Hare Kṛṣṇa,
So many realizations emerge from this lesson.
First, Kṛṣṇa concludes His Bhagavad-gītā instructions to Arjuna by urging us to abandon all varieties of religion and simply surrender unto Him (BG 18.66). Yet when the gopīs actually gave up all their dharmas—their duties to husbands, children, parents, and society—and took exclusive shelter of Kṛṣṇa, He spoke to them in an apparently unfavorable way. This illustrates the profound test of pure love that Kṛṣṇa sometimes places before His dearest prema-bhaktas.
How heart-rending is this prayer of the gopīs—every word echoing the depth of their love and separation from Kṛṣṇa.
“”Krsna,” they said, “You are very cruel! You should not talk like that. We are full-fledged surrendered souls. Please accept us, and don’t talk in that cruel way. Of course, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You can do whatever You like, but it is not worthy of Your position to treat us in such a cruel way. We have come to You, leaving everything behind, just to take shelter of Your lotus feet. We know that You are completely independent and can do whatever You like, but we request You, don’t reject us. We are Your devotees. You should accept us as Lord Narayana accepts His devotees. There are many devotees of Lord Narayana who worship Him for salvation, and He awards them salvation. Similarly, how can You reject us when we have no other shelter than Your lotus feet?” (Kṛṣṇa Book, Texts 28-32)
What this teaches me is that surrendering to Kṛṣṇa is only the beginning; many higher peaks of bhakti still await to be scaled.
Besides all this, what especially drew me into deep meditation were the final two paragraphs of the lesson, which state that “the experience of devotion in separation does not cover any of Kṛṣṇa’s qualities. Devotion in union… reveals only those qualities of Kṛṣṇa which manifest His tasty sweetness (madhurya). Since direct association with Kṛṣṇa is like the nectar-rays of the moon, that intoxicating nectar covers Kṛṣṇa’s opulence (aisvarya).” (Text 32: Sārārtha-darśini)
At first, I reasoned that if love in separation is considered higher and deeper than love in union, then shouldn’t Kṛṣṇa’s opulence (aiśvarya) also be covered during separation? Do devotees experiencing love in separation concern themselves with Kṛṣṇa’s aiśvarya—His majesty and divine power—or is their consciousness absorbed solely in His sweetness (mādhurya)?
But after reading these paragraphs several times with deeper attention—and with the help of Mukunda Prabhu’s kind clarification—I finally understood that what Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wrote makes perfect sense.
“The pain experienced by the premi-bhakta during separation from Kṛṣṇa (viraha) burns with more brilliance than millions of sunrays.”
- The way I understand this is that this pain burns away everything material and illuminates the heart completely. In that blazing light of separation, the devotee perceives every quality of Kṛṣṇa with unmatched clarity. When the devotee feels Kṛṣṇa’s absence, love intensifies to its purest form. In that state, the devotee realizes not just Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness (as a cowherd boy, lover, friend), but also His full divinity and majesty (as the Supreme Lord, Bhagavān).
- In short, separation expands perception — nothing is hidden.
“Devotion in union (sambhoga), on the other hand, is more pleasure-giving than millions of nectar-filled moonbeams, and reveals only those qualities of Kṛṣṇa which manifest His tasty sweetness (madhurya). Since direct association with Kṛṣṇa is like the nectar-rays of the moon, that intoxicating nectar covers Kṛṣṇa’s opulence (aisvarya).
- Union gives immense bliss like “millions of nectar-filled moonbeams”. In intimate union, the devotee forgets Kṛṣṇa’s Godhood; they only see their beloved.
- Mature love (prema) in Vraja makes the devotee forget Kṛṣṇa’s divinity — they see only their beloved cowherd boy.
- “But in a case when even in union or meeting with Kṛṣṇa His opulences remain revealed, we must assume that the devotee’s love is not yet mature.”
- Sri Damodarashtaka 3: “By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great love I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.”
- Thus, union gives more pleasure but less revelation; separation gives more revelation but less pleasure.
But the gopis are an exception!
- The gopīs’ prema is so refined that even within union they feel the imminent pain of separation (“He might leave us soon! He will reject us!”).
- I believe this mood of anxious love makes their heart ultra-sensitive and transparent, allowing them to perceive Kṛṣṇa’s complete greatness (aiśvarya) without diminishing their sweetness (mādhurya).
- Their love is so pure that it can contain both intimacy and awareness of His majesty simultaneously — something impossible for less advanced devotees.
- As HG Mukunda prabhu so beautifully said in the Whatsapp channel, “In the case of Radha and Gopis separation it is unlike any other separation at that time they think . “ Oh Krishna! You are celebrated as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart yet you are very cruel by breaking our hearts by not giving us your association”. So their statements about his Aisvarya are born from intense Prema in separation not from belief that he is God.” (Thank you, Mukunda prabhu!)
This means that when love is perfect – like the gopīs’ – it can reveal the highest possible experience of both sweetness and majesty together. The more the gopīs perceive Kṛṣṇa’s greatness (not in awe, but in love), the more it reflects the immensity of their affection. Their love is not lessened by realizing His divinity — it deepens their longing and heightens their sweetness.
Overall, I feel deeply grateful to study such profound and esoteric subject matter in the association of advanced Vaiṣṇavas and to gain even a slight glimpse into the gopīs’ prema-bhakti. Thank you all for enriching my understanding and experience.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 