs’ relationship with their husbands.
The gopīs expressed their hope in a special way: “He varada, O You who
award benedictions! The day You stole the young girls’ clothes, You said,
‘I have understood your intention in performing this vow’ (SB 10.22.25).
You granted them some special boon. Now You are breaking Your word. You
are īśvara, the Supreme Master, so You can accomplish anything, even that
which is impossible for others. We have been nourishing a desire for You
in our hearts for a long time. Actually You instilled this in us, and now, who
else but You can fulfill it?”
Kṛṣṇa might reply, “Why did you nourish such a desire?” The gopīs
answer, “He aravinda-netra, which woman, upon beholding Your lotus eyes,
will not be overcome with desire for You?” Later on, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.31.2, the gopīs will say: “śarad-udāśaye – O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, master of
erotic mellows! O You who fulfill the deepest desires! We are Your unpaid
maidservants. Your eyes supersede the beauty of the whorl of the most
exquisite, fully blossomed lotus growing in an autumn pond. With these
beautiful eyes You are killing us. Is this not murder? Is killing with Your
deadly glance not considered murder in this world?”
The vraja-ramaṇīs have addressed Kṛṣṇa as aravinda-netra, lotus-
eyed one, due to the love-filled anger that is inherent in their spontaneous
prema. Indirectly, they meant to say, “Your lotus eyes have a very sharp
edge like a whirling disc and they are ripping our hearts apart.” They
proffer yet another meaning: “The lotus closes at night, and so do Your
lotus eyes. Since they are closed at night and cannot see, it is logical for
You to neglect us, even though we are the most beautiful of maidens.”
The gopīs joked in this way. Using the metaphor aravinda also implies:
“Your eyes are like lotuses. It would appear that You remove all kinds of
afflictions just by Your glance, but You are behaving in a contrary manner
with us. This is not proper.”
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Aiśvarya-pakṣa-artha, explanation in awe and reverence: “kurvanti

hi tvayi ratiṁ kuśalāḥ – The scriptures declare that expert devotees
(kuśalāḥ) like Nārada not only have faith in You, but also possess rati, a
highly developed, special love, through which they worship You. This is
befitting because You are ‘nitya-priya,’ eternally dear. So, nitya-priya, it
is not our fault if we love You. Where do eternality (nitya) and dearness
(priya) come from? You are nitya-priya, because You are the Soul of all
souls (sve ātmani), the Paramātmā, or Supersoul. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.14.55 it is said: ‘O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, You should understand Śrī
Kṛṣṇa to be the Supersoul, the Soul of all souls.’ This means that You
are the abode of pleasure. Otherwise how could You be the source of
pure, unconditional love (nirupadhika-prema)? What use do we have for
husbands? Not even the slightest bit!”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might retort, “Your husbands are also eternally dear to Me.”
The gopīs reply, “How can that be, when they give us pain? We worship You
in a way which Śrī Nārada and other proficient devotees aspire to, but our
husbands oppose our devotion to You, so what is the use of such husbands?”
He varadeśvara, O topmost bestower of blessings! With this address the
gopīs are declaring that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Master of all those who grant
benedictions. “You never fail to bestow upon Your worshipers whatever
they desire, so how will our prayer not be successful?” The same meaning
applies to the upcoming commentaries.
Meaning showing indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object, “I am dear to
all the embodied living beings. They love Me according to their nature,
why don’t you also display Your natural amorous feelings for Me in the
same way?” Expecting such an answer from Him, the gopīs retort, “Married
ladies who are expert in their household duties (kuśalāḥ) are fortunate
that their husbands alleviate all their sorrows. For them, their homes and
their own souls are dear, so how can they be romantically attracted to You?
Never! Their beloved family life would be ruined if they became attracted
to You (sva). In general, chaste ladies never deviate from their vows to their
husbands, and in the affluence of their domestic life, they do not feel any
shortage. They live in the prosperity of home, husband and children, so how
can they ever become devoted to You? Never! Do not imagine this even in
Your dream. He varada, O You who fulfill desires! He īśvara, O master of
Gokula! Kindly be pleased with us. Desist from any improper act.”
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Now the gopīs are giving the meaning of ‘naḥ prasīda’ (be merciful to
us): “We will not stay here any longer. Give us permission to go home. Give
up the desire of Your heart to have direct contact with us.”
In this verse, ‘parameśvara’ (Supreme Controller) has been used rather
than ‘varadeśvara’ (He who grants boons), and ‘chindhyāt’ (active voice) in
place of ‘chindyāḥ’ (passive voice – to cut down). In the gopīs’ obscure, or
elliptical, talk, the word bhavān, the respectful form of You, is omitted.
Some gopīs continued the line of reasoning presented in the previous
verses, and now, in the present verse ‘kurvanti,’ they quoted Śrī Gargācārya
to strengthen their case on moral grounds. “‘Those who love Śrī Kṛṣṇa are
most fortunate, because they are never overcome by lust and the other
enemies. Kṛṣṇa always protects them just as Śrī Viṣṇu always defends
the demigods from the demons.’ Those who firmly believe this are most
intelligent, and such intelligent persons have eternal, spontaneous affection
for You. You are the object of their love (sva), and You are their Soul (ātman),
so You are forever dear to them (nitya-priya).
“The love and affection for husband and children is based on bodily
relationship, and is thus is temporary. We don’t love those persons because
they cause us distress, especially when they create obstacles for us at the
time of abhisāra, so there is no reason to maintain any relation with them.
Therefore, be pleased with us and protect our lives. If You do not care
about saving us married gopīs, then let it be, but why are You making these
unmarried girls cry? He varada, O bestower of boons! You told us, ‘I have
come to know of your solemn promise, and I will fulfill your desire in the
coming nights.’ Have You forgotten this?
“You might say, ‘I am pleased with the unmarried gopīs because of their
worship of Kātyāyanī, but why I should be pleased with you?’” To this the
gopīs reply, “There might not be any reason; but You should be pleased with us
nonetheless.” Here the gopīs are making a very humble entreaty. “O Supreme
Master, You are independent to act according to Your wish, but we have been
completely enamored of You from childhood, and as soon as our awareness
started developing, we began nurturing the desire to perform some special
sevā for You. Now the creeper of our desire – a creeper that You Yourself
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planted in our hearts – is bearing fruit, so please do not cut it down. Noble
persons would never do such a thing.” The word ‘cirāt’ (long-standing) refers
to the desire that the gopīs had been cherishing since early childhood.
“He aravinda-locana, O lotus-eyed one! When we were just entering
youth, You planted bhāva in our hearts with the glance from Your tender
lotus eyes. That bhāva took the form of the seed of the creeper of hope, and
it is now bearing fruit.” In rasa-śāstra it is said, “When the eyes connect,
the heart becomes enamored, and the lovers start meditating on how they
can meet.” The gopīs continue, “Hearing about Your beauty and qualities,
and having Your direct darśana has caused the creeper of our hopes to
grow, and now it is embellished with relishable fruits and flowers, and it will
bear more in the future. So why are You ready to cut it down today with the
dagger of Your harsh words? No gentleman cuts down a tree full of fruits,
especially when he himself has sown the seed and nurtured the plant. Don’t
You know that? The science of ethics declares that it is improper to cut down
even a poisonous tree that one has nourished and cared for.”
Verse 34
cittaṁ sukhena bhavatāpahṛtaṁ gṛheṣu

yan nirviśaty uta karāv api gṛhya-kṛtye
pādau padaṁ na calatas tava pāda-mūlād
yāmaḥ kathaṁ vrajam atho karavāma kiṁ vā
“He mana-mohana, O enchanter of the heart! Till now our

hearts were happily absorbed in household matters, and our
hands were also busy with domestic chores, but You have very
easily plundered our hearts. As we have been robbed of the power
to think and our movements consequently curtailed, our feet
refuse to take even one step away from Your lotus feet. Pray tell
us, how can we return to Vraja? Indeed, what would we do there?”

“You are asking us to return to Vraja, but this is quite impossible because
You have stolen our hearts and other senses.” This is what the gopīs have
expressed in the present verse ‘cittam.’ “Till now, our hearts were happily
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engaged in household affairs and our hands were busy in housework, but
with great delight You have kidnapped them.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “To ensure a comfortable stay at home, it is not
advisable to leave your husbands and the rest of the family.” Expecting such
a statement, the gopīs pointed out the problems involved in living in that
home in this verse ‘cittam.’ “This home is not a happy place, it only gives us
pain. You have stolen our hearts, which were happily (sukhena) engrossed
in household affairs. But now, seeing You as the abode of true bliss, we have
come to realize that these homes are places of suffering.” If sukhena is in the
third place (tratiya), then the meaning will be: “You derived great pleasure
in stealing our hearts, and You have stolen away the power of our two feet,
which were employed in household work, moving about here and there. Now
they are not moving even one step away from Your lotus feet, having lost
their power to go anywhere else.” This means that the power of the hands
and feet has been taken away along with all the senses. “Yet the sound of Your
flute attracted us to come here. After this, how can we go back to Vraja?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might suggest, “O delicate ones, if it is so, then I will lead the
way and you follow Me.” The gopīs reply, “What shall we do there?” When
the heart has been stolen, all the senses go along with the heart. Here the
hands and feet are especially being emphasized, because their hands cannot
continue to serve their husbands and do the household chores, and the feet
are incapable of moving anywhere else. The word ‘vā’ (furthermore) in the
present verse suggests a group – their hearts, all their senses, hands and
feet. The rest has been explained by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda.
“That heart that was immersed in pleasure and in the objects of the
senses now refuses to enter the house again because You have kidnapped
it. So how can we possibly continue doing household chores?” Kṛṣṇa might
reply, “He graheśvarīs, O queens of the houses! You should reason with your
hearts and convince them to enter there.” Gopīs: “You have also abducted
our two hands, so they have become powerless to do household work. If
You say, ‘Even so, it is not proper to stay here. Return to your homes,’ we
would reply, ‘Our two feet have been attracted to You, and they will not take
one step away from You.’ So how can we return to Vraja, and what would we
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do there? The heart that is absorbed in you, the hands that are engaged in
your activities and the two feet that are standing next to You are incapable
of going anywhere else.”
Meaning displaying humor: “We had no reason to come to the forest,
nor have we come to see You. Rather, we came here in search of one invisible
thief who stole our wealth in the form of our hearts. Then we found that You
are that thief! But even after catching You, we have not been able to retrieve
our hearts, and are unable to go anywhere to lodge a complaint against You,
because the power of our hands and feet has also been taken away. So how
can we return to our homes without getting our lost treasure back? And
even if we did return, what would we do there? O great burglar, You have
stunned us and rendered us helpless with Your mesmerizing mahā-mantra,
and in Your presence we cannot reach a solution. Now what will happen?”
Meaning showing indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “I have pulled all
of you out of your houses by attracting you with the sound of My flute. You
must be very tired, so how will you able to go back?” Gopīs: “He Mohana, are
You thinking that we have come here because You have stolen our hearts?
This is not the case. We are fully absorbed in domestic duties, and our hearts
are happily engaged in household affairs, so it is not possible for You to
steal them away. Our hands are also engaged in the same way. Don’t doubt
our ability to move. We are not tired, and we can travel a good distance. We
have nothing to do here, so why shall we not go back home?”
Some other gopīs spoke, their love-filled words saturated with rasa:
“O emperor of thieves, our only purpose in coming to You is to recover
our wealth that You have stolen. To accomplish this robbery You did not
have to make any special effort as other thieves do. Simply by blowing some
air through the holes of Your flute You easily carried off our hearts, which
were happily (sukhena) occupied in domestic matters. But don’t think that
our wealth (our hearts) is paltry. Those hearts were completely absorbed
in our households, and by taking this treasure, You have plundered our
very homes.” This is the suggested meaning. “Now that our hearts are no
longer in our homes, it is of no consequence to us whether those houses
are burned to ashes or they become more prosperous.” The gopīs lamented
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further: “What to speak of our homes, You have also stolen our ability to
hear and our other senses, and without them we cannot function.” ‘Karāv
api’ (our hands as well): “You have also abducted our hands, ears and eyes,
which were employed in household duties.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “O beautiful ones, return to your homes today.
Tomorrow or the day after, I will make some special investigation and give
back your hearts.” The gopīs would reply, ‘Pādau’ (our feet): “Without our
hearts, our feet are unable to take even one step away from Your lotus feet.
So please return our hearts and then we will go back to Vraja.”
Verse 35
siñcāṅga nas tvad-adharāmṛta-pūrakeṇa

hāsāvaloka-kala-gīta-ja-hṛc-chayāgnim
no ced vayaṁ virahajāgny-upayukta-dehā
dhyānena yāma padayoḥ padavīṁ sakhe te
He prāṇa-vallabha, O love more dear to us than life! Your

sweet, enchanting smiles, Your loving glances, and the melodious
sound of Your flute have ignited the fire of love in our hearts. Only
the nectar flowing from Your lips can extinguish it, so please
administer this remedy. Otherwise, O friend, in truth we will be
consumed in the fierce fire of separation from You, and in this
way we will reach Your lotus feet in meditation.

“He aṅga, O beloved Kṛṣṇa, Your sweet smile and the soft sound of Your
flute have kindled a blazing fire of lust in our hearts. Kindly extinguish this
fire with the flow of the nectar of Your lips. If You will not do so, then we will
burn ourselves in the blazing fire of separation from You, and like yogīs, we
will attain to the proximity of Your lotus feet in meditation.”
Next, the gopīs in the second group, sighing heavily and deeply, again
clearly expressed their hearts’ desire in words reflecting their anxiety. At the
same time, they were optimistic that their inner yearning would certainly be
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fulfilled, but if Kṛṣṇa did not comply in the end, then He would have to take
the entire blame. In this tone they concluded their argument with the present
verse starting with ‘siñca’ (to sprinkle). Due to being greatly aggrieved, they
were perplexed and thus they used the verb siñca in place of the subject.
‘Naḥ’ (our) refers to the fire in their hearts. In the conjunct ‘hāsāvaloka,’
when the later component (avaloka) is prominent, it is automatically
understood from the context that the former component hāsa should have
a related component (Your). “The nectar of Your lips” – in the verse ‘Your’ is
not there, only ‘nectar of the lips,’ but ‘Your’ is understood.
The reason for using this phrase is that “You alone ignited this fire, so
only You can put it out.” This means: “He prāṇa-vallabha, the sound of the
flute filled with the nectar of Your lips has touched off the fire of lust in us.
Quickly extinguish it with the flow of that same ambrosia.” The word ‘pūra’
(flood) indicates the magnitude of the fire of lust. ‘Pūraka’ has the suffix ‘ka’
added, but the meaning is the same.5 “Your smiling glance is the ghee that
fuels this fire and the soft notes of the flute are the favorable, strong wind
that make the flames flare up. The combination of these two turns the fire of
lust in our hearts into a raging conflagration.”
‘Hṛc-chayāgni’ means ‘the fire situated in our hearts.’ Lust lodges in
the heart, so the remedy to extinguish it has to be administered internally;
external application will not work. The only antidote is the flow of the nectar
of the lips. The vraja-ramaṇīs’ prayer for direct amorous meeting was not
contrary to the principles of rasa. They were so completely intoxicated by
drinking the honey of the sweetness of the flute and of Kṛṣṇa’s exquisite
beauty that they lost their power of discrimination. Their unprecedented
anurāga, having reached the highest limit, had created distress and intense
ardor, which were now dancing in their hearts. In this situation, it was not
against the rules of rasa for the gopīs, who were wrapped up in their great
excitement, to make a direct appeal for conjugal meeting. Rather, their request
had become more astonishing due to their resolute mood of intimidation
expressed in the phrase ‘no cet’ (if not): “If You do not extinguish the fire in
our hearts, then we will give up our lives while thinking of You. It is said that
5 Ed: Laghu-siddhānta-kaumudī explains the use of the suffix ka in the sva arthe
(self, or same, meaning) section of taddhita-prakaraṇam (secondary derivation
of nouns). Paṇḍitas may use ka to beautify their articulations, to complete the
meter in a poem, or to show how a word has been formed from its root.
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whatever one remembers at the time of death, he will certainly attain. So, in
line with this logic, we will definitely reach Your lotus feet.”
‘He sakhe’ (O friend) – by addressing their lover in this way, they were
trying to stimulate more affection in His heart for them. They expressed
their intention very clearly. Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “My smile and other
irresistible attributes created the fire of lust. Do you see any pot of water
with Me that can extinguish it?” Expecting such a joke from Him, the vraja-
ramaṇīs retort, “The fire can be put out only by nectar (amṛta), not by water,
and it must be an abundant flow, not just a trickle.” The word ‘pūraka’ (with
the suffix ka– an abundant flow) has the same meaning.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “Where can one find the rare amṛta that you are
talking about? And on top of that, so much of it – that is impossible!” Antici
pating this, the gopīs reply, “Why are You keeping it secret? That nectar is in
Your lips. Ah! This fire cannot be pacified by any other nectar. Furthermore,
this fire of lust is so blazing hot that a veritable flood of this nectar is required
to cool it down. It must be sufficient to satisfy the millions and millions
of tender maidens who will drink it.” This statement indicates the gopīs’
unquenchable thirst, and also implies the very special quality of this nectar.
Kṛṣṇa: “Very well, you said that you will quickly reach My lotus feet by
meditation. This means that you will leave your bodies, but I do not see any
symptoms of that happening.” The gopīs: “He Śyāmasundara, are we like
others, devoid of an overwhelming love, and we will search for some external
source of fire? That fire will manifest from inside our bodies due to sepa
ration from You.” Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has explained everything else.
Alternative meaning: in this way, concluding their argument, the gopīs
started thinking, “Why are we in such a hurry to take on the difficult task of
giving up our bodies?” Saying ‘no ced’ (if not), with great sorrow they kept
on thinking that in reality this was next to impossible. “He Prabhu, it is not
so easy for us to be able to meet with You. Indeed, even in our meditation
we are not successful. The reason is that our bodies are not suited for
the nectar of meeting. Rather, they are fit to be incinerated in the fire of
separation. He sakhe, O dear friend! We have not been able to experience
the bliss of meeting with You in this life, and we suspect that in the next life
also we are destined for separation only.” The gopīs’ use of the word ‘sakhe’
foreshadows their impending suffering. They thought that they would give
up their bodies if they could not attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa very soon. Thus they
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prayed, “If, after all our efforts, we are still unable to meet with You directly
in our next life, then at least let us attain a path in our meditation that will
bring us close to Your lotus feet. This is our final prayer.” The gopīs were
alone with Kṛṣṇa in the forest, but they still addressed Him as sakhe, urging
Him to accept them as His girlfriends.
Meaning in a mood of indifference: “He mahā-lampata, O topmost
debauchee! Our native smile, winning glance and sweet singing have very
easily stirred up lust in Your heart. You can pacify it by the nectar of Your
own lips. There is not a single impassioned girl amongst us who is capable
of extinguishing the fire of Your lust by the nectar of her lips.” This is how
the vraja-ramaṇīs on behalf of their groups are displaying their apathy.
In a playful, facetious manner they are saying, “When someone craves
his favorite sweets but is disappointed because they are unavailable, then
he starts licking his lips. This is what You should do. You have no other
alternative. He sakhe, that hope You cherish is rarely fulfilled. If You do not
give it up after hearing this, and if You still persist in blocking our path and
trying to touch us, then we will burn our bodies in the fire of separation from
our husbands. We may die, but we will not come near You – by body, mind or
words. Even in our meditation we will not go towards the path where You are
wandering. He sakhe, we have been playing with You since childhood, and
we have become friends in this way. Thus You are quite aware of our firm
commitment to religious principles.”
This verse seems to answer Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s concern in Verse 19 where
He addresses the gopīs as ‘su-madhyamā.’ Here, the gopīs are saying, “He
sakhe, in the hope of attaining Your lotus feet, we are even willing to give up
these bodies, which are endowed with good qualities. However, even after
casting off these bodies, we can never give You up.” Both the meanings of
this verse indicating Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s opulence are practically the same.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.4.10 states: “dhatte padaṁ tvam avitā yadi
vighna-mūrdhni – those under Your protection definitely step over the
heads of all kinds of obstacles.” In this quotation the word ‘yadi’ means
‘definitely.’ Similarly, in the present Verse 35, the word ‘cet’ also means
‘definitely.’ Thereafter, the vraja-ramaṇīs said, “We shall definitely not be
burned in the fire of separation from You, and the path where You walk will
certainly not appear in our meditation.”
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Subsequently, Śrī Kṛṣṇa thought, “Ah! The day I stole the vraja-sundarīs’
clothes, I fulfilled My desire to see them all naked together, rather than privately
meeting with each one alone; but My desire to hear the brazen, sweet words of
these love-sick maidens when they reach the height of their emotions was not
fulfilled, except at the time of drinking honey-liquor. Alas, alas! With the sound
of My flute I have summoned these gopīs who became completely intoxicated
upon hearing the erotic overtones in that melody. I have bewildered them
with My ingenious speech, and I even kidnapped their hearts, in which their
shyness, discrimination, religiosity and self-control were residing. Despite all
this, they are still bashful in their speech, because they cannot come out of
the grip of their inherent contrary mood (vamya-bhāva) that so completely
covers their nature. Ah! How astonishing it is that they are not fully revealing
the emotions that lie in the innermost chamber of their hearts!”
At this time, one principle gopī, coming under the control of the
sancarī-bhāva of unmāda, left her vamya-bhāva, and spoke this verse
‘siñcāṅga.’ By clearly expressing her longing for direct meeting, she fulfilled
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desire, saying, “He aṅga, O dearly beloved, with Your smiling
glance and enchanting flute song You ignited the fire of lust in our hearts.
Kindly put it out with the abundant flow of nectar from Your lips. That will
absolve Your offense of knowingly igniting the fire. Otherwise, You will be
implicated in the sin of deliberately setting someone else’s house on fire.”
In this verse, in place of kāma, ‘hṛc-chaya’ has been used, which means:
“Our lust was sleeping in our hearts, and only You could awaken it. In the
form of Your flute melody, You entered in our hearts through the path of
the ears and set that sleeping lust ablaze. This sleeping kāma has burst into
flames fueled by the ghee of Your inviting glance, the honey of Your smile,
and the wind of the soft sound of Your flute. If the sinful reaction of igniting
this fire terrifies You, then You should extinguish the fire of our lust. And
another thing, it does not require much labor on Your part to ignite this fire
of lust or to put it out. Just as Your smiling, loving glance feeds this fire,
similarly the nectar of Your lips can douse it. Your lotus face is the dwelling
place of both of these. O immoral prince, we have witnessed Your sport of
igniting and dousing this fire many times. Today is not the first time that this
līlā is taking place.”
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Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “My smiling, My glancing and playing pleasing
notes on My flute are My normal behavior. These activities may indeed
incite the lust of young maidens, but there are many, many young maidens
situated in many, many places, so how can I possibly give this healing
nectar of My lips to every one of them?” The gopīs would reply, “This is
true. It is not possible. Nevertheless, You will be implicated in the murder
of thousands upon thousands of damsels not related to You. When You feel
some remorse, Your impertinence will subside.” This is the meaning of ‘no
ced’ (if not). “If the fire of our lust does not die down, then we will burn our
bodies to ashes in the fire of separation. Like yoginīs in meditation, we will
certainly attain Your lotus feet.
“We know that we have not performed sufficient austerity in our
previous lives that would award us Your mercy in this life. Nevertheless,
please accept us. Now, to agree the austerity of immolating ourselves, we
need not employ any external, ordinary fire because we already have two
kinds of fire within our hearts – the fire of lust and the fire of separation.
Out of the two, the fire of separation generates more heat, and it has
enfeebled the fire of lust.
“So, to sacrifice our lives in the fire of separation, we take a vow and
pray, ‘O fire of separation from Kṛṣṇa (virahajāgni), we are throwing our
lives in you with the hope to attain the bliss of touching Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus
feet. Unseen by others, kindly place us on the path where He walks (padayoḥ
padavīṁ) in such a way that His lotus feet should tread on our breasts, and
not on the ground. The weight of His feet will quell the fire of lust in our
hearts, and that will fulfill our yearning. Even though Kṛṣṇa is unwilling to
touch our breasts, He will derive great pleasure by walking on them, and at
the same time He will get relief from the sin of murdering so many women.’
“He sakhe! You are our friend. Even so, You are inflicting tremendous
pain on us, so why shouldn’t we give You pain? That will cause You to
feel remorse, but You should know that the remorse we love-sick gopīs
will experience will be millions of times greater than Yours. What to do?
Providence has written this calamity on our foreheads. Alas! O You who
cannot foresee the consequences! O ocean of mercy! Why are You sowing
the seed of the creeper of Your own regret? And why are You making us reap
the fruit of Your actions? Now please give up Your obstinacy and accept us.”
In this way, so many meanings can be drawn from this verse.
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Verse 36
yarhy ambujākṣa tava pāda-talaṁ ramāyā

datta-kṣaṇaṁ kvacid araṇya-jana-priyasya
asprākṣma tat-prabhṛti nānya-samakṣam añjaḥ
sthātuṁs tvayābhiramitā bata pārayāmaḥ
“He kamala-nayāna, O lotus-eyed one! Śrī Lakṣmī herself

only occasionally gets the chance to serve Your lotus feet. But
we also got the fortune to touch them because You are very
dear to the forest dwellers. O beloved, You made us so happy by
accepting our service, that, from that time on, what to speak of
serving husbands and children, we are unable to be with anyone
else even for a moment.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “All of you should return to your husbands. Only
they will douse this fire.” In answer the gopīs reply, “O lotus-eyed one, it is a
festive event for Lakṣmī-devī whenever she gets the occasional opportunity
to serve Your lotus feet. But as the forest dwellers are very dear to You, we
also got the chance to touch Your lotus feet, and that filled us with bliss.
From that very moment, we are not able to stand in the presence of anyone
else, what to speak of husbands and children. They are all quite insignificant
and so we have no interest in them.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “I am innocent. Why are you accusing Me of being
a criminal? When impassioned women see My intrinsic beauty, their hearts
naturally get agitated. What can I do about this? You may not have the
strength to do your household chores, yet, as noble married women from
respectable families, it is proper for you to stay at home.” In answer the
gopīs speak this present verse starting with ‘yarhi.’ “He kamala-nayāna,
O lotus-eyed one! When our unimaginable piety fructified, we were able to
meet with You in a secret place where You gifted us with untold joy. As You
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expressed Your inner desire by a gesture of Your eyes, we touched the soles
of Your lotus feet and became very blissful.”
The act of touching is also mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.21.17:
pūrṇāḥ pulindya urugāya-padābja-rāga

śrī-kuṅkumena dayitā-stana-maṇḍitena
tad-darśana-smara-rujas tṛṇa-rūṣitena
limpantya ānana-kuceṣu jahus tad-ādhim
“O sakhī! These Pulindīs, the young maidens who live in the forest,
are fully satisfied because within their hearts they possess anurāga,
extraordinary attachment, for Śrī Śyāmasundara. When they see our
dearmost beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the pain of divine lust arises within them,
and their hearts are struck with the disease of love. And when they see
the grass covered with kuṅkuma, these forest maidens are immediately
overcome by the burning torment of smara, overwhelming amorous
desire. This reddish kuṅkuma, coming from Śyāmasundara’s lotus
feet when He roams about Vṛndāvana, adorned the breast of one of
His beloveds. The supremely fortunate Pulindī girls take this kuṅkuma
and smear it on their faces and breasts, and in this way they alleviate
the anguish of their kāma.”
This event took place before śaradiya-rāsa. At that time, one famous
vraja-gopī (Śrī Rādhā) received the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet on Her
breast, but this incident was known only in the group of this particular
gopī. Now Her group of gopīs are calling themselves very fortunate due to
having gotten the touch of the soles of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet by touching
Her. The gopa-kumarīs who performed Kātyāyanī-vrata had the desire to
touch Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet on the day of completing their vow. Although
they never had close contact with Him, still they felt one at heart with those
who had enjoyed His intimate association, and by this feeling of oneness,
they considered they had also touched His lotus feet along with them.
What is so special about these feet that they are desired even by Lakṣmī,
the consort of Śrī Nārāyaṇa, who derives supreme pleasure from them?
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “You allege that you touched the soles of My feet.
This is only your dream. If something is true, then it is eternal and it should
happen now also.” The gopīs answer, “araṇya-jana-priyasya – You are
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very dear to the forest dwellers. The Pulindī girls and the does always get
to see You, and You show them affection. But the Vraja dwellers You do not
love, therefore You are not available to us so easily. How astonishing this
is! We are just the right persons for You, but casting us and Lakṣmī-devī
aside, You accept the does and Pulindī girls of the forest.” In this way, the
gopīs are expressing their indignation. “From the day we touched the soles
of Your feet, we cannot tolerate anyone else, nor have we any interest in
seeing others. It seems that You have performed some tantra and cast a spell
over us that has left us greatly agitated. This is the result of touching You.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object, “O liars! You are saying you cannot stay with anyone
else, yet you are always living in your homes in Vraja. How is this possible?”
The gopīs reply, “We derive no pleasure from living in Vraja. We don’t want
to, but we are forced to live there.”
Meaning in a mood of awe and reverence: “Once, in one of Your
incarnations You gave bliss to Lakṣmī-devī. But You live eternally in Vraja
due to Your love for the cowherd community of the Vṛndāvana forest. The
residents of Vṛndāvana have brought You under the control of their prema
and have made You their exclusive property. But it is our misfortune that
even though You live here all the time, we got to touch Your lotus feet only
once.” Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda in his commentary explains the meaning
of ‘araṇya’ thus: “We received the touch of Your lotus feet through the
lower-caste forest dwellers.” This statement indicates the gopīs’ humility.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa has said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.23: “mad-abhisnehād
– Or, if you have come here because of being controlled by inordinate
love for Me, this is certainly befitting, as all living entities naturally have
affection for Me.” But the gopīs replied, “We have come to You out of
spontaneous love, not out of the ordinary love seen in others.”
Meaning showing indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “O gopīs, by
addressing Me ‘He sakhe,’ you are reminding Me that we have touched
each other in friendship in our childhood play.” The gopīs respond, “yarhi
(when) – O lotus-eyed one! In our childhood, we received pleasure seeing
you playing with your dear monkeys dwelling in the forest. Even at that
time Your feet were inclined to take You for an amorous meeting with Ramā
(beautiful, young maidens). We did not touch even the soles of Your lotus
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feet then, what to speak of other parts of Your body. We were innocent
children, and thus our in-laws are not averse to You.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “You should go to your husbands. Only they will
douse the fire of your lust.” Fearing this, the gopīs reply, “yarhy ambujākṣa –
O lotus-eyed one, from the very moment we beheld Your lotus eyes, we
have become like bumblebees hovering around them, anxious to drink
their honey.” According to the rule of rasa-śāstra, first the eyes of the two
lovers meet, next their hearts are attracted, and then they make a plan to
rendezvous. “Our first encounter through the eyes aroused pūrva-rāga in
our hearts. Later, in some secluded kuñja of Govardhana, we held the soles
of Your lotus feet to our breasts (so now we are unable to live anywhere
else.)” What is so special about these lotus feet? “Ramāyā datta-kṣaṇaṁ –
Your lotus feet, sought after even by Lakṣmī, Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s beloved consort
in Vaikuṇṭha, generate a festival full of desires for amorous enjoyment.”
The Nāgapatnīs said, “yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapaḥ – With the
desire to get the dust of Your lotus feet, Lakṣmī performed severe austerities
for a long time” (SB 10.16.36). The gopīs continue, “We have heard from
Śrī Gargācārya how the Nāgapatnīs glorified Your lotus feet in this way, so
Your lotus feet will also create a festival of amorous desires for us cowherd
maidens, who reside in the forest. What is so astonishing about this?” Śrī
Kṛṣṇa might object, “How are you qualified to get the object that Lakṣmī
desires?” In answer the gopīs say: “araṇya-jana-priyasya – The cowherd
community residing in the forest is very dear to You. We are from the same
clan, so this gives us the qualification to receive the dust of Your lotus feet.
From the very first time we touched the soles of Your lotus feet, we could
no longer live with our husbands. Indeed, we feel revulsion towards them.”
The gopīs continue, “Not only were we able to touch Your lotus feet with
our breasts, but You also enjoyed us to Your full satisfaction in every way.
Therefore, You blessed us with the fortune of reaching the topmost level
of pleasure. Since we are enjoyed by You, do not dispatch us to some other
place. We will simply lie helplessly at Your lotus feet.” This is how the gopīs
present their humble entreaty.
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Verse 37
śrīr yat padāmbuja-rajaś cakame tulasyā

labdhvāpi vakṣasi padaṁ kila bhṛtya-juṣṭam
yasyāḥ sva-vīkṣaṇa utānya-sura-prayāsas
tadvad vayaṁ ca tava pāda-rajaḥ prapannāḥ
“O Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā and other reputed demigods go to great

lengths to achieve the merciful glance of Lakṣmī-devī, who
enjoys an eternal place on Your chest without any rival. Yet, she
hankers so much for a portion of the dust of Your lotus feet that
she is willing to share it along with her co-wife Tulasī. The same
dust is easily available to Your devotee servants, and like them we
have also come to take shelter of this dust.”

The gopīs spoke this verse to point out the astonishing wonder of
attaining the auspicious service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. “Without any
competition, Lakṣmī-devī secured an exclusive place on the chest of Śrī
Nārāyaṇa. But to attain Your foot dust, she is willing to tolerate the vexation
of being with her co-wife, Tulasī, both of whom hanker for the dust of Your
lotus feet, which are served by Your attendants in Vṛndāvana.” In this way,
they describe the enormous fortune of attaining these lotus feet. “Sva-
vīkṣaṇa (to get her glance) – Brahmā and other demigods strive to get the
merciful glance of Lakṣmījī.” The gopīs said, “Like them, we have also taken
the shelter of the dust of Your lotus feet and come to You.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “Like Me, you have also taken birth in the cowherd
community. So why are you talking about touching the soles of My feet?”
Anticipating such a comment from Him, the gopīs humbly spoke this
verse beginning with ‘śrī,’ hiding their anxiousness to attain their desired
object. “Unchallenged, Śrī (Lakṣmī-devī) attained a place on the chest of
Śrī Nārāyaṇa, yet she hankered for the dust of Your lotus feet. She gave up
the idea of keeping the coveted position as the Lord’s exclusive beloved,
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desiring instead to serve as a maidservant. She was even ready to accept

being with the many, many others serving Your lotus feet.”
What is the status of that Lakṣmī-devī who begged for the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s
lotus feet? The gopīs answer with ‘yasyāḥ’ (whose) – that same Lakṣmī-devī,
whose merciful glance is sought by Brahmā and other demigods at great
endeavor. ‘Tadvat vayaṁ ca’ (in the same way, we also) – the gopīs cite the
example of Lakṣmī and say that they have the same desire. “We also want to
take shelter of the dust of Your lotus feet.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.19 Śrī Gargācarya says, “O Nanda, your
son is equal to Nārāyaṇa. Indeed, your child possesses all the same qualities
as Him.” The gopīs affirm, “You are like Nārāyaṇa, and we are worthy of being
Your beloveds since we also come from a noble family, yet we want to take
shelter of the dust of Your feet. Śrī Nārāyaṇa and You have highly exalted
qualities, and Lakṣmī and we gopīs enjoy the status of beloveds. Even so, we
feel we are in an inferior position. Lakṣmī compared Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s feet to
a lotus, and desired their dust. We have not compared Your feet in this way,
but still we yearn for their dust.”
In this verse, ‘padāmbuja-rajaḥ’ (dust of the lotus feet) and ‘tava pāda-
rajaḥ’ (the dust of Your feet) have been spoken. In the first phrase the feet
have been equated to a lotus, but in the second phrase no metaphor has
been used. In this way the gopīs have elucidated an unparalleled speciality
regarding Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet. “Lakṣmī desires the dust of Nārāyaṇa’s feet, being
attracted to them because they are beautiful, soft and sweet like a lotus. We
gopīs, on the other hand, have surrendered to Your feet only out of pure love,
not because they have any of those qualities. At the time of the churning of
the milk-ocean, Lakṣmī-devī rejected all others and selected Nārāyaṇa, and
we also worship You in the same way.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “If I have touched you, even in My dream, I do not
remember. If I made a mistake, and did so unknowingly, such a fall-down
should not be repeated. As you come from respectable families, it is improper
for you to transgress ethical conduct, and it would also be improper for
Me to condone such immoral behavior.” In their answer the gopīs give the
example of Lakṣmī, who is the topmost virtuous woman. “Vakṣasi (upon His
chest) – Lakṣmī-devī has a place on the chest of her master Nārāyaṇa. Even
then, she was greatly captivated by Your unparalleled sweetness. But she
considered herself unfit for intimate association with You, so she desired
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(yat) only the dust of Your feet in Vṛndāvana. Indeed (kila), we also take
shelter of Your foot dust.”
The same famous statement is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.36:
“yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapaḥ – Lakṣmī, whose body is very tender
and fragile, gave up all other desires and performed severe austerities just to
attain the dust of Your feet, but she was not successful.” The highly exalted
gopīs themselves have said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.31.1: “janmanā
vrajaḥ – O beloved, this land of Vraja has become unlimitedly exalted
because You took birth here, and that is why Lakṣmī-devī, the goddess of
beauty and wealth, eternally resides here.”
‘Pāda-rajaḥ’ (foot dust) – due to their extreme anxiety, the gopīs have spo
ken this twice in the verse. “Not only Lakṣmī but Tulasī also desires Your foot
dust.” Tulasī, or Vṛndā-devī, who assists in the pastimes, is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved,
yet she only desires His foot dust. The Kartika-māhātmya of the Padma
Purāṇa, in the history of Jālandhara, affirms that Tulasī-devī is the beloved
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the Mathurā-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa, it is said:
“Vṛndāvana is made up of the twelve forests, which are under the care of
Vṛndā-devī. Śrī Hari resides here eternally. Brahmā, Rudra and other demi
gods remain in the service of this dhāma.” In the Mathurā-māhātmya of the
Varaha Purāṇa it is said, “O Earth, Vṛndāvana, which has twelve forests, can
destroy all varieties of sin. It is protected by Vṛndā-devī and is very dear to Me.”
These quotations make it clear that Vṛndā-devī takes shelter of Vṛndāvana.
“What kind of dust particle do you desire?” “Bhṛtya-juṣṭam’ (served by
many servants) – You have many, many servants attending to Your feet. We
desire that particle that is the remnant of their service.” Now the gopīs discuss
the speciality of this particle of dust with the word ‘yasyāḥ’ (whose): “With
just her glance (sva-vīkṣaṇe), Lakṣmī can bestow the wealth of love for the
lotus feet of Śrī Nārāyaṇa. Her merciful glance is sought after by Viṣvaksena
and Garuḍa (ānya-suraḥ – divine personalities). So if Lakṣmī-devī and also
Tulasī-devī sought Your foot dust, what is wrong if we also desire it?”
Explanation in a mood of reverence: the meaning is the same as before,
but the former viewpoint, or that of sweetness, is the result of their exalted
love, and the latter, or that of reverence, is blooming with jñāna. That is the
only difference.
Explanation displaying indifference: Kṛṣṇa might say, “Lakṣmī-devī
and Vṛndā-devī have abandoned their respective husbands, and have taken
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up residence in My Vṛndāvana with the hope to attain Me. In comparison

with them, what is your position?” Anticipating such an answer, the gopīs
say, “Lakṣmī-devī (śrī) along with Tulasī (Vṛndā) live in this forest eager
for (yat) the dust of Your feet. ‘Tadvat’ (in the same way) – Shall we take
shelter of Your foot dust as they have done? No, never! Lakṣmī is famous
for being fidgety, and Vṛndā, the wife of Jālandhara, is an adulteress. That is
their nature, but such fidgetiness and immoral behavior do not apply to us.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāvagatam 10.29.24, ‘bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ’ (earnest service to
one’s husband), the gopīs’ chastity was in question, but this commentary
showing indifference affirms their virtuous conduct.

“It is You who have accepted us as Your beloveds, but we simply pray
for the service of Your feet.” The gopīs explained this with examples in
this verse ‘śrīr yat.’ “Lakṣmī-devī desires the dust of the lotus feet of Śrī
Nārāyaṇa. We also have taken shelter of Your foot dust because You have
the qualities of Nārāyaṇa. “Nārāyaṇa-samo guṇaiḥ (SB 10.8.19) – this
statement spoken by Śrī Gargācarya proves that You are like Nārāyaṇa in
every way, so it is self-evident that we must be like Lakṣmī. Lakṣmī-devī
occupies the best place, namely Nārāyaṇa’s chest, and yet she hankers
for the dust of Your feet, along with her co-wife Tulasī. Furthermore, that
place is crowded with men, so just to attain the foot dust, she has forsaken
a beloved’s natural bashfulness and accepted a lower position. Lakṣmī
prefers to be a maidservant rather than a sweetheart, and we desire the same
mood. We also want to abandon our shyness and massage Your feet along
with Your servants, Raktaka and Patraka. The Vṛndāvana Pulindī girls find
the kuṅkuma from the soles of Your feet on the grass, and they smear their
foreheads with it. We gopīs also want the same kuṅkuma, and are willing to
accept an inferior position in order to obtain it.”
The gopīs continued, “Śrī Nārāyaṇa, being very satisfied with Lakṣmī, has
given her an eternal place on His chest. You are rasika śekhara, the topmost
enjoyer. Considering this, will You not give us a place for a moment close to
the soles of Your feet? Is it written in our destiny? Garga Muni has stated that
You are like Nārāyaṇa, so keep us on Your chest if You want to protect Your
reputation.” In this way the gopīs express the gravity of their emotions.
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Kṛṣṇa might say, “Lakṣmī is very restless. You should also be restless like
her and visit the homes of pious people.” Anticipating such joking words, the
gopīs reply, “One who calls Lakṣmī-devī unsteady is a fool. She is not restless;
she is supremely steadfast. Brahmā, Indra and other demigods, who are like
her sons, go to great endeavor just to receive her merciful glance filled with
parental love because they know that no one can get any kind of prosperity
without her kind gaze. Usually she does not even look their way, but through
some special power of hers, she still grants them the wealth they desire.”
Verse 38
tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana te ʼnghri-mūlaṁ

prāptā visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ
tvat-sundara-smita-nirīkṣaṇa-tīvra-kāma
taptātmanāṁ puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa dehi dāsyam
“O You who annihilate all the miseries of the surrendered

souls! Desiring to serve You, we have abandoned our homes,
families and villages, and have come to the shelter of Your lotus
feet. You should be pleased with us. O crest jewel of men, Your
sweet smile and crooked glance have ignited our hearts with the
blazing fire of desire to meet with You, which has now spread
to each and every pore of our bodies. Please accept us as Your
maidservants and give the precious fortune to serve You.”

“Vṛjinārdana – O conqueror of all miseries! Just like yogīs, we have
relinquished our homes and other attachments and come with the hope
to take shelter of Your lotus feet and serve You. O jewel among men, Your
enticing glance and gentle smile have aroused an intense fire of amorous
desire in our hearts, so please let us serve You.”
The gopīs of the third group concluded their argument with this
present verse ‘tan naḥ.’ Mentioning the reasons here, the gopīs asked for a
favor: “dehi dāsyam – Please give us an opportunity to serve You as Your
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maidservants.” Kṛṣṇa might reply, “O gopīs, intoxicated by your fresh youth!

Such service is rare. How can I give it to you?” Hearing this, the gopīs spoke
very humbly: “prāptā (we have approached) – With the hope to serve You,
we have given up friends, family, relatives, and come to Your lotus feet. We
are surrendered to You, so certainly You will fulfill our desires. Otherwise,
we will be greatly aggrieved, and this will make You unhappy.”
With this intention they addressed Him, “He vṛjinārdana – O vanquisher
of distress, You are also the topmost of rasikas, those who delight in loving
flavors.” In the excitement of their amorous sentiments, the gopīs called
Kṛṣṇa rasika-śekhara, the foremost enjoyer of the mellows of love. “You
should give us service endowed with nectar.” With this intention, they said
“tvat-sundara-smita (Your beautiful smile) – With Your beautiful smile and
glance You have set our hearts ablaze with the fire of amorous desire. But
we are not asking for any reparation, and we have also given up the hope for
relief from this fire. All we ask is that You allow us to serve You. That would
be fair on Your part.” Thus the gopīs said, “puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa – O crest-jewel
of men, bestow Your service upon us and fulfill our desire.”
“Visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ – renouncing our homes with
the hope to worship You.” In this phrase, if ‘upāsanāśāḥ’ is taken as the
adjective of ‘vasati’ (in the home or village), then the meaning is this: “In that
home or village, our worship (upāsa) of You has been forbidden so we have
given up that place and come to take shelter of Your lotus feet.”
“O handsome one, You flash a beautiful, slight smile and crooked
glance at us, and at the same time speak words of rejection – this is Your
knavery.” In this way Śrī Kṛṣṇa was trying to conceal this mood in His heart,
but the gopīs exposed it by their ingenuity. “Tvat’ (Your) – You have aroused
this intense lust which has inflamed our hearts. So to relieve us from this
‘kāma,’ award us Your servitorship.” These words also serve to nullify
Kṛṣṇa’s statement in Verse 25 of this chapter: “duḥśīlo durbhago vṛddho –
Those whose hearts have been burnt by the kāma manifesting from Your
glance naturally give up past connections, but how can they be blamed?”
The gopīs’ hearts had been inflamed for no one but Kṛṣṇa. They had taken
His shelter just to attain a particle of His foot dust. So were they justified or
not for leaving their husbands and homes? How will this be decided? What
is the harm in rejecting husbands and other family members? It is like this –
if a maiden has been bitten by a huge snake, it is pointless to hold her
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responsible for she has lost all her intelligence and is not capable of judging
right from wrong.
Meaning in a mood of indifference: “Tvat (Your) – We do not desire the
dust of Your feet. Kindly refrain from being so insistent with us (prasīda).
He vṛjinārdana, O giver of misery! We have not abandoned our homes and
families, nor have we come to the soles of Your feet to worship You. We have
come to see the splendor of Vṛndāvana in this moonlit night for our own
amusement, so give up the hope to attain us. We have no interest in being
Your maidservants. You can give Your servitorship to all those maidens
whose hearts are inflamed with lusty desires after seeing Your beautiful,
sweet smile. But those who are afflicted by lusty desires will not be able to
accept Your servitude fully.”
In the third line of this verse is the phrase ‘sundara-smita-nirīkṣaṇa-
tīvra-kāma taptātmanāṁ.’ According to the rules of grammar, this ends in
the genitive case (6th case) instead of the dative case (4th case).6 Thus, ‘intensely
burning in lust’ cannot be applied to the attractive gopīs. “He puruṣa-
bhūṣaṇa – O crest jewel of men! You are hoping to attract the brides of Gokula
by Your glance radiating kāma, but You cannot get them. So to fulfill Your
desire, You should dress Your male friends as the Gokula brides. Till now, You
have not been able to attract and seduce the maidens of Gokula as You want.
We spoke about some maidens who are intensely inflamed by Your glance,
but in actuality, there are no such maidens in Vraja; it is only imagination.”
Impossibility has been indicated here. ‘Puruṣa-bhū’ refers to all men folk. “O
You who tarnish all males! Your nature is such that You have disgraced the
whole of male society.” This is spoken with a touch of anger. ‘Ūṣaṇa’ means
‘giver of pain,’ and the root word ūsa has been used to denote disease.
“Like the devotees of Śrī Nārāyaṇa, we want to leave our homes and
families because our only desire is to serve You.” With this intention the
6 Ed: According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s Harināmāmṛta-vyākaraṇam, the fourth

case indicates the transfer of proprietorship of an object – example, a person
donates a cow to a brāhmaṇa. But when a person cannot accept the proprietorship
of the object given in worship (pūjā) (example, he offered arghya, scented water
for greeting, to the sun) or out of mercy (anugraha) (example, Kṛṣṇa gave a blow
to Cānūra), then the sixth case is applied.
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gopīs spoke this verse ‘tan naḥ.’ “You are like Nārāyaṇa, so You should be
pleased with us.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa answered, “Your adverse fortune is the main thing
stopping you from getting My favor, so how can I oblige you? Does Nārāyaṇa
give His mercy to any and everyone?” The gopīs replied, “He vṛjinārdana –
O vanquisher of distress! Certainly You can dispel our ill fortune. It is
well known in the śāstra that Śrī Nārāyaṇa destroys all the miseries of His
surrendered souls. We have taken complete shelter of the soles of Your feet,
without desiring anything else. ‘Visṛjya vasatīḥ’ – We have rejected our
homes replete with husbands, children, etc.” Kṛṣṇa answered, “It is true that
you have given up the pleasure of family life, but I can understand that
you certainly expect some other happiness from Me.” The gopīs responded,
“tvad-upāsanāśāḥ – Our only desire is to worship You, and we do not look
for any other kind of happiness. We will make You happy by our worship.
Are we at fault if, by chance, we get some pleasure from Your darśana? Only
Your beautiful face is to be blamed for this.” Kṛṣṇa might reply, “Alright, you
are not at fault. Then why are you saying to Me, ‘Extinguish the fire of lust
by the nectar of Your lips?’ This is quite improper.” The gopīs answered,
“This is not improper. It is a fact that You alone have ignited this fire of lust.
Our souls are burning in the fire kindled by a glance from Your beautiful
lotus face, which is decorated with a sweet smile. So please grant us the
privilege of being Your maidservants, rather than Your wives.”
Śrī Vallabhācarya has written in his Subodhinī commentary on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam: “We are only praying for servitorship, not for marriage, so there
is no need to undergo the regular practice of brahmaṇa thread initiation.”
The gopīs said, “It does not make any difference whether we are virgin girls or
married ladies. We can be Your maidservants in either case, for any position
is acceptable and faultless for Your maidservants.” In his Bṛhad-vaiṣṇava-
toṣani commentary Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī has written, “Marrying Kṛṣṇa and
serving Him as a wife is not as pleasing as accepting Him as a paramour,
which gives the highest delight.” Bhāgavatāmṛta and other poetries confirm
this. The gopīs are begging for this very special position as maidservants.
The essence is this: “You are the great ocean of lust, thus You are a
debauchee. We young ladies want to worship You with our whole bodies for
Your pleasure. We have requested the nectar of Your lips to extinguish the
fire of lust in us. That is also Your worship because this fire of lust is the
main ingredient for Your worship. He puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa, O jewel among men!
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We are justified in addressing You in this way. We are gaurāṅgī, fair-bodied,

and You are the blue sapphire decorating all our limbs.”
Verse 39
vīkṣyālakāvṛta-mukhaṁ tava kuṇḍala-śrī

gaṇḍa-sthalādhara-sudhaṁ hasitāvalokam
dattābhayaṁ ca bhuja-daṇḍa-yugaṁ vilokya
vakṣaḥ śriyaika-ramaṇaṁ ca bhavāma dāsyaḥ
“O beloved, Your beautiful lotus face surrounded by Your

curly hair, Your lovely, radiant cheeks decorated with exquisite
earrings, the nectar of Your sweet lips defying heavenly ambrosia,
Your crooked glance and soft smile exuding delight, Your two
arms which remove the fear of those surrendered to You, and Your
broad chest which is the eternal playground of Lakṣmī-devī –
seeing all these, we have become Your maidservants.”

Kṛṣṇa might say, “After abandoning your husbands, why are You praying
for My service?” The gopīs reply, “We have become Your maidservants upon
seeing Your beautiful lotus face encircled by curly hair, Your lovely cheeks
decorated with exquisite earrings, Your ambrosial lips, Your smiling glance,
Your two arms which remove all fears, and Your broad chest which is the
resting place of Lakṣmī-devī.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object, “You cannot be purchased by money or any
other valuable, and you won’t accept any salary, so how will you become My
maidservants?” The gopīs answer, “This rule of purchasing or paying salary
does not apply here. Elsewhere, servants and maidservants work for their
employer in exchange for money, but You have purchased us and paid our
wages just by showing us Your face.” This is the meaning of ‘vīkṣya,’ seeing
in a special way. ‘Alakāvṛta’ (surrounded by curly locks) – this is the special
feature: “Your face encircled by curly locks, Your cheeks effulgent from
Your dazzling earrings, Your smiling glance, Your ambrosial lips, Your arms
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which grant fearlessness, and Your chest which is the place of amorous
enjoyment – seeing all this, we have become Your maidservants.”
Thus, the beauty of the entire face has been described. The dancing,
curly locks (alaka) covering the forehead constitutes the beauty of the
upper part of the face. Dazzling earrings (kuṇdala-śrī) illuminate His cheeks
on either side of the face. The sweet, enchanting smile (hasita) and lovely,
captivating glances occupy the central and lower parts of the face. ‘Gaṇḍa-
sthala’ are the cheeks, whose splendor has been enhanced by the earrings.
Just seeing the lips and estimating their nectar and catching their sweet
fragrance, creates a special greed.
In this way, the gopīs have described the unparalleled beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s
whole face. “Dattābhayaṁ ca bhuja-daṇḍa-yugaṁ – You grant fearlessness to
the devotees by killing the demons with Your mighty arms. Since Your arms are
so powerful, why should we be afraid of our husbands?” This clever statement
cancels out the gopīs’ fear of their husbands, and indeed, the tight embrace of
these arms also dispels their fear of Cupid. This is the intended meaning. The
adjective ‘daṇḍa’ describes the very special elegance of Kṛṣṇa’s arms, which are
well-rounded, stout and long, their overall appearance validating their strength.
‘Śriya’ – the golden line decorating the left side of Kṛṣṇa’s chest increases its
beauty. His chest has become the topmost place of enjoyment for Lakṣmī, who
has taken the form of that golden line, so Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s chest is understood to be
the abode of extreme beauty and the treasure house of all riches.
In the present verse, ‘ca’ (and) and ‘vilokya’ (glancing upon) are
repeated twice; this is to emphasize that the gopīs were hoping to get the
special shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s left arm and chest. The verb ‘vilokya’ is used
for ‘bhuja-yugaṁ’ (two arms) and ‘vakṣaḥ’ (chest), indicating that both
are used in an amorous embrace. Seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting form, the
gopīs spoke this verse, indicating their desire to kiss His beautiful face
ornamented by those cheeks and lips, to drink the nectar flowing from His
lips, to be embraced by His arms and to be pulled close to His chest.
The mention of the curly locks and other features shows that when they
first beheld the beauty of that face, their eyes did not meet due to shyness.
However, later on their eagerness took the upper hand, causing them to look
into each other’s eyes. Then, the gopīs’ desire intensified as they beheld His
arms and finally His chest, which was the resting place of their longing. This
is the sequence of the flow of desire.
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It is to be understood that the gopīs wanted to become Kṛṣṇa’s

maidservants because they were stunned by the beauty of His limbs. In
worldly affairs, there is generally an exchange of money for some service.
But for the gopīs to become Kṛṣṇa’s eternal maidservants, their salary is
the sight of His beautiful form, the taste of the inherent sweetness of His
lips, the touch of His tempting arms, and the embrace of His chest, the place
where Lakṣmī resides.
‘Vīkṣya’ (seeing): Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face is encircled by curly locks and
decorated with beautiful earrings. These act as an indestructible noose to tie
up the Vraja maidens’ restless eyes, which are like wagtail birds. That is, their
wagtail-like eyes have been imprisoned in the net of His curly locks, and the
two earrings are the knots at the ends of the ropes on either side of the net.
The two cheeks are the resting place for these wagtails, and the nectar of the
lips is their tempting food. The glance and a mild smile together nourish and
train the two faithful, pet birds for romantic enjoyment. The protective arms
extend to the hands, which are like tender new leaves. When someone looks
at such arms, he automatically sees the chest, which is adjacent to the arms.
Which maiden, on seeing all this, will not yearn to give up everything and
take shelter of this particular place? The rest has been explained by Śrīla
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda.
“Your two earrings are beautified by Your lotus face. The nectar of
Your lips leaps onto Your cheeks, which, with the reflection of Your two
earrings, display an unparalleled beauty. Seeing this along with Your
slight smile and the beauty of Your face surrounded by Your curly hair, we
have been possessed by a relentless greed to become Your maidservants.”
‘Vilokya’ means to have such an excellent darśana. In this way, the extreme
attractiveness of each feature is conveyed.
Meaning in a mood of indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object, “If you do
not want to surrender in the dust of My feet, like Lakṣmī-devī and Vṛndā-
devī, then why are you staying here and gazing upon Me?” Anticipating this,
the vraja-ramaṇīs are saying ‘vīkṣya’ with a little pride. “Have we come here
to look at such a face? Shall we become your maidservants just from seeing
Your smiling glance, Your two arms, and Your chest, the dwelling place of
Lakṣmī? No, never! Don’t let this idea enter Your mind!” This ‘no’ and ‘never’
convey sarcasm, but at the same time they communicate some underlying
entreaty.
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Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “All of you desire to be My maidservants, so have
I purchased you by paying some price, or are you donating yourselves to
Me?” Anticipating that Kṛṣṇa will speak like this, the gopīs reply, “No, no, it’s
not like that. You purchased us with a priceless smile and the inconceivable
jewel of Your glance as we were just entering adolescence. Such payment,
which has never been heard of or seen before, is millions of times greater
than our actual worth. After purchasing us, You took us to Your kuñja-
maṇḍira, the sacred love bower, where You displayed all Your treasures to us.
You were wearing makara earrings of pure Jambu River gold studded with
blue sapphires and rubies (padmanidhis). The kuñja-maṇḍira, made of wish-
fulfilling cintamaṇīs and jeweled columns, was dazzling with blue splendor.
Indeed, it was fit for the pleasurable escapades of the goddess of fortune.
Your curly hair and earrings – themselves the kunja-mandira – invited us to
enter inside. As You cunningly pushed back and tied up Your curly hair, You
paraded before us all Your riches, more vast than the treasures of Kuvera. In
this way, everyday You fed us ambrosia, which is beyond the reach of even the
demigods.” This is the meaning of this verse starting with ‘vīkṣya.’
“When You tie a red turban on Your head and tilt it to the side, the
maidservants lift it up to comb Your hair. At the same time You attempt to
tuck Your curls inside the turban. The tips of the curls hanging down on
the sides of Your forehead enhance the loveliness of Your lotus face. Other
times, when You tie a topknot, some of Your long curly hair hangs down
around Your forehead, and covers Your face slightly. And when You are
being massaged with a fragrant herbal paste, Your hair scatters here and
there, again hiding some of Your face. The same thing happens at the time
of our intimate meeting. We have become Your eternal maidservants due
to observing these displays of the beautiful, sweet and vast wealth of Your
lotus face, whose splendor is increased by these curly locks. Sometimes
Your face is uncovered, sometimes half covered, and sometimes fully
covered. Similarly, Your restless earrings sometimes hang without moving,
sometimes they move just slightly, and sometimes they dangle briskly to and
fro, but in every case they always heighten the beauty of Your lotus face.”
When Kṛṣṇa jokes and smiles, His lips extend into His cheeks and spread
their nectar there, and the gopīs drink that nectar with their cakora bird-like
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eyes. At the time of confidential meeting, that same nectar is deposited on

the cheeks of the gopīs, or the nectar of the gopīs’ lips falls on His cheeks.
Behold Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face like this, with the cheeks shimmering with the
reflection of the makara earrings, and moist with the lip-nectar that has
jumped there – oh, such a face! This moon-like face with a slight smile and
inviting glance makes the lily-like gopīs blossom. What else can be said
about this lotus face?
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “Your husbands will not tolerate our relationship,
and will complain to Kaṁsa Mahārāja. This will place us in a fearful
situation.” Expecting this, the gopīs reply: “dattābhayaṁ ca bhuja-daṇḍa-
yugaṁ – Your two mighty arms make us fearless. You protected us when
You lifted Govardhana and crushed Indra’s pride, and with the same
powerful arms, You will wipe out that beast Kaṁsa as well, so why should
we be afraid of him?” Here, the manifestation of the mellow of chivalry
(vira-rasa) nourishes the amorous mellow (śṛṅgāra-rasa). Kṛṣṇa says, “All
of you belong to somebody else, and I am very religious. So it is not proper
for Me to accept you as My maidservants.” Kṛṣṇa pointed at Himself with
His forefinger and asked, “Have you understood who I am?” Gopīs: “Yes,
indeed! O dharmika cudamaṇi, O crest jewel of religious persons! We have
understood You. You say You cannot make the wives of the gopas Your
maidservants, and yet by force You have already brought Lakṣmī-devī,
the wife of Nārāyaṇa, from Vaikuṇṭha and kept her on Your chest. Out of
embarrassment, she has transformed into a golden line and always frolics
with You there. We also know that Your age is such that You will not reject any
fair maiden who belongs to someone else, not only in the fourteen worlds,
but also above and beyond this universe, and in Vaikuṇṭha-loka as well.”
Verse 40
kā stry aṅga te kala-padāyata-veṇu-gīta-

sammohitārya-caritān na calet tri-lokyām
trailokya-saubhagam idaṁ ca nirīkṣya rūpaṁ
yad go-dvija-druma-mṛgāḥ pulakāny abibhran
“He Kṛṣṇa, is there any beautiful maiden in all the three

worlds who would not digress from moral conduct, having been
enchanted by Your mellifluous flute-song, which is ornamented
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with ascending and descending trills, and after gazing upon

Your beautiful three-fold bending form, which is the source of
auspiciousness for the three worlds? Your beauty that attracts the
three worlds and the sound of Your flute are so irresistible that,
what to speak of women, even the cows, birds, trees and deer also
tingle with excitement, being immersed in supreme bliss.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “For noble women to accept a paramour is
reprehensible.” (This has been expressed before.) The gopīs responded with
this verse ‘kā stry.’ “O beloved Kṛṣṇa, is there any woman in all the three
worlds who will not be charmed after hearing Your sweet flute song (kala-
padāyata)?” ‘Āyata’ means ‘melodious ascending and descending trills.’ In
some versions ‘kala-padāyata’ is replaced with ‘kala-padāmṛta,’ meaning
‘the nectarean flute song.’ “Even men become agitated upon hearing Your
flute, so which woman will not get excited and deviate from religious conduct
after hearing this enchanting sound and seeing Your lovely Syāmasundara
form, which is the source of auspiciousness for the three worlds? Your flute
reveals Your location and Your sweetness, and if one just hears it, certainly
one will not think twice about immediately dropping their responsibilities,
and what to speak of seeing You and directly experiencing Your sweetness.”
What more can be said in this regard?
Kṛṣṇa might object, “If you will become My maidservants from seeing My
beauty, then you will become the laughing stock for chaste women.” In reply
the gopīs spoke this present verse ‘kā stry’ in a loud voice, simultaneously
vocalizing their anger and humility. “All the women in the three worlds will
be deviated from moral behavior.” In this regard, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.21.12 the gopīs reported, “When the wives of the demigods in their
heavenly airplanes see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and hear His enchanting veṇu-nāda, they
become completely infatuated by the force of Cupid, and they fall down into
the laps of their husbands.”
‘Kala-padāyata’ [kala + pada + āyata]: kala – sweet, indistinct sound.
The sweetness of the flute song is designed to steal the mind, and the
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vagueness of the sound makes each gopī think that the flute is calling her
name only. Pada – every note of the flute song is equally bewildering. The
gopīs used the word āyata (drawn-out) to indicate that they understood
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s intention to summon them, and that they could not restrain
themselves another moment from running to Him.
Alternatively, ‘kala-padāmṛta veṇu-gīta’ (the nectarean flute song)
intimates the unparalleled sweetness of the flute melody. The gopīs were
feeling, “For us not to see our beloved feels like death, and the paradox
is that we experience the same death-like state when we do see Him.”
In this way, they are feeling that they face death in both situations. So,
seemingly afraid, they are saying, “trailokya-saubhagam – the sum total
of all the beauty, charisma and auspiciousness that is found in the entire
universe, whether upper, middle or lower planets, is directly present here
in the form of Kṛṣṇa.” This indicates that such beauty does not exist
anywhere else.
The meaning is this: which woman in the entire three worlds will not
become intoxicated by the nectarean taste in the sweet, indistinct flute
melody, and will thus lose her discrimination and digress from her chastity?
Indeed, the only business of the flute song is to allure prey. Furthermore,
which woman will not be deviated after directly beholding Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
astonishingly vast beauty? In the previous explanation of kala-padāyata,
āyata means the long, drawn-out melody with ascending and descending
trills. When this sound enters someone’s ears, due to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s strong
desire, that person cannot maintain his composure another moment.
Those who cannot see Kṛṣṇa but hear the flute melody from afar also get
bewildered. However, no one can explain how those who can see the treasure
of His vast beauty become bewildered. That is why the gopīs declared a little
fearfully, “trailokya-saubhaga-rūpa – Your beauty brings auspiciousness
to the three worlds.” The ocean of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty contains whatever
auspiciousness, popularity and beauty is present within the entire three
worlds – the upper, lower, and middle planetary systems. Having directly
witnessed and described such unparalleled beauty, the gopīs attempted to
explain with kaimutika-nyāya (the logic of how much more, how much
less?) that if one gets infatuated just by hearing about this ravishing beauty,
then what happens after direct darśana cannot be explained in words. What
is more, the most intelligent men, and even Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, are infatuated
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by His beauty, so which woman in these three worlds will not become spell-
bound by beholding His handsome form?
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.35.15 states: “Learned authorities such as
Indra, Śiva and Brahmā become enchanted when they hear Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
flute melody.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.2.12 reports: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself gets
astonished by His charming beauty.” Aho! What to speak of such persons
who can differentiate between the substantial and insubstantial, even cows
and other animals, birds and trees and other non-moving beings undergo
horripilation, being charmed upon hearing the flute and seeing His beauty.
Meaning in the mood of indifference: Śrī Kṛṣṇa might object, “If your
hearts are not agitated by directly beholding Me, then why do you want to
leave (instead of spending the night here)?” In response, the gopīs spoke
this verse ‘ka śtrī.’ “We are unbendingly virtuous, but which other woman
in the entire three worlds will not compromise her chastity upon coming
into Your presence? All the women in the three worlds shake in fear and
move away from You, being concerned that contact with a lusty person like
You will impair their morality, or chastity. Even the cows, birds and trees
horripilate upon seeing Your beauty, so which woman will not keep her
distance from You, apprehending that her honor will be jeopardized? It is
always condemned for beautiful women to surround a handsome man, so we
are leaving. Anyway, we are not that much enchanted, and we have not even
looked at Your beautiful form with desire in our eyes.” This is the meaning.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might submit, “Have all of you abandoned the path of
religiosity and that is why you are condemning other chaste ladies? It is said
that a wicked person shamelessly attributes faults to one who is innocent.
This is what you are doing. Why, upon just seeing this auspicious birthmark
on My chest, this golden line, are you finding fault with the most chaste
lady Lakṣmī, and thus offending her?” With a little anger, the gopīs agilely
answer, “We are not defaming Lakṣmī or anyone else, but we are blaming
Providence, who created You to destroy religiosity in all the three worlds.”
With this intention, the gopīs spoke this verse ‘kā stry aṅga te.’ “O dear
one, O Kṛṣṇa, which woman in all the three worlds will not deviate from
her chastity, being enchanted by the nectarean flute song (kala-padāmṛta)?
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Indeed, all will go astray.” If ‘kala-padāyata-mūrcchitena’ is used, then the

meaning is ‘stupefied by the long, drawn-out notes of the flute melody.’
“Is there any woman who will not transgress from virtuous behavior
when they hear this? So, it is not their fault; rather, Your skillful flute song
is to be blamed. Every woman wants to maintain her chastity, but You force
them to abandon their religiosity. It is not only Your flute song that destroys
women’s chastity, Your beauty also does the same thing.” For this only, the
gopīs said ‘trailokya.’ “All the beauty that is present in the three worlds –
upper, middle and lower – and in the transcendental Vaikuṇṭha planets
as well, is simply a droplet of the ocean of Your beauty. So if someone
is enchanted by this and falls down from accepted morality, why should
they be blamed? Indeed, the lust present in the nature of women is not the
reason for their being charmed, because Your beauty and virtues render
all moving and non-moving living beings helpless.” With this intention, the
gopīs said ‘yad go’ – because of this, the cows and other creatures. “Under
the influence of Your song and Your beauty, cows, birds, deer and even trees
horripilate in supreme bliss.”
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “O King! What more can I say? Indra, Mahādeva,
Brahmā and other demigods also become infatuated by hearing this sound”
(SB 10.35.15). Even those who are well versed in the highest truths are
enchanted by hearing the flute. And Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes spell-bound
by His own beauty” (SB 3.2.12). Thus, the gopīs conclude, “Your beauty is
the source and cause of such astonishment.” This is the understanding.
Verse 41
vyaktaṁ bhavān vraja-bhayārti-haro ’bhijāto

devo yathādi-puruṣaḥ sura-loka-goptā
tan no nidhehi kara-paṅkajam ārta-bandho
tapta-staneṣu ca śiraḥsu ca kiṅkarīṇām
“O beloved, certainly You have taken birth in vraja-maṇḍala

to relieve the distress and fear of the residents of Vraja, just as
Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa comes to protect the realm of the demigods.
O friend of the wretched, O merciful one! We are indeed in a very
pitiful condition. Our breasts are inflamed with the burning
desire to meet You. So You should keep Your tender lotus hands
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on the breasts and heads of Your maidservants to relieve our

anguish and give us new life.”

‘Vyaktaṁ’ – certainly.
The gopīs of the fourth group commenced their argument by asserting
that they could not be held responsible for transgressing dharma. Rather, they
placed the blame on Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. With this verse they concluded their
discussion. The gopīs suspected that Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “O gopīs, you are
talking about so many personalities becoming enchanted, but, as I have the
same qualities as Nārāyaṇa, I am pūrṇa-kāma, all My desires are satisfied.
Thus, nothing attracts Me. What more can I say in this regard?” Thinking in
this way, the gopīs spoke this verse starting with ‘vyaktaṁ’ (certainly).
The gopīs said, “We are Your maidservants in this special mellow, so
we will not be blamed for giving up dharma. Rather, if you do not fulfill
our desire, You will be at fault for not executing Your dharma.” In this way,
the gopīs repudiated the blame and passed it on to Kṛṣṇa in an irrevocable
way – “Definitely You have done this.” Thus they again presented their
conclusion. “You advented to annihilate all fear and distress in Vraja, just
as the primeval Lord Nārāyaṇa, out of His own will, protects the realm of
the demigods, so please keep Your lotus hands on the heads and enflamed
hearts of Your maidservants. Furthermore, You might say, ‘O gopīs, I accept
your reasoning that lovely maidens fall down from their chastity simply
upon seeing Me. Therefore, it is My duty to bestow My ambrosial servitude
upon you. But, like Nārāyaṇa, I am complete with all virtues and I am pūrṇa-
kāma, so why would I be inclined to perform such service?’” Apprehending
such a statement from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs spoke this verse ‘vyaktaṁ.’
“It is well known that You remove the Vrajavāsīs’ miseries and fears,
and that is why You appeared in Vraja. For example, when the Vrajavāsīs
were afraid of Putanā and the forest fire, and when they were distressed
by torrential rains, You saved them. And especially when the Vrajavāsīs
languish just thinking about separation from You, You alleviate their agony.
You Yourself have avowed, ‘I am the sole master and protector of the cowherd
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community. All the residents of Vraja are My very dear family members, and
I will protect the cowherd village by the enormous power of My mighty arms.
This is My firm declaration.’7 You spoke this when You lifted Govardhana on
Your left hand, so if You will not award us Your ambrosial servitorship, You
will be breaking Your promise.”
In some scriptures ‘vraja-janārti’ is seen in place of ‘vraja-bhayārti.’ In
such a case, ārti means the unlimited distress of the Vrajavāsīs, both inner
and outer. “Furthermore, You have taken birth in a special, noble family. If
we die in the fire of separation from You, Your vow to protect the Vrajavāsīs
from fear and distress will go in vain, and You will be implicated for breaking
Your promise. Even pūrṇa-kāma īśvara, the self-satisfied Supreme Lord,
desires to keep His word.” With this intention, the gopīs spoke the second
line of this verse starting with ‘deva,’ which is defined as one whose presence
is full of splendor and who is worshiped by the whole world. “The primeval
Lord is topmost among all men, and the deva who appeared from the womb
of Aditi by His own will came to protect the demigods and His intimate
associates. You have also appeared in the same way. Thus, to alleviate our
miseries, keep Your lotus hands on our burning breasts.”
The only reason that the gopīs compared Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s hands to a lotus is
that His hands remove intense burning. Indeed, the intention of the vraja-
ramaṇis, who are filled with the topmost prema, was to convince Śrī Kṛṣṇa
to keep His lotus hands on their breasts. If He simply agreed to do this, their
burning would subside. However, if there were any chance that the heat
would be transmitted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hands, they would not make such
an appeal. Hence, they very humbly made another request, “Please keep
Your lotus hands on our heads as well and make us one with You.”
“He ārta-bandho – O friend of the distressed! We are Your maidservants,
but even in Your direct presence, we are burning up. This cannot be justified.
As the friend of the distressed, You should keep Your hands on our heads,
but if You are motivated by lust, do not put them on our breasts.” This is
the deeper meaning. “As soon as You touch our bodies, the different moods
hidden in our hearts will automatically come to the surface. We shall not be
able to conceal them anymore.”
7 tasmān mac-charaṇaṁ goṣṭhaṁ man-nāthaṁ mat-parigraham / gopāye
svātma-yogena so ‘yaṁ me vrata āhitaḥ – Kṛṣṇa made this vow when
lifting Govardhana (SB 10.25.18).
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Meaning in the mood of indifference: the gopīs suspected that Kṛṣṇa

was ready to touch their bodies by force. “Vyaktam – You remove the fear
and miseries of the residents of Vraja, so it is Your duty to protect us from
the fear of transgressing dharma. For You to break dharma is thoroughly
improper.” ‘He ārta-bandho’ – with this address the gopīs are praying to be
saved from overstepping dharma. “This fear makes us very unhappy. He
ārta-bandho, it is Your duty to remove this fear, not to increase it. O You
whose heart is burning with the fire of lust, You are unable to distinguish
between right and wrong. What to speak of chaste ladies like us, don’t even
touch Your domestic maidservants. Your hand is burning with the fire of
lust, so never mind their breasts, don’t even keep your hand on their heads;
otherwise, their dharma will be destroyed. We know that You are capable of
such immoral acts with them, but don’t even think of behaving improperly
with us, as we are chaste ladies from respectable families.” This is the
essence of the gopīs’ discussion.
The conversation starting with ‘svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgāḥ’ (10.29.18)
up to the present verse is an anubhāva called saṁlāpa, a verbal exchange
characterized by replies and counter-replies.
“O Kṛṣṇa, what is the point of flaunting Your cleverness? Quit hiding Your
real feelings.” The gopīs made their intentions very clear when they spoke this
verse ‘vyaktam.’ “You have taken birth to remove the fears and sufferings of
all the Vrajavāsīs, and You Yourself have affirmed this. You have protected
the Vrajavāsīs from the forest fire, torrential rains and strong winds.” In some
versions ‘vraja-janārti hara’ is found, in which case the meaning will be, “It is
a well-known fact that You have taken birth from the womb of Yaśoda in the
home of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja in Gokula to remove the fears and miseries of
the residents of Vraja in the same way that adi-puruṣa Nārāyaṇa, the primeval
Lord, protects the planets of the demigods. If You do not respond to our
prayer, one hundred million gopīs will die. Then their parents and all the other
Vrajavāsīs will be devastated, wondering in great fear how so many gopīs lost
their lives at the same time in the middle of the forest.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might reply, “Well, in this situation, what do you want? Tell Me.”
The gopīs answer, “He ārta-bandho, keep Your lotus hands on our inflamed
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breasts and heads.” If Kṛṣṇa says, “My tender hands will be scorched by
touching Your inflamed breasts,” the gopīs would answer, “We are Your
maidservants, and our burning breasts are also meant for Your service. The
heat of the sun does not make the lotus suffer, rather it makes it blossom.
Similarly, our burning breasts will provide pleasure to Your lotus hands.”
This is meaning. “You should keep Your lotus hands on our heads with the
blessing that we should not fear that henceforth You will ever reject us.”
Verse 42
śrī-śuka uvāca
iti viklavitaṁ tāsāṁ
śrutvā yogeśvareśvaraḥ
prahasya sa-dayaṁ gopīr
ātmārāmo ’py arīramat
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: “O Parikṣit, when Bhagavāṇ

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the imperial master of all masters of mystic
yoga, heard the gopīs’ lament, which was filled with emotional
turmoil, His heart melted out of mercy. He is ātmārāma, self-
satisfied, and enjoying in His own svarūpa so He does not need
any external object for His enjoyment. Nevertheless, He smiled
and inaugurated the rāsa-līlā with the gopīs.”

‘Viklavitaṁ’ – the humble words spoken in the great agitation of
prema. ‘Gopīr-arīramat’ – inaugurated the rāsa-vihāra with the gopīs, the
pleasure-filled activities included within the rāsa-līlā.

The present verse starting with ‘iti’ describes how Śrī Kṛṣṇa was satisfied
to hear the gopīs’ words spoken in the great agitation of prema. Like His own
words, which had double meanings, the words of the vraja-ramaṇīs arising
out of anger and humility, were also read in two ways, displaying entreaty
and indifference. To fulfill His desire for pleasure, in a laughing mood He
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started the rāsa-vihāra with the gopīs. He had wanted to hear the gopīs’
responses to Him, which, even though He was only joking, reflected their
extreme perturbation. Now that this desire was fulfilled, Kṛṣṇa was laughing.
Due to hearing the excellence of Kṛṣṇa’s answers in response to their
own words, the gopīs’ hidden feelings were exposed. This caused bhāva (an
advanced stage of prema) to arise in their hearts. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw this, His
heart fully blossomed with very special feelings. This manifested on His face
as the anubhāva of jubilation (harṣa), which is explained in the rasa-śāstra.
After hearing the humble, love-filled words of the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa experienced
His heart melting with compassion. Thus He led all the gopīs in the rāsa
dance (gopīr-arīramat), with Himself as the master of the whole event, and
displayed great zeal for engaging in amorous play. This is the meaning.
For performing this amorous play, Kṛṣṇa Himself promoted the rāsa
dance, and the gopīs also wanted to participate. Out of the two, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
desire was predominant. For example, when children are playing, the one who
has called them together plays the upper role. The gopīs also participated
in the amorous play that Kṛṣṇa instigated. Therefore, the use of the verb
‘arīramat’ (He satisfied) in the active voice (parasmaipada) illuminates the
pre-eminence of the agent (kartā) because the parasmaipada affix occurs
after a verbal root that terminates in nic (for attributing the fruit of the action
to the agent), providing the root’s non-nic intransitive counterpart with an
animate agent [Panini’s Aṣṭādhyāyi 1.3.88]. Here the verbal root ‘ram’ is
intransitive. This is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa convinced the gopīs to enjoy the rāsa dance.
In this regard, it is stated: ‘ātmārāmo ’py’ – it is astonishing that one
who is fully absorbed in the pleasure of the self (ātmānanda), should
become involved in some other activity, but such an impossible occurrence
has taken place. Aho! How powerful is the prema of the gopīs, which
reduces even ātmānanda to insignificance. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.10
states: “ātmārāmāś ca munayo – The transcendental qualities of Śrī Hari
attract even the self-satisfied sages.” But the indescribable love of the
vraja-devīs attracts and controls even ātmānanda Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The word ‘api’
(even though) has been used to establish the super-special quality of the
gopīs’ prema. Thus, the use of ‘api’ here is quite appropriate; otherwise an
ātmānanda would be acting against his nature.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.64 the Lord says, “Without My devotees, I
do not take any pleasure even within My own self.” This statement refers to
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ordinary devotees, but it indicates that the attraction of ātmānanda becomes

insignificant in the face of the prema of the the gopīs, who are the topmost
devotees. This has been said with a special intention, although ‘ātmārāmo ’py’
has been spoken in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.64 and also in the present verse.
This repetition is not without meaning because Bhagavān takes more pleasure
in being controlled by the love of His devotees than from His own ātmā.
One might question how Kṛṣṇa, being one, could enjoy with unlimited
gopīs? This is answered by the word ‘yogeśvareśvara,’ the master of the
mystic yogīs. If ordinary yogīs can expand into many bodies by the power
of their mystic yoga, and simultaneously perform many different activities,
then why will Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master of all yogīs, not be able to do
the same thing by the influence of His inconceivable, inborn potency, even
without expanding Himself? In the inner chambers of Dvārakā, Nārada
Muni witnessed Kṛṣṇa in a single body doing many different activities in
the different palaces at the same time, by the influence of Yogamāyā. This is
confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.69.2: ‘citraṁ bataitad ekena/vapuṣā
yugapat pṛthak gṛheṣu/dvy-aṣṭa-sāhasraṁ/striya eka udāvahat.’
The word ‘gopī’ is used in this verse to remind one of all those
mahāmantras in which these celebrated gopīs are mentioned as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
eternal beloveds, and thus His enjoyment with them is not surprising.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa had been keen to hear the gopīs’ words, which were spoken
in great humility in their overwhelming prema. His desire now satisfied, He
laughed and said, “Aho! All of you cowherd maidens are overflowing with
love, yet every day at the time of meeting, you display extreme contrariety
(vamya-bhāva). I have exhibited this vamya-bhāva only today, and that,
too, externally; My internal mood is submissive (dakṣinya). I have done so
only this one time, and you became completely devastated, and out of despair
you gave up your shyness. This has delighted Me. I have taken in My palms
the ocean of all your hidden feelings for Me, and I drank it. I am victorious
over you! O gopīs, topmost among the wise, I have conquered you! Now your
shyness is a hindrance to our meeting, so you should give it up and come
forward. Become a garland of jewels around My neck and let me drink the
nectar of your lips, for which I have been thirsting for a long time.”
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After all this jovial, spectacular conversation Śrī Kṛṣṇa affectionately

inaugurated His amorous play with the gopīs. Due to the effect of the
brilliant prema of the love-filled vraja-devīs, He hid His ātmārāmatā, and
submitted Himself to prema. The news of its victory has been declared in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavaam 1.7.10: “ātmārāmāś ca munayo – the transcendental
qualities of Śrī Hari are so astonishing that even self-satisfied sages get
attracted and engage in bhakti to Him.” This verse describes Śrī Hari’s
supra-mundane qualities, and it also highlights the glories of the gopīs’
prema. The gopīs are the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency. There
is no fault in Kṛṣṇa’s enjoying with the Vraja maidens, for they are the
manifestation of His pleasure potency, and thus they are part of His own
being, like His very own soul.
In this amorous episode, Śrī Kṛṣṇa experiences more bliss than He
does in enjoying His own self. This is confirmed in His talk with Uddhava:
“na ca saṅkarṣaṇo na śrīr naivātmā ca yathā bhavā – He Uddhava,
neither Saṅkarṣana, Lakṣmī nor even Myself are as dear to Me as you are”
(SB 11.14.15). Kṛṣṇa also says: “nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ
sādhubhir vinā – I love only My devotees, who are completely surrendered
to Me. Without them, I have no interest in enjoying My own self nor the
goddess of fortune” (SB 9.4.64). These statements make it clear that
Bhagavān delights in His devotees, from whom He derives more joy than
from His own self.
The gopīs are the crown jewels of all the devotees, so Śrī Kṛṣṇa reaps a
very special bliss in being conquered by their love and performing vihāra
with them, rather than dwelling within His own self. How could one Kṛṣṇa
by Himself enjoy with millions and millions of fair maidens? Krama-
dīpikā gives testimony to this. The word ‘yogeśvareśvaraḥ’ resolves this
doubt. An ordinary yogī like Saubari can expand into many forms and
enjoy with many women. Rudra and other demigods, who are his masters,
can do the same. This being the case, then certainly Śrī Bhagavān, who
is the Supreme Master of these mystic yogīs, and who is endowed with
inconceivable potency, can perform many kinds of activities even without
expanding Himself. This is not at all astonishing.
Śrī Nārada, after witnessing Dvārakā-līlā, became amazed to behold
many manifestations of Kṛṣṇa, as quoted in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.69.2:
“citraṁ bataitad ekena vapuṣā – Aho! How astonishing that Śrī Kṛṣṇa in
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His one form is sporting with 16,000 wives in different moods in 16,000
palaces simultaneously.”
Verse 43
tābhiḥ sametābhir udāra-ceṣṭitaḥ

priyekṣaṇotphulla-mukhībhir acyutaḥ
udāra-hāsa-dvija-kunda-dīdhatir
vyarocataiṇāṅka ivoḍubhir vṛtaḥ
The benevolent Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa adapted His mood and

activities to please the gopīs, yet He remained infallible, fixed
in His eternal, blissful nature which is full of knowledge. He
laughed openly, showing the brilliance of His kunda flower-like
teeth. The gopīs’ lotus faces blossomed with joy upon seeing His
loving glances. Standing in their midst, He appeared like the
radiant full moon surrounded by stars.

