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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta (Antya 17.44), “Kṛṣṇa’s speech is far sweeter than nectar. Each of His jubilant words is full of meaning, and when His speech mixes with His smile, which is like camphor, the resultant sound and the deep meaning of Kṛṣṇa’s words create various transcendental mellows.”

In Laghu Vaisnava Tosani, Srila Jiva Goswami’s commentary on these set of verses explains that Krsna’s playful words (vācaḥ peśaiḥ) are of two types: skillful presentation of words (śābdhika) and changing the meaning of the sentence (ārthika). “Use of words” refers to moving his eyebrows, eyes and face while smiling and speaking joyful words easy to understand, with the graceful placement of syllables. “Play on meaning” refers to verses which are used as ornaments to intensify the emotions of rasa. Statements suggesting “indifference” is one aspect of “play on meaning.”

Śābdhika words particularly express real emotions. Among the ārthika expressions, those which show feigned indifference are meant to increase the gopīs’ longing for him, and are not real indifference, for it has already been said that in the autumn Kṛṣṇa desired to enjoy and that he played on his flute to attract the gopīs (verses 1 and 3). It is only playing with words and not the actual meaning. The mind thinks one thing and the words express another thing. This creates despair in their strong desire for him.

Indifference is commonly observed in worldly love, yet in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes it functions as an uddīpana, a stimulus that intensifies the ecstatic mellow (rasa).

Thus, we see that Kṛṣṇa’s instructions to the gopīs contain both śābdhika (literal) words and ārthika (implied or hidden) meanings. In effect, two conversations unfold simultaneously — one expressed outwardly through Kṛṣṇa’s words, and another, subtler one revealing His innermost desires.

But how are we to reconcile this? Srila Prabhupada reconciles this beautifully by explaining, “Krsna is the supreme speaker; He is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita. He can speak on the highest elevated subjects of philosophy, politics, economics–everything. And He also spoke before the gopis who were so dear to Him. He wanted to enchant them by word jugglery.”

Next, a statement of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura that caught my attention is, “Contrariness, difficulty of attainment and rejection by women, I consider Kāmadeva’s greatest weapons.” (Priti-sandarbha Anuccheda 279)

So I think both indifference and contrariness go together (or mean the same thing). Someone please correct me if I am wrong!!!

For example, the verses in this lesson (17-27) shows Krsna’s external indifference or contrariness.

Kṛṣṇa speaks in progressive contrariness (vāmya-bhāva): (1) He greets them politely (“O most fortunate ladies, welcome.”), (2) He pretends concern (“This night is quite frightening, and frightening creatures are lurking about. Return to Vraja..”), (3) He uses social pressure (“Your families are certainly searching for you.”), (4), He moralizes (“O chaste ladies, serve your husbands and give milk to your crying babies and calves.”), (4) Finally, He warns them (“Adultery brings ruin, difficulty and fear.”)

These (contrariness or indifference) kindle longing, imagination, and emotional tension — the fuel (uddipana) of romantic rasa. When love meets resistance, it becomes more intense. Every obstacle Krsna places only deepens the gopis’ prema and surrender. The gopīs’ love is so pure that even Kṛṣṇa’s apparent rejection becomes an ornament that enhances their prema.

In simple terms, Krsna is beautifully setting up the stage for the rasa dance with His words of indifference and contrariness.

I think this is the best I would understand this lesson with my limited material faculty.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja said: O sage, the gopīs knew Kṛṣṇa 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? (SB 10.29.12)

When Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard that some of the gopis, simply by concentrating on Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, became freed from all contamination of material birth and death, he said, “The gopis did not know that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?“

Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s question was very intelligent. He asked: If thinking of Kṛṣṇa can free one from material bondage, why doesn’t thinking of other beloveds (who are also Brahman – qualitatively same as the Supreme Lord) yield the same result? This question was raised to protect innocent people from being misled by imitators of God.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī rebuked Parīkṣit affectionately, pointing out that the answer had already been given earlier—even Kṛṣṇa’s enemies like Śiśupāla attained liberation by constantly thinking of  Him. The “earlier” referred to here by Śukadeva Gosvāmī is in reference to the beginning chapters of Canto 7 where Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the so-called partiality of the Lord. Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s inquiry was that the Supreme Lord took Indra’s site and killed the demons – Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa. Why was the Lord partial in this case? Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied that a similar question was asked by Yudhisthira Maharaja to Narada Muni when he witnessed Sisupala immediately attaining liberation after being killed by Krsna in the rajasuya-yajna.

