The
son of Vyâsa said: 'Even
though He was the Supreme Lord, decided He, resorting to His
inner potency [see yoga-mâyâ],
to enjoy those nights in autumn when the jasmine flowers are
blossoming.
S'rî
Bâdarâyani said: S'rî Krishna is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, yet
upon seeing those autumn nights scented with blossoming
jasmine flowers, He turned His mind toward loving affairs.
To fulfill His purposes He employed His internal potency.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
At
the time painted the king of the stars [the moon] with
his hands the face of the east red thus giving comfort to all
who longed for him, just like a lover approaching his beloved
ends the grief when he after a long time is seen
again.
The
moon then rose, anointing the face of the eastern horizon
with the reddish hue of his comforting rays, and thus
dispelling the pain of all who watched him rise. The moon
was like a beloved husband who returns after a long absence
and adorns the face of his beloved wife with red kunkuma.
(Vedabase)
Text
3
Seeing
how the kumuda lotuses opened to his full round face that,
alike the face with fresh kunkuma of the goddess of fortune,
with its light reddened the forest, played He, colored by the
gentle rays of that light, His flute sweetly enchanting the
eyes of charm [of the
gopîs].
Lord
Krishna saw the unbroken disk of the full moon glowing with
the red effulgence of newly applied vermilion, as if it were
the face of the goddess of fortune. He also saw the kumuda
lotuses opening in response to the moon's presence and the
forest gently illumined by its rays. Thus the Lord began to
play sweetly on His flute, attracting the minds of the
beautiful-eyed gopîs. (Vedabase)
Text
4
Hearing
that song aroused Cupid with the women of Vraja and with their
minds seized by Krishna went each of them unknown to the
others, with earrings swinging in the haste, to where He, their
boyfriend, was.
When
the young women of Vrindâvana heard Krishna's flute
song, which arouses romantic feelings, their minds were
captivated by the Lord. They went to where their lover
waited, each unknown to the others, moving so quickly that
their earrings swung back and forth. (Vedabase)
Text
5
Some
left in the middle of milking the cows, some abandoned in their
eagerness the milk they had on the stove while others went
without taking the cake out of the oven.
Some
of the gopîs were milking cows when they heard
Krishna's flute. They stopped milking and went off to meet
Him. Some left milk curdling on the stove, and others left
cakes burning in the oven. (Vedabase)
Text
6-7
Some
put aside the children they were feeding milk and dressed up
forgetting the service to their husbands, some left in the
middle of having their dinner, some oiled, painted themselves
and made up their eyes while others went to Krishna with their
clothes and ornaments in disarray.
Some
of them were getting dressed, feeding milk to their infants
or rendering personal service to their husbands, but they
all gave up these duties and went to meet Krishna. Other
gopîs were taking their evening meals, washing
themselves, putting on cosmetics or applying kajjala to
their eyes. But all the gopîs stopped these
activities at once and, though their clothes and ornaments
were in complete disarray, rushed off to Krishna.
(Vedabase)
Text
8
They, checked
by their husbands, fathers, brothers and other relatives did,
enchanted by Govinda with their hearts stolen, not turn back
[to their duties].
Their
husbands, fathers, brothers and other relatives tried to
stop them, but Krishna had already stolen their hearts.
Enchanted by the sound of His flute, they refused to turn
back. (Vedabase)
Text
9
Some
gopîs who didn't manage to get away, staying home
closed their eyes and meditated connected in that love [see
footnote*
and
10.1:
62 & 63].
Some
of the gopîs, however, could not manage to get
out of their houses, and instead they remained home with
eyes closed, meditating upon Him in pure love.
(Vedabase)
Text
10-11
The
intolerable, intense agony of being separated from their
Beloved removed all the bad minding while the good of them was
reduced to zero because of the joy obtained in meditating the
embrace of the Infallible One. Even though He was the Supreme
Soul thought they Him to be their paramour, but nevertheless
getting His direct association gave they, with their bonds cut,
immediately up their existence the way it is determined by the
material qualities.'