The lotus faces of the gopīs bloomed upon seeing their beloved Śrī
Kṛṣṇa. His magnanimous laugh unfolded the splendor of His jasmine-bud-
like teeth. ‘Eṇāṅka’ means ‘full moon.’
The next four verses starting with this one, ‘tābhiḥ,’ describe the rites
of amorous play that Kṛṣṇa instigated, featuring the exceptional beauty that
Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests in His loving union with the gopīs. Just as the beauty of
the full moon is enhanced when surrounded by stars, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s splendid
radiance also increases when He is encircled by the gopīs. ‘Sametābhiḥ’ –
Śrī Kṛṣṇa summoned the gopīs by His flute song and thus inaugurated the
rāsa dance. In the previous verse ‘arīramat’ makes the same point. ‘Tābhiḥ’
means ‘with the assembled gopīs,’ ‘vṛtaḥ’ means ‘surrounded by,’ ‘vyarocata’
means ‘shining forth.’ The word ‘acyutaḥ’ denotes that He remained fixed
in His infallible position even while He was engaged in romancing with so
many gopīs. Thus He performed special pastimes (udāra-ceṣṭitaḥ). ‘Udāra’
means skillful, supremely excellent, delightful pastimes that stimulate a
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special mellow; ‘ceṣṭita’ means Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s activities, such as touching,

giving flowers and glancing.
In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was touching one gopī, offering flowers
in the hand of another gopī, and glancing at some others. These are His
munificent activities that stimulated very special moods in the gopīs’ hearts.
‘Priyekṣaṇa’ – therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs exchanged loving glances.
‘Utphulla mukha’ (blossoming faces) – this confirms that the gopīs’ faces
are like lotuses. Their beloved Kṛṣṇa was glancing affectionately at their
blooming faces, and the gopīs were reciprocating in kind. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s loving
glance removed the darkness of the unhappy, contrary moods hidden in
their hearts. In other words, the rays emanating from the sun-like Śrī Kṛṣṇa
manifested the lotus-faced gopīs’ natural nitya-siddha-bhāva, their eternal,
perfect moods. This indicates the special rasa of the gopīs. ‘Udāra-hāsa’
– His broad smile exposed the brilliance of His kunda flower-like teeth,
thus displaying His special rasa and enhancing the charm of His laughter.
The word ‘eṇa-aṅka’ (the full moon) shows that, even though Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
eternally the epitome of supreme beauty, His splendor still increases when
He is surrounded by the vraja-sundarīs. Just as the moon in the sky becomes
more radiant when surrounded by sparkling stars, the same happens with
Śrī Kṛṣṇa when encircled by the gopīs.
‘Tābhiḥ’ (with them): When the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa are together, their
brilliance, their love for each other, their eternal communion, as well as the
beauty of the gopīs’ slender waists, are all magnified.
‘Udāra’ (liberal) refers to He who generously gives amorous pleasure
to the vraja-devīs and who gives prema to His bhāva bhaktas, devotees
who have attained the stage of bhāva, through hearing and singing about
His pastimes. ‘Ceṣṭitaḥ’ (activities) pertains to Śrī Kṛṣṇa who is always
performing pastimes such as touching the gopīs, giving them flowers and
casting glances at them. ‘Acyuta’ is He who is performing pastimes with
every gopī at the same time, yet who never deviates from His absolute
position. ‘Udāra-hāsa-dvija’ is that Kṛṣṇa who, with His broad, generous
smile, reveals His dazzling teeth, which defeat the brilliance of kunda
flowers, and who is as splendid as the full moon.
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Verse 44
upagīyamāna udgāyan
vanitā-śata-yūthapaḥ
mālāṁ bibhrad vaijayantīṁ
vyacaran maṇḍayan vanam
The vraja-gopīs started singing sweetly about the attributes,

beauty and pastimes of their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who reciprocated by
loudly singing songs glorifying their love and beauty. That supreme
hero, bedecked with a vaijayantī-mālā, led hundreds and hundreds of
groups of gopīs, and started roaming about Vṛndāvana, thus enhancing
its grandeur.
In this way, as Śrī Kṛṣṇa started moving towards the Yamunā with the
gopīs, He increased the splendor of Vṛndāvana. Pointing out the different
flowers to the gopīs, He stimulated their sentiments. He took the path along
the Yamunā’s bank, which was highly suitable for amorous enjoyment. This
is the meaning of the present verse ‘upagīyamāna.’ First of all, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
jubilantly sang in a high pitch about the moon and the stars, stirring up the
vraja-sundarīs’ emotions. Then, the gopīs repeated the song (upagīyamāna)
in a high tone, and according to their mood, their song could be taken either
as glorifying the moon, or glorifying Kṛṣṇa with His names and qualities.
Such a double entendre is found in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1: the phrase
‘akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ’ has two meanings – one for Kṛṣṇa and the other
for the moon. First, Śrī Kṛṣṇa sang a song describing the full moon, which
emits all varieties of tasteful, nectarean mellows; which dims all the stars by
dispersing its effulgence; which has come out to enjoy romantic dalliance
in the night, thereby increasing its beauty; and whose topmost beloved is the
star named Anurādhā. All glories to that full moon, the emperor of all the
seasons, reigning in all its grandeur.
The vraja-sundarīs gave the meaning of this song in favor of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
thus ‘akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrtiḥ’ means He who is the complete shelter of
all the twelve nectarean mellows (śanta, etc.). ‘Prasṛmara-ruci-ruddha-
tārakā-pāliḥ’ is He who has subjugated the two gopīs Tārakā and Pāli, by
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spreading His captivating beauty. ‘Kalita-śyāmā-lalitaḥ’ refers to He who

has absorbed the minds of the two gopīs Śyāmā and Lalitā; ‘rādhā-preyān’ –
who gives His full love to Rādhā; ‘vidhuḥ’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa in all His splendor;
‘jayati’ – be victorious!
The gopīs sang Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glories by changing a few of the words
of His song here and there. Śrī Kṛṣṇa sang, “Oh, look, look! This pond is
very serene and clear due to reflecting the radiance of the moon, and it is
further embellished by buzzing bumblebees hovering over the night lilies.”
The gopīs took this song, and changed ‘yāminī’ (night) to ‘kāminī,’ and ‘śaṭ’
(six-legged) to ‘sat.’ The meaning then became: “Radiating His crystalline
effulgence and decorated with a peacock feather, Kṛṣṇa is so attractive,
giving pleasure to the whole Earth. Singing sweet melodies with pleasing
lyrics, He becomes even more alluring.” The gopīs sang about Kṛṣṇa in the
same melody and rhythm that He used. The hearts of the vraja-sundarīs
were exclusively absorbed in their beloved, and thus He directly manifested
from their words. The Viṣṇu-purāṇa affirms: “Kṛṣṇa sang about the
autumn moon-lit night and the pond, which is the abode of the lilies, and
the gopīs sang Kṛṣṇa’s names only, again and again.” Both Kṛṣṇa’s names
and attributes are relishable. Sometimes the gopīs were singing about His
qualities and sometimes only His names.
‘Vanitā’ means ‘love-filled damsels’ (according to the Amara-koṣa
dictionary). ‘Vanitā-śata-yūthapaḥ’ refers to the leader who commands
(paḥ) hundreds and hundreds (śata) of groups (yūtha) of lovely maidens –
He is their hero. Another meaning of ‘paḥ’ is ‘He who drinks the beauty of
these damsels through His eyes.’
These vraja-ramaṇīs are called ‘vanitā’ because they are all deeply
attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All of them are supremely in love with Kṛṣṇa, yet
according to their various moods towards Him, they are divided into
four groups: svapakṣa, vipakṣa, suhṛta-pakṣa and tataṣṭha-pakṣā.
Each group is comprised of hundreds and hundreds of gopīs. Again,
within these four major groups, hundreds and hundreds of vanitās are
grouped together in separate parties on the basis of their individual
bhāvas. However, each gopī enjoyed many kinds of amorous pastimes
with Śrī Kṛṣṇa according to her own particular mood. All of them directly
drank the nectar of His lips and made Him drink the nectar of their lips,
thereby increasing His pleasure.
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‘Vaijayantī’ is a garland strung with five kinds of flowers. In the

forthcoming verse ‘valayānāṁ nūpurāṇāṁ’ (10.33.5), it is stated that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa was adorned with bracelets, anklets and many other such ornaments
at the time of the rāsa dance, and He was also wearing a vaijayantī-
mālā. While He was roaming through the forest with the Vraja maidens,
they gathered five kinds of flowers, strung a vaijayantī-mālā suitable for
wandering in the woods (van-vihāra) and placed it around His neck. In
addition, the forest goddess Vṛndā-devī arranged for many such mālās
and kept them in different kuñjas located throughout the forest. It is to be
understood in this way. ‘Vyacarat’ means ‘roaming all around.’
The gopīs sang sweetly in a high pitch with the proper combination
of rāga (particular melody), svara (chord) and tāla (rhythm). They sang the
following song in tin-tāla (three beats):
vadanaṁ madhuma-sadanaṁ, calanam dalanam kandra-kīrtīnām

hasitaṁ sudṛgbhir lasitaṁ, tava sarayaḥ pātu mām anissam
“Your auspicious lotus face is the abode of sweetness, Your gait

belittles the fame of the movements of an excellent elephant, and
Your soft smile is cherished by beautiful maidens. Please nourish and
protect us forever.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is the maintainer and the lover of millions and
millions of gopīs, the most prominent being Śrī Rādhā and Candrāvalī, who
themselves protect hundreds of groups of gopīs. All of them together sang
the same melody that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had sung, but they described His names
and attributes. In response, He loudly sang in the same style as Rādhā and
Candrāvalī, changing some of the words:
tvad-vadanam sadanam madhumnāṁ, tatra hanta dṛganta-vilāsāḥ

teśv asamāṁ suṣamām upajagmuḥ, sundarī kāma-kalāḥ sakalās tāḥ
“He sundarī, O beautiful one! Your face is the abode of sweetness,

and therein Your eyes are moving playfully. Aho! You display
extraordinary expertise in the art of elegantly expressing amorous
desire.” Then the gopīs sang:
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kānte twav-āsyodaya-dattam indu, mṛga-cchalād duryaśa eva dhatte

janopahāsā saha no ’tha vā kiṁ, dvijo ’pi mūḍho garalaṁ jaghāse
“O beloved, You are disgraced because Your moon-like face bears

some blemish [the love-mark from another sweetheart], like the moon
with the mark of a deer. O handsome one, You are twice-born, so why
are You so foolish as to drink poison?”
In these songs Kṛṣṇa sang ‘sundarī’ and the gopīs said ‘sundara;’ He
said ‘kantā,’ and they said ‘kante.’ The gopīs and Kṛṣṇa sang responsively.
Vaijayantī-mālā is a garland strung with flowers of five different colors, or
instead of flowers, five different colored gems.
Verse 45
nadyāḥ pulinam āviśya

gopībhir hima-vālukam
juṣṭaṁ tat-taralānandi
kumudāmoda-vāyunā
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa arrived with the gopīs at the sacred bank
of the Yamunā, where the sand was shining like camphor and was
cool from the waves of the river. The whole area was bathed in
the light of the full moon and was fragrant with the scent of night-
blooming lotuses. There, on that blissful river bank, Bhagavān
initiated His amorous play with the cowherd maidens, who are
His internal potency.

In this verse ‘nadyāḥ’ and the next, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī described
how Śrī Kṛṣṇa brought the gopīs to the bank of the Yamunā and with great
artistry engaged them in amatory enjoyment. ‘Hima-vālukam’ – the sand
on the bank of the Yamunā was white as camphor. In the previous verse the
word ‘vana’ has been used, indicating Vṛndāvana. ‘Nadyāḥ’ refers to the
river in this Vṛndāvana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa came to this bank of the Yamunā, who
was spreading bliss with her gently flowing waves. The soft breeze, fragrant
with the night lotuses, permeated the whole atmosphere. Lotuses ordinarily
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bloom only in the day, yet, just like jasmine (mallikā) flowers, they were in
full bloom at night in this autumn season by the influence of Kṛṣṇa’s rasa-
filled pastime potency (līlā-śakti).
‘Ānandi’ – with the effect of this rasa-filled potency, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlā
became filled with pleasure. ‘Juṣṭaṁ’ (served) indicates that the cool and
gently flowing breeze laden with the fragrance of flowers was serving the
bank of the Yamunā. In some versions, ‘kumud’ and ‘ānanda’ are not seen,
and in place of ‘juṣṭaṁ,’ ‘reme’ is used. In such a case the meaning would
be: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa arrived at the bank of the Yamunā, which was served by the
breeze fragrant with lotuses. Here He engaged in various types of amorous
play with the vraja-ramaṇīs.” Because of the difference in choice of words
in some versions, I have explained each of the words in this verse separately.
The bank of the Yamunā is naturally congenial for rāsa-līlā. The gentle
breeze blowing off the river was cooled by the waves of the water, and was
laden with the fragrance of the fresh, blossoming lotuses, thus making
this place quite delightful. Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa began to sport here. In
some places ‘reme’ (took pleasure) is found in place of ‘juṣṭa’ (served). If
‘juṣṭa’ is used, the meaning of ‘ramayāṁ cakāra’ in the next verse will be
‘He took pleasure’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa came to the bank of the Yamunā with the
gopīs, where a cool, gentle breeze was blowing, and He took pleasure in
amorous amusements with them. Some versions have alternate meanings
for ‘kumudāmoda’ and ‘taralānanda.’
Verse 46
bāhu-prasāra-parirambha-karālakoru
nīvī-stanālabhana-narma-nakhāgra-pātaiḥ
kṣvelyāvaloka-hasitair vraja-sundarīṇām
uttambhayan rati-patiṁ ramayāṁ cakāra
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa threw His arms around the vraja-

sundarīs and embraced them, pressed their palms, touched their
braids, thighs, waists and breasts, joked with them, playfully
scratched them with His fingernails, delightfully glanced at
them, and laughed with them. In this way He aroused their
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transcendental lust – the supremely glorious erotic prema – and

gave them pleasure by sporting with them.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa threw His arms around the vraja-sundarīs and embraced
them, pressed their palms, touched their braids, thighs, waists and breasts,
joked with them, and playfully scratched them with His fingernails. He
looked at some of the gopīs and laughed. In this way He aroused their lust
and engaged in amorous play with them.

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa extended His arms around the vraja-sundarīs, He
removed their natural bashfulness, which was covering their rati, symp
tomized by their overwhelming obsession for their lover, and stimulated it
to the stage of mahābhāva, the topmost level of prema. Thus He aroused
Cupid (rati-pati) in them. In this way Śrī Kṛṣṇa revealed His deep attachment
for them and demonstrated His supreme skillfulness in amorous dealings.
Extending the arms means moving them to take hold of the gopīs in a
tight embrace. ‘Kṣveliḥ’ implies with flattering conversations and winning
activities, such as picking up their veils. ‘Vraja-sundarīṇām’ means the
beauty of the vraja-sundarīs was just perfect for Kṛṣṇa’s amorous play. “A
beautiful form is the abode of good qualities;” this logic indicates the talent
of the gopīs. Kṛṣṇa was enjoying with so many gopīs at once, but none of
them was aware of this. This was accomplished by Kṛṣṇa’s special potency
to cast a spell over them. Each vraja-sundarī was seeing Kṛṣṇa with her
only. None of them noticed any other gopīs, nor were they inclined to do so.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa extended His arms and embraced the gopīs to His chest in
such a way that in their embrace they looked like a swastika. He was holding
one by the hand, touching the hair of another, fondling the waist of someone
else, joking with another, scratching one with His nails, flattering another,
and flashing a smiling glance at yet another. With these ingratiating activities
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He was stimulating that erotic (rati-pati) prema in the vraja-sundarīs and

dallying with each gopī with His many direct expansions (prakāśa-vigrahas,
all having the same features).
One might wonder how it was possible for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to perform
amorous play with millions of gopīs in that restricted area on the bank
of the Yamunā, where there were neither love couches nor private
quarters. This is a fact, but just like the personal form of Bhāgavan, the
land of Vṛndāvana is also immensely powerful. Even a grain of earth from
Vṛndāvana the size of a sesame seed can expand unlimitedly, and after the
līlā is finished, it contracts. For the amorous play of Bhagavān, hundreds
of secluded groves complete with flower beds, perfumes, flower garlands,
betel nuts and other items of enjoyment were arranged by Yogamāyā,
who is the durgaṭa-ghaṭana paṭīyasī śakti, the power to make the most
impossible possible. At the end of the līlā, all of this was withdrawn. In this
way everything was perfectly accomplished.
Verse 47
evaṁ bhagavataḥ kṛṣṇāl

labdha-mānā mahātmanaḥ
ātmānaṁ menire strīṇāṁ
māninyo hy adhikaṁ bhuvi
Being so highly honored by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord

and Supreme Lover, the gopīs became proud, and each one
considered herself the finest woman in the world.

Mahātmā – detached mind.

Bharata Muni writes that when a colored cloth is dipped repeatedly
in a pot of dye, its color becomes brighter. Similarly, union cannot be
nourished without separation. To narrate very exceptional pastimes, Śrī
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Chapter 1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, in whose heart a distinctive prema was arising, used

this logic and spoke this present verse ‘evaṁ’ to introduce a special mood
of separation. ‘Mahātmanaḥ’ indicates beyond divinity, the most excellent
of heroes; the reason for this is ‘bhagavataḥ kṛṣṇāt,’ He is Bhāgavan Śrī
Kṛṣṇa Himself. The vraja-sundarīs received so much honor from Him, who
had come under the control of their love. Due to this, they became māninī,
indignant towards their lover. Each gopī considered herself to be the most
fortunate woman in the whole world and also among the beautiful maidens
present on the bank of the Yamunā. Thus, after intimately associating with
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they displayed loving anger towards Him, and developed pride in
their hearts towards the other gopīs.
The māna of these vraja-sundarīs is an exceptional wave in the ocean
of prema, because it is expressing their praṇaya, which is a condensed form
of prema. The beauty of māna is displayed only after praṇaya. Thus, māna
is considered as that bhāva which creates an obstruction in the youthful
couple looking at and embracing each other, even though there is no one
else around and they feel intense love for each other. Māna is a level where
love takes a strong turn. It is one kind of vipralambha, and is a special stage
in the exaltation of praṇaya. An astonishing taste is produced when this
māna, stemming from the sthayī-bhāva, combines with vibhāva and other
ingredients of rasa.
Rasa-śāstra states, “The movement of prema is crooked like the
movement of a snake. That is why māna may arise in the hero and heroine
with or without any reason.” The gopīs exhibited pride (garva), thinking,
“None of the women in the whole world have obtained a hero like Him. All the
lovely maidens present on the bank of the Yamunā have attained Kṛṣṇa but
are not as fortunate as I am.” Garva is exhibited “when one disobeys others
due to possessing good fortune, beauty, youth, virtues, topmost association
and fulfillment of desires.” This is one of the transitory emotions (sañcāri-
bhāvas). It rises and then drowns in the ocean of sthayī-bhāva, augmenting
the permanent emotion and then vanishing. Just as a wave of the ocean
expands it and then disappears, similarly, garva and other sañcāri-bhāvas
arise from the sthayī-bhāva of kṛṣṇa-prema, increasing the prema and then
disappearing. Thus, it is understood that garva is a special element of prema,
escalating kṛṣṇa-prema to a very special state, a very high level of rasa.
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According to Bharata Muni, the color of a cloth becomes brighter when
it is dipped again and again in a pot of dye. Similarly, sambhoga, or union,
is not nourished without being dipped into vipralambha-rasa, the flavor of
separation. According to this logic, līlā-śakti manifests vipralambha as a
pretense to bring sambhoga to its fullest form. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke
this verse ‘evaṁ’ to explain this phenomenon. The vraja-sundarīs brought
‘mahātmā’ – the excellent, super-divine hero Bhagavān – under the control
of their love, and received profuse honor from Him who is the Supreme Lord
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus, each one started thinking in her heart, “I am the most
fortunate among all the women on the surface of the Earth, and not only that,
among all the fair maidens assembled here on the bank of the Yamunā.” In
this way, they became praṇaya-māninī towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa, proud because of
their great prema, and were feeling superior to the other maidens.
Verse 48
tāsāṁ tat-saubhaga-madaṁ
vīkṣya mānaṁ ca keśavaḥ
praśamāya prasādāya
tatraivāntaradhīyata
Śrī Keśava observed that these vraja-ramaṇīs were overly

proud due to their good fortune and were now exhibiting māna
also. In order to quell their pride and satisfy them by dispelling
their indignation, He suddenly disappeared from their assembly.

‘Saubhagya-mada’ refers to intoxication due to good fortune, meaning
that they lost control of themselves. Māna, indignation, and garva, pride.
‘Keśava’ – ka means Brahmā, iśa means Śiva; Keśava is He who controls
Brahmā and Śiva. No effort whatsoever was required for this Keśava to
break their pride and indignation.
End of the Bhāvārtha Dīpikā on

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter 29
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This verse describes the rising of pride (garva) in the vraja-ramaṇīs
from their intoxication due to good fortune (saubhagya-mada). Viśva-
koṣa defines ‘mada’ as retaḥ (semen), kasturi (musk), garva (pride),
and transformation of the heart due to delight. But this garva is not the
transformation of the material heart. Śrī Kṛṣṇa took special notice of this
garva and māna in the gopīs. He realized that their pride was thoroughly
incorrigible, and that there was no means to rout it out. Even hundreds of
entreaties would not be able capable of dispelling this māna. After analyzing
the māna of the vraja-ramaṇīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa ascertained that the only means
to overcome it was for Him to vanish from their presence. Thus Śrī Kṛṣṇa
instantly disappeared without anyone noticing which way He went. There
was no question of tasting rasa with them without breaking their pride, and
without pleasing Rādhā.
‘Antaradhīyata’ – dhīṣṇa means disrespect, the root verb being dhī.
According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.28, Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared with
Śrī Rādhā although no one witnessed this. Yogamāyā accomplished this to
fulfill His desire. Sometimes, the hero adopts a negligent mood to remove
a māna aroused by envy. Rasa-śāstra describes that anger with a cause
(sahetu-māna) is removed by these means: gentle words (sāma), dissension
(bheda), action (kriya), donation (dhāna), courtesy (nati), neglect (upekṣā)
or any other suitable mood which is appropriate to produce rasa. But
causeless pranaṇya-māna goes away on its own, or perhaps after some
small retaliation. One might object that the māna of the vraja-ramaṇīs was
causeless, so why did Kṛṣṇa neglect them and disappear? The reply is this:
neglect was necessary to pacify their māna because if both parties are
indignant, then the anger will become more solid, and, together with pride,
will keep growing. Anger and pride help prema to ripen. In other words, for
prema to reach its highest limits, neglect was required to pacify both garva
and māna. Thinking in this way, Śrī Bhāgavan decided to vanish and thus
achieved both tasks.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared to accomplish two purposes simultaneously:
when the pride and indignation of the vraja-ramaṇīs would be removed,
they would join the supremely nectarean rāsa-līlā, and thus He would relish
śṛṅgāra-rasa to the fullest extent. Although Śrī Kṛṣṇa acts according to His
175
own will, and it is not a very difficult task for Him to remove the vraja-
ramaṇīs’ pride, but His disappearing made them taste vipralambha-rasa,
which is highly nourishing for prema as it makes one hanker for the desired
object. He Himself has said this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.20:
nāhaṁ tu sakhyo bhajato ‘pi jantūn
bhajāmy amīṣām anuvṛtti-vṛttaye
yathādhano labdha-dhane vinaṣṭe
tac-cintayānyan nibhṛto na veda
“O gopīs, I reciprocate with My loving devotees, but not immediately.

This I do to strengthen their attraction for Me. If a poor man suddenly
receives vast wealth and then loses it, his heart becomes so absorbed
in his lost wealth that he forgets everything else, even eating and
drinking. Similarly, after I meet My devotees, I purposely hide Myself
so that they will think about nothing else but Me.”
Actually, the only reason for His disappearance was to enjoy with Śrī
Rādhikā.
‘Keśava’ means ‘extremely effulgent.’ It is said in Mahābhārata: “O
best of sages, this plenary expansion of Myself manifesting here is called
Keśa, thus the omniscient call Me Keśava.” By this it is understood that
the splendor and beauty of the whole place was lost when He suddenly
disappeared.
End of the Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī on


Śrī Bhagavān treated all the vraja-sundarīs equally, honoring and
embracing them. When the chief gopī, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja,
Śrīmatī Rādhikā, saw this, She became enraged out of envy, and Her eyes
turned red. The lesser ranking gopīs filled up with pride at their auspicious
fortune. The present verse ‘tāsāṁ’ explains how Śrī Kṛṣṇa, aware of the
cowherd maidens’ moods, resolved the situation. ‘Tāsāṁ’ – tā (them) + sā
(Her); tā means the pride of the vraja-sundarīs, and sā refers to the anger of
Vṛṣabhānu-kumārī. To remove the pride of the vraja-sundarīs and to please
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Vṛṣabhānu-kumārī Śrī Rādhā by pacifying Her anger, Śrī Keśava took Her
by force and disappeared.
‘Keśava’ – kaḥ means Brahmā + īśaḥ means Maheśvara (Śiva) + vayate
means ‘offer prayers.’ Brahmā and Śiva offer prayers to Keśava, their
monarch. This being the case, what was the need for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to go to such
endeavor to break the pride of the vraja-sundarīs? ‘Keśava’ also means
‘one who pleases Śrī Rādhikā by dressing Her hair.’ Indeed, rasika-śekhara
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is very expert in this art. ‘Antaradhīyata’ is an antiquated form
of ‘antardadhat,’ meaning ‘disappeared.’ He disappeared with Śrī Rādhikā,
taking Her away by force. The forthcoming verses substantiate this. He did
not go elsewhere; He vanished from that very spot in front of the vraja-
devīs. He accomplished this by the help of Yogamāyā to fulfill His desire.
End of the Sārārtha Darśinī on

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Artwork © Bakula dāsī.
7 C h a pter 27
The Condition of the Gopīs
in Separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Verse 1
śrī-śuka uvāca
antarhite bhagavati
sahasaiva vrajāṅganāḥ
atapyaṁs tam acakṣāṇāḥ
kariṇya iva yūthapam
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Parīkṣit, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

suddenly disappeared. When the vraja-sundarīs did not see Him
they became like a herd of female elephants who have lost their
mate. In the gopīs’ hearts the fire of separation burst into flames.
Bhāvānuvādas

The 30 Chapter describes how the gopīs, feeling untold anguish upon
th
not seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa, began burning in separation, and like mad women they
searched for Him from forest to forest till late in the night.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī felt great pain when he described how Śrī Kṛṣṇa
suddenly disappeared. Due to this, he was unable to speak; thus, there was a
break in the narration. This break marked the end of the previous chapter.
Even though he was feeling unhappy, as soon as he remembered the good
fortune of the topmost gopī, Śrī Rādhikā, with whom Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa
had disappeared, he regained his composure and resumed the narration
with this first verse. Śukadeva Gosvāmī used the phrase ‘antarhite,’ meaning
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that Śrī Bhagavān vanished suddenly without anyone observing. The word
‘sahasaiva’ (quite suddenly) designates the imperceptible way in which He
disappeared. In other words, they did not see Him leaving, so they could not
know in which direction He had gone. His unexpected departure threw the
vraja-gopīs into a frenzy of intense affliction.
The use of the word ‘vrajāṅganā’ (the damsels of Vraja) indicates
that Kṛṣṇa is the only lover of all the gopīs, thus their pain in separation
was excessive. This intense burning in separation which the gopīs were
experiencing is compared to that of the female elephants’ anxiety upon
losing sight of their beloved leader. This comparison is used to show that
she-elephants’ only shelter is their mate. Similarly, the vraja-gopīs’ only
resource is Śrī Kṛṣṇa; because of this, the vraja-devīs felt overwhelming
agony when their lover abandoned them.

This 30th Chapter describes how the vrajāṅganās, maddened in
separation from Kṛṣṇa, began searching for Him, asking all the trees about
His whereabouts. Then they started enacting their lover’s different pastimes.
Later, it tells how He took one gopī with Him, and in the end, He left Her also.
‘Acakṣāṇā’ means ‘not seeing;’ when the gopīs lost sight of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they
were devastated by anxiety.
Verse 2
gatyānurāga-smita-vibhramekṣitair
mano-ramālāpa-vihāra-vibhramaiḥ
ākṣipta-cittāḥ pramadā ramā-pates
tās tā viceṣṭā jagṛhus tad-ātmikāḥ
Those gopīs’ hearts had already been completely attracted

by Ramā-pati Kṛṣṇa – by His way of walking like an intoxicated
elephant, by His very sweet smiles radiating prema, by His playful
glances, by His charming love-chatter, and by His many other
inviting gestures and stratagems. Those vraja-devīs, over-
whelmed in prema, became completely one with Kṛṣṇa, the
husband of the goddess of fortune, and they began acting like Him.
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Chapter 2

Ramā-pati Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s graceful gait, His passionate, joyful and
provocative glances coupled with His dancing eyebrows, His heart-stealing
sweet-talk, His flirting and all His other provocative acts – all these gestures
infatuated the gopīs. Consumed by prema they went wild, and being totally
absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, they began playfully imitating all His different pastimes.

Starting from this current verse, which begins with ‘gatya,’ and all the way
up to and including the first verse of Chapter 32, the narration recounts the
gopīs’ anguish in separation. ‘Gati’ means Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s usual way of walking,
‘anurāga’ means His special moods befitting a lover, ‘smita’ means His soft
smile, ‘vibhrama’ means His moving eyebrows and other inviting gestures –
all of these mannerisms are expressions of His heart-felt desires for amorous
intrigue. ‘Vihāra’ m
eans erotic diversions; the second ‘vibhrama’ indicates
special romantic sentiments. The rasa-śāstras give another meaning for
vibhrama, that is, the restlessness of the heart due to amorous desire.
‘Anurāga’ arising from the heart refers to activities on the mental plane.
His way of walking, His soft smile, His beckoning glances, and His amorous
roaming about are bodily activities. His captivating talks are a verbal
activity. It should be understood that by all these activities many, many
other emotional sentiments are expressed. Here ‘gati’ is a common act so it
is taken separately. His soft smile and suggestive glances arise in the first
stage of anurāga, so these three are grouped together. ‘Ālāpa,’ sweet love
talk, and ‘vihāra,’ lovers strolling together, arise with ‘vibhrama’ (rapture),
thus these three come in one phrase.
In the previous Chapter 29, Verses 43 (‘tābhiḥ sametābhir’)–46
(‘bāhu-prasāra-parirambha’) describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa attracting the gopīs by
His alluring behavior, His movements and impassioned expressions. These
gopīs, thoroughly intoxicated, now began imitating Kṛṣṇa’s behavior with
them – how He caressed them, embraced them and joked with them on the
bank of the Yamunā, as described in the verse ‘bāhu-prasāra-parirambha.’
In the verse at hand, the word ‘pramadā’ is used, indicating ladies
whose hearts have been captivated and instilled with a special madness
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(pra + madā). By splitting the word in this way, we can understand the true
nature of these gopīs. They are characteristically intoxicated. Now highly
maddened, they became fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s loving exchanges with
them and started imitating His pastimes. What else can be said about these
love-sick maidens?
‘Ramā-pateḥ:’ in this verse Ramā refers to Lakṣmī-devī, the source and
presiding deity of all beauty, all attributes, all sweetness, all majesty and all
riches; and thus Her pateḥ would be considered the absolute master of
all these opulences. According to śāstra, Ramā also means Śrī Rādhā, so
Ramā-pati means Śrī Rādhā’s master, Kṛṣṇa. The use of the expression
‘Ramā-pati’ here indicates that Kṛṣṇa has disappeared, taking Rādhā with
Him. ‘Tās tā’ (all of those) in the last line of this Verse 2 refers to all of
those different actions described in the verse ‘bāhu-prasāra’ (10.29.47),
such as spreading His arms.

Then the vraja-sundarīs started searching for Kṛṣṇa here, there
and everywhere, in every kuñja. They were unable to find Him, and their
anguish increased by the moment. Due to this anguish, the sañcarī-bhāva
of unmada, divine madness, arose. Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke this verse
beginning with ‘gatya’ and the next verse to show how this sañcarī-bhāva
manifested. ‘Ramā-pati’ refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the master of all beauty
and all wealth. ‘Gatyā’ is His natural way of walking; alternatively, the way
He first walked towards the gopīs. Then comes ‘anurāga,’ shown by His soft
smile; ‘vibhrama,’ His restless, dancing eyes revealing His wanton moods;
and ‘manorama ālāpa,’ charming love chatter.
For instance, “O lovely land-lotus ladies, won’t you give a drink of
your nectar to the thirsty bumblebee?” In answer, the gopīs say to Kṛṣṇa: “O
bumblebee, the husband of the lotuses is the sun, not the bee. Therefore, why
should we give You our honey to drink?” Kṛṣṇa replies: “O beautiful lotus
ladies, it is the nature of the lotus that they won’t give their honey to their
husband, the sun. Rather, they let their paramour, the bee, drink their honey.”
By this manoramālāpa (clever verbal exchange), the gopīs were
soundly defeated. As the gopīs smiled sweetly, Kṛṣṇa drank the nectar of
their lips and began His amorous play. Kṛṣṇa singled out one sweet maiden
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and said, “Ah, I understand when you were walking in front of Me under the
kadamba tree, you were bitten by an insolent snake (that arouses lust), and
I see that his venom has already gone all the way up to your breasts. As you
are from a respected family, you are too embarrassed to tell Me about the
snake bite. But I can remove that poison, and that’s why, out of My kindness,
I have come to help you. I will recite the mantra to counteract the poison as
I massage you.”
That vraja-devī replied, “O snake charmer, no snake has bitten me. Go
to that person who was actually bitten by the snake and caress her body.”
Kṛṣṇa answered, “O well-bred lady, from your stuttering I can understand
that you are becoming agitated due to the burning of that poison. Knowing
this and not doing anything to help you, surely I would be guilty of killing a
woman. Therefore, I will alleviate that poison.” Saying this, Kṛṣṇa approached
that vraja-devī and scratched her breasts.
After that, they began their amorous diversions, all of them completely
maddened by erotic desire. The rasa-śāstras explain ‘vibhrama:’ when
one’s heart is filled with conjugal desire, one becomes overly restless. Due
to this condition, the vraja-devīs displayed all the mannerisms indicative of
their thirst for romance. Now, in separation, the gopīs walked down memory
lane together, remembering all those dalliances they had enjoyed with their
beloved. Their hearts so much attracted to Kṛṣṇa, they said, “O heart, what
are you doing here? Go out and look for the love of your life.” In this way the
gopīs were chastising their life forces. From their speech one can understand
that their hearts were about to leave their bodies. Here ‘pramadā’ signifies
the high degree of the gopīs’ madness, which then escalated to the top limit
(unmada). In this condition they became one with Kṛṣṇa (tadātmika), seeing
themselves as Him, and they began imitating His many different pastimes.
Verse 3
gati-smita-prekṣaṇa-bhāṣaṇādiṣu
priyāḥ priyasya pratirūḍha-mūrtayaḥ
asāv ahaṁ tv ity abalās tad-ātmikā
nyavediṣuḥ kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhramāḥ
In this way Kṛṣṇa’s beloved vraja-sundarīs, the lovely damsels

of Vraja, became like Him, copying all His mannerisms – His
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carefree way of walking, His sweet, laughing smile, His infatuat

ing glances and His ambrosial words. The moods underlying all
of Kṛṣṇa’s inviting gestures infiltrated the gopīs’ bodies, and they
became maddened. Remembering His amorous pastimes, they
took on His nature and as they mimicked His amorous activities,
they avowed, “I am Kṛṣṇa!”

The gopīs became completely absorbed in their beloved Kṛṣṇa’s ways –
His gait, His laughing and joking, and other mannerisms. Therefore, those
vraja-sundarīs became kṛṣṇa-vihāra-vibhrama, that is, they began acting
just like their sweetheart and insisted to each other, “I am Kṛṣṇa!”

In this verse ‘gati-smita,’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī clearly states that the
gopīs assumed Kṛṣṇa’s nature. The previous verse describes their beloved’s
walk, smile, laughter, glances, speech and other inviting movements. Śrī
Kṛṣṇa performed many actions that the gopīs acted out, but these are
not being elaborated on here. The gopīs, who were absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s
gestures, experienced that all their senses and entire bodies became like
His. Therefore, inside and outside, they became super-saturated with their
beloved’s moods. In simple language it can be explained that the vraja-
ramaṇīs’ speech, mind, senses and everything else – all the activities of
the senses and provocative gestures – were just like Kṛṣṇa’s. ‘Abalā’ (the
weaker sex) refers to women. Therefore, all their gestures would naturally
have a feminine tone, but still, they had assumed Kṛṣṇa’s inner nature. Every
gopī introduced herself to the others as indeed being Kṛṣṇa Himself. “That
person whom you are so excited about – I am that Kṛṣṇa, I am the hero of
amorous intrigue. Why are you in so much turmoil over Me?”
How did those gopīs present themselves? They acted exactly as Kṛṣṇa
did when He was in the throes of romantic dalliances with them. The gopīs
became filled with Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, and in prema-līlā it is very natural for
them to see themselves as their beloved. However, their thinking that they
were Kṛṣṇa is not artificial like ahaṅgrahopāsanā, the Māyāvāda practice
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of worshiping oneself as the Supreme. The words ‘priyāḥ priyasya’ (the

gopīs [absorbed] in their beloved) are used in this verse to emphasize that
because the gopīs’ love for Kṛṣṇa is inborn, they naturally reflect their
beloved’s personality.
The gopīs mirrored all the different ways that Śrī Kṛṣṇa displayed His
love for them. In other words, whatever movements or expressions He
employed, the gopīs mimicked, being completely absorbed in His walking,
laughing, joking, etc. These vraja-gopīs imitating Kṛṣṇa’s activities is called
līlā-anubhāva. The rasa-śāstra says: absorbed completely in prema, the
beloved imitates her lover’s activities and dresses like him – such behavior
is called līlā-anubhāva.

This third verse ‘gati’ relates how the vraja-sundarīs behaved in
their fully blazing madness. The previous verse recounted how the gopīs
assumed all of their beloved’s mannerisms – His way of walking, His smile,
His glances, His sweet love-chatter, His amorous play. In other words, the
gopīs’ minds and senses, indeed their whole beings, were taken over by their
lover’s behavior – His laugh, walk and other actions. Being controlled by
madness, two persons became one: “Kṛṣṇa is me. Truly, I am Kṛṣṇa.” Giving
up all logic, they emphatically said, “I am Kṛṣṇa.” As the vraja-sundarīs
attained this mature stage of relishing rasa, their whole beings became like
their lover. This sense of oneness with Kṛṣṇa is not to be confused with
ahaṅgrahopāsanā. The words ‘priyāḥ priyasya’ indicate that the gopīs are
declaring to each other, “I am Kṛṣṇa.” At this time, none of them identified
in the slightest as maidens of Vraja. The reason for this is that, remembering
Kṛṣṇa’s amorous adventures with them, they became absorbed in these līlās
and went insane.
Verse 4
gāyantya uccair amum eva saṁhatā

vicikyur unmattaka-vad vanād vanam
papracchur ākāśa-vad antaraṁ bahir
bhūteṣu santaṁ puruṣaṁ vanaspatīn
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(When those gopīs’ absorption in Śrī Kṛṣṇa subsided a bit,

their mood also changed.) Altogether they loudly sang about
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and became intoxicated. In this mood they
started searching for their beloved, going from one forest to
another, looking in every dense thicket. O Parikṣit, Bhagavān Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, like the sky, is everywhere, pervading inside and outside
all the inert and conscious objects. He was not far away from
them, but the gopīs, not seeing Him in their midst, asked the
trees and creepers where He was.

Now singing even more loudly, those gopīs became maddened and
went from one forest to another in search of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They were inquiring
from the trees about their beloved’s whereabouts – this is the behavior of
persons who have lost their minds. The sky is all-pervading; in the same
way the Supreme Person is inside and outside every living entity. It is this
Supreme Person whom the gopīs were asking about.

This verse starting with ‘gāyantya’ describes how, after a long time, the
gopīs reverted to their usual condition, but then again went mad. Here gāna
means singing. To protect themselves, they were singing about the killing
of Pūtanā and Kṛṣṇa’s other pastimes famous in Gokula. For example, the
gopīs sang, “viṣa-jalāpyayād – O best of men, You have saved us Vrajavāsīs
again and again from all dangers. You protected us from the poisonous
water of Kāliya Lake, Aghāsura, the rainstorm sent by Indra, the demon
Tṛṇāvarta, Indra’s thunderbolt, the perilous blazing fire, Ariṣṭāsura, Maya’s
son Vyomāsura, and many other dangers” (10.31.3).
There are several reasons why the gopīs sang out loud: (1) to make
sure that Kṛṣṇa, who was quite some distance away, would hear about their
dire sufferings; (2) to attract Kṛṣṇa, who loves to hear His devotees singing;
and (3) it is natural for one to sing when the heart is afflicted. ‘Amum eva’
means they sang songs about Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa inflicted untold suffering
upon the vraja-sundarīs by abandoning them. Even so, in separation they
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were singing His glories. The beloved never sees the faults in her lover
even when bewildered, and will always sing his glories. ‘Saṁhatā’ means
‘banded together;’ altogether in a whole group the gopīs looked everywhere
for Kṛṣṇa, and in a mood of friendship they stayed together to remove each
other’s pain. They sang about Kṛṣṇa as they searched for Him, and as they
roamed around, they asked the trees where their beloved was.
What was the reason for inquiring from the trees and creepers? The
reason was ‘unmattaka-vad,’ meaning, they were asking frantically like
insane persons. Due to their madness, their hair, clothes and ornaments were
disarrayed. ‘Puruṣa’ means in the form of Supersoul; He is all-pervading,
inside and outside all living entities, like the sky. It is this puruṣa that the
gopīs were inquiring about. The only object and receptacle for the gopīs’
love is Kṛṣṇa in His human-like pastimes. In other words, the gopīs never
felt that Kṛṣṇa was the Supersoul, so He never showed Himself as such to
them. Controlled by the madness of prema, they were asking the trees the
whereabouts of their lover Kṛṣṇa.
“What a calamity! What a calamity!” In the forest there is no one to
hear their crying, so did the gopīs’ lamentation go in vain? No, and to prove
this, the word ‘ākāśa’ is used in this verse, meaning that Bhagavān, like the
sky, is all-pervading, inside and outside all the living entities, and He was
hearing their lament. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.21 Kṛṣṇa Himself says,
“mayāparokṣaṁ bhajatā – although I had gone into hiding, I was constantly
absorbed in hearing your love-cries and maintained My deep love for you.”
The word ‘puruṣa’ is used, indicating that the gopīs were inquiring about their
hero Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the mature stage of their prema, the gopīs were directly
seeing Kṛṣṇa everywhere, visible to their eyes in all moving and non-moving
entities. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.35.9 the gopīs said: “The creepers and
trees of the forest, luxuriant with fresh flowers and fruits, are bowing down
and horripilating.” This is evidence that Kṛṣṇa was manifesting in their hearts.
The meaning is that those saintly gopīs were so bewildered in love
that they saw Kṛṣṇa next to every object that they looked at from far away.
Again, when they came near that object, they saw Krṣṇa inside it also.
Although the trees and other vegetation have no senses, still the gopīs
asked all the plants about their beloved. This, we must understand, is
madness. In other words, only a person gripped by the hysteria of love
would question a senseless tree.
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When the highly incited madness of those vraja-sundarīs subsided,
in half-external consciousness they began to look for Kṛṣṇa. This verse
‘gāyantya’ describes their search for Him. Immersed in the anguish of
separation, the Vraja damsels looked everywhere for their lover, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa. They separated into small groups to expedite their search, and
like deranged women, they roamed from forest to forest, inquiring from
the trees about Kṛṣṇa’s whereabouts. ‘Unmattaka-vad’ means ‘like mad
women.’ Why inquire from someone who is not capable of responding? It
is obvious that anyone who would question insentient trees and bushes is
certainly out of their mind.
One may ask, “Did Śrī Kṛṣṇa hear the gopīs frantically questioning
the trees while He was very happily absorbed in romancing with
Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrī Rādhā?” Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered this question
with these words: ‘bhūteṣu ākāśa-vad antaraṁ bahir santaṁ puruṣaṁ.’
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is unlimited and all-pervading. Therefore, when the
gopīs were inquiring from the trees, although Śrī Kṛṣṇa was engrossed in
enjoying love-play with His primary heroine Śrī Rādhikā, at the same time
He was present with every living entity, inside and outside. This is why He
was attentively hearing the gopīs insanely questioning the trees. This is
what has been implied here.
Verse 5
dṛṣṭo vaḥ kaccid aśvattha

plakṣa nyagrodha no manaḥ
nanda-sūnur gato hṛtvā
prema-hāsāvalokanaiḥ
[The vraja-devīs first went to the very large trees and asked:]
“He aśvattha (sacred berry tree), he plakṣa (holy fig tree), he
nyagrodha (banyon), Nanda-nandana Śyāmsundara has stolen
our minds with His love-filled smiles and glances and has
absconded with them. Have you seen Him?”
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The next nine verses expand on the gopīs’ questioning all the plants. The
gopīs thought that, out of all the plants, these trees are the tallest, so surely
they must have seen Kṛṣṇa, even from afar. They asked, “With His gentle
smiles coupled with His loving glances, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has kidnapped our minds,
and like a thief, has run off. Have you seen Him?”
“Vaḥ (you) – Have you seen Him? He pīpala, he plakṣa!” Knowing
that these trees are dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs respectfully addressed and
inquired from each and every one of them. “You may ask why we are inquiring
about Nanda-nandana. He has stolen our minds.” Here ‘hṛtvā’ (stealing) is
used to indicate that the gopīs’ minds, which are likened to precious jewels,
had been pilfered, and therefore they said, “We are searching for our stolen
property. Because you are saintly persons, we are asking you.”
The expression ‘nanda-sūnu’ is used to exhibit the reason for the
gopīs’ trust. “Because Kṛṣṇa is the son of the great saint, Nanda Mahārāja,
we trusted Him and kept our jewels with Him. And then He robbed us.”
Nanda also means ānanda, bliss. “Nanda Bābā gives joy to the whole of
Vraja; therefore, it is not possible that His son will be nirānanda, not giving
happiness. Understanding this, we had faith in Him. But He betrayed our
trust and ran off with our invaluable jewel-like minds.” Therefore, the gopīs,
feeling hurt, would not pronounce Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name but rather referred to
Him as Nanda-nandana. Also, perhaps due to some resentment they did not
take their lover’s name directly. According to sūcakasyāpi tad bhavet logic
(‘what you speak about happens to you’), one does not speak out a thief’s
name. The gopīs asked the trees, “If you have seen Him, then He must be
roaming in this area. Only after getting some confirmation from you will we
continue our search for Him.” This mood has been indicated here.
In this way, nine verses (5-13) elaborate on the gopīs’ questions. The
Vraja maidens were thinking to themselves, “This pīlū and the other tall
trees surely must be seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who may be far away.” Considering
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this possibility, they first asked the trees about their lover’s whereabouts.
Fearing that the trees might raise an objection to their enquiry, the gopīs
said, “He aśvattha, he pīlū, he banyon, you must be wondering why we are
asking for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Even being the son of the saintly Nanda Mahārāja,
He has robbed us of the jewels of our minds and run away. Have you seen
Him? He sends His smiles and glances, infused with the special medicine of
prema, as His thieving accomplices to beguile everyone. They entered the
innermost chambers of our hearts through our eyes, and absconded after
grabbing the treasure of our minds.” Hoping that the trees would reply, the
gopīs waited for a few minutes, but the trees remained silent.
“Ah! Seeing us as insignificant, these trees did not reply and simply
ignored us. Therefore, what is the use of asking them, whose fruits are so
puny? They are oblivious to acting for the welfare of others. They have
no flowers and their hearts are tainted.” Speaking like this, the gopīs went
elsewhere.
Verse 6
kaccit kurabakāśoka-
nāga-punnāga-campakāḥ
rāmānujo māninīnām
ito darpa-hara-smitaḥ
O kurabaka tree, O aśoka, O nāga-keśara, punnāga and

campā, that younger brother of Balarāma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa-candra,
who mitigates the impertinence of all haughty women with just
His sweet gentle smile – has He passed this way?

“The kurabaka and other trees are noble, because they do welfare for
others by offering their flowers and other bodily parts.” Thinking in this
way, the gopīs asked them, “O kurabaka, O aśoka, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's soft, sweet
smile pulverizes the pride of arrogant ladies. Have you seen Him going
down this path?”
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“These aśvattha trees are so exalted that they ignore us as insignificant.
Therefore, they won’t give us any information.” Thinking in this way, the
gopīs approached kurabaka and aśoka trees as described in this verse
starting with ‘kaccit.’ “He kurabaka – O tree always full with red blossoms;
he nāga (nāga-keśara) – Has Balarāma’s younger brother gone this way?
Is He hiding somewhere nearby?” In the previous verse the gopīs asked,
“Have you seen Him? You are so tall, so you can see very far away.” But now
they are asking, “ito (passing by here) – Has He passed this way or has He
gone some other way? Please tell us. If you cannot reply easily, then, if He
indeed passed this way, His footprints will be here and we will follow His
footprints.” The original word used in this verse is itaḥ, which refers to a
particular path. But others read it as gataḥ, which indicates several paths.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has accepted itaḥ: “Have you seen Him passing
through this place?”
‘Rāmānuja’ is to be understood as Nanda-suno, meaning, “Being the
younger brother of Balarāma, the crown-jewel of noble persons, we put our
trust in Him. You may be wondering how He managed to steal the hearts of
us proud ladies.” The gopīs continued, “His smile is so stupefying that it
demolishes the arrogance of haughty women. That smile has robbed us of
our hearts. Displaying that smile indiscriminately to every young damsel as
He roams about, He is unaware of the havoc He is wreaking. We glowered at
Him and by His duplicitous smile He has pilfered our mighty pride. This is
why we are searching for Him. We cannot live a moment in separation from
that supremely captivating person. Therefore, we are asking if you know
where He is.”

The gopīs entered a flower garden and thought to themselves, “We
should ask these pure-hearted trees, who welcome the bees as their guests
with the honey flowing from their flowers.” With this mood they went to the
flowering trees and asked about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. “He kurabaka, he nāga-keśara,
where has Kṛṣṇa gone? Is He hiding nearby?” The trees might question, “Why
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are you asking for Him?” To this, the gopīs replied, “We were abounding
with pride, and with His gentle, captivating smile, Kṛṣṇa snatched away our
precious pride and left us poverty-stricken. This is why we are searching
for Him.” Suddenly the wind blew, shaking the tips of the branches. Seeing
this, the gopīs thought, “These trees are shaking their heads to indicate,
‘We don’t know.’ Therefore, what is the use of asking these hard-hearted
male trees? There is no possibility of getting any fruit from them. Let us
go somewhere else.”
Verse 7
kaccit tulasi kalyāṇi

govinda-caraṇa-priye
saha tvāli-kulair bibhrad
dṛṣṭas te ’ti-priyo ’cyutaḥ
[When the male trees did not reply, the gopīs inquired from
the female bushes.] O sister Tulasī, your heart is so soft, and you
desire everyone’s welfare. You have so much prema for the lotus
feet of Govinda, and He also loves you so much. Therefore, He
always wears your garland surrounded by bumblebees over His
heart. Have you seen our beloved Śyāmasundara, who never fails
to display His loving nature?

“He Tulasī, that Acyuta who holds you so dear that He always wears you
as a garland buzzing with bees – have you seen Him?”
“The trees, being male, will naturally side with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Furthermore,
they will feel animosity towards us, knowing that we are upset with Him,
and surely they will not give us any information. But this Tulasī will take
our side because she is female like us and she is very dear to Kṛṣṇa.
Because of this she has amassed great good fortune; she is so fortunate
that she must have seen our beloved.” Assuming this, the gopīs addressed
Tulasī, speaking this verse ‘kaccit.’
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“He Kalyāṇi, O you who bestow auspiciousness upon the world!

You are supremely fortunate because you are very dear to the lotus feet
of Govinda Gokula-candra.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.37 says that
Lakṣmī-devī has a permanent place on Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s chest, but after
meeting with Tulasī, she developed the desire to serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus
feet. ‘Caraṇa’ is used to show respect, just as in ācārya-caraṇa (the
venerable preceptor). Here in this verse, the gopīs used this term due to
feeling humility in front of Tulasī. This is why they said, “He gokulendra-
priya Tulasī! O you who are so dear to the prince of Gokula!” By this, they
implied that Kṛṣṇa will surely come. “Saha’ (with) – Tulasī is so dear that
Kṛṣṇa wears her as a garland, even though it is swarming with bees.” This
is testimony to Tulasī’s outstanding qualities.
Purport: “You have such qualities that even you are surrounded by
buzzing bees, Acyuta tolerates the disturbance of the bees and keeps you
on His chest. We know only Kṛṣṇa, no one else; even so He left us.” In other
words, the gopīs were trying to say, “Kṛṣṇa left us, and now He loves Tulasī
so much that He even tolerates the swarms of bees. His attachment for her is
so great that He is not disturbed by the hordes of bees, who are a nuisance.
It is impossible for Kṛṣṇa to hide with the intoxicated bees buzzing around
Him; still He does not remove the garland, nor does He shoo them away.
Therefore, O Tulasī, being attracted to your love, Kṛṣṇa must have come
near you. We conclude that you have surely seen Him. Tell us where that
Acuyta is now.” The word acyuta has a double meaning – “He never leaves
you, as He does with us. Therefore, you certainly must have seen Him.”
The gopīs were thinking, “The bushes and the creepers will take our
side because they are also female. They will surely understand the pain
in our hearts. Definitely they will show us compassion.” The gopīs went
to Tulasī, the most prominent of the bushes, and inquired about Kṛṣṇa
with this verse ‘kaccit.’ “He Kalyāṇi, O most auspicious one!” The reason
for addressing her thus is this: “Because we are separated from Kṛṣṇa, we
are devoid of auspiciousness. You are the fortunate one because you are
‘govinda-caraṇa-priye,’ dear to Govinda’s lotus feet.” Caraṇa is used to
show reverence, just as in ācārya-caraṇa, the honorable teacher.
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Tulasī may have questioned the gopīs, “Aren’t you also dear to Govinda’s
lotus feet?” The gopīs reply, “What you are saying is true, but compared
to us, you are many times more fortunate because there is no chance of
Kṛṣṇa leaving you. You do not have to endure the pain of separation. He
always gives you shelter at His lotus feet. This indicates your good fortune.
He keeps you on His chest, even with the bees buzzing all around.” ‘With
the bees’ – by this the gopīs meant to say, “O Tulasī, you are endowed with
extraordinary qualities. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa keeps you on His chest while
tolerating the disturbance of hundreds and hundreds of bees. Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
who loves fragrances, has left us because we are not fragrant like you. This
is our final conclusion.”
Verse 8
mālaty adarśi vaḥ kaccin

mallike jāti-yūthike
prītiṁ vo janayan yātaḥ
kara-sparśena mādhavaḥ
[Now the vraja-ramaṇīs are asking the fragrant jasmine

creepers and bushes1:] He mālati, mallikā (cameli), jāti and jūhī,
did our beloved Mādhava pass by here and elate you by picking
your fragrant flowers and touching you with His soft hands?

Laden with many good attributes (many, many flowers), these creepers
and bushes are bowing down in humility. From this the gopīs concluded that
these creepers have surely seen Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs asked, “He mālati, mallikā,
jāti and jūhi, Śrī Mādhava, by touching you with His hands, has aroused your
love. Have you seen Him? Which way has He gone?” It should be understood
that mālati and jāti are two varieties of jasmine.
1 Editor’s note: mālati grows on a creeper; the other varieties of jasmine flowers
grow on small bushes.
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“Tulasī did not talk to us because she is so proud of being the recipient
of Kṛṣṇa’s affection. So now we will ask the mālati creepers. Naturally
humble, they bow down and serve Kṛṣṇa by offering Him their flowers. They
are His maidservants, but still they are devoid of pride. Therefore, if we
inquire from them, surely they will reply.” The gopīs spoke this verse with
this intention. “He mālati, he mallikā, have you seen our beloved Mādhava?”
Being very anxious, the gopīs addressed each and every creeper. Śrī
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has explained ‘kaccit’ as meaning ‘at any time:’ “Have
you seen Him at all?”
The meaning is this: “He mālati, he mallikā, the signs of Mādhava
having touched you with His hands are visible on your bodies. This means
that you have seen Him.” Therefore the gopīs were enquiring with a special
intensity. “Have you seen Mādhava? What is the reason for Śrī Kṛṣṇa having
touched your bodies?” The reply: “Mādhava Śrī Kṛṣṇa loves flowers in the
same way that springtime (mādhava) loves them. Therefore, with His own
hands He has picked the very best flowers from the tips of your branches. In
this way He aroused ecstatic pleasure (prīti) in you, and then He moved on
(yāta). He left you also, so your sufferings and ours are the same. Therefore,
it is quite appropriate for us to talk about Him with you. He caressed you
and then left you hanging; he did the same with us and tossed us into an
ocean of misery.” Noticing the scratch marks Kṛṣṇa left on the flowering
plants (His maidservants), the gopīs teased the creepers, feeling a bit jealous.
“Ah! This Tulasī, intoxicated with her good fortune, didn’t even look
at us. Therefore, seeing us as her co-wives, she would not tell us Kṛṣṇa’s
whereabouts, even knowing where He is. Alas, we are totally bereft of good
fortune.” Lamenting in this way, the gopīs approached the mālati, jāti,
mallikā, yūthikā and other flowering creepers and bushes and asked, “He
mālati and other jasmines, flowers are very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Has He passed
this way? Did He touch your limbs and pick your flowers, thereby leaving
you elated?” In the rainy season and autumn, the mālati and jāti produce
profuse blossoms. Jāti and camelī are different varieties of jasmine.
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Verse 9
cūta-priyāla-panasāsana-kovidāra
jambv-arka-bilva-bakulāmra-kadamba-nīpāḥ
ye ’nye parārtha-bhavakā yamunopakūlāḥ
śaṁsantu kṛṣṇa-padavīṁ rahitātmanāṁ naḥ
[Now the vraja-devīs asked the fruit trees:] “He rasala,

priyāla, kaṭahala (jackfruit), pītaśāla, kacanāra, jambu (rose
apple), arka, bel, maulasirī, āmra (mango), kadamba, nīpa and
other exalted trees on the Yamunā’s bank! All of you live just for
the welfare of others. Our lives are empty without Śrī Kṛṣṇa, so
please tell us where He is.”

“All these fruit-bearing trees satisfy the living entities by giving charity.
They must have seen Kṛṣṇa.” Thinking like this, the gopīs asked them, “O cūta
and other trees, you are residents of a holy place, accepting birth as trees on
the bank of the Yamunā, living for the welfare of others. We have lost our soul,
and there is a void in our hearts. So please tell us which path Śrī Kṛṣṇa has
taken.” Cūta is one type of mango, and nīpa is a kind of kadamba.
The gopīs thought, “Because these mālati, yūthikā and other creepers
are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s maidservants, they are fearful and would not say anything.”
Therefore, in this verse beginning with ‘cūta,’ the gopīs, seeking information
on Kṛṣṇa’s whereabouts, asked other trees, who were knowledgeable like sages.
Cūta is a type of creeper (mango), and āmra is one variety of mango tree.
The poets of Eastern India use the word ‘creeper’ for the mango trees whose
branches bend downwards, which in central India look like creepers. The
Viśva-prakaśa dictionary defines nīpa as a type of kadamba, called dhūli-
kadamba, having large flowers with a lot of pollen. The seeds of the priyāla
are commonly known as the edible cāru-bīja. Panasa is the jackfruit tree.
Āsana is the pītaśāla tree. Kovidāra is the yugapatraka, which is known in
the Vindhyācala Mountains as the koyilāba tree. Raktacāñcana is one kind of
kāñcanāra, or mountain ebony tree. Arka is a very insignificant plant; that the
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vraja-devīs inquired from such a common plant clearly shows their extreme
eagerness. In this way, the gopīs took the name of every tree and asked each
one individually in which direction Kṛṣṇa went.
The trees appeared to be saying, “How will we benefit by telling you where
Kṛṣṇa is?” The gopīs replied, “Parārtha-bhavakā: you have taken birth simply to
benefit others.” In the original text parārtha-bhavakāḥ is written. According to Śrīla
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda, bhavakāḥ is read without the sound ‘i,’ because he interprets
bhava as ‘birth.’ The version bhavikāḥ, where an ‘i’ is inserted in front of the ka
suffix according to the rules of bahu-vrīhi samāsa2 is seen everywhere. It means
‘auspiciousness’ and ‘prosperity.’ Both spellings ultimately give the same meaning.
“All these trees have taken birth just for others’ welfare. Furthermore,
because of their austerities, they have taken shelter of the bank of the Yamunā
and become residents of a holy place; therefore they are trustworthy and
merciful. They will surely tell us the truth and not cheat us.” With this intention the
gopīs asked the trees, “Please tell us the path Kṛṣṇa has taken.” ‘Yamunopakūlā’
means ‘near the bank of the Yamunā,’ upa means ‘near’ and kūla means ‘bank.’
If the trees would say, “You yourselves should search for Kṛṣṇa,” then the gopīs
would reply in a pathetic tone, “rahitātmanāṁ nā – Because of separation, we
have lost our intelligence. Therefore we are practically dead and not capable
of searching.” The gopīs asked all the trees and plants, “Have you seen Kṛṣṇa?”
Previously, they did not receive any answer. So now, becoming clever, they
simply prayed to find out which path Kṛṣṇa took. Earlier, the vraja-ramaṇīs
asked the aśvattha and other trees, “Can you tell us where Śrī Kṛṣṇa has gone,”
but they received no reply. Here, using their ingenuity, they humbly requested
the trees to simply inform them which path Kṛṣṇa took.

“Ah! Those mālatis and other bushes know where Śrī Kṛṣṇa is, but, because
of fear of their co-wife Tulasī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they would not tell us. Therefore,
there is no use to ask these bushes, who are not independent agents.” Thinking
like this, the gopīs approached the mango, jackfruit and other fruit trees.
Seeing those trees, they thought, “These trees are motionless, as if holding their
2 bahu-vrīhi samāsa – samāsa is a compound, and bahu-vrīhi literally means

‘much rice’ but denotes a rich man, literally, ‘one who possesses much rice.’ In
this case, it means ‘those who are full of auspiciousness for the sake of others.’
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breath, and are residing on the bank of the holy Yamunā. It seems that they are
completely absorbed in remembering Śrī Viṣṇu. Thus, they will never lie to us.”
Having this faith, they spoke this verse starting with ‘cūta.’
Cūta is a mango creeper. Ām is a mango tree. Nīpa is a dhūli-kadamba
with big flowers. Then there are smaller flowers called kadamba, which are
very fragrant. Priyāla is one type of śāla tree (prized for its wood). Āsana is the
yellow śāla tree. Kovidāra is a type of kāñcana tree. Arka is the insignificant
ākanda weed; still it is very dear to Gopīśvara Mahādeva and thus always
grows near him. They also prayed to the coconut, betel-nut and other trees,
“Which way has Śrī Kṛṣṇa gone? Please be merciful and tell us which path
He has taken. In separation from Him, everything has become void.” The
trees might ask, “Why should we tell you?” To that the gopīs reply, ‘Parārtha-
bhavakā’ – “You have taken birth only for the welfare of others, and you are
living on the bank of the Yamunā. Therefore you are residents of a holy place.
Thus you will surely help us.”
Verse 10
kiṁ te kṛtaṁ kṣiti tapo bata keśavāṅghri-

sparśotsavotpulakitāṅga-nahair vibhāsi
apy aṅghri-sambhava urukrama-vikramād vā
āho varāha-vapuṣaḥ parirambhaṇena
O beloved of Bhagavān, Pṛtivī-devī, Earth Goddess! What sort

of austerities have you performed that you attained the touch of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and thus became so blissful that you began
horripilating in the form of the grasses sprouting up, making you
look very beautiful? Are you feeling this bliss from Śrī Keśava
touching you now with His lotus feet, or maybe it arose earlier
when Vāmanadeva became Trivikrama and stepped on you? Or
did you feel it much earlier, when Varāhadeva embraced you and
thereby protected you?

“He Pṛtivī-devī, what sort of austerities have you performed that you
have now been blessed with the festive touch of Śrī Keśava’s lotus feet? This
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caused you to horripilate in great bliss, making you look very beautiful.”
The gopīs asked her this with a specific intention. “Are you feeling this bliss
from Śrī Keśava touching you now with His lotus feet, or perhaps it arose
earlier when Vāmanadeva became Trivikrama and measured you with His
steps? Not only this, perhaps you felt it much earlier, when Varāhadeva
embraced you. Because you are so qualified to attain this good fortune, you
must have seen Śrī Keśava, so please show us where He is.”
Meditating on the path that Śrī Kṛṣṇa took, the gopīs wanted to pray
to it. Thus, they looked at Pṛtivī-devī and thought, “This Pṛtivī is present
everywhere; therefore she must have received Kṛṣṇa’s darśana.” By seeing
the tender grass sprouting on the Earth, the gopīs understood that she was
horripilating in bliss due to the festive touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. This
indicates that Pṛtivī was the recipient of supreme good fortune, which the
gopīs described in this verse beginning with ‘kiṁ.’
“He Pṛtivī-devī, what sort of tapasya did you perform that you have
attained such auspiciousness?” ‘Tapa’ here is understood as pious deeds.
‘Apy aṅghri-sambhava’ means the arising of a festival due to the touch
of His lotus feet. “Api kiṁ – Has your festival of bliss manifested from the
touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet? When Viṣṇu became Vāmanadeva, wanting
to take over the three worlds, He manifested His supreme opulence and
assumed His Trivikrama form. And when He took possession of the three
worlds, He placed His feet on you. Is that when you experienced a festival of
bliss? The beauty you displayed when horripilating at that time was not as
special as now. So perhaps you are horripilating due to having had direct
union with Him when earlier He assumed His Mahā-Varāha form to protect
you.” The gopīs expressed these ideas in the last line beginning with ‘aho (or
perhaps).’ “Aho! Before this, is it due to the embrace of Varāhadeva?”
In this way the gopīs wondered what austerities Pṛtivī had performed to
attain the touch of Śrī Keśava’s lotus feet. “Is being touched by Vāmandeva’s
feet the reason that you have attained the touch of Śrī Keśava’s lotus feet? Or
did you accrue so much good fortune when previously Varāhadeva embraced
you and you are now experiencing a festival of bliss from the touch of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet? Please tell us which one. This indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
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position is much more exalted than Vāmanadava’s and Varāhadeva’s. Thus,

how can we tolerate the separation from such an exalted person? O Earth,
you are supremely fortunate because you have touched His lotus feet. But
we are so unfortunate that we have not had the same chance. Therefore,
please be merciful and show us the path He has taken.”
One sakhī said to the others, “Ah! These trees must be completely
absorbed in meditating on Viṣṇu, and hence they are not able to hear our
question. Or perhaps they are not responding to us because they are hard-
natured, as residents of the holy places generally are. Alas! How will we
determine which ones know Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s location? It is uncertain. So why are
we uselessly blaming the residents of the holy place? One who has surely
seen Him will know where He is. Therefore, it behooves us to ask that person.”
All the others asked her, “He priya sakhī, is there anyone here who has
seen Kṛṣṇa? Do you know that person, and if you know, please tell us.” Upon
the request of all of them, she pointed to the Earth. Then all the gopīs replied,
“O sakhī, you are speaking the truth. Wherever Śrī Kṛṣṇa may go, it will be
on this Earth, so He is never distant from her. Kṛṣṇa’s parents, friends, dear
sakhīs and servants, on the other hand, sometimes have to endure the pain
of separation from Him, but Pṛthivī is never apart from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore,
compared to all others, the Earth is so fortunate. We will not ask the Earth
in the same way that we inquired from the trees and plants before. Instead
of asking Kṛṣṇa’s whereabouts, it is better to inquire from her about the
austerities she performed very long ago resulting in her present good fortune.
Due to the fruit of those ancient austerities, she is spared from undergoing
the pain of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa now. If we can do those same pious
deeds, we also will be relieved from the anguish of our separation.”
Deliberating in this way, the gopīs asked Pṛthivī-devī about her
austerities in this verse beginning with ‘kiṁ.’ “He Pṛthivī-devī, what tapasya
has brought about this good fortune by which you are enjoying the great
festival of touching Śrī Keśava’s lotus feet? We can understand that you are
relishing a festival of bliss by seeing your tender grasses sprouting up in
response to your rapture. Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot be without you for a moment.
Wherever He goes, you are always in contact with His feet. In this way, day
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and night, you are rolling in the joy of associating with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore,
you are vastly more fortunate than us. Tell us what tapasya you performed
to achieve this blessing. We are languishing in separation; we never attained
the good fortune that you are enjoying. If we simply hear about your
austerities, we will become successful.”
Seeing the Earth silent, the gopīs remembered her history and inquired,
“When Śrī Bhagavān Vāmanadeva assumed His Trivikrama form and put
His feet on your body, you were able to tolerate the burden of holding His
feet. Is it by that austerity that you have now received the good fortune
of touching Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, or is it due to the austerity of having
previously endured the pain of Varāhadeva’s overly tight embrace? To
attain this festival of great bliss, one must perform austerities and practices
that others find difficult, but for you this was easy, because, being a female,
it was pleasurable for you to get the association of a man. So how can any
woman be more fortunate than you?”
Verse 11
apy eṇa-patny upagataḥ priyayeha gātrais

tanvan dṛśāṁ sakhi su-nirvṛtim acyuto vaḥ
kāntāṅga-saṅga-kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ
kunda-srajaḥ kula-pater iha vāti gandhaḥ
O does, O dear friends, has Acyuta, who is eternally fixed in

His loving nature, passed this way with His sweetheart, giving
your eyes the supreme bliss of the sight of the heart-capturing and
beautiful sweetness of His body? We feel that He must have taken
this path because we are picking up the scent of the enchanting
fragrance of His kunda garland, which swings over His heart
and which is now smeared with the kuṅkuma from the breast of
His beloved.

In this verse beginning with ‘apy’ (indicating an enquiry), the gopīs,
upon seeing the does’ happy eyes, thought that perhaps they had seen Kṛṣṇa.
“He sakhī, wife of the deer, has Gokula-pati Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with His beautiful
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face, arms and other limbs, come to the forest with His beloved and given
pleasure to your eyes?” The phrase ‘with His beloved’ clearly indicates that
they can sense the fragrance coming from Kṛṣṇa’s kund garland, and it is
mixed with the scent of the kuṅkuma from His beloved’s breast.

Now a special topic will be discussed. [Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said:]
“Taking someone with Him, Śrī Bhagavān disappeared.” It is not clearly
mentioned with which beloved He went; this will be disclosed later on. In this
verse Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī reveals his inner mood. “Śrī Bhagavān has many,
many incarnations, but I [Śrī Śukadeva] am especially attracted to Svayaṁ
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s descent. In turn, Śrī Bhagavān has many associates,
but I have special attachment to the Vrajavāsīs, and out of all them, I am
exceptionally drawn towards the vraja-devīs. This confidential fact is common
knowledge, but hardly anyone knows that, out of all the vraja-devīs, Śrīmatī
Rādhikā attracts me the most. The gradation of my attachment is according
to the level of the devotees’ superiority. My heart is hesitant to directly tell
about Śrī Rādhikā’s superiority, Her position being so highly secret. However,
knowing Her superior position and failing to describe it, I would be at fault for
hiding this knowledge. Speared by this fear, I wish to reveal it.”
(With Rādhikā, who is the prominent of the vraja-devīs, Kṛṣṇa always
performs supremely confidential pastimes. Śrī Śukadeva was most attracted
by these līlās but he has not mentioned them anywhere. Therefore, no one
knows about them. There is gradation among the devotees in the level of their
prema, and this determines their superiority; this in turn ordains Śukadeva
Gosvāmī’s affection for them. This confidential līlā is appropriate only for
devotees who have taken shelter of madhura-rasa; it is not suitable for
devotees in śānta and other rasas. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī was hesitant to
openly describe these confidential pastimes because of the presence of some
unqualified persons in the audience. Furthermore, even among those who are
in madhura-rasa, there are many different levels of eligibility. However, to not
mention this in front of the qualified listeners would be a fault of hiding the
knowledge, and thus he desired to reveal these confidential pastimes also.)
“Therefore, when Śrī Rādhikā’s sakhīs said, ‘O wives of deer, did Kṛṣṇa
come this way with His sweetheart?’ they did not clearly mention Rādhikā’s
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name. Every now and then, whenever given an opportunity, I will indirectly
(through vyanjana-vṛtti, indirect suggestion) reveal this through the words of
the opposite party (Candrāvalī). Or sometimes, being deeply absorbed, I may
openly reveal this secret, but I will not speak Her name directly. To mention
Rādhikā’s name is far away, and it is unlikely that I will mention the other
gopīs’ names either. Furthermore, through vyanjana-vṛitti when ulterior
meanings are implied, many different rasas can be revealed, but the direct
meaning cannot do that. Sometimes, by speaking indirectly, very astonishing
meanings emerge. When the subject to be conveyed is determined and its
meaning is manifested indirectly, then an astonishing ecstasy is evinced. (The
meaning expressed indirectly can produce a very special taste which is more
astonishing than what is conveyed by direct explanation.)” With this intention,
Śukadeva Gosvāmī revealed this topic through Rādhikā’s sva-pakṣa sakhīs.
When Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Śrī Rādhikā and suddenly disappeared, Rādhikā’s
sakhīs had a suspicion. “It seems that Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared, taking our Śrī
Rādhā with Him.” But the gopīs who did not know this secret were only eager
to look for Balarāma’s younger brother, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Rādhikā’s sakhīs were
roaming together with all the other sakhīs, but they separated from them,
even in their intoxicated condition, and formed their own group to search
for Rādhā-Kṛṣna Yugala. Even though Rādhikā’s sva-pakṣa sakhīs were in
a small separate party, the others did not realize from the behavior of Her
sakhīs that this smaller group was looking for Śrī Yugala; they thought the
smaller group also was looking only for Kṛṣṇa. The sva-pakṣa gopīs already
suspected that their dear sakhī was with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, even before seeing His
footprints; this is chronicled in Verses 32-33 of this chapter. This verse, ‘apy
eṇa-patny,’ is the evidence. “O friends, wives of the deer, has our Acyuta
passed this way with His beloved, satisfying your eyes?” In this verse all the
words indicate that Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared with Śrī Rādhā. Those sakhīs were
eager to have the darśana of Śrī Yugala, not just Kṛṣṇa by Himself. Therefore,
in this mood, Rādhikā’s sakhīs asked about Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, using the
word ‘priyayā,’ meaning ‘with His beloved.’ ‘Api’ means ‘possibly,’ or ‘maybe
the couple has come this way.’ Api can be an interrogative, in which case the
meaning would be, “He sakhī, did Acyuta come to you?”
The does may ask, “Śrī Kṛṣna is van-vihārī – He roams about the forests,
and we are vanacārī, forest dwellers. Therefore, what is so surprising if our
paths cross?” This is why the sakhīs said, “He came with His sweetheart.
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Very often He comes here alone, but this time He came with His beloved. It
is astonishing that He came with Her, and seeing Them together gives great
happiness.” “Gātraiḥ (by the bodily limbs) – When He is with Śrī Rādhā, many
different anubhāvas (external signs of ecstasy) decorate His body, indicating
the supreme bliss He is experiencing. Seeing His condition when He is with
Rādhājī is the supreme pleasure for the eyes of Rādhikā’s sva-pakṣa gopīs and
you does. It is highly likely that Kṛṣṇa, who is radiating bliss, has come your
way. If this is the case, it is not proper for you to hide this from us, because
we are His intimate and rightful companions. Just by His scent alone, we can
know everything about Him.” Having this mood, the gopīs said ‘kāntāṅga.’
“Kāntāṅga (the body of His beloved) – First comes Gokula-pati Kṛṣṇa’s
fragrance, then the fragrance of His kund-mālā which is mixed with the
kuṅkuma that got smeared from the breast of His beloved when He
embraced Her. All these scents are coming clearly, and we recognize these
aromas for certain because we have encountered them many, many times.
The forest air is permeated with the fragrance of the body of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
sweetheart and the scent of the kuṅkuma from Her breast combined with
the aroma of His kund-mālā. The does, whose eyes are filled with pleasure,
are feeling supreme bliss from having the darśana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoying
with His beloved.” The observer, the act of seeing and the object of sight –
the Divine Couple roaming in the forest – all three are equally praiseworthy.
Rādhikā’s sva-pakṣa gopīs concur with this.
The first line of the verse starting with ‘api’ expresses the gopīs’
enthusiasm mixed with humility and politeness. ‘Eṇa-patnī’ (wife of the
deer) – the does have a very natural and beautiful way of seeing (dṛṣṭi). This
is to be praised. The wives of the deer, although not married according to
religious rites, are married only by their anurāga, their love for each other,
but this is also accepted as legitimate. Here drṣṭā (the observer) is the doe, and
although she is not married by religious rites, she is to be praised. Due to this,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa has come close to the does (upagata), and by this word, the good
fortune of the observer (the wives of the deer) is highlighted. Furthermore,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa came with His beloved – this is what the does are witnessing. And
the object of sight (dṛśya) – Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa – is also praised.
The word ‘gātraiḥ’ indicates an uncommon sight of the Divine Couple’s
meeting, due to which the eyes were elated with the topmost joy and are thus
extensively glorified. As quoted previously, the gopīs asked, “O doe friend,
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did Acuyta come this way with His sweetheart?” The suggested meaning of
‘acyuta’ is that Kṛṣṇa entered here with His beloved spontaneously. So again
the dṛśya is praised. ‘Vaḥ’ is the plural form of ‘you,’ meaning that the doe’s
companions are included. “He hiraṇi, O doe, you are most fortunate so you
should be praised. Likewise, your companions are also praiseworthy.” In
this way, with the word vaḥ, drṣṭā (the observer) is also praised. Next comes
‘kāntā’ (His beloved); with this, dṛśya – His beloved – is praised. ‘Tadaṅga-
saṅga’ refers to kānta Kṛṣna, who is ardently embracing His beloved; this
phrase glorifies this rarely seen dṛśya.
A series of dṛśyas are cited and all are to be extolled: ‘kuca-kuṅkuma’ –
the kuṅkuma on the gopī’s breast; ‘rañjita’ (colored) – the naturally white kund
flowers in the kund-mālā have been colored by the kuca-kuṅkuma; ‘kula-
pater iha’ – the master of the gopīs, or dṛśya kānta; ‘iha’ means ‘this place,’
which is aromatic from the extraordinary fragrance of the kund-mālā; ‘vāti’
(air) – the air flowing around filled with the fragrance; ‘gandha’ (fragrance) –
the combined aroma of the kund-mālā, crushed in Their embrace, and
smeared with kuṅkuma. All these objects of sight (dṛśya) are glorified.

The vraja-devīs were inquiring about Śrī Kṛṣṇa from Pṛthivī-devī, but
they did not get any answer. They thought, “Alas, Pṛthivī is wonderfully
painted with the signs from her beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet – flag,
thunderbolt, goad, etc. Thus, she is taking pleasure as sva-dhīna bhartṛikā,
having brought her husband under her control. Now she has become
blinded by extreme pride, so she will not acknowledge us.” Thinking thus,
the gopīs moved forward and saw a doe roaming around. They pointed at
her and said, “He sakhī, wife of the deer! Did Śrī Kṛṣṇa pass by you with His
beloved?” Addressing the doe as ‘sakhī,’ the gopīs implied, “Although you
are the wife of the deer, you are also the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, like us, and
you also consider Him as your sweetheart. Therefore, surely Śrī Kṛṣṇa must
have come here. Did the sight of His charming form increase the pleasure of
your eyes?” The word ‘dṛśāṁ’ (sight) here is used in the plural form to show
respect. “Acyuta – With the desire to increase the pleasure of your eyes, you
walk behind Him. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa never disappears (vicyuta) from your
sight.” This is the mood that has been expressed here.
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After watching the does, who were walking ahead in their natural gait,
the gopīs suddenly said, “Yes, surely they have seen Kṛṣṇa, and they are
replying to us, ‘There is no need to say more. We will show Him to you.
Just follow us.’ As the does continue to walk ahead, they keep turning their
heads back to us, beckoning us to follow them. The trees may be cruel to
us, but in this Vṛndāvana these does are merciful and it behooves us to
follow them.” However, when the gopīs lost sight of the does, they thought,
“They gave us an indication, but they did not show Him to us. And now
they have left.” One sakhī said, “If this is so, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is certainly hiding
nearby. Fearing Him, these does have disappeared to save themselves
from any blame they might incur in revealing His presence.”
These gopīs were thinking in this way when suddenly they detected
the aroma of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body. In great delight they exclaimed, “Sakhī!
Certainly Śrī Kṛṣṇa is hiding in this forest because the air is laden with
His scent.” Elated, they again used the word ‘kāntāṅga,’ meaning, “We can
smell kula-pati Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s kund flower garland, which has been smeared
with the kuṅkuma from His beloved’s breast during Their embrace.” Here,
the bodies of the two lovers, the kuṅkuma from Her breast and His kund
flower garland – the aromas of these three entered the noses of the gopīs.
Thus they could conclude Kṛṣṇa’s presence there. This is the mood here.
“He is kula-pati, the enjoyer of all the gopīs. Yet He has given up His kula-
pati niṣṭhā, His identity as the master of all, and is enjoying with only one
gopī. Just look at His injustice.”
Verse 12
bāhuṁ priyāṁsa upadhāya gṛhīta-padmo

rāmānujas tulasikāli-kulair madāndhaiḥ
anvīyamāna iha vas taravaḥ praṇāmaṁ
kiṁ vābhinandati caran praṇayāvalokaiḥ
O trees! It seems that Balarāma’s younger brother, our

beloved Śyāmasundara, has walked by here, followed by bees
intoxicated from the fragrance of Tulasī mañjarīs, holding a
līlā-kamala in His right hand, and resting His left hand on the
shoulder of His beloved. It seems you have bowed down to offer
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respects to Him. Has He acknowledged Your obeisances with His

loving glance?

Seeing the trees bending over with the weight of their fruits, the gopīs
presume that they have bowed down due to seeing Kṛṣṇa, who has walked
past them while dallying with His beloved. This is the meaning of this verse
beginning with ‘bāhuṁ.’ Furthermore, the bees, intoxicated and blinded with
the scent of Tulasī, are chasing after the smell.
The vraja-devīs inquired from the does several times about Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
but the animals did not reply. When the does continued to look on silently,
the vraja-devīs suspected that their silence was due to commiserating with
the gopīs’ anguish. “They have observed our distress born of separation.
Therefore, they are numb.” With this thought, the vraja-devīs left them
and moved on. After some distance, they saw that all the trees were bowing
down from the weight of their fruits and flowers. The gopīs, thinking that
the trees were reverentially and humbly offering ‘praṇāma’ at Kṛṣṇa’s
lotus feet, inquired from them in this verse ‘bāhuṁ.’ The sva-pakṣa gopīs
praised Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in this verse also, thereby indirectly confirming
that They were roaming about together. “O trees! Has Balarāma’s younger
brother, with His arm on the shoulder of His beloved, come here and has He
welcomed your respectful greeting with His deep loving glance?”
In this way, besides glorifying Kṛṣṇa’s affectionate glance, the gopīs
were indicating the trees’ eligibility to accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy flowing
from His loving glance and praised their excellence. If it is asked why
Kṛṣṇa might not reciprocate the trees’ respectful greeting, this question is
answered by the gopīs suggesting as the reason that He was too absorbed in
sweet dalliance with His beloved. The gopīs, being Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s intimate
companions, knew all about Their attributes and activities, and thus simply
by picking up Their scent, they asked, “Has Śrī Kṛṣṇa come here, with His left
arm resting on His beloved’s shoulder, and has He accepted your respects?”
The general reason for Baladeva’s younger brother not acknowledging the
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trees’ welcome may be that, due to roaming around for a long time, He was
impatient to reach the pastime place.
The trees might ask, “They are always roaming about in this area and
see us here, so what is so special today?” The gopīs reply, “The special thing
today is that as He is roaming around, He is keeping His hand on the tender
shoulder of His beloved, who is exclusively devoted to Him.” The trees might
further inquire, “They come into the forest to behold the beauty of the trees
and the creepers, so will They not accept our greeting with a loving glance?”
The gopīs answered, “Swarms of intoxicated bees, attracted by the fragrant
smell of the Tulasī in Kṛṣṇa’s garland, are hovering around His beloved.
Now, being absorbed in brushing them away from Her body with the līlā-
kamala in His right hand, His mind will not go anywhere else. If this is so,
how will He respond to your respects?”
‘Tulasikāli-kula’ – this phrase is used to express the excellence of
Tulasī’s fragrance that pervades Kṛṣṇa’s forest playground. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.35.10 also praises Tulasī by stating that swarms of
bees drink Tulasī’s divine honey-like aroma and become intoxicated.
‘Madāndhaiḥ’ – Even though they lose their power of sight from drinking
Tulasī’s scent, they still continue to follow Kṛṣṇa. This indicates the special
aroma arising from the Tulasī garland rubbing against Kṛṣṇa’s body. In
the verse at hand only Tulasī has been mentioned, but in a previous verse
(10.29.44) we find the words ‘mālāṁ bibhrad vaijayantīṁ,’ meaning that
Kṛṣṇa entered the dance arena wearing a vaijayantī garland. Again, in
Śrimad-Bhagavatam 10.30.7 we find glorification of Tulasī, with Kṛṣṇa
wearing a Tulasī garland.
The previous verse, 10.30.11, states that Kṛṣṇa was wearing a kund-
mālā. Three different kinds of garlands have been mentioned, but in the
course of Their play, the vaijayantī and kund garlands had fallen down, so
in the present verse only the Tulasī garland is named. This indicates how
Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with His beloved, meaning that the garland got crushed when
They embraced each other very tightly. With this verse, Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s
svapakṣa gopīs praised the Divine Couple’s enjoyment together. Verse 30
of this chapter says: “tasyā amūni naḥ kṣobhaṁ – Seeing the footprints of
this fortunate gopī disturbs our minds.” These words spoken by the vipakṣa
gopīs in a mood of contrariety also establish the same idea.
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In this verse ‘bāhuṁ’ the gopīs, observing the trees bowing from the
weight of their fruits, assumed that they were offering their respects to
Kṛṣṇa. Thus, after some discussion the cowherd maidens concluded that
Śrī Kṛṣṇa must be nearby. “O trees! You are Kṛṣṇa’s subjects, and you pay
your taxes with your fruits and flowers. While roaming around here, has He
accepted your respects with a loving glance? Alas, alas! He does not have
time to give a loving glance to gentle saints like you.”
Thinking thus, the gopīs referred to their sweetheart as ‘Rāmānuja’
(Balarāma’s younger brother) [as Balarāma’s state of intoxication is well
known in Bhagavāt] with feelings of envy. The suggested meaning in this
verse is that “Kṛṣṇa is inebriated (matta), and has become very weak and
languid due to having shared intimacies with His beloved. So He is resting
with His left hand on His sweetheart’s tender shoulder, using it for a pillow.
With the blue lotus in His right hand He is brushing away the intoxicated,
impatient bees that have left the Tulasī garden and are hovering around Her
face, being attracted to its fragrance. He is occupied in serving the lotus face
of His beloved, and thus He cannot give His attention to you trees. Therefore
we can understand that He is hiding somewhere close by, enjoying with Her.
“So should we also follow the bees?” Therefore they are saying
‘madāndhaiḥ, blinded with intoxication.’ “But it is not proper for respectable
persons to follow anyone who is so maddened and out of control.” The gopīs
thought, “Kṛṣṇa is completely engrossed in the service of His beloved, so He
has no time to even accept the respects of others.”
Verse 13
pṛcchatemā latā bāhūn

apy āśliṣṭā vanaspateḥ
nūnaṁ tat-karaja-spṛṣṭā
bibhraty utpulakāny aho
O sakhīs, we should ask these creepers, who are embracing

the arms (branches) of their husband, this tree. They are
bristling in rapture; certainly this is due to the touch of Kṛṣṇa’s
fingernails. Ah, how fortunate they are!
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Some gopīs said, “He sakhīs! All these creepers have definitely met
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Just ask them.” However, someone might object that if they are
all embracing their husbands, then how will they meet Kṛṣṇa? The answer
is this: “Ah, how fortunate they are that, even while in the arms of their
husbands, they have been touched by Kṛṣṇa’s nails and are experiencing
rapture. This does not happen from meeting with their husbands.”
In the upcoming verse 10.30.27, the vraja-devīs asked, “Which damsel’s
footprints are these?” By this question it is understood that these gopīs did
not pay attention to the words of Rādhikā’s sva-pakṣa sakhīs spoken in the
previous verse, ‘bāhuṁ priyāṁsa,’ about Kṛṣṇa and His beloved. If they had
heard attentively, then they would not have any doubt about the identity of
the damsel’s footprints. These gopīs, who were neutral to Rādhikā, heard the
words of the sakhīs, but being neither attached to Rādhikā nor against Her,
did not properly catch their meaning.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāṁī was naturally consistent in showing the
divergent moods among the different groups of gopīs. In this verse starting
with pṛcchatama (just ask), he expressed the neutral mood of the taṭasthā
gopīs. These vraja-devīs said, “O sakhīs, ask these creepers who have been
blessed with the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But how is it possible that they met
with Kṛṣṇa since they are embracing the limbs their husbands, the trees?”
Discussing thus, the gopīs finally concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had definitely
touched them with His nails on the pretext of plucking flowers. One might
ask, “How do you know this?” In answer, they reply, “These creepers are
horripilating in rapture, thus producing a profusion of newly sprouting
tendrils. This is a sure sign that Śrī Kṛṣṇa has touched them with His nails.
Ah, how extraordinary this is! This has not been seen before.”
One gopī said ‘pṛcchata’ (just ask), showing some other signs of Kṛṣṇa’s
presence to other gopīs. “O sakhīs, ask these creepers who have been
blessed with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s touch. If we say that these creepers are embracing
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the branches of their husband, the tree, then it is impossible for them to
meet with Kṛṣṇa.” To this, they replied, “Although they are in the embrace of
their husband, Kṛṣṇa has certainly touched them with His nails. We can see
that, due to the rising of amorous desire, they are horripilating in rapture
as seen in the sprouting of new tendrils. This is surely resulting from the
touch of the nails of the supremely blissful Śrī Kṛṣṇa, because such ecstatic
symptoms are not possible in the association of their husband. Nor have we
ever witnessed such symptoms in others before. So they cannot lie to us like
others, saying that they have not seen Kṛṣṇa.”
Verse 14
ity unmatta-vaco gopyaḥ

kṛṣṇānveṣaṇa-kātarāḥ
līlā bhagavatas tās tā
hy anucakrus tad-ātmikāḥ
He Parikṣit, after these maddened gopīs spoke incoherently

while searching everywhere for Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they felt
distressed and helpless due to the pain of separation. Their
identification with the heart of Krsna became so intensified that
they saw themselves as Him and started acting out His pastimes.

