Chapter Thirty The Gopis Search for Krsna
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When Lord Krsna disappeared so suddenly, the gopis felt great sorrow at losing sight of Him, like a group of female elephants who have lost their mate.
2. As the cowherd women remembered Lord Krsna, their hearts were overwhelmed by His movements and loving smiles, His playful glances and enchanting talks, and by the many other pastimes He would enjoy with them. Thus absorbed in thoughts of Krsna, the Lord of Rama, the gopis began acting out His various transcendental pastimes.
3. Because the beloved gopis were absorbed in thoughts of their beloved Krsna, their bodies imitated His way of moving and smiling, His way of beholding them, His speech and His other distinctive features. Deeply immersed in thinking of Him and maddened by remembering His pastimes, they declared to one another, “I am Krsna!”
4. Singing loudly of Krsna, they searched for Him throughout the Vrndavana forest like a band of madwomen. They even asked the trees about Him, who as the Supersoul is present inside and outside of all created things, just like the sky.
5. [The gopis said:] O asvattha tree, O plaksa, O nyagrodha, have you seen Krsna? That son of Nanda Maharaja has gone away after stealing our minds with His loving smiles and glances.
6. O kurabaka tree, O asoka, O naga, punnaga and campaka, has Balarama’s younger brother, whose smile removes the audacity of all proud women, passed this way?
7. O most kind tulasi, to whom the feet of Govinda are so dear, have you seen that infallible one walk by, wearing you and encircled by swarms of bees?
8. O malati, O mallika, O jati and yuthika, has Madhava gone by here, giving you pleasure with the touch of His hand?
9. O cuta, O priyala, O panasa, asana and kovidara, O jambu, O arka, O bilva, bakula and amra, O kadamba and nipa and all you other plants and trees living by the banks of the Yamuna who have dedicated your very existence to the welfare of others, we gopis have lost our minds, so please tell us where Krsna has gone.
10. O mother earth, what austerity did you perform to attain the touch of Lord Kesava’s lotus feet, which has brought you such great joy that your bodily hairs are standing on end? You appear very beautiful in this condition. Was it during the Lord’s current appearance that you acquired this ecstatic symptom, or was it perhaps much earlier, when He stepped upon you in His form of the dwarf Vamanadeva, or even earlier, when He embraced you in His form of the boar Varahadeva?
11. O friend, wife of the deer, has Lord Acyuta been here with His beloved, bringing great joy to your eyes? Indeed, blowing this way is the fragrance of His garland of kunda flowers, which was smeared with the kunkuma from the breasts of His girlfriend when He embraced Her.
12. O trees, we see that you are bowing down. When the younger brother of Rama walked by here, followed by intoxicated bees swarming around the tulasi manjaris decorating His garland, did He acknowledge your obeisances with His affectionate glances? He must have been resting His arm on the shoulder of His beloved and carrying a lotus flower in His free hand.
13. Let us ask these creepers about Krsna. Even though they are embracing the arms of their husband, this tree, they certainly must have been touched by Krsna’s fingernails, since out of joy they are manifesting eruptions on their skin.
14. Having spoken these words, the gopis, distraught from searching for Krsna, began to act out His various pastimes, fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
15. One gopi imitated Putana, while another acted like infant Krsna and pretended to suck her breast. Another gopi, crying in imitation of infant Krsna, kicked a gopi who was taking the role of the cart demon, Sakatasura.
16. One gopi took the role of Trnavarta and carried away another, who was acting like infant Krsna, while yet another gopi crawled about, her ankle bells tinkling as she pulled her feet.
17. Two gopis acted like Rama and Krsna in the midst of several others, who took the role of cowherd boys. One gopi enacted Krsna’s killing of the demon Vatsasura, represented by another gopi, and a pair of gopis acted out the killing of Bakasura.
18. When one gopi perfectly imitated how Krsna would call the cows who had wandered far away, how He would play His flute and how He would engage in various sports, the others congratulated her with exclamations of “Well done! Well done!”
19. Another gopi, her mind fixed on Krsna, walked about with her arm resting on the shoulder of a friend and declared, “I am Krsna! Just see how gracefully I move!”
20. “Don’t be afraid of the wind and rain,” said one gopi. “I will save you.” And with that she lifted her shawl above her head.
21. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] O King, one gopi climbed on another’s shoulders and, putting her foot on the other’s head, said, “Go away from here, O wicked snake! You should know that I have taken birth in this world just to punish the envious.”
22. Then another gopi spoke up: My dear cowherd boys, look al this raging forest fire! Quickly close your eyes and I will easily protect you.
23. One gopi tied up her slender companion with a flower garland and said, “Now I will bind this boy who has broken the butter pots and stolen the butter.” The second gopi then covered her face and beautiful eyes, pretending to be afraid.
24. While the gopis were thus imitating Krsna’s pastimes and asking Vrndavana’s creepers and trees where Krsna, the Supreme Soul, might be, they happened to see His footprints in a corner of the forest.
25. [The gopis said:] The marks of a flag, lotus, thunderbolt, elephant goad, barleycorn and so forth on these footprints clearly distinguish them as belonging to that great soul, the son of Nanda Maharaja.
26. The gopis began following Krsna’s path, as shown by His many footprints, but when they saw that these prints were thoroughly intermixed with those of His dearmost consort, they became perturbed and spoke as follows.
27. [The gopis said:] Here we see the footprints of some gopi who must have been walking along with the son of Nanda Maharaja. He must have put His arm on Her shoulder, just as an elephant rests His trunk on the shoulder of an accompanying she-elephant.
28. Certainly this particular gopi has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.
29. O girls! The dust of Govinda’s lotus feet is so sacred that even Brahma, Siva and the goddess Rama take that dust upon their heads to dispel sinful reactions.
30. These footprints of that special gopi greatly disturb us. Of all the gopis, She alone was taken away to a secluded place, where She is enjoying the lips of Krsna. Look, we can’t see Her footprints over here! It’s obvious that the grass and sprouts were hurting the tender soles of Her feet, and so the lover lifted up His beloved.
