A devotee once stated, "I have already conquered the modes of ignorance, and I am now on the platform of transcendental knowledge. Therefore I shall be engaged only in searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is an instance of alertness in ecstatic love. Transcendental alertness is possible when the illusory condition is completely overcome. At that stage, when in contact with any reaction of material elements, such as sound, smell, touch or taste, the devotee realizes the transcendental presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this condition the ecstatic symptoms (i.e. standing of the hair on the body, rolling of the eyeballs and getting up from sleep) are persistently visible.
When Srimati Radharani first saw Krsna, She suddenly became conscious of all transcendental happiness, and the functions of Her different limbs were stunned. When Lalita, Her constant companion, whispered into Her ear the holy name of Krsna, Radharani immediately opened Her eyes wide. This is an instance of alertness caused by hearing the sound of Krsna's name.
One day, in a joking mood, Krsna informed Radharani, "My dear Radharani, I am going to give up Your company." Upon saying this, He immediately disappeared, and because of this Radharani became so afflicted that the hue of Her body changed, and She immediately fell down upon the ground of Vrndavana. She had practically stopped breathing, but when She smelled the flavor of the flowers on the ground, She awoke in ecstasy and got up. This is an instance of transcendental alertness caused by smelling.
When Krsna was touching the body of one gopi, the gopi began to address her companion thus: "My dear friend, whose hand is this touching my body? I had become very afraid after seeing the darkened forest on the bank of the Yamuna, but suddenly the touch of this hand has saved me from hysterical fits." This is an instance of alertness caused by touching.
One of the gopis informed Krsna, "My dear Krsna, when You disappeared from the arena of the rasa dance, our most dear friend, Radharani, immediately fell on the ground and lost consciousness. But after this, when I offered Her some of Your chewed betel nut remnants, She immediately returned to consciousness with jubilant symptoms in Her body." This is an instance of alertness caused by tasting.
One night Srimati Radharani was talking in a dream. "My dear Krsna," She said. "Please do not play any more jokes on Me! Please stop! And please don't touch My garments either. Otherwise I shall inform the elderly persons, and I shall disclose all of Your naughty behavior." While She was talking like this in a dream, She suddenly awoke and saw some of Her superiors standing before Her. Thus Radharani became ashamed and bowed Her head. This is an instance of alertness after awakening from sleep.
There is another instance of this. A messenger from Krsna came to Srimati Radharani while She was sleeping, and Radharani immediately awakened. Similarly, when Krsna began to blow on His flute in the night, all of the gopis, the beautiful daughters of the cowherd men, immediately got up from their sleep. There is a very beautiful comparison made in this connection: "The lotus flower is sometimes surrounded by white swans, and sometimes it is surrounded by black wasps who are collecting its honey. When there is a thundering in the sky, the swans go away, but the black wasps stay to enjoy the lotus flowers." The gopis' sleeping condition is compared to the white swans, and the sound of Krsna's flute is compared to a black wasp. When Krsna's flute sounded, the white swans, which represent the sleeping condition of the gopis, were immediately vanquished, and the black wasp sound of the flute began to enjoy the lotus flower of the gopis' beauty.

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