Gopīs Feeling Separation

Chapter Thirty-five. Subject: "Gopis Feeling Separation."

The gopis of Vrndavana, they were so much attached to Krsna that they were not satisfied simply by His association at night like rasa dance for enjoying His company, but they wanted to associate with Him during daytime also. While Krsna was going to the forest with His cowherds boyfriends and cows, the gopis, although physically they did not take part in Krsna's tending the cows in the forest, their heart was going with Him; and because their heart was with Krsna, they could enjoy His company by a strong feeling of separation.

This strong feeling of separation is the teaching of Lord Caitanya and His direct disciples the Six Gosvamins. When we are not in physical contact directly with Krsna, we can associate with Him by the separa..., feelings of separation as exemplified by the gopis. Krsna-His transcendental form, His transcendental quality, His transcendental pastimes, His transcendental entourage-they are all identical with Krsna, and there are nine different kinds of devotional service. So devotional service to Krsna in feelings of separation elevates the devotee to the highest perfectional stage, as much as to the standard of gopis.

It is stated in Srinivasacarya's prayer to the Six Gosvamins that they left their material opulences, their government service and their princely status of life and they went to Vrndavana, and they lived there just like ordinary mendicants, begging from door to door. But they were so much enriched in the separation feelings of the gopis that in every moment they used to enjoy transcendental pleasure. Similarly, Lord Caitanya also, when He was staying in Puri, Jagannatha Puri, He was feeling the separation of Krsna in the role of Radharani.

So those who are in the disciplic succession of this Gauḍiya-sampradaya, or Madhva-Gauḍiya-sampradaya, they should always feel the separation of Krsna and worship His transcendental form, discuss about His transcendental teachings and His pastimes, His qualities, His entourage, His association. That will enrich the devotee to the highest devotional perfection. Such constant feelings of separation and be engaged in the service of the Lord is the perfection of Krsna consciousness movement.

Next paragraph.

The gopis used to talk amongst themselves as follows. One of the gopis said to his [her] friend, "My dear friend, do you know that Krsna, while lying down on the ground and resting on the elbow of His left hand, keeping His left forehead on it and moving His attractive eyebrows, plays His flute with the delicate fingers all over it, and the sound produced thereof creates such nice atmosphere that the denizens of heavenly planet who are traveling in the space with their wives and beloved, they stop their airplane and become stunted with the sound vibration of the flute. The wives of the denizens of heavenly planet who are seated in that plane becomes very much ashamed of their singing or musical qualification. Not only that; such wives of the denizens become afflicted with conjugal love, and their bunch of hair and tightened dress becomes immediately loosened."

Another gopi began to talk to his [her] friend, "My dear friend, Krsna is so nice that on His chest the goddess of fortune always remains, as well as the golden necklace is always brightening on His chest. Such beautiful Krsna, when He begins to play on His pipe flute in order to enthuse the heart of many other devotees-because Krsna is the only friend for the suffering living entities-at that time, all the cows and other animals of Vrndavana, even though they are engaged in taking their morsel of food, they simply take the grass in the mouth and keeping them on their teeth, and raising their ears up, they remain stunted as if dead animals or not living but painted animals. Therefore, Krsna's playing on the flute is so attractive that even the animals become enchanted, and what to speak of ourself."

Another gopi replied, "My dear friend, what to speak of the animals; they are living. Even the inanimate objects like the rivers, the Yamuna and the lakes in the Vrndavana, they also become stunted, because Krsna, with a bunch of peacock feather on His head, and smeared over the body by the minerals of Vrndavana, and with bunches of leaves and flowers on His body, as if some hero-when He plays on His flute and calls the cows, along with Balarama, the river Yamuna stops flowing, and it awaits the dust on the lotus feet of Krsna carried by the air to be thrown on her. But unfortunately, the river Yamuna stops moving. But they are also less fortunate like us, because they will not get Krsna's mercies and simply remains stunted, stopping the waves, as we are also stopped crying for Krsna in frustration." This means that the gopis, in the absence of Krsna, were constantly crying and shedding tears, but sometimes they expected Krsna is coming and they stop crying. But when they saw that Krsna was not there, again they become frustrated and began to cry.

Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, the origin of all Visnu forms, and the cowherds boys, they are all demigods. Therefore, as Lord Visnu is always worshiped and surrounded by different categories of demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, Indra, Candra and others, similarly Krsna, when He travels through the Vrndavana forest and gets on the Govardhana Hill, and while going on He plays on His flute just to call His different cows, at that time the trees, plants and other vegetation in the forest immediately become Krsna conscious. As a Krsna conscious person is dedicated to sacrifice everything for Krsna, similarly, although these trees and plants have not ordinarily very much advanced in consciousness, by the association of Krsna and His associates they also become Krsna conscious, and they wanted to sacrifice or deliver everything, whatever they had, namely their fruits, flowers, and come incessant current of honey falling from their different branches.

In this way, when Krsna passes on the bank of the Yamuna, nicely decorated with tilakas on His face and garlanded with different kinds of forest flowers, as well as smeared on His body by the pulp of sandalwood and the tulasi leaves along with them, at that time the bumblebees becomes mad after the flavor and sweetness of the atmosphere, and they begin their humming sound. Krsna also being pleased by their humming sound immediately plays on His flute, and both together it becomes so sweet to hear that the aquatic birds like cranes and swans and ducks, they become charmed with the sweet sound and instead of swimming over the water, they become stunted, and by closing their eyes immediately transform into trance of meditation for worshiping Krsna. In other words, the hearts of the aquatic birds after hearing the sweet vibration of Krsna's flute, immediately they are situated in trance meditation.