31. Please observe, my dear gopis, how in this place lusty Krsna’s footprints are pressed more deeply into the ground. Carrying the weight of His beloved must have been difficult for Him. And over here that intelligent boy must have put Her down to gather some flowers.
32. Just see how in this place dear Krsna collected flowers for His beloved. Here He has left the impression of only the front part of His feet because He was standing on His toes to reach the flowers.
33. Certainly Krsna sat down here with His girlfriend to arrange Her hair. The lusty boy must have made a crown for that lusty girl out of the flowers He had collected.
34. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Lord Krsna enjoyed with that gopi, although He enjoys only within, being self-satisfied and complete in Himself. Thus by contrast He showed the wretchedness of ordinary lusty men and hardhearted women.
35-36. As the gopis wandered about, their minds completely bewildered, they pointed out various signs of Krsna’s pastimes. The particular gopi whom Krsna had led into a secluded forest when He had abandoned all the other young girls began to think Herself the best of women. “My beloved has rejected all the other gopis, “She thought, “even though they are driven by Cupid himself. He has chosen to reciprocate with Me alone.”
37. As the two lovers passed through one part of the Vrndavana forest, the special gopi began feeling proud of Herself. She told Lord Kesava, “I cannot walk any further. Please carry Me wherever You want to go.”
38. Thus addressed, Lord Krsna replied, “Just climb on My shoulder.” But as soon as He said this, He disappeared. His beloved consort then immediately felt great remorse.
39. She cried out: O master! My lover! O dearmost, where are You? Where are You? Please, O mighty-armed one, O friend, show Yourself to Me, Your poor servant!
40. Sukadeva Gosvami said: While continuing to search out Krsna’s path, the gopis discovered their unhappy friend close by. She was bewildered by separation from Her lover.
41. She told them how Madhava had given Her much respect, but how She then suffered dishonor because of Her misbehavior. The gopis were extremely amazed to hear this.
42. In search of Krsna, the gopis then entered the depths of the forest as far as the light of the moon shone. But when they found themselves engulfed in darkness, they decided to turn back.
43. Their minds absorbed in thoughts of Him, they conversed about Him, acted out His pastimes and felt themselves filled with His presence. They completely forgot about their homes as they loudly sang the glories of Krsna’s transcendental qualities.
44. The gopis again came to the bank of the Kalindi. Meditating on Krsna and eagerly hoping He would come, they sat down together to sing of Him.
Chapter Thirty-One The Gopis’ Songs of Separation
1. The gopis said: O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indira, the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.
2. O Lord of love, in beauty Your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. O bestower of benedictions, You are killing the maidservants who have given themselves to You freely, without any price. Isn’t this murder?
3. O greatest of personalities, You have repeatedly saved us from all kinds of danger—from poisoned water, from the terrible man-eater Agha, from the great rains, from the wind demon, from the fiery thunderbolt of Indra, from the bull demon and from the son of Maya Danava.
4. You are not actually the son of the gopi Yasoda, O friend, but rather the indwelling witness in the hearts of all embodied souls. Because Lord Brahma prayed for You to come and protect the universe, You have now appeared in the Satvata dynasty.
5. O best of the Vrsnis, Your lotuslike hand, which holds the hand of the goddess of fortune, grants fearlessness to those who approach Your feet out of fear of material existence. O lover, please place that wish-fulfilling lotus hand on our heads.
6. O You who destroy the suffering of Vraja’s people, O hero of all women, Your smile shatters the false pride of Your devotees. Please, dear friend, accept us as Your maidservants and show us Your beautiful lotus face.
7. Your lotus feet destroy the past sins of all embodied souls who surrender to them. Those feet follow after the cows in the pastures and are the eternal abode of the goddess of fortune. Since You once put those feet on the hoods of the great serpent Kaliya, please place them upon our breasts and tear away the lust in our hearts.
8. O lotus-eyed one, Your sweet voice and charming words, which attract the minds of the intelligent, are bewildering us more and more. Our dear hero, please revive Your maidservants with the nectar of Your lips.
9. The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
10. Your smiles, Your sweet, loving glances, the intimate pastimes and confidential talks we enjoyed with You—all these are auspicious to meditate upon, and they touch our hearts. But at the same time, O deceiver, they very much agitate our minds.
11. Dear master, dear lover, when You leave the cowherd village to herd the cows, our minds are disturbed with the thought that Your feet, more beautiful than a lotus, will be pricked by the spiked husks of grain and the rough grass and plants.
12. At the end of the day You repeatedly show us Your lotus face, covered with dark blue locks of hair and thickly powdered with dust. Thus, O hero, You arouse lusty desires in our minds.
13. Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma, fulfill the desires of all who bow down to them. They are the ornament of the earth, they give the highest satisfaction, and in times of danger they are the appropriate object of meditation. O lover, O destroyer of anxiety, please put those lotus feet upon our breasts.
14. O hero, kindly distribute to us the nectar of Your lips, which enhances conjugal pleasure and vanquishes grief. That nectar is thoroughly relished by Your vibrating flute and makes people forget any other attachment.
15. When You go off to the forest during the day, a tiny fraction of a second becomes like a millennium for us because we cannot see You. And even when we can eagerly look upon Your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks, our pleasure is hindered by our eyelids, which were fashioned by the foolish creator.
16. Dear Acyuta, You know very well why we have come here. Who but a cheater like You would abandon young women who come to see Him in the middle of the night, enchanted by the loud song of His flute? Just to see You, we have completely rejected our husbands, children, ancestors, brothers and other relatives.
17. Our minds are repeatedly bewildered as we think of the intimate conversations we had with You in secret, feel the rise of lust in our hearts and remember Your smiling face, Your loving glances and Your broad chest, the resting place of the goddess of fortune. Thus we experience the most severe hankering for You.
18. O beloved, Your all-auspicious appearance vanquishes the distress of those living in Vraja’s forests. Our minds long for Your association. Please give to us just a bit of that medicine, which counteracts the disease in Your devotees’ hearts.
