||Sri Gopya ucchu:|| 

Jayati te dhikam janmanaa vrajah

shrayata Indira shashvadatra hi |
Dayita drishyataam dikshu taavaka-
stvayi dhritaasava-stvaam vichinvatey || 1 ||

Meaning:

With Your birth Vraj became auspicious and beautiful, even Goddess Lakshmi has taken
resident here and they are yours, and they live only for you. They are looking for you
everywhere, every direction, so o gracious! please bestow your grace and give us darshan
(vision of your spiritual form).

Explanation:

Jayati: Starting of Gopi–Geet is with ‘Jayati’ (winner) word. All Sages and Hermits always
announced that Vraj is the best of all and hence Vraj is the winner.

To show the predominant, expansive and exegesis (explanation of text ‘Jayati’) of their love
(Gopis love), Jayati word is used in the opening of this stanza. Gopis are saying, ‘we are in
Virah (sad), but we have not lost our fight and we are definitely not tired. We are

winner in love game. We love you and that is our Jayati. In Bhakti Marg (the path of love,
path of grace) Bhaktas are always winner. And to depict all this the word Jayati was used in
the opening of this stanza.

Love is so strong and Krishna has always been ardent lover of love. This is demonstrated in
an epic where a Gopi made Him dance in return of a glass full of Buttermilk. This the
predominant expanse of Vraj love and that is also why Vraj is winner, in past, in present and
in future, Vraj always have and will be a winner.
In Sanskrit the letter “Ja” is known as ‘digdhakshar’, meaning, a letter that describes
burning desire. So here Gopis are saying, ‘Oh Prabhu, Ja is the starting letter of Gopi–Geet,
which shows the burning desire of heart, we want to see You, the burning desire is to have
your darshan. Our heart has that burning desire, so do come back and extinguish that fire of
desire.’

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Gopis are also saying that Vraj is famous. The whole world knows this and all this is
because you bestowed love and happiness forever in Vraj. You brought that nectar which
enticed us all Vraj bhakta to be born in Vraj. It is your birth which has enticed the whole
Vraj. This charm of yours spreads with your smile on all Vraj bhakta and that is why we
think Vraj is “Jayati”, the winner.

.
Tedhikam Janmana

The next word is made out of two syllables, Te + adhikam. Te was subjected to read as Vraj
and adhikam means auspiciously great. Tedhikam means, that Vraj is auspicious and great
and this was only possible, because you (Krishna) took birth (Janmana) in Vraj.

This is why Gopis said that Vraj is adhikam. Krishna is born here; He has fused His leelas
on this land. Your birth in itself is proof of Vraj being so mesmerized, fascinating and hold
us spellbound, and that is why we say Tedhikam.

At this point Krishna stops Gopis in the midst of their speech and asked:
O Sakhis, I was born in jail in Mathura, so how can you say Gokul and Vrindavan is great
and Jayati?

Gopis replied:

Bhagavan, it does not matter where you were born, but you grew up with Vraj’s yogurt and
buttermilk. And please do not forget that you came to us for buttermilk and yogurt. Hey
Govind, we know you were in our cowshed (Gauvshala) and you are the one who steals our
milk, butter and yogurt. You have said that you have immense happiness in Vraj with us and
that happiness is not in Mathura. You could be Vaikunta Pati but here in Vraj with Vrajvasi,
you are ‘Vraj Raj’. That is why we say Tedhikam Janmana.

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Krishna said:
Sakhis, Vaikunta (Lord Narayana’s abode) is far bigger than Vraj, so why do you say Vraj
is more (adhik) precious?

Gopis replied:
We like Vraj; We will not come to Vaikunta, as Nand Nandan (Sri Krishna) does not reside
there, so how can we seek Him?

O Pyare (my love), in Vraj the happiness is in abundance, for You play raas in Vraj, you
steal our yogurt and buttermilk, everyday you play new Leela Vihar (games). There is no
such anand (joy) in Vaikunta. And you were the cause of it, it was your appearance on this
land made it adhikam.

In Sanskrit, Vaikunta is ‘Vigatha kunta yasmath tatha: Vaikunta’. It is said that a mind
without any evil thoughts, without any doubts, and is full of auspicious will, is known as
Vaikunta.

So Gopis said: “Oh Lord, in Vaikunta you are in mind only but in Vraj you are Yasoda’s
son, our Krishna and we see your physical existence, we enjoy you and like your company.
So these are the reasons we do not like Vaikunta.”

