S'rî
S'uka said: 'The gopîs, thus hearing the most
charming words of the Supreme Lord gave, with their eager
hearts fulfilled by [their touching] His limbs, up on
the [cherished] distress of their having been
deserted.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî 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. (Vedabase)
Text
2
Right
there engaged Govinda in a dance [a râsa, or
sport] in which the faithful jewels among women satisfied
joined in linking their arms together.
There
on the Yamunâ's banks Lord Govinda then began the
pastime of the râsa dance in the company of
those jewels among women, the faithful gopîs,
who joyfully linked their arms together. (Vedabase)
Text
3-4:
The
festive play commenced with the gopîs in a circle
that was decorated with, in their midst, Krishna, the
Controller of the Mystic Union, who held the women, two by two
present beside Him, by their necks. At that moment was the sky
crowded by hundreds of celestial carriers belonging to the
denizens of heaven and their wives whose minds were carried
away in the eagerness of their respect.
The
festive râsa dance commenced, with the
gopîs arrayed in a circle. Lord Krishna
expanded Himself and entered between each pair of
gopîs, 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 râsa
dance, and they soon crowded the sky with their hundreds
of celestial airplanes. (Vedabase)
Text
5
Kettledrums
then resounded and a rain of flowers fell down while the chief
singers of heaven with their wives sang of His immaculate
glories.
Kettledrums
then resounded in the sky while flowers rained down and the
chief Gandharvas and their wives sang Lord Krishna's
spotless glories. (Vedabase)
Text
6
In
the circle of the dance there was a great rumor of the
bracelets, ankle and waist bells of the women being together
with their Beloved.
Kettledrums
then resounded in the sky while flowers rained down and the
chief Gandharvas and their wives sang Lord Krishna's
spotless glories. (Vedabase)
Text
7
The
Supreme Lord, the son of Devakî, there with them appeared
as handsomely splendid as an exquisite [blue] sapphire
in the midst of golden ornaments.
In
the midst of the dancing gopîs, Lord Krishna
appeared most brilliant, like an exquisite sapphire in the
midst of golden ornaments. (Vedabase)
Text
8
The
way they placed their feet, by the gestures of their hands,
their smiles and playful eyebrows and their bending waists; by
their moving breasts, their clothes, their earrings on their
necks and their perspiring faces; with the braids of their
hair, their belts tied tight and their singing about Him, shone
they in the role of Krishna's consorts as streaks of lightening
amidst the clouds.
As
the gopîs sang in praise of Krishna, 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 Krishna's young
consorts shone like streaks of lightning in a mass of
clouds. (Vedabase)
Text
9
Loudly sang
they by whose song the entire universe is pervaded with their
colored throats, dancing joyfully, delighting in their
dedication to the touch of Krishna.
Eager
to enjoy conjugal love, their throats colored with various
pigments, the gopîs sang loudly and danced.
They were overjoyed by Krishna's touch, and they sang songs
that filled the entire universe. (Vedabase)
Text
10
One
gopî together with Krishna raising [her voice
relative to His] in pure tones of close harmony was praised
by Him who pleased exclaimed: 'excellent, excellent!' and
another one who vibrated along with a special metre He gave a
lot of special attention.
One
gopî, joining Lord Mukunda in His singing, sang pure
melodious tones that rose harmoniously above His. Krishna
was pleased and showed great appreciation for her
performance, saying "Excellent! Excellent!" Then another
gopî repeated the same melody, but in a special
metrical pattern, and Krishna praised her also.
(Vedabase)
Text
11
A certain
gopî [Râdhâ probably], with
her bracelets and flowers slipping, stood fatigued by the dance
aside and grasped with her arm the shoulder of the Master of
the Ceremony ['He who holds the club'].
When
one gopî grew tired from the râsa
dance, She turned to Krishna, 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. (Vedabase)
Text
12
Somewhere else
placed one Krishna's arm, that was as fragrant as a blue lotus,
upon her shoulder and smelling the sandalwood kissed she it
with her hairs standing on end.
Upon
the shoulder of one gopî Krishna placed His
arm, whose natural blue- lotus fragrance was mixed with that
of the sandalwood pulp anointing it. As the gopî
relished that fragrance, her bodily hair stood on end in
jubilation, and she kissed His arm. (Vedabase)
Text
13
Some
other one beautiful with the glittering of her, from the
dancing, shaking earrings placed her cheek next to His and was
given the bethel He had chewed.