19. O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our life rests only in You. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that Your tender feet might be wounded by pebbles as You roam about on the forest path.
Chapter Thirty-Two The Reunion
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, having thus sung and spoken their hearts out in various charming ways, the gopis began to weep loudly. They were very eager to see Lord Krsna.
2. Then Lord Krsna, a smile on His lotus face, appeared before the gopis. Wearing a garland and a yellow garment, He directly appeared as one who can bewilder the mind of Cupid, who himself bewilders the minds of ordinary people.
3. When the gopis saw that their dearmost Krsna had returned to them, they all stood up at once, and out of their affection for Him their eyes bloomed wide. It was as if the air of life had reentered their bodies.
4. One gopi joyfully took Krsna’s hand between her folded palms, and another placed His arm, anointed with sandalwood paste, on her shoulder.
5. A slender gopi respectfully took in her joined hands the betel nut He had chewed, and another gopi, burning with desire, put His lotus feet on her breasts.
6. One gopi, beside herself with loving anger, bit her lips and stared at Him with frowning eyebrows, as if to wound Him with her harsh glances.
7. Another gopi looked with unblinking eyes upon His lotus face, but even after deeply relishing its sweetness She did not feel satiated, just as mystic saints are never satiated when meditating upon the Lord’s feet.
8. One gopi took the Lord through the aperture of her eyes and placed Him within her heart. Then, with her eyes closed and her bodily hairs standing on end, she continuously embraced Him within. Thus immersed in transcendental ecstasy, she resembled a yogi meditating upon the Lord.
9. All the gopis enjoyed the greatest festivity when they saw their beloved Kesava again. They gave up the distress of separation, just as people in general forget their misery when they gain the association of a spiritually enlightened person.
10. Encircled by the gopis, who were now relieved of all distress, Lord Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, shone forth splendidly. My dear King, Krsna thus appeared like the Supersoul encircled by His spiritual potencies.
11-12. The almighty Lord then took the gopis with Him to the bank of the Kalindi, who with the hands of her waves had scattered piles of soft sand upon the shore. In that auspicious place the breeze, bearing the fragrance of blooming kunda and mandara flowers, attracted many bees, and the abundant rays of the autumn moon dispelled the darkness of night.
13. Their heartache vanquished by the ecstasy of seeing Krsna, the gopis, like the personified Vedas before them, felt their desires completely fulfilled. For their dear friend Krsna they arranged a seat with their shawls which were smeared with the kunkuma powder from their breasts.
14. Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for whom the great masters of mystic meditation arrange a seat within their hearts, took His seat in the assembly of gopis. His transcendental body, the exclusive abode of beauty and opulence within the three worlds, shone brilliantly as the gopis worshiped Him.
15. Sri Krsna had awakened romantic desires within the gopis, and they honored Him by glancing at Him with playful smiles, gesturing amorously with their eyebrows, and massaging His hands and feet as they held them in their laps. Even while worshiping Him, however, they felt somewhat angry, and thus they addressed Him as follows.
16. The gopis said: Some people reciprocate the affection only of those who are affectionate toward them, while others show affection even to those who are indifferent or inimical. And yet others will not show affection toward anyone. Dear Krsna, please properly explain this matter to us.
17. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: So-called friends who show affection for each other only to benefit themselves are actually selfish. They have no true friendship, nor are they following the true principles of religion. Indeed, if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they would not reciprocate.
18. My dear slender-waisted gopis, some people are genuinely merciful or, like parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate with them, are following the true, faultless path of religion, and they are true well-wishers.
19. Then there are those individuals who are spiritually self-satisfied, materially fulfilled or by nature ungrateful or simply envious of superiors. Such persons will not love even those who love them, what to speak of those who are inimical.
20. But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings even when they worship Me, O gopis, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can think of nothing else.
21. My dear girls, understanding that simply for My sake you had rejected the authority of worldly opinion, of the Vedas and of your relatives, I acted as I did only to increase your attachment to Me. Even when I removed Myself from your sight by suddenly disappearing, I never stopped loving you. Therefore, My beloved gopés, please do not harbor any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved.
22. I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.
Chapter Thirty-Three The Rasa Dance
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When the cowherd girls heard the Supreme Personality of Godhead speak these most charming words, they forgot their distress caused by separation from Him. Touching His transcendental limbs, they felt all their desires fulfilled.
2. There on the Yamuna’s banks Lord Govinda then began the pastime of the rasa dance in the company of those jewels among women, the faithful gopis, who joyfully linked their arms together.
3. The festive rasa dance commenced, with the gopis arrayed in a circle. Lord Krsna expanded Himself and entered between each pair of gopis, and as that master of mystic power placed His arms around their necks, each girl thought He was standing next to her alone. The demigods and their wives were overwhelmed with eagerness to witness the rasa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes.
4. Kettledrums then resounded in the sky while flowers rained down and the chief Gandharvas and their wives sang Lord Krsna’s spotless glories.
5. A tumultuous sound arose from the armlets, ankle bells and waist bells of the gopis as they sported with their beloved Krsna in the circle of the rasa dance.
6. In the midst of the dancing gopis, Lord Krsna appeared most brilliant, like an exquisite sapphire in the midst of golden ornaments.
7. As the gopis sang in praise of Krsna, their feet danced, their hands gestured, and their eyebrows moved with playful smiles. With their braids and belts tied tight, their waists bending, their faces perspiring, the garments on their breasts moving this way and that, and their earrings swinging on their cheeks, Lord Krsna’s young consorts shone like streaks of lightning in a mass of clouds.
8. Eager to enjoy conjugal love, their throats colored with various pigments, the gopis sang loudly and danced. They were overjoyed by Krsna’s touch, and they sang songs that filled the entire universe.
9. One gopi, joining Lord Mukunda in His singing, sang pure melodious tones that rose harmoniously above His. Krsna was pleased and showed great appreciation for her performance, saying “Excellent! Excellent!” Then another gopé repeated the same melody, but in a special metrical pattern, and Krsna praised her also.