Shruyat:

Shruyat = Shrayate = Sevta (worshiped).

The Gopis then added:

Oh Nath (Krishna), if you had not taken the birth as Krishna in Vraj, then we would not
have seen how adorable your vibrant beauty is. And if you had not eaten our yogurt and
drank our buttermilk, do you think you would look so adorable and beautiful!  Yasoda put
lovely Shringar and gave you the best public appearance. Nandgopa gave you fatherly love
and made you the happiest child, and it was these natural beauty sports of Vraj, amongst
which you roamed, gave you the opportunity to play vihar (love games and leelas) in the
thickness of the lovely forest. And it was these daily (Nitya) games (leelas) enticed your
Vaikunta’s Lakshmi to take abode in Vraj and she was able to Shruyat (do your seva),
worship you.

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.
Shasvadatra he:

Shasvadatra = resides for ever

He = for sure (definitely)

Gopis also added:

Hey Shyamsunder, We are quite sure that Lakshmi arrived here to stay forever, her interlude
with you is not neither an incidental nor accidental, but a sure action.

Shree Krishna maintains:

Just remember Lakshmi will automatically follow me.

Dayit Drush yatam.

Dayit=Have Mercy

Drush yatam= Give your darshan (vision of your form = appear)

Dayit Drush yatam is really the words depicted in the essence of prayer. It is from the
beginning these Gopis were praying for Krishna to appear.
The Gopis are praying and saying:
O Lord, have mercy on us, give us appearance, give us darshan. We belong to you and no
one else. We live only for you. We are looking in all direction, everywhere, please give us
darshan.

The word “Dayit” is very powerful word used by these Gopis. When in separation, the state
when we are longing to see someone, we become very humble. The proclamation of this
word profuse humbleness and surrender, and the Gopis problem was natural tendency or
had been a propensity to acquire Shri Krishna’s darshan. Gopis had humble feelings and this
feeling can only be infused by two elements, (1) by knowledge of ones defects and (2) by
the Grace of God.

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Gopis had at this stage realized their defects and so they prayed:
O graceful Krishna, please do not look at our defects, have mercy on us as we only belong
to you only. Please overlook our defects or sins and give us your darshan, Dayit
Drushiyatam.

These Vraj bhakta realized:

Hey Pyare, You filled our heart with happiness, you also bestowed your graceful Madhur
swaroop (form) into every atom of our body, but we were not worthy & we lost all this. 
You tried to make us your worthy but we were not able to digest such a lovely grace
bestowed upon us. You had to leave as we were not able to comprehend such loving grace.

The Gopis at this point were very much aware of Pride and thus said, ‘Dayit Drushiyatam’.
By saying these words, Gopis eyes were filled with tears. The eyes were pleading and the
humbleness in their voice was hortatory (formal encouraging) words for Krishna to appear
again. The tears were creating the words and exclamation of praise to God. These words
were an impassioned plea to Krishna. They were thirsty and only Krishna’s darshan would
quench their thirst. The word ‘Dayit Drushiyatam’ was used to show this never ending
quench.
When Gopis insisted ‘Dayit Drushiyatam’, Shree Krishna smiled and replied:

O Sakhis, I am residing in everyone’s of your hearts, I am having this conversation with you
so you do not worry about me appearing. I am with you.

Gopis replied:

Hey Beloved, the lovers (bhaktas) are never satisfied with the loved ones in the heart, but
always longing to fill their eyes with physical appearance. We want to drink your Madhur
swaroop with our eyes so Dayit Drushiyatam.

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Gopis said to Uddhav in Bhrammar-Geet “Our eyes are anxious to see Krishna, when is he
going to come. Without Krishna our eyes are sad and nothing will bring happiness in these
eyes of ours, except Krishna. ”

The Gopis were in love with Krishna, to them Krishna was Sakaara Swaroop.  Their eyes
want to experience the reality and they argue with Shri Krishna:

Why did you give us eyes. If we are unable to see you with our naked eyes, then what is the
point of having the eyes? You gave us ears to hear your Bansi (Venu naad), tongue to enjoy
your adhramrut (adorable ruby red lips), gave skin so we can touch and feel you, nose is to
experience that aroma which you so fragrantly infuse. And, o, Natkhat, eyes are to see your
form (swaroop), to enjoy your beauty, that enticing smile, that smiling eyes. O leela vihari
Purush all these indriyas (senses) you have given us, are to be utilized for you alone. So
Prabhu sanctify these indriya and Dayit Drushiyatam.