For
those gopîs who could not go to see Krishna,
intolerable separation from their beloved caused an intense
agony that burned away all impious karma. By meditating upon
Him they realized His embrace, and the ecstasy they then
felt exhausted their material piety. Although Lord Krishna
is the Supreme Soul, these girls simply thought of Him as
their male lover and associated with Him in that intimate
mood. Thus their karmic bondage was nullified and they
abandoned their gross material bodies. (Vedabase)
Text
12
S'rî
Parîkchit said: 'They knew Krishna only as their beloved
but not as the Absolute Truth, o sage, how could there for them
being so mindful of the material affair be the ending of the
mighty current of the gunas?'
S'rî
Parîkshit Mahârâja said: O sage, the
gopîs knew Krishna only as their lover, not as
the Supreme Absolute Truth. So how could these girls, their
minds caught up in the waves of the modes of nature, free
themselves from material attachment? (Vedabase)
Text
13
S'rî
S'uka said: 'About this I spoke to you before [in
3.2:
19 and in
7.1:
16-33]:
when the king of Cedi [S'is'upâla] could attain
perfection even hating the Lord of the Senses, what then would
it be for those who are dear to Him, the Lord in the
Beyond?
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: This point was explained to you
previously. Since even S'is'upâla, who hated Krishna,
achieved perfection, then what to speak of the Lord's dear
devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
14
For the purpose
of humanity its highest benefit, o King, is there the personal
appearance of the Supreme, Imperishable, Inscrutable Lord who,
being free from the modes, is the Controller of the
Modes.
O
King, the Supreme Lord is inexhaustible and immeasurable,
and He is untouched by the material modes because He is
their controller. His personal appearance in this world is
meant for bestowing the highest benefit on humanity.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
They who
constantly exhibit lust, anger, fear, affection, unity and
goodwill with the Lord are sure to achieve absorption in
Him.
Persons
who constantly direct their lust, anger, fear, protective
affection, feeling of impersonal oneness or friendship
toward Lord Hari are sure to become absorbed in thought of
Him. (Vedabase)
Text
16
You shouldn't
be astonished by this in regard to the Supreme Personality
Unborn for He is the master of all masters of yoga by whom this
world finds liberation.
You
should not be so astonished by Krishna, the unborn master of
all masters of mystic power, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. After all, it is the Lord who liberates this world.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
When the
Supreme Lord saw the girls of Vraja arriving near Him spoke He,
the best of all speakers, with a wealth of words that
bewildered them.
Seeing
that the girls of Vraja had arrived, Lord Krishna, the best
of speakers, greeted them with charming words that
bewildered their minds. (Vedabase)
Text
18
The Supreme
Lord said: 'Be welcome all of you, o fortunate ladies, what can
I do to please you? Please tell Me whether Vraja is all right
and for what reason you came here.
Lord
Krishna said: O most fortunate ladies, welcome. What may I
do to please you? Is everything well in Vraja? Please tell
Me the reason for your coming here. (Vedabase)
Text
19
This night is
full of creatures fearsome in appearance, so please return to
Vraja o slender girls, you women shouldn't hang around
here.
This
night is quite frightening, and frightening creatures are
lurking about. Return to Vraja, slender-waisted girls. This
is not a proper place for women. (Vedabase)
Text
20
Undoubtedly it
is so that your mothers, fathers, sons, brothers and husbands
looking for you can't find you; don't give rise to anxity with
your kin.
Not
finding you at home, your mothers, fathers, sons, brothers
and husbands are certainly searching for you. Don't cause
anxiety for your family members. (Vedabase)
Text
21-22
You've seen
Râka (the goddess of the day of the full moon)
resplendent by her moonlight, you've seen the forest full of
flowers even more pleasurable by the breeze blowing from the
Yamunâ that plays through the leaves of the trees. Go
now, without delay, back to the cowherd village, you must serve
your husbands, o chaste ones, the calves and the children are
crying for you to give them milk.
Now
you have seen this Vrindâvana forest, full of flowers
and resplendent with the light of the full moon. You have
seen the beauty of the trees, with their leaves trembling in
the gentle breeze coming from the Yamunâ. So now go
back to the cowherd village. Don't delay. O chaste ladies,
serve your husbands and give milk to your crying babies and
calves. (Vedabase)
Text
23
Or else, if you
have come with your hearts overtaken by your love for Me, is
that indeed laudable of you since all living beings have
affection for Me.