10. When one gopi grew tired from the rasa dance, She turned to Krsna, standing at Her side holding a baton, and grasped His shoulder with Her arm. The dancing had loosened Her bracelets and the flowers in Her hair.
11. Upon the shoulder of one gopi Krsna placed His arm, whose natural blue-lotus fragrance was mixed with that of the sandalwood pulp anointing it. As the gopi relished that fragrance, her bodily hair stood on end in jubilation, and she kissed His arm.
12. Next to Krsna’s cheek one gopi put her own, beautified by the effulgence of her earrings, which glittered as she danced. Krsna then carefully gave her the betel nut He was chewing.
13. Another gopi became fatigued as she danced and sang, the bells on her ankles and waist tinkling. So she placed upon her breasts the comforting lotus hand of Lord Acyuta, who was standing by her side.
14. Having attained as their intimate lover Lord Acyuta, the exclusive consort of the goddess of fortune, the gopis enjoyed great pleasure. They sang His glories as He held their necks with His arms.
15. Enhancing the beauty of the gopis’ faces were the lotus flowers behind their ears, the locks of hair decorating their cheeks, and drops of perspiration. The reverberation of their armlets and ankle bells made a loud musical sound, and their chaplets scattered. Thus the gopis danced with the Supreme Lord in the arena of the räsa dance as swarms of bees sang in accompaniment.
16. In this way Lord Krsna, the original Lord Narayana, master of the goddess of fortune, took pleasure in the company of the young women of Vraja by embracing them, caressing them and glancing lovingly at them as He smiled His broad, playful smiles. It was just as if a child were playing with his own reflection.
17. Their senses overwhelmed by the joy of having His physical association, the gopis could not prevent their hair, their dresses and the cloths covering their breasts from becoming disheveled. Their garlands and ornaments scattered, O hero of the Kuru dynasty.
18. The wives of the demigods, observing Krsna’s playful activities from their airplanes, were entranced and became agitated with lust. Indeed, even the moon and his entourage, the stars, became astonished.
19. Expanding Himself us many times as there were cowherd women to associate with, the Supreme Lord, though self-satisfied, playfully enjoyed their company.
20. Seeing that the gopis were fatigued from conjugal enjoyment, my dear King, merciful Krsna lovingly wiped their faces with His comforting hand.
21. The gopis honored their hero with smiling glances sweetened by the beauty of their cheeks and the effulgence of their curly locks and glittering golden earrings. Overjoyed from the touch of His fingernails, they chanted the glories of His all-auspicious transcendental pastimes.
22. Lord Krsna’s garland had been crushed during His conjugal dalliance with the gopis and colored vermilion by the kunkuma powder on their breasts. To dispel the fatigue of the gopis, Krsna entered the water of the Yamuna, followed swiftly by bees who were singing like the best of the Gandharvas. He appeared like a lordly elephant entering the water to relax in the company of his consorts. Indeed, the Lord had transgressed all worldly and Vedic morality just as a powerful elephant might break the dikes in a paddy field.
23. My dear King, in the water Krsna found Himself being splashed on all sides by the laughing gopis, who looked at Him with love. As the demigods worshiped Him by showering flowers from their airplanes, the self-satisfied Lord took pleasure in playing like the king of the elephants.
24. Then the Lord strolled through a small forest on the bank of the Yamuna. This forest was filled to its limits with breezes carrying the fragrances of all the flowers growing on the land and in the water. Followed by His entourage of bees and beautiful women, Lord Krsna appeared like an intoxicated elephant with his she-elephants.
25. Although the gopis were firmly attached to Lord Krsna, whose desires are always fulfilled, the Lord was not internally affected by any mundane sex desire. Still, to perform His pastimes the Lord took advantage of all those moonlit autumn nights, which inspire poetic descriptions of transcendental affairs.
26-27. Pariksit Maharaja said: O brahmana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the universe, has descended to this earth along with His plenary portion to destroy irreligion and reestablish religious principles. Indeed, He is the original speaker, follower and guardian of moral laws. How, then, could He have violated them by touching other men’s wives?
28. O faithful upholder of vows, please destroy our doubt by explaining to us what purpose the self-satisfied Lord of the Yadus had in mind when He behaved so contemptibly.
29. Sukadeva Gosvami said: The status of powerful controllers is not harmed by any apparently audacious transgression of morality we may see in them, for they are just like fire, which devours everything fed into it and remains unpolluted.
30. One who is not a great controller should never imitate the behavior of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of foolishness an ordinary person does imitate such behavior, he will simply destroy himself, just as a person who is not Rudra would destroy himself if he tried to drink an ocean of poison.
31. The statements of the Lord’s empowered servants are always true, and the acts they perform are exemplary when consistent with those statements. Therefore one who is intelligent should carry out their instructions.
32. My dear Prabhu, when these great persons who are free from false ego act piously in this world, they have no selfish motives to fulfill, and even when they act in apparent contradiction to the laws of piety, they are not subject to sinful reactions.
33. How, then, could the Lord of all created beings—animals, men and demigods—have any connection with the piety and impiety that affect His subject creatures?
34. Material activities never entangle the devotees of the Supreme Lord, who are fully satisfied by serving the dust of His lotus feet. Nor do material activities entangle those intelligent sages who have freed themselves from the bondage of all fruitive reactions by the power of yoga. So how could there be any question of bondage for the Lord Himself, who assumes His transcendental forms according to His own sweet will?
35. He who lives as the overseeing witness within the gopis and their husbands, and indeed within all embodied living beings, assumes forms in this world to enjoy transcendental pastimes.
36. When the Lord assumes a humanlike body to show mercy to His devotees, He engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become dedicated to Him.
37. The cowherd men, bewildered by Krsna’s illusory potency, thought their wives had remained home at their sides. Thus they did not harbor any jealous feelings against Him.
38. After an entire night of Brahma had passed, Lord Krsna advised the gopis to return to their homes. Although they did not wish to do so, the Lord’s beloved consorts complied with His command.
39. Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopis of Vrndavana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When Lord Krsna disappeared so suddenly, the gopis felt great sorrow at losing sight of Him, like a group of female elephants who have lost their mate.