Next
to Krishna's cheek one gopî put her own,
beautified by the effulgence of her earrings, which
glittered as she danced. Krishna then carefully gave her the
betel nut He was chewing. (Vedabase)
Text
14
One
of them who with Krishna standing at her side was dancing and
singing with tinkling ankle and waistbells, feeling tired
placed Acyuta's auspicious lotushand on her
breasts.
Another
gopî 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. (Vedabase)
Text
15
The
gopîs with His arms around their necks having
attained the Infallible Lord, the Exclusive Lover of the
Goddess of Fortune, as their lover, delighted in singing about
Him.
Having
attained as their intimate lover Lord Acyuta, the exclusive
consort of the goddess of fortune, the gopîs
enjoyed great pleasure. They sang His glories as He held
their necks with His arms. (Vedabase)
Text
16
With
the lotus flowers behind their ears, the locks of their hair
decorating their cheeks, the beauty of their perspiring faces
and the reverberation of the harmonious sounds of their armlets
and bells, danced the gopîs, with the flowers
braided in their hair scattered, to the hum of the bees
together with the Supreme Lord in the arena of the
dance.
Enhancing
the beauty of the gopîs' 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 gopîs
danced with the Supreme Lord in the arena of the
râsa dance as swarms of bees sang in
accompaniment. (Vedabase)
Text
17
He, the Master
of the Goddess of Fortune, thus with embraces, touches of His
hand, affectionate glances and broad playful smiles enjoyed the
young women of Vraja just like a boy does playing with His own
reflection.
In
this way Lord Krishna, the original Lord
Nârâyana, 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
18
From the bodily
contact with Him overflowing in their senses was it for the
Vraja ladies not easy or possible to keep their hair, dresses
and the cloths covering their breasts in good order so that
their flower garlands and decorations were in disarray, o best
of the Kurus.
Their
senses overwhelmed by the joy of having His physical
association, the gopîs 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. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Seeing Krishna
playing became the goddesses hovering in the sky entranced and
restless of amorous desires and fell the moon and his followers
[the stars] in amazement.
The
wives of the demigods, observing Krishna's playful
activities from their airplanes, were entranced and became
agitated with lust. Indeed, even the moon and his entourage,
the stars, became astonished. (Vedabase)
Text
20
Expanding
Himself to as many [appearances] as there were cowherd
women present enjoyed He, though being the self-satisfied
Supreme Lord, His Selves playing with them.
Expanding
Himself as many times as there were cowherd women to
associate with, the Supreme Lord, though self-satisfied,
playfully enjoyed their company. (Vedabase)
Text
21
Of them,
fatigued of the pleasure of the romance, wiped He in loving
compassion the faces, my best, with His most soothing
hand.
Seeing
that the gopîs were fatigued from conjugal
enjoyment, my dear King, merciful Krishna lovingly wiped
their faces with His comforting hand. (Vedabase)
Text
22
Greatly pleased
by the touch of His fingernails sang the gopîs of
the exploits of their Hero, honoring Him with the nectarean
beauty of their smiles, glances, cheeks and locks of hair,
shining golden in the effulgence of their
earrings.
The
gopîs 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
23
With His
garland crushed and smeared by the kunkuma of their
breasts, entered He, as the leader of the Gandharvas
accompanied by the swiftly following bees, being tired, in
order to dispel the fatigue, the water not unlike a
bull-elephant does with his wives having broken the irrigation
dikes [or the normal rules of conduct].
Lord
Krishna's garland had been crushed during His conjugal
dalliance with the gopîs and colored vermilion
by the kunkuma powder on their breasts. To dispel the
fatigue of the gopîs, Krishna entered the water
of the Yamunâ, 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. (Vedabase)
Text
24
In the water
was He from all sides splashed by the girls eyeing Him with
love and laughter, my best, and being worshiped from the
heavenly carriers with a rain of flowers reveled He, who is
personally always pleased within, there in playing like the
king of the elephants [see also 8.3]
My
dear King, in the water Krishna found Himself being splashed
on all sides by the laughing gopîs, 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
25
Just like an
elephant dripping rut with his wives He then passed, surrounded
by the lot of His bees and women, through a grove reaching the
Yamunâ that everywhere was filled with the fragrance
carried by the wind from the flowers in the water and on the
land.