This discussion brings back the topic of the power of absorption that I wrote about in the second forum post. Śiśupāla was liberated when Kṛṣṇa killed him because his mind was constantly fixed on Kṛṣṇa through envy. This reveals Kṛṣṇa’s nature as Hṛṣīkeśa (the master of senses) and Adhokṣaja (beyond material perception). Kṛṣṇa’s form and body are non-different from His Supreme spiritual essence; He is imperishable, immeasurable, and free from matter. Even the Lord’s killing is an act of mercy and deliverance.

Liberation or perfection comes from absorption of consciousness in Kṛṣṇa, regardless of the emotional flavor (rasa).

“The Vraja-gopis and others worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a mood of lust (kāma); Sisupala worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a mood of anger (krodha); Kamsa, a mood of fear (bhayam); Nanda Maharaja, a mood of parental love (sneha); the self-satisfied sages, a mood of oneness (aikya); the Vrsnis, Pandavas and others, a mood of friendship (sauhrdam). In whichever mood they worshiped Sri Kṛṣṇa; they realized the respective eternal pastimes of the Lord. “(SB 10.29.15: Sārārtha-darśini)

We saw similar theme and verses in the 7^th Canto where Narada Muni said:

“Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire — by all of these or any one of them — if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.” (SB 7.1.26)

“Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.” (SB 7.1.30)

“My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” (SB 7.1.31)

The example given is that “a grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.” (SB 7.1.28-29)

“The conclusion is that if one somehow or other becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation or knowledge, or even through lust, anger or fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination is assured.” (Texts 12-16: Kṛṣṇa Book)

“Sukadeva Gosvami therefore assured King Pariksit that he should always rest assured that one attracted by Krsna attains liberation from material bondage because Kṛṣṇa is the transcendental master of all mystic power.” (Texts 12-16: Kṛṣṇa Book)

When will I ever attain the state of constant remembrance of Kṛṣṇa — when my mind becomes a river flowing ceaselessly toward His lotus feet, untouched by the banks of worldly distraction?

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Writing this forum post has not been easy, as the subject is profoundly deep and multi-layered. I found myself wrestling to grasp the essence and inner flow of these two verses. At last, I felt inspired to contemplate more closely on why some of the gopīs had to undergo a period of purification before joining Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the divine Rāsa dance.

It appears that there were two groups of gopīs. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa played His enchanting flute that night, one group immediately rushed to join Him in the Rāsa dance, while the others were restrained by their husbands, brothers, fathers, and family members. Those who were unable to go experienced an unbearable agony of separation from Kṛṣṇa, their beloved Lord.

For those gopīs who could not go to see Kṛṣṇa, intolerable separation from their beloved caused an intense agony that burned away all impious karma. The intense agony purified them completely. All inauspicious things were removed from the gopis’ hearts by enduring the suffering of intense separation from Kṛṣṇa. And all their auspicious karmic reactions were removed by their blissfully embracing Kṛṣṇa in meditation. Having thus destroyed all their prarabdha karmas (manifest acts caused by previous deeds), the gopis thought of Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, attained the Paramatma and gave up their bodies. This is explanation for materialists.  (SB 10.29.10-11 Sārārtha-darśini)

However, Srila Sukadeva Goswami explains the internal confidential meaning for devotees.  By meditation on Kṛṣṇa the gopis experienced both meeting and separation, unlimited happiness and distress. The intense pain caused by intolerable separation from Kṛṣṇa removed all the inauspiciousness from within the gopis. Their separation purified their hearts, and through meditation they directly experienced Kṛṣṇa’s presence, achieving pure prema (love) — a far higher state than mere liberation.