Up to this point, the subject of the gopīs enquiring like frantic persons
about Kṛṣṇa has been narrated in detail. Thinking of Ramā-pati, the husband
of the goddess of fortune, they became one at heart (tadātmika) with Him.
Now their activities in such a state will be minutely described. The gopīs had
been talking incoherently like mad women, and, becoming overwhelmed in
searching for Kṛṣṇa, they started imitating His pastimes.
The gopīs were speaking like mad women, and such mad gopīs became
very helpless and distressed in their search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa due to intense
suffering from separation. According to Śrimad-Bhagavatam 10.30.4, in
such a state, the gopīs were loudly singing about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Now
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they started acting out those pastimes. This was due to their having become
at one with Kṛṣṇa (tadātmika), their consciousness being totally absorbed
in Him, and thus they started imitating their beloved. It is very clear that
although they were copying Kṛṣṇa, they still did not feel oneness with Him
because they had not given up their own bhāva. This is confirmed in the
coming Verse 20 in this chapter where it is said that ‘with great effort she
started raising her veil with her hand.’ Here the word ‘effort’ is used. If it
were a manifestation of oneness, then the raising of the hand would be
effortless and natural.
In verse 10.30.19 one gopī was keeping her hand on the shoulder of
another and saying, “O gopīs, I am Kṛṣṇa. Look at my charming movements.”
In this sentence, she was taking the name Kṛṣṇa. If they were identical with
Krsna, then they would not have to make any endeavour to imitate Him while
enacting all these pastimes. Some gopīs played Pūtanā-līlā. This pastime was
also performed with fear from Pūtanā, who had come to poison Krsna. They
identified with the fear that Krsna could have experienced. For example,
people become terrified seeing a tiger and, being intensely absorbed in
fear, they start imitating that tiger. Similarly, feeling the same intensity of
emotion, the gopīs became tadātmika with Kṛṣṇa and started enacting this
pastime. Pūtanā was not the object of their absorption; rather, they became
intensely engrossed in Kṛṣṇa and imitated Him. So, in mimicking this līlā,
the gopīs did not exhibit any sentiments that were contrary to their prema.
Some other gopī tried to imitate Śrī Yaśodā, but could not because
she was firmly situated in her madhura-rati-bhāva. At that time, deeply
concentrating on Kṛṣṇa’s childhood emotions, she copied Him and became
afraid of Yaśodā’s punishment. Thus, in her excessive pure love, she
experienced Kṛṣṇa’s feelings of fear. This gopī’s madhura-bhāva did not mix
with vatsalya-bhāva; rather, she adopted Kṛṣṇa’s mood. So in playing this līlā
there was no mixing of improper or contrary moods. All these moods arose
suddenly in the vraja-devīs due to madness, and not for any other reason.

The maddened gopīs inquired about Śrī Kṛṣṇa from whomsoever they
saw, whether they were animate or inanimate entities. They also observed the
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signs of amorous desire in them, and they thought, “All these creepers have
become stunned in ecstasy from the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus they have
become speechless.” This is a symptom of their divine madness. Therefore,
they could not get any information about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s location. They were
exhausted from searching for Him up and down in every direction, and
could no longer function due to intense anguish in separation. Thus all the
gopīs were immersed in deep anxiety and became so much obsessed that
their external vision ceased to work.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes descended in their hearts, and being completely Kṛṣna
conscious, the gopīs started imitating His pastimes. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlā-śākti gave
some relief to the distraught gopīs when they began to see themselves as Him.
By imitating their beloved’s pastimes, for a moment they experienced the bliss
of associating with Him. In enacting His activities they themselves did not play
the unfavorable pastimes, like the killing of Pūtanā. The reason for this is that
these pastimes are contrary to their stayī-bhāva, their permanent emotion.
So, for the perfection of these contrary pastimes, Yogamāyā took the form of
a cowherd maiden, and imitated Pūtanā in the circle of the gopīs. We should
understand that the gopīs acted out only pastimes favorable to their mood.
When Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī commenced describing this confidential
līlā in the assembly of Mahārāja Parikśit, the gopīs inspired him in his heart,
forbidding him to speak about this in these words: “O Śukadeva, please do
not broadcast our utterances in this assembly.” Receiving this prohibition,
the king of sages, Śukadeva, thought, “In the bliss of being absorbed in this
pastime, I have described the activities of the gopīs, but I will not reveal their
names. Thus I will comply with their order.”
Verse 15
kasyācit pūtanāyantyāḥ
kṛṣṇāyanty apibat stanam
tokayitvā rudaty anyā
padāhan śakaṭāyatīm
One of the gopīs became Pūtanā, and another became Kṛṣṇa

and started sucking her breast. Some gopī became Śakaṭa, the
cart, and another became baby Kṛṣṇa and kicked it over.
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The next four verses, starting with ‘kasyācit,’ describe the gopīs enacting
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās, being fully absorbed in Him. One gopī started acting like
Pūtanā, and another, who played Kṛṣṇa, sucked her breast.
The absorption of the gopīs in Śrī Kṛṣṇa and their imitating Him
has been described in nine verses. One gopī started acting like Pūtanā
(pūtanāyantyāḥ), but she remained fixed in her madhura-bhāva. She did
not get absorbed in Pūtanā’s contrary mood. Another gopī manifested Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s bhāva, becoming absorbed in baby Kṛṣṇa, and imitating Him, started
sucking milk. In other words, this gopī, identifying with Kṛṣṇa’s mood, only
pretended to suck milk as the actual objective was to act like Him. ‘Stanam-
apibat’ (drank from the breast) is the phrase that describes this in this verse.
Some other gopī became baby Kṛṣṇa, and while crying, started kicking
the body of another gopī, who was playing the role of the cart, Śakata.
Simulating the form of the cart, she had lifted her body off the ground and
was resting on her hands and legs, facing downwards, and the other gopī
started kicking her.
The imitation of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes by the gopīs is narrated in four verses,
beginning with this verse, ‘pūtanāyantyāḥ.’ Out of the whole assembly one
of the gopīs started nursing like Pūtanā, and another gopī, acting like Kṛṣṇa,
started sucking her breast. Another gopī, acting like baby Kṛṣṇa, started crying
and kicking the gopī who had taken the role of Śakaṭa, the cart, thus acting out
śakaṭa-bhanjana-līlā, the pastime of breaking the cart.
Verse 16
daityāyitvā jahārānyām
eko kṛṣṇārbha-bhāvanām
riṅgayām āsa kāpy aṅghrī
karṣantī ghoṣa-niḥsvanaiḥ
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One cowherd maiden became Tṛṇāvarta and displayed the

bhāva of carrying away another cowherd girl, who thought she
had become baby Kṛṣṇa. Yet another gopī, hearing the sweet
sound of her own ankle bells and thinking the sound was coming
from Kṛṣṇa’s ankle bells, started to drag her feet on the earth and
in this way enacted Kṛṣṇa’s sweet crawling pastimes.

Some gopī started imitating the demon Tṛṇāvarta and took away the
gopī playing baby Kṛṣṇa.
One gopī became possessed by the mood of baby Kṛṣṇa, and another
one picked her up in the mood of Tṛṇāvarta. In other words, one gopī
imitated Tṛṇāvarta and played the pastime of picking up Kṛṣṇa. Some
other gopī began to play baby Kṛṣṇa’s crawling līlā in Nanda’s courtyard
as her ankle bells tinkled. Surprised by hearing the sound of her ankle
bells and waist bells, she turned her head about, looking to see where
the sound was coming from. This indicates that the gopīs were wearing
ankle bells and waist bells. Śrimad-Bhagavatam 10.8.22 describes this
charming pastime of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa crawling with their jingling ankle
and waist bells.
Just as the demon Tṛṇāvarta had abducted baby Kṛṣṇa, one gopī
similarly acted like demon Tṛṇāvarta and picked up another gopī who was
in the mood of baby Kṛṣṇa.
Verse 17
kṛṣṇa-rāmāyite dve tu
gopāyantyaś ca kāścana
vatsāyatīṁ hanti cānyā
tatraikā tu bakāyatīm
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Two gopīs played Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, who were surrounded by

many other gopīs acting like cowherd boys and calves. One gopī
became Vatsāsura while another became Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who killed
that demon. Similarly, one gopī became Bakāsura and another
one played Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who exhibited the bhāva of tearing the
demon apart.

Two gopīs played like Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rāma, and many others acted
like cowherd boys and calves. Imitating the play of cowherd boys, these
gopīs started enacting the calf-herding līlā as if they were in the pastures.
The gopī who was impersonating Śrī Kṛṣṇa pretended to be killing another
gopī who was mimicking Vatsāsura. Yet another gopī acted like Kṛṣṇa and
simulated the killing of the gopī who was playing Bakāsura.
Verse 18
āhūya dūra-gā yadvat

kṛṣṇas tam anuvartatīm
veṇuṁ kvaṇantīṁ krīḍantīm
anyāḥ śaṁsanti sādhv iti
Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to call the cows and calves who had drifted
far away in the forest by playing His flute. In the same way, one
gopī thought herself to be Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and while playing the flute,
exhibited the bhāva of calling the cows who had wandered off
in the forest. Other gopīs praised her, exclaiming, “Well done!
Well done!”

In the same way Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to call the cows who had wandered far
away with His flute, one gopī copied how Śrī Kṛṣṇa would play the flute to
call the cows. In some places the word anukurvatīm (they imitated Him) is
found.
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Up to this point, only the imitating of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes has
been described. Now the gopīs are imitating all those wonderful līlās that
Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed in the summer season before killing Pralambāsura. In
these pastimes Kṛṣṇa has just entered His kiśora age, which is the ālambana,
or support, of śṛṅgāra-rasa. So here, in this verse beginning with ‘āhūya’
and the next one, the gopīs’ anubhāva (external bodily gestures that indicate
one’s inner feelings) in the form of imitating their beloved is displayed.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to play His flute to call the far-away cows; similarly
one gopī imitated Śrī Kṛṣṇa and played the flute to call the cows, who were
scattered far and wide. Many other gopīs [who were acting like the cowherd
boys] started praising this gopī, exclaiming, “Sadhu, sadhu!”

Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa used to call the far-away cows with His flute, one gopī
made the sound of a flute, imitating Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In place of ‘anuvartatīm,’
anukurvatīm is seen in some versions. Both mean the same.
Verse 19
kasyāñcit sva-bhujaṁ nyasya

calanty āhāparā nanu
kṛṣṇo ’haṁ paśyata gatiṁ
lalitām iti tan-manāḥ
One gopī, absorbed in Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, put her arm on

the shoulder of another gopī and started walking about, telling
the other gopīs, “O sakhās (friends), I am Kṛṣṇa. Just see the
charming way I walk.”

‘Gati’ – nṛtya-līlā, dancing pastime.
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The gopīs started imitating different types of Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful and
varied pastimes. One gopī became totally absorbed in līlā and developed
such a strong sañcarī-bhāva of divine madness (unmada) that she even
forgot her own identity. Unable to remember who she was, she became one
with Kṛṣṇa (tadātmika). All this is described in the four verses beginning
here with ‘kasyāñcit.’ Another gopī, imitating Śrī Kṛṣṇa, put her arm on the
shoulder of a different gopī, who was imitating Subala. Walking like this, she
said, “O sakhīs, I am Kṛṣṇa. Look at how I walk so charmingly.”
Verse 20
mā bhaiṣṭa vāta-varṣābhyāṁ
tat-trāṇaṁ vihitaṁ maya
ity uktvaikena hastena
yatanty unnidadhe ’mbaram
One gopī became Śrī Kṛṣṇa and said, “O Vrajavāsīs, don’t be

afraid of this torrential rain. I have made all arrangements for
your protection.” Speaking thus, the gopī imitated the lifting of
Govardhana by stretching out her veil over her head.

One gopī diligently stretched out her veil over her head.

One gopī acting like Kṛṣṇa said, “Don’t be afraid of the rainstorm.”
She was absorbed in this līlā and had a direct sphūrti of the rainstorm.
She was speaking while imitating the līlā of lifting Govardhana. In one of
the following verses a gopī said, “See, see the forest fire.” This should also
be understood as absorption in līlā. The example of Kṛṣṇa swallowing the
forest fire has not been given because it would generate extreme fear, which
would cause the śṛṅgāra-rasa to recede.
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The gopī performing the līlā of Krṣṇa lifting Govardhana diligently
stretched out her veil over her head to protect everyone from the rainstorm.
She perfectly imitated how Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill.
Verse 21
āruhyaikā padākramya
śirasy āhāparāṁ nṛpa
duṣṭāhe gaccha jāto ’haṁ
khalānām nanu daṇḍa-kṛt
O Parikṣit, one gopī imitated the serpent Kāliya, and

another, copying Śrī Kṛṣṇa, climbed on her head, and kicking
her, said, ‘O wicked serpent, go away from here. I have taken
birth to punish envious persons like you.ʼ

‘Padākraman’ means ‘kicking while climbing:’ one gopī climbed on
the cowherd maiden who was imitating the serpent Kāliya, and kicked
her head. In some scriptures, instead of ‘nanu,’ the word ‘nṛpa’ is seen.
‘Nanu’ means ‘definitely’ or an address, and ‘nṛpa’ means ‘calling out in
amazement, “He nṛpa! He duṣṭa, O wicked one!” This implies the humiliating
of the sinful Kāliya. “Gaccha – Go away from here. Otherwise, I will punish
you.” Therefore, the gopīs said, “jātaḥ – I have taken birth to wipe out evil.”
In the actual pastime of subduing Kāliya, the word ‘gaccha’ is not found3.
The gopīs took the essence of the līlā, and accordingly, they finished their
depiction of the pastime with the word ‘gaccha,’ telling Kāliya to leave.

“Duṣṭāhe – O wicked Kāliya!”
3 In the līlā Kṛṣṇa told Kāliya to go away in Verse 10.16.60, at the very end of the
pastime, after severely punishing him.
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Verse 22
tatraikovāca he gopā
dāvāgniṁ paśyatolbaṇam
cakṣūṁṣy āśv apidadhvaṁ vo
vidhāsye kṣemam añjasā
One gopī became Śrī Kṛṣṇa and spoke to the other gopīs who
were imitating the gopas, who were scared of the forest fire. “O
cowherd folks, look! A fierce fire is burning the forest. All of you
quickly close your eyes. I will easily protect you.”

“Close your eyes.”

In this way, the gopīs enacted all the activities included in the pastime
of subduing Kāliya, such as entering the Kāliya Lake. One gopī, acting like
Kṛṣṇa, climbed on the head of the gopī playing Kāliya, and said, “Re duṣṭa
Kāliya, O wicked Kāliya!” In some places, ‘he’ is used instead of ‘re,’ which
implies contempt.
Imitating the līlā in which Kṛṣṇa protected all the Vrajavāsīs from the
forest fire, one gopī went into meditation (dhyāna-yoga), and, closing her
eyes, felt intense fire of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa in her heart. Along with
this internal vision, she experienced the forest fire externally, and said, “O
cowherd folk, all of you quickly close your eyes. I am going to do something
auspicious for you. If you will not close your eyes, then the heat of the forest
fire will rob you of your sight.”
“Behold this forest fire, which will scorch your eyes.” Actually, there
was no forest fire, but still they said, “Look!” These words are the cause of
the players’ actions. Muñjāṭavī-līlā (which took place near Bhāṇḍīra-vana,
where Kṛṣṇa swallowed the forest fire to rescue the cows and cowherd boys)
is similar to this davana-līlā, or forest fire pastime (which took place on the
bank of Yamunā the night after the subduing of Kāliya), so it is not described
separately. ‘Apidhadhvaṁ’ (just close) – ‘apidadhvaṁ’ was customarily used
by the ṛṣis [who did not observe strict grammar] in place of ‘apidhadhvaṁ’
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[which is pure Sanskrit]; this should be understood as an oversight. Añjasā

means ‘without difficulty.’
Verse 23
baddhānyayā srajā kācit

tanvī tatra ulūkhale
badhnāmi bhāṇḍa-bhettāraṁ
haiyaṅgava-muṣaṁ tv iti
bhītā su-dṛk pidhāyāsyaṁ
bheje bhīti-viḍambanam
One gopī accepted the mood of Vrajeśvarī Śrī Yaśodā

(externally), and one slender gopī became immersed in the
bhāva of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The gopī playing Yaśodā tied up the gopī
playing Kṛṣṇa with a flower garland exactly as He had been tied
to the grinding mortar. The vraja-sundarī playing Kṛṣṇa started
enacting His behavior of crying in fright. Exhibiting fear and
with tears coming from her beautiful eyes, this gopī covered her
face with her hands, just as Kṛṣṇa had done.

‘Su-dṛk’ – beautiful eyes. She covered her beautiful eyes with her
hands. Bhīti-viḍambanam – imitating a fearful mood.
As previously mentioned, one gopī who was simply copying the
activities of Vrajeśvarī Śrī Yaśodā (but not taking her bhāva) said, “I will
tie up this butter thief, who has broken the pot of yoghurt.” With a flower
garland this gopī started tying up the hands and legs of another gopī to
the cowherd maiden who was huddled up playing the role of the grinding
mortar. ‘Tanvī’ (slender): one gopī instantly became thin out of intense
separation. This gopī, enacting fearful Kṛṣṇa, began to imitate the actions of
trembling, crying, staring with wide eyes in astonishment, and pleading in a
pitiful voice. She covered her face with her hands because a child naturally
does this when afraid. We should understand that trembling and crying
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out of fear and entreating are the activities of Kṛṣṇa who was afraid of His
mother. Similarly, the gopīs enacted other līlās in the same appropriate way.
After this, suddenly the gopīs’ divine madness subsided, and their
oneness with Kṛṣṇa (tādātmya) also slackened. The feeling that “I am a
gopī” manifested in them. When, spontaneously, these gopīs were inspired
to play the līlās of breaking pots, stealing butter, etc., Yogamāyā imitated
Śrī Yaśodā and appropriately harmonized these pastimes. “O naughty boy,
You are running away after stealing butter? I will bind You.” So Yogamāyā,
who was enacting Yaśodā Gopī, bound (baṇdheti) the gopī playing Kṛṣṇa
with her garland. Exhibiting fear, that beautiful-eyed gopī covered her
face with her hands.
Verse 24
evaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ pṛcchamānā

vrṇdāvana-latās tarūn
vyacakṣata vanoddeśe
padāni paramātmanaḥ
O Parikṣit, while performing the pastimes and again

enquiring from the trees and creepers of Vṛndāvana, the vraja-
devīs arrived at a place in the forest where they noticed the
footprints of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supersoul.

In the course of enquiring about Śrī Kṛṣṇa from the trees and creepers
of Vṛndāvana, the gopīs reached the spot where they saw the footprints of
Paramātma Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supersoul.
While the vraja-devīs were singing over and over again the pastimes and
enacting them, and enquiring from the trees and creepers about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they
came to a place in the forest where they saw many footprints of the Original
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Supersoul of everyone. They ‘saw’ the footprints – this word expresses great
surprise. The gopīs thought, “How astonishing!” The sages discuss the lotus
feet of this Paramātma only through a few words from the Vedas, but these
words are just hints; meaning, they spend their whole lives in discussing these
feet only, while the gopīs directly beheld all these footprints of Paramātma in
one place in the forest, which is the place of their amorous enjoyment with
Him. “This is amazing! We are sages, but the gopīs are superior to us. We are
not equal to the gopīs, not even in the slightest. So if we cannot even be equal,
even by a fraction, to these gopīs, then how shall we attain the mood of Kṛṣṇa’s
eternal beloveds, which is full of very special prema?”
According to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s explanation, the sequence of līlā
from the first verse of this chapter (antarhite bhagavati) indicating the
disappearance of the Lord up to this verse where the gopīs saw His footprints,
is: 1) the fire of separation felt by the gopīs; 2) singing while searching; 3)
imitating the pastimes of killing Pūtanā and others; 4) again searching; 5)
seeing the footprints. However, according to me (Jīva Gosvāmī), the sequence
is: 1) feeling the fire of separation; 2) extending their arms and imitating the
embracing of Kṛṣṇa; 3) singing and searching, and in between, enacting the
pastimes of killing Pūtanā and others; 4) seeing Kṛṣṇa’s footprints.

The gopīs proceeded further, enquiring about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Here the
suggested meaning of the word ‘evaṁ’ is: due to the intensity of divine
madness in separation, the gopīs forgot themselves and, becoming one
with their beloved Kṛṣṇa, enacted many of His līlās. (Verse 3 of this chapter
states: “The moods behind all of Kṛṣṇa’s love-ladened glances and other
inviting gestures infiltrated the gopīs’ bodies; they became maddened, and
started relishing the highest stage of rapture.”) These gopīs, the beloveds
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, started imitating His various pastimes and said, “I am Kṛṣṇa.
Just see how gracefully I walk.” When their absorption slackened and
they came back to their self-awareness, they again started searching for
Kṛṣṇa. It should be understood that the enactment of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes by
the vraja-devīs manifested due to deep absorption in their beloved. In the
story of Prahlāda, it is said that “sometimes devotees, being fully absorbed
in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, imitate Him.” In the narration of rāsa-līlā, a gopī
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imitated Kṛṣṇa pretending to suck the breast of the gopī playing Pūtanā.
They imitated other līlāṣ as well. When their absorption weakened after the
enacting of the līlās, they again started enquiring from the trees, creepers,
and even inanimate objects due to their very intense feelings of separation.
Verse 25
padāni vyaktam etāni

nanda-sūnor mahātmanaḥ
lakṣyante hi dhvajāmbhoja-
vajrāṅkuśa-yavādibhiḥ
After seeing the footprints, the gopīs said, “These footprints

certainly belong to the crest-jewel of benevolent persons, Nanda-
nandana Śrī Śyāmasundara, because the marks of the flag, lotus,
thunderbolt, elephant goad and barleycorn are clearly visible.”

Seeing the footprints, the vraja-devīs spoke among themselves:
‘padāni’ – the group of footprints. “The lotus, thunderbolt, elephant goad
and barleycorn are clearly indicating that these footprints belong to Nanda-
nandana. If we ask, ‘How is this clear?’ the answer is that the flag and other
marks are famous and are clearly indicating this fact. This is the sign of a
mahātma, a great personality. The soles of these feet are decorated with a
flag and other marks because the son of Nanda is the Supreme Person.”
In the Padma-purāṇa’s narration of the Brahmā-Nārada Samvāda,
sixteen different marks are described on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles. “O divine sage, I
have seen sixteen different marks on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles. Eight of them are on
the right sole, and seven are on the left. The eight on the right sole are the flag,
lotus, thunderbolt, goad, barleycorn, swastika, a line going upwards and an
octagon. The seven on the left sole are the rainbow, triangle, water pot, half-
moon, double circle, fish and a cow’s hoof-print. Besides this, there is another
mark like a jamun fruit, a rose apple, which does not have a definite place.”
In Krama-dīpikā, eight marks are described: fish, elephant goad, disc,
conch, flag, barleycorn, lotus and thunderbolt. In Gopāla-tapaṇi Śruti, three
marks are given: conch, flag and umbrella. In the Glorification of Mathurā-
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maṇḍala in Adi-Varaha Purāṇa, it is said, “O auspicious one! The impression

of the disc on the ground is seen where Kṛṣṇa happily plays His pastimes.”
In this way, besides the sixteen marks mentioned here, three more
emblems – disc, conch and umbrella – have also been mentioned. Thus, alto
gether, there are nineteen marks on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles. In the Skanda Purāṇa,
only six marks – disc, etc. – are mentioned; those are in relation to Śrī Viṣṇu
and other incarnations. This is further affirmed in the Padma Purāṇa after
the description of the sixteen marks: “O wise one, when sixteen different
marks are seen on someone’s soles, then it is certain that Svayaṁ Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, has incarnated in the world. There is no doubt
about it. O best of Vaiṣṇavas, among all Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited incarnations,
some have only two, three, four or five symbols out of these sixteen.”
Now the location of these marks is explained, as ascertained in the
Padma Purāṇa. In the middle of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right sole is the flag. The lotus
is located three-fingers’ width below the tip of the middle toe, above the
flag [Skanda Purāṇa concurs with this]. On the right side of the sole is the
thunderbolt, and above that is the elephant goad. At the base of the big toe
is the barleycorn. The swastika is found at the place where it increases the
beauty of the lotus feet. In between the bases of the big toe and the second
toe starts the line which extends to the middle of the sole. Eight fingers below
the tip of the big toe is the octagon. According to the Hayaśīrṣa and Matsya
Purāṇas the length of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles is fourteen fingers, and the width is
six fingers. So one should understand the placement of these symbols is in
accord with these measurements. The measurement of the fingers has been
determined in agreement with these dimensions.
On Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s left sole the multi-colored rainbow is found four fingers
below the tips of the toes. Eight fingers below the tips of the toes in the
middle of the sole is the triangle, and below this is the half-moon, which
is eclipsing the triangle. The water pot is situated at the appropriate place
increasing the beauty. Above all the symbols is the sky, which is represented
by two concentric circles. Below all the symbols is the fish. Below the
rainbow is the cow’s split hoof-print. The jamun fruit has its natural color
and round shape; it is not a line. The gopīs also described all these emblems
on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles are after seeing the footprints. Viṣṇu Purāṇa relates:
“Some gopī, while searching for Kṛṣṇa, looked at the ground and started
horripilating, and with a choked voice, told the other gopīs, ‘Just look, my
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friends! Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, marked with the flag, thunderbolt, goad and
lotus, are visible here.’ Hearing this, the gopīs gazed upon His footprints.”
When the three stages of the gopīs’ divine madness subsided, they
continued their search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the forest. Suddenly they came upon
their lover’s footprints and became very blissful – ‘padānīti.’ Skanda Purāṇa
describes the placement and significance of the flag and the other symbols
adorning Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s soles. First the right sole is described. The
disc is at the base of big toe. The six enemies headed by lust are destroyed
for devotees who remember this mark. Just below Śrī Bhagavān’s middle toe
is the lotus. The bee-like hearts of the devotees who meditate on this lotus
become greedy to drink its nectar. Under the lotus is the flag. The devotees
who meditate on it can attain victory over all anarthas and become fearless.
On Bhagavān’s right heel is the sign of the goad. If devotees remember this,
their uncontrolled elephant-like minds are brought into submission. At the
base of the small toe is the thunderbolt. Remembering this annihilates a
mountain of sins. Remembering the barleycorn at the base of the big toe
brings all kinds of riches. On the right side of the right sole is the thunderbolt
and above that, at the base of the small toe, is the goad.
The Gauḍīya devotees say that Skanda Purāṇa’s statement about the goad
on the heel actually refers to Śrī Nārāyaṇa. In this way, there are six symbols
on Kṛṣṇa’s right sole – disc, flag, lotus, thunderbolt, goad and barleycorn. The
rest of the symbols are described in Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī Tīka. Starting from the
junction of the big and second toes is the line that runs to the middle of the
sole. An umbrella is situated under the disc. Below the middle of the sole are
four swastikas located at the four cardinal directions, and in between each
swastika is a jamun fruit, four in all, and in the middle of the swastikas is the
octagon. This makes eleven emblems on Kṛṣṇa’s right sole.
On the left sole at the base of the big toe is a conch, the top of which
points upwards. This symbol manifests all kinds of knowledge. At the base
of the middle toe is the sky, represented by two concentric circles. Below
that is the bow, without the arrow. Below the bow is the cow’s hoof-print.
Below this is the triangle, around which are four pots (some places say
three). Below the triangle is the half-moon, at whose tips are two triangles.
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Under this is the fish. Including these eight symbols, there are nineteen
emblems in all.
Verse 26
tais taiḥ padais tat-padavīm

anvicchantyo ’grato’balāḥ
vadhvāḥ padaiḥ su-pṛktāni
vilokyārtāḥ samabruvan
The vraja-sundarīs continued searching for their beloved Śrī

Kṛṣṇa following His footprints, and noticing one young bride’s
footprints intermingled with His, they became very disturbed
and talked among themselves.

‘Su-pṛktāni’ – intermixed.

Moving ahead in their search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs followed His
footprints, which were decorated with the flag and other emblems. ‘Tais taiḥ’
(those very ones) is repeated two times, indicating the gopīs’ astonishment at
seeing so many footprints, which were spread out over a vast area; sometimes
they were clearly visible and in other places they were half covered by grass.
Moving forward, they noticed the footprints of a young maiden alongside Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s footprints. Finally they reached a place where they could no longer see
her footprints, and they thought, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa has lifted this young gopī on His
shoulder and walked away.” ‘Abalā’ – weak; the gopīs have been called abalā,
or weak, having become exhausted and feeble due to their separation from
Kṛṣṇa and their tiring search for Him. ‘Vadhu’ – young bride; the purpose of
using the word vadhu is to establish Śrī Rādhā as extremely fortunate and as
being Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost beloved.

‘Su-pṛktāni’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s footprints were intermingled with Śrī Rādhā’s.
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Verse 27
kasyāḥ padāni caitāni

yātāyā nanda-sūnunā
aṁsa-nyasta-prakoṣṭhāyāḥ
kareṇoḥ kariṇā yathā
Oh! Which fortunate vraja-sundarī’s footprints are

these? Just as a she-elephant walks with her beloved, the
king of elephants, She is strolling along with Nanda-nandana
Śyāmasundara, resting Her arm on His shoulder.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa has placed Her arm on His shoulder. ‘Kareṇoḥ’ – she-elephant.
The gopīs who were assembled there spoke together, “Which beautiful
maiden’s footprints are these?” The question may arise, “How did the gopīs
come to know that Śrī Kṛṣṇa went off with one lovely damsel?” The answer
is that the footprints which the gopīs observed were smaller in size, and
their impression in the soil was not deep due to Her being very lightweight.
Seeing these signs, they concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had walked away with one
loving maiden. “These footprints belong to a fair girl who has gone off with
Nanda-nandana.” This sentence may seem to be the statement of the general
gopīs but it should be understood as the joking remark of Śrī Rādhā’s sva-
pakṣa sakhīs, as being quite familiar with Śrī Rādhā’s footprints, they could
recognize them simply by glancing at them.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa had placed the arm of that ramaṇī firmly on His shoulder
for some special enjoyment of rasa, and also, as it was nighttime, She
was stumbling along, unable to walk properly, and He wanted to give Her
support. Furthermore He wanted to take Her away by force to another place.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s love for this maiden, greater than for the others, is confirmed
by this action. There is an example for this: just as a lusty, intoxicated
elephant roams around with the she-elephant from forest to forest, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa also is controlled by the love of this maiden and is roaming about
the forests with Her.
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‘Aṁsa-nyasta-prakoṣṭhāyāḥ’ – on whose shoulder Nanda-nandana
has placed His left arm.
Verse 28
anayārādhito nūnaṁ
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
yan no vihāya govindaḥ
prīto yām anayad rahaḥ
This fortunate ramaṇī has certainly worshiped Bhagavān Śrī

Hari perfectly and has fully satisfied Him. Otherwise, why has
our prāṇa-priyatama Śrī Govinda, who is the love of our life,
abandoned all of us and taken only Her to a secluded place?

‘Rahaḥ’ – secluded place.

Lalitā and other sva-pakṣa sakhīs, Rādhā’s most intimate companions,
recognized Her footprints, but remained silent out of sagacity. Candrāvalī
and other vipakṣa gopīs, being gravely distressed, were unable to speak.
Taṭastha, or neutral, gopīs, who find their happiness in serving Kṛṣṇa
according to their mood, did not pay much attention to the fact that there
were some maiden’s footprints with Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s. As they were not attached
to whether Kṛṣṇa was meeting Rādhā or Candrāvalī, they remained silent.
The friendly suhṛt-pakṣa gopīs – who neither obstruct the meeting of
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa nor make any special endeavor for Their meeting, but still are
happy in Their union – were the first ones to speak ‘anayā’ (by Her): “This
ramaṇī has certainly controlled Bhagavān Śrī Hari and made Him happy by
Her special worship.” The word ‘nūnaṁ’ denotes ‘surmising’ and ‘certainly.’
‘Hari’ is He who takes away all miseries. ‘Bhagavān’ refers to Śrī Nārāyaṇa.
‘Īśvara’ is He who can fulfill the deepest desires of His devotees and who is
independent. ‘Anayārādhito’ – “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, roaming with this ramaṇī who
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worships Him, is controlled by Her, not by us.” ‘Rādhayati’ – Rādhā, who

performs worship; the name Rādhā comes from ārādhanā, to worship. Her
name has manifested in this way.
With great effort, Śrī Śukadeva was trying to hide Śrī Rādhā’s name in
his heart, but by Her mercy, Her name issued forth from his mouth. The
reason for this is that he realized the meaning of the name ‘Govinda’ – He
who enjoys Rādhā’s senses and who is controlled by Her. “So in this dense
forest He has abandoned (vihāya) us (naḥ) and gone off with Her alone to
enjoy in a private place (rahaḥ), which is inaccessible to us.” Or ‘yan naḥ’
– “Rādhā became angry and left the rāsa, so Kṛṣṇa has gone with Her to a
secluded spot, leaving all of us behind.”
The suhṛt-pakṣa gopīs recognized that ramaṇī’s footprints as
belonging to Śrī Vṛṣabhanu-nandinī. Of this they were assured in their
hearts, but because there was a crowd of all kinds of gopīs, they acted as
if they did not know. Understanding the identity of that ramaṇī, the suhṛt-
pakṣa gopīs indirectly pronounced Her name and blissfully expressed the
glories of Her fortune in this verse. ‘Anaiyava nūnaṁ’ – the word ‘nūnaṁ’
means ‘certainly.’ “The maiden who went with Śrī Kṛṣṇa has certainly
worshiped Śrī Nārāyaṇa (bhagavān), who can fulfill the deepest desires of
His devotees (īśvara) and who takes away all miseries (hari), and by Her
worship (ārādhitaḥ) She has controlled Him. But we were not able to do
that. So Śrī Govinda has abandoned us (yan no vihāya) and gone with Her
to the secluded forest.” ‘Rādhayati iti rādhā’ – the use of the verbal root
rādh denotes the name of this ramaṇī as Rādhā. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī
earnestly endeavored to keep Śrī Rādhā’s name a secret, but by Her mercy
it spontaneously emerged from his moon-like mouth, like the rumbling of a
kettledrum announcing Her vast good fortune.
“O gopīs, you uselessly delude yourselves in thinking you are equal to
that great ramaṇī, but this is not logical because certainly Śrī Rādhā has
won Śrī Hari.” ‘Bhagavān’ – He who is handsome and passionate and who
can establish His own glories. ‘Īśvara’ – who is able to cheat you, “so Śrī
Govinda has abandoned all of us and has lovingly taken that ramaṇī to a
secluded nikuñja to enjoy Her senses.”
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Śrī Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi describes the emblems on Rādhā’s soles. Left sole –

a barleycorn is below the big toe, under that is the disc, under that is the
umbrella, and under that is a bracelet. Starting at the juncture of Her large
and second toes is a vertical line that extends down to the middle of Her sole.
A lotus is under the middle toe, under which is a flag with an insignia, and
under that is a creeper with a flower. Under the small toe is a goad, and on
the heel is a half-moon. In total, there are eleven symbols.
Right sole – a conch is under the big toe, under that is a club. Under
the small toe is an altar, under that an earring, and under that a scepter. A
mountain is below the small and middle toes, under that is a chariot, and
a fish is on the heel. This makes a total of eight symbols on the right sole.
Altogether, there are nineteen symbols.
Verse 29
dhanyā aho amī ālyo

govindāṅghry-abja-reṇavaḥ
yān brahmeśau ramā devī
dadhur mūrdhny agha-nuttaye
Some vraja-sundarīs said, “O beloved sakhīs, the dust that

Govinda touches with His lotus feet becomes blissful and attains
all fortune. Even Brahmā, Śiva and Ramā-devī take this dust on
their heads to remove their sufferings and all inauspiciouness.”

“O sakhīs! Ahhh! The dust of Govinda’s lotus feet is very blessed because
Brahmā and others smear this dust on their heads, so we also can anoint
ourselves with this foot-dust and become eligible to attain Kṛṣṇa.”

The taṭastha-pakṣa sakhīs exclaimed ‘dhanyā’ after seeing Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s footprints. “He sakhīs, this dust has become vastly auspicious by
the touch of Govinda’s lotus feet.” They were all suffering from the same
distress, so almost all of them had the same mood, and they all spoke in
unison, “This is extremely astonishing.” The word ‘dadhuḥ’ (took) is in the
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past tense to express that surely this dust has been honored by Brahmā,
Śiva and Ramā-devī, who smeared it on their heads with devotion to dispel
the misery of separation and other sufferings. Ramā-devī is the topmost
of these three, and Śiva is superior to Brahmā. “However, we could not
get the touch of His lotus feet due to some offense or being distressed in
separation. The reason for this dust being blessed is that it has attained
the touch of Govinda’s lotus feet. Therefore Brahmā and others put it on
their heads and become fortunate.”
Actually, this kind of glorification of Kṛṣṇa’s foot-dust manifests in the
gopīs by the effect of their profound prema. The power of prema can make
even an insignificant object appear praiseworthy. When something is truly
glorious, then what can one say about it? The greater the love, the more
dear and praiseworthy something becomes. An example of this is Bharat
Mahārāja’s love for the baby deer as told in Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 5.8.23:
“What austerities has this Earth performed that it is decorated with the
tender footprints of this gentle baby deer, and has thus become the place
where the brāhmaṇas perform fire sacrifices?” In this verse the saintly
King Bharata, who was nursing the baby deer, is glorifying the touch of that
animal’s feet due to his love for it; but in truth, that animal had no potency
to influence the fortune of the Earth.
The taṭastha-pakṣa gopīs, after seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s footprints (but not
giving any heed to the other person’s footprints alongside His, as told in
the previous verse), talked among themselves, “O sakhīs, all this dust is
blessed by receiving the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet; therefore, Brahmā
and other demigods as well take this dust on their heads to get relief from
their misery of separation.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd friends have witnessed
that when Kṛṣṇa returns from the woods to the cowshed, Brahmā and other
demigods descend from Svarga to the forest grounds, meet Him on the path
and offer prayers glorifying Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. This is confirmed in
Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 10.35.22: “vandyamāna-caraṇaḥ pathi vṛddhaiḥ –
All the demigods stand on the side of the path and worship the dust of
Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet with different prayers.”
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“Brahmā and others have attained Śrī Kṛṣṇa by taking this dust on
their heads with devotion, but due to our shyness, we still have not been
successful in this. So our anguish from separation has not been alleviated.
Come, we will smear ourselves with this dust and we will attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Thus our ‘agha,’ our pain from separation, will be dispelled.”
Verse 30
tasyā amūni naḥ kṣobhaṁ

kurvanty uccaiḥ padāni yat
yaikāpahṛtya gopīnām
raho bhunkte ’cyutādharam
Some other gopīs said, “O sakhī, what you say is alright,

but we are observing the raised footprints of some gopī that
are creating great commotion in our hearts. This is because the
sakhī who has taken Śrī Kṛṣṇa to a secluded place has snatched
the nectar of His lips from us – which is the essence of all that we
possess – and is drinking it all by Herself.”

In the present verse ‘tasyā’ (Her), some other cowherd damsels said,
“This ramaṇī has stolen the entire wealth of all the gopīs and is enjoying it
all alone in a secluded place. If this maiden’s footprints were not alongside
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s, we would not be aggrieved, but since they are mixed with His, we
are feeling extreme pain.”
This verse ‘tasyā’ is spoken by the vipakṣa gopīs, the vraja-devīs of
the opposite party – Candrāvalī and her friends. “The footprints of this
ramaṇī are creating extreme pain and agitation in our hearts because
She has stolen away Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the entire wealth of our lives, and
is enjoying the nectar of His lips in a secluded place all by Herself. That
enchantress has looted our treasure. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa would not have
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abandoned us in this remote forest and become absorbed in dallying

privately with Her.”
In some places ‘dhanaṁ’ (riches) is seen instead of ‘raho’ (in seclusion),
but Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has given the meaning of ‘dhanaṁ’ as ‘sarvasva’
(one’s entire property). ‘Acyuta’ – the suggested meaning of this name is
‘the nectar of the lips of that Acyuta, who never abandons this ramaṇī to go
anywhere else.’
The sakhīs of the opposite party spoke this verse beginning with ‘tasyā.’
“The footprints of this ramaṇī seen near Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s footprints are giving
extreme pain to our hearts because the nectar of Acyuta’s lips is our treasure.
It is meant for all of us but this ramaṇī is enjoying it all by Herself. This lusty
maiden is an enchantress. She has brought Kṛṣṇa under Her control by some
illusory power, and taken Him away to a remote place where She is relishing
the nectar of His lips. Because of this, Kṛṣṇa has abandoned all of us maidens,
who are filled with genuine love for Him.”
Verse 31
na lakṣyante padāny atra

tasyā nūnaṁ tṛṇāṅkuraiḥ
khidyat-sujātāṅghri-talām
unninye preyasīṁ priyaḥ
O sakhīs, look! That gopī’s footprints are not seen over here.
It seems that our dearmost Śyāmasundara must have realized,
‘The sharp grass is pricking the tender soles of My beloved,’ so He
must have surely lifted Her up on His shoulder.

These gopīs could no longer see that ramaṇī’s footprints. They kept
searching for Kṛṣṇa’s foot-dust, and seeing only Kṛṣṇa’s footprints now,
they became extremely aggrieved. This has been told in the three verses
starting with ‘na lakṣyante.’ “It seems to indicate that Kṛṣṇa was concerned
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that the tender soles of that ladylove should not be pricked by sharp dry
grass and He thus lifted Her up on His shoulder.”
“Here the footprints of that ramaṇī are not visible anymore because Her
beloved Kṛṣṇa has lifted Her on His shoulder.” This statement spoken by the
vipakṣa gopīs is full of envy. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has given the meaning
of this word ‘unnayana’ as ‘climbing on the shoulder.’ The gopīs of the
opposite party were smoldering in the fire of envy when they no longer saw
that ramaṇī’s footprints alongside Kṛṣṇa’s. This could be the statement of
the sakhīs also, because, thinking this ramaṇī to be the object of Kṛṣṇa’s
love, they felt that beloved Kṛṣṇa has lifted His sweetheart on His shoulder,
as Her tender soles would be hurt by the sharp grass. If we see it in this way,
then the word ‘unnayana’ will be defined as ‘using both His hands to place
Her on His shoulder.’
“O sakhīs afflicted with the dreadful disease of envy! There is no need
to be aggrieved since that ramaṇī’s footprints are not seen here anymore.”
One priya sakhī spoke this verse ‘na lakṣyante’ to her friends, who
became filled with bliss and who looked at each other with crooked smiles.
Rejoicing that those other footprints were not there, they started prattling
and imagining, indicated by ‘nūnaṁ’ (certainly) and other words. ‘Unninye
preyasīṁ – “Certainly Kṛṣṇa has lifted His beloved with both His arms and
embraced Her to His chest. This dear maiden is obviously the exclusive
object of Kṛṣṇa’s love because He became apprehensive that Her tender
soles would be hurt by the sharp grass and He could not tolerate that She
would feel any pain in walking.” Thus, the svapakṣa sakhīs became elated
for two reasons: (1) observing Rādhikā’s great fortune, and (2) seeing the
unhappiness of the vipakṣa sakhīs.
Verse 32
imāny adhika-magnāni
padāni vahato vadhūm
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gopyaḥ paśyata kṛṣṇasya

bhārākrāntasya kāminaḥ
atrāvaropitā kāntā
puṣpa-hetor mahātmanā
As all the gopīs moved ahead, one of them said, “O sakhīs,

look! Here Kṛṣṇa’s footprints are sunk deeper in the sand.
Certainly that lusty fellow has lifted His beloved on His shoulder,
and with Her weight, His feet have left a deeper impression.”

This verse starting with ‘imāny’ is spoken by the vipakṣa gopīs with
envy. “O gopīs, don’t be sad. Look, look! That impassioned Kṛṣṇa picked up
His beloved on His shoulder and became overburdened by Her weight, so
His footprints are deeper in the ground.” “Gopyaḥ – O gopīs!” This address
infers that they are clever enough to correctly interpret all the signs. “It
is obvious that passion is the cause behind Śrī Kṛṣṇa lifting that ramaṇī.
Otherwise, how can that very tender Śyāmasundara pick Her up? He is not
vidagdha-śiromaṇi, clearly He is not the crest-jewel of expert lovers as He
has abandoned all of us and has lifted up that lusty girl instead. ‘Kāminaḥ’
– Kṛṣṇa is under the grip of amorous desire, but He is not prema-rasa-
vidagdha, He is not expert in relishing the flavors of love.
The sakhīs said, “Over here, mahātmā (meaning vidagdha-śiromaṇi
Kṛṣṇa) has put down His beloved on the ground in order to pick flowers.”
The line starting with ‘atrāvaropitā’ is not seen in some books; therefore it
has not been considered as a separate verse.
“O sakhīs, you are speaking without thinking. Don’t feel sad. Why are
you speaking like that? Not seeing the footprints of that ramaṇī is giving
us more pain than seeing them along with Kṛṣṇa’s. We were distressed by
seeing the footprints of that enchantress, but now not seeing them, we are
feeling worse because obviously our praṇa-nātha has lifted Her on His
shoulder to protect Her soles from the sharp grass.”
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After determining the reason for not seeing the footprints, the gopīs
of the rival party said ‘imānī.’ “Here Kṛṣṇa’s footprints have sunk deeper
in the soil.” “Vadhū (bride) – She is not married to Kṛṣṇa but in this lonely
forest He treated this dear one like His young bride. He was overburdened
with Her weight, and these deep footprints are the evidence. Just as
materialistic people roam around in the world carrying the weight of their
wives and children, in the same way Kṛṣṇa is roaming about, carrying this
sweetheart as His bride. Kṛṣṇa is simply lusty, and is not a proper lover
because He has abandoned all of us damsels, who are filled with true love
for Him. Because He is caught in the jaws of lust, He is carrying this bride
around; otherwise how could Kṛṣṇa, the very delicate son of the king of
Vraja, manage to lift that gopī?”
‘Atra’ (in this place): the sakhīs said, “At this place Kṛṣṇa put down
His beloved from His embrace.” According to them He is ‘mahātmā’ (mahe
+ ātmā), or vidagdha-śiromaṇi; mahe means ‘He who loves decorating
the hair of His beloved,’ and ātmā means ‘heart.’ One whose heart is
absorbed in decorating the hair of His beloved is mahātmā. “He put down
His beloved under this aśoka tree, thinking, ‘By touching Her feet, the
tree will blossom with profuse flowers, and I will pluck those flowers and
decorate My sweetheart.’” With this thought, Kṛṣṇa placed His beloved on
the ground and gathered flowers for decorating Her, so He is ‘mahātmā,’
very intelligent.
Verse 33
atra prasūnāvacayaḥ
priyārthe preyasā kṛtaḥ
prapadākramaṇa ete
paśyatāsakale pade
O sakhīs, look, look! That expert lover Śyāmasundara put His

beloved down in this place and, standing on His tiptoes, gathered
flowers to decorate her. We can see from the footprints that only
the front part of His feet have left an impression in the ground
and the heels are nowhere to be seen.
237

‘Prapadākramaṇa’ – impression made in the ground from standing on
the front part of the feet. “Just see, the footprints are not complete here.”
Some other sakhīs spoke this verse ‘atra prasūna.’ “Preyasā – Kṛṣṇa,
who has boundless love, has picked flowers at this place to decorate His
beloved.” “How do you know that the lover Kṛṣṇa has picked flowers?” This is
indicated by ‘prapadākramaṇa,’ meaning that only the front part of His feet
have left marks on the ground. These same marks are seen under many trees.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa states: “Certainly at this place Śrī Dāmodara has
picked many flowers. Only the toes of that mahātmā have left impressions
in the ground. So many toe-marks are seen here.”
Kṛṣṇa picked flowers from this aśoka tree for His beloved, so there
were no blossoms seen on these branches. To reach flowers on the higher
branches He stood on His tiptoes; thus His footprints were incomplete.
Verse 34
keśa-prasādhanaṁ tv atra
kāminyāḥ kāminā kṛtam
tāni cūḍayatā kāntām
upaviṣṭam iha dhruvam
Look! Certainly this expert lover Kṛṣṇa sat down here and
decorated His beloved’s hair, just like an impassioned man and
for sure, sitting here, He wove the flowers that He picked with His
own hands into His sweetheart’s braid.

Seeing the signs that indicated that that beautiful girl had been sitting
on Kṛṣṇa’s lap, the gopīs said, “At this place that lusty boy arranged the hair
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Chapter 2
of that lusty girl. Certainly He sat here and placed a flower ornament on the
top of Her braid.
Seeing a wreath of flowers fallen on the ground, the vipakṣa sakhīs
said again, “Sitting here that lusty Kṛṣṇa embellished the hair of that
lusty girl.” The word ‘tu’ (furthermore) has been used to express a fresh
consideration to the gopīs’ previous conclusion. In some versions ‘hi’ is
found, meaning ‘certainly.’ ‘Kāminyāḥ kāminā’ (the impassioned girl and
boy) – these two words are used in describing His decorating Her hair. In
other words, by arranging Her hair, He enjoyed amorous play; this is one
of the activities that a person in the heat of passion likes to do. “Certainly
at this place that impassioned boy sat down to tie flowers in Her hair.” Just
as a person sits to dress another person’s hair, the same signs are seen
here. Many times in the nikuñjas of Vraja, the gopīs had witnessed the way
Kṛṣṇa sat down to decorate Śrī Rādhā’s hair, so they surmised that this was
what happened here.
The signs here were evident that that ramaṇī was sitting on Kṛṣṇa’s
lap. Thus the vipakṣa gopīs were again saying, “Kṛṣṇa embellished His
sweetheart’s hair in this place. We can understand that a forest-goddess
provided the comb and other items needed for decorating Her hair.
That ramaṇī is lusty and not a real lover. Otherwise, why else would She
deceive Her priya-sakhīs and come alone to this secluded place with Her
impassioned lover? Kṛṣṇa Himself is also overcome by desire and not a
true lover. He doesn’t even acknowledge our pain of separation. In the
fever of His passion, He abandoned all of us, who have genuine love for
Him, and carried that lusty girl over here. And on top of that, with His own
hands He picked flowers with which He fashioned a crown for Her hair.
This action demonstrates Kṛṣṇa’s subservient nature when He’s intent on
pleasing His sweetheart. For the sake of Their pleasure in Their intimate
love-play, it is for certain that They sat down here in this isolated place and
completely under the control of lust, They engaged in amorous chitchat
while Kṛṣṇa decorated His beloved.”
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Verse 35
reme tayā cātma-rata

ātmārāmo ’py akhaṇḍitaḥ
kāmināṁ darśayan dainyaṁ
strīṇāṁ caiva durātmatām
O Parīkṣit, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, self-satisfied and infallible,

is Himself the source of His own pleasure. Thus, He cannot be
attracted by the beauty and feminine charms of alluring damsels.
Yet, to reveal the pathetic condition of lusty men (under the
control of ladies) and crafty women, Śrī Kṛṣṇa engaged in love-
play with the gopīs.

Śrī Śukadeva has resumed his narration with this verse ‘reme.’ Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is self-satisfied (svātma-rata), He takes pleasure within Himself
only (ātmārāma), and He is infallible, not attracted by feminine charms
(akhaṇḍita). If this is so, why did He engage in amorous dalliance? The
answer is ‘kāmināṁ:’ to expose the pathetic condition of lusty men and the
deviousness of worldly women.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī praised the līlā of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through the
lips of the gopīs. Now, he himself glorified these pastimes in this and the next
few verses. Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoyed amorous activities with that ramaṇī although
He is svātma-rata, ātmārāma and akhaṇḍita. ‘Svātma-rata:’ sva means
aṁśa-rūpa vaibhava, direct pastime expansions of His transcendental
potency; this refers to the goddesses of fortune from Vaikuṇṭha and the
very dear cowherd maidens, Kṛṣṇa being their source (aṁśī). This is how
He is complete in Himself, and has no expectations from others. ‘Ātmani’ –
He is absorbed in Himself, i.e., He is self-satisfied (pūrṇakāma). Being
pūrṇakāma, He is completely absorbed in the bliss of His own svarūpa;
He does not need any second item for enjoyment, so He is ‘ātmārāma.’
He enjoyed with that ramaṇī although He is ‘svātma-rata’ and ‘ātmārāma.’
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He completely ignored Lakṣmī and all the beloved cowherd damsels, but by
dallying with that ramaṇī, He increased His pleasure.
What is the reason for this? The answer is found in the word ‘tayā’ (with
Her), referring to that ramaṇī, who is the highest abode of kṛṣṇa-prema. Tat
is another form of tayā – “He enjoyed with that ramaṇī.” The use of this word
by Śukadeva Gosvāmī reveals his exceptional intelligence, having spoken
this after realizing the enormity of Rādhā’s love as compared to the other
beloveds. (The word ‘tayā,’ meaning ‘she,’ in the original verse ends in the
third case. The revered commentator interprets the instrumental (third) case
as denoting causality, so the meaning is ‘because of Her.’ In other words,
She is the cause for Kṛṣṇa’s leaving the rāsa-maṇḍala.) In the original verse
the phrase ‘reme tayā svātma-rata’ is seen, but in some books ‘cātma-rata’
is used. The explanation of both is the same, but the phrase ‘ātma-rata’
cannot be taken as ātmārāma; this would create the fault of redundancy.
In the original verse the word is ‘ātmārāma,’ yet the word ‘ātma-rata’ (ātma
means Self and rata means satisfied) denotes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pūrṇakāmatā, all
His desires being fulfilled within. ‘Cātma-rata’ – many gopīs discussed the
dalliance of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the previous verses. The letter ‘ca’ confirms
that Kṛṣṇa indeed enjoyed with Rādhā exactly as the gopīs described.
One might object that Śrī Kṛṣṇa also enjoys with the goddesses of
fortune and the other cowherd maidens. The reply is this: Kṛṣṇa is always
‘akhaṇḍita,’ undivided in His enjoyment with Rādhā. When associating with
Lakṣmī and the beloveds of Vraja, Kṛṣṇa is khaṇḍita – His mind becomes
distracted and He remembers Rādhā, just as a khaṇḍitā nāyikā remembers
Her lover while meeting with her husband. When He is with Rādhā, He
is never khaṇḍita, His mind is never diverted to Lakṣmī or others. Kṛṣṇa
has surrendered His whole being to Rādhā, accepting defeat in the face
of Her love. To be controlled by the love of His dear ones is His great
attribute. This has been described in Śrī Bhāgavatāmṛta and elsewhere
in many ways. Rādhā’s prema is so powerful that Kṛṣṇa, even while being
‘svātma-rata,’ is controlled by Her love, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s prema is such that
it overrides His ātmārāmatā.
Worldly lusty men and women are devoid of real shelter and pure love;
and such persons are defeated by the glories of Kṛṣṇa’s prema. The words
‘kāmināṁ darśayan’ in this verse have been spoken to explain this. Ordinary
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people have three defects: they end up producing stool and urine, their bodies
are dependent on grains and water, and their nature is to satisfy their bodily
cravings. This verse bespeaks of the pathetic condition and misfortune of
such impassioned persons. However, He who is saccidānanda vigrahā is
self-satisfied; the words ‘kāmināṁ darśayan’ do not apply to Him, nor do they
apply to His dear ones, who find their satisfaction in His pleasure.
‘Strīṇāṁ’ refers to the deviousness of ordinary women, who display
the three defects. This has not been said about the saccidānanda vraja-
devīs, who live only to give pleasure to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are described in
the forthcoming verse of Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 10.32.10, “tābhir vidhūta-
śokābhir – The Supreme Lord Acyuta was shining splendidly, encircled by
the gopīs, who were now freed from all distress.” This shows the distinctive
characteristic of the gopīs in whose hearts exceptional love arose for Kṛṣṇa,
even after He caused them to suffer in separation. But ordinary women have
base natures: intoxicated by pride, they become overjoyed in controlling
passionate men. This is the meaning of ‘strīṇāṁ.’
In the Dvārakā pastimes, in answer to Kṛṣṇa’s joking words, Śrī Rukmiṇī
says in Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 10.60.45, “O my Lord, a foolish woman who has
not worshiped Your transcendental lotus feet and who has never relished even
one drop of the sweet honey issuing forth from them, accepts as her husband
a mortal man, whose body is a living corpse, consisting inside of muscles,
bones, blood, parasites, stool, mucus, bile and air, and externally covered
by skin, hair, whiskers, beard, nails and bodily hairs.” In this verse Kṛṣṇa’s
exceptional quality is described: ‘yā te padābja-makarandam ajighratī strī’ –
and that ramaṇī who spoke these words is also exceptional due to her ability
to realize the exceptional sweetness emanating from His lotus feet.
Again, to demonstrate more the pitiable condition of lusty men and
the deviousness of ordinary women, two more verses are quoted: ‘darśaya
dvidhu parājayaṁ’ and ‘sat-sarasijodara.’ The second verse is from Gopī-
gīta, Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 10.31.2: “O Kṛṣṇa, Lord of amorous love! You
fulfill all desires. We are Your unpaid maidservants, but You are killing us
with the beauty of Your glance, which demolishes the pride of the most
beautiful, fully blossomed lotuses in an autumn pond. To kill like this, by
Your glance – is this not considered murder in this world?” These words
were not uttered with any ill will towards Kṛṣṇa; they spontaneously flowed
from the lips of the vraja-gopīs, who are endowed with mahābhāva and
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who were serving Kṛṣṇa by delighting Him with their unparalleled words full
of rasa. In this way they increased His pleasure.
These eloquent words, which flow from the heart, and not from
mental deliberation, make Kṛṣṇa’s beauty and other attributes shine forth
spontaneously. Kṛṣṇa did not see even a speck of duplicity in the gopīs.
He is svātma-rata and ātmārāma; His activities do not reflect any trace of
the contemptuous behavior of materialistic, lusty persons. This is the only
way to understand Kṛṣṇa’s conduct. It is Kṛṣṇa’s nature to be controlled by
His devotees’ love, but in the eyes of those averse to Him, He appears to be
driven by amorous passion. In Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 9.4.64, Śrī Nārāyaṇa
is saying, “I love My devotees more than My own self.” The śāstras present
many other such statements affirming this.

In this way, having expressed Śrī Rādhā’s exceptional good fortune
through the words of the gopīs, now Śrī Śukadeva himself proclaimed the
same thing in this verse starting with ‘reme.’ Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma; yet He
engaged in loving affairs with Śrī Rādhikā. He is svātma-rata and enjoys
with Śrī Rādhā, who is His splendid ātmā, His very soul. The pleasure He
derives in enjoying with Śrī Rādhā, He does not get in ātmārāmatā. In some
books the word cātma-rata is seen, but if the word ‘ātma-rata’ is taken as
‘ātmārāma,’ then the defect of redundancy is incurred. When the letter ‘ca’
is interpreted as ‘eva’ (certainly, or indeed), then it means that He is making
very special endeavors to enjoy with param-premavatī Śrī Rādhikā, who
is endowed with the highest love for Him. According to the Amara Kośa
dictionary, the meaning of ātmā is ‘endeavor, intelligence, determination.’
So the pleasure that Śrī Kṛṣṇa reaps in His enjoyment with Śrī Rādhikā is
not available in His ātmārāmatā. In other words, the joy that He relishes with
Her is absent in ātmārāmatā, His aspect of taking pleasure within Himself
only; therefore He is eager to enjoy with Śrī Rādhikā.
If this is true, then there could be an objection and one could accuse
Kṛṣṇa of being apūrṇa, or incomplete. The retort is that He is ‘akhaṇḍita,’
not fragmented; He is perfect and complete because Śrī Rādhikā is His
second form, His internal potency (hlādinī-śakti). In this way, Śrī Rādhā
is the form of hlādinī-śakti, the pleasure-giving potency, the essence of
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which is prema; Her prema evolves to its ultimate limit of mahābhāva, and
She alone is the embodiment of this mahābhāva. The delight Śrī Kṛṣṇa
derives in His ātmārāmatā is minute in comparison to His enjoyment
with Śrī Rādhikā, who is the total essence of the delight contained in
mahābhāva. So naturally, He experiences greater pleasure with Her than
reveling alone within Himself.
The Gautamīya-tantra states, “The hlādinī potency is paramount
among all the potencies. It has its source in Śrī Rādhikā, who is the sum total
of the hlādinī potency and the embodiment of mahābhāva. She possesses
all the best qualities.” Although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma, at the same time
He is svātma-rata, busy enjoying with Śrī Rādhā. He is svātma-rata, yet
He is akhaṇḍita, or complete. He is pūrṇa, complete within Himself, yet He
is absorbed in enjoying with Śrī Rādhā. For the welfare of materialists or
those who are ignorant of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Bhagavān conceals His
confidential pleasure-filled activities lest such persons misconstrue them.
This is the explanation of the word ‘kāmināṁ’ (lusty men).
Through His confidential pastimes with Śrī Rādhā, Bhagavān is
imparting moral instruction for the benefit of humanity, but these spotless
amorous activities cannot be understood by those under the sway of lust
and controlled by devious women. Passionate men are in a most pitiful and
degraded condition, and in such a state, hard-hearted women deviously
take advantage of them. In the previous verses the vraja-devīs, in their mad
prattle, have accused Śrī Kṛṣṇa of being lusty and Śrī Rādhā of being crooked,
and thus they conceal the true nature of ujjvala-prema-rasa, resplendent
pure amorous love. Worldly lovers, who see this world as a mirror of their
own consciousness (the so-called logic of ātmavat manyate jagat), think
that Kṛṣṇa is lusty and Rādhā is crooked like themselves. In other words,
they display the humble behavior of impassioned men when proposing to a
woman and the duplicity of women who reject their advances.
In the transcendental amorous love, when Kṛṣṇa entreats Śrī Rādhā
for Her favors, He accepts subservience and comes under Her control. She,
in turn, exhibits reluctance. This behavior enhances and nourishes Their
spotless love – there is no other way. This is the explanation conveyed by
rasika devotees.
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Verses 36 -37
ity evaṁ darśayantyas tāś

cerur gopyo vicetasaḥ
yāṁ gopīm anayat kṛṣṇo
vihāyānyāḥ striyo vane
sā ca mene tadātmānaṁ
variṣṭhaṁ sarva-yoṣitām
hitvā gopīḥ kāma-yānā
mām asau bhajate priyaḥ
The gopīs, having lost their presence of mind, wandered

from one forest to another. They were showing each other the
footprints of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His beloved. That fortunate gopī
whom He took to a secluded place, leaving behind all the other
cowherd maidens, proudly felt, “I am the most favored. He has
rejected all the others, who also love Him dearly. I am the special
recipient of His honor and veneration.”

‘Sā ca mene’ (She thought) – The deviousness of women is expressed by
Śrī Śukadeva in these two verses. ‘Kāma-yānām’ – Lust is the only reason
why these women have come in the forest, that is, they have collected here
for the sole purpose of fulfilling their desire. “Kṛṣṇa has left all the other
gopīs and is worshiping Me alone.” For this reason this ramaṇī thinks She
is the foremost.

The bewildered gopīs, observing all the footprints, were wandering
from one forest to another. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has not accepted the first
half of verse 36, because the first line of this verse ‘ity evaṁ’ is inconsistent
with the narration of the previous verse 35 spoken by Śrī Śukadeva. The
second line of verse 36, ‘yāṁ gopīm,’ is also not approved by Śrīdhara
Svāmī because the words ‘sā ca’ in the next verse are incongruous with
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the commentary on ‘strīṇāṁ durātmatām’ in verse 35. Therefore, he has

disregarded this entire verse and commented only on verse 37.
The verse ‘sā ca’ delineates the great glories of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s
love, which is nourished by māna (love filled anger) and its subsequent
pacification. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa was enjoying with that ramaṇī alone in that
secluded place, She considered Herself to be the most favored. Now this
māna has arisen in Her, although previously when the other gopīs were
feeling proud, She was not in māna. This indicates two kinds of māna in
the vraja-devīs. When in their hearts only their beloved manifests, then
their sthāyī-bhāva rises to māna, and they experience a sañcārī-bhāva of
tremendous joy. However, when they slowly come to external consciousness,
this māna is accompanied with the sañcārī-bhāva of pride.
Śrī Rādhā has very intense anurāga, so in Her heart only Kṛṣṇa was
manifesting; thus She continued to experience the sañcārī-bhāva of
excessive joy. Now, upon Her regaining Her senses, the sañcārī-bhāva of
pride has arisen in Her heart. Then, why did this gopī consider Herself the
foremost, better than all the others? The reason is that Śrī Rādhā thought to
Herself, “Leaving all the other gopīs, who had come to gratify their amorous
desires, this indescribable, wonderfully glorious, supremely independent
and most rare hero is pursuing Me only. He is My only lover, and He is
reciprocating exclusively with My love.”
In Her heart Śrī Rādhā always feels that She is the most fortunate of
all the gopīs, while the other cowherd maidens feel that they are much
more blessed than ordinary pleasurable women. In this respect also the
speciality of Śrī Rādhikā’s love in comparison to all the other gopīs has
been exemplified.

After describing the extraordinary nectar that Śrī Vṛṣabhānu-nandinī
relishes in meeting with Her beloved (saṁujjvala-saṁbhoga-rasa), Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is now awakening the seed of vipralambha, the feelings
experienced in separation, in the verse ‘yāṁ gopīm.’ That ramaṇī, Śrī
Rādhā, was amidst the gopīs who were filled with pride in their good fortune
(saubhāgya-mada), having received so much honor from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but She
did not share in that pride. Suddenly, this māna arose in Śrīmātī Rādhikā as
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She considered Herself the topmost [and He was not giving Her the esteem
She deserved]. She thought, “My beloved Kṛṣṇa has abandoned all the other
gopīs, who were eager for amorous enjoyment, and now He is adoring only
Me, trying to please Me in so many ways.” When previously Śrī Rādhā had
seen that Kṛṣṇa was treating Her the same as all the other gopīs, She had
gone into māna, but now that sulky mood also disappeared.
Verse 38
tato gatvā vanoddeśaṁ

dṛptā keśavam abravīt
na pāraye ’haṁ calituṁ
naya māṁ yatra te manaḥ
Developing pride in this way, that special gopī wandered in

the forest with Her lover and became intoxicated by her love and
good fortune. She asked Kṛṣṇa, who controls even Brahmā and
Śiva, “O My beloved, I cannot walk any further. My tender feet are
tired, so You can carry Me on Your shoulder wherever You like.”

Śrī Rādhā considered Herself the most excellent of all and was very
proud of it. As She continued walking in the forest with Keśava – He who
arranges the hair (keśa) of Śrī Rādhā – She spoke to Him. What did She ask
Him? “After walking so much in the forest, I have become very tired and
cannot walk any further.” These words are deceptive. Kṛṣṇa might answer,
“He Mugdhe, O innocent girl! Do You want to enter into the charming forest,
away from the other gopīs?” Rādhā replied, “naya – No. Pick Me up in Your
arms like before and carry Me.”

Śrī Rādhikā, proud of Her good fortune, entered an especially beautiful
part of the forest with Keśava, and spoke to Him. One who decorates Śrī
Rādhā’s hair (keśa) and weaves it into a braid – He is Keśava. Underlying
Her sweet words was a hidden meaning. The proud words of a svādina-
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kantā, an independent ladylove, give very special pleasure to the hero.

Therefore, Śrī Rādhikā said, “I’ve become exhausted from wandering
around so many places in the forest. I cannot walk any further.” Kṛṣṇa might
answer, “O innocent girl, You cannot be carefree by resting here, because if
all those gopīs come, then Our private tryst will be disturbed. So we should
go somewhere else.” Her reply: “You can pick Me up like before and take Me
wherever You want.” Then He might ask, “Should I carry You to the flower
bed in a secluded nikuñja, where others cannot enter? Or should I take You
to a flower garden to decorate You with flowers?” Her answer to that: “Take
Me wherever You want.”
Verse 39
evam uktaḥ priyām āha

skandha āruhyatām iti
tataś cāntardadhe kṛṣṇaḥ
sā vadhūr anvatapyata
Hearing His beloved’s words, Śrī Śyāmasundara said, “O

dear one, just climb on My shoulder.” But as soon as She tried
to do this, He disappeared, upon which this special gopī started
weeping bitterly.

The present verse starting with ‘evam uktaḥ’ describes the lowness of
passionate persons. As soon as that maiden was about to climb on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
shoulder, He disappeared. This action demonstrates His akhaṇḍatvā, His
completeness.
In the mood of svādhīna-bhartṛkā, a lady who controls her lover, Śrī
Rādhā spoke some joking words, feigning laziness. Hearing Her statement,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in turn, similarly tricked Her and disappeared. This has been
narrated in the present verse starting with ‘evam uktaḥ’ and the next two
verses. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “O My beloved, climb on My shoulder.” His invitation
was just a joke, but She took it as a love-filled proposal. Such joking words,
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when spoken by others, may seem abusive, but when spoken by one’s
beloved, they seem genuine. For example, smoke coming from ordinary
wood is not pleasant for anybody, but smoke that comes from sandalwood
in the form of incense is pleasing to everyone.
In this verse, the meaning of ‘skandha’ is ‘shoulder and chest.’ The Viśva-
prakāśa Sanskrit dictionary gives several meanings of ‘skandha:’ ‘upper part
of a tree trunk, body, shoulder and group.’ Here, if the meaning is taken as
‘body’, then ‘chest’ is most appropriate. “O My lovely one, mount on My chest,”
He said to Her but He did not mean it. ‘Tataḥ’ means ‘afterwards,’ and ‘ca’
means ‘however,’ indicating a change of action. Alternatively, the phrase can
be read, ‘and He disappeared,’ where ‘ca’ means ‘and,’ which connects a group
of actions. The purpose of Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance was to remove the envy of
the gopīs from the different groups and to establish good will among all of
them. Even when Kṛṣṇa disappeared the first time, He had a similar purpose
of bringing unity. Śrī Kṛṣṇa performs many difficult tasks with one action,
and this exhibits His clever expertise. How amazing it is that the intelligence
of the Supreme Controller strolls over the heads of everyone.
As a svādhīna-bhartṛkā heroine controlling Her lover, Śrī Rādhā
exhibits the highest level of Her prema. They were enjoying Their amorous
union congenially. Suddenly Śrī Kṛṣṇa tricked Her and disappeared. She
came tumbling down from the highest ecstasy of union to the deep despair
of vipralambha, and started wailing and crying piteously in separation, but
even in such a situation, Her humility highlighted another aspect of Her
topmost excellent level of prema. The letter ‘sā’ in this verse indicates this
ramaṇī, whose life and soul is darśana of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Thereafter, Śrī Kṛṣṇa thought to Himself, “The crown-jewel of excellent
heroines, love-filled Rādhikā, has given up Her natural contrary behavior
(vamyatā) and shyness, being completely absorbed in amorous play with
Me. When requested by the hero, a proper heroine does not easily accept his
invitation to go to the flower bed. If She has given up Her natural contrary
behavior, and if I also adopt a proper hero’s dakṣina-bhava, or compliant
mood, towards the ladylove – if both lovers display the same mood – then
there is an obstacle in tasting the rasa fully. So better I give up My dakṣiṇa-
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bhāva, My natural mood of cooperation. The hero and heroine should not
both adopt the same mood, whether dakṣiṇa-bhāva or vāmya-bhāva. So, if I
give up the natural behavior of a hero, rasika devotees will not find fault with
Me because according to convention, by the lover accepting a mood opposite
to the heroine’s, the sweet conjugal mellow becomes more relishable.
“Therefore, I will adopt a non-cooperative vāmya mood. In this way,
My long-standing desire to see the deep vipralambha condition of param-
premavatī Rādhikā will also be fulfilled. The other gopīs have observed the
bliss and good fortune that Rādhikā manifests in My embrace, but now they
will witness Rādhikā’s wondrous condition arising from My separation,
which is born from Her fathomless love for Me. They will drown in an ocean
of supreme astonishment upon observing this.
“In this way, the gopīs will be able to understand Rādhikā’s deeper
sentiments in separation as compared to their own. They will see that their
affliction in viraha is like the flame of a lamp, while Her anguish is like
a blazing forest fire. Thus they will realize the insignificance of their own
pain. When complete saṁbhoga is followed by vipralambha, the amorous
mellow (śṛṅgāra-rasa) is fully consummated. If the gopīs only witness the
bliss Rādhā experiences in meeting with Me and do not see Her condition in
separation, they will not be content.
“After I very skillfully leave Her, and the other gopīs witness Her agony
in separation, they will sympathize with Her because they will be sharing the
same pain. Thus their hearts will become totally absorbed in Me with the
same feelings. Later, when I appear among them, their pain of separation
will be dispelled. All sharing in the same joyful mood, they will join the
rāsa dance and it will be performed and relished properly. If I appear now
with Rādhikā by My side, their vanity will not be redressed by any means.”
Deliberating thus, Śrī Kṛṣṇa decided to adopt vamya-bhāva and to suddenly
disappear. He told Rādhikā, “skandhe āruhyatām – Climb on My shoulder.”
As soon as Śrī Rādhikā readied to do this, He vanished from Her sight.
In the previous verse, Śrī Rādhā said, “O Kṛṣṇa, You can carry Me wherever
You like.” Her real intent was: “I have become very tired from roaming in the
forest and engaging in amorous activities, so I feel like taking some rest here. If
My sweetheart remains awake the whole night, certainly He will not feel well.”
For these reasons Śrī Rādhā decided to be taken to the flower bed without
offering any objection, thinking that both of Them could sleep together on
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the same bed. For the perfection of this pastime, prema-rasa-mayī-līlā-śakti,

the potency that fills the līlās with loving sentiments, covered Their ability
to know each other’s intentions. ‘Anvatapyata’ – Śrī Rādhā began lamenting
over and over again and burning in excruciating separation.
Verse 40
hā nātha ramaṇa preṣṭha

kvāsi kvāsi mahā-bhuja
dāsyās te kṛpaṇāyā me
sakhe darśaya sannidhim
O possessor of My life, O lover, O My dearest one, where are You?

Where are You, O mighty-armed one? O My friend, I am Your most
fallen maidservant. Quickly come to Me and give Me Your darśana.

This verse starting with ‘hā nātha’ describes Śrī Rādhikā’s lamentation.
Śrī Rādhikā’s lamentation is described in this verse starting with ‘hā
nātha.’ The word ‘hā’ is a cry of pain, expressing great sorrow; it is uttered
with each salutation. ‘Nātha’ means ‘master who maintains Me;’ ‘ramaṇa’ –
‘Gift Me with amorous pleasure;’ ‘preṣṭha’ – ‘The one who loves Me in the
most suitable way and whose prema for Me is always expanding.’ ‘Kvāsi’ –
‘Where are You? You have so much love for Me, so why have You left Me
alone and gone into hiding? Alas, because I do not know where You are, My
heart is greatly troubled.’ ‘Kvāsi’ is repeated twice due to extreme perplexity.
She remembered the exceptional good fortune She enjoyed when embraced
by Kṛṣṇa. She also recalled the special beauty of His limbs, which stimulated
Her prema-rasa. Treasuring these recollections, She became enchanted and
called out, “He mahā-bhuja! O might-armed one!” And in utter humility She
cried, “dāsya – Please bring this maidservant to You.”
Kṛṣṇa might ask, “Are You searching for Me to get My embrace
again?” Anticipating this question, She said, “No, no. O My friend, where
are You? You Yourself enfolded Me in Your arms earlier and thus created
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My present sorrow, but I don’t even want Your embrace now. Just tell Me
Your whereabouts, and I will be pacified simply by knowing that.” The word
‘dāsya’ means “I am Your maidservant, unqualified to be Your sakhī. But
only when You favored Me, the qualification to receive Your affection was
thrust upon Me. It is You who has mercifully implanted in My heart the
desire to give You pleasure. By the power of that mercy I want to serve You
exclusively in a way that is most favorable for Your delight. ‘Kṛpaṇāyāḥ’ – I
am unable to tolerate this misery in the absence of Your service. Therefore,
I am highly distressed. This is the reason I cannot endure separation from
You, and I am unable to drive this pain out of My heart. So please don’t
neglect Me. I beg You not to sew the seed of sorrow.”
This verse is full of grief, which is steeped in humility, or self-abnegation
(audārya-anubhāva). Scholars define audārya as ‘humility in all possible
situations.’ After this, out of sheer exhaustion, Śrī Rādhā had no energy to
even lament anymore, and She fainted on the ground in intense separation.
For this reason, in the next verse, Śrī Śukadeva has used the word ‘mohitā,’
meaning ‘unconscious.’

Śrī Rādhikā’s lamentation is described in this verse starting with ‘hā
nātha.’ He nātha – the address means: “I am being scorched in the blazing
fire of separation from You, and My life air is leaving My body. I am trying
My best to keep it with Me, but am not able to stop it from leaving. You are
the one and only master of My life airs, so quickly come and protect Me. I am
not requesting You to protect My life for My own selfish desire, but rather for
Your better interests. ‘Hā ramaṇa’ – He ramaṇa! You have abandoned all the
gopa-ramaṇīs and brought only Me to this remote place to relish amorous
pleasure with You. But if I die in Your absence, You will not be able to partake
of this amorous delight, and You will lament in grief, remembering Me.”
Kṛṣṇa might reply, “If I am distressed, then what is it to You?”
Apprehending this, She says, “He preṣṭha, You are my dearmost one. You are
My sole lover – You and only You. So any distress You might feel multiplies
a million-fold in My heart and gives Me much more pain. To the tips of Your
toenails, I can sacrifice millions and millions of My lives. I cannot tolerate
that You undergo any suffering, even after My demise. This is the reason
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You should mercifully give Me Your darśana and remove My suffering.

Bring Me close to You.”
Kṛṣṇa again might say, “How shall I be able to protect Your life, which is
escaping from Your body?” She replies, “He mahā-bhuja, You have mighty
arms. Your two arms are like a sañjīvanī, a life-giving tonic, which can
revive one from death. Simply by the touch of Your arms, My body will be
rejuvenated and cooled, and My life force, which is on the verge of slipping
away, will come back and remain fixed in My body.” Kṛṣṇa might object, “If
Your condition becomes so extreme without Me, then knowing that I am
none other than the son of the respected king of Vraja and also very tender,
why did You order Me, ‘Take Me wherever You want?’ Why have You roused
My anger in this way?”
Rādhā’s piteous answer reflects Her great anxiety: “I am Your fallen
maidservant. I spoke like that because I was extremely tired from roaming
in the forest, overcome by indolence and sleepiness after Our amorous play.
So please forgive this most fallen maidservant. I am unqualified to be Your
maidservant, yet very mercifully You have established this strong friendship
between us. I spoke on the strength of this. That’s why I am now saying, ‘O
friend, bring Me close to You.’”
In answer Kṛṣṇa might say, “He priye, O My dearest, I am pleased with
You. Come to Me.” Her reply: “O friend, I cannot come because I am blinded
by the pain of remorse, so I am unable to see where You are. Thus You have
to bring Me to You.” Grieving in intense separation, She fell on the ground in
a swoon. For this reason the word ‘mohitā’ has been used in the next verse.
Verse 41
anvicchantyo bhagavato
mārgaṁ gopyo ’vidūritaḥ
dadṛśuḥ priya-viśleṣān
mohitāṁ duḥkhitāṁ sakhīm
O Parīkṣit, in the meantime, the gopīs continued following

Bhagavān’s footprints on the path, and reached there. From a
short distance they saw that their (fortunate) sakhī had fallen
unconscious, being extremely unhappy due to the excruciating
pain of separation.
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While searching for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs saw their sakhī nearby.

‘Avidūrata’ means ‘not very far,’ because if they are too far away, then
there is the possibility of not seeing Her. However, illuminated by the rays
of the full-moon, the beautiful Rādhā was highly visible. While searching for
Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs saw their sakhī lying on the ground in intense separation
from Her lover. Overwhelmed in agony, She had fainted (mohitā), and now
all the other gopīs were sharing Her grief. All of them were equally afflicted
in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, yet Śrī Rādhikā’s pain of separation was acute,
especially because Kṛṣṇa had left Her alone. Witnessing this, the other gopīs
dropped their envy and sympathized with Her, as all of them were now
suffering in the same condition. The word ‘sakhī’ has been used for this
purpose. However, we should understand that Śrī Rādhā’s own friends have
very special love for Her, as compared to the other gopīs.

As they were searching for Kṛṣṇa, from afar the gopīs saw Rādhikā
lying on the ground senseless, shining like an effulgent flash of lightning.
Observing Her miserable condition, even vipakṣa sakhīs felt affection for
Her. This is the nature of ujjvala-rasa, that in the ladylove’s separation
from her lover, envy in all the other ladyloves dissolves, and affectionate
feelings arise. Thus it is said that only in separation, there is an external
manifestation of affection for each other.
Verse 42
tayā kathitam ākarṇya

māna-prāptiṁ ca mādhavāt
avamānaṁ ca daurātmyād
vismayaṁ paramaṁ yayuḥ
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When they came close to that gopī and with great effort
brought Her back to consciousness, She told them about all the
honor and love that She received from Mādhava. She also confided
in them, “I mischievously disrespected Him, so He vanished.”
The gopīs were extremely astonished to hear Her words.

After this, the sakhīs came close to Rādhā, and in the mood of friendship,
they tried to soothe Her and bring Her back to consciousness. Then they
asked Her why She was weeping and had fainted. With moist eyes Śrī Rādhā
replied, “How I got separated from all of you, I do not know. I was under
some spell, and after going some distance, I regained My self-awareness.
Then I realized that I was alone with Mādhava roaming from forest to forest.
O My friends, what more can I say about Mādhava? Lakṣmī-devī longs to
enjoy with Him – this Mādhava, who is the possessor of the wealth of all
good qualities. That same Mādhava, out of His own will, offered Me respect
and made Me extremely fortunate. And after that, I became proud, and in an
uncooperative mood, I dealt with Him in a cunning way.”
The gopīs became extremely astonished to hear how, in the end,
Mādhāva disrespected and abandoned Rādhā. Here, the word ‘daurātmyā’
(improper behavior) is used to express Rādhā’s humility, and not to point
out any crookedness in Her. In the real sense, the soul who has turned
away from Śrī Kṛṣṇa is actually daurātmyā – his nature is wicked. But that
ramaṇī (Rādhā) was now far away from Kṛṣṇa – the usage of ‘daurātmyā’
in this case is simply a matter of some distance rather than wickedness.
Distancing ourselves from Kṛṣṇa constitutes daurātmyā (dūra (far)+ ātmā
(soul)) towards Him.
There were three causes of extreme astonishment: (1) Kṛṣṇa disappeared
with Rādhā from the assembly of the gopīs without anyone noticing. Instead
of staying there with Rādhā, He whisked Her away. The pastimes with Her
are extremely incomprehensible as compared to His dealings with other
gopīs. On top of that, She became sulky. (2) Among millions of gopīs no
one received as much honor as Rādhā. (3) After giving so much respect, He
insulted Her by deserting Her. Actually, it is not possible that He will act like
that. It is for these three reasons that the gopīs were so astonished.
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Thereafter, the sakhīs, crying loudly, tried to revive Her by fanning
Her. When She returned to consciousness, they asked Her, “O sakhī, please
tell us what happened.” She answered, “O My dear friends, alas! How I got
separated from you I do not know. I was bewildered and not in control of
what I was doing. But I am distinctly aware that I received great honor and
after that I was hugely insulted – the reason for both is My crookedness. He
neglected and insulted millions and millions of loving ramaṇīs like you, and
set all of you ablaze in the fire of separation from Him, while I alone received
good fortune. This is His cheating behavior. Although I am insignificant,
still I ordered that unscrupulous son of the king, ‘I cannot walk any further.
Carry Me wherever You want.’ This is My audaciousness, and for this I have
received such dishonor. My heart is aggrieved for these two reasons.”
Rādhā’s sorrow expresses Her resentment for Her beloved Kṛṣṇa,
courtesy towards the gopīs, and Her own heartfelt humility. Therefore,
Śrī Śukadeva has used the word ‘daurātmyā’ to represent Her feelings.
Actually, the meaning of daurātmyā is: the soul of that ramaṇī is distant
from Kṛṣṇa; or Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ātmā of the ramaṇī Śrī Rādhā, is far away from
Her, so She is in the state of separation, which is dūrātmā – daurātmyā.
This daurātmyā is to be understood as ‘distance,’ and is synonymous with
separation from Kṛṣṇa. So the actual definition of ‘daurātmyā’ is the misery
incurred in separation from Kṛṣṇa.
After hearing this narration, the sakhīs drowned in an ocean of
astonishment and said, “My dear sakhī, Your good fortune is proper. There
was no duplicitous behavior on the part of Kṛṣṇa. You, like a svādhīna-
bhārtṛkā, ordered Your beloved due to being tired after amorous play.
That is also not improper. All this happened to enhance the rasa. However,
the anukūla-nāyaka, the favorable hero, will not disobey His mistress. To
throw Her into such a state of misery is against rasa, and His conduct was
improper. Alas! How astonishing it is that Śrī Kṛṣṇa – who is the crest-jewel
of all the topmost rasikas, the greatest lover, and the ocean of mercy –
behaved in this manner.” That He insulted His mistress by abandoning Her
was a matter of great surprise for the sakhīs.
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Verse 43
tato ’viśan vanaṁ candra

jyotsnā yāvad vibhāvyate
tamaḥ praviṣṭam ālakṣya
tato nivavṛtuḥ striyaḥ
The vraja-devīs continued searching for Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the deep

forest as far as the light of the moon could penetrate. Finding that
the woods were too dense and dark to go further, they realized,
“If we keep searching here, then He will go into hiding in an even
deeper part of the forest.” Therefore, they turned back.

After this, the gopīs entered the woods along with this sakhī to search
for Kṛṣṇa. “He must have gone to the dark, dense forest.” Thinking in this
way, they retraced their steps.

After this, the sakhīs pacified Rādhā, who was suffering in separation
from Kṛṣṇa, and restored Her life. Now, with great impatience, they gathered
together and again started searching for Kṛṣṇa. This is the subject matter in
this verse beginning with ‘tata.’ The gopīs entered the woods and continued
looking for their sweetheart as far as they could see in the moonlight. But
even after searching, they could not ascertain Kṛṣṇa’s movements from
His footprints, as He had entered a very deep and dark part of the forest.
This area was so dense that the moonlight could not penetrate; thus the
gopīs turned back. Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa tells us, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the thick
forest, where the moonbeams could not penetrate, so His footprints were
not visible. Thus the gopīs decided to go back.” Here ‘striya’ means ‘it is
infeasible for women to enter the dark forest.’
The gopīs deliberated, “In order to avoid us, Kṛṣṇa is sneaking into
the dangerous, darker reaches of the forest.” Thinking thus, they became
extremely worried about His safety due to their tender feelings for Him.
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They decided to stop pursuing Him and retraced their steps. In place of
‘tataḥ’ in this verse, ‘hare’ is sometimes seen, but the commentator Śrīdhara
Svāmīpāda does not accept this. In this verse ‘tataḥ’ (after this) has been
used twice; to reconcile the repetition, the second ‘tataḥ’ is explained as
‘thereupon, the gopīs stopped searching for Hari.’