On
the other hand, perhaps you have come here out of your great
love for Me, which has taken control of your hearts. This is
of course quite commendable on your part, since all living
entities possess natural affection for Me. (Vedabase)
Text
24
For women it
indeed is the highest dharma to be diligently of service to her
husband, to be simple and honest towards the relatives and to
take good care of her family.
The
highest religious duty for a woman is to sincerely serve her
husband, behave well toward her husband's family and take
good care of her children. (Vedabase)
Text
25
Provided he
didn't fall [from his belief or being unfaithful]
should a husband bad-hearted, unfortunate, old, retarded,
sickly and poor even by women who desire heaven not be rejected
[see also 9.14:
37 and
B.G.
1: 40]
Women
who desire a good destination in the next life should never
abandon a husband who has not fallen from his religious
standards, even if he is obnoxious, unfortunate, old,
unintelligent, sickly or poor. (Vedabase)
Text
26
To be astray
weak in adultery is for a woman of class in all cases something
contemptible: it harms the reputation, creates fear, and gives
trouble.
For
a woman from a respectable family, petty adulterous affairs
are always condemned. They bar her from heaven, ruin her
reputation and bring her difficulty and fear.
(Vedabase)
Text
27
By listening,
being in the presence [of the deity and the devotees],
by meditation and by subsequent chanting is one of love for Me,
not so much with physical proximity; therefore please return to
your homes [see also 10.23:
33].'
Transcendental
love for Me arises by the devotional processes of hearing
about Me, seeing My Deity form, meditating on Me and
faithfully chanting My glories. The same result is not
achieved by mere physical proximity. So please go back to
your homes. (Vedabase)
Text
28
S'rî
S'uka said: 'The gopîs thus hearing the words of
Govinda unpleasant to them felt, dejected of being disappointed
in their strong desires, an anxiety hard to
overcome.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Hearing these unpleasant words
spoken by Govinda, the gopîs became morose.
Their great hopes were frustrated and they felt
insurmountable anxiety. (Vedabase)
Text
29
Letting their
faces hang down in sorrow and their bimba-red lips dry up
sighing, stood they scratching the ground and bore they, with
their tears spoiling their make-up and washing away the kunkum
on their breasts, silently the burden of their great
distress.
Their
heads hanging down and their heavy, sorrowful breathing
drying up their reddened lips, the gopîs
scratched the ground with their toes. Tears flowed from
their eyes, carrying their kajjala and washing away the
vermilion smeared on their breasts. Thus they stood,
silently bearing the burden of their unhappiness.
(Vedabase)
Text
30
With their
Beloved not so loving at all addressing them to the contrary,
while they for His sake had desisted from all their material
desires, wiped they their tears arresting their crying and said
they next with their voices choked up in the attachment in
agony something back to Him:
Although
Krishna was their beloved, and although they had abandoned
all other objects of desire for His sake, He had been
speaking to them unfavorably. Nonetheless, they remained
unflinching in their attachment to Him. Stopping their
crying, they wiped their eyes and began to speak, their
voices stammering with agitation. (Vedabase)
Text
31
The beautiful
gopîs said: 'Your good self, o Mighty One,
shouldn't speak so harshly renouncing all sorts of sensual
pleasure; please reciprocate with our devotion at Your feet, do
not play so hard-to-get rejecting us, be just like the Godhead,
the Original Personality who reciprocates with those who desire
liberation.
The
beautiful gopîs said: O all-powerful one, You
should not speak in this cruel way. Do not reject us, who
have renounced all material enjoyment to render devotional
service to Your lotus feet. Reciprocate with us, O stubborn
one, just as the primeval Lord, S'rî
Nârâyana, reciprocates with His devotees in
their endeavors for liberation. (Vedabase)
Text
32
O dearest, You
as the Knower of the Dharma thus spoke of the duty of women
which would be her loyalty to husband, children and relatives,
so be it, but isn't it so that You, o Lord, are the real object
of this instruction; You, the Godhead most dear who for all
embodied beings are the closest relative in being the
soul?
Our
dear Krishna, as an expert in religion You have advised us
that the proper religious duty for women is to faithfully
serve their husbands, children and other relatives. We agree
that this principle is valid, but actually this service
should be rendered to You. After all, O Lord, You are the
dearmost friend of all embodied souls. You are their most
intimate relative and indeed their very Self.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
The experts
indeed give evidence of the attraction to You who eternally
endears them as their very own Self, so what therefore of our
husbands, children and relatives who give us trouble? Have
mercy with us, o Supreme Controller, do not cut the hopes for
You down that we entertained for so long, o Lotus-eyed
One.