“The gopis directly achieved the supreme goal of prema (paramatma) by thinking of Kṛṣṇa as their illicit lover.” ((SB 10.29.10-11 Sārārtha-darśini)

There is also a special display of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and the divine arrangement of Yogamāyā behind these events. My understanding is that Yogamāyā orchestrated the situation so that some gopīs were temporarily held back to complete their purification. When their love became fully matured and their bodies completely spiritualized, Yogamāyā then allowed them to join Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Rāsa dance—perhaps on another night. Others who still retained a trace of material identification were further purified through the intense fire of separation before they too were granted Kṛṣṇa’s association. These restrained gopīs were not nitya-siddha gopīs but muni-cārī gopīs. As we learned in the previous lesson, such gopīs are sādhana-siddha devotees—those who attained perfection through practice. Having once been in touch with the material world, they still carried a subtle layer of material contamination, which Yogamāyā compassionately removed before allowing them to participate in the divine Rāsa dance.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives a relatable analogy. A tree has many mangoes — some fully ripe, some ripening, some still raw. The fully ripe ones are immediately ready for the king to taste (these are the eternally perfect gopīs). The partially ripe ones need a few more days of sun (these are the sādhana-siddha or muni-cārī gopīs, purified by separation). In time, all become perfect and offered to the King — Kṛṣṇa.

As for the “giving up the body” mentioned in the lesson, the “body” (deha) mentioned in the verse means their material, guṇa-maya (mode-based) body, not their actual life. They didn’t die; rather, their spiritual bodies emerged fully — like iron becoming red-hot in fire and taking on the fire’s nature.

The main takeaway I received from this profound and intricate lesson is that separation from Kṛṣṇa serves as one of the greatest instruments of purification. The fire of separation burns away all traces of material attachment, leaving only pure longing for His divine association. Through deep meditation on Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs experienced direct spiritual union with Him within their hearts. This realization beautifully aligns with the message that Uddhava later conveys on behalf of Kṛṣṇa to the gopīs in the Tenth Canto (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.47.34–37).

“But the actual reason why I, the beloved object of your sight, have stayed far away from you is that I wanted to intensify your meditation upon Me and thus draw your minds closer to Me.”

“When her lover is far away, a woman thinks of him more than when he is present before her.”

“Because your minds are totally absorbed in Me and free from all other engagement, you remember Me always, and so you will very soon have Me again in your presence.”

“Although some gopīs had to remain in the cowherd village and so could not join the rāsa dance to sport with Me at night in the forest, they were nonetheless fortunate. Indeed, they attained Me by thinking of My potent pastimes.”

There are other similar verses in Srimad Bhagavatam.

SB 10.14.8: My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

SB 11.14.19: My dear Uddhava, just as a blazing fire turns firewood into ashes, similarly, devotion unto Me completely burns to ashes sins committed by My devotees.

SB 11.2.42: Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things — these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.

Across these verses, the Bhāgavatam teaches that separation from Kṛṣṇa is not punishment — it is the fire of purification that burns away karma and ego. Union through remembrance in separation (smaraṇa-sambhoga) is spiritually superior to physical proximity. Pure love (prema) reaches its highest intensity only in separation — as shown by the gopīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and great devotees like Uddhava and the residents of Vṛndāvana.

Reflecting on this, I am deeply moved by how the Lord uses both union and separation to uplift His devotees. What appears as distance is actually His tender arrangement to purify the heart and deepen our love for Him. Just as the gopīs’ separation became the gateway to their highest realization, our own moments of longing and helplessness can become sacred opportunities to remember Kṛṣṇa more intensely. May we learn to welcome such moments—not with despair, but with faith that the Lord is working within our hearts, refining our love and drawing us ever closer to His eternal embrace

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

This lesson offers a beautiful meditation on the various groups of gopīs and how each attained the supreme fortune of participating in Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā. It is especially inspiring to learn that some of these gopīs are sādhana-siddha, which gives hope to ordinary sādhakas like us — that through sincere practice, we too can aspire for the exalted goal of associating with Kṛṣṇa.