After this, the sakhīs took Rādhā by the hand and picked Her up.
Collectively, they again started searching for Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning
conveyed in this verse starting with ‘tataḥ.’ The gopīs searched for Kṛṣṇa
as long as the moonlight allowed, but due to big shade trees, the forest
became so thick and dark that they gave up their search. Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa
reports, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the thick forest where the moonbeams cannot
penetrate, so His footprints are not visible. Thus you should turn back.”
The gopīs returned because the forest was too dark – this reason is
external. Actually they were thinking, “O sakhīs, drowning in the ocean of
misery! Kṛṣṇa is hiding His black body in this dark forest so that no one
should see Him. He is running away from wherever we try to find Him.
Kṛṣṇa’s tender body must be sore and exhausted from roaming so much in
the forest.” Upon realizing this, the gopīs also felt pain, so they went back.
Verse 44
tan-manaskās tad-alāpās
tad-viceṣṭās tad-ātmikāḥ
tad-guṇān eva gāyantyo
nātmagārāṇi sasmaruḥ
O Parīkṣit, the gopīs’ minds were completely concentrated on

Kṛṣṇa, they were talking only about Him, and with their bodies
they were enacting His activities. Each particle of their bodies
and souls was united with Him. Singing out His pastimes and
glories, they became so engrossed that they forgot their homes
and bodies.
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In this way, even after not finding Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs forgot their homes
because they were completely tadātmikā with Him – their souls became
filled with His presence.
Thereafter, the vraja-devīs stopped searching for Śrī Hari and turned
back. “In this deep forest the sharp grass and stones must be hurting
Kṛṣṇa’s tender feet.” Realizing this, the gopīs drowned in deep distress.
‘Tan-manaskās’ – their hearts were fully captured by Kṛṣṇa, even though He
was not with them, having entered this impenetrable forest. In other words,
Kṛṣṇa fully occupied their hearts, leaving no place there for anything else.
‘Tad-alāpā’ – they were conversing only about Kṛṣṇa and how His feet were
undergoing pain due to walking over rough ground full of sharp stones.
This was their sole topic of discussion. ‘Tad-viceṣṭā’ – in great anxiety they
were roaming about the forest, intent on somehow bringing Kṛṣṇa out from
there; all their activities were focused exclusively on Him. ‘Tad-ātmikā’ –
their souls were cent-per-cent dedicated to Kṛṣṇa.
The gopīs were aggrieved by Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance, but they
remembered only His virtues, especially His mercy and His all-enchanting
power. They did not condemn Him for forsaking them. Having completely
forgotten themselves, they were simply singing His glories, with the intent
that Kṛṣṇa should hear them. They were not even aware of themselves, what
to speak of their homes.
Divine madness in the vraja-devīs again manifested due to overwhelming
absorption. After some time it subsided, and they started talking about Śrī
Kṛṣṇa. Once more they enquired about Him from the aśvattha (banyan) and
other trees. In the intermediate stage of their divine madness, they again
imitated some of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, such as one gopī becoming Pūtanā and
breast-feeding Him, and another becoming Kṛṣṇa drinking her milk. In
the mature stage of their madness they became tad-ātmikā – “I am Kṛṣṇa.
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Behold My charming movements.” Imitating Kṛṣṇa in this way they became

completely absorbed in those particular moods and forgot their identities. At
the same time, as they were accustomed to doing, they loudly sang His glories.
Verse 45
punaḥ pulinam āgatya

kālindyāḥ kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāḥ
samavetā jaguḥ kṛṣṇaṁ
tad-āgamana-kāṅkṣitāḥ
Every pore of the gopīs’ bodies was anticipating Kṛṣṇa’s quick

arrival. Totally immersed in Him, they came to the sacred bank
of the Yamunā, where they all started singing about the qualities
and sweet pastimes of their beloved.

The gopīs returned to the same spot on the bank of the Yamunā where
they had met Kṛṣṇa in the beginning. These gopīs, anticipating His arrival,
immersed in His emotions and began to sing His glories.
End of the Bhāvārtha Dīpikā on

After this, they thought, “If we search for Kṛṣṇa in all directions in the
forest, He will enter into a darker area, and His tender feet will be hurt by
thorns, sharp grass, and pointed stones. So we should stop our search and go
to the bank of the Yamunā. It is a completely open space where all of us can
be together, and our loud calls will reach far and wide. We will start singing
in a high pitch a song full of humility and reproach. Hearing this, Kṛṣṇa will
become compassionate and, on His own, He will come to us.” Thus, spurred by
their love for Kṛṣṇa, they returned to the bank of the Yamunā and, immersed
in their beloved, they started singing loudly about Him.
End of the Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī on

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“Alas, alas! Wherever we will go to search for Him, He will run away
from there. So why should we give Him the trouble of roaming in the forest?
We cannot locate Him without His assent.” According to śruti: “yam evaiṣa
vṛṇute tena labhyas. Only those whom He chooses out of His mercy can
have His darśana.” The reason for His darśana is His mercy, and the mercy
is attained through His nāma-saṅkīrtana. Thinking thus, the gopīs went
back to the place where they had previously met Him, and started chanting
His names in a loud voice. In this way they established the philosophical
conclusion that Kṛṣṇa’s mercy can only be obtained by nāma-saṅkīrtana.
End of the Sārārtha Darśinī on

Thus ends the bhāvānuvāda of the three commentaries

(1) Bhāvārtha Dīpikā, (2) Saṁkṣepa-Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī and
(3) Sārārtha Darśinī of the Thirty-second Chapter of the
Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
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262
Drawing by Vicitrī dāsī.
7 C h a pter 37
Gopī-gīta:
The Gopīs’ Song of Separation
Verse 1
gopya ūcuḥ
jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ
śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi
dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās
tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate
The gopīs said: O precious beloved, Your birth in this land

of Vraja has made it more glorious than Vaikuṇṭha and other
planets. For this reason, the presiding deity of beauty and wealth,
Indirā (Lakṣmī-devī), eternally decorates this Vraja by residing
here. O Master, this Vraja is extremely blissful, only we gopīs,
Your dearest ones, are very unhappy being separated from You.
We continue to maintain our lives only for Your sake, and have
become extremely disheartened searching for You throughout
the forest. So please, now give us Your darśana.
Bhāvānuvādas
E la bor at ed Tr a nslations

The end of the previous chapter described that the vraja-devīs, in
separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, became depressed after searching for Him
continuously and returned to the bank of the Yamunā. Now in this Thirty-
first Chapter while singing songs about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they started praying
for Him to come. (This prayerful song of separation by the vraja-gopīs is
known as Śrī Gopī-gīta.)
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“O lover! O dear one! By taking birth in Vraja, You have made it more
glorious and opulent than any other abode. Your accepting birth here is the
very reason that induced Indirā (Lakṣmī) to eternally decorate Vraja with
Her presence. All the Vrajavāsīs are drowning in a vast ocean of bliss. Only
we, Your gopīs, are unhappy. Looking up and down for You throughout
the forests of Vraja, we somehow remain alive only for Your sake. Please
appear before us. Be gracious and give us Your darśana. Come and see how
miserable we are searching for You.”

I desire to disclose the meaning of those words spoken by the gopīs
that no one except Śrī Kṛṣṇa understands. I repeatedly submit my earnest
request to the gracious maidens of Vraja to sanction this cherished desire.
This Gopī-gīta is the essence of the wealth of nectarean mellows. As this
nectar has already been tasted by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, I am collecting some
of his remnants.
The gopīs said, “O dear one, since You took birth in Vraja, it has become
vastly more glorious than ever before.” The word adhika, vastly more,
indicates that the excellence of Vraja is not limited to a few places in Vraja.
Rather, it is experienced everywhere in all four directions. Therefore (hi), the
presiding goddess of wealth, Śrī Lakṣmī-devī (Indirā), eternally decorates
this Vraja by living here. Thus, wealth and beauty here are perpetually
increasing by the moment. The word ‘vraja’ indicates not only the land
itself, but also the inhabitants. In this way due to the influence of Indirā,
Vraja’s men-women, animals-birds, creepers-trees, lakes, mountains, etc.,
have attained full auspiciousness in every respect. “But, alas! We alone
are treated unfairly by Providence, being cast into unrelenting suffering.
Worst of all, although You are omniscient, most merciful – and moreover
our beloved – You cannot understand our sorrow.” Attempting to express
their feelings, the gopīs said, “At this time we can ignore the pain of other
predicaments, we just want You to know about our misery.” To express this,
the vraja-devīs called out, “Dayita, O dear one!”
“He dayita! O beloved! Just for a moment, even from far away, behold
our condition and finally recognize our suffering.” The innermost purport
of this statement is: “It is Your nature to feel the grief of others. Therefore,
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upon learning about or seeing our miserable condition, You will be unable
to refrain from appearing before our eyes.”
Kṛṣṇa might ask the gopīs, “Why are you so unhappy?” To explain this,
they speak the line beginning with the word ‘dikṣu.’ They reply, “Clinging
to the hope of finding You, we, Your gopīs, are searching everywhere for
You. This aimless wandering has made us extremely tired.” ‘Tāvakās tvayi’
means: “We are Your gopīs, whom You have accepted as Your own.” They
impart another purport to these words: “We take pride in identifying
ourselves as Yours, and that is why we are so unhappy while looking for
You. If we were not Yours, we would never be subject to this sorrowful state.”
With humility rising in their hearts, the gopīs address Kṛṣṇa, ‘He dayita,’
hoping that their lover, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the ocean of mercy, will take pity on
them because, by definition, ‘one who bestows mercy is known as dayita.’ But
dayita is also ‘one who accepts the heart.’ The focus in this interpretation, given
by Kṣīra Svāmī, is actually compassion, as the gopīs’ intention was to invoke
the mercy in the heart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa while accusing Him sweetly. “Now that You
have accepted our hearts, it is improper not to bestow Your mercy upon us.”
A question comes: “Genuine love devoid of deceit [self-gratification]
does not exist in the world of mortal men. If it does exist, then how can
there be separation? If, for some reason, there is separation, how can the
lovers remain alive?” According to this logic, it is evident that the heroine
cannot remain alive in separation from her dayita. Thus Kṛṣṇa asks the
gopīs, “Then how come you are still alive without Me?” They reply, “We live
only for You. Our life airs remain in our bodies because we hope to be with
You.” “Tvayi dhṛtāsavas – We are maintaining our lives only for Your sake,
and have offered our life airs and senses unto You. Because of this, we are
searching for You. Therefore, O beloved, please try to understand our plight,
because if You do, then You will definitely give us Your darśana.”
This verse is composed in the meter called indirā. Not only do the laghu
and guru mātrās alternate in a fixed circle in harmony of lines and letters,
but even the first letter of each of the two portions of a line is the same. It
means that the first letter of the second part of each pāda is same as the first
part. Some verses of this chapter have other letter repetitions of this kind. In
some verses, as in this first one, the first and seventh letters are the same in
both parts of a line. This special technique is described in the Muktāphala
commentary of Kṣīra Svāmī.
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Here ‘dṛśyatāṁ’ means ‘the knower,’ that is, ‘one who realizes our sorrow.’
The gopīs say, “Let our sorrow be known.” The deep intention behind this is as
follows: “After He beholds our anguish, He will surely manifest Himself, for He
is someone who is distressed by the sorrow of others.”
The Thirty-first Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the aroma
of music and rhythm coming from the honey of love that is contained in the
lotus flowers of this Gopī-gīta, The Song of the Gopīs. The bumblebee Kṛṣṇa
is irresistibly attracted to these flowers.
I begin my commentary by repeatedly offering obeisances to the lotus
feet of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmī and our guru-varga,
from whose remnants I receive my sustenance. Desiring their blessings for
my own welfare, I am taking up the task of commenting on Śrī Gopī-gīta.
The previous verse (10.30.45) relates that the gopīs, losing all hope
of finding Kṛṣṇa, returned to the bank of the Yamunā and began singing
His glories, praying with intense desire for Him to come. With the firm
conviction that their song would melt His heart, they began singing their
earnest request. One might ask what kind of song they sang. Śrīla Śukadeva
Gosvāmī gives the answer in this verse, starting with ‘gopya ūcuḥ,’ “The
gopīs sang:
“He dayita! O beloved! Because of Your birth here, Vraja has become
glorious, indeed far superior to all other planets.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa might contend
that this superiority is even there in Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The gopīs respond
with ‘adhikam’ – “This Vraja is more glorious than Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha is
certainly wonderful, but this Vraja Dhāma is even more superb.”
Describing another super-excellent feature of Vraja, the gopīs say,
“Indirā, who is served by everyone in Vaikuṇṭha, that same Mahālakṣmī-
devī is constantly serving this Vraja. Hence this Vraja is replete with all
prosperity, even more than Vaikuṇṭha.” This is the mood. “Because Indirā,
the goddess of wealth, resides here, Vraja is full of incomparable bliss
not found anywhere else. We gopīs, Your beloveds, are the only ones who
experience sorrow – an intolerable anguish which no one has ever seen
or heard of before. We are not praying to You for relief from our pain, but
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if You will once look (dṛśyatāṁ) at our condition in this Vṛṇdāvana (atra),
then You will definitely (hi) fulfill the purpose of Your eyes.”
Kṛṣṇa might inquire, “What should I look at?” They reply, “See here,
in this delightful Vṛṇdāvana, we, Your own gopīs, are searching for You,
suffering extreme anguish in separation. What else could please You more?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might wonder how these gopīs could remain alive after being
burnt in the blazing fire of separation (because it is impossible for lovers to
continue their lives in such a situation). The gopīs reply, “O beloved, have
no such doubt. We are still alive because we have turned our lives over to
You, who have seized our vital airs and driven us insane. If those life airs
were still ours, then they would be residing in our bodies and there be burnt
in the blazing fire of separation. Thus we would be dead, which would be
a boon to us, and we would have been happy by now. But You have taken
control of our life airs, which are now happily residing in You, accepting
You as their master. If one’s life airs are happy, how can that person die?
Therefore, we conclude that You take constant pleasure in seeing us suffer.”
Often the verses of Gopī-gīta are decorated with alliteration where
throughout the verse the second syllable is the same in each successive line.
In this first verse the second syllable ‘ya’ is the same in the first two lines, and
‘yi’ is the second syllable in the third and forth lines. Also we see here that
the first and seventh letters are the same in each line: for example ‘jayati’ and
‘janmanā’ in the first line. Other varieties of alliteration may be found in other
verses. This subject is elaborated upon in the Muktāphala Tīkā.
Verse 2
śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat-
sarasijodara-śrī-muṣā dṛśā
surata-nātha te ’śulka-dāsikā
vara-da nighnato neha kiṁ vadhaḥ
O Surata-nātha, master of amorous pleasure! With the glance

of Your eyes that surpass the beauty of the whorl of enchanting
lotuses which blossom in autumn ponds, You have lethally injured
us, Your unpaid maidservants. O bestower of benedictions, You
don’t consider killing by a glance to be murder?
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In this chapter, Śrī Gopī-gīta, each verse is sung independently by a
different gopī.1 Therefore we should consider that each verse is prefaced
with the phrase: ‘some gopī said.’ In this way even though this second verse
is spoken by one particular gopī, it is linked with the previous verse.2
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “Go ahead and look for Me. What do I care?” To this
gopīs reply with this verse beginning with ‘śarad-udāśaye.’ “Your eyes have
stolen the beauty of the radiant whorl of the most attractive lotus flowers that
blossom in autumn ponds. O Surata-nātha, O master of amorous pleasure,
You are slaying us, Your unpaid maidservants. You don’t see this as murder?
Do You think one can be killed only by weapons and not by eyes? It is certain
that You are killing us. Your eyes have robbed us of our life airs. O bestower
of benedictions fulfilling all desires! You should return this stolen property
by appearing before us just once. We ask only for this.”
The sentence “You should appear before us just once” can be attached
to the end of every verse.
The phrase ‘śarad-udāśaye’ means ‘autumn lakes.’ This signifies the
auspiciousness of the autumn season when the reservoirs of water become
clear and pristine. This also indicates the time and place of birth of the lotus.
‘Sādhu-jāt’ means born in a beautiful way, that is, the lotus was fully blossomed
when it took birth. ‘Sat’ indicates the special, unique qualities that come from
high caste. ‘Udara’ indicates the wealth of the beauty hidden3 in the middle of
a lotus flower. Thus the exquisite beauty of a lotus is fully described.
1 The hidden meaning is that the nineteen verses of this chapter are not sung by
either one single gopī or all of them together. Rather, the heads of the different
groups of gopīs have prayed according to their individual bhāvas (moods).
2 Here we have to understand that although each verse is spoken by a different
gopī, and all the verses are being sung at the same time, still each verse is linked
to the next in an uninterrupted continuation of bhāva, because even though
the gopīs have spoken the verses according to their different sentiments, all the
gopīs are situated in the same mood of separation.
3 Birth, time of birth, place of birth, caste, rarity and beauty of the whorl – these
indicate the lotus flower’s supreme excellence in every aspect.
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“The splendor of Your eyes is such that it easily conquers even the
splendor of a thousand-petaled lotus and steals its beauty as well. Wherever
Your eyes caste their charming glance, it becomes impossible for that
place to keep its allurement. Those eyes of Yours express ever-fresh, novel
emotions at every moment, and therefore they definitely rob the beauty of
such places.” This is the mood.
Here the word ‘dṛṣā’ is the noun dṛṣ in its instrumental case and in
singular number, meaning ‘by one eye.’ The confidential meaning of this is:
“When even one of Your eyes most competently expresses Your intentions
and is thus killing us, we cannot even imagine our condition if both of Your
eyes would glance upon us.”
The word ‘dṛṣā,’ when explained in connection with the word ‘surata-
nātha,’ becomes dṛṣaiva surata-nātha – He who begs (nātha) for amorous
union (surata) with His glance (dṛṣā). The gopīs say, “O You who beg for
surata! Simply by casting Your sidelong glance our way, You request us for
amorous enjoyment. Therefore You are the one responsible for arousing this
desire in our hearts. Furthermore, You are varada (giver of benedictions) –
the day You stole our garments, You gave us this benediction, and now Your
glance begging for surata has reinforced our unflinching desire. As a result
we have become Your Your unpaid maidservants (aśulkadāsikā). Hence
we are not to be blamed; as we are Your volunteer workers, our virtuous
character shines out. If You would not have expressed Your amorous desire
through Your sidelong glance, then the strong desire for pleasure would
not have arisen in our hearts. Therefore, to fulfill this ardent impulse, we
have come to You, having completely given up our religiosity, chastity,
forbearance, etc. Still we are not at fault because this is the behavior of
an unpaid maidservant. Actually, the splendor and other special qualities
of Your glance are to be blamed, and now Your eyes have become even
more reprehensible.” To explain their position the gopīs speak the word
‘nighnata:’ “You are killing us with Your glance.”
Another meaning of this verse is that the gopīs accuse Kṛṣṇa of stealth
through the artful use of His glance. This tendency in thieves manifests in
three ways. The first one is to pilfer the property of respectable persons –
and the thief will feel no remorse. The second is to secure inside information
about someone’s property which is hidden in a most secret place, and the
third is to reach the places that are extremely difficult to access.
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The gopīs attribute the first tendency to Kṛṣṇa by speaking the phrase
‘sat-sarasi,’ which means ‘extremely pure autumn ponds,’ and ‘sādhu-jāta,’
which means that “the lotuses take birth in those ponds and consequently
have a high-class birth.” The word ‘sat’ glorifies the beauty and other assets
of the lotus flowers and thus confirms that they have exalted qualities. The
gopīs therefore conclude, “Your eyes have robbed the high-class lotus of its
beauty, thus implicating You in illicit activity. And if You cannot admit this,
then You are even more at fault.”
The gopīs next speak the line beginning with ‘sarasijodara’ to explain
how Kṛṣṇa practices the second tendency also. “You have stolen the beauty
hidden in the lotus immersed in the deep water of the pond. In the autumn
season, the fully blossomed thousand-petaled lotus flower, growing deep
in the middle of the pond, conceals its invaluable beauty in its whorl, but
still somehow Your glance acquired full knowledge about that highly hidden
wealth. How is it possible that Your eyes learned about this well-concealed
beauty and succeeded in stealing it?”
They continue, “It is clear that You are guilty of the third tendency as
well, because just with Your eyes you reached the lotus in the middle of the
deep waters and stole its radiance from the pericarp.” With the arrival of
autumn after the rainy season, the lakes are filled to the brim with pure,
clear water. Because the water is so deep at this time, it is extremely difficult
to reach the thousand-petaled lotus flower which is situated in the center of
the pond. And for the glance to reach the middle of the flower and penetrate
its thousand-petal covering presents a further challenge. “Even in such a
bottomless pond filled to the brim with water, just see how Your eyes reached
this extremely inaccessible place.
“Actually, out of fear of Your glance, the lotus has hidden its radiance
– the heroine of its beauty – in its whorl with a covering of thousands of
petals. But You succeeded in reaching there as well and stealing her. Then
what to speak of us simple-hearted girls of Vraja, who fearlessly wander
throughout Vṛndāvana? You kidnapped us also with Your thieving glance.
“The lotus, knowing that You would definitely abduct the wealth of its
beauty with Your eyes, hid its treasure away in its belly, and cautiously took
up residence in the deep water. Despite witnessing this crooked behavior,
You never became upset with the lotus and simply stole its beauty, which
with great respect You placed in Your eyes. We, on the other hand, never
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behaved in a sly manner like the lotus. Rather, being naturally ingenuous,
we were wandering fearlessly all over Vraja. Despite our simplicity, You
forcefully pilfered all our riches – our self-control, virtuous behavior,
shyness, deference for family line, piety, honor, vitality, mind, etc. Although
the cunning lotus tried her level best to resist You, You placed her beauty
in Your eyes and thus honored her. But we, Your unpaid maidservants,
placed ourselves at Your lotus feet and You abandoned us during the night
in the dense forest. This kind of unjust behavior will naturally give rise
to resentment. Even though You gave us an inferior position as unpaid
maidservants, still we renounced all jealousy, and began serving You
without any selfish motive. Now, with those same eyes You are ready to kill
us, although it is very unfair of You.” Only to convey this message the gopīs
say, “nighnata, You are killing us.”
The gopīs pose a question: “neha kiṁ vadhaḥ – Is killing by the eyes
not considered killing? You think You are an expert thief and that You won’t
get caught using Your crafty glance to slay us surreptitiously. Even if no one
knows what You have done, isn’t it still an act of murder?”
By addressing Kṛṣṇa as surata-nātha and varada, they actually mean
to say, “Alas! We know the truth about Your sidelong glance. The amorous
pleasure (surata) for which You were begging with Your eyes, or which You
promised as a blessing (varada), is all false. You have demonstrated this
expertise only as a pretext to do away with us.” The comments of the gopīs
regarding Kṛṣṇa killing them are described in Śrīdhara Svāmī’s Bhāvārtha
Dīpikā commentary.
In the line ‘te ’śulka-dāsikāḥ,’ the letter a can be separated from the
word śulka, and the sentence will become dṛśaiva śulka-dāsikāḥ. This
means: “You purchased us by Your glance, which defeats the beauty of the
whorl of the lotus. We have sold ourselves for the price of Your glance, but
still You have abandoned us. This is nothing less than killing. Won’t this be
considered murder – suṣṭhārāṁ janānāmupatāpaka4?”
The gopīs address Kṛṣṇa as “the woe (nātha) of successful persons (here
the verbal root nātha means ‘to bring calamity’).” They say, “O You who make
4 Here ‘suratanātha te’ is explained thus – ‘su’-suṣṭhu (exclusively); ‘rata’-ratānām

(devoted); ‘nāthate’-janānāmupatāpaka (causing pain/agony in people). Here
‘nāthate’ is the present tense, third person and singular form of ātmanepadí (self-
serving) verbal root ‘nāthī.’
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Your beloveds suffer in a secluded place, O You who let Your beloveds burn
in the fire of separation, O Varada5, You who gave a blessing but went back on
Your word (here the verbal root dā is used in its second meaning, ‘to break’).
Through Your sidelong glance, You begged us for amorous pleasure and gave
us a benediction, and today with the same gesture of Your eyes, You are killing
us. Therefore if You want to clear Yourself of all these wrongdoings and save
us from the jaws of death, You should appear before us.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “Are you gopīs suggesting that I have come to
inflict misery upon you?” To this the gopīs reply, “Not only are You giving
us great distress but You are also killing us.” This is expressed in the line
beginning ‘śarad-udāśaye.’ “Your eyes beg for amorous enjoyment (dṛśā
surata-nātha) and also bless (varada) us with the bliss we desire. And with
those same eyes, which have thrown us into the blazing fire of prema, You
are killing us, who are Your unrequited maidservants. Do You not consider
this killing? Or is murder by weapons the only real type of killing?”
With sarcasm they say, “He varada, giver (da) of benedictions (vara)!
You destroy (da derived from di, destroy) happiness in this world and the
next (vara, the higher planets). If You actually had any rights on us or we
were Your property, we would have no complaint against You – whether You
took care of us or destroyed us. But the fact is that we are not your personal
property. You never bought us, nor did You accept us in marriage. Your
eyes, which are habituated to looting, have robbed us of all discrimination,
and, leaving us bewildered, have driven us mad. As a result, we freely gave
ourselves to You, becoming Your unpaid maidservants.”
The gopīs next explain Kṛṣṇa’s qualities of having power to attract and
to bewilder, and being the very king of all expert thieves. “With Your eyes
You have kidnapped śrī – the very essence of beauty, the wealth contained
in the whorl of the finest, fully blossomed lotus (sarasijodara) growing in
a saintly environment (sādhu-jāta) of the deep autumn ponds (udhasaye)
filled with crystal clear water.” In this way, the gopīs described how Kṛṣṇa’s
5 Here ‘varada’ is explained in this way-‘vara’’- nijavara (one’s own boon; ‘da’-
chedaka (deny), because the verbal root ‘da’ also means ‘to deny.’ One who denies
giving boons.
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eyes robbed the high-born (sata) lotus and thus acquired such extraordinary
fragrance, coolness, grace and softness.
“Your thieving glance succeeded in entering the innermost place of those
pious, high-class lotuses, just to plunder their wealth. An ordinary person
could never have done this. Similarly, the thief of Your glance has thrown
some bewitching and intoxicating dust into our eyes and has thus made
us deranged. It snatched the treasured blessing of our amorous pleasure
previously bestowed as well as our life airs, and it has presented these to You.
This is why we told You before that our life-airs reside in You. As You have
stolen our wealth, we are left poverty stricken and are on the verge of death.”
The gopīs conclude, “You will be accused of genocide, killing thousands
and thousands of cowherd maidens. Therefore, appear before us and save
Yourself from the sin of slaughtering women. Beware of sin, and show us
Your lotus face.”
Verse 3
viṣa-jalāpyayād vyāla-rākṣasād
varṣa-mārutād vaidyutānalāt
vṛṣa-mayātmajād viśvato bhayād
ṛṣabha te vayaṁ rakṣitā muhuḥ
O crest jewel among men, time after time You protected us

vraja-gopīs from all types of danger. You saved us from death
from the poisonous water of Yamunā, the man-eating python
Aghāsura, the rain sent by Indra, the whirlwind caused by
Tṛnāvarta, Indra’s fiery thunderbolts, the forest fire, the bull
demon Ariṣṭāsura, and Vyomāsura, the son of Maya Dānava.

The gopīs say, “O Rṣabha, O best among men, just see. Many times You
mercifully saved us from the jaws of death. Why, then, are You killing us
now, sending Cupid from Your eyes to attack us?” This is the mood the gopīs
express in this verse beginning with ‘viṣa.’
“O crown jewel of men! You saved us from the deadly poisonous water
(viṣa) of the Yamunā. Many times You protected (rākṣasat) us from death
when threatened by Aghāsura, the whirlwind-demon Tṛṇāvarta, the storm
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and thunderbolts sent by Indra, the bull-demon Ariṣṭa, and the son of Maya,
Vyomāsura. You saved us from all dangers in the past like the serpent Kāliya,
so why are You neglecting us now?”
“He Kṛṣṇa! Because we have descended from the same clan and
because it is simply common decency to help those in trouble, You have
always protected us. Why do You now forget the principle that it is not
proper to cut down the tree one has raised when it reaches maturity, even
if it be poisonous?” Even if an enemy (or unfavorable object) is maintained
and nourished, one should not destroy it, what to speak about a loved one
(or something favorable). “Why don’t you remember this logic?” To explain
this, the gopīs use the phrase ‘viṣa-jalāpyayād.’
Kṛṣṇa may ask, “O gopīs, tell Me in which way I protected you.” To this
the gopīs reply, “He vraja-jīvana, O life of Vraja! You saved the cowherd
boys and cows when they fell into the mouth of death after drinking the
poisoned water of the Yamunā. Another time Aghāsura, the demon in the
form of a snake, swallowed all the boys and calves. The cowherd boys
could not ascertain the true identity of the snake-demon. They entered
his mouth along with their calves, and You saved them from death in
his terrifying jaws. These cowherd boys and calves are the very life of
all the inhabitants of Vraja. Therefore, by saving them You saved all the
Vrajavāsīs – that includes us. Thus You respected our village tradition.”
For this reason it is evident that Kṛṣṇa saved the gopīs from all these
dangers. ‘Vyāla-rākṣasāt’ refers to Aghāsura, as confirmed in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.12.25: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is in everyone’s heart,
knew that actually the python was a demon.”
The gopīs continue, “Indra was very angry and wanted to destroy Gokula.
Thus, he unleashed a heavy rainstorm punctuated with a continuous barrage
of flashing thunderbolts. You protected all of us from that inundation by
easily lifting Govardhana Hill. In this way, You saved us.”
‘Vṛṣa-mayātmajād’ – “You saved us from the violent demons.” The
word vṛṣa (bull) in this phrase is understood to be Vatsāsura. Although he
came in the form of a calf, at the time of death his real gigantic body of a bull
manifested. That is why he is called the bull-demon here. In the very same
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way, Lord Varāha appeared from the nostril of Brahmā in a tiny form, but He
gradually expanded into an enormous size.
The meaning of the phrase vṛṣa-mayātmajād may be taken to be ‘the
son of a bull’ and ‘the son of Maya Dānava (Vyomāsura).’ Thus, the gopīs
say, “O crown jewel of men, You protected the cowherd boys from the violent
attacks of Vatsāsura and Vyomāsura.” Again, the gopīs apply this incident to
themselves, because they are integral members of the cowherd community.
Kṛṣṇa performed the pastime of killing Vyomāsura, the son of Maya, in
His childhood. Although Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam recounts this pastime after
the description of the rāsa-līla, it actually happened before that. This pastime
of killing the son of Maya should have been included in the narration of
Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes, but as Śrīla Śukedeva Gosvāmī was absorbed
in deep trance, some of the līlās were described out of sequence.
In the end the gopīs conclude, “You saved us from all dangers. We cannot
count all the times that You rescued us. On each occasion You delivered us
from all fear. Therefore, O most excellent among men, You are competent to
save us from every type of danger.”
The gopīs make another point: “If You want to kill us, why did You save
us from all calamities previously? Since You saved us before, it is not proper
to kill us now.” Therefore the gopīs say, “He ṛṣabha, O best among men! You
saved all of Vraja, ourselves included, from the poisonous water of Kāliya
Lake, from Aghāsura, and from the anger of Indra when he was bent on
destroying Vraja with his rainstorms and thunderbolts. You also saved us
from Tṛṇāvarta, the bull demon Ariṣṭa, Vyomāsura, and again and again
from many other dangers.”
Kṛṣṇa might question, “I crushed Kāliya and other demons for My own
protection, so how were you protected in these cases?” The gopīs reply, “He
prāṇa-vallabha, You are the only support of our lives. Therefore, our lives
are one with You. If You had not saved Yourself by subduing Kāliya, then
our death would have been assured. Therefore, by protecting Yourself, You
have saved us. Then, when Indra was so angry and sent heavy rains and
thunderbolts, You held up Govardhana to protect the whole of Vraja. As
we are part of Vraja, You protected us. Therefore, knowing that You are the
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protector from all fears in the universe, we, burning in the fire of love lit by
the five arrows of Kāmadeva, have come to You to extinguish this fire. But
instead of pacifying us, You placed us in a fire of separation that is millions
of times greater. Do You not fear the sin of betrayal?”
Although Kṛṣṇa killed Ariṣṭāsura and Vyomāsura after the rāsa-līlā, the
gopīs mention these pastimes because they heard them from Gargācārya and
Bhāgurī Muni. They were told that, according to Kṛṣṇa’s astrological chart, He
would kill those demons in the future. The gopīs speak as though Kṛṣṇa had
already performed these pastimes because they had heard this so long ago.
Verse 4
na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān

akhila-dehinām antarātma-dṛk
vikhanasārthito viśva-guptaye
sakha udeyivān sātvatāṁ kule
O friend, it is certain that You are not the son of Yaśodā.

Rather, You are the Supersoul who resides in the hearts of all
the living beings. In response to Lord Brahmā’s prayer, You have
appeared in the Yadu dynasty to protect the universe.

The gopīs continue, “You descended in this world to protect the entire
universe. Therefore, You should not disregard anyone, and especially to
neglect Your devotees is highly improper.”
Expressing this mood, they utter the words beginning ‘na khalu,’
meaning, “O friend, it is certain that You are not the son of Yaśodā. You are
the witness, the Supersoul, in the hearts of all living beings.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa may
ask: “Can anybody see this witness?” The gopīs reply: “Vikhanasārthito – in
response to Brahmā’s prayer, You, the Supersoul, have taken birth in the
Yadu dynasty to protect the universe, and thus come within sight.”
Vaiṣṇava-Toṣaṇī
In the previous verse, the gopīs said, “He Kṛṣṇa, because You are the
crown jewel among men, You are capable of protecting us from all kinds of
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fears.” Continuing their analysis of Kṛṣṇa’s abilities, the gopīs speak this
verse beginning ‘na khalu.’ “Witnessing Your supernatural prowess, we come
to the following conclusion. O friend, we are absolutely certain that You are
not the son of a gopī (Vrajeśvarī Śrī Yaśodā). We assume that You are the
Supersoul in the hearts of all living beings.” The cowherd girls are not at fault
in addressing Kṛṣṇa as ‘gopīkā-nandana,’ the son of a gopī; it is not their
intention to minimize the position of Yaśodā, the queen of all gopīs. Now
seeing Kṛṣṇa in a mood of majesty as the Supersoul, with great humility they
utter these words, which seem to minimize Yaśodā’s glory. But actually they
feel very close to her, accepting her as the crest jewel in their community.
“As You are the Supersoul, the witness of every living entity, certainly
You must be aware of the burning in our hearts. Therefore, there is no need
to say any more to You about the anguish we are suffering in separation.”
Even accepting Kṛṣṇa as antaryāmī, the Supersoul, the gopīs present
the reason for His descent with the word ‘vikhanasārthito.’ They say,
“Responding to the prayer of Your devotee, Lord Brahmā, You appeared in
Vraja in the family of Your crown jewel devotees in order to watch over the
universe. Thus, You always cast Your merciful glance in their direction, and
when there is the need, You always protect them. What’s more, we are Your
beloveds. Is it right to lose the chance to take care us? This full-moon night
is the right time for You to fulfill Your mission.”
Thinking that Kṛṣṇa might object and tell them, “You are not My
devotees,” they say, “If You feel that we are not Your devotees, still You should
protect us because Brahmā requested You to save the entire universe.” This
is the intention in uttering the words ‘viśva-guptaye.’ “Within the universe
all kinds of entities are found – non-devotees, conscious and unconscious
beings, pious and impious souls. But out of all Your devotees, our feelings
for You are extraordinary. Therefore, You should take special care of us.”
This mood is expressed by the word ‘sakhe.’
The prayer in which the vraja-devīs glorify Kṛṣṇa as Paramātmā and
the protector of the universe, is full of awe and reverence on the surface,
but only because it is spoken in the acute state of separation. However, they
are simply repeating what they heard from Gargācārya and other sages.
Aiśvarya-jnāna would never manifest in their hearts. Actually, according to
their mood, they know Śrī Kṛṣṇa only as gopīkā-nandana, and experience
nothing but the abundance of mādhurya exuding from the son of Yaśodā.
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When aiśvarya seems to be present in their words, it should be understood

that they speak as a suppliant, making a humble entreaty only to achieve
their desired goal. This is the case with all other utterances of the gopīs that
seem to be laced with aiśvarya-jnāna. The rest of the verse is according to
Śrīdhara Svāmī.
The word ‘khalu’ (indeed) is used as a negation. The sentence can read,
“O friend, You are the Supersoul, but this does not mean that You are not
the son of Yaśodā. Rather, You are the son of Yaśodā.” By saying the word
‘vikhanasā,’ they mean, “You appeared in the family of devotees in response
to the prayer of Lord Brahmā to protect the entire universe. Consequently,
You should care for us also. It is not right for You to neglect us. We are
certainly worthy of Your protection.” This is the mood.
According to another meaning, the gopīs, filled with resentment, say,
“You are not the son of Yaśodā; she is extremely compassionate and always
looks after us. There is no doubt that You are the Supersoul because You
look at everything with indifference. Still, controlled by the bhakti of Brahmā,
You came disguised as the son of Yaśodā in order to protect the universe. As
children we became Your friends and played together; therefore You should
protect us.” This is the reason that they utter the word ‘vikhanasā.’
Because ‘na’ is the first word in the verse, it can be attributed to all four
lines of the verse. When it is applied to the phrase ‘viśva-guptaye sakhe,’
the phrase can be read as viśva-guptaye ’sakhe (asakhe) in accordance
with the rules of conjunction (sandhi). Then the meaning is, “O You who are
not our friend, O You who are averse to us! All the Vrajavāsīs know You as
the son of Yaśodā. Gargācārya, Bhāguri and other sages believe You to be
the Supersoul of all beings, and Paurṇamāsī says that You have descended
in answer to Brahmā’s prayer to protect the universe. However, observing
Your behavior, we are unable to determine what is the actual fact. It seems
that You are not the son of Yaśodā, who is supremely kind. If You were her
son, You would not be so heartless. Rather, You would surely be kind to us
because we are related to her. You would not neglect us in this way. You are
not even the Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities, otherwise how
could You be unaware of our misery? If You were the Supersoul, You would
know how we are suffering, and thus could not refrain from giving us Your
darśana. Moreover, if You have descended to protect the universe as per
Brahmā’s prayers, You would protect us also because we are within the
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universe and should not be neglected. You did not appear in the family of
devotees. If You had, we also would be recipients of Your causeless mercy.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa might say, “O gopīs, again and again you speak irrationally.
Get hold of yourselves! I am the son of Nanda, the source of all bliss, but
you accuse Me of killing women and insidiously betraying people’s trust.
Therefore, I will go to such a remote place that in this lifetime you will not
see Me again, not even once.” The thought of such threatening words seared
the gopis’ hearts. In an attempt to please Him, they glorified Him by this
prayer beginning with ‘na khalu gopīkā,’ saying, “O friend, You are certainly
not the son of Yaśodā, rather You are the Supersoul, the witness dwelling in
the hearts (antarātma-dṛk) of all living beings. We heard from Bhāguri Ṛṣi,
Gargācārya and Paurṇamāsī that You are the Supersoul. Residing in our
hearts, You know all our desires and inspire us to speak in this way. We
act according to Your inspiration; therefore do not be angry with us. Be
pleased. We heard about the cause of Your appearance here. According to
the request of Lord Brahmā, You were born in the Yadu dynasty, the best
of devotees, arising like the sun from behind the mountain of Śrī Yaśodā’s
womb, to protect the world.”
Kṛṣṇa then replies, “O intelligent and rasika gopīs, if You know all these
truths about Me, why did you speak to Me so harshly?” The gopīs exclaim,
“O friend!” implying, “You drowned us in an ocean of friendship; therefore
we took the liberty to use rough words. You watch over the whole universe,
so extend Your merciful protection to us as well as we are Your sakhīs and
are a part of the universe.”
Their words have yet another meaning: “There is no living being, from
the demigods and humans down to the animals, who can bear to witness the
suffering of their beloveds. You, on the other hand, take delight in seeing our
misery. For this reason we think that You are not the son of Yaśodā. Yaśodā
is famous for a heart that immediately melts with compassion at others’
grief. How could You possibly have taken birth from the womb of Gopeśvarī
Yaśodā as You do not exhibit any of her qualities?” Kṛṣṇa inquires, “Alright,
then who am I?” The gopīs answer, “You are the Supersoul. Although the
Supersoul resides in the hearts of all living beings and witnesses their
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sufferings, He remains unconcerned. Therefore, O crest jewel among

indifferent persons, there must be some other reason for Your birth in Vraja
that we do not know about. Have You made Your appearance here to sustain
the residents of this universe or to inflict them with miseries?”
Next, in the line beginning ‘vikhanasā,’ the gopīs explain why Kṛṣṇa
appeared. They say, “Desiring auspiciousness for his creation, Brahmā
beseeched You to reside here incognito. If You were to reveal Your identity, all
souls would perform bhakti to You. Thus everyone would be liberated from
this world, and all of Brahmā’s creation would go in vain. Brahmā therefore
prayed: ‘O Lord, when You appear in this world, may Your identity remain
secret. In that way, no one will know that You are the Supreme Lord. Thus,
atheists as well as those who do believe in God but do not regard You as the
Lord (such as Jarāsandha6) will all be deluded by Your ‘immoral’ (adhārmika)
behavior, and will acquire a demoniac nature, like Jarāsandha. Thus my
creation will increase.’ To fulfill Brahmā’s desire, You took birth in the
dynasty of the Yadus. You renounced Your true nature, and You displayed all
types of shocking behavior, like enjoying with others’ wives, robbing, killing,
and displaying envy and pride. In this way You kept Your identity hidden. O
friend! In the course of running off with other men’s wives, You have become
our friend. Still, although You are our sakhā (friend), You remain untouched
by Your sakhīs’ grief, and make no effort to extinguish it.”
Verse 5
viracitābhayaṁ vṛṣṇi-dhurya te
caraṇam īyuṣāṁ saṁsṛter bhayāt
kara-saroruhaṁ kānta kāma-daṁ
śirasi dhehi naḥ śrī-kara-graham
O crest jewel of the Yadu dynasty, Your lotus hands give

soothing shade to those souls who, terrified by the cycle of
birth and death, surrender to Your lotus feet. Thus, You relieve
them of all fear. O beloved, please place on our heads these very
lotus hands that fulfill all desires and that hold the hands of the
Goddess of Fortune.
6 Jarāsandha believed in the existence of Bhagavān, but he did not accept Kṛṣṇa as
God. Such a mood is demoniac.
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The gopīs begin to express their four desires7 in this and the next
three verses, starting here with ‘viracitābhayam:’ “O crest jewel of the Vṛṣṇi
dynasty, O protector of those who surrender to Your lotus feet out of fear
of material existence, O beloved, O fulfiller of all desires! Please place Your
lotus hands, which clasp the hands of Lakṣmī, on our heads.”

When the gopīs speak this verse, it appears that they are full of awe
and reverence (aiśvarya), just as it seemed in the previous verse. They say,
“You protect those who surrender to Your feet out of fear of the material
world.” By the phrase ‘viracitābhayam,’ they indicate Kṛṣṇa’s quality of
giving mokṣa and liberating one from all fear. By the word ‘kāma-dam’
they imply, “You fulfill all the desires of those who seek to achieve the three
goals of life (trivarga) – dharma, artha and kāma – and bhakti as well.”
By the phrase ‘śrī-kara-graham,’ meaning one who holds the lotus hand of
Lakṣmī-devī, the gopīs reveal Kṛṣṇa’s propensity to come under the control
of His dear associates, and to be very rasika. It should be understood that
each of these qualities of His is better than the previous one. First Kṛṣṇa
bestows liberation, and better than liberation is His fulfilling the trivargas,
the three goals of life, and superior to that is His bestowal of bhakti, but His
quality of coming under the control of His intimate associates and being full
of rasa exceeds all His other attributes.
The word ‘saroruha’ describes the natural coolness and sweetness of His
hands. The gopīs say, “Because Your hands are naturally cool and sweet, one
can easily guess how valuable a gift they may bestow.” They imply, “We are
burning up in separation. Your lotus hands are soothing and give supreme
bliss, so place them on our heads.” Mokṣa refers to the elimination of all
suffering, which thus paves the way for the unhindered growth of the great
wealth of prema. When there are many kinds of miseries, one’s heart gets
agitated; this presents obstacles to the augmentation of prema. Therefore,
7 (1) Place Your lotus hands on our heads. (2) Show us Your lotus face graced with
a gentle smile. (3) Place Your lotus feet on our breasts. (4) Give us the nectar of
Your lips.
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the devotees who want to perform loving service always desire the removal
of obstacles that come on their path for prema-sevā. One-pointed devotees
ignore ordinary trivarga – dharma, artha and kāma – because they have
no desire for self-enjoyment, but for Kṛṣṇa’s sevā they desire the trivargas
that provide everything auspicious in helping one attain this wealth of pure
love. In the delight of their prema, the gopīs describe that Kṛṣṇa’s hands
have the quality of bestowing both mokṣa and trivarga, which are very
crucial for devotees.
Kṛṣṇa may say, “You are not worthy, so how can I place My hands on your
heads?” The gopīs reply, “This is true. You are a highly exalted personality.
Despite this, even though we are undeserving, still we are requesting that,
in view of Your unlimited qualities, You be generous and place Your lotus
hands on our heads.” Expressing their feelings they continue, “O best in the
Vṛṣṇi dynasty, You have appeared in Nanda Mahārāja’s family in order to
fully exhibit unprecedented sweetness. To prove this, consider the unique
mood of our relationship with You and put Your lotus hands on our heads.”
The gopīs address Kṛṣṇa as kānta, beloved. The meaning of other
words has already been explained in the commentary of Śrīdhara Svāmī.
However, the words beginning with ‘viracitābhayaṁ’ also have another
meaning: “Your lotus hands have the prowess to remove all the fears
related to this material world.” The gopīs are again saying kāntañca
and tatkāmadañca; in the verse itself the two words kānta and kāma-
dam are separate, but if interpreted with karmadhārya compound, it
becomes one word used as an adjective describing the lotus hands of
the Lord. “These hands – which inspire our desire to enjoy with You, our
beloved (kānta) – are known to be very generous and soothing because
they bestow bliss and all desired objects (kāma-dam). Therefore, place
those lotus hands on our heads.”
By ‘śrī-kara-graham’ the gopīs mean to say, “Your hands have brought
the goddess of wealth, Lakṣmī, under control and kept her in Your Gokula.
In this way Your lotus hands are the shelter of the whole gamut of wealth.
There is no doubt about it. He kānta, O beloved, the heat of separation from
You is especially fearful for us. Therefore, keep Your lotus hands on our
heads and take away our distress. Then we will achieve our desired goal – to
attain Your auspicious association. As a result of attaining You, we will get
all kinds of riches useful for serving You. Even though feeling unqualified
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to serve You, still we request that You not neglect us. Offer Your lotus hands
on our heads and accept us as Your dāsīs.
“The family line of Nanda Mahārāja, the King of Vraja, is a special branch
of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, and You are the ornament of that lineage.8 Therefore,
as we are Vrajavāsīs, naturally You are supposed to look after us. You can
never neglect us. Certainly, without any doubt, You should place Your lotus
hands on our heads and accept us.”
Sārārtha-Darśinī
Kṛṣṇa said, “O gopīs who speak so pleasingly! I disappeared to drink the
exceedingly sweet nectar of Your angry words. My desire has been fulfilled,
so you may ask for any boon you like.” Reassured by these gracious words,
the gopīs begin to voice their desires in four verses. The first of the four is
this fifth verse, beginning with ‘viracitābhayam.’
They address Kṛṣṇa, “O best of the Vṛṣṇis, You are the shining sun for the
lotus flowers of Your family. Please place Your hands on our heads.” Kṛṣṇa
might say, “Why should I?” The gopīs reply with ‘kāma-dam:’ “Fearing the five
arrows of Kāmadeva, we sought Your protection. So place Your lotus hands
on our heads to remove the pain inflicted by Cupid.” Another meaning: “Your
lotus hands, which can remove the disease of kāma, also incite lust in our
hearts by their inviting gestures. Your lotus hands grant fearlessness to those
who surrender to You out of fear of the material world. When Your hands are
capable of protecting one from all worldly fears, then what trouble will they
have to save us from this suffering inflicted by our kāma?”
Kṛṣṇa might say, “In that case I will place My hands on your breasts. That
will fulfill My desire.” The gopīs say, “No,” and then explain ‘śrī-kara-graham.’
“When You were about to place Your hand on Śrī Lakṣmī’s breast, she stopped
8 Nanda and the other cowherd men are in the Yadu dynasty. According to Śrī
Gopāla-campu (pūrva, 3rd Chapter), the topmost king of the Yadus, Śrī Devamīdha,
was living in Mathurā. He had two wives – the 1st was from kṣatriya line and the
2nd was from vaiṣya line. The son of the kṣatriya queen was Śūrasena, and the
son of the vaiṣya queen was Parjanya. Śūrasena’s son was Vasudeva. Parjanya
Bābā followed his mother’s vaiṣya dharma and resided in Mahāvana, rearing
cows. Parjanya gopa’s sons were Upananda, Abhinanda, Nanda, Sunanda and
Nandana. The real meaning of vṛṣṇi-dhurya, the best of the Vṛṣnis, is the prince
who was born to the king of the topmost lineage of the cowherd community – Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who is gopa-kumāra Vrajendra-nandana.
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You and took hold of Your hand in hers. Similarly, if You want to touch our
breasts, we will stop You. It is better if You put Your hands on our heads.”
Verse 6
vraja-janārti-han vīra yoṣitāṁ

nija-jana-smaya-dhvaṁsana-smita
bhaja sakhe bhavat-kiṅkarīḥ sma no
jalaruhānanaṁ cāru darśaya
O best among heroes, You dissolve the sorrows of the

residents of Vraja. The beam of Your mild smile is quite capable
of shattering Your closest associates’ pride in their good fortune
and their loving anger. O dear friend, we are Your maidservants.
Please accept us helpless girls and make us happy by showing us
Your captivating lotus face.

The gopīs say, “O You who relieve the Vrajavāsīs of all their miseries! O
hero, Your soothing, gentle smile destroys the pride of Your near and dear
ones. O friend, we are Your maidservants, so You should certainly engage us
in Your service and give us shelter.” The gopīs implore Kṛṣṇa, “You should
show us young ladies the beautiful lotus of Your face at once.”
In full absorption the gopīs first prayed only for Kṛṣṇa to accept them in
a general way, but in this and the next two verses they appeal to Him to fulfill
their specific requests. In this verse beginning with vraja, they beg only for
His association: “Bhaja – Accept us. Meet with us and thereby remove our
sorrow. Oh, although this is our original desire, we are first asking You to
just show us Your enchantingly beautiful face, so similar to a lotus flower.”
By calling Kṛṣṇa “vraja-janārti-han, O You who destroy the sorrow of the
inhabitants of Vraja,” the gopīs imply that He is capable of accepting them
and thereby eliminating their sorrow born of separation. They intimate that
if He does not immediately save them in their dying condition, the glory
described in this name will prove meaningless.
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By addressing Kṛṣṇa as ‘vīra, O hero,’ they imply that He is competent to

bestow upon His closest associates even something that would ordinarily be
imprudent to give. That is, it is not proper to give to those unfit to receive it.
“Although we prayed for something beyond our suitability, still You are able
to fulfill our desire.” Kṛṣṇa might respond, “When we met on the bank of the
Yamunā, you became intoxicated by your good fortune and developed pride
from your intimate association with Me. To rectify you I am now refusing to
give you My darśana.” The gopīs answer, “O You who can destroy the pride
of Your associates! Because You lavished so much affection on those whom
You accepted as Your beloveds, they became conceited. As Your slightest
smile easily vanquishes such vanity, then what is the need for You to inflict
punishment by disappearing?” These words communicate the extraordinary
beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s nectarean smile, and therefore the gopīs say, “We eagerly
look forward to seeing Your smile.
“He sakhe, O friend, accept us by giving Your direct association. If You
do not save us now, then later on, seeing our dire condition You will also
suffer because friends usually share each others’ sorrows. Furthermore
You will be guilty of betraying our trust.” Although the gopīs are qualified
to consider Kṛṣṇa as their friend, overwhelmed by humility in separation,
they were afraid to appear arrogant. Therefore they said, “We are Your
maidservants. ‘Yoṣitām’ – we are weak women, and do not have the strength
to search for You any more. We are exhausted and suffering so much in
separation that we don’t know if we will be able to keep our lives going.
Therefore mercifully show us Your lotus face.” Śrīdhara Svāmī gives the
other interpretation in his commentary.
The words of the gopīs may also be taken in this way: “Your gentle smile
destroys the pride of those women whom You have accepted as Your near
and dear ones, like Your wives such as Lakṣmī. Then what to speak of us,
Your maidservants, and Your soft smile will easily quell our pride. Therefore,
You should attend to us.” Kṛṣṇa may say, “How can I please you?” The gopīs
give their reply with this and the next two verses. “To remove the burning
agony of separation and to rejuvenate our half-dead bodies, appear before
us and show us Your lotus face.”
The gopīs speak in great pain and in the anger of love: “vraja-janārti-
han – O You who destroy the misery of the Vrajavāsīs but are still a hero
capable of killing women! This is how You display Your bravery, and due to
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such heroism we are practically dead. Actually, You use Your soft, deceitful
smile to destroy the happiness of Your intimate companions. Now go and
enjoy with those who are not Your maidservants (abhavat-kiṅkarīḥ). Do not
show us Your captivating lotus face because we have decided to die.”
Some other gopīs say, “You destroy the anguish inflicted by Kāmadeva’s
arrows. You do this only for the ladies (yoṣitāṁ) of Vraja, not for other
women, and not even for the demigoddesses.” It is mentioned further on in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.35.3: “Although the demigoddesses are seated in
heavenly airplanes with their husbands, upon hearing Kṛṣṇa’s flute-song,
they become astonished. Pierced by Cupid’s shafts, they become enamored
and lose their faculties. Therefore they do not notice how their waist belts
open. They later despair and feel very ashamed.”
The gopīs say, “O hero, O You who conquer over Cupid, whose attacks
are extremely difficult to endure! Having conquered Brahmā and other
demigods, Cupid had become very puffed up but You smashed his pride into
smithereens. You cannot tolerate our having even the slightest pride in our
good fortune. You also cannot put up with our sulky mood, which arises from
our natural contrary nature. ‘Nija-jana-smaya-dhvaṁsana-smita’ – With
Your smile You destroy the pride and the sulky mood of Your sweethearts.”
Kṛṣṇa might request them, “All right, you may immediately ask for a boon.”
If He speaks in this way, the gopīs respond by saying, “We are Your
maidservants. Accept us and serve us.”
He may then question them, “If you are My maidservants, why are you
ordering Me to serve you?”
The gopīs reply, “Because You are our friend, You should serve us.”
“That makes sense. So tell Me, how can I serve you?”
“Jalaruhānanaṁ cāru darśaya – Show us Your alluring lotus face.”
Verse 7
praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ
tṛṇa-carānugaṁ śrī-niketanam
phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ te padāmbujaṁ
kṛṇu kuceṣu naḥ kṛndhi hṛc-chayam
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Your lotus feet remove all sins of those living beings who
submit to them. Your lotus feet chase after the cows and calves
who go out to graze. Your lotus feet are the object of service
for Lakṣmī-devī, who is herself the reservoir of all beauty and
wealth. Your lotus feet graced the hoods of the serpent Kāliya.
Those same lotus feet You should rest on our breasts and pacify
the fire of lust blazing in our hearts.

“Your lotus feet eliminate the sins of surrendered souls without any
discrimination. Overwhelmed by mercy, Your lotus feet follow after the
grazing cows. They are the abode of all beauty; thus they have become the
shelter of Śrī Lakṣmī. Being extremely powerful, they trampled the hoods
of the Kāliya serpent. Place those lotus feet on our breasts.” Kṛṣṇa may ask,
“Why?” They answer, “To extinguish the kāma in our hearts.”
(The gopīs worry, “If, after hearing our prayers, Kṛṣṇa comes and shows
us His lotus face graced with a gentle smile, thus removing our sulkiness, and
then disappears, what will happen to the disease in our hearts?”) This is the
gopīs’ second request. Generally people will apply some medicinal ointments
externally to cure the disease inside the body. Similarly, in this verse the gopīs
beg Kṛṣṇa to soothe the fire of separation in their hearts by the ointment of
association with His transcendental body. Out of humility they focus only on
His feet and glorify their virtues: “Praṇata-dehināṁ – Your lotus feet free a per
son of all his sins once he submits to them. Thus Your lotus feet are very extra
ordinary; You should place them the breasts of we gopīs who belong to You.”
Kṛṣṇa might say, “Indeed, you have no fear of sin, but I do.” To this the
gopīs reply ‘praṇata.’ “You destroy the sins of those who offer You obeisances
even once, not considering the circumstances under which they surrendered
to You. Just see how You eliminated all sins of the sons of Kuvera, Nalakūvara
and Maṇigrīva, who had been turned into trees, and the serpent Kāliya, who
surrendered to You. How, then, can You be afraid of sin?”
Kṛṣṇa might say, “Due to madness and pride you have committed
an offence. Therefore it is not proper for Me to place My feet on your
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breasts.” In reply, the gopīs speak this verse ‘praṇata.’ “May our offence be
vanquished as in the case of Kāliya and others, who surrendered to You.”
Kṛṣṇa says, “How can I place the super-soft soles of My lotus feet on
Your hard breasts?”
The gopīs respond with ‘tṛṇa-carānugaṁ.’ “O beloved, Your feet follow
behind cows, calves and other animals, who roam from forest to forest on rough
ground laced with sharp rocks, pebbles and thorns. So in comparison it is highly
unlikely that they will experience much discomfort when placed on our breasts.”
Kṛṣṇa says, “It is inappropriate for Me to associate with you ignorant girls.”
The gopīs respond, “You chase after the cows, who are also ignorant.”
Kṛṣṇa: “In what way are the cows stupid?
To this the gopīs reply ‘tṛṇa-carānugam.’ “The cows are so brainless
that they prefer grass to sugar candies and other nice sweets even when
those are placed before them. We are not more foolish than them. Therefore,
if You can follow behind the cows, You can certainly show us the same mercy
that You have for the cows.”
Then Kṛṣṇa asks, “Is it appropriate for Me to place My feet on your breasts
that are so exquisitely beautiful? The gopīs reply, “Śrī-niketanam – Your lotus
feet are the abode of the great treasure of beauty. Possessing unparalleled
splendor, they are the best of ornaments. Therefore, by placing Your lotus feet
on our breasts, then that will be the best of ornaments for our breasts, and
nothing else will increase their beauty.”
Kṛṣṇa confesses, “Out of My cowardly nature I am afraid of Your hus
bands.” The gopīs reply, “phaṇi-phanārpitam – If You can place Your feet on
the hoods of the wicked Kāliya serpent and dance there, thereby removing the
poison of his anarthas, how can You be called a coward? How is it that You
have a cowardly nature? If Your feet could clear away poison [in the waters of
the Yamunā], then certainly they are able to extinguish this torment of our love
poisoning our hearts.” Thus the gopīs describe the virtues of Kṛṣṇa’s feet by these
four phrases, of which ‘praṇata-dehinām papa-karṣaṇam’ is the first one.
Kṛṣṇa inquires, “Do you want Me to place My feet on your breasts to
free you from all the sins from so many births?” The gopīs answer, “No, no,
not for that. Take away this kāma in our hearts. We yearn to hold Your lotus
feet to our breasts to pacify our lust. This is our only purpose.”
“O dearmost beloved, You are our life and soul. Therefore, to avoid
inflicting any pain on Your tender feet, we will place them on our breasts
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with utmost care.” This is spoken in the last verse of this chapter (yat te
sujata). “With great affection, we will put Your lotus feet on our breasts,
though they are burning from the disease of the heart.”
It is to be understood that in the previous verse the gopīs used the word
śirasi (head) in singular number only out of humility. Thus they expressed
this mood, “If You place Your hands at least on one head, then all the rest of
us will be included automatically.” However, in the present verse they use
the word kuceṣu (breasts) in plural number being overpowered by greed.
While they were in the mood of humility, Kṛṣṇa’s touching just one of them
seemed sufficient for all, but here, as they were smitten by greed, a small
favor was not enough to satisfy, and they each desired personal contact.
Some other gopīs propose, “O Kṛṣṇa, place Your lotus feet on our
breasts.” To explain why they want Him to do this they say, “Thus vanquish
our disease, the flames of kāma tormenting our hearts.”
The gopīs have samarthā-rati9 – their love is capable of controlling
Kṛṣṇa; therefore, endowed with pure prema, they never think about relieving
their own sorrow or worry for their personal happiness. Their only thought
is to give Kṛṣṇa pleasure with their bodies, words and minds. These Vraja
maidens most expertly reveal their youthful beauty and pain of separation
in order to arouse Kṛṣṇa’s desire for the bliss of surata. Usually, they do not
express their love by words because this would diminish the prema. But here
they verbalize their feelings of lust only to dismiss their kāma as insignificant.
For example, one man wanted to feed a hungry friend and for that
purpose began to lovingly prepare four types of sweets. When his friend
9 Rati, amorous love, is of three kinds: sādhāraṇī (ordinary), samañjasā (proper) and
samarthā (competent). The rati of Kubjā is the example of sādhāraṇī-rati. It has
been condemned because its fundamental basis is the desire to enjoy union. The
queens of Dvārakā have samañjasā-rati, which respects standards of religious
conduct, and is awakened by the regulative principles of marriage. “I am His wife,
He is my husband” – such sentiments limit this rati. The rati of the residents of
Gokula is samarthā. This rati splendidly goes beyond the boundaries of social
restrictions and religious principles. Samarthā-rati is actually not improper.
Indeed, from the perspective of the ultimate transcendental objective, only this
rati is correct in the highest sense. Sādhāraṇī-rati is like a jewel; samañjasā-rati
is like cintāmaṇi, and samarthā-rati is supremely rare, like the Kaustubha-maṇi.
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asked him, “For whom are you making these?” he answered, “For myself, not
for you.” In this way love remained in full power. If that man would answer, “I
do this only to please you. I have no selfish desire,” the love would decrease.
Prema-Sampuṭa (text 68) tells us: “When the light of prema illuminates
the home of the heart of the rasika hero and heroine, it continues to shine
brightly. But it at once becomes faint or dies if it goes out through the
gateway of the mouth, that is, when expressed by words. If one verbalizes
one’s love, ‘I love you so much. I cannot live without you,’ then the prema will
not last long. Even if it does remain, its strength is reduced. To that degree
that the prema is not displayed outside, in that same amount it remains very
deep and condensed in the heart.”
Because the vraja-devīs have no desire for their own happiness,
the Lord confesses in the verse ‘na pāraye’ham’ (SB 10.32.22) that He is
controlled by such love. “O gopīs, our meetings together are filled with
completely pure love. You have severed the chain of household life, which
is very difficult to break, and you have stepped beyond the rules of social
etiquette in order to serve Me. Even if I have a long life like the demigods,
I still will not be able to repay you for even a particle of your sevā and
your prema. The only way this debt can be absolved is if, out of your saintly
nature, you agree. I am forever indebted to you for your unmatched love.”
All the scriptures confirm that Śrī Kṛṣṇa can be controlled only by selfless
love and never by lust. Therefore, the prema of the vraja-devīs, who possess
samarthā-rati, is only for Kṛṣṇā’s pleasure; in every way it is topmost and is
beyond description.
Kṛṣṇa tells the gopīs, “I am afraid of committing a sin by resting My
feet on your breasts.” The gopīs reply, “Your lotus feet destroy the sins of all
surrendered souls. Therefore there is no reason for You to fear sin. How can
He who eliminates sins be afraid of sin?”
Then Kṛṣṇa says, “Your breasts are very hard. How can I put My soft
feet on them? Won’t I feel pain?” The gopīs answer, “tṛṇa-carānugaṁ – With
these feet You follow the cows as they graze, and they go to areas difficult to
reach. If Your feet can tolerate walking in those places, then what discomfort
will they experience from the hardness of our breasts? Instead, it will be very
pleasing to them because we are eager for Your amorous pleasure.”
Kṛṣṇa again speaks, “Will it be proper to put My feet on your breasts
which are decorated with many jeweled ornaments?” The gopīs reply, “Śrī-
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niketanam – Your feet are the abode of all beauty, therefore they will serve
as the best ornament on our breasts.”
Kṛṣṇa says, “But I am afraid of your husbands.” Then the gopīs
encourage Him, Phaṇi-phaṇārpitaṁ – You were not afraid to set Your feet
on the hoods of the poisonous Kāliya serpent, why then should You fear our
husbands?”
Verse 8
madhurayā girā valgu-vākyayā
budha-manojñayā puṣkarekṣaṇa
vidhi-karīr imā vīra muhyatīr
adhara-sīdhunāpyāyayasva naḥ
O Kamala-nayana, O lotus-eyed one! Your extremely sweet

voice and enchanting speech, which attract astute intellectuals,
are bewildering us. O munificent hero, please restore the lives
of Your maidservants with the divine ambrosia of Your lips,
sweeter than the sweetest amṛta.

O lotus eyed one! We are bewildered by Your sweet voice and
most heartfelt words, which steal the minds of grave intellectuals, who
consequently lose their sobriety. O hero, we are Your maidservants. Enliven
us with the nectar of Your lips.
Remembering the flow of sweet words from Kṛṣṇa’s fragrant mouth, the
gopīs experienced such a strong desire to relish the nectar of His lips that
the agony of separation reached the stage of moha, complete bewilderment.
Fearing that this condition would be very difficult to overcome, the gopīs
again ask for some rejuvenating tonic in addition to a medicated ointment –
that is, they request the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips coupled with an embrace in
this verse beginning ‘madhurayā.’
“We are bewildered by Your sweet voice. Therefore You should revive
us with the nectar of Your lips, otherwise we will die.” Kṛṣṇa asks, “Why will
you die?” “Because we will remember the sweet words You spoke, such as
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‘svāgataṁ vo mahābhāgāḥ – O most fortunate ladies, have you reached

here safely?’ We also remember the words You spoke to Śrīmatī Rādhikā:
kathorā bhava mṛdvī va
prāṇas tvam asī rādhike
astī nānya cakorasya
candra-lekhaṁ vinā gatiḥ
(Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Vidagdha-mādhava)
“‘O Rādhikā, whether You be cruel to Me in Your sulky mood or
merciful, You are always My life and soul. Just as a cakora bird cannot
live without the moonbeams, I cannot live without You.’
“Sugary words such as these and many others equally sweet bring us
back to life. But remembering such sweet words now, we are becoming
completely bewildered.” ‘Muhyatīḥ’ means that they reached the stage of
bewilderment just preliminary to death.
Kṛṣṇa asks, “In what way do you find my words striking?” The gopīs
answer, “Your style of speaking is most agreeable, sweeter than sweet,
accompanied by Your charming voice, the special choice of the sounds and
the tenderness of prema. Thus any living being will be enchanted by Your
speech. Your gentle and beautiful words – which are structured according
to proper grammar with subject and predicate – express Your desires,
worthiness and affection. Furthermore, Your words bestow bliss to erudite
scholars because of the way You express Your thoughts – sometimes using
the direct meaning of words, sometimes elliptical expressions and sometimes
indirect meanings. Laden with desire and emotion, Your utterances are
decorated with linguistic ornaments and are full of deep meaning.”
The word ‘imā,’ meaning ‘these gopīs,’ indicates that they are dying right
in front of Kṛṣṇa’s eyes at that very moment, therefore there can be no doubt
about their condition. They say, “Why can’t You give us what we desire?
Certainly You should comply with us.” Kṛṣṇa may say, “What you are asking
for – the nectar of My lips – is not proper for giving. How can I give it to you?”
The gopīs reply, “He vīra, O hero, You are not only a very merciful person,
You are also most munificent. Therefore, there is nothing You cannot give. O
lotus-eyed one! When You speak sweet words with a gentle smile on Your lotus
face, casting inviting glances, You can bewilder anybody.”
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Līlāśuka Śrīpad Bilvamaṅgala describes Kṛṣṇa’s sweet talk in Śrī

Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛta (verse 33): “O beautiful one, when You, maddened with
pride, lovingly converse with the maidens of Vraja, then there is no limit to
resourcefulness in Your eloquence, resulting from Your youthful age. Your
words are full of nectar and give great pleasure to the mind by Your poetic
expression and figurative manner of speech. Your words, accompanied by
the glances of Your large lotus eyes (puṣkarekṣaṇa), repeatedly manifest in
the hearts of pious persons, overwhelmed by loving emotions for You.” The
commentary on the rest of the verse is according to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda.
Another meaning can be read into the gopīs’ speech: “We were bewildered
by the sweetness of Your words. Thus, having lost all discrimination, we
became Your maidservants, being fully confused.” Those words can be
understood in yet another way: “We became Your maidservants, being
attracted by hearing Your sweet voice. Now, not hearing this sweet sound,
we are bewildered, tossed about in the pain of separation from You.”
“O My jewel-like beloveds, more dear to Me than My life airs! O My
precious sweethearts, I cannot be indifferent to You because you are the
very breath of My being. You can have complete confidence in Me – I am
your slave, fully chained in the golden shackles of love. Trust Me. I am in
your hands; consider Me as one of your ornaments, a bangle that you wear
on your wrists.”
Remembering how Kṛṣṇa used to speak like this, one gopī exclaims,
“Madhurayā – Your words are sweet because each syllable contains a deep
indirect meaning. Extremely pleasing to the ear, they consist of beautiful
phrases overflowing with charming (valgu) words and astonishing
meanings. By their power to penetrate the mind they bewilder intelligent
persons (budha-manojñayā). Your words throw us, Your maidservants
(vidhi-karīr), into an embarrassed condition. We relished their sweetness to
such a degree that we became intoxicated in bliss. Please rejuvenate us with
the nectar of Your lips.”
There can be another meaning, “Please fill us, who were previously
beguiled thus, with the nectar of Your lips and in this way bewilder us again.”
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Verse 9
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ

kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ
Narrations of Your pastimes overflow with nectar – such life-

giving descriptions constitute the only wealth in the otherwise
bleak existence of those suffering in separation. Throughout
the ages, Your devoted poets, such as Brahmā, Śiva and the four
Kumāras, repeatedly sing out Your glories. These narrations,
bestowing auspiciousness upon their listeners, vanquish the
distress resulting from all their past sins, and bestow the wealth
of prema. Those who broadcast Your transcendental activities
are truly the greatest benefactors in the world.

The gopīs speak, “In separation from You we were close to dying, but
pious persons told us ambrosial stories about You and thus cheated us from
dying.” This is explained in the verse ‘tava kathāmṛtam.’ ‘Kathāmṛtam’ means
that the narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are amṛta, full of nectar. ‘Tapta-
jīvanaṁ’ – this is so because they rejuvenate souls who are burning in Your
absence. Its power far exceeds the famous heavenly nectar. ‘Kavibhiḥ’ –
therefore all those who perceive the Absolute Truth (brahma-jñas) glorify it,
knowing celestial nectar to be inferior. ‘Kalmaśāpaham’ – tales of Your deeds
root out material desires and auspicious and inauspicious results arising
from fruitive activities such as giving in charity. The nectar of Paradise is
devoid of such virtues; instead, it intensifies material desire. Narrations of
Your life are also ‘śravaṇa-maṅgala,’ bestowing auspiciousness to those who
merely hear them. Thus one need not observe any rituals to relish the nectar
of Your kathā, but to drink celestial nectar one must undergo some prescribed
procedure. The nectar of discussions about You is exquisitely charming and
soothing (śrīmat), whereas celestial nectar arouses a drunken state. So how is
it possible to compare a piece of glass to a precious jewel? Those who spread
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on Earth this kathāmṛta by describing Your pastimes actually bestow the

most precious gift (bhūri-dā) – they give life to those who hear it.”
The last line of the verse can be interpreted in this way: “Those who
spread on Earth the nectar of narrations about Your pastimes must have
performed many pious activities in their past lives.” The gopīs conclude,
“When even those who spread the nectar of Your kathā are so fortunate,
then what to speak of those who directly behold You? Therefore we pray,
please appear before us.”
Suspecting that Kṛṣṇa may ask them, “Without getting the nectar of
My lips, how is it that you are still alive?” the gopīs attribute the glory of
their discussing His pastimes as the reason. Their own pleasing experience
stands as evidence10 of this glory.
“Tava kathāmṛtam – narrations of Your pastimes are indeed nectar,
and because of their great power we are still alive.” A question may arise:
how is it like amṛta? The gopīs reply, “Discussions about You are just like
nectar because hari-kathā itself is the goal, having value on its own, and is
also the means to achieve other goals.” In other words, many people seek
the demigods’ amṛta because it is full of flavor; it simultaneously removes
disease and discrepancies as it nourishes and gives strength. Similarly,
just by hearing kṛṣṇa-kathāmṛta, one achieves the supreme goal – kṛṣṇa-
prema – and as a side effect, it saves one from lust, anger, etc., and all other
material calamities, such as fainting due to some disease or sudden death.
Furthermore, it is the sādhana to attain other fruits, and is itself also the
destination. To prove this statement, the gopīs are saying, “This kathāmṛta
gives life to suffering persons, it is praised by the poets, it eradicates all
kinds of sins, it bestows auspiciousness just by hearing, it is most excellent,
and is famous throughout the whole world.”
10 The gopīs have heard from the sages that the nectar of heaven is supremely
sweet, but it comes to an end, and nectar in the form of liberation stops material
sufferings and gives no experience of bliss. But hearing and glorifying the nectar
of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s kathā, one relishes the supreme sweet mellow, which never ends. By
hearing that kathā, one experiences the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, attributes and
pastimes in full, and this is what the gopīs have realized.
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‘Tapta-jīvanam’ – The gopīs illustrate the life-giving quality of this kathā.

It enlivens miserable persons. It saves from death those who suffer in the fire
of separation, then what to speak of those who suffer in the material world.
The gopīs confirm that this nectarean kathā is the life even for great
personalities like Brahmā, who, standing on the side of the path, offer their
respects to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet when He returns with the cows at the end of the
day (vandyamāna-caraṇaḥ pathi vṛddhaiḥ – SB 10.35.22). When Kṛṣṇa places
the flute on His lips and plays a sweet melody, Indra, Śiva, Brahmā and other
demigods faint out of bliss. Hearing the high and low trills of that flute melody,
the demigods, though they are the most knowledgeable sages, are unable to
comprehend its structure and, dumbstruck, bow their heads (SB 10.35.15).
“Kavibhir īḍitam – great poets like Brahmā, Śiva, the four Kumāras and
other self-realized souls (ātmārāmas) glorify these ambrosial narrations.”
The word ‘īḍita’ (described) has originated from the union of the verbal root
īḍ and the suffix kta. This suffix indicates the present tense. Therefore the
meaning is, “Great scholars glorify Your kathāmṛta by simply repeating the
words of us Vrajavāsīs. They are unable to praise it with their own words
because Your confidential pastimes remain hidden from them.”
“Kalmaśāpaham – the nectar of talks about You is so powerful that
there is no one who would not like it.” By its power everyone acquires
taste (ruci) for it. Facing some impediments in stimulating taste, this nectar
destroys not only the result of pious and sinful material activity, but even
the result of offense to itself. Thus it arouses taste for hearing the kathā.
“Śravaṇa-maṅgalam – Because of the power of this kathā, if one just
hears it and does not even understand the meaning, his whole life becomes
auspicious, that is, he attains the supreme goal [kṛṣṇa-prema]. And if
someone knows the meaning of this kathā, what can we say about them?”
“This nectar of kathā is śrīmat, sublimely beautiful. Ātatam – it is all-
pervading because everyone speaks Your glories everywhere. For this alone
it exceeds the fame of celestial nectar, which, being limited by nature, is
not available for everyone, and thus becomes the cause of war between
the demigods and demons. Your nectar, on the other hand, is infinite,
and its benefits are available to everyone. Those who speak about You to
others are the most magnanimous persons on Earth. Especially when such
persons shower this nectar on Gokula, they revive our lives when we are
burning in separation from You.” Therefore Brahmā and other devotees
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of Kṛṣṇa distribute the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes throughout the world,

outside of Vraja. In Vraja, all the Vrajavāsīs sing about Kṛṣṇa, but it should
be understood that the maidens of Vraja hear such narrations from their
sakhīs. This means all the sakhīs are bhūri-dā.
Alternative meaning: fearing that Kṛṣṇa may say, “O distraught gopīs!
Why then don’t You spend time relishing the nectar of such narrations until
I fulfill your desire?” they reply, “Narrations about You are like death for
us. They kill us.” Kṛṣṇa may ask, “How is that possible?” The gopīs answer,
“tapta-jīvanam – They burn our life airs because when we hear those
narrations, the fire of separation increases millions of times over. Thus
they become the cause of our death.” The inner meaning is this: “Narrations
about You produce the same effect on us as drops of water that sizzle when
they fall on boiling oil. They only increase our suffering. In the same way, we
gopīs are like oil boiling in separation from You. When a drop of kathāmṛtā
goes in our ear, instead of cooling us, it sputters and evaporates, and greatly
increases the heat of separation.”
“Kalmaṣāpaham – Only poets who are Your devotees praise such
narrations for their ability to destroy sin, not others. Also, we were told that
hearing about Your activities bestows all kinds of auspiciousness, but we
never had such an experience ourselves. ‘Śrīmad-ātatam’ – because Your
kathā is very beautiful (śrī), the words describing You have developed pride
(mad); maddened by their own beauty, they are disrespecting us, Your own
people, and, spurred by their pride, are spreading everywhere (ātatam).
Thus Your kathā is like death, and those who narrate them are bhūri-da,
the destroyers (da)11 of life (bhūri).” The gopīs speak in this way only out
of great pain of separation. They conclude, “In the hope that You will come,
we want to remain alive for a few more seconds. Therefore we do not want
those narrations to kill us.”

In the previous verse the gopīs describe the glories of the honeyed words
flowing out of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mouth. Now they say, “O Kṛṣṇa, who can possibly
describe the glorious sweetness of the words flowing from Your mouth? No
11 In this interpretation the syllable da stands for the verb do, which means ‘to cut.’
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one, because it is beyond description! Even when sung by virtuous persons,

the nectar of narrations about Your name, beauty, qualities, etc., exceeds the
taste of the well-known heavenly ambrosia and the nectar of liberation.”
With this intention the gopīs speak this verse ‘tava kathāmṛtam.’
Kṛṣṇa may ask, “Why are they compared to nectar?” The gopīs explain,
“tapta-jīvanam – Narrations about You rejuvenate those who suffer from
severe diseases and from existence in the material world. Furthermore, they
give life to those who pine in separation from You. Therefore discussions
about You are pure nectar that far surpasses celestial nectar and the nectar
of liberation.”
“Kavibhir īḍitaṁ – Great poets like Prahlāda and Dhruva glorify the
nectar of Your kathā: ‘O Lord, upon hearing about Your transcendental
pastimes, souls experience great bliss. One cannot experience such bliss
even upon realizing brahma. Then what can I say about the temporary
enjoyment in Paradise, which is slated to be slashed by the sword of time,
causing one to fall back down to the world of death’” (SB 4.9.10)? It is
not found anywhere that celestial nectar and the nectar of liberation are
glorified in this way. Thus, according to the conclusion of the poets, they
cannot be considered relishable.”
“Kalmaṣāpaham – The nectar of tales about You destroys the results
of sinful activities from previous lives. Celestial nectar, on the other hand,
does not have this power. Instead, it increases passion and in this way
causes men to sin even more. The nectar of liberation also does not destroy
sinful reactions.”
“Śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ – The nectar of Your kathā is extremely tasteful;
it fulfills desires and brings auspiciousness to those who chance to hear
it. Every moment these narrations are retold (ātatam) by Your devotees,
thus bestowing even the wealth (śrīmat) of prema. The other two types of
nectar do not have such qualities. ‘Bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ’ –
Those who speak or glorify this kathā are the only true benefactors
(bhūri-dā) of the world. Even if one offers them everything he has, still he
can not repay such persons.”
There is another meaning in these words: “Narrations about You
are sweet only when You are present nearby. Otherwise they cause great
disturbance. Kathā about You brings on death (mṛtam).” Kṛṣṇa asks, “How
is that?” The gopīs reply, “Tapta-jīvanaṁ – it burns up our life airs.”
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Another meaning: “This kathā makes us feel just like a drop of water falling
in boiling oil – hearing Your kathā while burning in separation from You
simply increases our suffering.” Kṛṣṇa asks, “Why, then, do the Purāṇas and
other scriptures praise that kathāmṛta so much?” The gopīs reply, “Kavibhir
īḍitaṁ – great poets like Vyāsadeva glorify Your pastimes because it is
the nature of poets to do so. They are very expert in inventing stories and
exaggerating the subject. One cannot trust such eulogies presented by the
poets.” This is the meaning.
“Kalmaṣāpaham – By hearing narrations about You, one experiences
the great misery of separation in which all of one’s previous sins and
offenses are destroyed.”
[Here the gopīs speak with irony.] “Śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ – It is auspicious
for ordinary people hear to hear narrations about You. Thus these stories
will continue to be spoken. But if intelligent persons, considering the
suffering which results from hearing such narrations, cease to listen to
them, then certainly recitation of these topics will stop.
“Rich and evil men, intoxicated and blinded by their wealth, want
everyone on Earth to die. Therefore they hire speakers of the scriptures
and order them to tell stories about You in every town and village. In this
way those who speak about You kill (da) their audience. They spread the
trap of kathā and, appearing to be very gentle, they sit down in front of their
audiences and proceed to kill masses of people; therefore they are even
more sinful than hunters, who merely kill a few animals. Intelligent persons
will certainly avoid such speakers.”
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam confirms this point in Verse 10.47.18:
yad-anucarita-līlā-karṇa-pīyūṣa-vipruṭ-
sakṛd-adana-vidhūta-dvandva-dharmā vinaṣṭāḥ
sapadi gṛha-kuṭumbaṁ dīnam utsṛjya dīnā
bahava iha vihaṅgā bhikṣu-caryāṁ caranti
“Those who have relished with their ears one drop of nectarean
narrations of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes give up all dualities of material life.
They leave their homes and come to Vṛndāvana, wandering about as
humble beggars.”
The gopīs’ criticism of narrations about Kṛṣṇa is but a reflection of
their inner fire of separation. In truth they praise the kathā and its speakers.
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Verse 10
prahasitaṁ priya-prema-vīkṣaṇaṁ
viharaṇaṁ ca te dhyāna-maṅgalam
rahasi saṁvido yā hṛdi spṛśaḥ
kuhaka no manaḥ kṣobhayanti hi
O darling beloved, we were immersed in blissfully remem
bering Your special smiles, the loving looks in Your eyes, the
intimate exchanges and heart-touching conversations that we
enjoyed with You in a secluded place. Such meditation bestows
supreme joy. O treacherous friend! Now remembering those
times with You troubles our hearts.

Kṛṣṇa may say, “If all you say is true, then you can attain peace just by
listening to kathā about Me, and there is no need for Me to appear before
you.” The gopīs reply with this verse ‘prahasitaṁ.’ “Our minds are already
agitated remembering all the pastimes we enjoyed with You; we cannot
be pacified simply by hearing about them.” They call out, “O beloved, O
cheater!” In this verse the word ‘saṁvidaḥ’ means ‘playful, suggestive hints.’
According to the first meaning, the gopīs fear that Kṛṣṇa may say, “You
thoughtless ladies! Why are you so deeply attached to Me? I am beyond
your reach. And, nurturing great affection for Me, why are you not pacified
simply by hearing about Me?” The gopīs feel no satisfaction from listening
to conversations about Him, and in the following three verses criticize Him
for previously showing them great affection.
According to the second meaning the gopīs say, “We cannot continue
to live much longer just clinging to the hope of finding You.” Indirectly they
mean to say, “Those who have never seen You and are not familiar with Your
unique, playful gestures, will not be burning up in the hope to meet with
You. And those who have not heard Your sweet, loving words – such persons
can be satisfied simply by hearing about You and they can stay alive with the
expectation of eventually attaining You. But we remember Your hearty laugh
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accompanied by a glance full of love, the pastimes of roaming about with

You, and the heart-touching messages You spoke in a secluded place. All
these have made us anxious and bound our hearts with the hope of meeting
You again. Now we cannot tolerate another moment without Your darśana.”
This is how the gopīs express their mood in this verse ‘prahasitam.’
First meaning of ‘prahasitam:’ “When You saw us, You were so delighted
that You could not restrain from displaying a big smile and a hearty laugh.”
Kṛṣṇa might ask, “What was that laugh like?” The gopīs answer, “That laugh
was accompanied by a glance full of love, ever-changing and ever-fresh.
First You gave us a very special smile, after that You looked at us with
intense passion. Seeing that, we abandoned our self-control, shyness, family
considerations, fear and all other constraints, and became the servants of
Your lotus feet. Thus our lives achieved success. In this way, with Your
hearty laugh and loving glance You used to make us mindless.”
‘Viharaṇaṁ’ – playing with Your sakhās of the same age. Kṛṣṇa might
ask, “What was special about those pastimes?” The gopīs answer, “dhyāna-
maṅgalam – Meditating on them brings auspiciousness. Remembrance of
such pastimes nourishes our hope to see You because by Your actions
You were expressing the desire to meet with us. When playing with Your
friends, You used to put Your left hand on the shoulder of one sakhā while
twirling a pastime lotus (līlā-kamala) with Your right hand. Seeing You
displaying such captivating gestures, we used to get submerged in an
inexplicable ocean of emotions. In this way You disclosed Your innermost
intentions. The vision of those gestures in our hearts makes us desperate
to meet with You.
“Rahasi saṁvidaḥ – In a far-off lonely place, You began to play on Your
flute, calling each one of us by name, and engaged in joking conversations
(narmālāpa) with us.” Kṛṣṇa might ask, “What kind of joking conversations?”
The gopīs answer, “They were heart-touching.” This shows that, out of all
amorous activities, narmālāpa is the most intimate. The word ‘yā’ (which)
indicates something very astonishing: “The joking words You spoke to us
in a very lonely place were extremely wonderful, and deeply touched our
hearts.” ‘Yā hṛdi spṛśaḥ’ (which touch the heart) – this applies to all the
words preceeding yā – prahasitaṁ, prema-vīkṣaṇaṁ, viharaṇaṁ and
rahasi saṁvidaḥ. Each subsequent action is better than the previous one,
all of them touching the heart.
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By calling Kṛṣṇa ‘kuhaka,’ a cheat, the gopīs mean to say, “Your sweet
smile and other endearing actions end up bringing misery. Your intention is
simply to cheat. Only an outrageous rogue like You can do this.” This is the
mood. The gopīs use the word ‘naḥ’ (us) in plural number to emphasize, “This
is our experience – all of us testify to this. Your gentle smile, Your sidelong
glances requesting to meet with us, Your suggestive words – all of these ever-
fresh and novel – cause us great disturbance and agitation. ‘Hi’ (indeed) –
certainly these are agitating us.” The gopīs are affirming the reason for their
unrest. ‘Priya’ means one who tempts. “You are our only beloved, and You
are always enticing our minds. As we love You alone, our minds are always
uneasy and we are always unhappy. This time, again You are deceiving us.”
With this intention they address Him as kuhaka, “O cheater.”
The gopīs say, “When You are out of our sight, we get no satisfaction.
And everything that reminds us of You gives us great pain.” They express
this in the verse beginning ‘prahasitam.’ “He priya, Your sweet gentle smile,
Your loving glances, Your amorous meetings with us (vihāra saṁprayoga),
Your pleasant conversations (saṁvidaḥ) in a secluded place – all these
entered deep in our hearts. Now, remembering all these in Your absence
causes us tremendous grief. We wish we could forget them, but we cannot.
“Dhyāna-maṅgalam – It is said that remembering these four kinds
of exchanges with us brings auspiciousness and bliss. But in truth it only
disturbs our minds. At first Your actions – Your gentle smile, Your loving
glance, roaming around the forests with You, and intimately chatting in
private – make us feel happy, but shortly thereafter they submerge us in an
ocean of misery. Therefore You are a cheater. The poisonous, spicy fritters
fed by a swindler are initially very tasty and give pleasure, but soon they
start burning the victim and finally kill him.”
Verse 11
calasi yad vrajāc cārayan paśūn

nalina-sundaraṁ nātha te padam
śila-tṛṇāṅkuraiḥ sīdatīti naḥ
kalilatāṁ manaḥ kānta gacchati
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He nātha, he kānta, O beloved master! Your lovely lotus feet

are softer than a lotus. When You leave Vraja to take the cows
out for grazing, Your lotus feet suffer great pain from dry husks,
sharp pebbles and spikes of grass. Thinking about this makes
our minds uneasy.