2. As the cowherd women remembered Lord Krsna, their hearts were overwhelmed by His movements and loving smiles, His playful glances and enchanting talks, and by the many other pastimes He would enjoy with them. Thus absorbed in thoughts of Krsna, the Lord of Rama, the gopis began acting out His various transcendental pastimes.
3. Because the beloved gopis were absorbed in thoughts of their beloved Krsna, their bodies imitated His way of moving and smiling, His way of beholding them, His speech and His other distinctive features. Deeply immersed in thinking of Him and maddened by remembering His pastimes, they declared to one another, “I am Krsna!”
4. Singing loudly of Krsna, they searched for Him throughout the Vrndavana forest like a band of madwomen. They even asked the trees about Him, who as the Supersoul is present inside and outside of all created things, just like the sky.
5. [The gopis said:] O asvattha tree, O plaksa, O nyagrodha, have you seen Krsna? That son of Nanda Maharaja has gone away after stealing our minds with His loving smiles and glances.
6. O kurabaka tree, O asoka, O naga, punnaga and campaka, has Balarama’s younger brother, whose smile removes the audacity of all proud women, passed this way?
7. O most kind tulasi, to whom the feet of Govinda are so dear, have you seen that infallible one walk by, wearing you and encircled by swarms of bees?
8. O malati, O mallika, O jati and yuthika, has Madhava gone by here, giving you pleasure with the touch of His hand?
9. O cuta, O priyala, O panasa, asana and kovidara, O jambu, O arka, O bilva, bakula and amra, O kadamba and nipa and all you other plants and trees living by the banks of the Yamuna who have dedicated your very existence to the welfare of others, we gopis have lost our minds, so please tell us where Krsna has gone.
10. O mother earth, what austerity did you perform to attain the touch of Lord Kesava’s lotus feet, which has brought you such great joy that your bodily hairs are standing on end? You appear very beautiful in this condition. Was it during the Lord’s current appearance that you acquired this ecstatic symptom, or was it perhaps much earlier, when He stepped upon you in His form of the dwarf Vamanadeva, or even earlier, when He embraced you in His form of the boar Varahadeva?
11. O friend, wife of the deer, has Lord Acyuta been here with His beloved, bringing great joy to your eyes? Indeed, blowing this way is the fragrance of His garland of kunda flowers, which was smeared with the kunkuma from the breasts of His girlfriend when He embraced Her.
12. O trees, we see that you are bowing down. When the younger brother of Rama walked by here, followed by intoxicated bees swarming around the tulasi manjaris decorating His garland, did He acknowledge your obeisances with His affectionate glances? He must have been resting His arm on the shoulder of His beloved and carrying a lotus flower in His free hand.
13. Let us ask these creepers about Krsna. Even though they are embracing the arms of their husband, this tree, they certainly must have been touched by Krsna’s fingernails, since out of joy they are manifesting eruptions on their skin.
14. Having spoken these words, the gopis, distraught from searching for Krsna, began to act out His various pastimes, fully absorbed in thoughts of Him.
15. One gopi imitated Putana, while another acted like infant Krsna and pretended to suck her breast. Another gopi, crying in imitation of infant Krsna, kicked a gopi who was taking the role of the cart demon, Sakatasura.
16. One gopi took the role of Trnavarta and carried away another, who was acting like infant Krsna, while yet another gopi crawled about, her ankle bells tinkling as she pulled her feet.
17. Two gopis acted like Rama and Krsna in the midst of several others, who took the role of cowherd boys. One gopi enacted Krsna’s killing of the demon Vatsasura, represented by another gopi, and a pair of gopis acted out the killing of Bakasura.
18. When one gopi perfectly imitated how Krsna would call the cows who had wandered far away, how He would play His flute and how He would engage in various sports, the others congratulated her with exclamations of “Well done! Well done!”
19. Another gopi, her mind fixed on Krsna, walked about with her arm resting on the shoulder of a friend and declared, “I am Krsna! Just see how gracefully I move!”
20. “Don’t be afraid of the wind and rain,” said one gopi. “I will save you.” And with that she lifted her shawl above her head.
21. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] O King, one gopi climbed on another’s shoulders and, putting her foot on the other’s head, said, “Go away from here, O wicked snake! You should know that I have taken birth in this world just to punish the envious.”
22. Then another gopi spoke up: My dear cowherd boys, look al this raging forest fire! Quickly close your eyes and I will easily protect you.
23. One gopi tied up her slender companion with a flower garland and said, “Now I will bind this boy who has broken the butter pots and stolen the butter.” The second gopi then covered her face and beautiful eyes, pretending to be afraid.
24. While the gopis were thus imitating Krsna’s pastimes and asking Vrndavana’s creepers and trees where Krsna, the Supreme Soul, might be, they happened to see His footprints in a corner of the forest.
25. [The gopis said:] The marks of a flag, lotus, thunderbolt, elephant goad, barleycorn and so forth on these footprints clearly distinguish them as belonging to that great soul, the son of Nanda Maharaja.
26. The gopis began following Krsna’s path, as shown by His many footprints, but when they saw that these prints were thoroughly intermixed with those of His dearmost consort, they became perturbed and spoke as follows.
27. [The gopis said:] Here we see the footprints of some gopi who must have been walking along with the son of Nanda Maharaja. He must have put His arm on Her shoulder, just as an elephant rests His trunk on the shoulder of an accompanying she-elephant.
28. Certainly this particular gopi has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.
29. O girls! The dust of Govinda’s lotus feet is so sacred that even Brahma, Siva and the goddess Rama take that dust upon their heads to dispel sinful reactions.
30. These footprints of that special gopi greatly disturb us. Of all the gopis, She alone was taken away to a secluded place, where She is enjoying the lips of Krsna. Look, we can’t see Her footprints over here! It’s obvious that the grass and sprouts were hurting the tender soles of Her feet, and so the lover lifted up His beloved.
31. Please observe, my dear gopis, how in this place lusty Krsna’s footprints are pressed more deeply into the ground. Carrying the weight of His beloved must have been difficult for Him. And over here that intelligent boy must have put Her down to gather some flowers.