Another gopi said, "My dear friend, Krsna along with Balarama, thus nicely dressed with Their earrings and pearl necklaces, enjoys on the hilltop of Govardhana Hill and becomes absorbed in His transcendental pleasure by playing His flute, and at the same time charms the whole created manifestation. At that time the clouds on the sky also become affected. The clouds, instead of roaring, they stop loud roaring on account of being afraid of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They did not like to disturb the nice vibration of His flute, but rather they responded very mildly roaring and in order to congratulate Krsna, their friend."

Krsna is accepted as the friend of the cloud because both the cloud and Krsna satisfies the people when they are too much in disturbed condition. When people are burning due to excessive heat, the cloud, by pouring rains, satisfy them. Similarly, the people in materialistic conditioned life, when they are too much disturbed by the blazing fire of material pangs, Krsna consciousness gives them exactly relief like the cloud. Therefore the cloud and Krsna, having the same feature of conducive effect and bodily color also, they are considered as friend. So in order to congratulate the superior friend, the cloud, instead of pouring water, begins to pour small pieces of flower like snows and covers the head of Krsna just like umbrella to protect Him from the scorching sunshine.

One of the gopis addressed mother Yasoda, "My dear mother, your son is very expert amongst the cowherds boy. He knows all the different types of arts, how to tend the cows specifically in the matter of His playing the flute. He has His own songs composed by Him, and in order to sing those songs, when He puts His flute in the mouth and begins to display the harmony of different musical tunes, at that time, either in the morning or in the evening, all the demigods like Lord Siva, Brahma and Indra, Candra, immediately they bow down their head, and with great attention they begin to hear the vibration how the flute makes. But although they are very learned and expert in everything, still they cannot understand the musical arrangement of the flute of Krsna. They simply hear attentively, try to understand, but becomes bewildered and nothing more."

Another gopi said, "My dear friend, when Krsna returns home with His cows, His footprints of flag, thunderbolt and trident and lotus flower relieves the pain of the earth on account of traversing by the cows. The cows' hoofs are so hard that the earth becomes aggrieved on account of their traversing. But Krsna comes back the cows, and when the footprints of His lotus feet are imprinted, the surface of the earth becomes relieved. And He comes in a style which is so attractive with His flute that looking on Him, we become practically too much lusty to enjoy His company. At that time, our movements become stunted. We just become like trees and stand still without any movement, and we cannot perceive about our loosening of the bunch of hair or dress. We do not know how and where they are now."

Krsna has many thousands of cows, but they are divided into groups according to their respective color, and Krsna has a complete account of all the individual cows; they have got different names according to the color. So when He comes back from the pasturing ground, He counts them on the beads. As we chant 108 beads according to the individual association of the gopis, similarly, Krsna also chants 108 beads according to the different groups of His cows. So when He comes back He is seen garlanded with tulasi leaves and calls the cows back in and takes their account on the beads. And while coming back in this way, He puts His hand on the shoulder of His cowherds boyfriend and begins to blow on His transcendental flute.

At that time, the wives of black deers, they become enchanted as they are usually become by hearing the vibration of vina. Krsna's flute resemble the vibration of vina. In this way they come to Krsna and become so charmed that they stand still and forget their homes and husband, exactly like the gopis. As the gopis are enchanted by the ocean of transcendental qualities of Krsna, similarly, the she-deer, they also become enchanted by the vibration of the flute of Krsna.

Another gopi addressed mother Yasoda, "My dear mother, when your son, or the son of Maharaja Nanda, comes back home, He specifically dresses Himself with the buds of kunda flowers as ornaments, and just to enlighten and engladden His friends, He blows the flute. At that time, the breeze blowing from the Malaya islands or from the southern side, it pleases the whole atmosphere because it is fragrant and very cool. At that time the semi-gods or upa-[indistinct], just like the Gandharvas and Siddhas, they take advantage of this atmosphere and begins to offer prayer to Krsna by sounding their bugles and drums, and thus they offer their worship to your son.

"Krsna is very kind to the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vrndavana, and when He comes back with His groups of cows along with His friends, He is remembered as the uplifter of the Govardhana Hill. And taking advantage of this opportunity, even the most exalted demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva, they come down to offer their prayers to Krsna in the evening, and the accompanying cowherds boys also begin to glorify the qualities of Krsna.

"Krsna is compared with the moon, born in the ocean of the womb of Devaki, and when He comes back in the evening it appears that He is fatigued, but still He tries to engladden the inhabitants of Vrndavana by His auspicious presence. In this way, when Krsna comes back in Vrndavana garlanded with flowers and His face looks beautiful with the golden earrings, He tries to engladden the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi and walks in Vrndavana in a style just like the elephant slowly enters home. When thus Krsna comes back home, both the men, women and cows of Vrndavana immediately forget the scorching heat of the day."

Next paragraph.

The above description of Krsna's transcendental pastimes and activities remembered by the gopis during the absence of Krsna from Vrndavana gives us an idea of how much Krsna is attractive, not only to the human being, but also to the animate and inanimate objects like trees, plants, water, the animals like deers, cows. Everyone is attracted by Krsna. That is the perfect description of Krsna's all-attractiveness. The examples of the gopis are very much instructive to persons who are trying to be absorbed in Krsna consciousness. One can very easily associate with Krsna simply by remembering His transcendental pastimes. Everyone has a tendency to love somebody else. That Krsna should be the objective of love, that is the central point of Krsna consciousness. By constantly chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and remembering the transcendental pastimes of Krsna, one can remain fully in Krsna consciousness, and thus one can make his life sublime and fruitful.

Thus ends the Thirty-fifth Chapter of Krsna in the matter of "Gopis' Feeling of Separation for Krsna."

Next paragraph.