The gopīs say, “Just look, our minds are melting with love for You.
Why are You cheating us again? What is the purpose of such behavior?”
They express these feelings in this verse beginning with ‘calasi’ and the
next. Here the gopīs say, “He nātha, O master, O beloved! When You take
the cows out to graze, Your beautiful, gentle lotus feet are disturbed, poked
by hard grains, sharp grass and pointed sprouts. The thought of their
suffering sets our minds off reeling. Thus we are harassed by the idea that
You may be distressed.”
The gopīs express the following mood in two verses, the first one
beginning with ‘calasi.’ “It does not happen just occasionally that You bring
us sorrow. Both meeting with You and separation from You are equally
frustrating.” Kṛṣṇa might ask, “How is it possible that I cause such misery?”
The gopīs reply, “vrajād – from the time You leave Vraja to take the cows
out for grazing until You return, we worry the whole time that You will be
running here and there chasing after the cows, and Your soft feet will be
hurt by sharp grains, dry grasses and sprouts.” This statement shows that
the gopīs are truly anxious for Kṛṣṇa’s welfare. “Paśūn-cārayan – You take
uncountable numbers of cows out for grazing. For that reason You are
bound to quit the road and wander from place to place.” The inner meaning
of their words is that “animals have no intelligence; therefore without
thinking they will go to places that are troublesome for Your lotus feet.”
‘Śilam’ means sharp tips of forest grains that have fallen on the ground.
Hari-vaṁśa 2.8.23 tells us, “In a dense forest where sunrays cannot
penetrate, the ground is covered with thorns.” But this does not mean that
all forest grounds will be ridden with thorns. Therefore, in this verse the
gopīs have not mentioned thorns.
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The gopīs lovingly address Him in two ways, “He nātha, O master, You
are the Lord of the Vrajavāsīs, so it certainly unacceptable that Your lotus
feet should be so troubled. He kānta, O beloved, Your tender lotus feet should
be touched only by our soft hands, not by sharp grains and dry grasses. This
is the reason why we feel so utterly frustrated.” There is another meaning:
“Being nātha, master of Vraja, all the inhabitants of Vraja are pained to see
You suffering, but as You are our kānta, we are more severely affected.”
The word nātha can be interpreted in still another way: “He nātha,
You who torture Your close friends!” The gopīs propose that Kṛṣṇa may
say, “O wise ladies, do not be anxious. Indeed, you should forget about any
discomfort I may feel.” They explain: “kānta – O lover, even a discerning
person cannot help worrying for his dear ones. Therefore, we cannot stop
worrying about Your feet being afflicted (kalilatā).” According to another
meaning, the gopīs imply by the word nātha, “He prāṇeśvara, O Lord of
our lives, if we did not love You, then we would not be affected by the pain
coming to Your feet. But as You are the master of our lives, whatever is
painful to You, we, being Your maidservants, will experience that same pain.”
The scriptures illustrate the ill effects of love as follows:
yāvata kurute jantuḥ sambandhān manasaḥ priyān

tāvato’sya nikhanyante hṛdaye śoka-śaṅkavaḥ
“The deeper one’s relationship is with somebody, to that degree

sorrow and fear pierce his heart.”
In the light of this verse, Kṛṣṇa suggests to the gopīs, “If this is the
case, then give up this love. Remove it from your hearts.” The gopīs answer,
“manaḥ kānta gacchati – O beloved, what can we do? Even if we don’t
want to be disturbed, our minds are incontrollable. Fearing that You may
encounter some mishap, we automatically become disheartened. Our love
for You is so great that it overpowers our minds, robbing us of prudence
and the ability to make any resolve.” Fearing that Kṛṣṇa may object, “But
your minds belong to you,” the gopīs explain, “It is not the fault of our
minds. O Manohara, O beloved who charms the mind, You are so attractive
that You have stolen our minds. Thus, they are with You, and not with us. Ah,
stop wandering in the forest and quickly come here! Give us Your darśana
and return our minds.” This is the intended meaning.
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The gopīs say, “This is not the only time that You bring us anguish.
Other times also, when You are in pain, You try to make us miserable as
well.” Therefore they are speaking this verse ‘calasi.’ “As soon as You take
the cows out for grazing, we imagine how Your feet, more beautiful and
tender than lotus flowers, are wounded by grain-spikes and sprouting grass,
and our minds become racked with pain.”
Their words can be interpreted in a different way: “Kalilatām – Our minds
are accustomed (latī) to arguing (kali). Thus our minds keep on quarreling
with us.” Here is an example of such an argument: “O mind, if Kṛṣṇa suffers
from walking in the forest, then why does He leave Vraja to go to that forest
every day? I think you panic in vain.” The mind retorts, “You brainless cowherd
maidens! The soles of His feet are softer than land lotuses. There are grain-
spikes, grass shoots, twigs and stones in the forest. Do you think they will not
hurt His feet?” The gopīs try to make the mind understand, saying, “Silly mind,
surely Kṛṣṇa walks on the soft, sandy paths. No need to worry.”
The charmed mind replies, “O unintelligent Vraja maidens! Tell Me, do
the cows look for a soft path when searching for fresh grass?” The gopīs
reply to the mind, “O you, blinded by love, the cows have no discrimination
and go anywhere. But Kṛṣṇa has eyes. Why would He walk on hard grains
and sharp grass?” The mind retorts, “Pity on you, who are devoid of even
the smell of love. What happens if occasionally He perchance sets foot on
such a sharp object?” Now the gopīs agree with the mind, “O brother mind,
you are right! The Creator has given us life only to suffer this agony.” The
mind says, “O miserable ones, you can remain alive, but now, accompanied
by your life airs, I am going to abandon your bodies.”
Verse 12
dina-parikṣaye nīla-kuntalair
vanaruhānanaṁ bibhrad āvṛtam
dhana12-rajasvalaṁ darśayan muhur
manasi naḥ smaraṁ vīra yacchasi
12 In some editions it is read as ghana.
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Just as the day is declining You return from the forest. Then
we see Your face, decorated by dark locks of hair and covered
with a thick layer of dust raised by the cows. Our beloved hero,
You repeatedly impress us with Your beauty and thus arouse in
our hearts amorous desire to enjoy with You.

At dusk, when the day departs, the lotus of Your face is surrounded
by dark curly locks, which look like a swarm of bumblebees. A layer of
pollen-like dust flung by the cows’ hooves envelopes that lotus-like face. By
repeatedly showing us Your face, You only arouse kāma in our hearts, but
You cheater, You deny us Your association.
The phrase ‘dina-parikṣaye,’ meaning ‘at the tail end of the day,’
expresses the gopīs’ deep sorrow. They describe the natural and exquisite
beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s face: dark curly locks of hair (nīla-kuntalair) fall on His
forehead, covering (āvṛtam) His face. Its luster concealed, His handsome
face becomes more enchanting. A thick layer of dust (dhana-rajasvalaṁ)
further increases this effect. The book Viśva-Prakāśa explains that the word
dhana has two meanings: a multitude of cows and great wealth. Therefore, it
should be understood that Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face is covered by the dust upraised
by the cows’ hooves. The gopīs imply that even the dust enhances Kṛṣṇa’s
beauty, as is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.23:
tan-mātarau nija-sutau ghṛṇayā snuvantyau

paṅkāṅga-rāga-rucirāv upagṛhya dorbhyām
“Their bodies smeared all over with a paste of mud, cow dung and
cow urine, the two brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma looked especially
captivating.”
In this way, the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s body is increased by the dust flying
from the cows’ hooves. It should be understood that Kṛṣṇa, adorned in
this special cowherder’s garb, is uddīpana (stimulant) for the gopīs’ love
for Him. Such adornment is the external reason why He inspires amorous
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desire. And on the internal level the gopīs explain, “dina-parikṣaye – You
show us Your face at dusk, the time that automatically awakens amorous
passion.” The dusk and the dark curly locks are the two elements that
stimulate the arousal of kāma. “If You would go directly home and not
show us Your face, then You would not inspire so much kāma. But instead,
You show us Your face day after day.”
The gopīs explain that under the pretext of protecting the cows Kṛṣṇa
shows them His face again and again and thus continuously invokes their
love. “We attempt to suppress that love by the strength of logic, but You
repeatedly inflame our minds (manasi). In this way, desire for You fully
pervades our intelligence, and keeps on increasing, with no indication that
it will decrease. Thus we cannot resist any longer.” This statement indicates
the power and the all-pervading effect of burning amorous desire (kāma-
pīḍā). Their words have yet another meaning: “Smara, amorous desire,
arouses agony when one remembers one’s beloved. You personally instill
this smara in us.” In this way they describe the intensity of their love, and
also indicate Kṛṣṇa’s glories indirectly.
The gopīs glorify Kṛṣṇa’s prowess by addressing Him as ‘vīra,’ hero. In
the frustration of unrequited love they imply, “You are a hero only on the
strength of torturing us by showering us with arrows of Cupid – for nothing
else.” These words spoken in sarcasm echo their loving anger. The vraja-
gopīs’ describing His chivalry serves to stimulate their emotions. With this
sort of mood, they repeatedly say, “Alas, even in front of our elders in Vraja,
just seeing You dressed in Your cowherd outfit, we experienced the rise of
amorous desire, causing us great perturbation. Then in the remote forest on
the full-moon night You appeared as the charming and perfectly decorated
hero ready for romance. We shared loving exchanges and relished beautiful
sentiments, and after that we lost You. So now, what is there to say about
our condition? As we remember You in separation, our lust is provoked.
Therefore, do not tarry. Quickly come and save us.” This is the mood.
This verse and the next two express another attitude: “O beloved, every
day You go off leaving our desires unfulfilled. Despite Your neglect, still
our hearts are filled only with loving feelings for You – we are not callous
towards You. You inspire the arousal of smara in our hearts; they are not
operating by their own volition. This amorous desire, due to the action
of our hearts, lovingly flows towards You. Despite our kāma not being
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satisfied, still our hearts are not dry due to the natural flow of sneha. When
we meet with You, You only stimulate kāma in us; the way You associate with
us is not conducive to an exchange of mutual affection. Our behavior with
You is simple and full of love, but You are deceitful in all of Your actions.
Obviously You have no affection for us.”
The gopīs say, “You are not willing to make us cheerful even when we
meet. When You return to Vraja from cow-grazing in the evening (dina-
parikṣaye), dark curly locks (nīla-kuntalair), swaying in the mild breeze,
play on Your lotus face, which is covered with dust (dhana-rajasvalaṁ)
upraised by the cows’ hooves.” According to Viśva-prakāśa the word dhana
has two meanings: vast numbers of cows (godhana) and great wealth. Here
it is understood as hosts of cows.
“Your face is like a forest lotus heavily dusted with the pollen from Your
wonderful, swaying garlands. You repeatedly show us this sweet beauty
(darśayan muhur). On the pretext of looking after the cows and searching
for Your friends, You roam about with the aim of letting us see You, knowing
that Your darśana bestows the greatest bliss. Thinking, ‘Let these girls drown
in an ocean of misery,’ You incite in us the pain of amorous desire (smaraṁ
yacchasi). Convincing us that the path of virtuous behavior is like burning
poison, You drove us mad. Now, having brought us to the forest, You leave
us here weeping. O hero! You shoot Cupid’s arrows only to destroy the
chastity of the ladies of Vraja.”
Verse 13
praṇata-kāma-daṁ padmajārcitaṁ
dharaṇi-maṇḍanaṁ dhyeyam āpadi
caraṇa-paṅkajaṁ śantamaṁ ca te
ramaṇa naḥ staneṣv arpayādhi-han
O charming lover, O destroyer of all afflictions of the mind!

Your lotus feet, which fulfill the desires of Your surrendered
devotees, are worshipped by the lotus-born Brahmā himself.
Your lotus feet are the embellishment of the Earth. In calamity
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only Your lotus feet are to be remembered because they relieve

all misfortune, and serving them bestows supreme bliss. Kindly
place those lotus feet on our breasts.

In this verse, ‘praṇata-kāma-dam,’ and the next the gopīs pray, “Now
You should desist from Your cunning behavior and fulfill our desire. O
You who annihilate anxiety, O darling beloved! Brahmā worships Your
lotus feet. Your feet are the most worthy object of meditation because mere
remembrance of them abolishes all adversity. Furthermore, Your lotus feet,
when being served, are the very form of bliss. May You place the lotuses of
Your feet on our breasts, and may our kāma be thus mitigated.”
In the tenth verse ‘prahasitam’ and the following verses, the greatest
among sages Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Kṛṣṇa’s pūrva-rāga directly in
the gopīs’ own love-laden words. This has never been done before. He gave
this explanation, presenting the gopīs’ perception of Kṛṣṇa’s intense attach
ment for them – such description, which no one else can give, is overflowing
with rasa. The vraja-devīs, longing to directly meet with Kṛṣṇa, blame Him
for their anurāga. In Verses 7-8 they introduced this desire and now, while
singing their song they experienced the torture of love. Therefore, they again
prayed by uttering this verse beginning ‘praṇata’ and the next one.
‘Praṇata-kāma-daṁ’ – “Your lotus feet fulfilled the desires of
surrendered souls like the sons of Kuvera and the wives of the serpent
Kāliya. Thus one can understand that Your lotus feet bestow all desired
objects. ‘Padmajārcitaṁ’ – realizing this after kidnapping the cowherd boys
and calves, the lotus-born Brahmā reverentially offered respect to Your lotus
feet.” This is illustrated in Verse 10.35.22: “vatsalo vraja-gavāṁ yad aga-
dhro vandyamāna-caraṇaḥ pathi vṛddhaiḥ – in the evening when Kṛṣṇa
and His sakhās return to the village with all the cows, Brahmā and other
exalted demigods standing along the path adore His lotus feet.” Previously,
in Verse 4 of this chapter, the gopīs said, “vikhanasārthito – in response to
Lord Brahmā’s prayer, You descended to the Earth to protect the universe.”
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In Verse 13 as well the gopīs, confirming that Brahmā worships Kṛṣṇa’s

lotus feet, thus glorify the supreme divinity of these lotus feet.
“Dharaṇi-maṇḍanaṁ – O beloved, marked with a flag and other
extremely pleasing and extraordinary symbols, Your feet decorate the Earth.
In this way Your lotus feet display their beauty and grace. Mercifully, by
the touch of Your lotus feet, You have bestowed vast auspiciousness upon
Pṛthivī-devī.”
“Dhyeyam āpadi – Just remembering Your lotus feet removes all
kinds troubles from the root. When You were holding up Govardhana, we
experienced this. When Indra was very angry and sent a ferocious rainstorm
to destroy Gokula, we thought of You and You lifted Govardhana Hill on
Your lotus hand and saved us from Indra’s devastation.” In this way the
gopīs describe how Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet fulfill all desires (śantamaṁ ca). Not
only that, they explain that His lotus feet are themselves the supreme goal:
“Serving Your lotus feet bestows supreme satisfaction.” The purport is that
remembering Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet is the process to achieve happiness. And His
lotus feet themselves are the embodiment of joy.
To express that Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroy sorrow and give happiness,
the gopīs address Him in two ways – as beloved (ramaṇa) and the destroyer
of mental afflictions (ādhi-han). They imply, “He ādhi-han, he ramaṇa!
You should end our pain of separation and immerse us in the bliss of Your
astonishing pastimes.”
“If you are convinced that I always cause you misery, then what do you
need from Me?” Fearing that Kṛṣṇa might speak like this out of anger, the
gopīs cry in great anxiety, “Alas, alas! Blinded by the reactions of our past
sins, we made false allegations against You!” Now, in this verse, desiring to
please Kṛṣṇa, they begin to glorify Him, affirming that He bestows all kinds
bliss (praṇata-kāma-daṁ). They continue, “We need You. You are our only
goal, therefore kindly soothe our grieving souls. If an offender comes and
humbly takes Your shelter, You never neglect them. Rather, You fulfill all
their desires.” The next two verses also express this mood.
“Although Kāliya was an offender, and his wives were implicated
because of their connection with him, they prostrated before You and
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offered humble prayers, thus they attained Your mercy. ‘Padmajārcitaṁ’ –

Brahmā also worshipped Your lotus feet to be forgiven for his
transgression. Therefore You should pardon our misbehavior and fulfill
our desire.” This is the meaning.
“Dharaṇi-maṇḍanam – just as Your lotus feet decorate the Earth, Your
lotus feet should also adorn our breasts. ‘Dhyeyam āpadi’ – meditation on
Your lotus feet alone mitigates all mishaps. Gargācārya states, ‘anena sarva-
durgāni yūyam añjas tariṣyatha (SB 10.8.16) – by His grace you will easily
surmount all adversities.’ Therefore You should deliver us from this distress
of separation.”
“For all of these reasons, we maintain that Your lotus feet are
‘śantamaṁ,’ the epitome of auspiciousness and full of bliss. He ādhi-han,
O destroyer of distress! To remove our anguish, place Your lotus feet on
our breasts. It is no trouble for You to do this; rather, this will bring You
great pleasure.” Therefore, the gopīs address Him, “He ramaṇa, O beloved
sweetheart! If You celebrate this festival of Cupid with us, Your heart-felt
desires will come to fruition.”
Verse 14
surata-vardhanaṁ śoka-nāśanaṁ
svarita-veṇunā suṣṭhu cumbitam
itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇāṁ
vitara vīra nas te ’dharāmṛtam
O best of heroes, the ambrosia of Your lips enhances the joy of

amorous pleasure and drives away all the sorrow of separation.
This nectar, transmitted through Your warbling flute, induces all
humankind to forget any other attachment. Please distribute this
magic elixir to us.

“When the flute plays, it kisses Your lips, which perfume the flute-
song with their nectar. O hero, give us Your lips’ ambrosia.” ‘Itara-rāga-
vismāraṇaṁ nṛṇām’ – it wipes out all types of material desires, such as
ruling over the entire Earth.
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‘Adharāmṛtam’ – Kṛṣṇa’s lips are nectar. Just by their touch, they
increase the desire for ‘surata,’ amorous enjoyment, which comes as the
result of prema. In this way the gopīs are indicating that the nectar of His
lips is sweet like honey and makes one mad. Becoming shy, they explain in
this verse, “Even if one drinks this nectar again and again, he still cannot
be satisfied. It is so powerful that it takes away sorrow (śoka-nāśanaṁ); it
makes us forget the painful experience of failing to achieve You.”
“Itara-rāga-vismāraṇam nṛṇāṁ – It makes even men forget about their
desires, such as becoming emperor of the world and achieving liberation.
Then what to speak of ladies, especially us gopīs, who are eager to have Your
association? The nectar of Your lips will make us forget all fondness for
family members and social etiquette.” What more can be said on this topic?
By its own desire this adharāmṛta causes desire for anything else to vanish
completely. It increases the inherent, eternal yearnings in the hearts of all
men and women, and drives out any other attachment.
The gopīs prove the truth of their statement regarding men when they say,
“svarita-veṇunā suṣṭhu cumbitam – the flute, which is known to be mascu
line in gender, tastes the nectar of Your lips when You are playing it.” This is
the proof that even men forget all other affection upon attaining that nectar.
The vraja-devīs speak like this when highly impassioned and completely
absorbed in bhāva; thus it seems that male devotees can also relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
adharāmṛta. One must deliberate upon this. Men can receive the remnants
of Bhagavān’s tāmbūla, which He gives to His special devotees who are the
objects of His mercy. As the nectar of His lips and the flavor of His tāmbūla
are non-different, men also get to relish His adharāmṛta, albeit indirectly.
This verse of Gopī-gīta sequentially describes three qualities of that
nectar: ‘surata-vardhanaṁ’ – it increases longing for relishing it; ‘śoka-
nāśanaṁ’ – it puts an end to all sorrow; and ‘itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ’ – it
makes one forget all other attachments. In this way it is shown that this nectar
is the supreme goal of human existence. These three qualities of Kṛṣṇa’s
nectarous lips are also described in the previous verse (13), therefore these
two verses have the same meaning. By addressing Kṛṣṇa as a charitable hero
(vīra), the gopīs imply, “There is nothing that You cannot give. Bestow Your
adharāmṛta to us.” The rest of the verse follows Śrīdhara Svāmī’s explanation.
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Śrīdhara Svāmī revealed that the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips is perfumed by

the nectar of the flute-song. That is, when the nectar of His lips comes out
of the holes of the flute, the sound is especially beautiful. In this way Kṛṣṇa’s
nectar-filled lips release a deep tune which inspires greed. Those who hear
this enchanting melody experience great bliss and the heart-touching
desire for amorous meeting. A question comes: how can one distinguish
the difference between the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips and the nectarous aroma
of the flute-song? According to gandha-yukti-nyāya, the logic of mixing
fragrances, when two fragrances are put together, one can still distinguish
one from the other a little bit.
There is still another meaning: “When the flute produces different
sounds that arise from ṣaḍja13, it kisses Your nectar-like lips.” In this way
the gopīs describe how intoxicating that nectar is. “The flute, being from
an entirely different species, repeatedly kisses those lips, and continuously
sings out tunes that are so staggeringly melodious that they madden the
whole world. The power to inebriate found in the flute has come from
kissing Your ambrosial lips. No one can deny this.”
The gopīs continue their prayer, “O You who are just like Dhanvantari,
the best of physicians! Give some medicine to us, who, suffering from
lovesickness, are falling unconscious. Bring us back to life by injecting us
with some miraculous remedy. The nectar of Your lips increases the pleasure
of amorous meeting (surata-vardhanam) and takes away pain (śoka-
nāśanaṁ).” Kṛṣṇa may say, “How can I give you such extremely precious
nectar for free?” The gopīs answer, “You are celebrated as a generous savior
in regard to giving in charity because You rejuvenate the dying by giving
the medicinal nectar of Your lips at no cost. Even the flute, which is merely
a dry stick of bamboo, relishes this nectar when it is played upon (svarita-
veṇunā), kissing Your lips again and again (suṣṭhu cumbitam). That is why
the sound flowing from that dry veṇu becomes extremely sweet.”
13 ṣaḍja – the first of the seven primary musical notes. According to some, it is the
fourth. Meaning, it arises (ja) from the six (ṣaḍ) organs: tongue, teeth, palate,
nose, throat and chest. It resembles the sounds of the peacock, and its symbol is
sā, the first note of the musical scale.
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The gopīs think that Kṛṣṇa may argue, “Some people are devoted to
wealth, followers and family. Such unwholesome attachment is harmful for the
disease. It is useless to administer this nectar-filled antidote to such persons.”
They answer, “Only this nectar makes people forget about their attachments
(itara-rāga-vismāraṇaṁ). This is such a powerful potion that it removes bad
habits. We have experienced this ourselves. O hero, O You who are generous
in distributing charity, O most compassionate one, distribute (vitara) this
medicine among us ladies, who also belong to human society (nṛṇām).”
Verse 15
aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ

truṭi yugāyate tvām apaśyatām
kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te
jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām
O precious one! Unable to see You the whole day while You
roam throughout the forests, we experience every moment as
a millennium. When You return in the evening, we gaze upon
Your lovely lotus face decorated with Your curly locks, but we
greatly lament the blinking of our eyelids, which impedes our
darśana. Certainly the person who created eyelids is nothing
more than a fool.

The gopīs lament, “When You are outside our vision, each moment
brings unlimited grief. However, when we see You, each moment bestows
unending bliss. After realizing this, we renounced all attachments as
sannyāsīs do, and came to You. Why, then, are You so eager to reject us?”
Expressing their feelings in this verse beginning with ‘aṭaṭi,’ as well as in the
next, the gopīs say, “When You perform pastimes in Vṛṇdā’s forest during
the day, all living beings who are barred from seeing You experience each
moment as a millennium.” In this way they describe the sorrow of separation.
They continue, “Somehow we manage to make it through the day. And in the
evening when You return, we again eagerly gaze upon Your handsome lotus
face, but our darśana is obstructed by the blinking of the eyes.” At that time
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they deride Brahmā as being foolish for creating eyes that blink. They come
to this conclusion because each moment is intolerable for them when their
view of Kṛṣṇa’s face is blocked. Thus, they infer that the sight of His face
bestows unlimited bliss.
“While You are out roaming around in the forest the whole day,
we are deprived of seeing You. During that time every moment seems a
millennium to us.” The word ‘yugāyate’ indicates that time barely crawls
along for those who are anguished, and thus testifies to the enormity of
the gopīs’ sorrow. They say, “The agony of not being able to see You is
excruciating, so please come to us at once.”
“Apaśyatām – Not seeing You, all the Vrajavāsīs feel separation, so what
to speak of us? When You return at the end of the day, we want to fix our
eyes on Your exquisite lotus face surrounded by Your curly locks, but our
view is obstructed by the blinking of our eyelids.” In this way they criticize
Brahmā as being foolish for creating eyelids. When the word ‘ca’ is applied
to the word ‘apaśyatām,’ the meaning is, “If Brahmā had created eyelids
only for those who never see Kṛṣṇa’s face, he would not be at fault. But it
was wrong of him to create them for those who see Kṛṣṇa’s extraordinarily
beautiful face decorated with curls of hair falling on His forehead.” The rest
of the verse is understood according to Śrīdhara Svāmīpada’s explanation.
In another way, the gopīs are saying, “You, whose character is
uncommon, Your nature is beyond the cognizance of our senses! We have
never received even a drop of happiness from You. Whether You are present
or not, we experience only sorrow.” In the first half of this verse beginning
with ‘aṭaṭi,’ the gopīs describe their sorrow when they cannot see Kṛṣṇa. In
the second half, beginning ‘kuṭila,’ they convey their suffering while gazing
at Him in the evening. “When You return at the end of the day, we want to
stare uninterrupted at Your beautiful face surrounded by curly hair, without
our eyelids blinking. Otherwise, our darśana is obstructed and so is our
joy.” They conclude, “This obtuse fool Brahmā only created eyes that blink;
for this he deserves to be cursed.”
When the verbal root kṛt in the word ‘pakṣṁa-kṛt’ is used in its other
sense, ‘to cut,’ the meaning is, “Among all those who raise their heads to
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behold Your face, he who cuts off his eyelids is not at all ignorant. He is a
scholar, expert in rasa.” There is still another meaning: “May that intelligent
person whose eyelids are severed, be honored above all who behold Your
face. Even if You are standing directly in front of us, what will we fools be
able to see with our eyes covered by eyelids?”
The gopīs continue, “We suffer from our ill luck. What can You do about
this?” With this intention they speak this verse ‘aṭati yad bhavān.’ “When
You go to the Vṛndāvana forest, we are unable to see You. During this time,
for us each truṭi (2700th of a kṣana–[so small it has no duration]) is like a
millennium (yugāyate). When all the other inhabitants of Vraja are unable
to see You for three-quarters of the day, in their suffering that time feels like
three months, but for us those three yāmas (nine hours) are like millions of
yugas. What other reason can there be but our ill fortune?
“Somehow we make it through the day, and evening time when You
return from the forest, we gopīs again eagerly get to gaze upon Your
beautiful face. But even then the foolish creator of our eyelids torments us,
throwing us into an unlimited ocean of misery. When we are finally able to
see You, our eyes blink, and thus our vision of You is impeded. Although a
blink lasts only 900 truṭis, for us it is 900 millenniums. Either way we suffer
from our bad luck – whether we see You or not.”
The sage Maitreya Ṛṣi explains the divisions of time in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 3.11.6-7: “A truṭi is the time needed for the integration of
three trasa-reṇus. Two micro-atoms make one atom, and three atoms make
one trasa-reṇu, a hexatom. (This hexatom is visible in the sunshine which
enters through the holes of a window screen). That is 2700th of a kṣaṇa.
One hundred truṭis make one vedha. Three vedhas make one lava. The
duration of time of three lavas is equal to one nimeṣa, and the combination
of three nimeṣas makes one kṣaṇa.” [2,700th part of a kṣaṇa makes one
truṭi, and 900 truṭis is 1 nimeṣa. Some say that a kṣaṇa is so subtle that it
has no duration.]
According to another interpretation, the verbal root kṛt is used in its
second meaning, ‘to cut.’ Then the meaning is: “He who has cut off his eyelids
is genuinely intelligent because he can get absorbed in the joy of seeing
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Kṛṣṇa without any interruption. We, on the other hand, are unintelligent
because we leave the eyelids on our eyes. So what will we be able to see,
even if Kṛṣṇa stands directly in front of us?” This is the mood.
Verse 16
pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān
ativilaṅghya te ’nty acyutāgatāḥ
gati-vidas tavodgīta-mohitāḥ
kitava yoṣitaḥ kas tyajen niśi
O Acyuta, You know why we have come here. You played Your
flute, knowing the path Your song would take. That resonant
sound bewildered us and we have come to You, disregarding our
husbands, children, brothers, friends and entire family. Who
else but You, You rogue, would abandon innocent maidens like
us after bringing us to Your shelter in the dead of night?

“O Acyuta, thus we have ignored our husbands, children, relatives,
brothers and friends in order to come to You.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa may ask, “Why
have you come here?” “Gati-vidas – You know the reason why we have
come.” According to another meaning, the gopīs say, “You are very expert
in producing enchanting sounds with Your flute, and You know its effect.”
Or: “Although we are savvy to Your nature, we are still charmed by Your
penetrating flute-song, and have come to You. He kitava, O cheater, what
other man except You would abandon maidens who have come to Him of
their own accord at night? No one else would do this.”
“You have made our condition very miserable, whether You are present
before us or out of our sight. But today the way You behaved with us was
truly improper.” To express this mood, the gopīs speak the verse beginning
‘pati.’ They say, “With complete disregard for our religious duties, we have
abandoned (ativilaṅghya) all love for our husbands, children, in-laws and
other relatives. We have disobeyed their orders, and have come to You.”
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Kṛṣṇa may ask, “Why have you done this?” Gopīs reply, “Because You called
us with Your loud flute-song, which enchanted us. Just as a doe runs to the
hunter, being stupefied by his song, we have come to You under the spell of
the Your music. It is not that You played Your flute by the will of the gods. You
are so calculating – You did so with full knowledge of all the consequences.
You knew that we would be attracted and would come running to You.” With
this intention the gopīs say ‘gati-vidas.’
According to another interpretation Kṛṣṇa may say, “Since you are
self-composed, how is it possible that you would become bewildered just
by hearing My flute-song?” The gopīs reply, “You know very well that the
special nature of Your flute song bewilders even Indra, Brahmā and Śiva.”
They reiterate this in Śrīmad-Bhagavatām 10.35.15: “Hearing this song,
Indra, Brahmā, Śiva and other demigods are baffled.”
Kṛṣṇa may say, “You are very intelligent and know My nature. Why,
then, were you not more cautious?” The gopīs explain, “We are well aware
of Your nature, but Your flute-song is spellbinding. Just as an animal, being
captivated by a spell-binding mantra, will be pulled in that direction by force,
Your melody bewildered us and dragged us to You. O cheater, now tell us
what man other than You would abandon beautiful damsels who have come
to Him in the night? No one!” By addressing Kṛṣṇa as a cheater – he kitava,
he ṭhaga, he kapaṭa – they are implying that no other rogue would reject
a woman who has come to him in the middle of the night. “A cheater uses
the things he acquired by his fraud for himself. But Your specialty is that
You discard what You gain by deceit. Such purposeless deception is most
condemned in society. O Acyuta, You never deviate from Your deceitfulness;
You always act in accordance with it. This is why You have successfully
fulfilled the meaning of Your name Acyuta.”
Those Vraja ladies who were stopped in their houses by their husbands
when they heard the flute, somehow crossed all obstacles and came to
Kṛṣṇa and spoke this verse beginning ‘pati,’ voicing their grievance. “Gati-
vidas – O Acyuta! Knowing that we are nearing our final stage, death
(daśama-daśā), we have come to You. Even in our dire condition, You
have failed (cyuta) to give us Your darśana. Were You given this name
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Acyuta, ‘He who is infallible, or not cyuta,’ because Your nature is exactly
the opposite?”
Kṛṣṇa says, “If this is true, why have you come to Me?” The gopīs
reply, “We have not come here because of our desire. We were mesmerized
by Your flute-song, which thoroughly destroyed our intelligence and
discrimination.” “Well, foolish women, if that is correct, then keep on
tolerating this hardship.” The gopīs exclaim, “Cheater! Deceitful friend! Is
there anyone as cowardly and cruel as You who would abandon maidens
coming to You on their own in the middle of the night? Indeed, no one else.”
In another understanding, the gopīs say, “Fraud! Mad person! What
young man can heartlessly reject a demure damsel who has come to Him at
night for abhisāra? No one. You are a cheater, but today You have cheated
Yourself [of pleasure].” This is the mood. According to the Medini Sanskrit
dictionary, the word kitava, masculine gender, has several meanings: a
madman, a cheat and a thorn apple.
Verse 17
rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ

prahasitānanaṁ prema-vīkṣaṇam
bṛhad-uraḥ śriyo vīkṣya dhāma te
muhur ati-spṛhā muhyate manaḥ
O possessor of our lives, our private conversations with You in a

lonely place, Your lotus face with a soft smile giving rise to amorous
desire, Your love-laden glances, and Your broad chest, the eternal
abode of Lakṣmī – remembering all these our minds are repeatedly
bewitched and we hanker more and more to meet with You.

“Previously, just from seeing You, we were afflicted by the disease of love
arising in our hearts. The only cure for it is the medicine of Your association.
Although no other method can help us, You reject us now.” To communicate
this idea, the gopīs speak this verse ‘rahasi saṁvidaṁ’ and the next one.
“Seeing Your broad chest, the place of Śrī Lakṣmī’s pleasure pastimes, we
experience intense yearning that continually confuses and stupefies us.”
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“We are astounded observing the amorous desire arising in Your
heart. How did we come to know this was happening to You? ‘Rahasi
saṁvidaṁ’ – with jesting words You begged us for prema in a secluded
place. ‘Prahasitānanaṁ’ – Your beautiful smile kindles our kāma. ‘Prema-
vīkṣaṇam’ – You gazed upon us with thirsty, love-filled eyes. When we
behold Your broad chest, the source of the kāma, our minds are seized with
desire and struck with wonder.” ‘Bṛhat’ – broad; this indicates the special
beauty of the chest, which stimulates desire to be tightly embraced. ‘Śriyaḥ’
– on that chest is the golden line, which is the eternal abode of Śrī Lakṣmī,
the goddess of fortune. “Ati-spṛhā – the sight of Your chest stirs in us a
powerful longing to meet with You.”
‘Vīkṣya’ means ‘seeing,’ and ‘spṛhā’ means ‘yearning.’ The subject of
these two verbs is ‘we,’ meaning the gopīs. Joining ‘vīkṣya’ with ‘ktvā,’ the
verb becomes a past participle because the action of seeing Kṛṣṇa was
completed in the past. Another meaning comes if the sentence is read
independently from the pronoun ‘we,’ in which case the main accent goes
on the word ‘see,’ and becomes ‘the desire to see.’ Thus, seeing (vīkṣaṇam)
becomes the cause of the rising of strong desire (ati-spṛhā). In this case,
the meaning is as follows: “Previously we met with You in a secluded place,
and after that our minds are always churning with strong desire to see You.”
According to another interpretation, the gopīs say, “When we saw that
Your heart was palpitating with amorous desire, an uncontrollable longing
took over our minds, causing us to be bewildered over and over again.” Thus,
because Kṛṣṇa was afflicted with desire first, the vraja-devīs, confirming
their innocence, place full blame on Him and say, “Now our minds are
bewildered by that same strong desire (ati-spṛhā).” The Bhāgavatam
commentator Cit-sukha reads this word as ati-spṛhām (in neuter gender)
[instead of ati-spṛhā, which is feminine gender.] Both versions mean ‘the
desire only to meet with Kṛṣṇa.’ By admitting that their minds are bewildered,
the gopīs express the intensity of their longing.
Alternatively, the gopīs are trying to say, “It is not only now that we
are witnessing the rise of lust in Kṛṣṇa; this already happened many times
before. At those times, our minds were possessed by great hankering when
we would see Him, but now just by remembering the lust rising in Him, we
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are seized by overwhelming desire to be with Him. As that desire has not
been fulfilled, we are on the brink of death.” This is the mood. Because this
desire could not be removed, it was impossible for the gopīs to resist it. In
other words, there was no possibility of curing the gopīs’ disease. In this
way the gopīs describe their pathetic condition.
The gopīs say, “What can we do? Your five enchanting actions are
like the five arrows of Cupid14. Using them to enter through the holes of
our eyes, You invaded our hearts and set them on fire. We will enumerate
Your five bewildering agents. The first is ‘rahasi saṁvidam’ – with Your
words You beg for affection (rati) in a secluded place. The second is ‘hṛc-
chayodayam’ – when You see us, Your mind is attacked by Cupid. The third
is ‘prahasitānaṁ’ – You smile beautifully. The fourth is ‘prema-vikṣaṇam’ –
You gaze upon us with love. The fifth is the sight of Your broad chest
(bṛhad-uraḥ), which is the abode of all beauty and which stimulates intense
desire to embrace it. Seeing these again and again, we are inundated with
an extreme longing to meet with You (ati-spṛhā). Due to this our minds are
bewildered, and our burning enthusiasm is making us faint. ”
Verse 18
vraja-vanaukasāṁ vyaktir aṅga te
vṛjina-hantry alaṁ viśva-maṅgalam
tyaja manāk ca nas tvat-spṛhātmanāṁ
sva-jana-hṛd-rujāṁ yan niṣūdanam
O precious one, more dear to us than our own lives! Your
presence eliminates all sorrows of the inhabitants of the village
and the forests of Vraja, and covers the world with auspiciousness.
Our hearts cannot contain our eagerness for You. Stop being
a miser and give us a little of that medicine which uproots the
disease in the heart of Your intimate associates.
14 Ed: Kāmadeva’s five arrows: (1) red ākarṣaṇa-bāṇa, arrows that captivate;
(2) yellow vaśīkaraṇa-bāṇa, arrows that subjugate by casting a spell; (3) dark
blue unmādana-bāṇa, arrows that intoxicate; (4) drāvaṇa-bāṇa, arrows that melt
the heart; (5) white śoṣaṇa-bāṇa, arrows that suck up one’s strength.
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“O beloved, more precious than our life-airs! Your presence destroys
the sorrows of all the inhabitants of the forests of Vraja, without any
discrimination. It bestows auspiciousness upon the entire world. Our minds
are fixed solely on the desire to attain You. Do not be miserly; give at least
a tiny bit of the medicine that can cure the heart-disease of us gopīs, who
are Your intimate admirers.” Kṛṣṇa may ask, “What is this medicine?” The
gopīs reply, “You alone know about the very secret medicine that removes
this disease.”
“Because You express in many ways the amorous desire hidden in Your
heart, all Your feelings transfer to us. Many times we think, ‘Alas, how can the
fire of that desire burning in Your heart be extinguished?’ While considering
the remedy, we become absorbed in feelings for You. Your desires reflect in
us because it is our nature to love You. However, in the course wondering
how we can relieve Your suffering, our love grows stronger and stronger,
and the intense desire rising from such affection breaks our hearts.” The
gopīs’ words, which are full of their pain and grief, are documented in this
verse beginning ‘vraja’ and also in the next one.
The gopis continue, “Your appearance in Vraja village destroys the
sufferings of all the Vrajavāsīs and the forest dwellers (vraja-vanaukasām).
But now Your disappearance has become the cause of intolerable anguish. Is
it proper for You to do this?” The word ‘vyakti’ means ‘presence.’ By uttering
this word, the gopīs indicate that it is wrong for Kṛṣṇa to stay away. With
their hearts broken from their overpowering love, the gopīs say, “O dear
one (aṅga)!” Thus they express their affection. Suffering in separation, they
do not address Kṛṣṇa by His name, but by an affectionate endearment. They
continue, “Your birth in Vraja puts an end to the miseries (vṛjina-hantrī) of
not only the residents of Vraja, but of all living beings in the whole world.”
There is another meaning: “Although You are the embodiment of
auspiciousness for the entire world (viśva-maṅgalam), You particularly
bestow pleasure upon the residents of Vraja.” Both meanings lead to one
request: “Therefore, You should administer some remedy for our sorrow.”
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Kṛṣṇa may say, “O gopīs, you yourselves are saying that I have taken
birth to remove the troubles of the Vrajavāsīs. According to this statement,
I will surely protect them from all dangers. Since you are also inhabitants
of Vraja, you will automatically be protected from all calamities, and thus
you will certainly be peaceful. So there is no need for you to pray for your
sufferings to be relieved. Is there anything else you are requesting?” The
gopīs reply, “Tvat-spṛhātmanām – Our hearts are always longing to be with
You. Our only sorrow is that we do not get Your association. We have no
other complaint.”
Kṛṣṇa argues, “Other residents of Vraja also nourish intense desire
to be with Me. What is so special about your longing?” The gopīs explain,
“Sva-jana – Out of all the Vrajavāsīs we are the closest to You. You have a
confidential remedy for the heart-disease afflicting Your intimate associates.
Abandon Your miserliness and give us at least a tiny bit of that medicine
to uproot this disease from our hearts.” The gopīs use the word manāk (a
tiny amount) to indicate the rarity of obtaining that medicine. According to
another interpretation, they are following the common tactic of a beggar,
saying, “Give me at least a little bit.” Actually, such beggars are not asking
for just a little.
The gopīs use the word ‘hṛd-rujām,’ heart-disease, in the plural
number [implying many diseases]. By the use of the plural and the prefix
‘ni’ in the word ‘niṣūdana’ (that which counteracts), the gopīs indicate,
“Our heart disease – our desires for You – can never be satiated. Rather, it
automatically continues to grow, exhibiting newer and newer symptoms.”
In this way their illness always manifests in two way – never being satiated
and ever increasing. With the same intention they utter the word ‘niṣūdana:’
“Only that medicine can fully (ni) cure our disease.” The plural number and
the prefix ni indicate that a small amount of this medicine is not capable
of curing their disease. Although the gopīs ask for a small amount of that
medicine, they are actually indicating that they require a great deal of it.
The gopīs say, “We are ingenuous and virtuous girls. You completely
captivated us with Your flute-song and lured us to this forest at night. You
Yourself called us, but not just to set us ablaze in the fire of ardent desire, but
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rather to give us Your direct association to protect our lives. This is Your real
intention.” Kṛṣṇa may ask, “How can you possibly suggest such a thing?”
The gopīs answer, “Your presence indiscriminately bestows auspiciousness
to all the inhabitants of Vraja and the entire world, and destroys all miseries.
Therefore, we gopīs, hankering to nourish Your aspirations, which arose in
Your heart when You first saw us, petition You to give us something of that.
Give up Your miserliness.”
Kṛṣṇa replies, “Good, I will give it to you. What is that I should give you?”
The gopīs explain, “Sva-jana-hṛd-rujāṁ yan niṣūdanam – To cure the
disease of our heart, that is, of our breasts, we require the medicinal touch of
Your lotus hands. If You apply this medicine on our breasts, Your yearning will
be fulfilled (tvat-spṛhātmanāṁ); only this will save us from death.”
Verse 19
yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu

bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu
tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit
kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad-āyuṣāṁ naḥ
He priya, O precious one! Your feet, more tender than lotus

flowers, we place on our hard breasts – very, very carefully lest
we hurt them. Now it is night, and with those soft feet You are
roaming around somewhere in this remote forest. Are they in
pain, bruised by pebbles and sharp stones? The thought of this
sets our heads spinning, causing us to fall in a swoon. We live
only for Your sake; we are Yours, we are Yours.

Overpowered by strong emotions of love, the gopīs weep while saying,
“O precious beloved, when we carefully place Your beautiful soft feet on
our hard breasts, we are afraid of hurting them, but we see that You wander
throughout the forest with these feet.”
In some books the word ‘aṭasi’ (you roam) is replaced by the word nayasi
(you bring). Then three meanings can be taken: “By these feet You bring the
cows out to graze,” or “You bring a beautiful lady in the forest,” or “You bring
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Yourself.” The word ‘tat’ means either ‘therefore’ or ‘those lotus feet.’ The gopīs
say, “Don’t the sharp stones and gravel hurt Your soft feet? Surely You must be
experiencing much pain. You are our life-airs. Thinking that You are in pain,
our minds are completely troubled. So quickly come and appear before us.”
Kṛṣṇa may say, “What is that heart-disease of yours? And what is the
remedy for it?” In the midst of their tears, the vraja-devīs reply in this verse
beginning ‘yat.’ ‘Amburuha’ – meaning ‘lotus.’ Kṛṣṇa’s feet are compared
to a lotus to show the softness of His feet. ‘Sujāta’ – meaning ‘extremely
delicate;’ this adjective is used to indicate that Kṛṣṇa’s feet are much softer
than even the lotus.
The gopīs say, “We place Your lotus feet on our breasts slowly (śanaiḥ).”
“Why?” “Because we fear (bhītāḥ).” “What is your fear?” “Our breasts are
extremely hard (karkaśeṣu) and Your feet are most tender.” Kṛṣṇa may ask,
“Then why do you put My feet on your breasts?” The gopīs reply, “O dear
one (priya), because You are our lover, Your feet should remain close to
our hearts. We place Your feet on our breasts, which are the only proper
place for them, but tonight You are making them wander here and there in
the forest.” In this way the gopīs explain why they repeatedly speak about
His feet, which they want to keep on their breasts. They do not speak of
any other part of Kṛṣṇa’s body. Overpowered by unlimited affection, the
maidens of Vraja express their concern that His feet might be troubled by
hostile conditions while walking around.
When first speaking about Kṛṣṇa’s roaming in the woods in Verse 11,
the gopīs mentioned His taking the cows to the grassy pastures in the forest.
Usually there are sharp-edged grains (śila) in such areas, thus they are
concerned that His lotus feet will be hurt. But at this time Kṛṣṇa is walking
on the harsh ground of the Yamunā’s bank, and therefore they fear that
sharp pebbles and thorns (kūrpa-ādibhiḥ) may cut His feet. Actually there
is no such danger, because by Vṛndā-devī’s careful arrangement and also
because of the natural gentility of that land, there are no sharp stones and
the like in Vṛṇdāvana. Still, the gopīs’ hearts are in fear, being subject to this
principle of logic: the heart of a friend is always filled with fear of dangers
for the one he loves.
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A question may arise: “Why do your minds become so severely agitated?

Why do you girls completely lose your wits?” The gopīs reply, ‘Bhavad
āyuṣām’ – “You are our very life.” They told this to Kṛṣṇa in the very first
text of this Gopī-gīta, when they uttered the words ‘tvayi dhṛtāsavāḥ:’ “Our
vital forces dwell in You.” And again they confirm this in Verse 11 beginning
with ‘calasi yad vrajāc:’ “When You leave Vraja to go to the forest. . .” Thus,
they repeat this conviction throughout their lament. In reply, they further
postulate: “Because our life-airs reside in You, we feel all of Your pain – thus
all those sharp stones and thorns threaten our lives as well. Therefore, we
cannot go on living. Fearing for Your lotus feet is truly making us ill at heart.
There is only one remedy for our disease – we will gently caress Your lotus
feet and with tender loving care place them on the most guarded part of our
body – on our hearts. Then, when we feel them happily situated there, our
disease will be cured. Therefore, come to us at once.” This is the mood.
When the Vraja maidens are filled with such concentrated feelings of
love, there can be no doubt that the lord of their lives reciprocates with the
same one-pointed adoration. Kṛṣṇa thinks, “Ahhh! These beautiful girls of
Vraja have focused their undivided love in Me. The only proper thing for
Me to do is offer Myself to them; this will make them happy.” Consequently,
desire for amorous enjoyment stirs in Kṛṣṇa’s heart in response to the gopīs’
prema. Various confidential emotions that still remain hidden in the gopīs’
hearts can be discovered by rasika devotees through their realizations.
“O gopīs adept in crafting rasa! While you are here praying (for My
welfare), My feet are happily walking in the forest. I find no time to put them
on your breasts.” Hearing Kṛṣṇa speak like this, the gopīs burst into tears
and explain their formidable heartache in the verse beginning ‘yat.’ They
say, “Your extremely tender feet may be easily hurt, and therefore we are
even afraid to place them on our breasts. Alas, alas, You walk in the forest
with those feet! Why do You persist in uselessly being so bold?”
Kṛṣṇa may ask, “Why are you afraid of putting My feet on Your breasts?”
The answer is ‘karkaśeṣu,’ meaning: “The harshness of our breasts is the
cause of our fear.” Again, Kṛṣṇa questions, “Then why do you hold My feet
on your breasts?” The gopīs respond, “O precious love of our life, when You
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place Your feet on our breasts, You experience deep satisfaction. It is only
for Your pleasure that we place them there. When You press Your feet to our
breasts, we directly behold Your joy. But when we see how tender those feet
are, we naturally worry about them and fall into distress.”
The gopīs express this mood with the words ‘śanaiḥ dadhīmahi:’ “We
take hold of Your tender lotus feet very slowly and gently.” One of the
symptoms of mahā-bhāva is to be distressed for fear of any obstacles to
Kṛṣṇa’s happiness. Influenced by this mahā-bhāva, the gopīs explain, “As
we are tied to You in a mood of friendship, we fear that we may cause Your
feet some discomfort; therefore we hold them very carefully. Thus we are
sad, even when meeting with You; perhaps the Creator has written unending
suffering into our destiny. What can we do? Suppose we satisfy the Creator
by austerities, and then ask him for the boon: ‘Please make our breasts soft.’
But that may not make You happy. On the other hand, if they remain hard,
Your feet will feel pain. Either way we are troubled.
“We experience distress when we meet with You and when we part; let it
be so. However, as You are independent, why do You subject Yourself to such
suffering? Why do You walk in the forest with Your tender feet? There is no
need for You to do this. Are Your soft feet suited for roaming in the forest?”
In this way the gopīs indicate their concern for Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣna may say, “I do whatever I please. Why bother yourselves with all
these affairs?” The gopīs explain, ‘Tad vyathate na kim svit?’ “Do Your feet
not feel pain? Of course they must. As You are harsh to us, so You are harsh
to Your own body.” On the other hand, Kṛṣṇa may deliberate, “Since the gopīs
feel so afflicted because of My discomfort, I will have to accept some suffering
for the distress I cause them.” The gopīs respond, “Is that why You tolerate
all this suffering?” According to another interpretation, the gopīs say, “You
derive great pleasure in seeing us suffer; therefore the pain Your feet undergo
You actually consider as happiness. That is why You tolerate it.”
There is still another meaning in the gopīs’ words, and in that case they
use the logic saṁsarga-jā doṣa-guṇā bhavanti, one’s faults and qualities
arise according to the association. They say, “Before, Your heart was as
tender as a flower, but after associating with our hard breasts, Your heart
also became hard, as did Your feet. Therefore, walking on sharp stones and
thorns does not bother You.” Another meaning can be taken: “The touch of
Your lotus feet is so glorious that even the stones become soft.” Yet another
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meaning: “Either because of her compassionate nature, or desiring to taste

the sweetness of Your feet, the Goddess of Earth holds out her tongue for
You to walk upon.” Otherwise, the gopīs say, “You are even a greater ocean
of love than we are. Therefore, having somehow separated from us by ill
fate, You entered the condition of total madness and are wandering about
in the forest, unaware of any pain to Your feet. Unlimited reasons for Your
behavior come to mind, leaving us totally perplexed. We cannot come to any
definite conclusion.”
Kṛṣṇa may say, “You are exaggerating your suffering – you are making
a mountain out of a mole hill. Well, I do not take your sorrow seriously
because you are still alive.” The gopīs explain, ‘bhavad-āyuṣāṁ’ – “We have
offered our lives to You. Indeed, You are our very life. Because You remain
in auspicious circumstances, thousand of miseries may bombard us, but
death cannot come near us. We do not die because You are our life.”
The innermost meaning of their words is: “To insure that we always
suffer, the Creator decided to add our life span to Yours. He considered, ‘If
the gopīs die immediately in the blazing fire of amorous love, whom will I
torture? I should prolong their lives by placing them in the trust of my like-
minded friend Kṛṣṇa, who also enjoys giving pain to the gopīs. I will thus be
able to give them unlimited distress, and even when attacked by a thousand
calamities, they will not die. So I can send their way as many hardships as I
like.’ O Kṛṣṇa, because of this desire of the Creator, we are not dying, even
in the face of so many afflictions.
“Amidst all these predicaments our intelligence is becoming bewildered.
Just now our life airs will surely depart from our bodies, and You should
stand there and watch them go! You may ask, ‘How can you die when you
still have time on your life span?’ ‘Bhavad-āyuṣāṁ’ – You are our life span.
That is, we offered our remaining life span to You, so may You enjoy playing
in Vraja for a long time with those added years of life.”
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7 C h a pter 47
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Reappears and
Consoles the Gopīs
Verse 1
śrī-śuka uvāca
iti gopyaḥ pragāyantyaḥ
pralapantyaś ca citradhā
ruruduḥ su-svaraṁ rājan
kṛṣṇa-darśana-lālasāḥ
Śrī Śukadeva said, O King! In this way, the Vraja gopīs

sang out their laments in various captivating ways as they were
drowning in separation from their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Unable to
control themselves in their pitiful condition, they began to weep
loudly in very sweet, heart-rending voices that resounded with
their ardent desire to see their lover.
Bhāvānuvādas

When Śrī Hari heard the gopīs lamenting in separation, His heart melted
to a great degree. Then, having appeared there, He honored those vraja-
devīs and consoled them. Seeing the hearts of the gopīs extremely agitated
in the great waves of the nectar of His love, Śrī Nanda-nandana mercifully
filled the hearts of all the Vraja damsels with bliss. This is the subject matter
described in this Thirty-second Chapter.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “In this way, the gopīs, extremely eager to
see Kṛṣṇa, began to sing various charming songs in full voice, and in great
lamentation wept openly.
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In this verse the word ‘iti’ is used, meaning ‘in reference to previously
mentioned words,’ ‘in this manner,’ etc. In this way, the Vraja damsels
became very eager to have audience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. ‘Pra-gāyantyaḥ’ means
they began to sing loudly due to their prema being intensified. At times,
spurred by feelings of helplessness, they began to weep uncontrollably. Or,
in the agitation of separation, they began to babble incoherently. Or, while
singing and crying in various manners, they began to weep piteously in a
loud, high pitch. The behavior of the vraja-devīs is certainly understandable
in the light of their fervent desire to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī said, “O King!” addressing him in a mood of distress.
In this Thirty-second Chapter, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī described how
Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared before the gopīs, who offered Him worship upon His
arrival. He venerated them in turn, and in loving, heart-felt words, declared
that He was indebted to them.
Hankering for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s audience, the gopīs began to sing a wonderful
rhythmic melody, gradually rising up the musical scales. The outbreak of
their intense prema rendered them helpless; thus they began to babble and
weep bitterly in a sweet voice that expressed their lamentation.
Verse 2
tāsām āvirabhūc chauriḥ

smayamāna-mukhāmbujaḥ
pītāmbara-dharaḥ sragvī
sākṣān manmatha-manmathaḥ
At that moment Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel in the dynasty of

Śūrasena, appeared among those wailing damsels of Vraja. His
lotus face was blossoming with a gentle smile, a garland of forest
flowers hung around His neck, and His body was wrapped in
dazzling yellow cloth. His beauty was such that it churned the
mind of Kāmadeva, who himself stirs the hearts of everyone.
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‘Sākṣāt manmatha-manmatha’ – the stunning form that directly
enchanted even Cupid. In other words, this form was so beautiful that it
instilled lust in the heart of Cupid, who himself bewilders the whole world.
Witnessing the gopīs’ distressed condition, Śrī Kṛṣṇa thought to Himself,
“Agitated in separation, the cowherd damsels are crying bitterly, being so
worried that I may hurt My feet in this deep, dense forest. Consequently,
their life-airs are about to depart.” Thinking about them in this way, He
suddenly appeared right in the midst of the weeping gopīs, with a gentle
smile on His face. Śrī Kṛṣṇa was attracted by their self-abnegation, seeing
how they were undergoing such intense anguish in separation from Him
and how they were crying in great humility, and thus He gave them this
merciful dārśana. In their humbleness the vraja-devīs had no concern for
the distress they felt in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Rather, they were worried
only about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unhappiness, and this is what agitated them. It is due
to such special humility that one quickly obtains Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, it is
established that such special humility is indeed the means of attaining the
lotus feet of Bhagavān.
Despite Śrī Kṛṣṇa being famous as ‘Śaurī’ – one who has taken birth
in the dynasty of Śūrasena, i.e., in the abode of Vasudeva – He appeared
right the middle of the Vraja damsels, displaying His complete sweetness
and beauty, ever fresh at every moment. In this form He manifested
unprecedented qualities far more excellent than ever seen before. For
example, it will be mentioned further on, “Accepting the form which is
the very abode of all the beauty of the three worlds, Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared
resplendent among the cowherd damsels” (10.32.14); and “Just as a great
dazzling sapphire looks beautiful surrounded by golden beads, similarly Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mother Yaśodā, looked especially dazzling encircled by the
golden-complexioned cowherd damsels” (10.33.6). “O sakhi! What type of
austerities have those damsels of Vraja performed, as a result of which they
are continuously drinking by their eyes the transcendental beauty of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, which is the essence of all loveliness? Such beauty is incomparable
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and unsurpassed, self-manifest, ever-fresh, extremely rare, and the only

basis of fame, beauty and opulence” (10.44.14).
Similarly, describing the special glories of the gopīs, Śrī Uddhava
declared (10.47.58): “On this Earth, only those cowherd damsels have
been successful in making their existence meaningful because they have
achieved the highest level of love (rūḍha mahā-bhāva) for Bhagavān Śrī
Govinda. Those who are fearful of material existence, great sages, and we
devotees also desire that loving mood. Ah! What is the use of receiving birth
as Brahmā if one has not developed overwhelming attachment (anurāga)
to hearing the nectarean accounts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the gopīs?”
According to this philosophical conclusion that Śrī Uddhava spoke, it
is befitting that Śrī Kṛṣṇa will manifest His unprecedentedly beautiful and
sweet form among the gopīs since they are endowed with the topmost love.
This idea is illustrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.42: “A person eating a
meal will experience simultaneously satisfaction of mind, nourishment of
the body, and freedom from hunger. Similarly, to the degree one performs
devotional service, especially hearing and chanting, then accordingly one
simultaneously experiences bhakti characterized by love, sudden vision of
Bhagavān, who is the object of love, and detachment from the illusory sense
objects. In other words, the person who is advancing in bhajana will receive
a vision of the topmost form of his loving Lord, and will also relish His
sweetness to the degree of his bhajana.” According to this logic, it has been
shown that Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared among the vraja-gopīs in that form which
directly churns the heart of Cupid, who himself agitates the hearts of all.
That form of Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa is sākṣāt-manmatha-manmatha1.
1 In this verse, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has addressed Śrī Kṛṣṇa who performs
the rāsa dance as sākṣāt-manmatha-manmatha. The purport is that in the
various quadruple manifestations of Śrī Kṛṣṇa such as Vāsudeva, the original
Pradyumna of Dvārakā alone is the transcendental and direct manifestation
of Manmatha, or Madana. Moreover, He is the root cause of the subsequent
quadruple manifestations found in the other transcendental abodes, and is the
original Cupid. In addition, Svayaṁ-rūpa Bhagavān Rāsa-bihārī Vrajendra-
nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the very source of Cupid in the form of Pradyumna. Here
the word sākṣāt (directly) denotes the transcendental Cupid Pradyumna Himself
(svayaṁ) and not the mundane Kāmadeva.
Endowed with one particle of the reflection of the potency of Dvārakā
Pradyumna, the mundane Cupid churns the minds of the living entities of the
material world by inspiring material desires in them and only manifests the
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In various quadruple manifestations such as Vāsudeva, He is directly Cupid

(manmatha). His beauty is not like that of the mundane invisible Cupid,
who is a manifestation of a portion of the material energy. Rather, He is
the embodiment of Rasa-rāja Rāsa-bihārī Vrajendra-nandana, who is the
emporium of all mellows, who enjoys the rāsa dance, and who has the ability
to churn the mind of even Cupid himself. Just as the Supersoul gives the
power of seeing to the eyes, similarly Vrajendra-nandana empowers the
mundane Cupid of this world. The worldly Cupid manifests as a plenary
portion of the special beauty and qualities of that transcendental Cupid,
Kṛṣṇa, who descends in this world displaying His beauty and qualities to
the absolute fullest extent. Therefore it can be seen that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form
as the great Cupid contains the mono-syllable seed mantra [the kāma-bīja
kliṁ] and meditations on His other forms, which also manifest the mood
of a Cupid. The word manmatha communicates the ability to agitate His
other manifestations. Moreover, such form (directly manmatha-manmatha)
alone is the topmost shelter of love (ālambana), which manifests only in the
original mellow, śṛṅgāra-rasa; such form is not attained in any of the other
devotional mellows – this is what has been explained.
In this way, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the unprecedented,
incomparable nature of the pleasure-filled pastimes and attire of the
enjoyer of rāsa-līlā highlighting three features: His smiling lotus face
(smayamāna-mukhāmbujaḥ), His yellow garment (pītāmbara-dharaḥ), and
the garland around His neck (sragvī). By using the present tense of the verb
topics that are suitable for satisfying their bodily senses. However, that mundane
Cupid also becomes enchanted by seeing Rāsa-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa and faints due to
being aroused by intense desire to serve Him as a female. The mind of the living
entity is the place of residence of the mundane Cupid, whose activities satisfy
the mind and the senses by inspiring them to enjoy the various sense objects.
However, out of good fortune when the form of this new Cupid – Rāsa-bihārī
dressed as a cowherd boy – appears in the mind of the living entity, first of all, He
infatuates the mundane Cupid, who is present there, and makes him faint. As a
result of this, the desire for sense gratification does not flash in the mind again.
Thereafter, Rāsa-bihārī attracts that pure mind towards Himself.
Factually this form of Vrajendra-nandana, Rāsa-bihārī and Rasa-rāja (the
king of all mellows), is indeed sākṣāt-manmatha-manmatha, directly the Cupid
of even the Cupids. He always performs the pastimes such as the rāsa dance in
Śrī Vṛndāvana in the company of the cowherd damsels, who are the incarnate
manifestations of His internal potency.
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smayamāna, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī indicates that the gentle smile Śrī Kṛṣṇa
displayed only at that moment as Rāsa-bihārī is very special – its spirit is
different from His natural, usual smile. The word pītāmbara means that
He is wearing a yellow garment. However the additional usage of the word
dhara (wearing) conveys that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was wearing the yellow garment in
a particular manner. The adjective sragvī, garlanded with a wreath of the
forest flowers (vana-mālā), further adds to His glories.
His gentle smile revealed His happiness and affirms that His act of
abandoning the gopīs was just a mischievous prank. He covered Himself up
to His head with His yellow garment, thus indicating His embarrassment at
having abandoned the cowherd damsels. He appeared before His beloveds
respectfully wearing around His neck the garland they had given Him,
implying that He wanted to become fortunate by embracing them and
putting His arms around their necks. This conveys Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s disinterest in
meeting anyone else other than the gopīs. Moreover, His unique beauty at
this particular time is described in order to implant that exquisiteness in the
hearts of the audience.
In this verse, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the crest jewel of swan-like liberated
personalities, addresses Śrī Kṛṣṇa as ‘śauri,’ indicating that he is siding with
the gopīs and is exhibiting annoyance towards Kṛṣṇa, being unhappy at
His behavior. The purport is that Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in the dynasty of King
Śūrasena, in other words, in the warrior class noted for its craftiness. There
fore, He exhibited His valor by giving great distress to the cowherd damsels,
who had so much love for Him. If Śrī Kṛṣṇa were not a member of warrior
class and rather belonged to the community of simple-hearted cowherd folk,
then He could never have inflicted such suffering upon the gopīs.
Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face was blossoming with happiness despite the gopīs’
distress. However, the fact is that He came with a cheerful smile on His
lotus face just to give joy to the cowherd damsels. At the same time the
gopīs’ anguish was burning the lotus of His heart. As if to beg forgiveness
from them, Śrī Kṛṣṇa folded His hands and took hold of the front portion
of His yellow garment which was hanging down from His shoulders
(pītāmbara-dhara). And just to show the gopīs His feelings for them,
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He was still wearing the same forest-flower garland they had previously
placed around His neck.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is directly the Cupid of Cupids (sākṣāt manmatha-
manmathaḥ) – this phrase indicates that He churns the mind of the god of
love, the Cupid who is the aggregate or the sum-total (samaṣṭi-gata) of all
Cupids. It is this Cupid that enchants the living entities in this world by His
flower arrows. The same Cupid came to enchant Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but he himself
became so captivated by the Supreme Cupid that he became infused with a
feminine mood and eagerly desired to serve Him as a woman. From this it can
be gathered that Madana-mohana (the enchanter of Cupid) Śrī Kṛṣṇa and
His beloved sweethearts began to perform their rāsa-līlā love games being
agitated by the arrows of Cupid who was transcendental like themselves.
They were not touched by the pain inflicted by the arrows of the mundane
Cupid, who has no authority in the rāsa-līlā. It is understood that, in order
to make the gopīs forget the distress they were suffering in separation,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested His manmatha-manmatha form, displaying to the
maximum degree His splendor (rūpa), elegance (saundarya), loveliness
(lāvaṇya) and cleverness (vaidagdhya).
Verse 3
taṁ vilokyāgataṁ preṣṭhaṁ

prīty-utphulla-dṛśo ’balāḥ
uttasthur yugapat sarvās
tanvaḥ prāṇam ivāgatam
The gopīs’ eyes blossomed with the bliss of love on beholding

that their most beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is even more attractive
than tens of millions of Cupids, had personally appeared in their
midst. They had been helpless, but now all of them stood up
together, as if their divine life-airs had re-entered their lifeless
bodies, revitalizing every limb with new consciousness.

‘Tanvaḥ’ – each and every limb of the body, such as hands and feet.
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‘Āgatam’ (arrived) – first Śrī Kṛṣṇa suddenly appeared to the gopīs in
the distance and, being very eager, gradually approached them. Śrī Viṣṇu
Purāṇa confirms this: “Later on, the vraja-devīs saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa coming
towards them, His lotus face blossoming with a gentle smile.” Vilokya means
‘seeing in a special manner;’ that is, the gopīs had become helpless from
weeping so much, so they could not see clearly and could not ascertain who
was there. Alternatively, when they saw their most beloved Lord, who had
caused them intense suffering, they could not believe it was Him; therefore
they began to look very carefully. ‘Abalā’ (weak) – although they were
incapable of standing up due to being weak from separation, still they all
rose up on their feet. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being their most beloved and their only
lover, was indeed the cause of their life and death; thus, as soon as they
saw Him, they got up. This is explained with the phrase ‘tanva prāṇam
ivāgatam,’ their life-airs re-entered their bodies. For example, when the
life-airs that have exited the body return, the hands, legs and other limbs
immediately regain consciousness; exactly like that, the gopīs came back to
life and stood up. In this verse we see the word āgata (arrived) used twice,
to clarify that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s arrival was the only reason for the vraja-devīs
to stand up. This verse illustrates the ecstatic symptom (anubhāva) called
vilāsa (gestures that appear immediately upon meeting one’s lover), whose
nature is described in the rasa-śāstras as follows: “The graceful gestures
of the mouth, eyes and other features while walking, standing, sitting and
enjoying various pastimes with the beloved is known as vilāsa.”

‘Tanvaḥ’ – all the bodily limbs, such as hands and legs. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
arrival was the impetus causing those cowherd damsels, who were in a
stupor, to stand up. To make this point clear, the word ‘āgata’ is repeated.
Being agitated in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it was as if the cowherd damsels
had lost their minds and life-airs. When they saw their lover arriving,
their life-airs returned, and in great joy all of them stood up together. For
example, when the life leaves the body, the hands, legs and other limbs
remain inert; however when the same life-airs return to the body, all the
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limbs simultaneously come alive again. Similarly, on obtaining Śrī Kṛṣṇa,

who is the vital force of their lives, the lifeless gopīs were rejuvenated and
stood up together.
Verse 4
kācit karāmbujaṁ śaurer

jagṛhe ’ñjalinā mudā
kācid dadhāra tad-bāhum
aṁse candana-rūṣitam
One gopī happily caught the lotus hand of Śauri Śrī Kṛṣṇa
between her joined palms and another one kept His arm, smeared
with sandalwood pulp, on her shoulder.

The previous chapter (Gopī-gīta) depicted how all the gopīs – sva-
pakṣā (Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s party), vipakṣā (the opposition party), etc. –
due to the sense of helplessness created from separation, shared the same
mood and thus all their speech was similar. Now, having obtained Śrī Kṛṣṇa
as the support of their love (ālambana), the cowherd damsels began to
express their own particular moods. In the five verses beginning with ‘kācit,’
Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the different moods of some of the prominent
vraja-devīs, which they exhibited through their variegated gestures.
One gopī happily caught hold of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus-like right hand in
both her hands, being highly eager to relish the happiness of touching Him.
Such behavior is suitable for caressing the hand of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was
excited with joy and was now exhausted from wandering in the forest. The
phrase ‘by her joined palms’ indicates that she was the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa
with the following characteristics: she is gentle, almost like a friend but
actually in a mood of servitor-ship, and she remains under the subjugation
of her sweetheart, endowed with a rightist mood (dakṣina-bhāva).
As that gopī had already taken Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right hand, another gopī
kept His upper arm, smeared with sandalwood paste, on her shoulder. She
was standing next to her beloved, conveniently on His left side. Therefore,
this gopī was keeping Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s left arm on her right shoulder. This is
indeed logical for her, and the same sort of incidents will come up later on.
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‘Candana-rūṣitam’ means beautifully decorated with bodily unguents, such

as tilaka made from sandalwood paste [which has a special power to pacify
the fire of separation]. Because this gopī pulled Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s left arm onto her
shoulder, it is implied that she is a beloved sweetheart who is (1) prakharā,
bold, (2) openly friendly with her lover, (3) slightly subservient to him, and
(4) endowed with a rightist mood.
The five verses beginning with ‘kācit’ describe the loving activities the
most prominent of the gopīs exhibited with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, according to each
one’s particular sentiments. One gopī was eager to touch Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a
mood of polite affection. Therefore, she caught hold of His right lotus hand
with both her hands. It is made clear in the second part of the verse that
this gopī took hold of only His right hand. Due to that respectful touch, it
is understood that: (1) that gopī is endowed with the feeling of belonging
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa (tadīyatā) with love called ghṛta-sneha, resembling ghee; (2)
subservient to her beloved; and (3) right-wing heroine (dakṣiṇa-nāyikā).
Moreover, since she was the first to touch Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it is quite evident that
she is the senior-most gopī, Candrāvalī.
Another gopī placed her lover’s left arm, which was smeared with
a variety of sandalwood unguents, on her shoulder. It is logical that this
gopī stood on the left side of her lover. The embrace she awarded to her
beloved hero is slightly tinged with a mood of awe and reverence. Therefore,
it can be safely concluded that (1) she possesses madhu-sneha, possessive
attachment which is sweet like honey, but somewhat mixed with reverential
ghṛta-sneha; (2) her love openly displays a sense of friendship (suhṛt-
pakṣa); (3) she has brought her lover under her control, and (4) she has a
rightist inclination (dakṣiṇā). Therefore she is Śyāmalā.
Verse 5
kācid añjalināgṛhṇāt
tanvī tāmbūla-carvitam
ekā tad-aṅghri-kamalaṁ
santaptā stanayor adhāt
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One slender vraja-sundarī took Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s chewed tāmbūla (betel nut)
in her hand. Another gopī, whose heart was agitated in separation, sat down
and placed His lotus feet on her breast.
‘Añjalinā’ – with joined palms.
One delicate-limbed gopī accepted in her joined palms the betel nut
(tāmbūla) that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had chewed. Here the word ‘tāmbūla’ indicates that
in every kuñja Śrī Vṛndā-devī had kept all the items needed for refreshing
and redecorating the Divine Couple, such as tāmbūla, garlands and
sandalwood pulp. Or this work was accomplished under the auspices of
Yogamāyā. Although the word śauri [in the previous verse] has not been
mentioned here, nevertheless it is understood that this gopī accepted His
tāmbūla in her joined palms (añjali). However, here she is not endeavoring
for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s touch, but rather for getting the nectar of His lips. This gopī
is gentle, almost like a servant but actually in the mood of friendship; she is
subservient to her beloved, and is a right-wing heroine (dakṣiṇa-nāyikā).
Some other gopī held Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right lotus foot on her breasts. Because
Śrī Kṛṣṇa had already placed His left arm on another beloved’s shoulder, He
was standing with His weight on His left foot. At this time, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
still standing, later it is written that He will take a seat. Therefore that gopī
herself sat down and took hold of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus foot. She did so because
her heart was agitated, burning in the mood of separation. In some versions
hṛdaya (heart) is used in place of stanayoḥ (breast), meaning, holding Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s lotus foot on the upper portion of her heart. She is bold (prakharā),
having a mood of friendship mixed with a sense of servitor-ship, controlled
by her lover, and is a right-wing heroine.
One gopī accepted Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s chewed tāmbūla in her joined palms.
This heroine is (1) endowed with friendly nature closely akin to servitor-
ship, (2) controlled by her sweetheart, and (3) rightist. Therefore, She is
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endowed with the mood of tadīyatā, the sense of dedication that ‘I belong to
Kṛṣṇa,’ laced with ghṛta-sneha, affection like ghee. Therefore she is Śaibyā,
the friend of Candrāvalī, who was mentioned at the outset.
One other gopī, agitated by the distress of separation, sat on the ground.
With her two hands she took hold of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot and placed it on
her breasts, thus pacifying herself. At that time Śrī Kṛṣṇa was standing with
His left arm resting on the shoulder of another beloved and His left foot
supported on the ground – this was His position. She is a gopī with (1) a
mood of friendship tinged with servitor-ship, (2) controlled by her hero,
and (3) having a right-wing mood. For this reason, this gopī is also a heroine
endowed with (1) the mood that ‘O Kṛṣṇa, I am thine’ (tadīyatā-bhāva), and
(2) ghee-like affection (ghṛta-sneha). Therefore, she is Padmā, another of
Candrāvalī’s sakhīs.
Verse 6
ekā bhru-kuṭim ābadhya

prema-saṁrambha-vihvalā
ghnantīvaikṣat kaṭākṣepaiḥ
sandaṣṭa-daśana-cchadā
Some other gopī, completely agitated from the anger of love,

had raised her eyebrows and was biting her lips as she began to
frown at Śrī Kṛṣṇa, all the while piercing Him with the arrows of
her sidelong glances.

‘Bhru-kuṭim ābadhya’ – raising her eyebrows in a curve like a bow.
‘Prema-saṁrambha-vihvalā’ – she became overwhelmed in her loving
anger. She bit her lips and, as if chastising Śrī Kṛṣṇa, glowered at Him with
disdain.
One Vraja damsel became agitated, absorbed in the anger of affection.
Raising her eyebrows and biting her lips, she was glaring at Śauri Śrī Kṛṣṇa
as if to chastise Him with her cutting glance. In some versions, sandaṣṭai
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is used in place of kaṭākṣepaiḥ; both have the same meaning – through

this gopī’s glance she was expressing her intense annoyance with Him and
reproaching Him. The gopīs mentioned in the previous two verses are right-
wing heroines, having a submissive mood towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They stepped
forward and caught hold of His different limbs and accepted His betel nut
(tāmbūla). All the while, Kṛṣṇa stood in the same place, unable to move because
they were holding onto Him – this is what has been revealed. The gopī in
this verse, exhibiting a leftist nature, stood at a distance. Nevertheless she
bestowed the topmost happiness upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa, scowling in intense loving
anger. This is related in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa: “One particular Vraja damsel raised
her eyebrows to express her anger. As she examined Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she began to
drink the honey from His lotus face with the bumblebees of her eyes.”
Two sub-ecstasies, namely vivvoka and lalita, are exhibited in this
verse. Vivvoka is described in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇī 11.52: “Due to pride and
anger, the heroine shows disrespect towards the sweetheart or objects
that he has given. Such disrespect is known as vivvoka.” Ujjvala-nīlamaṇī
11.56 defines lalita thus: “Lalita is a sub-ecstasy in which all the heroine’s
actions – the movement of all the limbs, displaying tenderness, and gestures
of the eyebrows – are manifest in a most fascinating way.” This vraja-devī
is (1) prakharā – very intense in nature, (2) susakhyā – endowed with a
pleasant mood of friendship, (3) having completely controlled her lover, and
(4) a left-wing heroine (bāmā-nāyikā).
One gopī, agitated out of intense loving anger, bit her lips and arched
her eyebrows like a full-drawn bow. She was glaring at Śrī Kṛṣṇa as if
aiming the arrows of her glances at Him, wanting to pierce Him to the
quick. Her mood suggests she was thinking, “O crest-jewel of swindlers!
You successfully experimented on us, giving us the deadly halāhala
poison of pure prema for You. As a result, our life-airs have practically
left our bodies. So why have You come to burn our life-airs again?” That
gopī looked at Śrī Kṛṣṇa in such a way as if to say, “I know very well what
kind of person You are.” She was biting her lower lip and hiding her mouth
behind her hands, thus displaying her anger. This gopī has madīyatā-
bhāva, the sense of possessiveness that “Kṛṣṇa is mine!” which is laced
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with madhu-sneha, honey-like affection. This combination gives rise to

her crooked, quarrelsome nature. She is Śrīmatī Rādhā.
Verse 7
aparānimiṣad-dṛgbhyāṁ
juṣāṇā tan-mukhāmbujam
āpītam api nātṛpyat
santas tac-caraṇaṁ yathā
Another gopī was repeatedly drinking the nectarean honey

flowing from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face with her unblinking eyes. Yet
her thirst was never quenched, just as the fully dedicated saintly
devotees who always serve the lotus feet of Bhagavān are also
never satisfied.

Another gopī was staring at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face with wide-open
eyes with which she was nicely drinking the nectarean honey oozing from
His face. Even though properly beholding its sweetness, she remained
unsatiated, and thus she continued gazing upon Him.
Some other vraja-devī was nicely relishing the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
lotus face with unblinking eyes. Nevertheless, she was not feeling satisfied.
Here Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful, sweet face is compared to a lotus dripping with
honey. Thus, the eyes of the cowherd damsels are compared to the tongue.
This depicts their greed to savor the sweetness of His face. The devotees
dedicated to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in dāsya-rasa, despite having darśana of or serving
His lotus feet again and again, remain thirsty. Similarly this damsel of Vraja
as well does not get satiated, despite drinking up to the brim the honey from
His supremely sweet lotus face with her bumblebee-like eyes. This example
holds true only in the sense that both experience absence of satisfaction. At
the same time, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face is the shelter of His sweetness, which
the devotees in dāsya-rasa and the vraja-devīs experience according to
their own distinct moods. This gopī stood in front of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and stared
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at Him with unblinking eyes; thus it is understood that she is a haughty

heroine (prakharā-nāyikā). “Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself will come and meet me.”
Thinking like this, she stands her ground. Such a heroine exhibits the
following qualities: (1) she is a good friend, (2) controls her lover and (3) has
a leftist nature (bāmā).
Some other gopī became stunned due to excessive ecstasy. As a result,
like a bee, she was relishing the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face with
unblinking eyes. Nevertheless she was not getting any satisfaction. Another
meaning can be taken. The previous verse describes that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
tormented by the arrows of Śrī Rādhā’s cutting glances, which caused His
face to tremble with fear, bewilderment and regret. These emotions reflecting
on His lotus face at this moment increased its sweetness, which this gopī
fully tasted. She continued to relish this beauty again and again with
unblinking eyes. The sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s face is naturally unbounded,
and now it was greatly increasing in manifold ways due to the barrage of
arrows unleashed by her beloved yūtheśvarī’s (Śrī Rādhā’s) angry glances;
and it was further enhanced by the mixture of transitory ecstasies (sañcarī-
bhāvas) that He was undergoing, such as cringing in fear (saṅkoca),
embarrassment (lajja), despondency (viṣāda), and humbleness (dainya).
As this gopī beheld that sweetness, her thirst became more excessive and
could not be satisfied. Śrī Śukadeva is unable to find a complete example
for such a lack of satisfaction. Therefore he is giving only a partial example,
mentioning saintly persons who, despite rendering continuous service to
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, never get satiated.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa was totally mesmerized by Śrī Rādhā, who was striking
Him with the arrows of Her glances. His mind and vision were completely
chained to Her, and He had not the slightest thought for any other gopī.
Therefore, that gopī considered, “At this moment, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not looking
at me.” Understanding this, she freely and brazenly gazed upon His lotus
face with wide, unblinking eyes. Therefore it can be understood by this that
Śrī Rādhā, who was showering the arrows of Her angry glances, enjoys the
greatest good fortune in every respect. Moreover, the gopī in this verse, who
is beholding Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus face in a carefree manner, is the fortunate
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Lalitā, the parama-preṣṭha-sakhī of Śrī Rādhā, who is the foremost of Śrī

Kṛṣṇa’s sweethearts.
Verse 8
taṁ kācin netra-randhreṇa

hṛdi kṛtvā nimīlya ca
pulakāṅgy upaguhyāste
yogīvānanda-samplutā
One vraja-devī took Śrī Kṛṣṇa into her heart through the path of her
eyes, upon which she closed her eyes and embraced Him within. She
became immersed in the topmost bliss and her bodily hairs stood on
the end, just like a perfected yogī having obtained his worshipable
Supersoul in meditation.