Sharadu daashaye sadhujaat-sat

sarasijodara shrimrisha drisha |
Suratnath te shulka daasika
varad nighnato neha kim vadhah || 2 ||
Meaning:

O Surat Nath! O bestower of benedictions, we are Your unpaid maidservants. You are
killing us by the glance of Your supremely unparalleled sparkling eyes, that steal even the
proud beauty of the whorl of enchanting, lotuses that blossom exquisitely in ponds during
the autumn season. Is killing by a glance not considered murder in this world?

Explanation: 

Sharadudashiye

Is Sharad + udashiye. There are two syllabuses in this word, Sharad and udashiye. Sharad is
the name of the season. In this case it is spring. Udashiye mean the lake.

Gopis described the most envious eyes of Shyamsunder; they described that magic in His
eyes. In this sloka they also describe that auspicious, unlimited love in those eyes of
Shyamsunder.

In Sanskrit Udashiye means the lake. And Sharadudashiye means the lake in the season of
spring. There is also a second meaning of udashiye, it means the clear crystal water of the
lake in spring, and here Gopis used this word for their heart (antahkaran). The heart is like
the lake in spring season, pure, clear and crystal.

Here, Gopis heart is as clean as the lake in the spring season and Krishna’s eyes have that
reddish pinkish color of lotus.  This color of love (anurag) and this anurag sips from His
eyes, on to eyes of His Gopis and then resides into their heart like those lotus efficacious
(producing the intended result of love) in their crystal clear heart (antahkaran).

Gopis are relaying:

Bhaktas hearts are as clear as the water of the lake during spring, and in this clean clysters
like heart they always sow the seeds of Bhakti. These seedlings flourishes into pure form of
spiritual surrender and bhakti, which effusively stores love that egalitarian the equality of
Krishna’s love which eliminates ego & other blemishes like greed, lust, jealously, etc. When
one has surrendered to Krishna, the Bhakta becomes spiritual uplifted. The heart becomes
pure and as fresh as fresh water of a Lake in Sarad season.  Then Lord Krishna will come &
reside in that heart of His own accord.

Sadhujatsatsar:

Sadhujatsatsar means when Bhagavan (God) bestows His grace, without any conditions,
then the seeds of surrender springs into full fledge crops of Bhakti. These seedlings are
planted into clean and pure hearts of devotees. In such heart blooms the lotus of love.  In the
midst of this lotus flourishes soft, serene, beautiful color of love. Gopis suggests that as
Krishna loves to steal curd (yogurt), he stole the color of love from this lotus and
indoctrinated this love, into baptism of fire of love with resourcefulness and dynamism.

Gopis said:

When we look at your eyes, we see that world of love; we drink the colors of love from your
lotus eyes. Our eyes also depict these colors of love to match the loving, adorable eyes of
yours. Our heart beats increases and the sound of the heart-beats makes waves of love  in
the Sharad Lake of our eyes.

These waves became the special language of lovers. This language is the language of heart,
we infuse romantic, sweet nothings, from our hearts. Without even writing, our eyes signals
the messages of love. It needs no pen to put it into words.

The eyes are the instrument of language of love. This Prem-Bhasha (language of love) will
always be “Pari-Bhasha” (unwritten language, language of silent love). This Pari-Bhasha is
mirror of our feelings, the feelings of our heart.

Vadhah
When describing Krishna’s eyes Gopis added:

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Hey Shyamsunder, with your captivating lotus eyes and the loving glances, you are killing
us. If this is not Vadhah then what is it? .

Sijodar

Sijodar mean ample (plentiful). In stanza two we read “Sadhujatsatsarsijodar” as one word,
then the whole word’s meaning becomes much clearer. It will now mean ‘plentiful or ample
of beautiful lotus which has bloomed’.

Shrimushadrusha

Shrimushadrusha has got two syllables, shrimusha (the killer) + drusha (eyes).

Nandanadan, if it was sword or arrow then it would be much better because we would be
able to show the wounds, but you did not use them. Although, after saying this, we know
that you have used the Your divine arrows to entice us into maharaas. In the state of
enticement, the weapons used to concur the victim are always the eyes; and these eyes act as
the arrows and they are sharper than the double edge sword. They penetrate deeper into our
hearts and inflict deeper wounds than any sharp metal weapon can inflict.