Expert
transcendentalists always direct their affection toward You
because they recognize You as their true Self and eternal
beloved. What use do we have for these husbands, children
and relatives of ours, who simply give us trouble?
Therefore, O supreme controllers grant us Your mercy. O
lotus-eyed one, please do not cut down our long-cherished
hope to have Your association. (Vedabase)
Text
34
With ease You
stole our minds, which were absorbed in our households, as well
as our hands that were busy in household duties; our feet will
not move one step away from Your feet - how can we go back to
Vraja, what then should we do instead?
Until
today our minds were absorbed in household affairs, but You
easily stole both our minds and our hands away from our
housework. Now our feet won't move one step from Your lotus
feet. How can we go back to Vraja? What would we do there?
(Vedabase)
Text
35
Please, o
Dearest, pour the flood of the nectar of Your smiling glances
and melodious songs rising from Your lips, over the fire within
our hearts; otherwise will we with meditation place our bodies
in the fire that burns of separation and go for the abode of
Your feet, o Friend.
Dear
Krishna, please pour the nectar of Your lips upon the fire
within our hearts - a fire You ignited with Your smiling
glances and the sweet song of Your flute. If You do not, we
will consign our bodies to the fire of separation from You,
O friend, and thus like yogis attain to the abode of Your
lotus feet by meditation. (Vedabase)
Text
36
O You with Your
lotus-like eyes, for the goddess of fortune is it a festival to
be at the base of Your feet that, at times held dear by the
people dwelling in the forest, we now will touch and from that
moment on will we, filled by Your joy, for sure never be able
to stand in the direct presence of any other
man!
O
lotus-eyed one, the goddess of fortune considers it a
festive occasion whenever she touches the soles of Your
lotus feet. You are very dear to the residents of the
forest, and therefore we will also touch those lotus feet.
From that time on we will be unable even to stand in the
presence of any other man, for we will have been fully
satisfied by You. (Vedabase)
Text
37
Like the
goddess, who together even with Tulasî-devî
desiring the dust of the lotus feet, has obtained her position
at Your bosom and for whose glance upon them, as it is, the
others of enlightenment do endeavor to serve as servants, do we
likewise also seek the dust of Your feet.
Goddess
Lakshmî, whose glance is sought after by the demigods
with great endeavor, has achieved the unique position of
always remaining on the chest of her Lord,
Nârâyana. Still, she desires the dust of His
lotus feet, even though she has to share that dust with
Tulasî-devî and indeed with the Lord's many
other servants. Similarly, we have approached the dust of
Your lotus feet for shelter. (Vedabase)
Text
38
Therefore be of
mercy with us, o Vanquisher of all Distress, Your feet we
approached renouncing our homes in the hope to worship You,
with Your beautiful smiles and glances for which our hearts
have burned with an intense desire; o gem of all people, please
allow us to serve.
Therefore,
O vanquisher of all distress, please show us mercy. To
approach Your lotus feet we abandoned our families and
homes, and we have no desire other than to serve You. Our
hearts are burning with intense desires generated by Your
beautiful smiling glances. O jewel among men, please make us
Your maidservants. (Vedabase)
Text
39
Seeing Your
hair around Your face, Your earrings, the beauty of Your cheeks
and the nectar of Your lips smiling, the glances that make one
fearless, the two of Your mighty arms and looking at Your
chest, the only source of pleasure for the goddess, we are
delivered as Your servants.
Seeing
Your face encircled by curling locks of hair, Your cheeks
beautified by earrings, Your lips full of nectar, and Your
smiling glance, and also seeing Your two imposing arms,
which take away our fear, and Your chest, which is the only
source of pleasure for the goddess of fortune, we must
become Your maidservants. (Vedabase)
Text
40
What woman
within the three worlds, o dearest, would not be completely
bewildered by the melody lines of the songs You draw from Your
flute and then not deviate in civil conduct upon seeing this
grace of the three worlds, this beautiful form of which (even)
the cows, the birds, the trees and the deer carry a thrill of
joy.