32. Just see how in this place dear Krsna collected flowers for His beloved. Here He has left the impression of only the front part of His feet because He was standing on His toes to reach the flowers.
33. Certainly Krsna sat down here with His girlfriend to arrange Her hair. The lusty boy must have made a crown for that lusty girl out of the flowers He had collected.
34. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Lord Krsna enjoyed with that gopi, although He enjoys only within, being self-satisfied and complete in Himself. Thus by contrast He showed the wretchedness of ordinary lusty men and hardhearted women.
35-36. As the gopis wandered about, their minds completely bewildered, they pointed out various signs of Krsna’s pastimes. The particular gopi whom Krsna had led into a secluded forest when He had abandoned all the other young girls began to think Herself the best of women. “My beloved has rejected all the other gopis, “She thought, “even though they are driven by Cupid himself. He has chosen to reciprocate with Me alone.”
37. As the two lovers passed through one part of the Vrndavana forest, the special gopi began feeling proud of Herself. She told Lord Kesava, “I cannot walk any further. Please carry Me wherever You want to go.”
38. Thus addressed, Lord Krsna replied, “Just climb on My shoulder.” But as soon as He said this, He disappeared. His beloved consort then immediately felt great remorse.
39. She cried out: O master! My lover! O dearmost, where are You? Where are You? Please, O mighty-armed one, O friend, show Yourself to Me, Your poor servant!
40. Sukadeva Gosvami said: While continuing to search out Krsna’s path, the gopis discovered their unhappy friend close by. She was bewildered by separation from Her lover.
41. She told them how Madhava had given Her much respect, but how She then suffered dishonor because of Her misbehavior. The gopis were extremely amazed to hear this.
42. In search of Krsna, the gopis then entered the depths of the forest as far as the light of the moon shone. But when they found themselves engulfed in darkness, they decided to turn back.
43. Their minds absorbed in thoughts of Him, they conversed about Him, acted out His pastimes and felt themselves filled with His presence. They completely forgot about their homes as they loudly sang the glories of Krsna’s transcendental qualities.
44. The gopis again came to the bank of the Kalindi. Meditating on Krsna and eagerly hoping He would come, they sat down together to sing of Him.
Chapter Thirty-One The Gopis’ Songs of Separation
1. The gopis said: O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indira, the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.
2. O Lord of love, in beauty Your glance excels the whorl of the finest, most perfectly formed lotus within the autumn pond. O bestower of benedictions, You are killing the maidservants who have given themselves to You freely, without any price. Isn’t this murder?
3. O greatest of personalities, You have repeatedly saved us from all kinds of danger—from poisoned water, from the terrible man-eater Agha, from the great rains, from the wind demon, from the fiery thunderbolt of Indra, from the bull demon and from the son of Maya Danava.
4. You are not actually the son of the gopi Yasoda, O friend, but rather the indwelling witness in the hearts of all embodied souls. Because Lord Brahma prayed for You to come and protect the universe, You have now appeared in the Satvata dynasty.
5. O best of the Vrsnis, Your lotuslike hand, which holds the hand of the goddess of fortune, grants fearlessness to those who approach Your feet out of fear of material existence. O lover, please place that wish-fulfilling lotus hand on our heads.
6. O You who destroy the suffering of Vraja’s people, O hero of all women, Your smile shatters the false pride of Your devotees. Please, dear friend, accept us as Your maidservants and show us Your beautiful lotus face.
7. Your lotus feet destroy the past sins of all embodied souls who surrender to them. Those feet follow after the cows in the pastures and are the eternal abode of the goddess of fortune. Since You once put those feet on the hoods of the great serpent Kaliya, please place them upon our breasts and tear away the lust in our hearts.
8. O lotus-eyed one, Your sweet voice and charming words, which attract the minds of the intelligent, are bewildering us more and more. Our dear hero, please revive Your maidservants with the nectar of Your lips.
9. The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
10. Your smiles, Your sweet, loving glances, the intimate pastimes and confidential talks we enjoyed with You—all these are auspicious to meditate upon, and they touch our hearts. But at the same time, O deceiver, they very much agitate our minds.
11. Dear master, dear lover, when You leave the cowherd village to herd the cows, our minds are disturbed with the thought that Your feet, more beautiful than a lotus, will be pricked by the spiked husks of grain and the rough grass and plants.
12. At the end of the day You repeatedly show us Your lotus face, covered with dark blue locks of hair and thickly powdered with dust. Thus, O hero, You arouse lusty desires in our minds.
13. Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma, fulfill the desires of all who bow down to them. They are the ornament of the earth, they give the highest satisfaction, and in times of danger they are the appropriate object of meditation. O lover, O destroyer of anxiety, please put those lotus feet upon our breasts.
14. O hero, kindly distribute to us the nectar of Your lips, which enhances conjugal pleasure and vanquishes grief. That nectar is thoroughly relished by Your vibrating flute and makes people forget any other attachment.
15. When You go off to the forest during the day, a tiny fraction of a second becomes like a millennium for us because we cannot see You. And even when we can eagerly look upon Your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks, our pleasure is hindered by our eyelids, which were fashioned by the foolish creator.
16. Dear Acyuta, You know very well why we have come here. Who but a cheater like You would abandon young women who come to see Him in the middle of the night, enchanted by the loud song of His flute? Just to see You, we have completely rejected our husbands, children, ancestors, brothers and other relatives.
17. Our minds are repeatedly bewildered as we think of the intimate conversations we had with You in secret, feel the rise of lust in our hearts and remember Your smiling face, Your loving glances and Your broad chest, the resting place of the goddess of fortune. Thus we experience the most severe hankering for You.
18. O beloved, Your all-auspicious appearance vanquishes the distress of those living in Vraja’s forests. Our minds long for Your association. Please give to us just a bit of that medicine, which counteracts the disease in Your devotees’ hearts.
19. O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our life rests only in You. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that Your tender feet might be wounded by pebbles as You roam about on the forest path.