Following my usual approach whenever a visual aid can enhance understanding, I have developed a concise chart depicting the fourfold classification of the gopīs as presented in the Padma Purāṇa: 

“It is understood that some of the gopīs are personified Vedic literatures, while others are reborn sages, daughters of cowherds, or demigod maidens. But by no means, my dear King, are any of them ordinary humans.”

My key takeaway from reflecting on the most sought-after position of the gopīs is the immense power of absorption. This theme feels especially relevant during this sacred month of Kārtika, as we strive to deepen our absorption in Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities, pastimes, abode, and associates. The significance of this absorption is beautifully woven throughout the lesson. Again and again, the lesson reveals how this divine absorption is both the essence and perfection of devotion.

This level of absorption not only burns all sinful reactions but also brings us closer to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

“Their severe painful yearnings caused by their not being able to see Krsna freed them from all sinful reactions, and their ecstasy of transcendental love for Krsna in His absence was transcendental to all their reactions of material pious activities.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

“The conditioned soul is subjected to birth and death, either by pious or sinful activities, but the gopis who began to meditate on Krsna transcended both positions and became purified and thus elevated to the status of the gopis already expanded by His pleasure potency.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

“All the gopis who concentrated their minds on Krsna in the spirit of paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies developed under the three modes of material nature.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

Absorption, which I have come to realize, is one of the most powerful instruments of purification. This understanding has deepened for me only recently, especially after encountering the same theme in the Seventh Canto. There, Śrī Nārada Muni, in his dialogue with Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, is quoted by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī in a series of verses that beautifully illustrate the transformative power of absorption.

“Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire — by all of these or any one of them — if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.” (SB 7.1.26)

“Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.” (SB 7.1.30)

“My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” (SB 7.1.31)

The example given is that “a grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.” (SB 7.1.28-29)

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport, “Nanda Mahārāja and mother Yaśodā were fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness because of affection. When the mind is somehow or other fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, the material part is very soon vanquished, and the spiritual part — attraction to Kṛṣṇa — becomes manifest. This indirectly confirms that if one thinks of Kṛṣṇa enviously, simply because of thinking of Kṛṣṇa he becomes free from all sinful reactions and thus becomes a pure devotee.”  (SB 7.1.30 Purport)

This is also reflected in this lesson where the sages in the Daṇḍaka forest desired to enjoy Lord Hari (Kṛṣṇa).

“By means of their lusty attraction they became freed from the ocean of material existence, and coincidentally they got the association of Hari in conjugal love.” (Sārārtha-darśini: SB 10.29.9)

Even if we are unable to attain the gopīs’ level of absorption, we should at least cultivate an intense longing for it — if not in this life, then in some future birth, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Some of the gopis hankered intensely for the intimate physical association of Kṛṣṇa—a hankering they acquired by associating with the advanced gopīs. Becoming worthy recipients of the mercy of the perfected gopīs, they assumed spiritual bodies fit to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa.

The lesson closes with a tender prayer — a gentle ray of hope for all aspiring devotees.

“Alas, alas, O only friend of our life! O ocean of artistic skills within the Vṛndāvana forest! Please let us become your girlfriends in some future life, because at this time we cannot see Your lotus-like face with our eyes. So be it; we shall look upon You with our minds.” (Sārārtha-darśini: SB 10.29.9)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Through the 29th chapter, The Rāsa Dance: Introduction, I am trying to correlate the Rāsa-related terms we studied in Lesson 1. I must admit that my understanding of these terms has deepened. In particular, I now have a clearer grasp of the concepts of vibhāva—ālambana and uddīpana.

I was first introduced to these terms during our study of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta many years ago (even though I could not grasp the concepts fully), but it is always enlightening to revisit them in the context of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

In this forum post, my intention is to further explore and understand the concepts of ālambana and uddīpana by relating them to Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa dance.