Dear
Krishna, what woman in all the three worlds wouldn't deviate
from religious behavior when bewildered by the sweet,
drawn-out melody of Your flute? Your beauty makes all three
worlds auspicious. Indeed, even the cows, birds, trees and
deer manifest the ecstatic symptom of bodily hair standing
on end when they see Your beautiful form. (Vedabase)
Text
41
You, just as
the Godhead, the Original Personality, protecting all gods and
worlds, have taken birth as the Godhead, the evident remover of
the fear and distress of the people of Vraja, therefore kindly
place, o Friend of the Distressed, Your lotuslike hand on the
burning breasts and heads of Your maidservants.'
Clearly
You have taken birth in this world to relieve the fear and
distress of the people of Vraja, just as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the primeval Lord, protects the
domain of the demigods. Therefore, O friend of the
distressed, kindly place Your lotus hand on Your
maidservants' heads and burning breasts. (Vedabase)
Text
42
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Having heard the gopîs' despondent
words laughed full of mercy the Lord of all the Lords of Yoga
who had been satisfied despite of His ever being satisfied
within.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Smiling upon hearing these
despondent words from the gopîs, Lord Krishna,
the supreme master of all masters of mystic yoga, mercifully
enjoyed with them, although He is self-satisfied.
(Vedabase)
Text
43
With them all
together was He as splendid as the deerlike spotted moon
surrounded by the stars, and made He as the Infallible Lord so
magnanimous in His glances and proofs of affection their faces
blossom with His broad smiles that beamed His jasmine-like
teeth.
Among
the assembled gopîs, the infallible Lord
Krishna appeared just like the moon surrounded by stars. He
whose activities are so magnanimous made their faces blossom
with His affectionate glances, and His broad smiles revealed
the effulgence of His jasmine-bud-like teeth.
(Vedabase)
Text
44
Being sung and
singing Himself as the commander of hundreds of women wore He
the five-colored [Vaijayantî] garland by which He
beautified the forest in which He moved about.
As
the gopîs sang His praises, that leader of
hundreds of women sang loudly in reply. He moved among them,
wearing His Vaijayantî garland, beautifying the
Vrindâvana forest. (Vedabase)
Text
45-46
Together with
the gopîs He arrived at the river bank that,
served by the waves, was cool with its sand and was pleasant of
the fragrance of the lotuses carried by the wind. With the
Vraja beauties stirring up Cupid took He pleasure in throwing
His arms around them in embraces and that way touching their
hair, belts, thighs and breasts, with His hands playfully
stroking them with His fingernails and glancing at them,
chatted He with them and laughed He.
S'rî
Krishna went with the gopîs to the bank of the
Yamunâ, where the sand was cooling and the wind,
enlivened by the river's waves, bore the fragrance of
lotuses. There Krishna threw His arms around the
gopîs and embraced them. He aroused Cupid in
the beautiful young ladies of Vraja by touching their hands,
hair, thighs, belts and breasts, by playfully scratching
them with His fingernails, and also by joking with them,
glancing at them and laughing with them. In this way the
Lord enjoyed His pastimes. (Vedabase)
Text
47
This way
receiving from Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
special attention of the Greater Soul, considered they
themselves, growing proud, the best of all women on earth
indeed.
The
gopîs became proud of themselves for having
received such special attention from Krishna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and each of them thought herself the
best woman on earth. (Vedabase)
Text
48
Observing that
they due to their fortune were in an intoxicated state of false
pride, disappeared, by way of His grace, Lord Kes'ava from the
spot with the purpose of bringing that pride down.'
Lord
Kes'ava, seeing the gopîs too proud of their
good fortune, wanted to relieve them of this pride and show
them further mercy. Thus He immediately disappeared.
(Vedabase)
*
The
different types of gopîs suggested here are also
mentioned in the Padma Purâna:
gopyas
tu s'rutayo jñeyâ
rishi-jâ gopa-kanyakâh
deva-kanyâs' ca râjendra
na mânushyâh kathañcana
'It
is understood that some of the gopîs are
personified Vedic literatures
(s'ruti-cârî),while others are reborn sages
(rishi-cârî), daughters of cowherds
(gopa-kanyâs), or demigod maidens
(deva-kanyâs). But by no means, my dear King, are
any of them ordinary humans.' There is also mention of
sâdhana-siddhas and nitya-siddhas: those
perfect of spiritual discipline and those born that
way.