Then
the Lord strolled through a small forest on the bank of the
Yamunâ. 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 Krishna appeared like an
intoxicated elephant with his she-elephants.
(Vedabase)
Text
26
In this manner
spent He, the Truth of all Desire, with His many adoring
girlfriends the night that was so bright of the moonlight.
Thereby manifested He within Himself all the romantic gestures
in enjoying all those autumn nights that are so very inspiring
to poetic descriptions of transcendental moods [or
rasas].'
Although
the gopîs were firmly attached to Lord Krishna,
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. (Vedabase)
Text
27-28
S'rî
Parîkchit said: 'To establish the dharma and to subdue
the ones defiant, descended indeed He, the Supreme Lord, the
Controller of the Universe with His plenary portion
[Balarâma]. How could He, the original speaker,
executor and protector of the codes of moral conduct, behave so
to the contrary o brahmin, in touching the wives of
others?
Parîkshit
Mahârâja said: O brâhmana, 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? (Vedabase)
Text
29
What did He, so
self-satisfied, have in mind with this assuredly contemptible
performance, o best of the vowed, please dispel our doubt about
this.'
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
30
S'rî
S'uka said: 'The transgression of dharma and thoughtlessness,
as can be observed with spiritual authorities, does not mean
they are at fault. They are much like an all-consuming fire
[which is not affected by what it
consumes].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
31
Someone not in
control [with himself] most certainly mustn't even
think of ever doing a thing like this; such a one, acting out
of foolishness, would find his destruction as good as anybody
else but Rudra would with [drinking] the poison from
the ocean [see 8.7].
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. (Vedabase)
Text
32
True are the
words of the ones in control [with the Lord, with
themselves] and what they do should by people of
intelligence [only] in some cases be taken as an
example to follow, namely in those cases in which that what
they do is in accord with that what they said [see also
B.G. e.g. 3:
6-7,
3:
42,
5:
7].
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. (Vedabase)
Text
33
As good as, my
best, there for those whose acts are egoless is no advantage to
be found with what they in their piety do, will they neither
suffer any disadvantage when they act contrary to the
expectations.
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. (Vedabase)
Text
34
How then can we
in connection with the Controller of those who are controlled -
all the created beings, animals, human beings and denizens of
heaven - speak of right or wrong?
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? (Vedabase)
Text
35
The sages,
whose bondage of karma by serving the dust of the lotus feet
has all been washed away, are satisfied by the power of yoga
and act freely, they, on His account, never get entangled; in
what sense could one speak of a state of bondage with those who
according His will have accepted bodies of a transcendental
nature? [see vapu]
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?
(Vedabase)
Text
36
He who within
the gopîs and their husbands, indeed within all
embodied beings, lives as the Supreme Witness, has assumed His
form to sport in this world.
He
who lives as the overseeing witness within the
gopîs and their husbands, and indeed within all
embodied living beings, assumes forms in this world to enjoy
transcendental pastimes. (Vedabase)
Text
37
Assuming a
humanlike body to show His mercy to His devotees, does He
engage in pastimes about which one hearing becomes dedicated to
Him [see also 1.7:
10].
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
38
Even though the
cowherd men of Vraja were bewildered by the power of His
mâyâ were they not jealous with Krishna;
they all assumed that their wives stood by their side.
The
cowherd men, bewildered by Krishna's illusory potency,
thought their wives had remained home at their sides. Thus
they did not harbor any jealous feelings against Him.
(Vedabase)
Text
39
Even though
they didn't want to went the gopîs, the
sweethearts of the Supreme Lord, on Krishna's advise home after
that [endless] night of Brahmâ had passed.
After
an entire night of Brahmâ had passed, Lord Krishna
advised the gopîs to return to their homes.
Although they did not wish to do so, the Lord's beloved
consorts complied with His command. (Vedabase)
Text
40
Anyone
who faithfully listens to or gives an account of this pastime
of Lord Vishnu with the cowherd girls of Vraja, will obtain the
transcendental devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he will
quickly become sober and manage to drive away the disease of
lust in the heart.'
Anyone
who faithfully hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs
with the young gopîs of Vrindâvana will
attain the Lord's pure devotional service. Thus he will
quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the
heart.