It is beneficial to revisit the definitions of ālambana and uddīpana from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.14), vibhāva is described as: “The cause bringing about the tasting of love for Kṛṣṇa is called vibhāva. Vibhāva is divided into two categories – ālambana (support) and uddīpana (awakening).“

In the Agni Purāṇa it is stated: “That which causes love for Kṛṣṇa to appear is called vibhāva. That has two divisions – ālambana [in which love appears] and uddīpana [by which love appears].“

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.16), the following is stated about ālambana: “The object of love is Kṛṣṇa, and the container of that love is the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Both of them are called by the learned scholars ālambana – the foundations.“

Similarly, uddīpana is described: “Those things which awaken ecstatic love are called uddīpana.“

Mainly this awakening is made possible by the qualities and activities of Kṛṣṇa, as well as by His mode of decoration and the way His hair is arranged.

“Kṛṣṇa’s smile, the fragrance of His transcendental body, His flute, bugle, ankle bells, conchshell, the marks on His feet, His place of residence, His favorite plant [tulasī], His devotees, and the observance of fasts and vows connected to His devotion all awaken the symptoms of ecstatic love.”

In the Rāsa dance, both the ālambana and uddīpana are visibly present.

“Even though Kṛṣṇa is bhagavān, full in six varieties of opulences, He turned His mind toward enjoying because of the time, place and persons, which are three uddipanas to excite to rasa. The time was the full moon night of autumn (śārada-purnima). The place was the forest of Vrndavana, and the persons were the lovely damsels of Vraja. All three served to enflame the passion of enjoyment by their supreme capacity to attract Kṛṣṇa’s mind with their sweetness.” (SB 10.29.1 Sārārtha-darśini)

The attraction of the autumn night ignited in Kṛṣṇa the desire to enjoy with His own senses the sweet sounds of the gopis’ voices, their beauty and fine fragrance, tenderness, cleverness and skill in dancing and playing music. Kṛṣṇa also wanted the gopis to relish with their own ears and other senses the sweet sound of His voice.

The unseasonal blossoming of jasmine (mallikāḥ) flowers and the opening of lotus flowers at night acted as uddīpana and made Vrndavana very attractive.

Finally the attractiveness of the Vraja-gopis acted as further stimulus to uddīpana so much that Sri Kṛṣṇa got ready to enjoy those nights. The Vraja-gopis had such an incredible degree of kṛṣṇa-prema that the Supreme Lord Himself, although already fulfilled in all possible pleasures, was thinking of enjoying with them.

In addition, the rising of the moon played an additional stimulator (uddipana) of conjugal feelings. It served Kṛṣṇa and the gopis by illuminating their pleasure pastimes with its brilliant light.  Sri Kṛṣṇa became absorbed in remembering the gopis’ faces upon seeing that moon. 

Finally the ālambana. Kṛṣṇa’s form is the ālambana.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

I find the concept of bhakti-rasa to be a difficult topic to understand. How can I understand something that I have not experienced directly? I think it is only Srila Rupa Goswami who, by the mercy and empowerment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has properly explained the science of bhakti-rasa. Other acaryas may have also explained the bhakti-rasa terms but I am not very familiar with their writings. I am only familiar with Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

Rasa, by itself, is a difficult term to explain.

“”The word rasa, used in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, is understood by different persons differently because the exact English equivalent is very difficult to find. But as we have seen our spiritual master translate this word rasa into “mellow,” we shall follow in his footsteps and also translate the word in that way.”

“The particular loving mood or attitude relished in the exchange of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow. The different types of rasa, when combined together, help one to taste the mellow of devotional service in the highest degree of transcendental ecstasy. Such a position, although entirely transcendental to our experience, will be explained in this section as far as possible, following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.” (The Nectar of Devotion (Chapter 20))

After hearing various classes and studying various writings on bhakti-rasa, I realize that so-called happiness is not the ultimate hankering of a spirit soul. Yes, each one of us is looking for happiness. But what we are actually searching for in the guise of happiness is ‘rasa’. Ananda (bliss) is the by-product of rasa.

Taittiriya-upanisad (2.7.1) says:

raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati

In his purport to Bg 14.27, Srila Prabhupada gives the translation of “raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati” as “When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, he actually becomes transcendentally blissful.”

In SB 5.19.20 he gives the translation of “eṣa hy evānandayati. yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin na dṛśye ‘nātmye anirukte ‘nilayane ‘bhayam pratiṣṭhām vindate ‘tha so ‘bhayam gato bhavati” as “A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.”