‘Hṛdi kṛtya’ means ‘took Śrī Kṛṣṇa into her heart.’
One vraja-devī brought Śrī Kṛṣṇa into her heart through the path of
her eyes and became immersed in bliss. Just as the sun and other spheres
have great attachment for their support, the clear sky, similarly, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
has great attachment for the heart of this Vraja damsel. In this way, having
obtained Śrī Kṛṣṇa she became shy, and consequently closed her eyes. Due
to emotional ecstasy she began to horripilate, and internally she held Him in
her embrace for a long time. ‘Becoming immersed in bliss like a yogī’ – this
example is given to describe her inner vision (sphūrti). This gopī became
absorbed in meditation just like a yogī. She exhibits the following qualities:
she is a soft-hearted gopī (mṛdvī) as indicated by her shyness, she enjoys
intimate friendship with her lover (susakhyā), whom she has brought under
her control (svādhīna-kāntā), and she is a left-wing heroine (vāmā-kāntā).
Thus, the seven prominent gopīs have been described. In addition, one
more prominent gopī is mentioned in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa, i.e., the eighth gopī:
“One gopī, on seeing Śrī Govinda coming, became joyful and began to chant
‘Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.’ Other than Kṛṣṇa’s name, she could not say anything else.”
This statement affirms that this gopī is prakharā and saralā, bold and simple.
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Here is an analysis of this topic: the ecstasy named rati (intense

attachment) is mainly of two types. The first is tadīyatā-bhāvanā-maya,
meaning, “I belong to my dearmost beloved.” This heroine displays a
submissive right-wing mood to her lover. In the second case, madīyatā-
bhāvanā-maya, the heroine thinks, “He is mine.” Due to her vast love, she
exhibits a left-wing mood (vāmā-bhāva), feeling that she controls her lover.
As these two moods mix together in different proportions, many more types
of moods manifest. Thus exist vraja-devīs with a great variety of moods.
Those who are sajātīya, who share a mutually compatible mood, become
friends and form a partnership in the spirit of sva-pakṣatā, feeling that
such and such gopī belongs to her party.
All the gopīs group together in different parties according to their
mutually compatible moods. Those groups having an antagonistic mood
(vipakṣa) act in competition with the others. Among them, those Vraja
damsels who possess a spirit in large degree compatible with sva-pakṣas,
but have a little bit of another mood, constitute the suhṛta-pakṣa, having
a mood of friendship with the sva-pakṣas. If they only nurture good will
for the sva-pakṣas, and possess a great deal of mixed moods, then their
sajātīya mood [for the sva-pakṣas] is so minute that it is not clearly visible.
Thus they are taṭastha (border-line cases), having a sense of neutrality.
These vraja-devīs have taste only for their own cherished moods towards
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The main reason behind their friendship with each other is Śrī
Kṛṣṇa alone and this is indeed befitting.2
2 In this way four types of differences are accepted among the vraja-devīs: (1) sva-
pakṣa, one’s own party, (2) suhṛta-pakṣa, party that is favorable to one’s mood,
(3) taṭaṣtha-pakṣa, neutral party, and (4) prati-pakṣa, party opposed to one’s
own. Their differences are explained thus. Gopīs who fully share a kindred mood
are sva-pakṣatā, and group together in a partnership. If the mood is somewhat
heterogeneous, then, in relation to the sva-pakṣas, they belong to the friendly
group (suhṛta-pakṣatā). When there is only a little bit of the same spirit found,
they constitute the neutral group (taṭastha-pakṣa). When this mood is completely
heterogeneous in every aspect, then they belong to the opposite group (prati-
pakṣa). When two parties have completely contrary moods and are mutually
antagonistic, they cannot tolerate each other. Therefore the absence of palatability
in the moods is the cause behind the opposition. Due to this antagonism, there
is mutual hatred, and they endeavor to thwart their rivals’ well-being and cause
unpalatable disturbances. Whichever party is more or less of the same nature of
one’s own sentiment, one develops friendship with such a group. Factually it is
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Of these two moods, madīyatā-maya bhāva is superior to tadīyatā-

maya because, due to extreme feelings of possessiveness (mamatā), one
is able to relish Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s human-like sweetness (mādhurya) to a much
greater degree. Therefore the depth and force of the flow of love are much
more. When this madīyatā-bhāva reaches a fully mature state, that deep
stream of love, moving with so much force, does not flow in a proper way;
rather it twists and turns, moving in a zigzag fashion, manifesting a left-wing
vāmyā-bhāva. Another name for this phenomenon is kauṭilya-ābhāsa, a
semblance of crooked behavior. According to the logic of Śrī Bharata Muni,
“The movement of love is crooked, just like a moving snake.” The nature of
such love is that the lady-love externally acts in a roundabout or devious
way, and because of this, the lover is controlled by her leftist mood.
In this connection, Śrī Rudra has also said, “A woman’s contrary mood,
the difficulty to meet, and the woman’s rejection of her lover – I consider these
three to be Cupid’s main weapons, or the means for a woman to captivate
her sweetheart.” In this regard Śrī Hari-vaṁśa mentions Śrī Satyabhāmā-
very rare or impossible that any of the vraja-devīs will have the identical mood
and identical degree of those sentiments. Sometimes due to ghuṇākṣara-nyāya,
or the logic of serving by happy chance even unknowingly, there is a possibility
of compatibility of moods, in which case such a party is accepted as a friendly
party (suhṛta-pakṣa). This suhṛta-pakṣa is of two types: (1) who help to attain the
desired goal, and (2) who remove obstacles. In this way, all the Vraja damsels in the
friendly class are favorable for the sva-pakṣa. At the same time they are neutral or
opposed to other groups. The scriptures on transcendental mellows (rasa-śāstra)
describe the party who is friendly to one’s opposition party as neutral. Therefore
every vraja-devī is endowed with her own unique sentiments for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which
He relishes. These sentiments alone lead to mutual friendship with each other.
Rati, attachment, is at the root of it. The nature of that attachment creates two
types of moods: (1) tadīyatā-maya and (2) madīyatā-maya.
Here one fact is to be emphasized. Inside the heart that is marked by a modest,
submissive nature, the love (prīti) known as madhura-rati, or amorous attachment,
mixes with the ingredients that are favorable. The quality and intensity of the
love decreases due to this submissiveness. Moreover when the loving humility
manifests to the agreeable degree, the cowherd damsel develops tadīyatā-bhāva,
the permanent nature that “O Kṛṣṇa, indeed I am Thine.” This mood is exemplified
in the hearts of Śrī Candrāvalī and the confidantes in her group.
When the love is more intense than the modesty, it covers the submissive
nature. Then the permanent ecstasy that is full of madīyatā (“Śrī Kṛṣṇa belongs to
me”) manifests. This permanent ecstasy does not have even an iota of reverence.
The sentiments full of madīyatā that are present in the hearts of Śrī Rādhā and
Her personal confidantes are the examples of this.
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devī: “Śrī Satyabhāmā-devī, young and beautiful, became proud due to her
great good fortune. When she heard Śrī Nārada describing Śrī Rukmiṇī’s
good fortune, the arrogant Satyabhāmā became filled with envy.” Moreover,
it is said, “Śrī Rukmiṇī, the daughter of King Bhīṣmaka, is the queen of the
general populace, and is the head of the whole royal family. Śrī Satyabhāmā-
devī is the best among ladies and she also enjoys great good fortune.”
Verses 4 and 5 give an account of the four rightist confidantes who are
endowed with the mood of tadīyatā (“I am Thine”), each one described in
half the verse. However later on, in one verse each, Verses 6, 7 and 8, three
types of leftist confidantes who are endowed with a sense of possessiveness
(madīyatā-bhāva, “Thou art mine”) are described. In this way, we can clearly
see that the poet Śrī Śukadeva has given more consideration to the mood of
possessiveness (madīyatā-bhāva). The last three verses describe one gopī
as follows: “One cowherd damsel furrowed her eyebrows…” She is the best
among all. As She is endowed with special, super-excellent sentiments, She is
described first. No other cowherd damsel can possess that most exceptional
mood. Moreover, such mood manifests upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa forsaking Her, and
She is thrown into separation. Śrī Kṛṣṇa abandoned all the vraja-devīs,
except this one to whom He bestowed good fortune by carrying Her off.
Thus He Himself has indicated Her outstanding nature. That best among all
gopīs was staring at Śrī Kṛṣṇa with furrowed eyebrows.
One particular vraja-devī is described in the first line of Verse 4. She
is one of the four cowherd damsels of Vraja who are rightist, or submissive
in mood. She is the most excellent and senior-most, thus she is mentioned
first. Being the foremost she jumped over everyone and touched Śrī Kṛṣṇa
first. She exhibits the sweet behavior of a right-wing heroine. Therefore, this
gopī’s mind-set is contrary (prati-pakṣā) to the mood of the super-excellent
vraja-devīs, such as Śrīmatī Rādhā, described in Verses 6-8.
Now the deliberation on the yūthas, or groups, of Śrī Rādhā and Śrī
Candrāvalī is presented. There are some gopīs whose mood conforms with
Śrī Rādhā’s leftist mood; they are sakhīs in Her group. Those gopīs whose
mood is akin to Candrāvalī’s are her sakhīs. These gopīs’ affiliation with
those group leaders is determined by the similarity of the mood. The gopī
referred to in Verse 6 is Śrī Rādhā, and those discussed in Verses 7 and 8 are
Lalitā and Viśākhā, Śrī Rādhā’s most confidential sakhīs. Just as Śrī Rādhā
has madīyatā-maya vāmya-bhāva, so do Lalitā and Viśākhā. In the first
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part of Verse 4, first of all, the topic of rightist Śrī Candrāvalī is discussed,
and the second part of the Fourth Verse describes another sakhī. This sakhī,
Śyāmalā, belongs to the right-wing, submissive class, nevertheless she is
the friend (suhṛta) of Śrī Rādhā, having a somewhat similar mood. Her
character is a little different from those gopīs endowed with a tadīyatā-
maya rightist mood. Therefore she cannot be counted among the group
of Candrāvalī. Later comes the eighth sakhī (Bhadrā), who is described in
Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa, but as her special mood is not clearly delineated, she is
not included in either the rightist or the leftist groups. Because of this Śrīla
Śukadeva Gosvāmī has not mentioned her. In the end, she is accepted as a
taṭasthā-sakhī, a neutral confidante.
Now he is giving the names of these gopīs. In the Bhaviṣya-uttara
Purāṇa, on the occasion of Malla-Dvādaśī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to Yudhiṣṭhira,
“O Mahārāja! O great king! Please listen to the names of the ten prominent
gopīs: Gopālī, Pālikā, Dhanyā, Viśākhā, Dhyāna-niṣṭhikā, Rādhā, Anurādhā,
Somābhā, Tārakā and Daśamī.” In some versions, one finds the name
‘Dhaniṣṭhikā’ in place of ‘Dhyāna-niṣṭhikā’. Daśamī, meaning ‘tenth,’ is also
one name; she is mentioned last because of the meaning of her name. The
word tathā (and) indicates that another name of Daśamī is Tārakā. Moreover,
the cowherd damsel named Gopālī is certainly the follower of Gāyatrī, who
is described in the Padma-Purāṇa.
Skanda-Purāṇa, in Dvārakā-māhātmya of Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā, tells
about the incident at Māyā-Sarovara when Śrī Uddhava came again to Vraja
as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dear emissary. Upon meeting him, the gopīs expressed their
inner feelings just as they would have with their beloved Kṛṣṇa Himself.
According to each one’s particular sentiments, the names of eight cowherd
damsels are mentioned. However those expressions were so full of distress
that it is inappropriate to delve into them during the happy rāsa dance. At
the same time, they should not be neglected when under consideration.
The damsels of Vraja are now devoid of any shelter other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore, their sorrowful arguments are documented here.
On hearing Śrī Uddhava’s words, Śrī Lalitā-devī fainted out of
anger. Weeping with tear-filled eyes, she said, “O Uddhava! Please do not
unnecessarily bring up the topic of that Śrī Kṛṣṇa who is a thorough liar
and who is going down the wrong path. He is deceitful and is dear to cruel
people. Fie on Him hundreds of times – we don’t want to hear about that
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sinful, cruel-hearted person who has abandoned His lady-loves and like a
fool, He has gone to Dvārakā.” Śrī Śyāmalā Sakhī commented, “O sakhīs!
Why are you causing distress by repeatedly speaking about that person who
is blind to His own good fortune and devoid of any pious merit? Please
speak about something else.” Śrī Dhanyā remarked, “Who has brought the
messenger of that wicked person here? This sinner should now go away
on the path of no return. Whoever takes that path never comes back [like
Kṛṣṇa].” Śrī Viśākhā pronounced, “We do not know anything about His
character, lineage, birth and activities. He is completely devoid of religiosity
and the other goals of human life. It is futile to meet with such a person.”
Śrī Rādhā quipped, “The one who never felt fear of sin in killing Pūtanā,
O sakhīs, will surely kill any woman. Is there any doubt about this?” Śrī
Śaibyā said, “O most fortunate Uddhava! Please speak the truth. Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is the best among the Yādavas. What is He doing now that He is surrounded
by beautiful city ladies? Does He remember us?” Śrī Padmā spoke up, “O
Uddhava! Śrī Kṛṣṇa is endowed with arms powerful like thunderbolts. He is
beloved of the beautiful women dwelling in the city. After how many more
days will lotus-eyed Śrī Kṛṣṇa return?” Śrī Bhadrā said, “O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! O best
among the cowherd men! O beloved of the cowherd damsels! O mighty-
armed one! Please deliver us gopīs from the ocean of material existence.”
Many people count Śrī Candrāvalī among the eight confidantes, but do
not include Dhanyā, who is not as well known as the famous Candrāvalī.
In this connection, as previously mentioned, Bhaviṣya-uttara counts the
number of confidantes to be ten. However, here there are only eight. This
difference in numbers implies that these two accounts do not propound
the same opinion. Within the eight confidantes mentioned in the Skanda
Purāṇa, some people do not include Dhanyā, but rather accept Candrāvalī
because she is much more famous. Thus, the five confidantes such as Lalitā
[excluding Śaibya, Padmā and Bhadrā] are leftist (bāmā) and essentially
bold (prakhara).
However, here in Verses 6-8, starting with ‘bhru-kuṭim ābadhya,’ the
three leftist gopīs are described. Therefore, to include Śrī Candrāvalī in the
eight is indeed logical, because she has been ascertained as the foremost
among the right-wing party. Therefore, the two parties – leftist and rightist –
have three confidantes each; their number will be six in total. Śyāmalā is
friendly towards the group of Śrī Rādhā, who is leftist by nature. When
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we add Śyāmalā and the neutral cowherd damsel mentioned in Śrī Viṣṇu
Purāṇa, the numerical count arrives at eight.
Verse 6, with the words ‘ekā bhru-kuṭim ābadhya,’ describes one sakhī
who is foremost among the members of the leftist group. She has the great
good fortune to be endowed with the ultimate limit of the topmost ecstasy.
Therefore, She cannot be anyone else other than Śrī Rādhā, who is the best
among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved sweethearts.
One can also see the conclusion that concurs with this in the Padma-
Purāṇa:
yathā rādhā priyā viṣṇos

tasyāḥ kuṇḍaṁ priyaṁ tathā
sarva-gopīṣu saivaikā
viṣṇor atyanta-vallabhā
“Just as Śrī Rādhikā is the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, similarly, Her kuṇḍa is
also equally dear to Him. Among all the cowherd damsels, Śrī Rādhikā is the
most dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Matsya and Skanda Purāṇas also mention this: “In
Vṛndāvana, Śrī Rādhikā has been described as the beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
Bṛhad-gautamīya Tantra also confirms this:

“Goddess Śrī Rādhikā is the personification of the love of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She
is the Supreme Goddess, the embodiment of all the goddesses of fortune, and
the epitome of all loveliness. She is the Supreme Enchantress and the Supreme
Ruler of the world.” Furthermore, Ṛk-pariśiṣta narrates, “In this world, Śrī
Mādhava who is full of pastimes, is present with Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Rādhikā is
present with Śrī Mādhava.” Umāpati-dhara, who was the friend of Śrī Jayadeva
and the prime minister of Lakṣmaṇa-sena Mahārāja, similarly described Śrī
Rādhikā as the principal cowherd damsel. “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Kaṁsa, was
greeted by the artful movement of the eyebrows of one beautiful vraja-gopī.
Another beautiful damsel greeted Him with wide open eyes. Yet another lovely
girl secretly greeted Him with her attractive smile. However, His fearful eyes
were falling on Śrī Rādhā’s lotus face, which was effulgent with playful beauty,
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and which expressed disdain flowing from Her natural pride. With a fearful
look, He was repeatedly praying to Her, begging with His eyes; therefore She is
accepted as Rādhā.” This proves that Śrī Kṛṣṇa nurtures greater affection for
Śrī Rādhikā than for any of the other vraja-sundarīs.
Śrīpāda Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “The best of my younger brothers,
the great devotee of the Lord (mahā-bhāgavata), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
has presented an elaborate discussion of this topic in the Sthāyī-bhāva
Prakaraṇa of Ujjavala-nīlamaṇi, the chapter describing the permanent
ecstasies. She who is well-known as ‘Gāndharvā’ in the Gopāla-tāpanī
Śruti possesses the main symptoms found in Śrī Rādhikā; therefore she
is understood to be Śrī Rādhā. In this way, all the śāstras present logical
arguments and conclude that Rādhikā is the most prominent of all the gopīs.
Previously the statements of the different nāyikās were quoted from
Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā. The expertise seen in Śrī Rādhā’s speech makes it clear
that She is a madhyā-nāyikā3, intermediate heroine. Here and in Verse 6
of this chapter, for the sake of the līlā, She displayed anger by acting in an
impudent manner. Compared to the heroines who were holding Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
arms, Rādhikā’s madhyā mood is seen to be greater. Both of these books –
Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – agree on this point.
In Verse 7, one of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs has been described through the
words ‘with unblinking eyes.’ Because this sakhī has a leftist (vāmā) mood and
imperious (prakharā) nature, she must be Śrī Lalitā. Here, her usual extremely
leftist (ati-vāmya) mood is not seen because she appeared extremely satisfied
on seeing how Śrī Kṛṣṇa was agitated due to being wounded by Śrī Rādhā’s
very acrid glance. In Bhaviṣya-uttara Purāṇa, this Lalitā has been addressed
by another name – Anurādhā. The Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa mentions these two
names – Rādhā and Anurādhā – joining them together as rādhānurādhā. From
this conjoint form, it is understood that these two are heroines in the same
group. Among these confidantes (sakhīs) who belong to the same class, Śrī
Rādhā, the most prominent, is discussed first. Rādhā and Lalitā are described
in Verses 6-7 of this chapter. There also, Śrī Rādhā has been described as
the most prominent among the two. Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and
Bhaviṣyottara-Purāṇa concur in their opinion.
3 The yūtheśvarī who exhibits prakharā (harsh) and mṛdu (sweet and soft) moods
to the same degree and in whom mugdhā (innocent) and pragalbhā (impudent)
moods are mixed – she is madhyā (intermediate).
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Later on, Verse 8, ‘taṁ kacin-netra-randhreṇa,’ describes another

one of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs – Viśākhā, whose vāmyatā (left-wing contrary
character) and tenderness of heart are just like Śrī Rādhā’s. Moreover, her
statement starting with ‘na śīlaṁ’ documented in Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā is
further evidence proving her left-wing character mentioned in this verse.
It has already been established that the first heroine, who is of the first
category, described in the first couplet of Verse 4 is Śrī Candrāvalī, who is
widely accepted as being Śrī Rādhā’s primary competitor. In this connection
Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura said: “One time, after sporting with Śrī Rādhikā,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa was returning from the mohana-kuñja (enchanting bower) of Śrī
Rādhā. On the way, accidentally He met Śrī Candrāvalī, and asked her,
‘O Rādhā! Are you okay?’
On hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa address her as such, Candrāvalī retorted,
‘O Kaṁsa! Are you okay?’
Being wonderstruck, Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied,
‘O beautiful damsel! O you whose heart is bewildered! How did you
develop such perverse understanding? Where did you see Kaṁsa?’
Candrāvalī answered, ‘Where did You see Rādhā here?’
Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa realized that she was Candrāvalī. Understanding His
mistake, He became extremely embarrassed and lowered His face. Seeing
how Candrāvalī so quickly and cleverly gave her reply arising from her
envy, Hari smiled gently. May such Lord Hari protect us.”
As the meaning of their names is virtually the same, this Candrāvalī
is Śrī Somābhā (somābha meaning ‘like the moon’), who is mentioned in
Bhaviṣya-uttara Purāṇa.
The second couplet of Verse 4, ‘kācid-dadhāra,’ describes Śyāmalā, the
friend of Śrī Rādhā. Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā narrates that she enters the groups
of Lalitā and others and bestows salutary advice; thus we learn about her
friendship with Śrī Rādhā. The sakhīs who are soaked in the same mood,
become distressed at each other’s sorrow, and lament together. Due the slight
difference of their moods, she is seen in the form of the giver of friendly
advice. Śrī Madhvācārya-pāda in his purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has
referred to Śyāmalā with the name Līlā.
Śrī Candrāvalī’s two confidantes are Śaibyā and Padmā. Śaibyā has been
described in the first line of Verse 5, ‘kācid-añjalinā,’ and the second line, ‘ekā-
tad-aṅghri,’ portrays Padmā. Moreover, the cowherd damsel who has been
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described as taṭasthā (neutral) in Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa is Bhadrā, who has a leftist
mood. Her humility indicates the mood of a servant, and she also nurtures a
desire for amorous meeting, which blossoms only to a small degree.
The great sage Śrī Śukadeva has concealed the names of these cowherd
damsels, and has described them in a hidden way with the ornament of
speech called apahnuti. That is, one reveals some confidential object and
then presents another meaning to cover it over. “With the permission of
that great personality, I [Jīva Gosvāmī] have shed light on this confidential
pastime and artfully recorded it. Now I am feeling shy. O Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Your
beloved sweethearts! All of you are my only shelter. Mercifully forgive the
impudence of this person (i.e., myself), who has no other resort.”
In great apprehension one gopī was thinking, “Due to great good fortune
I have connected with this lover, but He is so fickle that He may leave me
again.” Therefore, when she received Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s audience, she took Him
and placed Him in her heart (hṛdi kṛtvā). Thus she became immersed in
bliss. Then fearing that He might fly away through the door of the eyes,
she closed her eyes. ‘Pulakit-aṅgī’ – her body broke out in horripilation
triggered by experiencing the complete and unobstructed bliss of union
with her lover. Having lost her composure due to the intense desire to hold
Śrī Kṛṣṇa in her arms, she kept her eyes closed for a long time, feeling as
if she was embracing (upaguhya āste) Him in her heart. And because of
meeting in that private place (in the heart) where no one could see them,
there was no need to feel shy.
As the three gopīs mentioned in Verses 6, 7 and 8 did not come close
to their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, it is understood that they are bāmā, left-wing
cowherd damsels. “Śrī Kṛṣṇa should personally come to us. We shall never go
to Him.” This demonstrates their mood of possessiveness, madīyatā-bhāva
(Kṛṣṇa belongs to me!), which is filled with madhu-sneha, affection that is
sweet like honey. Therefore it is accepted that these three are extremely
intimate with Śrī Kṛṣṇa (su-sakhyā) and keep Him under their control. The
first among these three is Śrī Rādhikā, the topmost leader (yutheśvarī) of all
the gopīs. The second and third cowherd damsels are Her closest girlfriends
(sakhīs), Śrī Lalitā and Śrī Viśākhā respectively.
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The Śrī Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī describes these seven confidantes (sakhīs)

mentioned in Verses 4-8. They are Candrāvalī, Śyāmalā, Śaibyā, Padmā,
Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā and Viśākhā. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has mentioned seven
prominent gopīs, and Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa accounts for the eighth principle
gopī: “One cowherd damsel experienced such great bliss on seeing Govinda
coming that she could only utter ‘Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!’ She could not say anything
else.” She should be known as Bhadrā.
Śrī Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī quotes from Skanda Purāṇa (Dvārakā-māhātmya
of Prahlāda-Saṁhiṭā), wherein these eight cowherd damsels are proclaimed
as prominent out of all the three billion gopīs. One can refer to Śrī Ujjvala-
nīlamaṇī to learn more about their hierarchy, as only a little bit is indicated
here. And out of these eight cowherd damsels, Śrī Rādhā is the most
prominent. Śrī Padma Purāṇa clearly states: “Just as Śrī Rādhikā is dear to
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, similarly Her pond is also dear to Him. Among all these cowherd
damsels, Śrī Rādhā alone is most dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
Bṛhad-gautamīya Tantra affirms this: The beautiful, effulgent Goddess
Śrī Rādhikā is totally absorbed in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She is the most worshipable
goddess, presiding over all the goddesses of fortune. All splendor exists in
Her. She completely enchants Kṛṣṇa, and is the supreme ruler.” Ṛk-pariśiṣṭa
confirms this: “Śrī Mādhava is present with Śrī Rādhā, and Śrī Rādhikā is
present with Śri Mādhava with all excellence.”
Verse 9
sarvās tāḥ keśavāloka-
paramotsava-nirvṛtāḥ
jahur viraha-jaṁ tāpaṁ
prājñaṁ prāpya yathā janāḥ
Seeing their beloved Keśava, the gopīs experienced a great
festival of bliss and were liberated from the anguish of separation,
just as people become free from the pangs of material existence
upon receiving the association of a great devotee of Bhagavān.

Persons desiring liberation (mumukṣu-gaṇa) become free from
the pangs of material existence on obtaining the Supreme Lord (prājña,
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meaning īśvara). Another understanding: worldly persons become free from

the pangs of material existence on receiving the association of ‘prājña’ –
the Lord’s topmost devotee who knows Brahman. Alternatively, when the
living entity transcends the states of wakefulness and dreaming (viśva and
taijasa), he reaches the state of prājña (deep dreamless sleep, or suṣupti).
That time, he receives the audience of the Supersoul, the indwelling witness,
upon which he becomes free from the pangs of material existence. Similarly,
the cowherd damsels experienced great bliss in the grand celebration
of receiving audience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus, they became free from their
lamentation arising from separation.
Out of three hundred crore (3 billion) cowherd damsels, eight are
prominent. They have just been discussed in the previous verses, but
what happened to the rest of the vraja-devīs? Expecting this question, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse ‘sarvā.’ In other words, sarvā – all
the cowherd damsels – became absorbed in the topmost bliss just seeing
Śrī Keśava. The word ‘keśavaḥ’ has been used previously in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.29.48 to convey the meaning ‘most effulgent’ – “Śrī Keśava
observed that these vraja-ramaṇīs were overly proud due to their good
fortune and were now exhibiting māna also. In order to quell their pride
and satisfy them by dispelling their indignation, He suddenly disappeared
from their assembly.”
However in this Ninth Verse, the word ‘keśavaḥ’ has been used to
indicate very beautiful hair. Moreover, in the beginning of this chapter,
it is said: “tāsāṁ āvirbhūt – He appeared, manifesting that form that was
attractive for the entire world.” According to this definition, the word
keśava (keśa, or hair, along with vaḥ) indicates the glorification of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, which enchants the whole universe. The import of the
word keśavaḥ in both of these verses can be accepted as ‘the reservoir
of supreme effulgence.’ In the explanation of the word keśava in the
previously mentioned verse, it is told that the vraja-devīs lost their
effulgence due to Śrī Keśava’s vanishing. Similarly, it is to be understood
that their effulgence reappeared when Śrī Keśava returned. The purport is
that when the sun is visible, it illuminates the world, and when it sets, the
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world is immersed in darkness. Similarly, the form of most brilliant Keśava,

just like the sun, is the embodiment of concentrated effulgence. When this
form disappeared, the hearts of the vraja-devīs became covered with the
darkness of the distress of separation. When that form of concentrated
effulgence reappeared, their agitation from separation was removed and
they experienced great bliss. As Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s darśana bestows the topmost
joy, the gopīs enjoyed a festival of supreme happiness.
To give a suitable example, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks the word
‘prājñam.’ When the embodied living entity is in ignorance upon reaching
the state of deep sleep, his gross and subtle senses are inactive, and he
experiences the presence of prājña. At that time, the immediate destruction
of his three-fold miseries begins; it is not completed, but the hope for it is
set in motion. However in this state also, the mood of ignorance remains
present in an invisible form. The living entity’s agitation is not completely
annihilated until the ignorance is removed in toto. Similarly, the vraja-devīs’
anguish in separation began to disappear due to the audience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
However, it did not vanish completely at once because of the fear hidden
in their hearts that “Kṛṣṇa may abandon us again.” Alternatively, a man
agitated by material existence begins to give up his distress on receiving
the association of prājña, the topmost devotees of Bhagavān. Similarly, the
cowherd damsels also began to give up their grief generated from separation
on attaining Śrī Kṛṣṇa, however it was not completely removed at once. In
this way, these two examples are useful only in showing the initiation of the
destruction of pain, but not the completion of the process.

Here the word ‘prājña’ means parama-bhāgavata, topmost devotee,
and ‘janāḥ’ means the people agitated by material existence. Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī has said in connection with the description of the rainy season:
“gṛheṣu tapta-nirviṇṇā yathācyuta-janāgame – the living entities who
are burning in the fire of household life become overjoyed by the arrival
of a topmost pure devotee of Acyuta Bhagavān” (10.20.20). Similarly, the
cowherd damsels, who were suffering in separation, received the topmost
bliss upon seeing Śrī Keśava and they were relieved of their distress.
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Verse 10
tābhir vidhūta-śokābhir
bhagavān acyuto vṛtaḥ
vyarocatādhikaṁ tāta
puruṣaḥ śaktibhir yathā
O Parīkṣit! Bhagavān Śrī Acyuta, situated in His saccidānanda
form and ever possessed of divine beauty and sweetness, is
looking even more attractive today, being surrounded by the
gopīs, who were relieved from their distress of separation. Thus
adorned, Kṛṣṇa appeared just like the Supersoul encircled by His
intrinsic potencies.
‘Puruṣaḥ’ means paramātmā, or Supersoul, surrounded by His
potencies such as sattva, pure consciousness. Alternatively, ‘puruṣaḥ’ means
worshiper (upāsaka) who is surrounded by potencies such as knowledge,
strength and valor. ‘Puruṣaḥ’ also means the living entity sleeping in the
heart, who looks splendid surrounded by material designations. Similarly,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa looked fabulously beautiful, adorned and encircled by the
cowherd damsels, now free from distress.
Giving up their pride (mada) and sulky mood (māna), all the vraja-
devīs gathered together and followed Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose supreme beauty
manifested at that time being surrounded by the cowherd damsels. Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes this in three verses beginning with ‘tābhiḥ.’
The phrase ‘vidhūta-śokābhiḥ’ refers to the gopīs, who were now totally
free from the distress of separation. Śrī Parāśara Muni has described the
special reason behind the liberation of the gopīs from their anguish of
separation (viraha-tāpa). “Śrī Mādhava appeared in the midst of those
cowherd damsels and removed their distress by sweetly conversing with
one, glancing at another while artfully arching His eyebrows, and touching
yet another with His cooling hands. Thus courteously propitiating them, He
extinguished their sorrow born of separation.”
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In this way, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is complete in every respect, being

endowed infinitely with the six opulences. Thus He is ‘acyuta’ (infallible), that
is, He never waivers even a drop from that state of absolute completeness.
This is His nature. When He met with those gopīs – who are the embodiment
of His internal potency that manifests a special prema – and freed them from
the distress of separation, He began to radiate an even more spectacular
beauty than before. It is indeed appropriate that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, situated in the
midst of the breath-takingly beautiful gopīs, manifested such an excellent
appearance, never seen previously.
Another example is given to illustrate this topic further. The Supreme
Person (puruṣa) or the Supreme Controller (īśvara) manifests His form
as the Supreme Personality of Godhead (bhagavat-rūpa), who, decorated
by His majesty and other aspects of the internal potencies, looks even
more beautiful. In His form as the impersonal Brahman, He does not
look as beautiful. Moreover, svayaṁ-bhagavān (the Original Supreme
Personality of Godhead) Śrī Kṛṣṇa exudes the greatest degree of beauty
when surrounded by the gopīs, the personifications of His internal
potency’s special expression of prema. ‘Tāta’ means ‘O Parīkṣit.’ This term
indicates the topmost compassion; it is used as a title for those who are
candidates worthy of receiving compassion, or to address one’s father.
Many such meanings are found. Nevertheless here we accept the meaning
as compassion to reveal the most confidential pastime. The purport is as
follows. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to King Parīkṣit, “O Parīkṣit! You are the
recipient of my topmost mercy. For this reason alone, I am revealing this
great secret to you.”
Any person looks exceedingly charming when arrayed with the
potencies of his senses, and loses his attractiveness when the power of the
senses diminishes. The gopīs, being the manifestations of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s internal
potency, are endowed with special love and affection. When the gopīs are
lost in lamentation, He reflects their distress, and thus His charm and beauty
are greatly diminished. Upon being freed from the distress of separation,
the gopīs become exceedingly effulgent and more lovely (ujjvala). When Śrī
Kṛṣṇa meets these cowherd damsels now glowing, His beauty increases many
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times over. To repeat, a person is happy when his senses are satisfied, and he
feels wretched if his senses are distressed. Similarly, Śrī Kṛṣṇa experiences
joy in the happiness of the gopīs, and He feels misery in their distress. This
implies that Śrī Kṛṣṇa becomes fully accomplished by the cowherd damsels’
love. This also implies that the gopīs’ love for Him is ingrained in their very
beings. [In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s love conforms to the gopīs’ love, or His
love is dependent on their love. However their love is not controlled by His,
rather their love, reflecting their inherent natures, is independent.]
This principle has been elucidated in the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa of Skanda-
Purāṇa: “Sixteen thousand gopīs had gathered in the rāsa dance arena.
Situated in their midst, Paramātmā Janārdana Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supersoul and
well-wisher of all beings, appeared like a swan or like the gopīs’ very life-airs.
O goddess Pārvatī! These cowherd damsels are known as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sixteen
potencies. He is like the full moon, and these gopīs represent the sixteen
phases of the moon – it should be understood in this way. These sixteen
phases appearing as the gopīs join together and make a complete circle. The
sixteen parts, or the sixteen phases, have taken the forms of the sixteen main
gopīs. O beautiful-faced one! These sixteen cowherd damsels have accepted
different, different moods, and each one manifested in a thousand bodies.”
Āgama recounts, “Surrounded by one billion (one hundred crore)
beautiful damsels in the rāsa-maṇḍala, Śrī Kṛṣṇa looked especially
wonderful.” From all the evidence, it can be known that three hundred
crore cowherd damsels were present in the rāsa dance. Among them, the
previously mentioned sixteen thousand gopīs are prominent, and out of
them, a thousand cowherd damsels are more outstanding. Among these,
only eight gopīs are the most excellent, and out of these eight, only two –
Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Candrāvalī – are the striking chiefs. And out of these
two, Śrī Rādhā uniquely stands supreme. The devotional scriptures have
ascertained this conclusion.
Verses 11-12
tāḥ samādāya kālindyā

nirviśya pulinaṁ vibhuḥ
vikasat-kunda-mandāra
surabhy-anila-ṣaṭpadam
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śarac-candrāṁśu-sandoha-
dhvasta-doṣā-tamaḥ śivam
kṛṣṇāyā hasta-taralā
cita-komala-vālukam
The one-and-only all-powerful Śrī Kṛṣṇa, looking very

beautiful and charming, accompanied the cowherd damsels to
the extremely delightful bank of the Yamunā. There, the gentle
breeze was blowing, carrying the fragrance of the kunda and
mandāra blossoms, and the riverbank was reverberating with
the humming of the bumblebees intoxicated from the sweet
smell of nectar. The autumn full moon diffused its splendid
rays, and dispelled the darkness of the night, thus making
the whole atmosphere auspicious. With her hand-like waves,
Śrī Yamunā piled up soft sand on her shore, creating the stage
for Kṛṣṇa’s sweet līlā.

The wind had become fragrant with the scent of the blooming kunda
and mandāra flowers. Attracted by the aromatic breeze, the bumblebees
became intoxicated, and were hovering around that riverbank. The autumn
full-moon had risen, dissipating the darkness of the night with its effulgent
rays. The combination of all these elements produced a most pleasant
atmosphere on the riverbank. Using her waves as hands, Śrī Yamunā
created a stage of extremely soft sand for Bhagavān’s pastimes on the shore.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa came to the beautiful and charming riverbank in the company
of the cowherd damsels, and being surrounded by them, He looked even
more wonderful than before. In the first half of Verse 11, the word nirviśya
(entering) is a gerund. Therefore, this verse reads along with the previous
one to complete the sentence with a finite verb.
The previous verse mentioned that Bhagavān Śrī Acyuta began to
exude a unique beauty. Now, the two verses beginning with ‘tāḥ’ describe
the elements enhancing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty. ‘Samādāya’ means catching
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the hands of all the cowherd damsels, that is, holding the hand of each and
every gopī. First He arrived at the Yamunā’s bank where He met all the gopīs,
and then He proceded to (nirviśya) another sandbank which was suitable
for the rāsa dance. He situated Himself in the very middle of the second
sandbank, where He began to radiate a very special beauty.
One may challenge: Śrī Kṛṣṇa is only one. How could He catch the
hand of every single cowherd damsel? To remove this doubt, Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī says that Kṛṣṇa is vibhu, all-pervading. Though Śrī Kṛṣṇa is only
one, He desired to console all the gopīs at once, by praising them (sāma –
using kind words to win over their hearts) and by being charitable to them
(dāna). Therefore He caught the hands of all of them at the same time.
Now, in one and a half verses beginning with ‘vikasat,’ he describes
the elements that were present to stimulate ecstasy, thus establishing the
suitability of the Yamunā’s sandy bank for the rāsa dance. The wind had
become favorably scented with the fragrance of the fully blooming kunda
and mandāra flowers. Drawn by the aromatic breeze, the bumblebees were
hovering on the bank of the river. From this statement it is understood that
the wind was cool and fragrant, and was moving along slowly. If the wind
had been blowing fast, then there would be no chance of any bumblebees
hovering on the riverbank. The darkness of the nighttime had dissipated
due to the effulgent rays of the full autumn moon. Here the word ‘śarat’
(autumn) indicates that the rays of the moon were bestowing topmost
serenity. The word ‘sandoha’ (abundance) indicates that the full moon was
so effulgent that it dispelled (dhvasta-doṣā) the darkness, making it seem
like it was daytime. With her hand-like waves, Śrī Yamunā (Śrī Kṛṣṇā) spread
very soft sand on that bank.
Śrī Kṛṣṇā (Yamunā), bearing the same name and complexion as Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, is His sakhī. Therefore, she prepared the rāsa-maṇḍala by spreading
soft sand with her wave-like hands. Alternatively, she attracts the heart of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa by her divine beauty, and thus she is well known as Kṛṣṇā. In
this connection, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.11.36 relates, “Śrī Balarāma and
Śrī Kṛṣṇa became greatly happy on seeing Vṛndāvana, Govardhana and
the shore of the Yamunā.” ‘Hasta’ means the hands of Yamunā represented
by her waves. Just as we use our hands to collect things, similarly Yamunā
also collected the softest sand with her hand-like waves, thus creating the
great stage for the theatrical performance. This indicates that the place of
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the rāsa dance was flat and soft. Everything else is as according to Śrīdhara
Alternatively, Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered (niriviśya) that sandy bank by
respectfully taking the cowherd damsels along with Him. Reaching the
middle of the bank, He manifested in His special ‘vibhu’ form, displaying
great opulence. Here the word ‘vibhu’ has been used to communicate that
He was exhibiting an especially spectacular beauty never seen before. This
will be elaborated upon in the next two verses. The commentary for the rest
of the verse is similar.
One Śrī Kṛṣṇa accepted those one billion gopīs. Taking hold of the hands
of each one and laughing, He came to the bank of the Yamunā, where He
looked astonishingly handsome. This continues the description from Verse
10. Then, one and a half verses beginning with ‘vikasat’ depict the elements
present on that sandy bank that stimulated the mood for rāsa-līlā. There the
wind was blowing, carrying the fragrance of the fully blossoming kunda and
mandāra flowers. Therefore the bumblebees were coming, attracted by the
fragrance. Because the wind was blowing over the river, it is understood that
it was cooling, and the presence of the bumblebees hovering indicates that
the breeze was blowing gently.
Due to the rays of the autumn full-moon, the darkness of the night had
disappeared, making that place very pleasant. Śrī Yamunā had prepared her
bank, making it very broad and level by spreading soft sand with her hand-
like waves. Due to the touch of those waves, the sand of Yamunā’s bank
had become soft, cooling and agreeable. The sandy bank was now extremely
beautiful and suitable in every respect for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs to play
out their rāsa-līlā.
Verse 13
tad-darśanāhlāda-vidhūta-hṛd-rujo
manorathāntaṁ śrutayo yathā yayuḥ
svair uttarīyaiḥ kuca-kuṅkumāṅkitair
acīkḷpann āsanam ātma-bandhave
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Those vraja-devīs became overjoyed to receive Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s

audience. Transcendental bliss illuminated their hearts, and
thus all their heartache was completely washed away. Just as the
personified Vedas become totally satisfied when they receive the
direct audience of Bhagavān, similarly all the gopīs’ heart-felt
yearnings were fulfilled. Using their veils, which were colored
with the saffron powder from their breasts, they arranged a seat
for their intimate friend Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was dearer to them than
their own souls.

The personified Vedas became completely satisfied. Similarly, the
cowherd damsels also obtained the ultimate limit of their heart’s desire.
The meaning is this: the personified Vedas could not obtain the audience
of the Supreme Lord despite presenting karma-kaṇḍa, the part of the Vedas
describing fruitive ceremonial acts and sacrificial rites. In other words, the
goal of karma-kaṇḍa practices is to fulfill one’s personal desires, but this
process is incomplete because it cannot convince Bhagavān to give His
darśana, which was the goal of the śrutīs. However, due to the pursuit of
transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Lord, they received His audience;
thus their hearts were completely filled with bliss, and consequently they
renounced the process of karma-kaṇḍa, which leads to the satisfaction of
material desires. Similarly, the cowherd damsels were gratified upon seeing
Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Although they were self-satisfied from within, still they served
their lover, inspired by their prema. Therefore, it is said “svair uttarīyaiḥ –
those gopīs prepared a sitting place with their own veils for their souls’ dear
friend (ātma-bandhave, or antaryāmī).”
In this verse beginning with ‘tad,’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes
the love-filled sevā of the vraja-devīs, who have become extremely elated
upon having the audience of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. On beholding the all-powerful Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who was very eager for a special pastime, the gopīs experienced
an extraordinary bliss that washed away all the torments of their hearts.
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Accompanied by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was eager to enjoy dancing pastimes, those
vraja-devīs were present on the shore of the Yamunā, which was just the
right place for the līlā. Therefore they were sure that now Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
ready to stay with them for a long time, having the intention to perform
numerous love games that comprise the rāsa dance.
Before this, there was a fear in their hearts that “Kṛṣṇa may abandon
us,” however now this fear had vanished. Thus, not only was the gopīs’
distress pacified, but they also obtained the topmost bliss, that is, they
achieved the ultimate limit of their hearts’ desires. In this connection,
the following example is given: the Vedic scriptures (śruti), not being
fixed in any one mood, had been presenting various philosophies, but
they were able to give up that propensity when they revealed Śrī Kṛṣṇa
who performs rāsa-līlā. Now they focused on devotional service as the
supreme goal of human life. Thus, their opinion culminates with the
ultimate conclusion.
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has Himself confirmed in the Eleventh Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.11.20: “O Uddhava! The statements that glorify
My pastimes of creation, maintenance and annihilation of the cosmic
manifestation purify the entire world. Vedic statements that do not touch
upon these activities or My birth and childhood pastimes are fruitless.
Intelligent persons will not accept such useless writings.”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.12.69, Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said, “Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvamī was completely detached from all desire for the sense objects
because he was self-satisfied, tasting the bliss of self-realization. Nevertheless
his heart had become attracted by hearing from Śrīla Vyāsadeva about the
charming pastimes of ajita Bhagavān, who is unconquerable. As a result,
he gave up his realization of the impersonal Brahman. Out of compassion
for the living entities, he revealed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which highlights
the ultimate goal of human life. I offer obeisances to the lotus feet of Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Śrīla Vyāsadeva who destroys sins.” This
example confirms that the Vedic scriptures derive their significance only
when they describe the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Moreover, among the narrations of Śrī Bhagavān’s pastimes, this rāsa-
līlā is filled with the highest expressions of love. The Vedic scriptures also
became completely successful by describing this pastime alone. This shows
the topmost glories of śrī rāsa-līlā. Therefore, the ornament of speech
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named sahokti (a comparison of many objects using the word saha, all
together) has been used here.
Thereafter, the damsels of Vraja, becoming steady at heart, arranged
a sitting place for Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a most wonderful and charming manner.
What did they use to make a seat for Him? Among all the clothes they were
wearing, they took their own veils. As already told, they had been weeping
in separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus their veils that covered their hearts
had become red due to the kuṅkuma on their breasts mixing with the tears
flowing from their eyes. These very garments they took for His seat.
One might ask, “How did the vraja-devīs overcome their natural shyness
and take the veils covering their breasts to provide a sitting place? And how
did they offer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa a seat made from cloth they had already worn?”
To explain this, Śukadeva Gosvāmī uses the phrase ‘ātma-bandhave,’ most
dear intimate friend whom one loves more than one’s own self. Therefore,
as they were subjugated by feelings of such deep friendship, they offered
their used cloth as a seat for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whom they regarded as their own. All
the rest is as per the commentary of Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda. The seat that these
gopīs made, consisting of very fine cloth, was extremely spacious. Moreover,
it is to be understood that the gopīs of every group made a separate seat.
Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing the loving service the vraja-
sundarīs rendered to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which was befitting their deep mood of
friendship for Him. All the gopīs’ mental distress vanished due to the great
bliss they received from seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thereupon, all of them made a
seat for their dear friend from their outer garments – the very fine cloth that
covered their bodices. On beholding that seat, even the Vedic scriptures (the
Mahā-Upaniṣads) also obtained the ultimate fulfillment of the highest of all
desires. Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa states, “On seeing this, the śrutis became
very eager to attain that mood: ‘When will it come to pass that we śrutis
will attain the mood of the vraja-gopīs, and like them we also will offer our
veils smeared with the kuṅkuma from our breasts to our beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and engage in amorous play with Him?’” Therefore, these śrutis performed
intense austerity to become gopīs, taking the guidance of the eternally
perfect cowherd damsels.
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In Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 10.87.23 the śrutis themselves say, “Śrī Rādhā

and Your other eternal sweethearts, their intelligence being stolen by the
intense poison of the beauty of Your strong snake-like arms, tasted the love-
filled sweet nectar of Your lotus feet. We śrutis also obtained the same mood
as those cowherd damsels. By following in their footsteps, we have been
granted bodies as cowherd damsels at the end of the day of Brahmā (or in
another kalpa) and thus received the nectar of Your lotus feet.”
From this one can know the following truth. The personified Vedas
which had seen the incarnation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa during the previous day of
Lord Brahmā had become eager to sport with Him. Only those śrutis took
birth in this day of Brahmā and received gopī-bhāva. However those Vedic
scriptures who have developed eagerness to sport with Śrī Kṛṣṇa during this
day of Brahmā, will take birth in Gokula as gopīs in the next day of Brahmā.
Therefore it is to be understood that the Vedic scriptures are unlimited.
Verse 14
tatropaviṣṭo bhagavān sa īśvaro

yogeśvarāntar-hṛdi kalpitāsanaḥ
cakāsa gopī-pariṣad-gato ’rcitas
trailokya-lakṣmy-eka-padaṁ vapur dadhat
The all-powerful Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of all lords,

for whom the best of mystics affectionately establish a seat in the
innermost chambers of their pure lotus hearts, arrived in the
assembly of the gopīs on the sandy bank of the Yamunā. There
He sat on the āsana arranged by the cowherd maidens, who then
proceeded to worship Him, as His transcendental body, which is
the sole shelter of all the beauty and charm in the three worlds,
glowed brilliantly.

Thereafter Śrī Kṛṣna came to the assembly of the gopīs. As they
honored Him, He looked dazzlingly radiant. For their benefit He assumed
this special form, which was the sole support of all the beauty and splendor
of the three worlds.
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Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣna, the Original Personality of Godhead, who increases
the ocean of the nectar of love, is endowed with six attributes such as
opulence. Moreover He is īśvara; as such, He is capable of manifesting His
īśvaratā, His supremacy, in unprecedented forms. Nevertheless He arrived
in the assembly of cowherd damsels and sat on the seats they arranged for
Him. Sitting on their āsanas, He shone brilliantly (cakāsa), manifesting an
unprecedented beauty rarely seen anywhere else.
With this intention, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks the words
‘yogeśvarāntar-hṛdi.’ Rudra and other great mystics who are engaged in
perfect trance, mentally prepare a seat for Bhagavān in their lotus hearts in
their one-pointed meditation. However they are unable to bring Him there.
That Śrī Kṛṣṇa, manifesting an unprecedented beauty, today personally sat
in the society of the cowherd damsels on the seat these simple girls offered
Him. The seats arranged by the masters of mystics are only figments of
the imagination, so they cannot induce Bhagavān to come and sit. With
the phrase ‘gopī-pariṣad-gato’ (present in the assembly of the gopīs), this
verse establishes the glories of the vraja-devīs’ special relationship with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who was looking splendid sitting in their midst on the sandy bank
of the Yamunā. It is this ambience, which is just suitable for transcendental
pastimes, that the yogeśvaras bring into the inner core of their hearts
through their meditation – this is the understanding.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested an unprecedented beauty surrounded by loving
gopīs, who are the manifestation of His pleasure potency. The cowherd
damsels worshiped (arcita) Him, meaning that they honored Him by offering
Him a seat, tāṁbūla, joking words, sweet and gentle smiles, sidelong glances,
etc. What was the beauty He displayed at that time? He manifested a form that
was the shelter of the wealth of all beauty in all the three worlds and the spiritual
sky as well, including Mahā-Vaikuṇṭha and all Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incarnations. With
that sort of form He appeared in front of the gopīs. The ladies of Mathurā
glorify this beauty later on in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.44.14: “He sakhī, O my
friend, what sort of austerities have the vraja-gopīs performed that they are
continuously drinking with their eyes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, which is the essence
of all loveliness and is unparalleled and unequalled, self-perfect, ever fresh,
rarely encountered, and the sole shelter of all beauty and opulence?”
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Śrī Kṛṣṇa sat down on the various āsanas offered by the different
groups of gopīs, who had stacked up their veils for each seat. One might
question, “There were uncountable seats, so how could one Kṛṣṇa sit on all
of the different āsanas at the same time?” The answer is that He is Īśvara, the
Supreme Being, so He is capable of manifesting many forms without anyone
noticing and taking His seat on every āsana simultaneously. The reason for
this is that in this context ‘bhagavān,’ the Supreme Lord, means kāmavān,
possessing desires. According to the Amara-koṣa dictionary, bhaga means
opulence, desire, greatness, etc. In this case, the meaning is that He desired to
sit down on all those gopīs’ āsanas. Seeing His desire, Yogamāyā, His majestic
potency (aiśvarya-śakti), assisted Him in producing all those forms.
The masters of the mystic yogīs, like Śeṣa and Śaṅkara, by their
meditation prepare within the core of their hearts a sitting place for Śrī
Kṛṣṇa; such a place is so pure, rare and priceless that hardly anyone in the
three worlds can attain that elevated state of meditation. But these vraja-
gopīs arranged a seat outside their hearts with their own cloth scented with
their perfumes. Sitting on the gopīs’ āsanas, Śrī Kṛṣṇa looked radiantly
beautiful. He who is the Supreme Bhagavān and to whom Brahmā, Rudra
and other associates offer prayers at the shore of the Milk Ocean, thereby
inducing Him to reveal His presence indirectly in their hearts for just an
instant – that same Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa personally came in the assembly of
the gopīs and sat down on their āsanas for a long time (without moving a
muscle). In some versions ‘arcita’ (worshiped) is read as acyuta, meaning,
who sat for a long time. If it is read as ‘arcita,’ the meaning is that those
gopīs honored Him by offering Him tāmbūla, joking words, gentle smiles
and sidelong glances with arched eyebrows.
How did He look in that assembly of gopīs? He who is the dwelling place
of the treasure of all the beauty found in the three worlds – lower, middle
and upper – of the material and transcendental realms, replete with their
incarnations and all their objects – that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, when being worshiped in
the assembly of the gopīs, became dazzlingly brilliant being nourished by
the cowherd maidens’ effulgence, gentle smiles, sidelong glances and other
sweet aspects. From the very first moment that Kṛṣṇa came and sat in that
assembly of the gopīs, He radiated untold beauty while talking and joking
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with them – it is this very Śrī Kṛṣṇa that Lord Śiva and other great mystic
yogīs brought into the core of their hearts through their meditation.
Verse 15
sabhājayitvā tam anaṅga-dīpanaṁ

sahāsa-līlekṣaṇa-vibhrama-bhruvā
saṁsparśanenāṅka-kṛtāṅghri-hastayoḥ
saṁstutya īṣat kupitā babhāṣire
The vraja-devīs – in whose hearts Śrī Kṛṣṇa had awakened

pure amorous desire by His supernatural, nectarean beauty –
honored Him with their gentle smiles, provocative sidelong
glances and dancing eyebrows. Taking His lotus feet and hands
in their laps, they caressed them and became very blissful from
His touch. They began to praise His beauty and other qualities,
but remembering that He had left them, they felt a bit angry and
spoke as follows.

The gopīs’ playful glances and soft smiles were coupled with gesturing
eyebrows. ‘Saṁsparśanena’ – by touching.
This verse starting with ‘sabhājayitvā’ explains the reason for the rising
of concealed anger in the hearts of the vraja-devīs, who are naturally endowed
with praṇaya, deep, intimate love. First they honored Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the manner
described before, and now they began to question Him displaying some slight
anger through their gestures and facial expressions. Someone may have the
following doubt. Considering that the gopīs had honored Śrī Kṛṣṇa, how, then,
could they exhibit any anger towards Him? In answer, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says
‘anaṅga-dīpanam,’ inciting amorous desires. The explanation is that first
Śrī Kṛṣṇa had abandoned the gopīs and gone away. And now He was acting
in such a way as to arouse their romantic yearnings. Having pondered the
nature of their loving feelings, the cowherd damsels spoke with some anger,
“He abandoned us, and now He behaves in such a way.”
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One may have a doubt that kāma was aroused in the gopīs first, and that
is why they offered their upper garments that were colored by the saffron
paste from their breasts as a seat for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. If this were the case, on
seeing amorous excitement in their lover, how did they consider it proper
to express their anger? Therefore the author says that those gopīs placed
His lotus hands and feet in their laps, and while fondling them, glorified His
various good qualities. However, they had hidden their displeasure behind
their respectful behavior – this is the implied import.
Then how did their anger come to be known? ‘Sahāsa-līlekṣaṇa-
vibhrama-bhruvā’ – it came out through their sidelong glances (līlekṣaṇa),
gentle smiles (sahāsa) and playful movement of their eyebrows (vibhrama-
bhruvā). By the use of the tṛtiyā-vibhakti (instrumental case) in the phrase
‘sahāsa-līlekṣaṇa-vibhrama-bhruvā’ many other provocative gestures are
indicated. Immediately a crooked mood arose in the gopīs’ hearts – “Our
beloved sweetheart should Himself admit His mistake.” Such movements of
the eyebrows reflected the gopīs’ calculating minds. Their shrewdness will
be expressed by their method of interrogating their beloved.
In this way the transitory ecstasy named avahitthā, concealment,
manifested in the gopīs. Ancient great personalities say, “The mood hiding
the secondary ecstasies is known as avahitthā, concealment.” The gopīs
were smiling, casting sidelong glances, attempting to incite amorous desire
in their lover, keeping His hands and feet in their laps, massaging them,
respecting Him with their sevā, and glorifying Him. The whole time they
were hiding their anger in their hearts. All these actions are not indicative of
anger, but rather of their love. By all these activites, they were hiding their
loving anger (praṇaya-kopa), which will be revealed when they will ask
three questions later. This behavior of the vraja-sundarīs is full of deceit. If
their loving behavior here is real, the questions reflecting their anger would
not emanate from their mouths later.
The word avahitthā is feminine in gender. Included in it are three types
of moods: hetu – the reason to hide something, gopya – that which is to
be hidden, and gopana – the method of hiding. Among these three moods,
gopya-bhāva and hetu-bhāva are real, however gopana-bhāva is artificial,
or deceitful. Through gopana an endeavor is made to reveal a particular
mood that actually does not exist in the heart. To hide the gopya-bhāva,
some actions are done, but they are contrived.
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Hetu, or cause – the bhāva under which the permanent or genuine mood
is hidden. The sentiment to be concealed is known as gopya. The activity that
hides it is known as gopana. In this verse, the crookedness inherent in the
gopīs’ deep love is the cause. The intolerance that has arisen due to anger is
gopya. The gopīs are happily touching and massaging Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet and
glorifying Him, thereby, by trickery hiding their true feelings. They are also
gently smiling and gazing at Him, gaining His confidence – this shows their
devious intent, which they are trying to hide – this is gopana. This anubhāva
of gopya-bhāva is alone real, while gopana-bhāva is unreal like a mirage.
The verse mentions ‘aṅghri-hastayoḥ,’ meaning hands and feet, indica
ting a pair – Kṛṣṇa’s two hands and two feet. Billions of gopīs touched these
simultaneously. This act, accomplished by the power of Yogamāyā, is factual.
This verse starting with ‘sabhājayitvā’ describes the vraja-devīs’ gestures
indicating their reluctance to satisfy Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desire for amorous play. With
sidelong glances, soft smiles and dancing eyebrows, they worshiped their
lover, who showed His own amorous desire and stimulated theirs (anaṅga-
dīpanaṁ). “First Kṛṣṇa abandoned us, and now He is seeking intimate contact
with us.” In this way, the gopīs displayed their affectionate anger, but to hide
that anger, they honored Him accordingly. How did they do this? ‘Aṅka-
kṛtāṅghri-hastayoḥ’ – the gopīs took His soft lotus feet and hands in their
laps, or Kṛṣṇa placed His feet and hands in their laps. Upon touching Him,
they started to praise Him, “Ah! Your feet and hands are exceptionally cooling.
Their touch mitigates all anguish. Therefore, You are truly the comforting
moon that knows no sorrow or sufferings.” Applauding Him with these
sarcastic words, they expressed the bit of anger they were still holding. Their
loving anger had automatically reduced by the bliss of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s darśana.
With whatever little anger remained, they spoke to Him as follows.
Verse 16
śrī-gopya ūcuḥ
bhajato ’nubhajanty eka / eka etad-viparyayam
nobhayāṁś ca bhajanty eka / etan no brūhi sādhu bhoḥ
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The beautiful gopīs said: “He Kṛṣṇa, there is one kind of person
who gives love only to those who love them. Another kind of person
is the opposite – they love even those who do not reciprocate their
love. A third type is one who does not love either those who love
them or who are indifferent to them. O beloved, explain to us these
three types of persons and tell us whom You consider the best.”

Bhāvārtha Dīpika
In this verse starting with ‘bhajata,’ the gopīs inquire from Śrī Kṛṣṇa like
ordinary persons, hiding their inner intention to prove His ungratefulness
by His own words. Here bhajata means ‘one who shows love,’ anu means
‘loving according to the love one receives.’ Some are opposite to this, that
is, without any expectation, they love even those who are indifferent to
them. Yet others love no one, whether they are loved or not. “Please explain
properly these three types of persons.”

The gopīs say, “With our clever statements, we will bind Kṛṣṇa in such a
way that He will not be able to abandon us again.” With this intention, they
present their question. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes this in the verse
‘śrī-gopya ūcuḥ.’ “(1) Some persons love only those who love them. (2) Some
persons are just the opposite – they love even those who do not love them.
(3) And others do not love anyone, whether they are loved or not. He Kṛṣṇa,
properly (sādhu) explain these three types of persons to us. What result do
they attain? Contemplate this subject and explain it to us.” Addressing Śrī
Kṛṣṇa with ‘bhoḥ,’ O dear one,’ they caution Him to give proper attention
because, knowing that He is in the wrong, He might want to avoid the issue.
Or He might not give attention because He is otherwise absorbed.

Each gopī thought to herself, “Today this Kṛṣṇa gave us so much
suffering by abandoning us. He is the crown-jewel of all lovers, but still
He has cast us into a dire condition. Therefore, this is the right moment
to question Him: ‘He Kṛṣṇa, what is Your mood towards us? Do You love
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us, are You indifferent, or are You inimical towards us? These are the three
possibilities, but we cannot ascertain which category You fall into.
“‘Is there a cause for Your love for us, or is there no cause? It is not possible
that Your love is conditional because one whose love is conditional is always
nice to those who can gratify him and does not give them suffering. But You
tried to murder us by throwing us into the fire of separation. Therefore Your
love does not fall into this category. Nor is Your love for us unconditional. If it
were, You would not have abandoned us in the middle of the night in the dark
forest. And seeing our suffering, You felt no remorse. Thus we conclude that
You must have some other intention behind Your love.
“‘Nor are You indifferent towards us – we see that You give us both
happiness and sorrow. Furthermore, You are not hostile to us, neither
permanently nor temporarily due to some unfavorable situation. We don’t
see that You are antonistic to us all the time, so it cannot be permanent. And
You cannot be temporarily inimical towards us due to some unfavorable
action because we have not done anything to hurt You. So what is the reason
for Your ill will towards us? This enmity is very strange, indicative of the
desire to kill one’s trusty servant. You have become the example of this.’ We
will not openly say this, but we will pose our question as a riddle, so He will
be obliged to give a proper answer.”
Because these gopīs all share the same feelings and the same thoughts,
with the same mood they ask, “O learned Kṛṣṇa! Kindly answer one of our
riddles.” This is the subject matter of this verse beginning with ‘bhajato
’nubhajanty eka.’ “One kind of person honors only those who honor him. That
is, they only love those who love them. Their love is conditional; it depends
on what they will receive in return, and if they do not receive anything, then
they give no honor. This is conditional love. Another kind of person is just
the opposite – even if there is no love given, still they give love. Their love is
without expectation. As there is no demand for anything in return, their love is
unconditional. A third kind of person does not love anyone, whether they are
loved or not. Such a person’s mood is neither conditional nor unconditional.
They remain indifferent. When no love is shown, envy and hostility arise.” In
this way, the gopīs do not present their question openly, but Kṛṣṇa will tell
even more than what they mention. Pointing out these different moods, they
ask Kṛṣṇa, “Indeed, who are they? Why do some love and some do not? Give up
Your discordant attitude and impart a relevant understanding to this subject.”
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Verse 17
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mitho bhajanti ye sakhyaḥ
svārthaikāntodyamā hi te
na tatra sauhṛdaṁ dharmaḥ
svārthārthaṁ tad dhi nānyathā
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “My dear sakhīs, one type of

person shows love only when receiving love. Such a person is
selfish, interested only in his own profit. He cannot act as a true
friend, and he has no inner sense of duty or morality. His loving
behavior is actually self-centered, and other than that he has no
other purpose.”

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, knowing the vraja-devīs’ intention, answers with
this verse ‘mitho.’ “O sakhīs, some persons respect or love each other only
in the hope of gaining something. They have no regard for anyone else
except themselves. The reason for this is that their every endeavor is for
their self-interest. Such a person’s so-called love has no good-heartedness
or any principles; thus it yields no happiness.” For example, those who look
after cows and buffaloes do so only to get milk for their own comfort. Their
regard for others is like this.
Selfish interest is of two types: (1) visible – directly receiving wealth and
opulence and (2) invisible – the hope of reaching the heavenly planets, etc.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.6 states: “The demigods reciprocate accordingly
in whatever way people worship them.” Just as cows and buffaloes bestow
their milk upon those who maintain them, similarly, the demigods provide
material wealth, heaven and other such gifts to their worshipers when
pleased with the fire sacrifices (yajña) they offer them.
“Those who do a favor for someone, anticipating a favor in return, do
so only for their own benefit. All their activities are based on selfishness.
In such love there is no real friendship or morality. Although religious
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behavior (dharma) and friendship are praiseworthy, when used to accom

plish some selfish desire they become despicable. Dharma is counted
among the four goals of human life, yet when it is done with the aim of
earning money to fulfill one’s material desires under the cover of so-called
loving exchanges, the friendship is actually full of deceit, and the whole
business becomes contemptible.” This is the intention. This statement is
confirmed by the use of the word ‘hi’ (certainly).
“The mutual exchanges that I have explained cannot be ‘anyathā,’ in any
other way. That is, they cannot be without duplicity or selfishness. In these
exchanges there is definitely no real dharma or real friendship free from
duplicity; they are based on accomplishing one’s personal interests. Whatever
I have said is completely true; there is not a touch of falsity in my explication.
The reason is ‘sakhyah, you are My girlfriends. I am speaking to you with this
mood of friendship. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing untrue in it.’”
The vraja-devīs might object, “You also love us with a mood of
selfishness.” To remove this doubt, Śrī Kṛṣṇa mentions His natural intimacy
with them by addressing them as “He sakhyah, O My most confidential lady
friends.” Everything else follows the commentary of Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda.
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda says, “Due to lack of true friendship in this love,
it affords no happiness.” The purport of this is that although it brings
the visible satisfaction that comes with obtaining wealth, it lacks real
affection. Therefore virtuous people do not regard such happiness as
substantial. Any such so-called happiness is imaginary, and there is no
statement further ahead supporting it. Many commentators such as Cit-
sukha have accepted the word ‘svārthārthaṁ’ in place of svatmanam.4 If
we accept this reading, then the meaning will be: one may see the love that
is mentioned in this verse to be directed to another, but actually it is self-
centered. Everything else is clear.
Understanding the gopīs’ intention, Śrī Kṛṣṇa answers their first
question with this verse beginning with ‘mitha.’ There are some who show
love in the expectation of receiving a favor in return. Such people are selfish,
4 Ed: Our version uses svārthārthaṁ, but Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda’s version
obviously used svatmanam.
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all their endeavors being focused on obtaining immediate and future results
for their own self-interests (svartha). Certainly (hi) such people love only
themselves, and no one else. They do not know any other kind of love, their
conduct being rooted in personal gain. Such selfish persons have no love
or sympathy for others. Looking at the meaning of the next verse, one can
understand that the mutual regard between such people can not be counted
as ‘dharma’ (religious behavior). In some books, the word svātmārtham is
seen, but the meaning remains the same.
Verse 18
bhajanty abhajato ye vai
karuṇāḥ pitarau yathā
dharmo nirapavādo ’tra
sauhṛdaṁ ca su-madhyamāḥ
O slender-waisted maidens, the second type – compassionate
persons and parents – give love and affection even without being
loved in return. Their selfless, unblemished love comes out from
their adherence to religious principles, thus they are true well-
wishers.

Persons who love even those who do not love them are of two types:
the compassionate and the affectionately attached. But the first type is
possessed of a sense of duty (dharma) and the second type [mother and
father] is under the sway of personal desire (kāma). This is explained in this
verse ‘bhajanty abhajato.’
Here the word ‘vai’ has been used to indicate prasiddhi (renown). Persons
who love despite not being loved in return are of two types: compassionate
personalities and parents. The word ca (and) has not been used after ‘pitarau’
(mother and father), yet it should be accepted. Only such love has faultless
(nirapavāda) religiosity and heart-felt friendship. The address ‘su-madhyamā,
O beautiful damsels,’ has been used to imply that the gopīs alone are endowed
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with all good qualities. “Among all qualities, this great characteristic of loving
those who do not love in return brilliantly shines forth in you. Indeed, you
are the immaculate example of this.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s intention in speaking these
words should be understood thus: “The vraja-devīs should love Me in the
same way.” This, in fact, shows the dexterity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s speech. Everything
else is as per Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary.
The previous verse describes those people who are selfish in their
loving dealings; their friendship and religiosity are tainted. The present
verse tells about those persons whose love is selfless and without any
expectations. The examples of this are benevolent persons and parents. By
nature benevolent persons are highly moral and devoted to helping others.
These are the special qualities seen clearly in altruistic people. Parents,
on the other hand, follow household duties in rearing their children; they
adhere to ‘dharma,’ but of an ordinary nature.
In the answer to the second question Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks about those who
love unconditionally. The two examples are compassionate persons and
parents (mother and father). Compassionate persons have no relationship
with the objects of their mercy, while parents are related to their children.
Mericiful personalities are the pure devotees, such as Prahlāda, who bestow
their causeless grace. In these two examples there is no expectation of
anything in return. Even if the other party does not honor them, still they feel
distress in the other’s misery and happy in his pleasure, and they maintain
this loving attitude till the end of their lives. Moreover, the pure devotees
feel the pain and pleasure that a mother and father undergo. Out of these
two, the first example of benevolent personalities is superior [because they
have no blood relationship with the objects of their mercy] and the second
example of the father and mother is inferior. In both the examples, the
dharma (religious duties) is devoid of the desire of results (nirapavāda)
and is therefore eternal. The same is true for sincere friendship, laced with
loving, well-wishing sentiments.
“O su-madhaymās, O slender-waisted girls!” With this address Śrī Kṛṣṇa
wants to convey an idea indirectly: “Your middle (madhayma) question is
most commendable (su). Because I condemn the examples in My answer
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to your first and last questions, it can be understood that those questions
are unworthy. You alone are the basis of the answer to this excellent middle
question. Only you gopīs exemplify this absolute, selfless love.”
Verse 19
bhajato ’pi na vai kecid

bhajanty abhajataḥ kutaḥ
ātmārāmā hy āpta-kāmā
akṛta-jñā guru-druhaḥ
Some persons do not love even those who love them, then
what to speak of those who do not love them. They are of four
types: ātmārāma (rejoicing in one’s self), āptakāma (whose
wishes have been satisfied), akṛta-jñā (ungrateful), and guru-
drohi (inimical to one’s superiors).

In reply to the gopīs’ third question, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks the present verse
‘bhajato ’pi.’ Some persons do not love even those who love them, then
what to speak of those who do not love them. They are divided into four
categories: ātmārāma, āptakāma, akṛta-jñā and guru-drohi. The ātmārāma
personalities only rejoice in the nature of the self, and they are unaware of
externals. The āptakāma persons are fully satisfied within; they are purna-
kāma, all their desires have been fulfilled, thus the sense objects offer them
no attraction. Akṛta-jñā (the ungrateful) are foolish; they do not remember the
favors and love that have been showered on them. The guru-drohis are very
cruel-hearted. “Sa pitā yastu poṣakaḥ – one who nourishes is like a father.”
According to this logic, one who kindly helps another is to be considered his
respectable elder. One who turns against them is known as guru-drohi.
Here ‘vai’ has been used to indicate certainty, meaning, these people
certainly do not love anyone. ‘Hi’ means ‘celebrated.’ Some persons do not
love even those who love them, then what to speak of loving those who
do not love them. Such personalities fall in four categories – ātmārāma,
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āptakāma, akṛta-jñā and guru-drohi. Akṛta-jñā (ungrateful) – such persons

do not love out of ignorance, therefore they are not so much at fault.
However those who, despite knowing, do not show love are held guilty to
a high degree – these are guru-drohi, those who envy their well-wishing
superiors. To criticize a brāhmaṇa who is fit for capital punishment is an
offense, and so is ignoring one’s well-wisher.
Although the word guru-drohi does not apparently have any special
meaning, yet in the secondary sense, it indicates one who does not show
any appreciation to his benefactor. Those who are included in this category
are devoid of dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), sauhṛda
(friendship) and dāya (compassion).
Here the purport is that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is certainly cruel, because He
abandoned the vraja-devīs and disappeared. Therefore the gopīs concluded,
“Even though we love Kṛṣṇa, He does not reciprocate with us. So, He must be
of those who do not return love.” Thinking thus, they counted Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the
last category (guru-drohi), and exchanged knowing glances with each other.
In reply to the gopīs’ third question, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks the verse ‘bhajato
’pi.’ Some do not love even those who love them, so certainly they have no regard
for those who do not love them. They are of four types and each one is inferior
to the previous one. Ātmārāma, who come in the first category, are oblivious to
externals. They are enjoying within and are complete within themselves.
Āptakāmas, the second category, are aware of externals, nevertheless
they are pūrṇa-kāma, self-satisfied. Therefore, despite obtaining all sense
objects, they have no interest to enjoy them. The third category, akṛta-jñā,
ungrateful persons, seek gratification from others, but they forget the favors
people render them.
The fourth category is guru-drohi. They accept favors from others,
but do not admit their indebtedness for such kindnesses, and without any
reason act inimically towards those who have helped them. Those who do
have some reason are minor offenders (alpa-drohi), neverthelss they are
included in this same category of offence as per kaimutya-nyāya5 (the
5 Sometimes an example can be given to explain that if a person accomplishes a

great task, then it is easy for him to do a small job.
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logic of ‘how much more, how much less?’). Denouncing those who maintain
and nourish one is one kind of guru-droha, and those who backstab their
benefactors are also in this category. These three types of guru-drohis –
without reason, with cause, and backstabbing – have no love in their hearts.
The example of maintaining cows and buffaloes for one’s selfish interest
is given in response to the first question. In reply to the second question, two
examples are cited: compassionate personalities and mother and father. The
third question is answered with six examples: (1) ātmārāma (2) āptakāma
(3) akṛta-jñā, and three types of offenders to elders, i.e., (4) without cause
(5) with cause and (6) betrayers. In total, nine examples are given.
Verse 20
nāhaṁ tu sakhyo bhajato ’pi jantūn
bhajāmy amīṣām anuvṛtti-vṛttaye
yathādhano labdha-dhane vinaṣṭe
tac-cintayānyan nibhṛto na veda
My dear sakhīs, I do not immediately reciprocate with
My devotees’ loving feelings for Me in order to intensify their
eagerness to attain Me. Consequently, their condition becomes
like that of an impoverished man who gains some wealth and then
suddenly loses it; thus he becomes fully absorbed in worrying
over his lost money, so much so that he even forgets about his
thirst and hunger.

The vraja-devīs considered Śrī Kṛṣṇa a culprit in the third category and
hinted this to each other through their eyes and funny smiles. Observing this,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “O sakhīs, I am not any one of those. Rather, I am extremely
compassionate and friendly.” The cowherd damsels might ask, “How?”
He responds, “I want to ensure that those who love Me should be able to
meditate on Me without interruption. Therefore I do not openly show love
and affection towards those who love Me. ‘Yathā’ (just as) – For example, a
poor person gets a lot of wealth and then loses it. Then that person remains
continually immersed in worrying over that lost money, and even forgets
about his hunger and thirst.”
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The vraja-devīs concluded that Kṛṣṇa becomes happy by performing
various activities with them and others. Thus He cannot be either ātmārāma
(self-satisfied) or āptakāma (fully content). Moreover, when He bestows the
intense distress of separation, then in His behavior any kind of love, whether
with cause or without, is not seen, as mentioned in the previous verse. His
astute answers reveal His profound intelligence, so it cannot be that He is
unable to understand the favors rendered by others. Thus He cannot be
akṛta-jñā, ungrateful. So the only possibility left is the last category, guru-
drohitā, meaning ‘extreme cruel-heartedness.’ This is the understanding
that Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has expressed in His commentary. Actually, the
vraja-devīs wanted to prove that Sri Kṛṣṇa is akṛta-jñā, but, while answering
their questions, He became implicated in more faults. Seeing this, the gopīs
were very satisfied and started signaling to each other through their eyes
and smiles. They asked this question to prove Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s cruel-heartedness.
“O sakhīs! Some people do not love Me, but still I love them. This love on
My part is the most excellent love, so what can be said if someone really loves
Me?” With this intention, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse starting with ‘nāhaṁ.’
Here, by saying ‘tu,’ He introduces another topic. “I do not fall in any of the
four categories starting with ātmārāmatā. I do not display My love to those
who love Me. I have explained to My great devotee Nārada, ‘O Nārada, I do
not live in Vaikuṇṭha. I do not reside in the hearts of the yogīs or mystics.
Rather, I reside where My devotees lovingly sing My glories (nāhaṁ vasāmi
vaikuṇṭhe – Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa 92.21–22).’
“O sakhīs! This statement confirms that I always stay near My devotees
or those who love Me. However the special thing is that I do not give them
the charity of showing Myself to them, rather, I reside near them in secret. Do
not think that you love Me and I do not reciprocate. I was in close proximity
to you the whole time, but because I was hiding, you couldn’t see Me.”
In the present verse the word na (not) in nāham means that “I do not
love those who love Me.” And it is implied that this includes even the gopīs.
Even before expressing such cruel words, when this thought just arose, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa experienced an intolerable pain in His heart. Extremely tormented by
this pain, He spoke nāham as if He had forgotten even the proper manner
of conversing with the gopīs. Here ‘sakhyaḥ’ means ‘O confidantes, My
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dear friends!’ By this address Śrī Kṛṣṇa wants to indicate to the cowherd
damsels that “I am not ātmārāma, rather I enjoy dallying with you. I display
indifference towards you, but I don’t do this with just you – I act this way
with everyone (jantūn-every living entity). So do not be apprehensive if I
seem to disregard you.”
The gopīs might ask Him, “You have affection for us, but why do You
make it appear that You do not love us?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “In order to ensure
the uninterrupted (anuvṛtti) flow of the meditation of every living entity, I do
not reciprocate openly. I do this in order to intensify My devotees’ love for
Me to the highest degree. When their love reaches the state of maturity, then
only can they meditate on Me continuously.”
The gopīs might reply, “Our meditation is always focused on You, and
all the time we are worrying about You. So why do You act in this way with
us?” Śrī Kṛṣṇa responds, “This is true. Nevertheless I want to ensure that
prema reaches the super-special state of complete maturity. Therefore, I do
not visibly reciprocate.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa gives an example to bring home this point with the word
yathā (just as). For example, if a poor person receives some wealth and
then loses it, he will become absorbed in worrying over that lost wealth,
forgetting everything else. Here the word ‘vinaṣṭa’ expresses the intense
agitation of that poor person. Therefore, as a result of that agitation, the
heart of that poor person is continuously immersed in worrying over his
lost wealth.
In this way, Bhagavān subjugates everyone by His beauty, qualities,
etc. As He is replete with all perfections, He does not need anything, He
only looks for love. Therefore, He is totally detached in all respects and
is equipoised in every circumstance. Nor does He expect the return of
favors. In this regard, He is similar to compassionate personalities like
Prahlāda and well-wishing persons like one’s mother and father, but His
benevolence and well-wishing behavior are vastly greater. The reason
for this is that the love that controls Bhagavān is not easily obtained.
Nevertheless He bestows that love which is the crest jewel of all the goals
of human life. This also shows that Bhagavān relishes an unprecedented
joy tasting the prema-rasa flowing from His dear devotees. The reason for
this is that He is ever eager to increase the waves of love. For this He even
tolerates the pain of separation from His dear ones.
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The gopīs might say, “You are not included in the examples of the
first and second questions, namely, (1) selfish persons and (2) benevolent
personalities and parents. But which category of examples mentioned in
the third question do You fit in?” Expecting this question, Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies,
“O sakhīs! Do you desire to hear Me admit My own defeat? O confidantes,
O crest jewels of those expert in casting sidelong glances and exchanging
mischieveous smiles with each other! Please listen! I am ātmārāma and
pūrṇakāma in My form as Nārāyaṇa, but as the son of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja
I am neither ātmārāma nor pūrṇakāma. Being a cowherd boy, I have
not studied ethical conduct, so I am ignorant (akṛta-jñā). However, I am
omniscient in My form as Nārāyaṇa, and consequently grateful (kṛta-jñā). I
have satisfied you over and over again sharing pleasure-filled pastimes with
you. Only once did I abandon you. Due to this offense, you are accusing Me
of being guru-drohī. But now I have come back and am giving you the bliss
of seeing Me again, so I am not guru-drohī.”
The gopīs might continue their interrogation thus: “Then please tell
us positively, what category do You belong to?” Expecting such a question
from the cowherd maidens, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse ‘nāham tu.’ Tu has
been used here in a different context. Jantūn (with My devotees) – “I do not
show My affection to the devotees who are worshiping Me.”
Gopīs: “So how are You different from the other types?” Kṛṣṇa
answers, “My devotees worship Me by loudly singing My names. To
protect their worship, I do not outwardly acknowledge their (amīṣām)
love. O feeble maidens! You are unable to understand My intention. I am
telling you about My nature. Listen. Those who are seriously engaged
in worshiping Me develop humility when they are unable to have My
audience, despite the intensity in their sādhana. That devotee will think,
‘Alas! Alas! All my endeavors are futile. Therefore I certainly must be an
offender. That is why I am not getting even a drop of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Fie on me, fie on me!’
“In this way, every moment their detachment and humility increases.
Thus there is no chance for lust and anger to develop, and their bhakti for
Me intensifies. This is how I protect the practice of bhajana of those who
have not yet achieved perfection.
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“To those devotees who have achieved perfection and developed

prema, I also do not show My love in order to protect their mode of
sustenance, that is, their attachment to Me. I give them a glimpse of Me
and then disappear. That increases their attachment to Me. In this way
they become like a penniless person who unexpectedly receives some
wealth, and then suddenly loses it. Such a person will become completely
immersed worrying over it, forgetting even his hunger and thirst. Thus
their attachment to Me increases, and this is what I desire. Outwardly, I
do not show My affection, but in secret I give them even more love. In
this way, I am indeed merciful, and you are the example of the middle
question, that is, those who love in spite of not being loved. Some think
that if I give My darśana to My devotees, I am loving them, otherwise not
– this explanation is illogical. The reason is that I have declared: ‘ye yathā
māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham – As all surrender to Me
I reward them accordingly (Gitā 4.11). I cannot behave in any other way.’”
Verse 21
evaṁ mad-arthojjhita-loka-veda
svānāṁ hi vo mayy anuvṛttaye ’balāḥ
mayāparokṣaṁ bhajatā tirohitaṁ
māsūyituṁ mārhatha tat priyaṁ priyāḥ
O tender maidens! There is no doubt that for My sake you

have given up all social etiquette, the path of religion prescribed
in the Vedas, and all your near and dear ones. Wanting to ensure
that your mindset remained fully fixed on Me, I went into hiding,
but was continuously loving you the whole time and listening to
you professing your love for Me. Please do not see any faults in
My love. You are My beloveds and I am your lover.

“You have come to Me without considering proper or improper
social etiquette, or religiosity or irreligiosity as delineated in the Vedas.
Furthermore, you even rejected all relationships with friends and family
members, forgoing your affection for them. To ensure that your love and
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attachment for Me would continue to increase, I hid Myself. Nevertheless I

was attentive towards you the whole time, and was secretly listening to your
love-filled conversations. O delicate ones, My beloveds! Please do not hold
any grudge against Me.”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse ‘evaṁ mad-artha’ to tell the gopīs that He
was indeed very close by them the whole time. ‘Evam’ – in this way; Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.29.5 relates: “One gopī who was milking a cow, dropped
what she was doing and went to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” “Mad-artha – For My sake
you cowherd damsels have given up everything – all religious principles
mentioned in the Vedas, social conduct, and relatives and friends. He abalāḥ,
O feeble women! It is practically impossible for a weak person to give up
all these things. Nevertheless you have done this and come to Me. It is not
proper for you to accuse Me of neglecting you.” He explains the special
reason behind this with the phrase ‘priyaṁ priyā’ – “I am your beloved and
you are My sweethearts.”
“Consider a poor person who suddenly receives wealth from somewhere
and by destiny loses it; he will worry over it so much that he will forget
everything. Similarly, I had hidden Myself in order to increase your loving
passion towards Me. ‘Just look! These clear footprints are certainly those of
the great soul Śrī Nanda-nandana (SB 10.30.25).’ These words you spoke
testify that you could not see Me even though I was nearby.”
The gopīs might ask, “What were you doing hiding from our vision?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “I was relishing your love talks and appreciating your
affection for Me. You might ask Me, ‘What is the reason for showing us such
kindness?’ You maidens have given up your husbands, children, brothers,
friends, social considerations and Vedic dharma for My sake (mad-artha).”
Everything else is according to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary.
In the last line of the verse the word ‘mā’ (do not) has been used
twice (mā asūyitum mā arhatha – do not condemn Me), thereby strongly
emphasizing the point. “I am your lover (priyam) and you left everything
for Me. So it is not proper for you to denounce Me. Indeed, I am your dhīra-
lalita nāyaka, your submissive hero, so you can blame Me for causing you
extreme distress.” The gopīs respond, “How can such accusation be proper?”
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Śrī Kṛṣṇa replies, “O My precious sweethearts! A lover should not behave in

such a manner with his beloveds. Therefore, you are justified in blaming
Me.” This shows Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s cleverness in the skill of humble entreaty.
The gopīs might object: “You say that You don’t give darśana to Your
two types of devotees (jantūn from the previous verse) – those whose
love for You has reached perfection and those whose love for You has not
awakened – in order to increase their propensity for meditation. It is indeed
appropriate for You to reciprocate in this way and there is no fault in this.
However, if You deal with us in the same manner, then are we also to be
counted among those ordinary living entities?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, anticipating such sorrowful words from the gopīs, responded
with remorse, “O cowherd damsels! You are dearer to Me than millions of
My own lives, and are like particles of dust at My lotus feet. Today, I treated
all of you like ordinary persons. You should forgive My bad behavior.”
With this intention, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks the verse ‘evaṁ mad-artha.’
Amara Koṣa dictionary defines ‘evam’ as ‘in this way.’ Kṛṣṇa says, “Without
analyzing what is proper and what is improper, you cowherd damsels
have abandoned all accepted etiquettes, religiosity and irreligiosity as
delineated in the Vedas, as well as the affection for your intimate kinsmen,
friends and wealth, and have come to Me. To increase the intensity of your
love for Me (anuvṛttaye), I disappeared from your sight and was indirectly
favoring you. At the same time I wanted to hear the love-filled words you
spoke in My absence.”
In extreme humility Śrī Kṛṣṇa admitted, “My behavior towards You was
quite wrong. In the past, present or future there cannot be devotees like you.
Your love for Me is so vast that there is no possibility of it ever diminishing,
just like an atom or a supremely situated object cannot undergo any decrease
or increase in size. I acted as I did out of desire to show other premi-bhaktas
the great excellence of your love during separation. You should forgive Me
for My inconsiderate behavior. You are leveling accusations against Me but
this is not appropriate. You are all my beloved sweethearts, and I am your
lover. The lady-love does not recognize any defects in her lover.”
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Verse 22
na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ

sva-sādhu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ
yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ
saṁvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā
O beloved gopīs! Your loving relationship with Me is

completely pure, free from any trace of desire for personal
gratification. To serve Me you have severed the arduous shackles
of household life and have transgressed established customs of
society. I will be unable to repay one drop of your love, sacrifice
and service, even if I live as long as the demigods. Only due to
your noble nature you can absolve this debt; even then I will be
eternally beholden to your prema.

“O cowherd damsels! Let us end this discussion. Now hear the genuine,
final truth.” With this intention, Śrī Kṛṣṇa speaks the verse ‘na pāraye ’haṁ.’
“Your contact with Me is completely spotless. Even if I receive a long
lifespan like the demigods, I will not be able to repay you for your exemplary
behavior. You have served Me by completely cutting asunder the shackles
of household life, which are impossible to break. I, on the other hand, will
never be able to reciprocate with you because I love many devotees. My
mind is not one-pointed like yours. Therefore, may your own meritorious
activities be your reward. No endeavor on My part can free Me from this
debt, only you can do this through your amiable disposition.”
The word ‘vaḥ’ (unto You), the possessive case (6th vibhakti), indicates
relationship. “I am unable to compensate your meritorious service. You
have performed an unparalled activity; such behavior is totally beyond My
capacity.”
What is that extraordinary activity? “Your connection (saṁyujah) with
Me is completely pure and unblemished (niravadya). Although My meeting
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with You appears like mundane lust, factually it is saturated with unalloyed,
pure love. Your attachment to Me is one-pointed, your hearts being focused
exclusively on Me, as your husbands have never even touched you.”
“Yāh – you young brides from respectable families have taken shelter
of Me only after obliterating the severe shackles of domestic life. Doing
so completely destroys the comforts of family life and the promises for
happiness in the next life. You have surrendered fully unto Me with supreme
affection, but My love is harnessed in many other places. I am not one-
pointed so I am unable to return the same type of love to you.”
The word ‘yā’ (you) has been used without connecting to the word ‘vaḥ’
(to you) that is mentioned in the end of this verse. Moreover, later on, that
‘vaḥ’ is joined (having as an essential or inherent part). Therefore, the word
‘vaḥ’ has been used in the first person. Everything else is as per Śrīdhara
‘Vibhudhāyuṣāpi’ (a life as long as the demigods) can be further
interpolated as a lifespan even longer than that: “Even great mathematicians
cannot calculate this span of time (vibudha). Even if I receive an infinitely
long lifespan which is beyond count, I will still be unable to offer a suitable
restitution for your virtuous activities.”
The phrase ‘geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ’ (the chains of household life) indicates
plural number. However in some books it is read as geha-śṛṅkhalām, which
is singular in number. In either case, the meaning remains the same.
The word ‘durjara’ means ‘which is very difficult to cut.’ “You have broken
the shackles (śṛṅkhalā) imposed by daily household chores, such as caring
for the cows. Furthermore, you have served Me by abandoning the obdurate
bondage of family affection. However I could not do the same for you.”
In the phrase ‘durjara geha-śrṅkhala,’ the word ‘durjara’ (difficult to
sever) is the adjective and ‘śrṅkhala’ (shackles) is the metaphor. The purport
of this is that by one’s own strength no one can ever sever the shackles of
domestic life, which are very difficult to break. Moreover, in ‘saṁvṛścya’
(to cut), the word ‘saṁ,’ or ‘samyak,’ indicates that it is possible to give up
this attachment somewhat in the heart, but it is very difficult to execute this
externally. “However, You cowherd damsels have shown your love for Me
by nicely sundering the unbreakable knots of household life. I, on the other
hand, have not surrendered unto you without expectation as you have done
for Me, thus I do not have the ability to reciprocate your love.”
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The commentator offers a humble confession: “I surrender unto Śrīdhara

Svāmīpāda. Being pleased with me, he keeps me under his shelter and
nourishes me by bestowing upon me the entirety of the unlimited wealth
of transcendental mellows.”

“O My dear beloveds! Listen to the thoughts running through My
mind. Our meetings together are unblemished, devoid of any mundane lust
or fruitive desire, beyond social etiquette and scriptural injunction. Your
saintly nature is inherent; it has not originated by contact with some other
sanctified object. Even if I receive a long lifespan like the demigods, I shall
not be able to repay My debt to you in full.” With this intention Śrī Kṛṣṇa
speaks this verse starting with ‘na pāraye ‘haṁ.’
Here the word ‘kṛtyam’ has been used in the singular to indicate: “I am
unable to repay you for even one single favor that you have rendered Me.
You have shattered arduous familial ties, that is, the love and affection of
husbands, in-laws, fathers, brothers, etc. And after breaking these bonds,
you do not revive your connections with these persons, unlike immature
mystics who continue to harbor attachment to family. However, on My side,
I adore you and at the same time maintain loving relationships with all
others, including My mother, father, brother, friends and relatives. So with
you gopīs I am not able to keep My vow – to reciprocate with devotees in the
same mood in which they surrender unto Me (ye yathā māṁ prapadyante/
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham – Gītā 4.11). It is impossible for Me to repay
you in any manner. Your good character itself is your reward. It is only out
of your magnanimous nature that I can be absolved of this debt, but in
reality, I shall always remain obliged to you.” This is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mood.
Hearing all this talk, the gopīs thought, “Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is
full with all transcendental qualities, devoid of even the slightest defect. He
is the authority in loving dealings, yet He is proclaiming the superiority
of our love and minimizing His own. He is forfeiting His own superior
position in order to serve us and remain eternally our in debt. Therefore
we are unfortunate because we wanted victory over Him, but He is eager
to establish His own defeat before us. Indeed, He is intent on broadcasting
the excellence of our love. We cannot be like Him. As a result, Kṛṣṇa’s love
has surmounted us.”
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Thus ends the Sārārtha Darśinī commentary of the Thirty-second

Chapter of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is approved by
saintly persons. It gives bliss to the hearts of the devotees.