Chapter Thirty-Two The Reunion
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, having thus sung and spoken their hearts out in various charming ways, the gopis began to weep loudly. They were very eager to see Lord Krsna.
2. Then Lord Krsna, a smile on His lotus face, appeared before the gopis. Wearing a garland and a yellow garment, He directly appeared as one who can bewilder the mind of Cupid, who himself bewilders the minds of ordinary people.
3. When the gopis saw that their dearmost Krsna had returned to them, they all stood up at once, and out of their affection for Him their eyes bloomed wide. It was as if the air of life had reentered their bodies.
4. One gopi joyfully took Krsna’s hand between her folded palms, and another placed His arm, anointed with sandalwood paste, on her shoulder.
5. A slender gopi respectfully took in her joined hands the betel nut He had chewed, and another gopi, burning with desire, put His lotus feet on her breasts.
6. One gopi, beside herself with loving anger, bit her lips and stared at Him with frowning eyebrows, as if to wound Him with her harsh glances.
7. Another gopi looked with unblinking eyes upon His lotus face, but even after deeply relishing its sweetness She did not feel satiated, just as mystic saints are never satiated when meditating upon the Lord’s feet.
8. One gopi took the Lord through the aperture of her eyes and placed Him within her heart. Then, with her eyes closed and her bodily hairs standing on end, she continuously embraced Him within. Thus immersed in transcendental ecstasy, she resembled a yogi meditating upon the Lord.
9. All the gopis enjoyed the greatest festivity when they saw their beloved Kesava again. They gave up the distress of separation, just as people in general forget their misery when they gain the association of a spiritually enlightened person.
10. Encircled by the gopis, who were now relieved of all distress, Lord Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, shone forth splendidly. My dear King, Krsna thus appeared like the Supersoul encircled by His spiritual potencies.
11-12. The almighty Lord then took the gopis with Him to the bank of the Kalindi, who with the hands of her waves had scattered piles of soft sand upon the shore. In that auspicious place the breeze, bearing the fragrance of blooming kunda and mandara flowers, attracted many bees, and the abundant rays of the autumn moon dispelled the darkness of night.
13. Their heartache vanquished by the ecstasy of seeing Krsna, the gopis, like the personified Vedas before them, felt their desires completely fulfilled. For their dear friend Krsna they arranged a seat with their shawls which were smeared with the kunkuma powder from their breasts.
14. Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for whom the great masters of mystic meditation arrange a seat within their hearts, took His seat in the assembly of gopis. His transcendental body, the exclusive abode of beauty and opulence within the three worlds, shone brilliantly as the gopis worshiped Him.
15. Sri Krsna had awakened romantic desires within the gopis, and they honored Him by glancing at Him with playful smiles, gesturing amorously with their eyebrows, and massaging His hands and feet as they held them in their laps. Even while worshiping Him, however, they felt somewhat angry, and thus they addressed Him as follows.
16. The gopis said: Some people reciprocate the affection only of those who are affectionate toward them, while others show affection even to those who are indifferent or inimical. And yet others will not show affection toward anyone. Dear Krsna, please properly explain this matter to us.
17. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: So-called friends who show affection for each other only to benefit themselves are actually selfish. They have no true friendship, nor are they following the true principles of religion. Indeed, if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they would not reciprocate.
18. My dear slender-waisted gopis, some people are genuinely merciful or, like parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate with them, are following the true, faultless path of religion, and they are true well-wishers.
19. Then there are those individuals who are spiritually self-satisfied, materially fulfilled or by nature ungrateful or simply envious of superiors. Such persons will not love even those who love them, what to speak of those who are inimical.
20. But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings even when they worship Me, O gopis, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so anxious about it that he can think of nothing else.
21. My dear girls, understanding that simply for My sake you had rejected the authority of worldly opinion, of the Vedas and of your relatives, I acted as I did only to increase your attachment to Me. Even when I removed Myself from your sight by suddenly disappearing, I never stopped loving you. Therefore, My beloved gopés, please do not harbor any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved.
22. I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.
Chapter Thirty-Three The Rasa Dance
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When the cowherd girls heard the Supreme Personality of Godhead speak these most charming words, they forgot their distress caused by separation from Him. Touching His transcendental limbs, they felt all their desires fulfilled.
2. There on the Yamuna’s banks Lord Govinda then began the pastime of the rasa dance in the company of those jewels among women, the faithful gopis, who joyfully linked their arms together.
3. The festive rasa dance commenced, with the gopis arrayed in a circle. Lord Krsna expanded Himself and entered between each pair of gopis, and as that master of mystic power placed His arms around their necks, each girl thought He was standing next to her alone. The demigods and their wives were overwhelmed with eagerness to witness the rasa dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds of celestial airplanes.
4. Kettledrums then resounded in the sky while flowers rained down and the chief Gandharvas and their wives sang Lord Krsna’s spotless glories.
5. A tumultuous sound arose from the armlets, ankle bells and waist bells of the gopis as they sported with their beloved Krsna in the circle of the rasa dance.
6. In the midst of the dancing gopis, Lord Krsna appeared most brilliant, like an exquisite sapphire in the midst of golden ornaments.
7. As the gopis sang in praise of Krsna, their feet danced, their hands gestured, and their eyebrows moved with playful smiles. With their braids and belts tied tight, their waists bending, their faces perspiring, the garments on their breasts moving this way and that, and their earrings swinging on their cheeks, Lord Krsna’s young consorts shone like streaks of lightning in a mass of clouds.
8. Eager to enjoy conjugal love, their throats colored with various pigments, the gopis sang loudly and danced. They were overjoyed by Krsna’s touch, and they sang songs that filled the entire universe.
9. One gopi, joining Lord Mukunda in His singing, sang pure melodious tones that rose harmoniously above His. Krsna was pleased and showed great appreciation for her performance, saying “Excellent! Excellent!” Then another gopé repeated the same melody, but in a special metrical pattern, and Krsna praised her also.
10. When one gopi grew tired from the rasa dance, She turned to Krsna, standing at Her side holding a baton, and grasped His shoulder with Her arm. The dancing had loosened Her bracelets and the flowers in Her hair.