In preface to the Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.”

I still struggle to understand the various technical aspects of rasa such as vibhava, anubhāva, sāttvika-bhāva, and vyabhicārī bhava and sthāyī bhava. I have somewhat limited understanding of sthāyī bhava; that it is a permanent mood inherent with our relationships with Krsna. Sthāyī bhava is not present in material relationship; it is completely transcendental. Because it is covered, we do not know what our sthāyī bhava actually is.

Till these terms become clear to me, I take solace from the simple instruction that hearing and chanting will lead us open the doors to our sthāyī bhava. It is inherently present within our hearts; it just needs to be awakened.

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.4-5): “Love for Kṛṣṇa, Keśava, as previously described, reaches the supreme state of being composed of mellows when its ingredients are fulfilled. By means of vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika and vyabhicārī, hearing and chanting are activated, and the devotee is able to taste love for Kṛṣṇa. Then attachment for Kṛṣṇa, or permanent ecstasy (sthāyi-bhāva), becomes the mellow of devotional service (bhakti-rasa).”

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”  (CC Madhya 22.107)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

This is another sweet pastime of the Lord where He engaged Nanda Maharaja (just like the lifting of Govardhana Hill pastime) to reveal yet another feature of His abode.

“Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always anxious to give information to the conditioned soul that there is a spiritual sky far, far beyond this material sky, transcendental to the innumerable universes created within the total material energy.” (Krsna; 28)

Devotees sometimes go through phases of self-doubt. What will be their destination after death? Will their lifetime of performing bhakti bear fruit? Will they ever attain salvation (as in going back home, back to Godhead)? What does it mean when scriptures reveal that there is gradation of the spiritual realms in terms of its sweetness? For example, there is a beautiful verse in the Nectar of Instruction Text 9:

“The holy place known as Mathurä is spiritually superior to Vaikuëöha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathurä-puré is the transcendental forest of Våndävana because of Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä pastimes. And superior to the forest of Våndävana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Çré Kåñëa and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Çré Rädhä-kuëòa stands supreme, for it is overflooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Çré Kåñëa. Where, then, is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve this divine Rädhä-kuëòa, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?”

The Vrajavasis also had similar questions.

“The friends of Nanda Maharaja, all the cowherd men, became eager to know if Krsna were actually the Supreme Personality and if He were going to give them all salvation. When they were all thus consulting among themselves, Krsna understood their minds, and in order to assure them of their destiny in the spiritual kingdom, He showed them the spiritual sky.” (Krsna; 28)

There is general human tendency to think that the grass is always greener on the other side. Similarly, it could be possible to think that there could be better places than Vrndavana. However, it must be noted that the Vrajavasis are eternally liberated residents of Śrī Vṛndāvana. Therefore, their thinking is not like the thinking of conditioned souls. Krsna, being omnipotent and omniscient, understood the mind of the Vrajavasis perfectly and therefore enacted this pastime.

“When My father saw the opulence of Varuna, which is only material, he then considered this Vrndavana, which is the quintessence of Vaikuntha, to be inferior to the planet of Varuna. It is just like the fool, who upon seeing the form and luster of an inferior pearl, considers a valuable first-class pearl to be inferior. Thus the cowherd men see themselves inferior to Varuna, and think attaining liberation and residence in Vaikuntha is greater than the unique sweetness they relish in loving Me as their son.“ (Sārārtha-darśini; SB 10.28.13)

“Thus deeply considering the situation, the all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His abode, which is beyond material darkness.” (SB 10.28.14)

Only Kṛṣṇa, out of His infinite compassion (maha-karuniko) for the Vrajavasis, could separate the cowherd men from Vrndavana for a few moments and show them His own attractively charming spiritual planet, Kṛṣṇaloka. Kṛṣṇa did this to show them that the sweetness of Vrndavana was superior to Brahman and Vaikuntha. 

Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men felt the greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode. They were especially amazed to see Kṛṣṇa Himself there, surrounded by the personified Vedas, who were offering Him prayers. (SB 10.28.17)

In the description of this pastime, two important sentences by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura stood out for me.