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7 C h a pter 57
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Performs the
Grand Rāsa Dance with the Gopīs
Verse 1
śrī-śuka uvāca
itthaṁ bhagavato gopyaḥ
śrutvā vācaḥ su-peśalāḥ
jahur viraha-jaṁ tāpaṁ
tad-aṅgopacitāśiṣaḥ
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “O King, hearing Bhagavān Śrī

Kṛṣṇa’s sweet words relieved the gopīs of the last remnants of
their distress of separation. All their desires were fulfilled when
they received the touch of the limbs of their dearmost beloved,
the abode of utmost beauty and sweetness.
Bhāvānuvādas

Afterwards, Śrī Hari enjoyed playing in the water and roaming in the
forest with all His beloved gopīs. This is described in the 33rd Chapter.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “O King, the vraja-devīs felt fulfilled in every
respect when they touched Bhagavān’s transcendental limbs.”
The supremely enchanting rāsa-līlā shines forth with great splendor in
this world. This pastime brilliantly proclaims the greatness of the cowherd
damsels in comparison to Śrī Lakṣmī-devī.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s irresistible, loved-filled words relieved the cowherd damsels
of the heat of separation they had been suffering in the past and might suffer
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in the near future. The words “I am eternally indebted to you” cleared the pain
of separation of the past; and Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s statement, “I never leave you. I am
always with you, even at the time of separation,” completely eradicated the
apprehension that, due to some stroke of fate, there might again be separation
in the future. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.9 has already mentioned this: “At
that time, the fear that Kṛṣṇa might leave them again was deeply seated within
their hearts. But now the gopīs’ anguish of separation was fully dissipated.”
‘Tad-aṅgopacitāśiṣaḥ’ – if we accept the additive ‘gopya,’ the meaning is that
all the gopīs’ desires were fulfilled by touching Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental
hands and embracing His limbs. If we use the additive ‘bhagavata,’ the
meaning will be that Śrī Kṛṣṇa fulfilled all His desires by embracing the gopīs
and holding their hands. ‘Su-peśalā’ (most charming) – the gopīs’ distress
was relieved by hearing their lover’s sweet words.
This 33 Chapter describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance, His walks through
rd
the forest, and His water sports, as well as Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s answer to
Mahārāja Parikṣit’s question.
When the gopīs heard Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s most charming, love-filled words and
they received the touch of His limbs (tad-aṅgopacitāśiṣaḥ), their amorous
desires were fulfilled. In this way, the anguish they had been suffering in
separation was dissipated. If the additive ‘bhagavataḥ’ is used, the meaning
is that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa also derived great pleasure from touching the
limbs of the vraja-devīs, who are full of mahābhāva. Consequently He
broadcast the indisputable superiority of their prema to all. The māna of the
gopīs described in the end of the previous chapter was pacified at the close
of the exchange of questions and answers between Kṛṣṇa and the cowherd
maidens. After that, they commenced their amorous play by kissing and
embracing each other.
Verse 2
tatrārabhata govindo
rāsa-krīḍām anuvrataiḥ
strī-ratnair anvitaḥ prītair
anyonyābaddha-bāhubhiḥ
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Those jewels of women, the gopīs whose hearts were fully

focused on their beloved, linked their arms together and
encircled Govinda, who joyfully inaugurated the playful rāsa
dance on the enchanting bank of the Yamunā.

‘Rāsa-krīḍā’ is the special dance performed by several female dancers.
The beautiful Vraja maidens linked their arms together and started the
playful rāsa dance with Govinda.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Vraja damsels at last reached an agreement. Kṛṣṇa had
wanted to sing and dance with His treasured beloveds from the very start,
and now He commenced the great rāsa-līlā festival. Govinda – the eternal
ruler of Gokula who possesses unlimited opulence, beauty and sweetness –
manifested His position as the supreme jewel among men. The phrase ‘strī-
ratna’ expresses the super-excellence of the vraja-devīs compared to all
other ladies, and the word ‘ratna’ (jewel) establishes their superior position
among their kinsmen and all other groups. The supreme male with the most
excellent women were the perfect ingredients needed to start the rāsa-līlā.
Overwhelmed in their love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs were fully and completely
under His control (anuvrata), so they joined their arms together and started
the rāsa dance. The deep meaning of ‘ābaddha’ (linked together) is that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa remained locked in their circle and could not escape. The word ‘bāhu’
means the arms of the gopīs; Kṛṣṇa’s arms were draped around the necks
of the gopīs, and the gopīs’ arms were linked together. Rāsa-līlā necessarily
involves dancing in a circle, because its specific character is that the male
dancer holds the necks of the female dancers, who link arms with one
another and arrange themselves in a circle.
Rāsa is created by the combination of the pleasurable activities of
dancing, singing, kissing, embracing, etc. All these ingredients are present
in abundance in the play-filled rāsa-līlā. ‘Anuvratāḥ’ – the gopīs were
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favorably disposed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being overwhelmed in their love for Him.
They joined their arms together, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa started the circular dance
with those jewels of women.
Verse 3
rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto
gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ
yogeśvareṇa kṛṣṇena
tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ
praviṣṭena gṛhītānāṁ
kaṇṭhe sva-nikaṭaṁ striyaḥ
yaṁ manyeran nabhas tāvad
vimāna-śata-saṅkulam
divaukasāṁ sa-dārāṇām
autsukyāpahṛtātmanām
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s divine rāsa-līlā festival commenced, with

thousands and thousands of gopīs forming a circle around
Him. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the master of mystic yogīs, expanded
Himself and stood between every two gopīs and embraced their
necks with His arms. Each maiden felt that her beloved was
standing next to her alone. The demigods were overcome with
excitement to witness this festival, and hurried there with their
wives in their celestial airplanes, which soon filled up the sky.

The rāsa festival started nicely with Yogeśvara Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs
dancing and expressing their sentiments through gestures. This is the
subject matter of this verse comprised of five lines and four extra words.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared between every two gopīs and embraced each and every
one of them around the neck. Each gopī thought, “Kṛṣṇa is next to me and
embracing me only.” One might wonder how one Kṛṣṇa could be next to
each gopī and how each gopī thought that He was with her and no one else.
The answer is that nothing is impossible for Him because He is the master
of all mystics, and is endowed with inconceivable potencies.
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When Śrī Kṛṣṇa began the rāsa dance, the demigods came there in great
eagerness with their wives, and their hundreds and hundreds of celestial
airplanes covered the sky.
Rāsa is an assemblage of supreme rasa (divine mellows); this is the
accepted meaning. The rāsa festival is the occasion of special activities
filled with happy emotions. Such activities include dancing in a circle. The
life and soul of rāsa brings together and spreads mellows in group dancing,
and this creates the pleasure of a multitude of passions (rasa-kadamba-
maya). Just dancing in a circle with various movements cannot be termed
as rāsa. The word ‘kṛṣṇena’ means that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the center point in this
supremely delightful festival because He is the condensed form of all kinds
of blissful mellows. “Sampravṛtto gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ – the gopīs all
came together in a circle, bestowing beauty to this unprecedented rāsa
pastime.” This combination was the perfect arrangement for rāsa to begin.
Śrī Parāśara Muni has given a special description of the manner of
dancing. “The rāsa-maṇḍala has been created with all the gopīs together
in one place, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa at the side of each and every gopī. Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is holding every gopī’s hand, and their eyes are half-closed in
the ecstasy of His touch. The rāsa dance started with the tinkling of their
moving bangles and the singing of autumn ragas resounding throughout
the whole area.”
In the present verse, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “tāsāṁ madhye
dvayor dvayoḥ – Kṛṣṇa was standing between every two gopīs.” If he
had said ‘dvayor’ only once, it would have meant that Kṛṣṇa was standing
between two gopīs, but he repeated the word ‘dvayor,’ indicating that He
was standing between each pair of gopīs. Later on, Verse 6 states: “madhye
maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ mahā-marakato yathā – He was like a dazzling
sapphire amidst gold beads.” ‘Madhya’ means ‘amidst:’ Kṛṣṇa was situated
between every two gopīs, embracing their necks with both His arms. The
gopīs were on the two sides of Kṛṣṇa, and He was also on both sides of them.
Śrī Bilvamaṅgala confirms this: “aṅganām aṅganām antarā mādhavo,
mādhavaṁ mādhavaṁ cāntareṇāṅganāḥ/ittham ākalpite maṇḍale
madhya-gaḥ, sañjagau veṇunā devakī-nandanaḥ – the formation of the
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rāsa-maṇḍala was such that there was one Kṛṣṇa between every two gopīs,
and one gopī between every two Kṛṣṇas. He was also in the center of the
circle playing His flute.”
Krama-dīpikā, a handbook on the process of worship, prescribes the
worship of a couple, not three persons, and states: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa was situated
between each pair of doe-eyed gopīs.” ‘Striyaḥ’ (ladies) – a noble person
reciprocates equally with all his impassioned lady-loves, otherwise pleasure
will be lost due to the fault of partiality. ‘Sva-nikaṭaṁ . . . manyeran’ – each
gopī was thinking, “Kṛṣṇa is next to me and embracing only me.” Each gopī
was directly able to see Him next to her.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa inaugurated the play-filled rāsa-līlā to share happiness with
the gopīs. Therefore, to ensure that each one would relish the full splendor
of this rāsa festival, He placed Himself next to every gopī because all of
them were equally deserving to taste this joy. Each cowherd maiden was
thinking (manyeran), “Kṛṣṇa is present in many places at once due to His
unparalleled skill in dancing, but I have embraced Him directly.” Otherwise,
Śrī Śukadeva would have said paśyan – each one saw (paśyan) Śrī Kṛṣṇa
next to her. The cowherd maidens were overwhelmed with delight, thinking,
“Kṛṣṇa is next to me.” Due only to their bliss as they relished this unique
pleasure, they were so bewildered that they could not understand that He
was present on both sides of them. How astonishing it is that Kṛṣṇa, although
one, still entered in between each pair of gopīs. He could do this because, as
Yogeśvara, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Lord and Master of Yogamāya, His very special
and inconceivable, inherent potency that enables Him to manifest in all
these forms by His own desire, without any external inspiration.
The demigods ordinarily roam around in the sky, but when they
suddenly saw the rāsa-līlā begin, they gathered together to witness this
spectacle, and their celestial airplanes filled up the whole sky (nabhaḥ).
The question might arise: the sky was covered with their aircrafts, so was
the moon was also covered, making the area dark? The answer is that the
moon still illuminated the whole area because the demigods’ aircrafts were
above the moon, and not in front of it. It is said that Brahmā, Rudra and
other demigods came with great eagerness to witness this rāsa festival. This
means that this kind of festival is not celebrated in Svarga or on any other
planet. The demigods were avid to watch Bhagavān dancing. However, since
they are in dāsya-rasa (servitorship), they were not qualified to witness the
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full rāsa-līlā and could not see the more confidential, amorous activities.
Therefore, Yogamāya covered their sight so that they could only see Him
dancing. She did not allow them to witness the more intimate exchanges.
Śrī Krsna’s rāsa festival with the gopīs gives nectarean pleasure to the
eyes and hearts of the devotees, who are like cataka birds. This is described
here in a long verse comprised of 2 ½ verses short of six words. Śrī Krsna
entered between each and every pair of gopīs as they stood in a circle, and
initiated the festive dance with full vigor. We should not think, however, that
He was the active agent who inaugurated the rāsa; rather, rāsa-līlā itself
was the officiating agent, having been invested with independent power by
Śrī Krsna to set this pastime in motion. The rāsa pastime herself performed
the whole management, and Śrī Krsna became one instrument in this
festival. He Himself, along with all His energies and all His other pastimes
are subservient to this all-powerful līlā, whose supreme glories have been
broadcast throughout the universe. For this reason, Lakṣmī was very eager
to join this festival, but she was not successful.
How could Śrī Krsna enter between every pair of gopīs, and embrace
them with His arms? This is reconciled in Verse 6 of this chapter: “madhye
maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ mahā-marakato yathā – He was like a dazzling
sapphire in the midst of gold beads.” ‘Madhye’ means ‘middle’ and
‘marakata’ (sapphire) is singular. Furthermore, the present verse states:
“tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ – He entered (praviṣṭena) between each
pair of gopis;” it does not say that He was present between each pair. Thus
it is understood that Śrī Krsna was present in the center, like the whorl of
a lotus. He danced with such speed that He could instantaneously enter
between every two gopīs, and then return to His place in the center. He
was moving around in the circle, embracing three hundred million gopīs,
and yet at the same time He was present in the center. This clearly denotes
that He was moving with speed even faster than a firebrand. All the gopīs
witnessed Him simultaneously in the center of the whorl and with each gopī
in the surrounding circles. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura describes this: “aṅganām
aṅganām antarā mādhavo, mādhavaṁ mādhavaṁ cāntareṇāṅganāḥ/
ittham ākalpite maṇḍale madhya-gaḥ, sañjagau veṇunā devakī-nandanaḥ –
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in the rāsa-maṇḍala there was one Mādhava between every two gopīs, and
one gopī between every two Mādhavas. And Devakī-nandana was also in the
center of the circle playing His flute.”
Śrī Krsna could accomplish such an astonishing feat because He is
‘Yogeśvara.’ He is expert in all the arts and in this pastime He has displayed
His supreme dexterity. Alternatively, He is Yogeśvara, the supreme master of
the great power Yogamāyā, who can accomplish the impossible. Śrī Kṛṣṇa
understood that all the gopīs cherished the desire for Him to embrace them,
and He was also eager to embrace them. Therefore, Yogamāyā presented a
solution by manifesting one Kṛṣṇa for every gopī. ‘Tāsāṁ madhye dvayor
dvayoḥ praviṣṭena:’ there are two ways to interpret this phrase. (1) Two
separate Kṛṣṇas were on each side of every gopī, touching her with Their
arms. But there is no impropriety here as Yogamāyā arranged that each gopī
was feeling the presence of only one Kṛṣṇa. (2) Kṛṣṇa entered between every
two gopīs. This is not difficult to reconcile. Each Vraja maiden was feeling
that Kṛṣṇa was right next to her, and thought, “Kṛṣṇa is very close to me and
is embracing only me.” It may be so; it is because of Kṛṣṇa’s phenomenal
dancing skill that He was seen next to each gopī, and yet, at the same time He
was also in the middle of the rāsa dance. There, as Devakī-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
He was embracing Vṛndāvaneśvarī Śrī Rādhā, who, as confirmed in the Rādha
Śata-nāma Stotra, is the supermost gopī and the sole reason for the rāsa-līlā.
Brahmā and the other demigods were eager to watch Kṛṣṇa’s dance
performance, and they came with their wives in their airplanes, which soon
filled up the sky. However, as the demigods are in the mood of servitorship,
they were not qualified to witness His confidential activities with the gopīs,
so Yogamāyā covered the gopīs from their sight. Their wives, on the other
hand, were qualified, so they could see both the dancing and Kṛṣṇa’s intimate
activities with the gopīs.
Verse 4
tato dundubhayo nedur

nipetuḥ puṣpa-vṛṣṭayaḥ
jagur gandharva-patayaḥ
sa-strīkās tad-yaśo ’malam
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The divine kettledrums from the heavenly planets started

resounding and flowers rained down as the Gandharvas and
their wives sang Śrī Krsna’s splendid glories.
Thereafter, the demigods started singing about Śrī Krsna’s immaculate
grandeur.
Thereafter, the demigods sang about Śrī Krsna’s sterling magnificence
and kettledrums resounded. These kettledrums are divine, and at the onset of
any auspicious festival, they start reverberating automatically on their own,
without anyone playing them. Wherever the kettledrums and other musical
instruments are mentioned later on, one should understand that they are
playing themselves. It is mentioned in the beginning that the kettledrums
started resonating, indicating the auspiciousness of the rāsa festival; they
also acted as the agent to collect the gopīs together in their own groups.
‘Nipetuḥ’ (fell down) – ‘ni’ means ‘in abundance,’ in other words, an
abundance of flowers fell down and covered the dancing arena with flowers.
The chief Gandharvas had one-pointed faith in Śrī Krsna, and they started
singing His spotless glories along with their wives and different Apsarās.
‘Amala’ (spotless) – the power of this song removed the dirt in the hearts of
the living entities. Therefore it is said that at that time any unseemly desires
of the chief Gandharvas and others were eliminated.
Verse 5
valayānāṁ nūpurāṇāṁ
kiṅkiṇīnāṁ ca yoṣitām
sa-priyāṇām abhūc chabdas
tumulo rāsa-maṇḍale
As all the gopīs started dancing with their beloved

Śyāmasundara in the rāsa-maṇḍala, the ringing of their
armlets, ankle-bells and waist-bells mixed together, creating a
sweet sound that spread in all directions.
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As the gopīs danced exultantly with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa-maṇḍala,
their armlets and other ornaments rang out, creating a tumultuous sound.
After giving an account of the festival of the demigods showering
flowers, Śrī Śukadeva now describes the musical sounds connected to the
rāsa in this verse starting with ‘valayānāṁ.’ The vraja-devīs’ bangles, ankle-
bells and waist-bells created a loud sound. ‘Kiṅkiṇī’ means an ornamental
waist-belt decked with tiny bells. The gopīs decorated themselves, as women
are wont to do, with bangles and other ornaments. The phrase ‘sa-priyāṇām’
(with their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa) shows that Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself in as
many forms as there were gopīs, and His armlets and other ornaments made
the same loud sound. ‘Rāsa-maṇḍale’ refers to the circular arrangement of
various groups for the dance.
‘Sa-priyāṇām’ – the Vraja maidens along with their lover Kṛṣṇa. The
sound of the gopīs’ ornaments mixed with the sound of mṛdaṅgas (drums)
and the flute also (ca), but these were not the prominent instruments, and
did not dominate over the ringing of the bangles, anklets, etc.
Verse 6
tatrātiśuśubhe tābhir
bhagavān devakī-sutaḥ
madhye maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ
mahā-marakato yathā
In that rāsa dance Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa was shining in

the midst of the vraja-sundarīs like a dazzling blue sapphire
surrounded by gold beads.
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‘Mahā-marakata’ –Śrī Kṛṣṇa was shining in the middle of the golden-
complexioned gopīs just as a dazzling blue sapphire stands out in the midst
of golden beads. Each gopī thought that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was next to her, and
embracing only her. To convey this sense, the word ‘madhye’ (in the middle)
has been used in the singular.
“That person whom you (Parīkṣit) celebrate as Devakī-suta is endowed
with all opulences and charms, but He became more resplendent in the
assembly of the fair Vraja maidens.” The wife of Nanda has two names:
Yaśodā and Devakī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā, is extremely charming, but
He becomes more attractive in the midst of the vraja-sundarīs, just as a blue
sapphire’s beauty shines in a string of gold beads. This example is given
to describe His beauty. The word ‘madhye’ is in singular, signifying that
Kṛṣṇa was present next to each gopī. Actually, Śrī Bhagavān manifested in
many forms and at the same time was also standing in the center of the rāsa
circle. There He increased the beauty of the whole rāsa dance by playing on
the flute and roaming around with Śrī Rādhā. Krama-dīpikā confirms this:
“The Vraja maidens arranged themselves in a circle by holding each other’s
hands. Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present in the center and He expanded His divine self
in many forms. These manifestations entered between every two gopīs and
embraced them around their necks with His arms.” He was present in the
center of many jewels – this is emphasized and repeated in these words:
“The resplendent pillar made of jewels was shining in the center of the whorl
of a large red lotus.” Also, “His chest became reddish from the embrace of
young maidens whose breasts were smeared with kuṅkuma.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
standing in the middle of the rāsa-maṇḍala, playing on His flute.
‘Maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ’ means ‘made of molten gold,’ and ‘mahā-
marakata’ is a dazzling blue sapphire. The gopīs standing in a circle are
compared to a necklace of golden beads. Just as a necklace of golden beads
greatly enhances the loveliness of the blue sapphire in its center, similarly,
the embrace of His golden-complexioned beloveds greatly augmented His
blue-sapphire beauty. The word ‘mahā-marakata’ is in the singular form
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but this is not meant for just the one Kṛṣṇa in the center, because in Verse
7, the use of the phrase ‘megha-cakra’ (cloud bank) indicates that blue-
sapphire Kṛṣṇa was present in many forms. Śrīdhara Svāmī has written this
in his commentary.
Some say that Śrī Kṛṣṇa has a natural blue complexion like a sapphire,
but He enhanced His beauty marvelously by dancing dexterously with
great speed, spinning around and embracing the necks of the golden-
complexioned cowherd maidens. When Kṛṣṇa’s blue complexion touches
the golden-complexioned vraja-sundarīs, He adopts the color of an emerald
with a bluish tinge. It was His skillful dancing, and not the special power of
His being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that caused His fascinating
beauty to shine forth in this way.
The son of Devakī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, belongs to the race of kṣatriyas (warriors),
and He is Bhāgavan, possessing all six opulences in full, but in the midst
of the cowherd maidens He becomes especially resplendent. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
blue-sapphire-like complexion scintillates like an emerald when it comes
in contact with the golden-complexioned gopīs. The word ‘mahā’ has been
used to signify the excellence of the combination of the two complexions.
Kṛṣṇa, who is like a blue sapphire, took on a greenish hue in the middle
of the assembly of the golden-colored gopīs, and radiated like a precious
emerald. His beauty exceeded par excellence in the embrace of the gopīs,
and they also became exceptionally lovely. Some books use the phrase
‘mahā-marakata’ (great emerald).
Verse 7
pāda-nyāsair bhuja-vidhutibhiḥ sa-smitair bhrū-vilāsair

bhajyan madhyaiś cala-kuca-paṭaiḥ kuṇḍalair gaṇḍa-lolaiḥ
svidyan-mukhyaḥ kavara-rasanāgranthayaḥ kṛṣṇa-vadhvo
gāyantyas taṁ taḍita iva tā megha-cakre virejuḥ
The gopīs sang Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nectarean pastimes very sweetly and danced
with expert foot work that matched with their artistic and elegant hand
gestures. They smiled playfully and arched their eyebrows. Their waists bent
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dramatically, the veils coving their breasts fluttered, their earrings swung
on their cheeks, their faces perspired, and their braids and waist belts came
loose. As the boundlessly beautiful Vraja maidens danced with their lover,
they shone like golden streaks of lightning flashing in a bank of blue clouds.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa looked most handsome amongst the gopīs, who likewise
became exceedingly attractive being with their lover. This present verse
‘pāda-nyāsaiḥ’ describes their movements and gestures – dancing feet,
gesturing hands, bending waists, restless veils covering their breasts,
earrings swinging on their cheeks, and lotus faces perspiring. They had
tied up their hair and waistbands tightly, but these started to come loose.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s many forms appeared like a cloud that moved at great speed
in a circle. The gopīs shone like lightning, the perspiration on their faces
looked like rain drops, and their singing sounded like thunder. The rest will
be understood by the devotees at the level of bhāva.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa was looking extraordinarily beautiful with the gopīs, and they
also looked most wonderful with Him. This verse gives a detailed description
of their fascinating movements as they danced in various ways. Sometimes
they went forward and sometimes backwards, and sometimes they gestured
elegantly with their hands. One might ask how they could make these
movements while they were holding each other’s hands. The answer is
that sometimes they let go of each other’s hands. Their dancing eyebrows
and the gentle smiles on their faces expressed their various sentiments as
they danced with extreme expertise, their delicate waists swaying naturally
from side to side. Sometimes, when they spun very quickly like a potter’s
wheel, it appeared that their slender waists might break. Previously, they
had offered their veils to Śrī Kṛṣṇa for His seat, so when He got up, they
picked up their veils (kuca-paṭa) and covered themselves again. Śrīdhara
Svāmī has explained the rest. He has divided ‘rasanāgranthayaḥ’ into the
two words ‘rasana-agranthayaḥ,’ which means ‘loosening of the knots,’ but
the correct word is actually granthayaḥ.
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‘Kṛṣṇa-vadhvo gāyantyaḥ’ – Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds sang His glories, and,

gathering together in their own groups, they shone brilliantly as they circled
around Him. One might ask how they looked. They looked like lightning in a
mass of clouds. The example of lightning in the clouds expresses a natural
relationship between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the vraja-devīs. One might raise the
objection that Verse 6 does not mention the relationship between Śrī Kṛṣṇa
and the gopīs, when it states: ‘madhye maṇīnāṁ,’ their meeting created a
very special splendor. That would appear to mean that their relationship
is occasional, not of a married couple. But in the present verse, rapt in the
excitement of wonderful pleasure, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that the gopīs are
‘kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ,’ the brides of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and their relationship is eternal.
The example of lightning in the clouds confirms this. Although Kṛṣṇa and
the Vraja maidens are not married, the gopīs are to be seen as His eternal
consorts due to the superiority of their vast love.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the blue sapphire, became even more handsome in the
assembly of the golden-colored gopīs. Now this verse relates how Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
presence enhanced the gopīs’ beauty. ‘Pāda-nyāsaiḥ’ describes the gopīs’
expert foot movements as they danced artistically. Sometimes they moved
forward, sometimes backwards, and sometimes they spun like a potter’s
wheel, with hand gestures that matched the melody and rhythm of the song.
They were singing extraordinary songs accompanied by various ingenious
movements of the hands, feet and facial expressions.
‘Bhuja-vidhutibhiḥ’ – they held each other’s hands, but sometimes
they let go and quickly pantomimed with their hands, acting out the topics
of the songs. Their gentle smiles and various suggestive expressions of
the eyebrows (bhrū-vilāsair) further evinced their own particular moods
that inspired their expert dancing and singing. ‘Bhajyan madhyaiś’ –
the gopīs spiraled very swiftly in the dance and their slender waists bent
till it seemed that they would break. ‘Cala-kuca-paṭaiḥ’ – the gopīs had
previously spread their veils on the ground for Śrī Kṛṣṇa to sit on. They
picked those up and covered themselves at the commencement of the
dance. Now, the gopīs were dancing so quickly that those veils were
flying away.
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Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has referred the gopīs as ‘kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ,’

meaing ‘brides of Śrī Kṛṣṇa,’ or ‘to be enjoyed by Him.’ In the synonym
section of Amara-koṣa, ‘vadhu’ (bride) has three meanings: wife, daughter-
in-law, and woman in general. To take the meaning as wife contradicts
the statement of Śrī Bhīṣmadeva in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.40: “Let
me surrender to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who enjoyed with the wives of the gopas.” Śrī
Bhīṣmadeva has addressed the gopīs as the wives of the gopas, not as
Kṛṣṇa’s wives. Srī Sanātana Gosvāmī has also elucidated kṛṣṇa-vadhvaḥ as
fair-limbed gopīs embraced by Śyāmasundara, to be enjoyed and sheltered
by Him only. This is the real import of Vaiṣṇava-toṣanī.
Verse 8
uccair jagur nṛtyamānā

rakta-kaṇṭhyo rati-priyāḥ
kṛṣṇābhimarśa-muditā
yad-gītenedam āvṛtam
The gopīs, excited to dally with their beloved, were singing

sweet songs loudly with their beautiful voices and were dancing.
As they drowned in bliss from getting the touch of Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, their singing reverberated throughout the entire
universe.

‘Nṛtyamānā’ – while dancing. ‘Rakta-kaṇṭhyo’ – the gopīs sang
melodiously, and became jubilant from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s touch. ‘Idam’ – the whole
universe.
After portraying the dancing of the vraja-devīs in the previous verse,
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, exhilarated by their bliss, next described the prominence
of their singing in this verse beginning with ‘uccaiḥ.’ Due to close contact
with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs became extraordinarily elated and started singing
in a loud voice. ‘Nṛtyamānā’ – dancing and singing at the same time, they
demonstrated their expertise in both. Through their singing and dancing
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they expressed their fondness for amorous enjoyment (rati-priyāḥ). That is,
the way Śrī Kṛṣṇa showed His love was very dear to them, and the way they
expressed their love through their singing and dancing was very appealing
to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and made Him extremely happy. Do not think that the gopīs’
loud singing and dancing made them tired. With this intention it is said
that they became joyful from Kṛṣṇa’s touch so they did not experience any
fatigue from singing and dancing.
‘Yad-gītena’ expresses another effect resulting from the loud singing –
their singing pervades the whole universe, and is the source of all musical
scales (rāga-rāginī). Saṅgīta-śāstra, an authoritative treatise on music,
states that sixteen thousand melodies come from the singing of the vraja-
devīs. “There are as many melodies as there are types of living entities
existing in this world. Out of them, the sixteen thousand that have come
from the gopīs are the best.” Śrī Śrīdhara Svāmī has explained that Śrī Kṛṣṇa
gave supreme respect to the gopīs for the way they manifested the art of
dancing. ‘Rakta-kaṇṭhī’ (throats colored with prema) – who sing different
melodies in a sweet voice due to prema; this phrase indicates the untold
sweetness of the gopīs’ voices. The reason the gopīs sang loudly is that
they were aroused by amorous desire (rati-priyāḥ) and were overjoyed
to get Kṛṣṇa’s touch. The gopīs sang much more loudly than Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Parāśara has also written about this: “In this rāsa-sthalī Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
singing as loud as possible. The gopīs praised Him saying, ‘Sādhu Kṛṣṇa,
sādhu Kṛṣṇa!’ and they sang twice as loud.” Three adjectives modifying
rakta-kaṇṭhya describe their singing: filled with love, elegant and sweet.
In this way, as Verse 6 tells us, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, surrounded by the vraja-
devīs in the rāsa-maṇḍala, looked absolutely sensational.” Similarly, this
verse describes how beautiful the gopīs looked as well as how exceptional
their singing was. The rest of the explanation is clear.
Dancing is prominent in the playful rāsa pastimes. After describing this
dance, Śrī Śukadeva speaks about the prominence of singing. ‘Nṛtyamānā’ –
dancing accompanied by loud singing. Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave the gopīs so much
respect on account of their dancing that they horripilated in joy; thus their
voices were colored with different rāga-rāginīs. Saṅgīta-sāra also affirms:
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“There are as many melodies (rāgas) as there are living beings in this world.
Out of all these, the sixteen thousand that the gopīs sang are the very best.”
‘Rati-priyāḥ’ – the way Śrī Kṛṣṇa showed His affection previously was very
appealing to the gopīs. Those gopīs became so overjoyed by their lover’s
intimate touch that they did not experience any fatigue from their energetic
dancing. The sound of their loud singing pervaded the entire universe, and
even today the residents of this world repeat their love-filled singing.
Verse 9
kācit samaṁ mukundena
svara-jātīr amiśritāḥ
unninye pūjitā tena
prīyatā sādhu sādhv iti
tad eva dhruvam unninye
tasyai mānaṁ ca bahv adāt
One gopī was singing her own melody that harmonized with
Mukunda Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s singing, and then she sang in a pitch that
rose above His. Hearing her excellent, unique voice, He became
pleased and praised her, “Very good! Exceptional, exceptional!”
Another gopī picked up the same melody but sang in a different
meter. Śrī Kṛṣṇa honored her also.

One gopī, singing along with Mukunda, sang trills very melodiously.
‘Amiśritā’ – not mixed up with the melody sung by Kṛṣṇa; meaning, though
she was singing with Kṛṣṇa, her song remained distinct. Śrī Kṛṣṇa honored
her performance, saying, “Sādhu, sādhu!” Again, another gopī sang the song
in a much higher voice and with a special rhythm.
Now, starting with ‘kācit,’ five and a half verses describe the prominent
gopīs’ different activities by which they expressed their love. One gopī joined
her singing with the melody that Śrī Mukunda was singing and then she sang
in a higher tone. ‘Unninye’ – remarkable pitch. That vraja-devī mixed her song
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with Kṛṣṇa’s, and at the same time, her voice remained distinct. Being satisfied
with her, Kṛṣṇa honored her. In which way? By saying, “Excellent, excellent!”
He said it twice to emphasize His deep appreciation of her beautiful song.
Another gopī continued the melody of the first gopī, but in a more beautiful
voice with a unique rhythm, so Śrī Kṛṣṇa paid her even more honor than he
gave to the first gopī. ‘Dhruvam unninye’ means that the song is composed
in the abhoga rāga and is accompanied by yati and niḥsāra beats. She
composed this special melody with these techniques and sang exquisitely.
The rest of the explanation is according to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī.
Regarding the svars (musical sounds), there are seven principle notes.
These are śadja, rṣabha, gāndhāra, madhyama, pañcama, dhaivata and
niśāda, in short known as sa re ga ma pa dha ni. Saṅgīta-sāra says that
the seven notes have derived from the śrutis, and they are pleasing to
the hearts of the listeners. These notes are similar to the sounds of the
peacock, cātaka, goat, crane, cuckoo, frog and elephant, respectively. The
animal sounds are unique, and not easily imitated. Groups of melodies
are formed by combining these notes. Saṅgīta-sāra classifies these into
eighteen types, which are further subdivided into two categories. In the
first, all seven notes are sung in their śuddha (pure) form. In the second
category, known as vikṛta (transformed), some notes are sung in two
different pitches – komala (flat) and tivra (sharp). According to kaiśikya,
a variety of dramatic style that presents dancing, singing and amorous
activities, there are ten varieties all together.
The gopīs’ singing was distinct (amiśritāḥ) from Kṛṣṇa’s singing. They
sang śuddha tones with excellent trills. This style of singing does not make use
of disharmonious notes, and this can only be understood by connoisseurs of
music. There is no one whose singing can compare to the gopīs’.
Saṅgīta-sāra affirms that the seven notes – śadja, ṛṣabha, gāndhāra,
madhyama, pañcama, dhaivata and niśāda – have originated from the
śrutis. These notes resemble the sounds of the peacock, cātaka, goat, crane,
cuckoo, frog and elephant, respectively. But to reproduce them is quite
difficult. The rāgas are divided into eighteen groups, all of which have
two sub-groups. One is śuddha (pure), having the original seven notes in
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their pure forms. In the other sub-group some notes are sung in different
frequencies, known as is vikṛta (transformed).
‘Amiśritā’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa sang a particular rāginī and one gopī sang along
with Him, yet her melody remained distinct. She sang the songs of the rāsa
dance in pure tones (jātis) with great expertise. Seeing this gopī perform
this difficult pure singing in such a beautiful and excellent manner, Kṛṣṇa
became overjoyed. He complimented her, saying, “Sādhu, sādhu!” and
honored her by presenting His yellow shawl. This gopī is Viśākhā. Another
cowherd maiden warbled the same melody, her voice quavering with
superb modulation in a particular rhythm known as dhruva tāla. Śrī Kṛṣṇa
showed her even more respect than the previous gopī, and gifted her His
jeweled necklace, pendant and rings. This cowherd maiden, endowed with
more merits than Viśākhā, is Lalitā-devī. Noticing the wonderful singing
of both of these principle gopīs, Śrī Rādhā Herself burst into song. So we
must understand that Śrī Rādhā is the reservoir of a gamut of talents, which
manifest in Her closest sakhīs to a high degree.
Verse 10
kācid rāsa-pariśrāntā
pārśva-sthasya gadā-bhṛtaḥ
jagrāha bāhunā skandhaṁ
ślathad-valaya-mallikā
One gopi became tired while dancing with her beloved Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, so she took hold of Muralī-manohara Śyāmasundara’s
shoulder with her arm, and rested against Him as He was
standing next to her. Her bracelets and the jasmine flowers in her
braid had come loose.

Out of those vraja-sundarīs honored by Śrī Kṛṣṇa for their dancing
and singing, one among them became especially overjoyed and shone with
love. This is described in this verse starting with ‘kācit.’ Due to dancing so
much, she became tired, and her bracelets and the jasmine flowers in her
braid came loose.
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In this way, Śrī Śukadeva has described the prominence of some of
the different gopīs according to the superiority of their singing and other
talents in expressing their prema. Now he explains the love of the primary
gopīs who are most intimate with Kṛṣṇa. And out of these cowherd maidens,
he alludes to one very fortunate chief damsel in this verse ‘kācid rāsa.’
Exhausted from dancing, this gopī, who was standing near Gadādhara
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, tightly grabbed hold of His shoulder with her arm. The phrase
‘pārśva-stha’ (standing nearby) indicates that she grasped His shoulder
very easily and quickly. Otherwise, if she had been at some distance, her feet
might have slipped because she was absorbed in rāsa. ‘Gadā’ means ‘baton:’
the dance master looks beautiful holding the baton, and he who holds the
baton is Gadādhara. Alternatively, it means one who vibrates words through
the stick (vamśi, the flute). Holding the flute in the rāsa dance is the cause of
beauty; thus ‘gadā-bhṛta’ means Vamśidhāri, He who holds the flute. As the
commander-in-chief of the dancers, it is appropriate for Him to wield the
flute. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa was situated in the middle of the rāsa-maṇḍala in the
same way the head dancer takes his place in the middle of all the dancers.
The phrase ‘ślathad-valaya-mallikā’ (her bracelets and the flowers
in her hair came loose) describes symptoms indicating that this gopī was
tired. The flowers in her bracelets and braid loosened and fell down on the
ground due to her strenuous dancing. Śrī Parāśara has also said: “Some
gopī, tired from dancing, placed on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s shoulder her creeper-like
arm, which was decorated with bracelets that were shaking.” Here it should
be understood that the jasmine flowers came loose and cascaded down. The
gopīs’ actions come in the category of mādhurya-anubhāva. This is one of
the ten sub-anubhāvas (ecstatic symptoms) that comprise śobhā, the main
anubhāva, when the body is decorated with signs of amorous enjoyment.
The symptom of mādhurya is that all activities naturally display a con
sistent charm and beauty in every situation.
It is understood that this gopī, who was situated in the center of the
rāsa-maṇḍala, exhibiting the mood of svādhīna-bhartṛkā (the heroine who
controls her lover) is none other than Rādhikā. The two previous verses have
described Rādhā’s two sakhīs, Lalitā and Viśākhā, who give happiness to Śrī
Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa by their expert singing. The accounts given earlier portraying
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Śrī Rādhikā’s playful behavior show Her mood as an independent heroine.

Lalitā and Viśākhā’s singing and other skills are instruments to help
augment Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s līlā.
After describing the dancing and singing of the prominent sakhīs
(Lalitā and Viśākhā), in this verse starting with ‘kācid rāsa,’ the narrator now
portrays one principal, fortunate sakhī (Śrī Rādhā). This gopī, becoming
extremely tired from dancing, with Her right hand caught hold of the shoulder
of gadā-bhṛta Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was standing closeby. ‘Gadā’ means one who
understands and nourishes their warbling, or who appreciates the depth of
the singing of the two sakhīs. The bracelets and jasmine flowers in her hair
had come loose. In this way, the svādhīna-kāntā bhāva of this ramaṇī is
displayed – She is Vṛṣabhānu-kumārī Śrī Rādhikā, who controls Her lover.
Verse 11
tatraikāṁsa-gataṁ bāhuṁ
kṛṣṇasyotpala-saurabham
candanāliptam āghrāya
hṛṣṭa-romā cucumba ha
Śrī Kṛṣṇa put His soft lotus hand on one gopī’s shoulder – His
hand naturally scented like a lotus, and now more fragrant being
smeared with sandalwood pulp. In response to His aromatic
touch, that gopī thrilled with rapture. Her hairs stood on end,
and she quickly kissed His hand.

‘Utpala’ – that hand smells like a blue lotus.
In this verse ‘tatra’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is surely describing Śyāmalā’s
joy-filled play because what he is relating now is similar to what he described
in Verse 4 of the previous chapter (32). This one gopī kissed Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
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hand – more fragrant than a lotus – which was resting on her shoulder. His
arm had been smeared with sandalwood paste. ‘Ālipta’ (smeared with) begins
with ā, indicating that His arm was artistically anointed with different types
of scented cosmetics. The word ‘ha’ at the end of this verse means ‘clearly.’
Being helpless in prema, her hairs stood on end and she openly kissed His
hand. According to another understanding, when that gopī’s body exhibited
extreme horripilation out of bliss, then, indeed, her heart must have been
filled with immeasurable joy. What else is there to say? Her heart was so
elated that she kissed Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hand without hesitation. This shows
her boldness (pragalbhatā), one of the anubhāvas (ecstatic symptoms).
According to scholars, when kissing and other amorous activities are
performed without reticence at the time of union, this is called pragalbhatā.
One gopī kissed Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s hand, which was resting on her shoulder.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body – including His hands – is more fragrant than a lotus, and
hence, the sandalwood fragrance could not cover over His natural aroma.
This cowherd maiden must surely be Śyāmalā, because her behavior is very
similar to that of Śrī Śyāmalā Sakhī described in Verse 4 of Chapter 32.
Verse 12
kasyāścin nāṭya-vikṣipta
kuṇḍala-tviṣa-maṇḍitam
gaṇḍaṁ gaṇḍe sandadhatyāḥ
prādāt tāmbūla-carvitam
Another gopī’s earrings were swinging as she was dancing,

and the glitter of the earrings made her cheeks shine more. She
pressed her cheek against Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s cheek. Then He
placed His chewed tāmbūla in her mouth.

One gopī, dancing very fast, put her cheek, which was shining from her
dangling earring, on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s glowing cheek.
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The mood of the gopī mentioned in this verse is similar to that of Śrī
Śaibya described in 10.32.5, who is accepting the chewed tāmbūla in her
joined palms. This verse surely relates Śaibya’s joy-filled play. ‘Kasyāścit’ –
some gopī, on the pretext of being tired from dancing, put her cheek against
Kṛṣṇa’s cheek. Here ‘prādāt’ (offering) means that Kṛṣṇa brought His mouth
in front of this gopī’s mouth, and with great affection He transferred His
chewed tambūla from His mouth into hers. In the word ‘dāt,’ the 6th position
(ṣaṣṭhi) has been used to make it very confidential.
Some gopī’s cheeks were decorated with the effulgence of her earrings
which were swaying as she danced. She touched her cheek to Kṛṣṇa’s cheek
on the excuse of being tired. Śrī Kṛṣṇa brought His mouth close to hers, and
with great honor, transferred His chewed tāmbūla into her mouth. This gopī
is similar to the cowherd maiden mentioned in the previous chapter, 32.5,
so she is Śaibya.
Verse 13
nṛtyatī gāyatī kācit / kūjan nūpura-mekhalā

pārśva-sthācyuta-hastābjaṁ / śrāntādhāt stanayoḥ śivam
As one gopī was dancing and singing, a sweet sound emanated

from the ringing of her ankle-bells and the small bells on her
waist-belt. When she wearied, she put Acyuta’s soothing lotus
hand on her breast.

One gopī’s ankle and waist bells were ringing as she was dancing.
In Verse 4 of the previous chapter, the gopī who caught hold of Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s right hand is Candrāvalī. She is also the subject of this verse ‘nṛtyatī,’
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which describes her love-filled play. She started to sing and dance, and this
caused her ankle-bells and waist-bells to chime in time with the rhythm of
her dancing. Acyuta was standing next to her, and she kept His comforting
lotus hand on her breast. There is a special purpose in using the name Acyuta
in this verse because it means ‘one who is situated next to this gopī without
diverting His attention.’ Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s hands are like lotuses because they can
alleviate burning affliction. This is why this gopī kept His auspicious and
comforting hand on her breast when she became extremely tired. In this way,
these six verses have described the love dalliance of the six principle sakhīs.
The seventh sakhī, Padmā, displays almost the same symptoms as
Candrāvalī, so her love-play should also be understood to be very similar
to hers. The eighth sakhī, Bhadrā, has been mentioned in Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
“One gopī, especially expert in singing Kṛṣṇa’s glories, started kissing
Madhusūdana’s love-filled, inviting arms.” Śrī Jayadeva also has confirmed
this eighth sakhī as Bhadrā. In his statement, “Srī Rādhikā, blinded by love,
embraced Śrī Kṛṣṇa very tightly in front of the lovely maidens overwhelmed
in the ecstasy of the rāsa dance,” Bhadrā’s loving character and the playful
actions she displayed in front of Rādhā are intimated.
One gopī went close to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and placed His hand on her breasts,
and thus alleviated the heat generated from her strenuous dancing and
singing. She is certainly Candrāvalī since she is holding Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hand.
Another sakhī – Padmā – is also known to take hold of His hands. Verse 5
of the previous chapter (32) mentions that one sakhī kept Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus
foot on her breast, but now she is keeping His lotus hands on her breast. In
both these cases, the heat of the breast is extinguished. There is no special
mention of the eighth sakhī Bhadrā, yet it should be understood that she is
performing some special love-play with Kṛṣṇa.
Verse 14
gopyo labdhvācyutaṁ kāntaṁ

śriya ekānta-vallabham
gṛhīta-kaṇṭhyas tad-dorbhyāṁ
gāyantyas tam vijahrire
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As the gopīs were singing and enjoying love-play with their

darling Acyuta the infallible, the exclusive beloved of Lakṣmī, He
clasped them in a tight embrace with His arms around their necks.

The present verse ‘gopyo’ describes the other gopīs who were also
performing rapturous love games.
‘Acyuta’ – Acyuta Śrī Kṛṣṇa is dallying with so many gopīs, yet the
glories of His beauty, qualities and nature remain consistent; they never
undergo any deviation. To attain this Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the rarest of the rare
(ekānta-vallabha). He is the supermost lover and the object of prema, more
than Śrī Vaikuṇṭhanātha, the exclusive master of Lakṣmī-devī. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.16.36 affirms Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the object of Lakṣmī-devī’s love
also: “To achieve Kṛṣṇa she underwent severe austerities but she could
not attain Him as her lover.” Only the gopīs were successful in this regard.
Not only did they attain Him, but He could not tolerate even a moment’s
separation from them, and He clasped their necks in a tight embrace. The
gopīs were blissfully singing Kṛṣṇa’s glories and frolicking with Him. This
shows the greatness of the vraja-devīs as compared to Lakṣmī-devī. Śrī
Uddhava, having also experienced this, said in 10.47.60: “At the time of
rāsa-līlā, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa held onto the necks of the vraja-devīs in a
tight embrace and fulfilled their desires. The mercy He bestowed upon them
was not received by His eternal consort Lakṣmī-devī, who always resides on
His chest, nor by the heavenly damsels, who are as fragrant as lotuses and
dazzlingly beautiful, and what to speak of other women.”

‘Gopya’ – in this way, the principle gopīs and all the others were enjoying
playful love games with Kṛṣṇa according to their own particular natures.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.36 says in the prayers of the Nāga-patnīs (the
wives of the Kāliyā serpent): “yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapa – Lakṣmī-
devī performed austerities with the desire to get the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus
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feet but did not succeed.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.60 Uddhava says:

“nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ – the favor received by the
gopīs was not attained by Lakṣmī-devī.” Śrī Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta relates a
story from the Purāṇas: “Lakṣmī-devī was enamored by witnessing Kṛṣṇa’s
beauty and performed penances to attain Him, but could not.” The beloved
of Śrī Nārāyaṇa, Lakṣmī-devī, desires to have Kṛṣṇa’s association, but this is
impossible. In the explanation of the verse at hand, ‘kānta’ means ‘extremely
passionate,’ and ‘acyuta’ means that Kṛṣṇa’s glories remain intact even
when He is dallying with so many gopīs at the same time. Each of the gopīs
attained this extremely passionate, extremely beautiful beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa as
her own. He lovingly embraced each and every one of them with His arms.
Acyuta held each gopī in His arms just as Śrī Nārāyaṇa clasps Lakṣmī-devī
to His chest, so Kṛṣṇa is also Lakṣmī-devī’s beloved because Śrī Nārāyaṇa
and Kṛṣṇa are non-different in tattva.
Verse 15
karṇotpalālaka-viṭaṅka-kapola-gharma-
vaktra-śriyo valaya-nūpura-ghoṣa-vādyaiḥ
gopyaḥ samaṁ bhagavatā nanṛtuḥ sva-keśa-
srasta-srajo bhramara-gāyaka-rāsa-goṣṭhyām
The gopīs’ ears were embellished with lotuses, their curly

locks were swaying against their cheeks, and their lotus faces
were sparkling with drops of perspiration – all of these enhanced
their unprecedented beauty. Their anklets and bracelets were
ringing out and the flowers in their hair were falling down as they
were dancing with Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa-maṇḍala.
Bees hummed sweetly in tune with the singing.

Many singers, drummers, and Gandharavas and Kinnaras along
with their wives, assembled together to celebrate the rāsa festival. Being
intoxicated from the excitement of the gala event, all of them danced with
great zeal. This verse starting with ‘karṇotpala’ describes the thrill of the
rāsa dance augmented by the playing of many musical instruments.
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The gopīs’ ears were embellished with lotuses, their curly locks swayed
against their cheeks, and their lotus faces sparkled with drops of perspira
tion – all of these enhanced their unprecedented beauty. Their anklets,
waist-bells and bracelets rang out and the flowers in their hair fell down as
they danced with Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa-maṇḍala. This indicates
that their artistic hairdos, being happy with the singing and drumming,
caused the gopīs’ heads to shake in rhythm with the music, and thus the
flowers in their hair showered down on Kṛṣṇa’s feet. In this way the cowherd
maidens sang and danced with Kṛṣṇa and the bees sang along with them.
With the present verse ‘karṇotpala,’ we see that the glories of the vraja-
sundarīs far outshine those of Lakṣmī-devī. The lotuses on their ears, curly
locks on their cheeks and the drops of perspiration on their faces created
a beauty never seen before. Although the vraja-devīs were fatigued from
dancing and singing, they were still shining brightly. The reason for this
ecstatic dancing was that these cowherd damsels attained the association of
Kṛṣṇa in His most stunning, unparalleled form.
These gopīs are completely controlled by His love. The phrase ‘samaṁ
bhagavatā’ signifies that the gopīs are also as adept as Kṛṣṇa in amorous
affairs, so it is to be understood that He was also decorated like the gopīs
with lotuses on His ears, curly locks on His cheeks, and perspiration
sparkling on His face. Kṛṣṇa Himself had placed the lotuses on the vraja-
sundarīs’ ears. In this rāsa festival, the bees had taken the position of
singers, and marvelously they sang songs appropriate for rāsa-līlā.
All the rest has been explained by Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda. The gopīs’
bracelets, waist-bells and anklets were ringing, sounding like instruments,
and the humming of the bees also made the same sounds. This combination
created a tumultuous vibration. All these sounds were favorable for the
dancing. As soon as all the Gandharvas, Kinnaras and other demigods saw
the rāsa dance, they also became inspired to dance. Verse 3 of this chapter
mentions the demigods with the word ‘divaukasāṁ,’ but in the present
verse, though not mentioned, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, etc., are understood to
be present. Intoxicated in bliss, they were trying to play musical instruments,
but actually, in this rāsa-līlā, the gopīs did not need any accompaniment.
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The excellence of the singing and dancing has been described in
many previous verses. Now, the present verse ‘karṇotpalālaka’ depicts
how the vraja-sundarīs’ dancing augmented the effulgence of their faces
to the fullest extent. The word ‘utpala’ (lotus) implies the presence of a
round ornament on the upper part of the ear. Their cheeks were decorated
with curly locks and their lotus faces were perspiring from the labor of
dancing, and this heightened their superbly beautiful appearance. With
the movement of their dancing limbs, their bracelets, anklets and waistbells
were chiming, thus keeping the rhythm of the dancing. Drums, flutes and
other instruments sounded by themselves in time with the chiming sound.
The presiding deities of these instruments appeared there and sang in great
bliss, thus making their lives successful.
The vraja-devīs were dancing with the same dexterity as Kṛṣṇa (samaṁ
bhagavatā). They became helplessly overhelmed from the joy of dancing
with Him. Their heads were shaking in unison with the rhythm of the
movements of their feet, and the flower garlands tucked in their hair buns
started falling. It seemed like the flowers, in appreciation of the gopīs’ skillful
dancing, were happily falling on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who was dancing
next to them. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has also said this. Many bees also came
there, attracted by the fragrance of these cascading flowers, and with their
natural humming, became singers in this dance festival.
Verse 16
evaṁ pariṣvaṅga-karābhimarśa-
snigdhekṣaṇoddāma-vilāsa-hāsaiḥ
reme rameśo vraja-sundarībhir
yathārbhakaḥ sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ
Ramā-pati Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the master of the goddess of fortune,

danced with the beautiful Vraja maidens, embracing them,
holding their hands, casting love-filled glances, smiling, and
enjoying care-free amorous play with them, just as a child plays
with his own shadow.
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The gopīs were playing various amorous games with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who was
mutually enjoying with them, but their romantic actions could not subdue
Him. This is the meaning of this verse starting with ‘evaṁ.’ An example is
given in this regard: Kṛṣṇa was engaged in dallying with the Vraja maidens,
His own potencies, just as a child plays with His own reflection. This shows
that Śrī Kṛṣṇa transmitted His entire dexterity, aroma, extreme beauty and
sweetness to the vraja-devīs, and enjoyed with them.
‘Evaṁ’ – the gopīs were engaged in amorous play, displaying various
inviting gestures, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa was reciprocating appropriately. The
present verse compares Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s play with His gopīs, who are His own
potencies, to a small boy (yathārbhakaḥ) who plays with his own shadow.
Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, who are likened to His shadow, were copying each
others’ playful activities. Kṛṣṇa, like a wonderstruck boy, has a natural
tendency for amorous affairs, and the result of this is the advent of this
rāsa-līlā, comprised of beautiful, romantic exchanges. It seems as if the
portion of Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary saying that ‘the gopīs’
romantic actions could not subdue Kṛṣṇa is not part of his original
exposition; someone else added it later on.
This example of the child amusing himself with his shadow makes it
clear that it is the gopīs only who bring out His qualities. A boy can see and
experience the beauty of own face in a reflection, not on his own, so it is to
be understood that Kṛṣṇa also exhibits and relishes His sweetness through
His beloveds. It is not possible for His sweetness to manifest without the
love-filled attitude of the gopīs, whose faces reflect His extreme sweetness.
‘Rameśa’ – He is the master (iśa) of Lakṣmī (ramā), but He enjoyed with
the vraja-sundarīs in an excellent, unparalleled way; He did not do this with
Lakṣmī-devī. This means that the beauty, qualities and love of the Vraja
damsels are greater than hers. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the master of Lakṣmī-devī but
He does not perform romantic activities with her. Śukadeva Gosvāmī relates
this with great surprise in this verse ‘evam.’ Just as a child plays with his
own reflection (sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ), so Ramā-pati Kṛṣṇa also plays
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with the gopīs, embracing them, freely caressing their breasts and thighs,
sending them love-filled glances, and communicating His loving emotions
through His smiles.
Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs share the same excellent qualities and mutual
attachment. This is shown in the example ‘sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ.’
Just as a child naturally feels happy when he plays with his own reflection,
Kṛṣṇa is similarly absorbed with great love in enjoying with the gopīs
because they are His svarūpa-śakti, His own reflections. With this intention
they were previously called kṛṣṇa-vadhū, and not gopa-vadhū. Brahma-
saṁhitā 5.37 states: “Śrī Govinda, who is all-pervading and who exists
within the hearts of all, resides in His Goloka-dhāma along with Śrī Rādhā,
who is the embodiment of His pleasure potency and the counterpart of
His own spiritual form. She is the epitome of transcendental rasa, and is
expert in sixty-four arts. They are also accompanied by the sakhīs, who
are expansions of Śrī Rādhā’s own transcendental body, and who are
infused with blissful, spiritual rasa. I worship that original personality,
Śrī Govinda.”
Kṛṣṇa’s various gestures are copied by the gopīs, who serve as His
reflections, and in this way, with great attachment, they play with each other.
The word ‘snigdha’ (affection) indicates the gopīs’ and Kṛṣṇa’s profound
attachment for each other. Śrī Parāśara Muni has explained this sāttvika-
anubhāva of Kṛṣṇa in this way: “Due to touching the gopīs’ cheeks with
His hands, Kṛṣṇa’s hairs stand on end, and drops of perspiration appear,
evoking the image of a cloud releasing raindrops (His perspiration) on
grass (His hairs standing on end).”
Kṛṣṇa experienced amorous pleasure to the fullest extent by engaging
in all the various activities of the rāsa, like dancing and singing. The word
‘pariṣvaṅga’ (embracing) shows that He embraced each gopī while dancing.
Kṛṣṇa tasted a vast variety of amorous pleasure in close contact with the
gopīs. ‘Karābhimarśa’ (touching with His hand) indicates that He touched
their left breasts with His right hand, to mark the rhythm at the end of each
song. In between dances, He lovingly gazed (snigdhekṣaṇa) at the cleavage of
their breasts. ‘Uddāma-vilāsa’ – He rewarded them with His kisses. ‘Hāsa’ –
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His face bloomed with a broad smile showing His contentment in having fully
enjoyed many amorous activities with the gopīs.
‘Rameśa’ is Lakṣmī-pati, the husband of the goddess of fortune. Kṛṣṇa
displays His majesty with Lakṣmī, but partakes of amorous pleasure with the
vraja-devīs, not with Ramā. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s amorous sporting with
the gopīs is like the play of a baby with his shadow. Just as a child becomes
enchanted by cavorting with his shadow, similarly Kṛṣṇa was playing with
the gopīs, overpowered by their love. One might raise the question: how
could Kṛṣṇa frolic with unlimited gopīs at one time? These sweet, romantic
dealings with the Vraja maidens exhibit the utmost opulence but this is not
like His majestic behavior with Ramā-devī. The fact is that each gopī is the
counterpart of His svarūpa, His own form. This is the significance of ‘yathā
sva-pratibimba’ (yathā–like, sva–His own, pratibimba–form). The meaning
of ‘bimba,’ or svarūpa, is derived from the conversation between Uddhava
and Vidura in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.2.11: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended to Earth
in His eternal form (sva-bimba) and was visible to everyone, even to those
who had not performed any penances. Now He has disappeared from sight,
without satisfying our hankering for Him.”
These gopīs are expansions of Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure potency (hlādinī-
śakti), which is an integral part of His own internal potency (svarūpa-śakti).
All the cowherd maidens are reflections of His svarūpa, for the purpose
of giving Him pleasure. This līlā is the exhibition of His deriving joy from
His own reflections (ātmabhūta). This is the accurate explanation of ‘sva-
pratibimba;’ it is not actually correct to say ‘His own shadow.’
Verse 17
tad-aṅga-saṅga-pramudākulendriyāḥ
keśān dukūlaṁ kuca-paṭṭikāṁ vā
nāñjaḥ prativyoḍhum alaṁ vraja-striyo
visrasta-mālābharaṇāḥ kurūdvaha
O Parīkṣit! Due to the gopīs’ intimate association with Kṛṣṇa,

their senses were overwhelmed in bliss. The flower garlands
around their necks broke and fell down, their ornaments went
topsy-turvy, their hair became disheveled, and they were unable
to keep their veils and blouses in place.
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After this, the vraja-sundarīs became agitated by Kṛṣṇa’s amorous
play. This is described in this verse ‘tad-aṅga.’ The gopīs became totally
helpless as a result of the extreme bliss arising from having Kṛṣṇa’s intimate
association. Their hair became disheveled, their dresses and cloth covering
their breasts came loose, and they were unable to hold onto them. Their
garlands and ornaments were also thrown into disorder.
The gopīs fell into a state of helplessness due to experiencing extreme
bliss, and the rāsa dance came to a halt. This is the subject matter of this
verse starting with ‘tad-aṅga.’ Because of their close contact with Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
the gopīs’ joy came to a climax, resulting in the dysfunctioning of their
senses, symptomized by loosening of hair and inability to keep their veils
and cloth covering their breasts in place.
After this, the gopīs became completely overwhelmed from the bliss
they derived by getting Bhagavān’s close association. This is described
in the present verse ‘tad-aṅga-saṅga.’ They became so agitated with
unprecedented ecstasy that they were unable to keep the cloth covering
their breasts in place.
Verse 18
kṛṣṇa-vikrīḍitaṁ vīkṣya
mumuhuḥ khe-cara-striyaḥ
kāmārditāḥ śaśāṅkaś ca
sa-gaṇo vismito ʼbhavat
When the heavenly damsels sitting in their planes in the

sky witnessed Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-kṛīdā, they became
agitated with desire to meet Him. The moon was also astonished,
along with the stars and other planets.
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The present verse ‘kṛṣṇa-vikrīḍitaṁ’ says: “Not only the vraja-sundarīs
were agitated, the wives of the demigods were also smitten by lust. The moon
and his consorts, the stars, were also bewildered and stopped in their tracks.
The planets, like Jupiter and Venus, which are more ancient than Candra, also
stopped moving and remained where they were. In this way, the night became
very long, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoyed His amorous play in great happiness.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Svayaṁ Bhagavān, so He is endowed with sweetness and
other attributes to the fullest extent. In the word ‘vikrīḍitaṁ,’ vi means
‘special’ and krīḍitaṁ means ‘play.’ Watching (vīkṣya) this very special
pleasurable pastime, the heavenly damsels became excited by amorous
desire, and felt anxious to be with Kṛṣṇa. They were enchanted by observing
how the gopīs rendered direct service with intense love. First of all, the
demigoddesses forgot their own lack of qualification to attain Kṛṣṇa, and
secondly, becoming bewildered, they lost awareness of their own bodies.
The rest is according to Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s commentary, in which he
affirms that Kṛṣṇa enjoyed happily in that very long night. It is not possible
to perform various types of pleasurable pastimes in a short night. Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.33.38 also states ‘brahma-rātra upāvṛtte;’ this means that
the night became equal to 1,000 catur-yugas (four ages) according to the
time scale of Brahmā. At the end of this long night, upon Kṛṣṇa’s insistence,
the gopīs returned to their homes. This became possible because Yogamāyā,
Bhagavān’s potency, reconciled unlimited incongruous actions.
Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has stated that the moon and other planets were
so astonished that they became stunned. This is an assumption because
the movements of the moon, etc., are governed by the laws of astronomical
science, so they slowed down in these unusual circimstances, and moved in
an opposite direction. In fact, Yamunā and other rivers stopped flowing, and
sometimes flowed backwards in order to facilitate the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s
līlā. In the same way, the circular movements of the planets stopped. Here,
many nights are indicated. The words ‘tā rātrīḥ’ (those nights) in Chapter 29,
Verse 1, and ‘niśāḥ’ (many nights) in Verse 25 of this chapter also indicate
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that the night was very, very long. So the reconciliation is that although the
night progressed, one night stretched on interminably.
It is said that the heavenly damsels became helplessly attracted to
Kṛṣṇa. This shows the supreme charm of the amorous play of the rāsa-
līlā. This is justified because all the ecstatic emotions escalated to the
supermost limit in the dancing and singing with Kṛṣṇa, and rāsa itself
was controlling the whole event. The most fortunate vraja-sundarīs
exhibited great dexterity in their romantic sporting; even Lakṣmī rarely
achieves such fortune. In the present verse, the word ‘kāmārditāḥ’
(agitated by lusty desires in the plural) is used, but in other places
‘kāmārditaḥ’ (singular) is seen; however Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda does not
approve this. The phrase ‘deva-striya’ (khe-cara-striya) means ‘many
demigoddesses,’ who were all aroused with loving feelings for Kṛṣṇa.
Thus, kāmārditāḥ in the plural is justified in this case, but kāmārditaḥ is
correct in regard to the moon.
The demigoddesses became lusty for Kṛṣṇa after observing His
amorous play. This singular form ‘kāmārditaḥ’ indicates that the moon
assumed a feminine mood, and also experienced lust after watching
Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā, because no male is allowed to witness the bodies of the
vraja-sundarīs and their amorous play in this pastime. It is for this reason
only that Yogamāyā covered the sight of the demigods; this has already
been told earlier.
Verse 19
kṛtvā tāvantam ātmānaṁ

yāvatīr gopa-yoṣitaḥ
reme sa bhagavāṁs tābhir
ātmārāmo ’pi līlayā
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ‘ātmārāma,’ self-satisfied, yet He

expanded Himself in as many forms as there were gopīs in order
to enjoy with each and every one of them.
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This verse starting with ‘kṛtvā’ (making) is understood thus: in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.22.4, the young girls prayed to Kātyāyanī-devī to award
them the son of Nanda Mahārāja as their husband:
kātyāyani mahā-māye mahā-yoginy adhīśvari

nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.27, Bhagavān also blessed these young

maidens, telling them: “yātābalā vrajaṁ siddhā mayemā raṁsyathā kṣapāḥ
– Your desire is fulfilled and I will play with you in the coming nights. Now
return to Vraja.” In answer to the prayers of these gopīs and to keep His
promise, He appeared in as many forms as there were gopīs and enjoyed
with all of them.
Upon the completion of the rāsa dance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took some rest and
then performed a special pastime. This is explained in this verse ‘kṛtvā.’ Śrī
Kṛṣṇa is ‘ātmārāma,’ self-satisfied, yet He assumed as many forms as there
were gopīs, and began to frolick with them. This is the understanding of
‘ātmānaḥ.’ Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives many references testifying to His all-
pervading nature. For example, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.9.13 says: “He has
no inside, no outside, no front and no rear. Rather, He is all-pervading. He is
not influenced by the passage of time, and due to compassion He descended
in a human-like form.” According to this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has a medium-sized
human-like body. Even then, His figure is all-pervasive. He can expand into
many identical forms and many different incarnations. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.69.2 gives an example of this: “It is most astonishing that Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
expanding His one form, simultaneously married 16,000 princesses in
separate palaces.” He accepted many forms out of His own will and at the
end of the līlā, He became one again.
‘Gopa-yoṣitaḥ’ (cowherd maidens) – some are married and some are
not. Their pūrva-rāga is described separately in Chapters 21 and 22. Hari-
vamśa also says: “Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa called the married and the unmarried
gopīs to the rāsa-sthalī, and enjoyed with all of them in one night. He is
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Kālajña, the knower of the right time; and He enjoyed Himself to His full
satisfaction, and thus made His youth successful.” Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī
Prabhu has described these amorous pastimes in his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.
Bhagavān exhibits two main features in this imperial rāsa-līlā: His full
sweetness, which is the essence of His Godhood and His topmost wealth;
and the peak of prema-rasa, the ambrosia of divine love. He attracts the
entire universe by His beauty, attributes, pastimes and sweetness. The same
Bhagavān has performed this rāsa-līlā to extend His own special prema.
This will be explained in detail in the coming chapters and has also been
described in Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛtam. He is ātmārāma, meaning that He
enjoys to the fullest extent within Himself and with each of His devotees,
who are like His own self. He manifested Himself in as many forms as there
were gopīs, and performed amorous play with them in separate kuñjas.
‘Kṛtvā’ (making) – Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed confidential pastimes
with each gopī in separate kuñjas. In order to do this, He expanded Him
self into as many forms as there were gopīs, married and unmarried. He
is ātmārāma, yet He enjoyed with the cowherd maidens. This has been
described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.42.
Verse 20
tāsāṁ rati-vihāreṇa
śrāntānāṁ vadanāni saḥ
prāmṛjat karuṇaḥ premṇā
śantamenāṅga pāṇinā
O King, when the gopīs were very tired from continuous

singing and dancing, the most compassionate Bhagavān Śrī
Kṛṣṇa lovingly wiped their faces with His soothing lotus hands.

This verse ‘tāsāṁ’ describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s abundant mercy for the vraja-
devīs.
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‘Rati-vihāra’ (amorous enjoyment): ‘rati’ means ‘the love of a couple
for each other;’ and ‘vihāra’ expresses various dextrous amorous
activities. In the original verse ‘rati-vihāreṇa’ is found, but in some
places tāsāṁ ati-vihāreṇa (profuse enjoyment with them) is seen – the
meaning of both is the same. The vraja-sundarīs were fatigued from this
amorous play and their faces were perspiring. With great love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
wiped their lotus faces with His comforting hand and also tied up their
disheveled hair. Thus their faces became effulgent. He did so because He
is very compassionate, and He cannot tolerate the miseries of others. His
compassion rains on everyone everywhere, yet He displays His special
mercy when He very lovingly wipes off the perspiration from the vraja-
devīs’ faces with His comforting hands. ‘Premṇā’ – with love; prema only
highlights the good attributes in the object of love, and increases one’s
affection for this object.
These gopīs have reached the extreme limit of their ecstatic emotions,
and this is the supermost speciality of their love. With this kind of love,
the quality of compassion comes automatically – prema is the sole reason
for this.
‘Śantamena’ (most comforting) – Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hands naturally
give comfort merely by their touch, and if they bestow love, they are even
more comforting. The two words ‘prāmṛjat’ (wiped) and ‘premnā’ (with love)
indicate that Kṛṣṇa was extremely satisfied with the gopīs. ‘Aṅga’ (my dear
King) is Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s loved-filled address for Parīkṣit.
‘Rati-vihāreṇa’ – in some versions ati-vihāreṇa is seen. Observing
that the vraja-sundarīs were very tired from their amorous play, Śrī
Kṛṣṇa halted their romancing. He wiped the drops of perspiration from
their faces with His extremely soothing lotus hands. At the same time
He fanned them, applied sandalwood paste, arranged their dresses and
offered them tāmbūla.
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Verse 21
gopyaḥ sphurat-puraṭa-kuṇḍala-kuntala-tviḍ-
gaṇḍa-śriyā sudhita-hāsa-nirīkṣaṇena
mānaṁ dadhatya ṛṣabhasya jaguḥ kṛtāni
puṇyāni tat-kara-ruha-sparśa-pramodāḥ
Parīkṣit, the beauty of the gopīs cheeks was enhanced by the

dazzle of their golden earrings and their bouncing, curly locks.
They honored Puruṣottama Bhagavān with loving glances and
very sweet, nectarean smiles. Extremely elated from the touch of
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus hands, they started singing about His glorious,
auspicious activities.

This verse ‘gopyaḥ’ describes the temperament of the cowherd maidens.
The vraja-devīs honored the greatest hero (ṛṣabha), Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with their
nectar-filled smiles and sweet glances, along with singing out His glories.
Their cheeks displayed unparalleled beauty with their glittering golden
earrings and curly locks hanging down. The gopīs felt extremely delighted
by the touch of His nails.
After this, the gopīs, highly elated by the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nails,
increased their hero’s bliss in three ways: by their beauty, by their nectarean
sweet smiles and by singing His glories. This is the topic discussed in this
verse starting with ‘gopyaḥ.’ The gopīs’ bright golden earrings and their
lustrous, curly locks enhanced their beauty; they communicated their
sentiments through their glances coupled with nectarean sweet smiles;
and they performed saṅkirtana singing about His glorious pastimes.
Śrīdhara Svāmī has used ‘ṛṣabha’ to mean ‘husband’ or ‘master.’ In Verse
7 of this chapter, the best of munis Śukadeva Gosvāmī has revealed the
gopīs’ relationship with Kṛṣṇa by referring to them as kṛṣṇa-vadhū. So why
should we keep this secret? Therefore, in this case, ‘ṛṣabha’ means ‘husband
of the gopīs;’ He is their beloved and their enjoyer (dayita and ramaṇa). If
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we accept this principle, then their dealings with each other are not as a
married couple. Rather, the gopis enticed Śrī Kṛṣṇa with their beauty and
sidelong glances and thus gave Him supreme joy. He was now lamenting,
“Aho! It is My great fortune that these brides (vadhū) are honoring Me so
much. Alas! I brought infamy upon Myself by abandoning such beloveds,
who are My own svarūpa.”
The word ‘ṛṣabha’ points out the superexcellence of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
‘Kṛtāni puṇyāni’ indicates that the gopīs started singing Kṛṣṇa’s auspicious
and attractive names, forms and qualities. Their excellent singing ability was
transmitted into the gopīs by the touch of His lotus hands. Although the
gopīs themselves are completely expert in singing His glories, still they were
silent due to their loving anger. So to inspire them, Kṛṣṇa touched them.
They were very tired from their amorous play, but they became most happy
and sang with great joy.
In the previous verse and this one, helā anubhāva (amorous passionate
desire) is shown. When one attains the pure state of spiritual existence
(sattva), nothing will disturb his consciousnesss, even in the face of due
cause. The first ecstatic symptom of this pure state is bhāva. Just as a seed
does not germinate until the appointed time, even though there may be rain,
similarly in the pure state of existence, bhāva does not manifest until one is
about to enter adolescence (vayaḥ-sandhi) and receives Kṛṣṇa’s darśana,
which stimulates their bhāva. The next stage is hāva, which is symptomized
by provocative gestures, like tilting the head, arching the eyebrows and
casting sidelong glances. When this hāva indicates amorous passionate
desires, it is known as helā.
After this, all those vraja-sundarīs, who had brought their lover under
their control, came out from their kuñjas and gathered together in one
place. They were bedecked with jeweled ornaments, having been decorated
by their most beloved Kṛṣṇa. They started singing auspicious songs to
mark the finale of the rāsa festival. All this has been explained in this verse
‘gopyaḥ.’ The cheeks of the vraja-devīs were glowing with the dazzle of
their golden earrings and curly locks. They were flashing nectarean smiles
at that best of heroes, Ṛṣabha Kṛṣṇa. Overjoyed from the touch of His nails,
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these gopīs were singing about Sri Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting līlās, which purify
the three worlds.
Verse 22
tābhir yutaḥ śramam apohitum aṅga-saṅga-

ghṛṣṭa-srajaḥ sa kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ
gandharva-pālibhir anudruta āviśad vāḥ
śrānto gajībhir ibha-rāḍ iva bhinna-setuḥ
Bhagavān’s forest-flower garland had been crushed from the

gopīs’ tight embraces and was colored with the saffron paste
from their breasts. Attracted to the aroma of the garland, hordes
of bees were buzzing all around Him and, like the topmost
Gandharvas, were singing His glories. They followed Him as He
entered the Yamunā in the company of all the gopīs to alleviate
His fatigue. Bhagavān Srī Kṛṣṇa broke all barriers of social
customs and Vedic morality, and engaged in water games with
the cowherd damsels, just as a king of elephants who, weary
from conjugal play, rushes into a pond or river with his consorts
and sports in the water.

The present verse starting with ‘tābhir’ describes the water sports.
Kṛṣṇa’s garland had been crushed from the tight embraces of the gopīs
and was colored with the saffron paste from their breasts. Attracted by
the fragrance of the kunda-mālā, swarms of bees, who were singing like
the topmost Gandharvas, started following Him. Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered in the
water, demolishing all social etiquette and Vedic morality, just as an elephant
tramples a dike along a river.
After all this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was extremely happy; this verse (tābhiḥ) and
the next two describe His love-filled activities. Surrounded by the gopīs,
He entered the Yamunā to mitigate His and the gopīs’ exhaustion. One
might ask, “How is it possible that Bhagavān got tired?” The answer is that
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tiredness comes when Bhagavān enacts His ambrosial, love-filled, human-

like pastimes, being intensely absorbed. The special intention of the phrase
‘aṅga-saṅga’ (close contact with the gopīs) is that the bodies of the vraja-
gopīs, who are worshiped by padminī1 ladies, naturally emit a most exquisite
fragrance. ‘Kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ’ – His crushed garland was smeared
with the kuṅkuma from the gopīs’ breasts, emitting an extraordinary aroma.
Bees were intoxicated by this pure scent and were following Kṛṣṇa. This
indicates that this aromatic, crushed garland was made of white kunda
(jasmine) flowers, now even more beautiful due to the pinkish tint coming
from the gopīs’ kuṅkuma. All these ingredients are uddīpana for amorous
play in the water. Desiring to continue their erotic adventures, He entered
the Yamunā. The example is that of a king of elephants who loves to sport
with his female companions in the water. In the same way, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
attracted to play in the water with the gopīs. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has
explained the rest.
Swarms of bees, singing like the best of Gandharvas, followed Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Viśva-koṣa explains that the Gandharvas are the topmost singers; thus it
is understood that the bees were singing the most appropriate songs for
accompanying water sports. With whom did Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the grip of erotic
desire, enter the water? With all the gopīs, who were wearing garlands that
had been crushed by His embrace and whose bodies were smeared all over
with their own kuṅkuma. ‘Bhinna-setuḥ’ (breaking the embankments) –
in this way, just as an extremely tired elephant displays His insolence by
breaking the muddy embankments upon entering a body of water, Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
showing the same impudence, entered the Yamunā with great fanfare, to
relieve His own fatigue and the tiredness of the gopīs as well.
In the present verse ‘sa kuca-kuṅkuma’ is written. In some versions sva
(extraordinary) kuca-kuṅkuma is seen. The meaning of ‘sa’ is ‘He’ – that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa whose body had been smeared with the extraordinary kuṅkuma from
the gopīs’ breasts. After He entered the Yamunā, her waters also took on this
reddish color. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has used ‘sa,’ meaning ‘that very Kṛṣṇa;’
He has not acknowledged sva.
1 Ed: According to Bharata Muni, there are four classes of women, the topmost
being padminī.
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Upon completion of the rāsa festival, Kṛṣṇa and the vraja-sundarīs
bathed and played in the water to alleviate their fatigue after dancing and
enacting many amorous arts. ‘Tābhir yutaḥ’ means ‘with them.’ With whom?
The answer is with those whose garlands had been crushed from Kṛṣṇa’s
close embrace, and who were smeared with the saffron paste from their own
breasts in the rapture of the romantic rendezvous. In some versions, sva
kuca-kuṅkuma is seen in place of sa kuca-kuṅkuma. ‘Sa’ indicates Kṛṣṇa.
Swarms of humming bees followed Him, singing like the best of Gandharvas;
Viśva-koṣa explains that the word gandharva represents those who are the
best of singers.
Surrounded by the gopīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa entered the Yamunā to relieve His
exhaustion. ‘Bhinna-setuḥ’ means ‘breaking the earthen embankments.’ Just
as a king of elephants breaks the muddy dikes as he recklessly charges into
the water with his she-elephants, in the same way Śrī Kṛṣṇa transgressed
social etiquette and Vedic injunctions as He entered the Yamunā with the
gopīs for water sports.
Verse 23
so ’mbhasy alaṁ yuvatibhiḥ pariṣicyamānaḥ

premṇekṣitaḥ prahasatībhir itas tato ’ṅga
vaimānikaiḥ kusuma-varṣibhir īdyamāno
reme svayaṁ sva-ratir atra gajendra-līlaḥ
O Parīkṣit, in the Yamunā the gopīs splashed water on Kṛṣṇa

from all sides and laughed loudly as they gazed upon Him with
great love. Seeing this, the demigods in their airplanes started
singing His glories and released a shower of flowers. In this
way, the self-satisfied Lord engaged in water play with the vraja-
ramaṇīs like a king of elephants.

Although Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma (self-satisfied), He sported in the water
with the assembly of gopīs.
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This verse depicts their water sports. Once they were in the water,
the very expert and intoxicated vraja-ramaṇīs, who were ready to play,
surrounded the supremely ingenious jokester Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and sprinkled Him
with water on all sides. Internally also, His heart was melting from their
love-filled, side-long glances. Externally, He was bathed with water, and
internally with their love – thus He was fully absorbed in amorous dalliance.
What were the vraja-devīs doing as they were splashing Kṛṣṇa? Joyfully
intoxicated, they were laughing, smiling and gazing at Him again and again.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa began His amorous antics with them, making them wet inside and
out. Although He is ātmārāma, He performed this supremely powerful līlā
in the water just like a king of elephants.
This jala-vihāra-līlā, Kṛṣṇa playing in the water with the gopīs, is
very endearing. The demigods showered flowers from their airplanes and
glorified Śrī Kṛṣṇa with choice hymns, broadcasting His supremely exalted
position. However, they could not witness this pastime because they were
unqualified. They were able to see the mahā-rāsa, but Yogamāyā hid the
confidential scenes of the rāsa-līlā from them.
‘Aṅga’ (O king) – Śukadeva Gosvāmī addressed Mahārāja Parīkṣit
joyfully. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has explained the rest. ‘Sva-rati’ (sva–
one’s own, rati–attachment) means dedication to one’s own people, in other
words, to the gopīs, to whom Kṛṣṇa is extremely attached. This is the reason
that He is not so much satisfied when He defeats the gopīs, rather He prefers
to be defeated by them. [Parīkṣit asked Śrī Śukadeva:] “Can you mercifully
describe Kṛṣṇa’s water sports in detail?” Completely absorbed in this līlā,
Śukadeva answered: “sva-rati (sva–uncommon, rati–water play). I do not
find any suitable examples for this līlā so I am unable to speak in detail.”
‘Premṇekṣitaḥ’ (glancing with love) – in some versions premṇokṣitaḥ
(moistened with love) is seen. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma, yet He performed all
these līlās because of ‘sva-rati.’ Sva means wealth, and rati means playing.
These play-filled pastimes are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wealth.
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Verse 24
tataś ca kṛṣṇopavane jala-sthala

prasūna-gandhānila-juṣṭa-dik-taṭe
cacāra bhṛṅga-pramadā-gaṇāvṛto
yathā mada-cyud dviradaḥ kareṇubhiḥ
Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa emerged from the Yamunā and started
roaming in a charming flower garden on the riverbank. A gentle
breeze was blowing, making the whole atmosphere vibrant with
the heavy aroma of all the blossoming flowers growing on the
land and in the water. Surrounded by the Vraja maidens and the
bees, He seemed like an intoxicated king of elephants wandering
about with his she-elephants.

After the descriptions of Kṛṣṇa’s play on the land and in the water, the
present verse gives an account of His roaming in the woods. In this garden
on the bank of the Yamunā, all the directions were laden with the scent of
the land and water flowers. Surrounded by the gopīs and bees, He started
wandering around like a king of elephants.
After the pastimes of playing in the water, His roaming in the woods
is described. Intent on performing more romantic escapades for further
enjoyment after bathing, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs changed their outfits
and put on new dresses suitable for strolling. They moved here and there,
picking flowers, playing hide-and-seek in the nikuñjas, and performing
other amusing pastimes. The bees hovered about when they were plucking
flowers because, although the colorful ointments decorating their bodies
had been washed away while playing in the water, they were still emitting
a natural, sweet aroma. In the midst of the bees and lovely gopīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa
was wandering around like an intoxicated elephant, who emits an aromatic
secretion from his forehead. Because Kṛṣṇa was so fragrant, the bees were
surrounding Him. The example of ‘dviradaḥ’ (elephant) highlights Kṛṣṇa’s
excellence and His attachment to His beloveds.
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After the conclusion of their water sports, they dried off and put on
fresh clothes and ornaments brought by forest goddesses. Accompanied by
the gopīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa started roaming in this small forest on the bank of the
Yamunā, replete with thousands of kuñjas. From all directions refreshing
breezes were blowing, aromatic from the flowers in the woods and in the
water. Kṛṣṇa picked many flowers and tucked them into the gopīs’ hair. The
bees, attracted by the fragrance of the flowers, hovered around the gopīs
and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The whole picture was reminiscent of an intoxicated elephant
who, exuding a fragrant fluid from his forehead that attracts many bees,
cavorts with his she-elephants. Kṛṣṇa also, in the same way, was enjoying
Himself with his beloveds.
Verse 25
evaṁ śaśāṅkāṁśu-virājitā niśāḥ

sa satya-kāmo ʼnuratābalā-gaṇaḥ
siṣeva ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ
sarvāḥ śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ
O Parīkṣit, this autumn night, which included many other

nights within it, was extremely beautiful. The whole area was
lit up by the moonlight and all those ecstatic ingredients of
the autumn season that the poets describe were fully present.
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa performed transcendental pastimes along
with His most beloved gopīs on the bank of the Yamunā, in her
waters and in the forest, and thus fulfilled His purpose. By this
līlā He completely subdued Cupid, who derives his existence
from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as well as the concomitant actions and reactions
resulting from mundane lust.
This verse ‘evaṁ’ concludes the whole rāsa-līlā, the grand festival in
which Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose desires are completely pure, accomplished His
goal by performing His amorous play with His beloved gopīs throughout
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the whole night. This night was replete with all the ecstatic ingredients
described in poems about the autumn season; beautified by the moonrays,
it sheltered śṛṅgāra-rasa and served Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Although Bhagavān Śrī
Kṛṣṇa was surrounded by the best of jewel-like women and was performing
erotic games with them, He never lost His composure and Cupid was unable
to gain victory over Him.
This verse ‘evaṁ’ sums up the rāsa-līlā that took place on the full-moon
autumn night. It also includes the rāsa-līlās that occurred on other full-
moon nights as well as other amorous pastimes performed at different times.
‘Śarat-kavya-kathā’ refers to the subject matter inspiring the poets, namely
the moonlit autumn nights, which are laden with all kinds of ingredients
for stimulating śṛṅgāra-rasa, when Kṛṣṇa enjoys this ever on-going dance
festival of love. Each season of the year has its own flavor, and this special
rāsa-līlā night contained all these flavors in full. Thus Śrī Kṛṣṇa was able
to perform this rāsa-līlā with an unlimited variety of activites. It is to be
understood that here the word ‘śarad’ (autumn) includes all six seasons.
The phrase ‘sarvāḥ niśāḥ’ (all these nights) indicates Kṛṣṇa’s other
amorous pursuits as well, like secretly entering the gopīs’ houses, calling
them for abhisāra, and sleeping with them in the kuñjas. These episodes
occur in both moonlit and dark nights as well. There is no mention of
any specific līlā here but it to be understood that all kinds of romantic
escapades were going on.
‘Rasāśrayāḥ’ – poets from the entire length and breadth of the country,
and throughout the ages, have recorded descriptions of the autumn nights in
their lyrical narrations to the best of their ability. Thus their poems become
the repositories of all the moods contained in śṛṅgāra-rasa. All these were
present in this śāradiya rāsa-līlā, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoyed them to His full
satisfaction, but it to be noted that in all these poetries, transcendental rasa
is the primary element; there is not even a scent of mundane lust.
The question arises: how did He enjoy? The answer is ‘saurata’ – Kṛṣṇa
enclosed within His heart all of the gopīs’ gestures indicating their conjugal
desires, and reached an unprecedented state of joy. He was unable to ignore
their invitations. No one special action on the part of the gopīs attracted Him;
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rather, it was the sum total of all their expressions. An example of this is found
in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.58: “Bhagavān Devakī-nandana is ātmārāma
(self-satisfied), yet He enjoyed conjugal affairs with Rukmiṇī-devī, performing
human-like pastimes and engaging in love-chatter (saurata-saṁlāpa).”
‘Ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ’ – Why did He lock up in His heart all
the gopīs’ gestures indicating their amorous desires? The answer is this: all
those fair maidens were obsessed with love for Him, and all their actions
were arising out of anurāga. The main reason is their transcendental love
for Him, and not the mundane lust of this world. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is satya-kāma;
His desires are spotless, devoid of the scent of any fault. Śrī Parāśara and
Vaiśampāyana have said, “In this way, encircled by the vraja-gopīs, Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the abode of happiness, attained supreme delight in the
full-moon autumn night.”
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has said: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa enjoyed all those nights,
the beauty of which is recorded in poems glorifying śṛṅgāra-rasa, but He
kept His erotic feelings tucked away inside His heart, and did not let them
flow out as ordinary humans are wont to do. This indicates His victory over
Cupid.” In this statement, he has explained the word ‘saurata’ in a way that
is not generally accepted. One may question why he has done this. It should
be understood that he has done so to affirm that Bhagavān is not under the
dominion of Cupid.
This verse starting with ‘evaṁ’ (in this manner) summarizes this
autumn night rāsa-līlā, which includes a great variety of activities. Due to
the influence of Yogamāyā, the nights were brightly illuminated by the moon
and sheltered all kinds of ingredients favorable for śṛṅgāra-rasa. In this
way Śrī Kṛṣṇa derived great delight in performing confidential rāsa-vilāsa
in Vṛndāvana, taking advantage of (siṣeva) these nights. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the
subject of all these activities. That is why all these nights offered themselves
to Him for His pleasure, for the performance of all His amorous affairs. It is
to be understood that Kṛṣṇa accepted this service with great honor, just as
devotees respect mahā-prasad.
His romantic dallyings are not mundane, rather they are transcendental.
The phrase ‘satya-kāma’ means that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original, ever-existent
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personality replete with transcendental desires. ‘Anuratābalā-gaṇaḥ’ is an

adjectival phrase describing Kṛṣṇa: ‘anurata’ – always attached to Kṛṣṇa;
‘abalā-gaṇaḥ’ – all those gentle-natured women. By the use of the word
‘abalā’ (lovely ladies) it is shown that the vraja-gopīs were completely swayed
in His love. Śrī Kṛṣṇa was fully engrossed day and night in His romantic
pleasures with them. Transcendental amorous play is symptomized by
‘ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ,’ which refers to Kṛṣṇa keeping within His
heart all their displays of amorous feelings, like hāva-bhāva (provocative
gestures), vivvoka (neglect) and kila-kiñcita (a medley of contradictory
emotions spurred by jubilation); their vyabhicāri-bhāvas such as vamyā
(contrariness), autsukya (eagerness) and harṣa (joy); their sāttvika-bhāvas
like stambha (being stunned), sveda (perspiring) and vaivarna (changing
color); as well as the anubhāvas of darśana (seeing), sparśana (touching),
saṁlāpa (conversing) and āliṅgana (embracing). This is a symptom of
transcendental romantic play (saurata). All these emotions are hinted at in
the phrase saurata-saṁlāpa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.58:
evaṁ saurata-saṁlāpair
bhagavān devkī-sutaḥ
sva-rato ramayā reme
nara-lokaṁ viḍambayan
“Bhagavān Devakī-nandana, imitating human-like pastimes, spoke

love chatter and enjoyed romantic dalliance with Ramā.”
The word ‘saṁlāpa’ ordinarily denotes general convervations, but in

this special case it means ‘romantic talks.’ The word ‘saurata’ carries its
usual meaning and includes all romantic gestures and feelings.
‘Sarvā siṣeve’ means He made use of all the nights of the twelve months.
What was the nature of those nights? “Śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ
– these nights were surcharged with all the ingredients of śṛṅgāra-rasa,
which are depicted in the poems describing autumn nights.” Amara-kośa
dictionary defines the word śarat as ‘all six seasons of the year.’ This
particular rāsa-līlā night sheltered the sum total of those poetic narrations
of the six seasons. All the pure-hearted rasika poets have described in
their lyrical compositions Kṛṣṇa’s Vṛndāvana pastimes predominated by
śṛṅgāra-rasa that took place in all the nights of the entire year. They include
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all the ancient poets such as Vyāsadeva, Parāśara and many more, and also
more recent poets such as Jayadeva, Līlāśuka, Govardhanācārya and Rūpa
Gosvāmī. However, they could not cover the subject matter fully. I also
am unable to completely describe all these romantic pastimes that Kṛṣṇa
performed, although have tried to the best of my ability.
Verses 26 -27
śrī-parīkṣid uvāca
saṁsthāpanāya dharmasya
praśamāyetarasya ca
avatīrṇo hi bhagavān
aṁśena jagad-īśvaraḥ
sa kathaṁ dharma-setūnāṁ
vaktā kartābhirakṣitā
pratīpam ācarad brahman
para-dārābhimarśanam
Mahārāja Parīkṣit questioned: “O best of sages, Bhagavān

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the lord of the entire creation, advented along with
His plenary portion Balarāma to establish religiosity and to
annihilate irreligion. He Himself institutes, guards and instructs
religion and moral principles. Why, then, did He violate them by
touching other men’s wives?