11. Upon the shoulder of one gopi Krsna placed His arm, whose natural blue-lotus fragrance was mixed with that of the sandalwood pulp anointing it. As the gopi relished that fragrance, her bodily hair stood on end in jubilation, and she kissed His arm.
12. Next to Krsna’s cheek one gopi put her own, beautified by the effulgence of her earrings, which glittered as she danced. Krsna then carefully gave her the betel nut He was chewing.
13. Another gopi became fatigued as she danced and sang, the bells on her ankles and waist tinkling. So she placed upon her breasts the comforting lotus hand of Lord Acyuta, who was standing by her side.
14. Having attained as their intimate lover Lord Acyuta, the exclusive consort of the goddess of fortune, the gopis enjoyed great pleasure. They sang His glories as He held their necks with His arms.
15. Enhancing the beauty of the gopis’ faces were the lotus flowers behind their ears, the locks of hair decorating their cheeks, and drops of perspiration. The reverberation of their armlets and ankle bells made a loud musical sound, and their chaplets scattered. Thus the gopis danced with the Supreme Lord in the arena of the räsa dance as swarms of bees sang in accompaniment.
16. In this way Lord Krsna, the original Lord Narayana, master of the goddess of fortune, took pleasure in the company of the young women of Vraja by embracing them, caressing them and glancing lovingly at them as He smiled His broad, playful smiles. It was just as if a child were playing with his own reflection.
17. Their senses overwhelmed by the joy of having His physical association, the gopis could not prevent their hair, their dresses and the cloths covering their breasts from becoming disheveled. Their garlands and ornaments scattered, O hero of the Kuru dynasty.
18. The wives of the demigods, observing Krsna’s playful activities from their airplanes, were entranced and became agitated with lust. Indeed, even the moon and his entourage, the stars, became astonished.
19. Expanding Himself us many times as there were cowherd women to associate with, the Supreme Lord, though self-satisfied, playfully enjoyed their company.
20. Seeing that the gopis were fatigued from conjugal enjoyment, my dear King, merciful Krsna lovingly wiped their faces with His comforting hand.
21. The gopis honored their hero with smiling glances sweetened by the beauty of their cheeks and the effulgence of their curly locks and glittering golden earrings. Overjoyed from the touch of His fingernails, they chanted the glories of His all-auspicious transcendental pastimes.
22. Lord Krsna’s garland had been crushed during His conjugal dalliance with the gopis and colored vermilion by the kunkuma powder on their breasts. To dispel the fatigue of the gopis, Krsna entered the water of the Yamuna, followed swiftly by bees who were singing like the best of the Gandharvas. He appeared like a lordly elephant entering the water to relax in the company of his consorts. Indeed, the Lord had transgressed all worldly and Vedic morality just as a powerful elephant might break the dikes in a paddy field.
23. My dear King, in the water Krsna found Himself being splashed on all sides by the laughing gopis, who looked at Him with love. As the demigods worshiped Him by showering flowers from their airplanes, the self-satisfied Lord took pleasure in playing like the king of the elephants.
24. Then the Lord strolled through a small forest on the bank of the Yamuna. This forest was filled to its limits with breezes carrying the fragrances of all the flowers growing on the land and in the water. Followed by His entourage of bees and beautiful women, Lord Krsna appeared like an intoxicated elephant with his she-elephants.
25. Although the gopis were firmly attached to Lord Krsna, whose desires are always fulfilled, the Lord was not internally affected by any mundane sex desire. Still, to perform His pastimes the Lord took advantage of all those moonlit autumn nights, which inspire poetic descriptions of transcendental affairs.
26-27. Pariksit Maharaja said: O brahmana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the universe, has descended to this earth along with His plenary portion to destroy irreligion and reestablish religious principles. Indeed, He is the original speaker, follower and guardian of moral laws. How, then, could He have violated them by touching other men’s wives?
28. O faithful upholder of vows, please destroy our doubt by explaining to us what purpose the self-satisfied Lord of the Yadus had in mind when He behaved so contemptibly.
29. Sukadeva Gosvami said: The status of powerful controllers is not harmed by any apparently audacious transgression of morality we may see in them, for they are just like fire, which devours everything fed into it and remains unpolluted.
30. One who is not a great controller should never imitate the behavior of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of foolishness an ordinary person does imitate such behavior, he will simply destroy himself, just as a person who is not Rudra would destroy himself if he tried to drink an ocean of poison.
31. The statements of the Lord’s empowered servants are always true, and the acts they perform are exemplary when consistent with those statements. Therefore one who is intelligent should carry out their instructions.
32. My dear Prabhu, when these great persons who are free from false ego act piously in this world, they have no selfish motives to fulfill, and even when they act in apparent contradiction to the laws of piety, they are not subject to sinful reactions.
33. How, then, could the Lord of all created beings—animals, men and demigods—have any connection with the piety and impiety that affect His subject creatures?
34. Material activities never entangle the devotees of the Supreme Lord, who are fully satisfied by serving the dust of His lotus feet. Nor do material activities entangle those intelligent sages who have freed themselves from the bondage of all fruitive reactions by the power of yoga. So how could there be any question of bondage for the Lord Himself, who assumes His transcendental forms according to His own sweet will?
35. He who lives as the overseeing witness within the gopis and their husbands, and indeed within all embodied living beings, assumes forms in this world to enjoy transcendental pastimes.
36. When the Lord assumes a humanlike body to show mercy to His devotees, He engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become dedicated to Him.
37. The cowherd men, bewildered by Krsna’s illusory potency, thought their wives had remained home at their sides. Thus they did not harbor any jealous feelings against Him.
38. After an entire night of Brahma had passed, Lord Krsna advised the gopis to return to their homes. Although they did not wish to do so, the Lord’s beloved consorts complied with His command.
39. Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopis of Vrndavana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
S.B. Capítulos: 30, 31, 32, 33
SRIMAD BHAGAVATA by Krsna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
(Compiled and edited by Jay Mazo, International Gita Society)
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