“The cowherd men see themselves inferior to Varuna and think attaining liberation and residence in Vaikuntha is greater than the unique sweetness they relish in loving Me as their son.“ and

“The form of Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣṇa is much sweeter than the impersonal Brahman effulgence.”

This shows that Sri Kṛṣṇa is perfect, complete and sweetness personified. The sweetness experienced in serving Him is higher than the so-called sweetness of attaining liberation. Since He is non-different from His abode, His abode Vrndavana is also complete in sweetness.

The question is, how can we conditioned souls experience this sweetness of Kṛṣṇa? It is only through chanting His Holy Name.

“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa, His body and His pastimes cannot be understood by the blunt material senses. They are manifested independently.

Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, transcendental qualities and transcendental pastimes are all equal to Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. They are all spiritual and full of bliss.

Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.”

(CC Madhya 17.133-136)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

There are some wonderful lessons from this chapter applicable to our devotional life.

1. Nanda Maharaja duly performing Ekādaśī  vow shows that even eternally perfect devotees (nitya-siddhas) perform activities that are recommended in the scriptures and conducive to one’s bhakti.  One of the 64 limbs of sadhana bhakti listed in Bhakti-Rasamrta Sindhu by Srila Rupa Goswami is Observing Ekādaśī-Janmastami and other sacred days (which are favorable to the Lord) by observing fast. Srila Prabhupada writes in Nectar of Devotion (Chapter 7) that “The basic principle is not just to fast but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Kṛṣṇa. The real reason for observing fasting on Ekādaśī is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.” Nanda baba was not observing Ekadasi as a ritual but to increase his devotion for Kṛṣṇa.

• Taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa is the best principle. Whatever life and death situations we find ourselves in, we must have the faith that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate protector. In fact, having the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection is one of the six characteristics of sarangati (complete self-surrender to the Lord). A devotee should not think that he is being protected by a demigod. He should depend only on Kṛṣṇa, considering Him the only protector. The devotee must be firmly convinced that within the three worlds he has no protector or maintainer other than Kṛṣṇa. This is what we learn from Nanda Maharaja’s kidnapping by the servants of Varuna. Seeing Nanda Maharaja disappearing in the water of Kalindi (Yamuna), the cowherd men called out to Kṛṣṇa in distress. This is the natural reaction of a devotee in distress. Time and again in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes we see the Vrajavasis seeking Kṛṣṇa’s protection when in trouble or danger.

“Kṛṣṇa is called svanam-abhaya-dah, “relieving the fear of His associates” because by freeing Nanda from Varuna’s clutches, Kṛṣṇa relieved the fear of His relatives.” (Sārārtha-darśini, 10.28.3)

• The real and ultimate success of human life is to be able to see the Lord directly. Material possessions, wealth, fame, erudition, high birth, accomplishments, etc. do not make one successful. Varuna is one of the demigods with all opulences but still he considered himself materially defeated. He considered his life completely successful by seeing Kṛṣṇa.

Varuna said, “All the thousands of bodies which I have received till now have been useless because in all those lives I did not see You. Today my body has become successful…Today I have understood what is most valuable. Though I possess all varieties of jewels, until now I have not obtained such a jewel as You. Those who worship Your lotus feet can cross the ocean of material existence. How fortunate I am to attain Your darsana without any effort.” (Sārārtha-darśini, 10.28.5)

This mood is also reflected by Mother Kunti. In one of her prayers to Kṛṣṇa, she prays “I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.” (SB 1.8.25)

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “For a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation…If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.” (SB 1.8.25)

Lastly, this is my own realization and not backed up by scriptures. The kidnapping of His father by Varuṇa is another pastime orchestrated by Kṛṣṇa to show special mercy to Varuna by giving him direct darshan. This pastime has some resemblance to the pastime where Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu kidnaps a brahmana’s son so that he could have an opportunity to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.  Mahā-Viṣṇu said, “I brought the brāhmaṇa’s sons here because I wanted to see the two of you, My expansions, who have descended to the earth to save the principles of religion. As soon as you finish killing the demons who burden the earth, quickly come back here to Me.” (SB 10.89.58)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!