‘Pratīp’ (contrary) means ‘behaving in an irreligious manner.’ Such
conduct on the part of Bhagavān is not as irreligious as eating the flesh of
a deer or a bird killed by a poisoned arrow; rather it is an act of supreme
bravery. This is the purport of ‘para-dārābhimarśanam’ (touching other
men’s wives).
A variety of events took place during this enchanting Śrīmatī Rāsa-līla.
They include, first of all, attraction of the Vraja maidens by the sound of
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the flute, then their love talks with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, next amorous dalliance, after
that playfully disappearing with Rādhā, followed by appearing again and
sitting on the veils offered by the gopīs, answering their puzzling questions,
then the joy of dancing, confidential escapades, water sports, and roaming
in the woods on the bank of the Yamunā. Relishing the full mellows of this
special festival, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the best of sages, narrated this
whole pastime in great detail, and thereby happily answered all of Mahārāja
Parīkṣit’s inquiries. By hearing this, the king experienced great delight. It is
very clear that he did not see any fault in rāsa-līlā. If there were any blemish
to be found, it would have been distasteful and the joy of hearing would
have been disrupted. Śrī Parīkṣit himself harbored no doubts, but there were
many unfavorable karmis and jñānis in the audience who might have had
some misgivings. For their welfare Mahārāja Parīkṣit mercifully presented
this question to Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī in these two verses and the next one.
Bhagavān, the Lord of the universe, appeared in this world to establish
dharma, that is, to re-establish the religious principles that had been lost and
to ensure that they are honored. He came to remove not only irreligiosity, but
also its roots that are buried deep in the heart. Otherwise, it is not possible to
institute dharma fully. The use of the word ‘hi’ (assuredly) here in Verse 26
confirms Bhagavān’s well-known declaration in Bhagavad-gītā 4.8: “I appear
millennium after millennium to protect My unalloyed bhaktas, to annihilate
the wicked and to re-establish dharma.” The word ‘bhagavān’ means that
the Supreme Lord exercises special powers to do this. He appears with His
plenary portion Baladeva due to the seriousness of His mission.
Why is He so insistent on doing this? Because He is the Lord and Main
tainer of the Universe. If He does not protect His creation, then the world
would certainly come to an end. In Bhagavad-gītā 10.42 He says, “With only
one plenary portion I pervade the entire universe.” According to this logic,
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, full in all six opulences, and com
plete in Himself, so it is not possible for Him to desire to play with the gopīs.
‘Sa’ (He) is related to Verse 26, referring to one who has advented to
establish religiosity. How can He (sa) engage in romancing with the wives of
other men? ‘Dharma-setu’ refers to moral codes to protect society. All Vedic
religious rules have emanated from Kṛṣṇa; He instructs them and also prac
tices them. Otherwise, if one who instructs does not follow, general society
will not accept his teachings. Bhagavān introduces and speaks dharma, and
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He also follows it, so how can He act irreligiously? ‘Vaktā kartābhirakṣitā’ –

He is not only the original speaker (vaktā) and creator (kartā) of dharma,
but He protects (abhirakṣitā) it also. How? By killing all those who oppose
the Vedas (abhi), and also by maintaining and promoting (rakṣitā) dharma
in various ways.
So if Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original speaker, executor and protector
of religious principles, how can He act contrary to them by embracing the
wives of other men? “O best of brāhmaṇas, O direct personification of the
Vedas! Your whole dynasty is implicated by Kṛṣṇa transgressing Vedic codes.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is known as brahmaṇyadeva (the protector of the brāhmaṇas), so
it is illogical for Him to act immorally by embracing other men’s wives. For
brahmaṇyadeva Śrī Kṛṣṇa to do such an act is unthinkable. If morality is
transgressed in this way, you brāhmaṇas, who are the personification of the
Vedas, are held blameworthy.”
Śrī Śukadeva might say, “O dear one, why did Bhagavān engage in
romantic play with other men’s wives? How can I comprehend all this?
He is the all-powerful controller. It is beyond my ability to understand His
līlā.” Anticipating such an answer, Śrī Parīkṣit said, “O brāhmaṇa, you are
the embodiment of all the Vedas, decorated with omnipotence. Nothing is
inaccessible to you.”
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32.21 says: “mayāparokṣaṁ bhajatā
tirohitaṁ – when I was hiding, I was still loving you.” With this statement
Kṛṣṇa becomes the promoter of adharma (immoral conduct), and also the
performer of adharma by directly associating with the gopīs. “Repeatedly
behaving in this immoral way, You have perpetrated and maintained
adharma, and are more at fault than others who perform adharma. By such
behavior on Your part, You have destroyed dharma and have instituted
adharma and given it credibility.” Mahārāja Parīkṣit is propagating this
philosophical truth: Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has advented with His plenary
portion Baladeva to establish dharma and annihilate adharma. In this
statement it is said that dharma is planted. But to initiate varnāśrama-
dharma is something very ordinary. This word ‘saṁsthāpana’ (to institute)
indeed indicates His real purpose, which is to present some special dharma,
namely, śuddha-bhakti. Furthermore, Padma-purāṇa states, “Always
remember Viṣṇu, never forget Visṇu. All directives and all prohibitions
from the śāstras are included in this.” Śrī Kuntī-devī also affirms the main
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reason for Kṛṣṇa’s descent in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.20: “O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You

have appeared to bestow bhakti-yoga upon pure hearted, swan-like sages.
How can I, being a woman, understand You?” Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has said
in his commentary on this verse, “He Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You attract self-satisfied
personalities by Your attributes and bless them with bhakti-yoga. This is the
reason for Your appearance.”
Kṛṣṇa’s power alone bestows prema-bhakti, even without giving
any instructions. In this way, all elements contrary to bhakti-yoga are
automatically destroyed, without the need for any special endeavor. So why
will such a powerful Supreme Lord mingle with other men’s wives? The
fact is that He has never performed any immoral act by enjoying with other
women because He is ‘dharma-setu,’ that is, He is the speaker, executor and
maintainer of śuddha-bhakti, which is the core of all dharma.
The main reason for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance is to give prema, the
fruit of prema-bhakti. In service to Kṛṣṇa, all other duties are to be
disregarded, so the gopīs abandoning service to their husbands is the
extension of prema-bhakti because it is also a display of neglecting any
other duty. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.20.9 says: “tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta –
one should perform Vedic ritualistic activities till one becomes detached
from mundane attachments and acquires faith in hearing hari-kathā.”
Accordingly, sādhakas should perform Vedic ritualistic activities until
they develop śraddhā, but not after that. This is the validation for
disregarding all other duties. This being the case, what more can be said
for the nitya-siddha gopīs?
Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān and Lord of the Universe; He is the source (aṁśī)
of all that be, including the gopīs. They are His parts (aṁśa) and are separated
from Him to perform pastimes; hence the meeting of the whole with His
parts is not adharma. He is the Supersoul of everyone, and is also eternally
present within the gopīs, thus there is no fault in their meeting. There is no
possibility of Kṛṣṇa behaving contrary to dharma by meeting other ladies.
‘Para-dārābhimarśanam’ – here the word ‘para’ means ‘supreme, intrinsic
potency,’ and ‘dārā’ means ‘His own ladies.’ Embracing them is not against
dharma, “because you (Śukadeva Gosvāmī) have addressed the gopīs as
kṛṣṇa-vadhū (Kṛṣṇa’s brides).”
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After this, Maharāja Parīkṣit noticed that a suspicion regarding Kṛṣṇa’s
behavior was arising in the desire-ridden hearts of the karmīs and jñānīs
sitting in the audience. To alleviate their doubts, he posed this question found
in this verse ‘saṁsthāpanāya.’ Svayam Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa has incarnated
along with His expansion Jagadiśvara Viṣṇu, and it is this part (amśa) who
establishes dharma and annihilates adharma. Or Svayam Bhagavān has
come with Baladeva. How, then, can He behave against religious principles?
Even if Bhagavān has affairs with other men’s wives in His own personal
pastimes, He is not subject to any reaction that would ordinarily come out
of immoral activity. But sometimes, in His līlā, even though being Iśvara, the
Supreme Controller, He accepts a curse and its result.
Verse 28
āpta-kāmo yadu-patiḥ
kṛtavān vai jugupsitam
kim-abhiprāya etan naḥ
śaṁśayaṁ chindhi su-vrata
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is eternally self-satisfied, His heart is

never touched by extraneous desires. What was His intention in
performing such a despicable act? O virtuous one (O Śrī Śukadeva,
you who strictly adhere to religious principles)! Be merciful and
dissipate this doubt.
“O best of sages, if you say that it is not immoral for the self-satisfied
Supreme Lord, then the question comes, if He is pūrna-kāma and has no
desires, why did He perform such a contemptible act?” The present verse
asks this question.
“Why did the Lord of the Yadus, āpta-kāma Śrī Kṛṣṇa, perform such a
dispicable act by entertaining other men’s wives? The purpose in calling Him
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Yadu-pati is to question how He can be the lord of the supremely virtuous

Yadu dynasty if He Himself performs forbidden acts. We have only this
misgiving. We do not question Him in any other regard, so please remove this
doubt.” The word ‘our’ has been used here to indicate the suspicions arising
in many members of the audience. “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the perfectly self-satisfied
Supreme Lord and the crest jewel of the righteous Yadu dynasty, but His
conduct of enjoying with others’ wives is against śāstra. He has instructed
moral principles but He Himself is not following. Consequently, the hearts
of the karmīs and jñānīs are shaking with doubts. He suvrata, O you who
are firmly established in celibacy and attached to virtuous behavior! Please
destroy our doubt. Otherwise, the righteous behavior of people like you will
become extinct.”
Suggesting another meaning, Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja expressed his opinion
indirectly: “yadu-pati – Kṛṣṇa Himself is the Lord of the Yadus, and everyone
in the Yadu dynasty is a top class devotee. He is very merciful to His devotees.
Did He perform this contemptible act being impelled by His propensity
to shower mercy?” It is an indisputable fact that He always acts favorably
towards them. He is ‘āpta-kāma’ – by performing rāsa-līla He fulfilled His
desire (kāma) to distribute (āpta) prema-bhakti for Himself. This rāsa-līla has
propagated the supermost goal of prema-bhakti, so it cannot be said that He
acted contemptibly. Rather, He has given satisfaction to saintly persons.
“O you who are fully fixed in bhakti! Without hesitation, remove all our
doubts. This rāsa-kṛīda of Bhagavān is full of the nectar of prema-bhakti,
and I personally have no doubt regarding this. And in this assembly there
are many great personalities who are infused with the nectar of bhakti and
who are well versed in śāstra; they also harbor no suspicions. Yet, some
unfavorably inclined persons are present as well, and they are ignorant
regarding the fundamental truths of bhakti. This question is for their
welfare. I fold my hands and request you to firmly cut down their doubts.”
In the present verse ‘āpta-kāma,’ Parīkṣit Mahārāja is asking, “If it is not
against religious principles for the Supreme Lord, what was His intention in
performing this abominable act? He is āpta-kāma and pūrṇa-kāma, so it is
not correct to say that He did it to fulfill His lusty desires. He performed this
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despicable act even though He is devoid of the sense of enjoyment. This has
cast a shadow on His character. If it is said that this was necessary for the
present avatāra, then how can He be the Lord of the Yadu dynasty, which
is supremely religious? In this regard, I and many others are skeptical.” ‘Na’
has been used to denote ‘us.’ “He is āpta-kāma and ātmārāma, yet He took
great delight in dallying with the Vraja gopīs, who are the embodiment of
love and bliss. This is a very deep and confidential concept. He su-vrata,
you strictly adhere to proper behavior, yet you yourself are deeply absorbed
in this līlā. This increases my doubt. Mercifully eradicate this suspicion.”
Verse 29
śrī-śuka uvāca
dharma-vyatikramo dṛṣṭa
īśvarāṇāṁ ca sāhasam
tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya
vahneḥ sarva-bhujo yathā
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O king, sometimes the Supreme
Lord and some very powerful, godly personalities courageously
carry out some scandalous action, but the purity of their
character prevails, just as fire remains uncontaminated while
devouring everything it touches.

In the present verse starting with ‘dharma-vyatikramo,’ Śukadeva
Gosvāmī uses kaimutika-nyāya (the logic of ‘how much more, how much
less’) to refute the idea that the Supreme Lord is guilty of some reprehensible
act. He does this by giving the example of other great personalities – such
as Prajāpati, Indra, Candra and Viśvāmitra – who apparently transgressed
morality by committing questionable acts, but remained blameless since
they are very powerful.
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, out of natural compassion and affection for
his disciple, destroys Śrī Parīkṣit’s doubts. In seven verses, starting with the
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present one, he also reconciles the meaningful conclusions that the king
presented indirectly. Īśvara, or the Supreme Lord, is not under the control of
karma. On occasion He is seen to transgress morality, as well as some other
great personalities, like Brahmā, who brazenly ran after his daughter with
lusty intentions, and Bṛhaspati, who shamelessly enjoyed with the wife of his
brother Utathya. Such actions are not seen as blameworthy, just as no fault
touches fire, which can devour everything yet remains uncontaminated.
Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, does not have to undergo any reactions to His
karma, so He does not incur any blame when He dares to meet intimately
with other men’s wives. There is no possibility of any fault in His deeds.
With this intention Śrī Śukadeva speaks these seven verses starting with
‘dharma-vyatikramo.’ In the present verse he answers the first question.
Rudra and other gods may be seen to commit immoral acts but they are not
condemned due to the illustrious position they occupy. For example, fire
can consume everything but remains pure, similarly the actions of these
powerful persons are not censurable.
Verse 30
naitat samācarej jātu

manasāpi hy anīśvaraḥ
vinaśyaty ācaran mauḍhyād
yathārudro ’bdhi-jaṁ viṣam
Those who are incompetent should not even think of imitating

the activities of powerful controllers. If some foolish person does
so, he brings destruction upon himself. Rudra drank the ocean
of hālahala poison but if anyone else tries to do this, he will be
burnt to ashes.

Bhagavad-gītā 3.21 declares, “Whatever actions done by exalted person
alities, the ordinary people follow.” According to this logic, if great persons
behave immorally, general people may follow suit. The present verse is spoken
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with this apprehension. Conditioned souls should not even mentally imitate the
behavior of great personalities. If someone other than Rudra drinks kālakūṭa
poison arising from the ocean, he brings destruction upon himself.
If exalted personalities engage in some contemptible actions, then
what is surprising if others also do this? With this apprehension, Śukadeva
Gosvāmī says that ordinary, conditioned souls should not even think of doing
such an act, which transgresses dharma. ‘Samācarana’ = samyak (fully) +
ācarana (behavior). Samyak has been used here in a negative sense, as a
warning not to follow even an iota of such behavior. ‘Manasāpi’ – not even
mentally, what to speak of putting into action; ‘hi’ – certainly; ‘vinaśyati’ – if
one acts in such a way, one incurs sin, suffers misery, and brings about his
own destruction, in this lifetime and in future lives. ‘Mauḍhyād’ (controlled
by foolishness) – if someone, unaware of the majestic powers of great
personalities and of his own incompetence, copies them out of foolishness,
he will meet his end. That is why it is absurd for an ordinary person to imitate
Śiva drinking poison. An intelligent person will not be inclined to do this.
The kālakūṭa poison arising from the ocean is lethal, and one who drinks
it will be instantly finished. That is why unintelligent people are warned not
to imitate forbidden acts performed by persons of the status of Brahmā and
Śiva. Powerful rulers never meet their end by acting in such a way; rather,
their acts display their grandeur. After Śiva drank the kālakūṭa poison, His
throat took on a beautiful blue color, and he became more attractive.
Bhagavad-gītā 3.21 states: “yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha – Whatever a great
man does, the general people emulate. Whatever standards he establishes,
all the world follows.” According to this logic, others will also be inspired to
do abominable acts in the wake of the precedents that Brahmā and others
have set by their immoral conduct. This verse has been spoken to address
this point. There is no scope for the fallen, conditioned souls to transgress
dharma even mentally. If, out of stupidity, someone copies Śiva and drinks
kālakūṭa poison, he will be instantly destroyed, but Rudra is glorified for
doing so and He became more beautiful when his throat turned blue.
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Verse 31
īśvarāṇāṁ vacaḥ satyaṁ

tathaivācaritaṁ kvacit
teṣāṁ yat sva-vaco-yuktaṁ
buddhimāṁs tat samācaret
The statements of superior, competent authorities like Śiva

should be accepted as valid and one should act in accordance with
their words. Occasionally they also behave freely, defying accepted
moral conduct, so an intelligent person should follow their favor
able instructions that coincide with their exemplary conduct.

There are two statements: (1) “Incompetent persons should not commit
immoral acts even mentally, what to speak of actually doing them;” (2)
“Whatever a great man does, the general people emulate” (Bhagavad-gītā
3.21). With these two statements, how can one ascertain proper behavior?
The present verse ‘īśvarāṇāṁ’ has been spoken to answer this question.
The words of empowered personalities always present the truth, so their
instructions are to be followed. An intelligent person will also accept their
behavior as exemplary when it agrees with the instructions they have given.
When the behavior of superior authorities is in accordance with their
instructions, intelligent persons will thoughtfully follow their advice. ‘Sva’
(own) – their words convey the truth, and carry supreme power. Their
instructions are taken from śāstra and are meant for the welfare of the
populace. Their words are potent, and intelligent persons will also accept the
example of their behavior where it is consistent with their speech. However,
the foolish will not understand this.
As stated before: “Whatever a great man does, the general people
emulate.” According to this, how can one ascertain virtuous behavior? To
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reconcile this, the present verse ‘īśvarāṇāṁ’ has been spoken. The words of
authorized controllers are always true and beneficial for the people at large,
but their behavior is sometimes (kvacit) exemplary and sometimes not.
When Bhagavān appears as the son of Mahārāja Daśaratha, He establishes
proper social decorum by His own virtuous behavior, and His instructions
are all-auspicious.
Intelligent persons (buddhimān) will follow those words that are in
accordance with śāstra and are one with the Lord’s conduct. For example,
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa ordered Arjuna in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.35: “Kill this
terrorist Aśvatthāmā, the killer of our most dear ones.” But Arjuna did not
follow this instruction.2 So the instructions that are supported by bhakti-
śāstra are to be honored.
Verse 32
kuśalācaritenaiṣām
iha svārtho na vidyate
viparyayeṇa vānartho
nirahaṅkāriṇāṁ prabho
He Prabhu, such powerful personalities are free of falso ego

and have no selfish motives in performing any pious act. And
when they perform some apparently impious action, they do
not suffer any negative reaction because they have transcended
concepts like gain and loss, piety and impiety.
2 Ed: Aśvatthāmā had killed Draupadi’s children in their sleep at night. Kṛṣṇa
ordered him killed, but elsewhere śāstra instructs that a brāhmaṇa, even if sinful,
is never to be killed. Arresting Aśvatthāmā, Arjuna bound him up with ropes like
an animal and brought him before Draupadi, who insisted he be released so that
his mother should not suffer the loss of her child. Arjuna untied Aśvatthāmā but
punished him by slashing off his hair and severing the jewel from the criminal’s
head with his sword. Thus humiliated, he was then driven out of the camp. In this
way, losing his hair, his wealth and residence, he was, in effect, killed and not
killed. Being highly intelligent, Arjuna was able to honor scriptural injunctions
and Kṛṣṇa’s order as well.
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One might question why these great controllers perform unethical acts.
The present verse gives the answer. The essence is that virtuous, intelligent
persons act to destroy prārabdha karma; they have nothing else to do.
‘Ca’ – beyond this world; in the present verse, ‘vā’ indicates a group.
Competent persons are not subject to sinful reactions, even having
performed impious acts. Why? The reason is that those who are free of
false ego do not have to undergo reactions from piety and impiety. As
they are devoid of the mood of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ their actions are not subject
to the laws of karma, and they do not fall down to the hellish planets.
What else can be said about them? He Prabhu – this address means that
‘you can understand everything.’ Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is addressing
Śrī Parīkṣit as īśvāra, meaning that ‘you are also free from the rules of
action and reaction.’
Verse 33
kim utākhila-sattvānāṁ
tiryaṅ-martya-divaukasām
īśituś ceśitavyānāṁ
kuśalākuśalānvayaḥ
If this is the situation of the competent demigods and great

men at the level of īśvara, then how can the Supreme Controller
and Creator of all living beings – including animals, humans and
demigods – be governed by the laws of worldly piety and impiety
meant for His subjects?

The present verse ‘kim uta’ explains that when pious and impious
acts do not affect the great personalities, then certainly Śrī Bhagavān, who
is their Lord, cannot be under the rules of piety and impiety. What other
explanation can there be?
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As empowered personalities are free from false ego, their behavior is
never a source of disturbance. If this is the case, then how can there be any
question of wrongdoing by the Supreme Lord, who advents for the welfare
of the living beings? The present verse ‘kim uta’ employs kaimutika-nyāya
to emphasize this point. If great personalities have no concern for their
benefit or loss, then what to speak of the independent Supreme Lord Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, who is the controller of all the created beings (sattvānāṁ) and who
dispenses the results of their karma. All the created beings include animals,
humans and demigods (tiryak-martya-divaukasām), who are subject to
the modes of ignorance, passion and goodness. Bhagavān is far beyond all
laws governing His creation. All those great personalities are directly under
His control. When they are not subject to advantage and disadvantage,
auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, piety and impiety, then how can their
controller, Bhagavān, be implicated in such acts? This can never be, because
He is the supreme controller of everyone; being the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, He is not controlled by anyone or anything.
The previous verse affirms that Brahmā and other powerful person
alities are not held guilty for transgressing dharma. Now the present verse
uses kaimutika-nyāya to clarify that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not implicated in any kind
of wrongdoing by embracing the wives of others.
Verse 34
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-niṣeva-tṛptā
yoga-prabhāva-vidhutākhila-karma-bandhāḥ
svairaṁ caranti munayo ʼpi na nahyamānās
tasyecchayātta-vapuṣaḥ kuta eva bandhaḥ
When devotees serve the dust of the Lord’s lotus feet, they become
completely satiated. Yogīs, by the power of their meditation on Him, cut the
bonds of their karma and roam around freely, without getting entangled.
The same Supreme Person manifests His transcendental form out of His
own free will, so how can He be under any kind of bondage?
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This verse further clarifies the same subject. Devotees are contented
by serving the pollen of the Lord’s lotus feet. They become free from the
bondage of karma and are able to attain a suitable body, according to
their desire, to serve Bhagavān. Jñānīs are also able to sever their karmic
reactions just by meditating on His lotus feet. How can the same Bhagavān
be subject to any kind of bondage?
In the present verse ‘yat,’ the same subject is clarified by kaimutika-
nyāya. ‘Parāga’ – the effulgent particles from His lotus feet; ‘niṣeva’ –
exclusive service by which the devotees become satiated (tṛpta); this means
that, being full of kṛṣṇa-prema, they see everything else as insignificant,
and nothing entangles them. Sages achieve liberation from karmic
reactions by the power of practicing bhakti-yoga, and even if they perform
some prohibited activity, they remain unaffected. Therefore, if bhakti-
yoga (devotion to Bhagavān) is so powerful, how can the same Supreme
Controller Bhagavān be under any kind of bondage? That He enjoys full
freedom is indicated by ‘icchayā’ (by His own sweet will). This is explained
by kaimutika-nyāya – by His own sweet will, Bhagavān manifests His
divine form to engage in pastimes; He does not come as a result of karmic
reaction like the jīva. The Lord advents in this material world by accepting
the bondage of the bhakti of His devotee. How can such Bhagavān be
subject to any other bondage? Here is an example of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s independent
behavior – Bhagavān [even though He is known as Brahmaṇya-deva, ‘the
Lord who favors the bṛāhmaṇas’] overrides His own words by defeating the
brāhmaṇa Durvasa to protect His devotee, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa.
When Bhagavān’s devotees are not bound by dharma and adharma, then
how can their worshipful deity Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa be subject to any bondage?
This is the subject matter of this verse starting with ‘yat.’ The devotees are
freed from the clutches of karmic reaction just by the power of bhakti-yoga
and exclusive service to the Lord’s lotus feet. These pure devotees can even
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cut down the results of the karma of those who come for their audience. So
certainly their worshipful Lord can never be touched by karma. And when that
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa advents here, He comes in His transcendental form out
of His own free will, and His meeting with the wives of other men should be
understood as completely spiritual as they are expansions of His own svarūpa.
Verse 35
gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca
sarveṣām eva dehinām
yo ’ntaś carati so ’dhyakṣaḥ
krīḍaneneha deha-bhāk
Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul and Master dwelling in the hearts

of the gopīs, their husbands, and, indeed, of all living beings.
The same Śrī Bhagavān manifests His divine form to engage in
playful pastimes.

The previous verse establishes the paramour relationship with the
gopīs, and reconciles any fault arising out of it. The present verse declares
Kṛṣṇa as omnipresent, so the paramour mood becomes completely
meaningless because nothing is separate from Him. This verse ‘gopīnāṁ’
has been spoken to affirm this point. One who is seated as Supersoul in
the gopīs, their husbands and in all living beings, and who is their Master,
meaning He is the witness of everyone’s thoughts and activities – that
very same Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes in His transcendental form to enjoy
pastimes. Therefore, unlike us, He is beyond all faults.
In the previous verse the paramour relationship of the gopīs has been
accepted, and the vice ordinarily connected with it has been dismissed by logic.
Nevertheless, the gopīs are still seen as adulteresses, and they are condemned
for this. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has not been able to tolerate this accusation, and
dismisses the paramour relationship, which is the root of the blemish attributed
to the gopīs with the present verse ‘gopīnāṁ.’ The gopīs are involved in an
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extra-marital affair with Kṛṣṇa but He is not held at fault; still, as the cowherd
maidens are considered unchaste wives and He is associating with them, He is
to be accepted as a libertine. If this accusation is not nullified, then the gopīs will
always be condemned. This is intolerable for Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
In the present verse he dismisses the paramour relationship of the gopīs.
The ultimate transcendental personality Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is also the Supersoul
of the gopīs, their family members and the entirety of embodied beings, comes
to this realm to perform pastimes. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has explained the
word ‘adhyakṣa’ as ‘the witness of thoughts and activities.’ This means that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa resides as the Supersoul in all living beings, so there is nothing which is
not His own. Therefore, the word paradāra (adultery) becomes meaningless,
and the idea that the gopīs are paramours is dismissed.
One might raise the objection that Paramātmā has no form, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa
has a very special form, so what is the difference between Him and us? In
answer to this, he says ‘sa eva,’ the very same Śrī Kṛṣṇa has been confirmed
as Bhagavān in the previous verse, so He is unmistakenly distinct from us.
The word ‘sarveṣāñcaiva’ has been formed with ‘ca’ (and–from the 1st line
of the verse), ‘evaṁ’ (of all–from the 2nd line) and ‘saḥ’ (He–from the 3rd
line) – ‘He is not like all of us.’ In some versions, ca is not seen, but eva is
found everywhere. Śrī Bhagavān, out of His own sweet will, manifests His
transcendental form, not out of the reaction to any karma like ordinary jīvas,
and His form is suitable for particular pastimes. The Supersoul has been
called formless; the reason is that since He is sitting inside as the Supersoul,
He has no form. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.8 presents evidence that He is
not formless: “kecit sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe prādeśa-mātraṁ puruṣaṁ
vasantam – some persons meditate on a personality the size of a thumb
residing within the heart, holding a conch, disc, club and lotus flower in
His four hands.” According to this evidence, one might object: if a thumb-
sized Supersoul resides in the hearts of the jīvas, how can He perform birth
and other pastimes? The answer is that one who is the master of all living
beings takes on a form out of His own will, not due to the bindings of karma.
Furthermore, we living beings have no contact with someone else’s ātmā, but
Bhagavān is the Soul of all beings, present within everyone.
In some versions eśa krīḍana deha-bhāk is seen, and here ‘krīḍaneneha
deha-bhāk’ is found. He resides in the hearts of the Vraja maidens, their
family members and in all embodied beings, and provides all of them
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the qualification to participate in His particular pastimes. He is the

superintendent of all the different qualifications. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.44.14 the ladies of Mathurā praise the love of the Vraja gopīs: “gopyas
tapaḥ kim acaran – Ah! What austerities these cowherd maidens have
performed that they continuously drink the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty!”
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.4 the gopīs say: “kātyāyani mahā-māye –
O Mahāmāyā Kātyāyani! Please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja our
husband.” And in 10.47.21 they ask: “api bata madhu-puryām – O gentle
one, is Kṛṣṇa still in Mathurā? Does He ever think about His father’s home
and His cowherd friends, does He ever talk about us, His maidservants?”
In all these verses it is seen that the gopīs have very special, intimate
feelings for Kṛṣṇa. They see Him as their lord and master in the form of a
husband, not in any other way. Then one might object: why does He not play
in the form of Supersoul, only in the form of Kṛṣṇa? The reply is that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa has an eternal form that is suitable for playing and that everyone can
see, but Supersoul does not. If we think about the meaning of krīḍaneneha
deha-bhāk, we will understand ‘assuming a form for sporting in this world.’
One might object that if Kṛṣṇa is the indwelling Supersoul, then His
being the possessor of everything is taken too far. Just because He is
antaryāmī, it does not mean that some other men’s wives can become His
own. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.60.45 gives more evidence to reconcile this.
In dvārakā-līlā, Rukmiṇī replies to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s joking words: “Prabhu, a
foolish woman who has not worshiped Your transcendental lotus feet and
who has never relished even one drop of the sweet honey issuing forth from
them, accepts as her husband a mortal man, whose body is a living corpse,
consisting inside of muscles, bones, blood, parasites, stool, mucus, bile and
air, and externally covered by skin, hair, whiskers, beard, nails and bodily
hairs. If it had no outside cover, its foul smell would attract millions and
millions of flies and other insects.” According to this statement, Bhagavān
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s extremely effulgent form consists of viśuddha-sattva, eternal
spiritual existence. The vraja-gopīs’ forms are the same. Thus Śrī Kṛṣṇa
can never be attracted to someone’s body made of stool, urine, etc. because
these substances are repulsive.
As said in the next verse: “bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍaḥ yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro
bhavet – people will become eager to dedicate themselves to Me after hearing
narrations of these supremely auspicious pastimes.” But the paramour
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relationship and the splendor of unnatojjvala-rasa (the brilliantly shining

amorous mellow) cannot be fully understood when the devotee still has not
achieved perfection. In such a state, he cannot taste the real pleasure of this
līlā. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.9, ‘antar-gṛha-gatāḥ,’ says that those Vraja
maidens who were not able to attain perfection through sādhana and were
confined in their houses, gave up their bodies.3 And what is the explanation
for Kṛṣṇa’s inclination to Kubjā in Mathurā? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.42.8
says that “the same Kubjā was transformed into a very beautiful, high-class
lady by Mukunda’s touch.” In this way, Kubjā became eligible to meet with Śrī
Kṛṣṇa as His touch acts like a touchstone, changing iron into gold. Another
example is Dhruva Mahārāja, who, receiving the touch of Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s
conch, reached Vaikuṇṭha in the same body. That means these devotees,
after being granted perfection, received the highest type of pleasure.
But in the case of the gopīs, this is not applicable. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.32.10, ‘tābhir vidhūta,’ states that the fair ladies of Vraja embellished Kṛṣṇa;
it does not say that He embellished the gopīs. Also in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.47.60, “nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga – In the rāsa festival, Śrī Kṛṣṇa embraced the
vraja-sundarīs around their necks with His vine-like arms. Such a boon
was never conferred to Lakṣmī, the demigoddesses who are effulgent and
fragrant as lotuses, or any beautiful women of this world.” This verse testifies
to the superexcellence of the vraja-gopīs over Lakṣmī-devī and the heavenly
damsels. And the present Verse 35 should be seen as presenting the same
conclusion.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa resides as the Supersoul in the gopīs and their so-called
husbands, the cowherd men, the cows, and all embodied beings. How?
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.90.48 states: “jayati jana-nivāso – All glories to
He who resides in the hearts of all living beings as the Supersoul and who
also lives with the cowherd community. He takes birth from the womb of
Devakī [Yaśodā], but this is just a theory as He is indeed unborn [being ever-
existing]. He is served by the Yadavas, who are His associates. Just by His
desire He can annihilate evil, but He uses His strong arms, or devotees like
the Pāṇḍavas, to destroy irreligious demons. He takes away the miseries of
all the moving and non-moving beings of this world [and also the agony of
the Vrajavāsīs in separation from Him]. He increases the feelings of love
3 For detailed explanation, see commentary of Verses 9-10 in Chapter 29.
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in the vraja-gopīs and His queens in Dvārakā by displaying His charming,

blissfully smiling face. May that Śrī Kṛṣṇa be victorious.”
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32 declares: “How astonishing it is that the
abode of supreme bliss, who is the complete Absolute Truth, is playing as
the eternal friend of the greatly fortunate Nanda Mahārāja and his fellow
residents of Vraja.” The śrutis (Gopāla-tāpanī) also say that Śrī Bhagavān,
in the form of a cowherd boy, eternally enjoys Himself with the cows, gopas
and gopīs, but out of these, He amuses Himself with the Vraja maidens in
a particular fashion. He is the object for the eyes (adhyakṣa) of everyone
in the material realm and performs His pastimes here for their pleasure.
What is the reason for these two kinds of pastimes? In answer he says that
Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes in His natural cowherd boy form in the material world
and performs His pastimes, which everyone can see. His gopāla form is
perpetual, and so is His sporting with the Vraja maidens. So the gopīs are
Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds, and their bodies are transcendental like His. All
this has been proved beyond a doubt here.
In the manifest pastimes (bhauma-prakaṭa-līlā) the parakīya relation
ship between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs may be met with some skepticism. Yet, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is blissfully absorbed in this narration and refers to the
Vraja maidens as adhokṣaja-priyā, bhagavat-priyā, kṛṣṇa-vadhva. Thus it
is to be understood that Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has very clearly asserted that
the Vraja maidens are identical in tattva with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In Gopāla-tāpanī
Durvāsā Ṛṣi also tells the vraja-sundarīs: “Śrī Nanda-nandana is your
husband.” In prakaṭa-līlā, which gives rise to some suspicion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is
confirmed as their husband. By kaimutika-nyāya the same conclusion is
ascertained in aprakaṭa-līlā, which is beyond any doubt.
The 18-syllable gopāla-mantra also establishes this principle. Śrī
Brahmā has explained this mantra in Brahma-saṁhitā 5.37 in the same way:
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“Śrī Govinda, who is all-pervading and who exists within the hearts
of all, resides in His Goloka-dhāma along with Śrī Rādhā, who is
the embodiment of His pleasure potency and the counterpart of His
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own spiritual form. She is the epitome of transcendental rasa, and is

expert in sixty-four arts. They are accompanied by the sakhīs, who are
expansions of Śrī Rādhā’s own transcendental body. I worship that
original personality, Śrī Govinda.”
Here, the word kalā means ‘expansions of Kṛṣṇa’s body’ (nija-

rūpatayā), or ‘His own beloveds’ (sva-kāntā). The phrase nija-rūpatā
expels all the doubts of paramourship in prakaṭa-līlā. Brahma-saṁhitā
firmly declares the gopīs as Lakṣmīs, goddesses of fortune, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa
as the Supreme Person. This is presented in the introduction in Verse 5.29,
“cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu – I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord,
whose transcendental realm is adorned with millions of desire-fulfilling
trees, pavilions bedecked with precious gems, and uncountable wish-
fulfilling cows. There He is always served with great affection by hundreds
of thousands of lakṣmīs, or gopīs.” It is again affirmed in the conclusion
in Verse 5.56, “śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ – in Goloka the
gopīs (the vraja-lakṣmīs) are the beloveds, and the lover is the Supreme
Person Śrī Govinda.” Not only in Brahma-saṁhitā but elsewhere as well,
such as the 18-syllable gopāla-mantra, the predominant word is gopī. In the
Gautamīya-tantra, gopī-jana-vallabha also ascertains the same principle.
Catering to the inclinations of external practitioners in his explanation
of the eighteen-syllable mantra, the venerable seer of said mantra, Devaṛṣi
Śrī Nārada has focused upon the two aspects of Bhagavān’s majesties,
namely māyā-śakti and svarūpa-śakti, and has abandoned the conventional
understanding that gives predominance to the chanting of Śrī Bhagavān’s
name. For the sake of those dearly beloved devotees who have been inducted
into the inner realm of spiritual development and are meditating upon this
mantra, he determines the word govinda to mean ‘śrī-gopāla-mūrti,’ or the
beautiful and divine form of Gopāla, which designates Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the pati,
or husband of the gopīs. In this way, in the manifest pastimes, the paramour
mood has been overruled.
According to this siddhānta, this mantra – gopī-jana-vallabha –
is explained thus: the word gopī refers to prakṛti, or wife; jana means
mahāttattva, or the material elements; vallabha is the master, or the shelter,
of these two. This vallabha, who is known as Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the
extremely effulgent, condensed form of bliss that pervades everywhere and is
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the shelter of everyone. He is the source of bliss for the entire universe and is
widely celebrated as the husband of the gopīs in many, many lifetimes. He is
the same Nanda-nandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa. ‘In many lifetimes’ means that in many,
many kalpas, He advents in Bhauma Vṛndāvana, and the vraja-gopīs come
with Him, so they are His eternal associates. In Bhagavad-gītā 4.5, Kṛṣṇa says,
“O Arjuna, I have appeared many times before also.” From time immemorial
He advents in every age with the gopīs – this has been declared in the śrutis,
purāṇas and tantras. This means that for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is no question of
the gopīs being someone else’s wives. How, then, can their association be
considered improper? In this way, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī has eliminated the
possibility of the gopīs being adulteresses.
The previous verse explained that even if Śrī Kṛṣṇa embraces someone
else’s wife, He is not at fault. Bhagavān pervades every living being, and
thus nothing is para, or separate from Him. This is the point of this verse
‘gopīnām.’ The same Supersoul Śrī Kṛṣṇa is present inside the gopīs, their
husbands, and the entirety of embodied living beings. So if He is dwelling
inside, how can there be any wrongdoing in embracing externally? He is
the witness overseeing the intelligence of the gopīs internally, so what
is the fault if He sees their external bodies? The objection may be raised
that, being the Supersoul, He is formless, but Śrī Kṛṣṇa has taken a form,
so why should He not be blamed like an ordinary person? The answer is
‘krīḍaneneha deha-bhāk’ – He has assumed the body of a cowherd boy for
performing līlā in Vraja-maṇḍala, and He serves the gopīs by wiping off the
perspiration arising out of their strenuous amorous play.
Verse 36
anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ
mānuṣaṁ deham āśritaḥ
bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍā
yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet
In order to bestow mercy upon the devotees as well as

the conditioned souls, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests His
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humanlike form and performs such extraordinary pastimes

(rāsa-līlā) that anyone who hears about them becomes
exclusively devoted to Him.

One might raise the question: “Why will one who is āptakāma (self-
satisfied) have inclination for immoral acts? This verse ‘anugrahāya’
explains that He does so to show mercy to His devotees. The essence is that
Śrī Bhagavān performs rāsa-līlā and other such pastimes to transform the
hearts of those who, devoid of interest in Kṛṣṇa, are absorbed in mundane
romance; thus He turns them into devotees.
The question arises: “How can āptakāma Bhagavān be disposed to
amorous play? Even if He is attracted to such play, then what is His intention
in performing activities that are censured by the world according to
external vision? The answer is to show mercy to His devotees (anugrahāya).
Bhagavān Himself says in Padma-purāṇa, “I perform various pastimes for
the pleasure of My devotees.” According to this statement, Bhagavān is the
shelter of all existence in the form of brahma (the Supreme Spirit), yet He
Himself takes shelter of a human-like form, which is para-brahma-svarūpa,
the form of the Absolute Truth. In his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
10.1.1, Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda says: “daśame daśamaṁ – The Tenth Canto
reveals the tenth object, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person who
shelters all the universes.” Bhagavad-gītā 14.27 affirms: “brahmaṇo hi
pratiṣṭhāham – I alone am the basis of that nirviśeṣa-brahma.” This present
verse (36) uses the word ‘āśritaḥ,’ but in some other versions āsthitaḥ is
seen. In such a case, the meaning will be ‘accepting a human-like form.’ In
fact, this human-like figure is the Lord’s eternal form.
It cannot be said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa has taken a human-like form out of
His own sweet will for this pastime only because the cowherd community
saw parabrahma Śrī Kṛṣṇa in a human-like form, beyond this material
world [in the outer circle of Goloka] where He was being worshiped
with great opulence. In the same way, to bestow mercy to His devotees,
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends in His eternal human-like form to engage
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in līlās. He is āptakāma but He showers His mercy on His devotees

appropriately. This is the nature of viśuddha-sattva. Bhagavān is always
anxious to award the appropriate result to His devotees for their bhajana.
Examples are mercy to King Rahūgana in the pastimes of Jaḍa Bharat,
and also ‘to you, O Parīkṣit, His special mercy.’ Here the ‘devotees’ means
the vraja-devīs, residents of Vraja and all other Vaiṣṇavas for all ages,
past, present and future. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s līlās include the pūrva-rāga of
the Vraja maidens and Kṛṣṇa’s birth and childhood pastimes directly
enjoyed by the Vrajavāsīs; all the devotees – past, present and future –
get mercy by the seeing and hearing about these līlās. Therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa
expands His pastimes, which may look very ordinary, but after hearing
them, devotees and others also become exclusively dedicated to Him.
Consequently, those who are hearing this supremely nectarean rāsa-līlā
will perform their bhajana with greater depth.
The upcoming Verse 39, ‘vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca,’ explains
this topic in great detail. Those jīvas in a human body will hear narrations of
the pastimes because Bhagavān advents in this mortal world, and here only
worship of Him is predominant. So humans get to hear these narrations
easily. In the original verse, ‘bhaktānāṁ’ (devotees) is seen, but in some
versions bhūtānāṁ (all created beings) is used; the devotees are the reason
for Bhagavān’s descent, but all created beings derive benefit, including
materialists, those seeking liberation, liberated persons, and all other
entities, by the manifestation of His human-like pastimes. His supremely
merciful nature is the sole cause for His coming. Other jīvas are benefited
as well, but only by the association of devotees. Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda has
explained the rest. By hearing Bhagavān’s līlā-kathā, even those who are
disinclined to Kṛṣṇa give up their disinterest and become devotees.
Speaking about Bhagavān’s very special mercy, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī
becomes absorbed in the ultimate limit of nectarean prema and focuses on
the gopīs. Another explanation for the previous Verse 35 explains that Śrī
Kṛṣṇa’s universal form is one of His aspects. The objection is that, if this is
so, why does He want to display this līlā before worldly people? Why does
He not do it in confidence, only in His aprakaṭa-līlā (His eternal realm)?
The answer is that He does this for His devotees (bhaktānāṁ) in this world,
where He manifests His human-like form. Bhagavān’s universal form
comprises all fourteen planetary systems (bhūr-bhuvaḥ svaḥ), and this
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mortal world is a portion of His universal form. When Bhagavān advents

here, He accepts that portion of the mortal world present in His universal
form to bestow His mercy upon His devotees. It is said that Bhagavān’s
different limbs form the fourteen planetary systems. “The Earth is His
body” is the evidence given in the śrutis. New practitioners are instructed
to worship this gigantic form to stabilize their minds. It is inferred that
the Earth and the other planets are formed by His limbs, but this is His
marginal characteristic. Whatever it is, the use of the word ‘body’ in the
śrutis indicates a human form.
“Yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet – hearing this, devotees and others
become dedicated to Him.” The word tatpara is explained first – the devotees
and even non-devotees will be inclined to devotion by hearing this līlā.
Anugrahāya bhūtānāṁ is also seen in some places, which means ‘giving
mercy to all living beings.’ Someone might say that devotees and non-
devotees who hear about rāsa-līlā without having proper qualification will
consequently encounter impairment in their bhajana, but such explanation
cannot be accepted. According to the context, the correct understanding is
that Śrī Kṛṣṇa became eager to perform rāsa-līlā. This līlā is so attractive to
the heart that when Kṛṣṇa hears it from the lips of the devotees, He Himself
becomes captivated.
The present verse ‘anugraha’ answers Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s second
question: “Why did Śrī Kṛṣṇa perform this prohibited act?” He did so to show
His mercy to the devotees. After hearing narrations of this līlā, humans will
develop faith and will become dedicated to Him. So what more can be said
about this rāsa-līlā? Out of all His pastimes, this rāsa-līlā shines forth with
the greatest glory. Not only is it full of nectar up to the brim, but it also has
some very astonishing and incomprehensible potency, like the powerful
medicine of a priceless mantra that makes all humans become inclined
to bhakti. What more can be said on this subject, which drowns all kinds
of devotees in supreme bliss! A human form is the chief requisite to do
bhajana and to thus easily attain bhakti for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, because Bhagavān
advents among the human beings in this mortal world where one can easily
hear about rāsa-līla from the glorious devotees.
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Verse 37
nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya
mohitās tasya māyayā
manyamānāḥ sva-pārśva-sthān
svān svān dārān vrajaukasaḥ
The cowherd men, deluded by the potency of Yogamāyā, saw
their wives with them in their houses; therefore they were not
suspicious of Kṛṣṇa.

Those who act against the Vedas give this type of justification for
their unapproved behavior. The purport is that if those who do not have
any special authority get involved in forbidden activities, then these are
considered sinful. That is why this verse ‘nāsūyan’ has been spoken.
One might object that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul and He performs
endless pleasurable pastimes with the gopīs, His eternal beloveds. This
eradicates the paramour relationship; but by logic His aspect as Supersoul
has been slightly established, not in full. This is the first point. The second
point is that the vraja-gopīs are eternal beloveds, so they are not marked
by any blemish coming from a paramour relationship; so alas, alas, why
are they called adulteresses? This means that they have been married to
someone else. They may have been eternal beloveds in eternal lifetimes, but
at present they are the wives of the cowherd men. This can be explained by
saying that Bhagavān expands such pastimes to bestow mercy and to make
His devotees staunchly dedicated to bhakti.
Another question may come: by this līlā, how is Śrī Kṛṣṇa showing His
mercy to His topmost devotees, the residents of Vraja? Because He has engaged
in amorous play with the cowherd men’s wives, they will naturally resent Him.
So all those eternal beloveds underwent the suffering of having to marry
other men, and their husbands had to face embarrassment by Bhagavān’s
activities. Hearing such narrations, how can the devotees remain steady in
practicing their bhakti, and what to speak of non-devotees? The present verse
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has been spoken to remove such apprehension. Here the principle of logical
conclusion is stronger than the story-line itself – so the residents of Vraja
did not have any envy towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa, certainly not (khalu)! The proof is
Brahmā’s statement about Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.35: “You
are the only focal point of all the Vrajavāsīs, whose households, treasures,
dearmost relatives, friends, children, very lives and hearts’ desires rest on
You.” In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.16.10 Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī tells Mahārāja
Parīkṣit: “The Vrajavāsīs have dedicated their souls, their dear ones, their
wealth, wives, and desires of the heart to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” And certainly the cowherd
men, being Vrajavāsīs, never felt any envy for Kṛṣṇa.
So if it is said that the residents of Vraja, who are the object of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
mercy, may or may not know [that their wives were with Kṛṣṇa and not with
them], still His behavior with them was not proper. To reconcile this, it is
said that His beloved gopīs became the wives of these gopas, and due to
delusion the cowherd men saw them as their wives, but in the absolute sense
the gopīs are married to Kṛṣṇa. Thus, He automatically attracted them, and
the Vrajavāsīs could not know this, so wherein lies the fault? It is a well-
known fact that the gopīs are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds, so it is impossible
for there to be any other meaning. The gopīs are immaculate; to prove this
by logical conclusion is like sweeping a spotless house with a clean broom.
To increase the joy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s variegated love-filled pastimes, Yogamāyā
bewildered the cowherd men, who assumed Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s wives as their own.
Thus they saw the gopīs inside their houses next to them.
‘Tasya’ (His) has been analyzed in two ways: (1) the cowherd men
were married to other cowherd women created by Yogamāyā; they were
not married to Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds. These gopas considered these
eternal beloveds as their wives, but actually they were not. These gopīs
were protected by Yogamāyā; the gopas were covered over and could not
understand this. The cowherd men heard some rumors, but they did not
believe them. These gopīs, Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds, never ever saw these
cowherd men as their husbands. In this way this theory of husbandhood is
obliterated. Those so-called husbands were never tied up in the marriage, so
that is why they did not make allegations against Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī
also says the same thing, but he did not use the word ‘envy.’
(2) After Kṛṣṇa called the gopīs for rāsa-līlā, Yogamāyā created the
duplicates, whom the cowherd men saw in their houses next to them. These
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gopas accepted them as their wives, so they could not feel any resentment
towards Kṛṣṇa or suspect any wrong-doing. Yet, if one is convinced that
these shadow forms of Bhagavān’s beloveds slept on the same bed with
the gopa husbands, then one is mistaken. ‘Sva-pārśva’ (next to them) – the
gopas saw these gopīs next to them, truly thinking, “This is my wife,” but this
was just a delusion created by Yogamāyā, who cheated them.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa pronounced the gopīs’ superlative glories in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 10.32.22: “na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ – Your
loving relationship with Me is completely pure, free from any trace of desire
for personal gratification.” This indicates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not touched by
the fault of mixing with anyone elses’ wives. Gargācārya also gives the same
meaning by kaimutika-nyāya in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.18: “Those who
love Kṛṣṇa are vastly fortunate. They cannot be defeated by their enemies,
just as the demigods sheltered by Viṣṇu cannot be overcome by demons.”
Brahma-saṁhitā 5.56 also confirms this: “śriyaḥ kāntā kāntaḥ parama-
puruṣaḥ – the Lakṣmīs are the beloveds and the Supreme Male is the one and
only lover. All the trees are wish-fulfilling, and the earth is desire-stone.” This
proves that the paramour relationship of the vraja-devīs is the trick of māyā;
actually they are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal beloveds. This has been affirmed here.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.8 presents another point of consideration:
“tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ – the so-called husbands of the gopīs, their parents
and dear relatives were prohibiting them from leaving their houses.” The
question comes: did these cowherd men know about the gopīs’ attraction to
Kṛṣṇa or not? If they did not know, then they cannot be jealous of Him. If it
is assumed that they were envious, then this conclusion [that they did not
know] cannot be accommodated. But if the gopas knew that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was
calling their wives, then that is why they stopped them. Afterwards, when
they saw their wives next to them in their houses, they might have thought,
“Our wives are obedient to us.” So they harbored no resentment towards
their wives. But when they came to know that these gopīs were going due to
Kṛṣṇa’s beckoning, then they could naturally become jealous of Him. In this
way, the question is settled.
So the explanation is that the cowherd men did not know that Śrī Kṛṣṇa
was deliberately calling their wives. The astonishing thing is that His flute
melody was especially trained to enter only the ears of the gopīs, and no one
else. If others also heard this sound of the flute, then Kṛṣṇa’s parents and
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others would run to the spot in anticipation of some calamity, thinking, “Why
has He gone to this secluded forest in the night when everyone is sleeping?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa attracts everyone by His innate sweetness, so naturally the gopīs
also go to see Him. But they were stopped by the gopas because nighttime
was not the proper time to go out. Even if the Vrajavāsī gopas had come to
know that the gopīs were with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in that secluded forest for the whole
night, they might not feel any resentment because the Vrajavāsīs have a very
special affection for Kṛṣṇa. But some semblance of resentment must have
been there. The reason is that the residents of Vraja consider that Śrī Kṛṣṇa
is the sole reason for their lives. If He spends the whole night with the other
men’s wives, then He has transgressed social etiquette and Vedic injunctions.
This would have astonished them and they would have become worried for
His welfare. This would make them develop some anger towards Him and they
would resent their wives and daughters for their inappropriate behavior. In
the present verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that the cowherd men saw their
wives near them inside the house, so there was no reason to show any kind of
envy or resentment towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
In the Padma-purāṇa, sṛṣṭi-khaṇda, Viṣṇu gives a benediction to the
gopas, the founders of the family line of His beloveds, in some previous age:
“When Nanda and the other cowherd men will incarnate on the Earth, I will also
reside amongst you and play with your daughters. That play will be so pure
that no one’s heart will be tainted by anger, envy or any other negative feeling.”
The Vrajavāsīs have an inborn affection for Kṛṣṇa so they cannot hold any
resentment towards Him. To say that they did not feel envy for Kṛṣṇa due to the
effect of māyā contradicts this point. Actually, people of this world are envious
of Bhagavān because they are deluded by māyā, the external illusory energy,
but when free of māyā, they are attracted to Him. ‘Mohitās tasya māyayā’ –
the Vrajavāsīs did not feel any resentment towards Bhagavān due to the effect
of māyā; to say this is contrary to the explanation given here. To reconcile
this contradiction, ‘manyamānāḥ’ (they thought) is to be joined with ‘mohita’
(deluded) – deluded by Yogamāyā, they thought their wives were at home.
Otherwise, we will get involved in arguments and counter-arguments about Śrī
Kṛṣṇa, and will not arrive at any conclusion. Those who cannot understand the
cowherd men’s genuine concern for Kṛṣṇa’s welfare see the gopas as being
envious of Him, and their unfounded suspicions about Him must be eradicated.
The above-mentioned conclusion dislodges the contradictions.
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Śrī Kṛṣṇa is completely absorbed in loving exchanges with His dear ones,
and this māyā (Yogamāyā) understands this automatically; even without
the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, she knows what to do, like a very expert minister
of an emperor. By her arrangements, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is able to enjoy the topmost
pleasure. Even in preceding līlās, she assisted in this way. So Śrī Śukadeva
Gosvāmī says that Yogamāyā is the doer (kartā), and that is why in the initial
verse of rāsa-līlā he says, ‘yogamāyām upāśritaḥ, took shelter of Yogamāyā.’
Yogamāyā is the special potency for accomplishing all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
If, by scriptural evidence, it is established that the gopīs are the eternal
svakīya of Kṛṣṇa [His own wives], then the word ‘tasya’ (Him–‘His own
illusory potency’) in the verse at hand becomes meaningless. When one
meets with his own wife, no envy is aroused. Thus the great personalities
have joined ‘tasya’ with ‘dārān’ (wives) to show the underlying meaning
[that they are His eternal consorts]. If the explanation is presented in this
way, then any seeming breaches in social etiquette – that Kṛṣṇa is the
upapati (paramour); that the gopīs would by lying in someone else’s bed;
that the Vrajavāsīs feel resentment for Kṛṣṇa; and that the gopīs’ behavior
is improper – all these anomalies [which have been enacted to heighten the
excitement in the līlā] are nullified.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved gopīs were not in their houses when they were
meeting with Him in the forest; Yogamāyā placed duplicate forms of the
gopīs next to their husbands. The cowherd men believed these duplicates
to indeed be their wives; they did not experience any difference between
Kṛṣṇa’s beloveds and these facsimiles, because the Vrajavāsīs were all
illusioned (mohita) by Yogamāyā. It must be so because the glories of chaste,
young women are never defeated in any way. What more can be said about
someone who accepts Śrī Bhagavān as her husband? Gargācārya affirms
this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.8.18 by kaimutika-nyāya: “Anyone who has
love for the eminent Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot be defeated by any enemy.” According
to this evidence, the glories of the Lord’s devotees never diminish, so what
to speak about His special beloveds!
In regard to protecting the sanctity of the social etiquette of faithful wives,
one can refer to the story of the duplicate image of Śrī Sītā-devī as told in the
latter part of the Thirty-second Chapter of Uttara section of Kūrma-purāṇa.
“All chaste wives are equal to the consort of Lord Śiva (Rudrāṇī). There is
no doubt that such women can never be defeated by anyone. For the moral
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benefit of the general masses and to show the responsibilities of a chaste wife,
Sītā-devī, the wife of Dāśarathī Śrī Rāmacandra, who is celebrated in the three
realms of existence, renounced royal pleasures and left for the forest full of
violent animals with her husband. There she stayed in the Pañcavaṭī forest
in a hut of dried leaves made by Śrī Lakṣmaṇa, as if she was experiencing
pleasures found in Nandana-kanan, the forest of Indra.
“Then Rāvaṇa, the all-conquering, extremely powerful king of the
demons, being captivated by Śrī Sītā-devī’s unparalleled beauty, exercised
his demonic powers to create illusion and transformed himself into a very
energetic and peaceful sage. With the sinister motive to abduct her, he
began roaming around her cottage in the lonely forest. As Sītā-devī was
a devoted wife, that demon was unable to hide his evil intention. At that
time Śrī Rāmacandra was absent, and she was all alone in the hut. Thus,
for her protection, with folded hands she started glorifying Lord Agnīdeva,
the god of fire, as she remembered Śrī Rāmacandra. The demigods will
certainly respond to a chaste lady’s simple prayer. Therefore, Agnīdeva
complied and, desiring Ravāṇa’s death, he created a shadow form of Sītā-
devī and protected the real Sītā-jī by hiding her. Seeing her shadow form,
the king of demons kidnapped her and took her to the island of Laṅka in
the middle of the ocean. Later on, that king of the demons was killed at the
hand of Śrī Rāmacandra, who was accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa. Śrī Rāma was
apprehensive to accept Sītā. To instill trust in the general citizens, māyā
Sītā entered the fire, which devoured her, and Agnīdeva offered the real
Sītā-devī to Śrī Rāmacandra. And they all returned to Ayodhyā.” Therefore,
the way Agnīdeva protected the chaste Sītā-devī with his deluding powers,
similarly Yogamāyā exercised her illusory powers and protected Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s
eternal beloveds by hiding them from the Vrajavāsīs. In adherence to this
story, the subject matter at hand has been resolved.
One might question that, as Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa dallied with the Vraja
maidens the whole night, their husbands and in-laws did not see these ladies
in the house; so why did they not express any anger towards Kṛṣṇa? To
remove this apprehension Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse ‘na.’ The
Vrajavāsīs were under the influence of Bhagavān’s Yogamāyā. The word
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‘māyā’ in the verse refers to Yogamāyā, and not the external, illusory potency.
The associates of Bhagavān are not influenced by the external māyā,
only those who are affected by the illusory potency become indifferent to
Bhagavān. But in the gopas, no symptom of indifference to the Lord was
seen. Yogamāyā enchanted them: when the gopīs went for abhisāra with
Kṛṣṇa, Yogamāyā created duplicate gopīs and bewildered their husbands.
The gopas saw their wives in their houses, so they never felt any anger
towards Kṛṣṇa.
In Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (3.32) it is said:
māyā-kalpita-tādṛk-strī
śīlanenānusūyubhiḥ
na jātu vraja-devīnāṁ
patibhiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ
“Kṛṣṇa’s beloved gopīs are the crest-jewels of all chaste women, and
are brimming over with prema. These vraja-devīs have only the
conception of being the wives of the gopas as, in fact, they never had
any intimate contact with these so-called husbands.”
These marriages were arranged to create the special exhilaration that

comes in a paramour relationship. The gopas were husbands in name
only; they never had any physical relations with their wives. At the time
of abhisāra, these gopas were eating, drinking and being served by these
shadow gopīs, who were identical in form and nature with the originals, thus
the cowherd men had no reason to find fault with Kṛṣṇa.
Yogamāyā is the spiritual potency, so her actions hold true for all
time. Even when this material world is annihilated, the gopas’ conception
of the gopīs being their wives continues on. By Yogamāyā’s arrangement,
these gopas did not have any intimate contact even with the duplicate
gopīs. These duplicate gopīs are the exact replicas of the originals, so even
with these, any kind of intimacy would be improper. It may be said that
these duplicates were in the houses and perhaps shared the bed also, but
Yogamāyā reconciled this also because she removed all lusty feelings in
these gopas. When the original gopīs came back to their respective homes
after romancing with Kṛṣṇa in the forest, Yogamāyā removed the duplicates.
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Verse 38
brahma-rātra upāvṛtte
vāsudevānumoditāḥ
anicchantyo yayur gopyaḥ
sva-gṛhān bhagavat-priyāḥ
After the long night of Brahmā had passed and morning was
coming, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa ordered His beloveds to return to
their homes. The gopīs unwillingly went back to their houses
because their every act is meant for pleasing Kṛṣṇa.

Brahma-rātrī – brāhma-muhūrta (the one and one-half hours before
sunrise). Upāvṛtte – came to an end.
After reconciling all the questions related to the topic at hand, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes the entire narration. With the word ‘anicchantyo’
(reluctantly), He indicates that the gopīs were drowning in the ocean of
transcendental bliss and were still unsatisfied. At the end of the night of Brahmā,
they were still dallying with Kṛṣṇa; just as morning was coming they reached the
edge of the forest near Vraja, and seeing that the time was right, they proceeded
to their respective houses. One might object that they had given up everything
for Kṛṣṇa so why should they go back even at that time? The reason is that
Śrī Vāsudeva commanded them to do so because at that time Kṛṣṇa had to be
present in Nanda Bhavan to be with His father Nanda and make him happy. In
the morning Śrī Nanda Mahārāja especially remembers his dear son, after being
separated the whole night. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to come back home at this time.
Thus the gopīs were also obliged to return to their homes at the same time. Here
the name Vāsudeva (the son of Vasudeva) should be understood as the son of
Śrī Nanda because in gokula-līlā, the son of Nanda Mahārāja (nanda-putra) is
eternally present. However, Śrī Śukadeva uses the name Vāsudeva in reference
to the eighth vasu Drona in his previous life, who was now present within Śrī
Nanda in this pastime. To indicate this vasu, the name Vāsudeva has been used,
but actually it means Nanda-nandana only.
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‘Anumoditāḥ’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa ordered the gopīs to go back with the promise
that He would give more of His association later on. They unwillingly left
due to His repeated insistence. Another meaning can be taken – “I am
always with you, and we dance, sing and enjoy many other pleasurable
pastimes together. I am subjugated by your overwhelming prema, therefore
I will surely keep My promise to meet with you again. Thus I am advising all
of you to return to your homes.” This is the reason why Kṛṣṇa was humbly
requesting each and every vraja-sundarī to return home.
Meaning in the mood of aiśvarya: the gopīs were inspired by ‘Vāsudeva’
Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul in their hearts to return to their homes; and
externally His humble entreaty convinced them to go. Thus Kṛṣṇa’s glories
are exhibited. ‘Vasudeva’ means ‘whose heart is especially pure.’ Śrīmad-
Bhagavatām 4.3.23 affirms this: “one whose consciousness is thoroughly
pure (viśuddha-sattva) is known as vasudeva.” According to this statement
spoken by Śrī Śiva, the presiding deity of such a pure heart is Vāsudeva.
If Vāsudeva Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the very form of prema, is in the hearts of
the gopīs, they are thus subject to His will and are bound to submit to His
humble request and return to their houses.
The question may come: Krṣṇa had given up the association of the
vraja-devīs, so how could they now agree to leave Him? Kṛṣṇa is controlled
by prema, and the fruit of prema is getting Kṛṣṇa’s association, so if they
gave up His association, then how is it proved that He is controlled by
prema? This explains the use of the phrase ‘bhagavat-priyāḥ – those who
hold the Lord very dear.’ Such beloveds can tolerate their own sufferings, but
they cannot bear that Kṛṣṇa should suffer even a tiny bit. Just like a perfect
gentlemen, Kṛṣṇa, being controlled by His beloveds, tolerated unbearable
separation by sending them back to protect their chastity, social standing
and submission to their families.
The long night – equivalent to a night of Brahmā (brahma-rātra),
containing 1000 yugas – quickly (upa) passed (āvṛtte). At the end of this
long, long night, the gopīs, upon the order of Śrī Vāsudeva, reluctantly
returned to their houses. It was Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s intention to perform so many
pastimes in one night, and as He is satya-saṅkalpa, everything He desires
471
comes to pass. Thus, whatever desire He had for dancing, singing and other
entertaining escapades – to complete all that, a vast time span was required.
To provide that long amount of time, 1000 yugas entered into one night
(four praharas – 12 hours) at the rāsa-sthalī. Furthermore, this universe
measuring 500 million yojanas (1 yojana equals 8 miles) entered into the
five yojanas of Vṛndāvana, and this was witnessed by Brahmājī at the time
of Kṛṣṇa’s bhojana-līlā (His picnic with the cowherd boys). And when Kṛṣṇa
was very young, Mother Yaśoda tied unlimited ropes together to bind Him,
but was not successful; and in His mouth she saw vast universes. Thus,
it is seen that nothing is impossible for Him. Śrī Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛta
confirms this: “Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, all of His dear associates, His dhāma and
time are inconceivably powerful. Nothing is impossible for them.”
“Vāsudevānumoditāḥ – To ensure the perfection of our romantic
rendezvous, we must keep our cherished love affair secret.” Therefore Śrī
Kṛṣṇa instructed the gopīs to return to their homes. Alternatively, inspired
by Vāsudeva, the Supersoul in their hearts, the gopīs experienced the rising
of shyness and fear of their elders. Thus, they reluctantly returned to their
houses, even in the face of unbearable separation from their beloved.
Verse 39
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito ʼnuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
A sober person who faithfully hears again and again the
narrations of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental rāsa-līlā with
the vraja-devīs, and later describes those pastimes, very soon
attains parā-bhakti, supreme loving devotion, for the almighty
Lord. Consequently, he conquers the senses, and is freed from
the heart disease of material lust forever.

By hearing about the playful rāsa dance by which Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa
defeated Kāmadeva, one succeeds in conquering mundane lust. This is the
topic of discussion in this verse ‘vikrīḍitaṁ.’ One who with faith repeatedly
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hears about this rāsa-līlā and then describes it, very quickly becomes sober
and attains loving devotional service to Śrī Bhagavān and immediately gives
up the heart disease of lust.
Thus ends the elaborated translation of the commentary named

Bhāvārtha Dīpikā of the 33rd Chapter of the Tenth Canto
written by Śrīdhara, who is the servant of this supreme bliss.
Just as rāsa-līlā is the best of all līlās, similarly hearing and
describing this rāsa-līlā grants the topmost fruit: it removes material
desires and bestows the flow of love of God. With kaimutika-nyāya, Śrī
Śukadeva Gosvāmī affirms that this is the supreme fruit conferred by
this pastime. The narrator, being completely submerged in bliss, gives
the blessing described in this verse ‘vikrīḍitaṁ’ to all future speakers
and hearers of this pastime. A person who with faith continuously hears
about the activities of the young brides of Vraja with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the
rāsa dance and then describes them to others, will very quickly attain
parā-bhakti for Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and will immediately give up lust,
the disease of the heart.
‘Vraja-vadhū’ means the vraja-gopīs, who are like new, young brides.
That is, in this playful rāsa-līlā Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave the vraja-sundarīs the good
fortune of serving Him; thus He accepted them as His consorts and made
their lives successful. It is with these vraja-sundarīs that the all-pervading
Śrī Kṛṣṇa performs such pastimes. Here ‘rāsa-krīḍa’ (the amorous games
of the rāsa-līlā) includes many other activities besides dancing – this is
indicated by the phrase ‘idaṁ ca.’
‘Viṣṇoḥ’ – Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared between every two gopīs, which is
mentioned in Verse 3 of this chapter; this indicates that He is all-pervading
(viṣṇoḥ) as said in this verse. ‘Śraddhānvito’ – hearing with complete faith.
If one listens without faith, it is an offense; to remove this one must hear
continuously; not only hearing, but also describing, remembering and
recommending. Then one can receive the special fruit of supreme loving
devotion. Having the guidance of the gopīs, one attains bhakti laced with
prema, which manifests every moment in a new form. Thus one quickly
gives up lust, the disease of the heart. Disease of the heart does not
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include any desire connected with Bhagavān because any desires related
to Bhagavān are transcendental. Diseased desires of the heart and desires
related to Bhagavān are diametrically opposed to each other – this is what is
established here. Here only material lust (kāmaṁ) is mentioned, but all other
diseases of the heart are also removed.
In Gītā 18.54 Kṛṣṇa says, “One who is established in brahma neither
hankers nor laments for anything. He is equal to all living entities, and
thus he attains prema-bhakti for Me.” According to this statement, after
the disease of the heart is destroyed, one attains parā-bhakti, but the verse
at hand proclaims that parā-bhakti comes before the dissolution of the
heart disease. Therefore, the sādhana of hearing rāsa-krīḍa is much more
powerful than all other practices. The word ‘dhīra’ means that one attains
gravity and gains control of his senses. Alternatively, very quickly he attains
bhakti and gets liberated from the heart disease – the pain of separation
from Kṛṣṇa – because by hearing and speaking about rāsa-līlā one can
achieve Śrī Kṛṣṇa very quickly.
The commentator’s prayer:
krīḍatā vahirantaśca jaḍo’yaṁ yena narttyate

tasya caitanya-rūpasya prītyai bhagavato-stivadam
He who enjoys inside and outside, makes a dull person like me dance.
This work which I am doing for the pleasure of that Supreme Living
Force, Śrī Bhagavān, should be successful.

Śrī rāsa-līlā is the crown-jewel of all of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Thus the fruit of hearing and narrating śrī rāsa-līlā is also the topmost. This
is told in this verse ‘vikrīḍitaṁ.’ ‘Ca’ (and) refers to other pleasure-filled
pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the vraja-sundaris described by other poets,
which are similar to this rāsa dance. ‘Viṣṇoḥ’ – tāsāṁ madhye dvayor
dvayoḥ – one Kṛṣṇa stood between every two gopīs; this indicates His all-
pervasive nature, thus the name Viṣṇu (all-pervasive) is used. ‘Nu’ – surely;
‘anu’ – daily; continuously hearing, then glorifying to others and describing
it in poetry. ‘Bhaktiṁ parāṁ’ – supreme loving devotion; ‘pratilabhya’ –
obtains; even though lust and other diseases are present, first prema enters
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the heart, and its power removes the lust that is lodged there. Such is the
power of hearing and narrating this rāsa-līlā – simultaneously lust goes
and prema manifests, but the effect of prema is observed first. In this way
the faithful sādhaka attains prema for the lotus feet of Bhagavān, and all
his material desires are eradicated. The reason for this is that prema is not
weak like jñāna and yoga, rather it is supremely independent and vigorous.
This shows the difference between the two types of kāma – the disease of
lust in the heart and pure spiritual love for the Supreme Lord. Spiritual love
for Bhagavān is full of nectar, and material desire in the heart is completely
the opposite in nature.
A person who has full belief in the words of the scriptures (dhiraḥ
paṇḍita) will not doubt that one can attain kṛṣṇa-prema even while the heart
is afflicted with the disease of lust. Prema does not embrace that person
who does not trust in śāstra and who is an offender to the Holy Name. One
who has faith in śāstra will develop faith in hearing about rāsa-līlā. For
such a person, prema will appear first as the fruit of his hearing this līlā-
kathā, and eventually all varieties of heart disease are destroyed at the root.
*****************
Śrī kṛṣṇāṭivaśīkāra cūñcoḥ – fully capable of subjugating Kṛṣṇa; this
rāsa-līlā – that denied entrance to Lakṣmī devī, that is the female swan of
prema, and is the crown jewel of all glorious acts – shines forth in all its
brilliance. Only those who take the guidance of the Vraja gopīs, who show
the path of sweet mellows, gain entrance to the rāsa-līlā; even the scholars
of the scriptures find it very difficult to enter there. There is so much to be
said about rāsa-līlā, what is generally known and unknown, but out of fear
of making the book too voluminous, I have told just the essence.
Thus ends the Sārārtha Darśinī Ṭīkā, “The Commentary that Gives
Bliss to the Devotees,” on the 33rd Chapter of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam.

(3) Sārārtha Darśinī of the Thirty-third Chapter of the
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Verse Index
dṛṣṭo vaḥ kaccid aśvattha......................... 188
A dṛṣṭvā kumudvantam akhaṇḍa-.............. 17
āhūya dūra-gā yadvat................................. 216 duhantyo ’bhiyayuḥ kāścid........................ 26
anayārādhito nūnaṁ.................................. 229 duḥsaha-preṣṭha-viraha.............................. 41
antar-gṛha-gatāḥ kāścid.............................. 32 duḥśīlo durbhago vṛddho........................... 93
antarhite bhagavati...................................... 179
anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ............................ 459 E
anvicchantyo bhagavato.......................... 253 ekā bhru-kuṭim ābadhya.......................... 340
aparānimiṣad-dṛgbhyāṁ.......................... 342 evaṁ bhagavataḥ kṛṣṇāl........................... 172
āpta-kāmo yadu-patiḥ............................... 443 evaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ pṛcchamānā...................... 222
apy eṇa-patny upagataḥ .......................... 201 evaṁ mad-arthojjhita-loka-veda......... 384
āruhyaikā padākramya.............................. 219 evaṁ pariṣvaṅga-karābhimarśa-........ 418
asvargyam ayaśasyaṁ ca............................. 95 evaṁ śaśāṅkāṁśu-virājitā niśāḥ......... 435
aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ........... 314 evam uktaḥ priyām āha............................. 248
atha vā mad-abhisnehād............................. 89
atra prasūnāvacayaḥ.................................. 237 G
B gati-smita-prekṣaṇa-bhāṣaṇādiṣu..... 183
gatyānurāga-smita-vibhramekṣitair. 180
baddhānyayā srajā kācit........................... 221 gāyantya uccair amum eva saṁhatā.. 185
bāhuṁ priyāṁsa upadhāya ................... 206 gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca............................ 453
bāhu-prasāra-parirambha-.................... 170 gopyaḥ sphurat-puraṭa-kuṇḍala-....... 428
bhagavān api tā rātriḥ...................................... 1 gopyo labdhvācyutaṁ kāntaṁ.............. 414
bhajanty abhajato ye vai........................... 376
bhajato ’nubhajanty eka............................ 371 H
bhajato ’pi na vai kecid.............................. 378
bhartuḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṁ strīṇāṁ................... 91 hā nātha ramaṇa preṣṭha......................... 251
brahma-rātra upāvṛtte............................... 470
I
C
imāny adhika-magnāni............................. 235
calasi yad vrajāc cārayan paśūn........... 302 īśvarāṇāṁ vacaḥ satyaṁ........................... 448
cittaṁ sukhena bhavatāpahṛtaṁ ........ 127 iti gopyaḥ pragāyantyaḥ............................ 329
cūta-priyāla-panasāsana-kovidāra... 196 iti viklavitaṁ tāsāṁ...................................... 160
iti vipriyam ākarṇya..................................... 100
D itthaṁ bhagavato gopyaḥ......................... 391
ity evaṁ darśayantyas tāś......................... 245
daityāyitvā jahārānyām............................. 214 ity unmatta-vaco gopyaḥ.......................... 211
dhanyā aho amī ālyo................................... 231
dharma-vyatikramo dṛṣṭa........................ 445 J
dina-parikṣaye nīla-kuntalair............... 305
dṛṣṭaṁ vanaṁ kusumitaṁ.......................... 82 jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ.......... 263
477
K na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya........................ 387

nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya.............................. 463
kaccit kurabakāśoka-................................. 190 niśamya gītāṁ tad anaṅga.......................... 23
kaccit tulasi kalyāṇi..................................... 192 nṛṇāṁ niḥśreyasārthāya.............................. 61
kācid añjalināgṛhṇāt................................... 338 nṛtyatī gāyatī kācit........................................ 413
kācid rāsa-pariśrāntā................................. 409
kācit karāmbujaṁ śaurer......................... 337 P
kācit samaṁ mukundena......................... 407
kāmaṁ krodhaṁ bhayaṁ sneham........ 64 padāni vyaktam etāni.................................. 224
karṇotpalālaka-viṭaṅka-kapola............ 416 pāda-nyāsair bhuja-vidhutibhiḥ......... 402
kā stry aṅga te kala-padāyata................ 152 pariveṣayantyas tad dhitvā......................... 28
kasyācit pūtanāyantyāḥ............................ 213 pati-sutānvaya-bhrātṛ-bāndhavān..... 317
kasyāḥ padāni caitāni................................ 228 prahasitaṁ priya-prema-vīkṣaṇaṁ... 300
kasyāñcit sva-bhujaṁ nyasya................ 217 praṇata-dehināṁ pāpa-karṣaṇaṁ...... 286
kasyāścin nāṭya-vikṣipta.......................... 412 praṇata-kāma-daṁ padmajārcitaṁ..... 308
keśa-prasādhanaṁ tv atra....................... 238 pṛcchatemā latā bāhūn.............................. 209
kiṁ te kṛtaṁ kṣiti tapo bata..................... 198 preṣṭhaṁ priyetaram iva.......................... 105
kim utākhila-sattvānāṁ............................ 450 punaḥ pulinam āgatya............................... 260
kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ paraṁ kāntaṁ.................... 54
kṛṣṇa-rāmāyite dve tu................................ 215 R
kṛṣṇa-vikrīḍitaṁ vīkṣya............................ 422
rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ.... 319
kṛtvā mukhāny ava śucaḥ........................ 102
rajany eṣā ghora-rūpā.................................. 75
kṛtvā tāvantam ātmānaṁ.......................... 424
rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto............................ 394
kurvanti hi tvayi ratiṁ kuśalāḥ............. 122
reme tayā cātma-rata.................................. 240
kuśalācaritenaiṣām iha svārtho........... 449
S
L
sabhājayitvā tam anaṅga-dīpanaṁ...... 369
limpantyaḥ pramṛjantyo ’nyā.................... 29
sā ca mene tadātmānaṁ............................ 245
sa kathaṁ dharma-setūnāṁ................... 439
M saṁsthāpanāya dharmasya..................... 439
mā bhaiṣṭa vāta-varṣābhyāṁ................. 218 śarac-candrāṁśu-sandoha-................... 360
madhurayā girā valgu-vākyayā............ 291 śarad-udāśaye sādhu-jāta-sat-............. 267
maivaṁ vibho ’rhati bhavān.................. 108 siñcāṅga nas tvad-adharāmṛta............. 130
mālaty adarśi vaḥ kaccin.......................... 194 so ’mbhasy alaṁ yuvatibhiḥ................... 432
mātaraḥ pitaraḥ putrā................................... 79 śravaṇād darśanād dhyānān..................... 98
mitho bhajanti ye sakhyaḥ....................... 374 śrīr yat padāmbuja-rajaś cakame........ 140
surata-vardhanaṁ śoka-nāśanaṁ....... 311
N svāgataṁ vo mahā-bhāgāḥ........................ 72
na caivaṁ vismayaḥ kāryo......................... 67 T

nadyāḥ pulinam āviśya.............................. 169
nāhaṁ tu sakhyo bhajato ’pi jantūn.. 380 tābhiḥ sametābhir udāra-ceṣṭitaḥ...... 164
naitat samācarej jātu................................... 446 tābhir vidhūta-śokābhir........................... 357
na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān..... 276 tābhir yutaḥ śramam apohitum........... 430
na lakṣyante padāny atra.......................... 234 tad-aṅga-saṅga.............................................. 421
478
Verse Index
tad-darśanāhlāda-vidhūta....................... 362 tā vāryamāṇāḥ patibhiḥ............................... 31

tadoḍurājaḥ kakubhaḥ karair.................. 14 tayā kathitam ākarṇya................................ 254
tā dṛṣṭvāntikam āyātā.................................... 68
tad yāta mā ciraṁ goṣṭhaṁ........................ 84 U
tāḥ samādāya kālindyā.............................. 359
tais taiḥ padais tat-padavīm................... 227 uccair jagur nṛtyamānā............................. 405
tam eva paramātmānaṁ............................... 41 uktaṁ purastād etat te................................... 57
taṁ kācin netra-randhreṇa..................... 344 upagīyamāna udgāyan............................... 166
taṁ vilokyāgataṁ preṣṭhaṁ................... 335
tan-manaskās tad-alāpās......................... 258
V
tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana................... 144 valayānāṁ nūpurāṇāṁ............................. 399
tāsām āvirabhūc chauriḥ......................... 330 vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir..................... 472
tāsāṁ rati-vihāreṇa..................................... 426 vīkṣyālakāvṛta-mukhaṁ tava................. 148
tāsāṁ tat-saubhaga-madaṁ................... 174 viracitābhayaṁ vṛṣṇi-dhurya te........... 280
tasyā amūni naḥ kṣobhaṁ...................... 233 viṣa-jalāpyayād vyāla-rākṣasād............ 273
tataś ca kṛṣṇopavane jala-sthala.......... 434 vraja-janārti-han vīra yoṣitāṁ............... 284
tato dundubhayo nedur............................ 398 vraja-vanaukasāṁ vyaktir aṅga te...... 321
tato gatvā vanoddeśaṁ.............................. 247 vyaktaṁ bhavān vraja-bhayārti............ 156
tato ’viśan vanaṁ candra......................... 257
tatraikāṁsa-gataṁ bāhuṁ...................... 411 Y
tatraikovāca he gopā.................................. 220
tatrārabhata govindo.................................. 392 yarhy ambujākṣa tava pāda..................... 136
tatrātiśuśubhe tābhir.................................. 400 yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga......................... 451
tatropaviṣṭo bhagavān sa īśvaro.......... 366 yat paty-apatya-suhṛdām......................... 115
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ............ 294 yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ............. 324
479

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Śrī R āsa

Śrīmad Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vedavyāsa̕s

Translated from the Hindi edition of

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

Sevā Kuñja Publications

Gauḍīya Maṭha logo designed by Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura

SEVĀ KUÑJA PU BLICATIONS

Also published by Sevā Kuñja Publications:

my beloved Śrī Gurupāda-padma

çré gauòéya-vedänta-äcärya-kesaré nitya-lélä-praviñöa

the best amongst the tenth generation

This book has manifested by his inspiration

Chapter 1 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29

Chapter 2 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30

Chapter 3 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.31

Chapter 4 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.32

Chapter 5 : Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.33

Verse Index................................................................ 477

Bhaktivedānta Svāmī mahārāja

pādau yadīyau prathamadvitīyau

“I worship the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the bridge for crossing

In the Tenth Canto of this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Mahā-Purāṇa,

In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 5.45-47, Śrīman Mahāprabhu,

Taking the support of these words uttered by Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrīla

santi yadyapi me prājyā līlās tās tā manoharāḥ

There are no words to describe His condition when He is drowning

Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness is so inconceivable that it awakens a tremendous

The wretched and fallen

Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the mature, succulent fruit of the wish-

fully ripened (prapakva). These gradations can be perceived by the topmost

Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra is supremely glorious! He is the condensed form of

engage in smaraṇa (the act of meditating on Kṛṣṇa and thus remembering

Śrī Caitanyadeva appeared before us as the embodiment of infinite

heloddhūnita-khedayā viśadayā pronmīlad-āmodayā

Translated from Śrīla Prabhupādera Harikathāmṛtam

In the prelude to his commentary of Gopi Gita, the third chapter of

Praying to serve Śrī Hari, Guru and Vaiṣṇavas

Vicitrī dāsī (editor)

Sevā Kuñja, Vṛndāvana

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: “When Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

I offer praṇāmas unto oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti

atimartya-caritrāya svā-śritānāñ ca pāline

He is graced with supramundane character, and like a parental guardian

He is the manifestation of the receptacle of Mahāprabhu’s prema,

viśvasya nātharupo ’sau bhakti vartma pradarśanāt

Because he indicates the path of bhakti, he is known by the name

namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

I offer praṇāma unto Śrī Kṛsṇa-Caitanya, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself.

way, I am undertaking the presentation of elaborated translations of their

Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda’s

The commentator’s auspicious invocation:

agitates the hearts of everyone else.” “Ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ1 – in

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmīpāda’s

1 An elaborate explanation of this phrase is given in Jīva Gosvāmī’s commentary

‘bādarāyaṇi’ is used for the following reasons. Śrī Vyāsadeva performed

form of love (prema-svarūpa), being the symptom of amorous delight

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s

appropriate time, place and persons were simultaneously at hand to furnish

amusements in the kuñja, Kṛṣṇa makes His adolescent years triumphant”

tadoḍurājaḥ kakubhaḥ karair mukhaṁ