The sword and the arrow can hit you only once and it causes death. But your enticing eyes
which infuses permutation of love, keeps on inflicting wounds every time you look at us and
the end result is not a death, but pangs of separation or you become the subject of our
intense love. We are literally wounded in your love, mad after your vibrant lovely eyes. Oh
Shyamsundar why do you use your eyes to kill us?

Looking at us with intention of conquering our hearts is literally an act of hunting. So

hunting is really doing vadhah. Hey Pyare! why do you kill us with those eyes? This does
not suit you!!!
You are residing in our hearts and from there you are watching us.  We are feeling so distant
and helpless without you. Why do you love to see us in this agitated state? Why do you love
to see us longing for you? Why can’t you become drushyatam (appear) and give our eyes a
chance to look at your charming eyes?

Suratnath

Gopis used a new word ‘Suratnath’. This was a name given to Krishna by Gopis.

The word being ‘Suratnath’ is broken into three syllable, Su (beautiful and auspicious) + rati
(love or joy) + nath (husband). Su is used as prefix to enhance the words as auspicious and
spiritual entity. So ‘Su’ is added as a prefix of ‘rati’ we say ‘surati’. So in this instance
Gopis are describing Krishna as blissful enjoyment (surati). The third syllable, word is
‘nath’. Nath has many meanings and the most common one is ‘husband’.
(Nath=swami=husband).

Te shulkdasika

Shree Gopis put their hands together and said:

Hey Natnagar Nand Kishore! Please pick on your own size, why do you pick on weaklings
like us? We are your shulkdasi, simple dasi (maids), who is worth nothing at all (ashulka)
and who are prepared to do anything for love and not money. You are really killing us.
Please give us darshan!

Hey Krishna, we are here to get ras in you company, your ways of Ras-Marg has enticed
this dasi. We are at your lotus feet, we want to serve you. Please give us the chance to serve
you. Instead you are killing us, why do you do this?
Visha Jalapyayaad vyaal-raakshasaad
varsha maarutaad-vaidyutaanalaat |
Vrishamayaatma jaad-Vishvatobhayaat
rishabha te vayam rakshita muhuh || 3 ||

Meaning:

O crest-jewel among men! time and again You saved us Gopis from the grip of death – from
the poisonous water of Yamuna where the serpent Käliya resided, from the python
Aghäsura, and from the rain and terrible storm of Indra. You saved us from the whirl- wind
demon Trinävarta, from the firing of Indra’s thunderbolts, from the dreadful forest fire, from
the bull-demon Arishtäsura, from the son of Maya named Vyomäsura, and from every other
kind of threat.

Explanation:

Vishjalapyat:

This word is made of Vish (poison) + jala (water )+ piyaat (contaminated)

(Here Gopis are talking about Kaliyanaag snake who was living in Yamuna river and the
water of Shree Yamuna waters got contaminated by its venom).

Gopis said to Krishna:   Hey Nath, you saved us from our sense organs and we have
diverted all our senses in loving you, we are longing for you Vishva (the world) Mohan (the
king of love and enticement) Vraj-vihari Shyam. We were drowned in sea of materialistic
venom (Vish-sagar) but now our senses have drenched in the sea of that madhur (sweet
nectar) Krishna-sagar, sea of Krishna’s nectar.

Our eyes are only drowned in your beauty, the ears only wants to hear the enchanting tunes
which flows from your flute and our tongues have enjoyed that nectar which infuses life into
us.
You are not burning us in the fire of separation, are you?  In fact You not only protected us,
You overwhelmed us with great happiness at that time.

Viyalrakshaat:

This word is also made of Viyal (Aghasur demon )+Rakshas  (Demon)+atta (of).

When Gopis talk about Vyal, they are really mentioning the Rakshash (Evil demon) whose
name was Aghasur.

Vyal means snake. Apart from that famous snake called Kaliyanaag, there were two more
demon snakes which tried to create havoc in Vraj. One came as Aghasur and the second
snake came as Vidhyadhar and made life difficult in Ambika Van (Forest), who were killed
by the Lord.

Varshmarutat:

We have two syllables in this word, Varsha (Rain ) + marutat (heavy).

By using this word “varshmarutat” Gopis reminds Krishna, the day when God Indra rained
in Gokul and drown whole town. Shree Krishna picked up the Mount Giriraj and asked
every dweller to take shelter under the mountain. He saved them from heavy rain.

Gopis also said:

O Vraj Raj, whole Vraj is drowning from Gopis tears, who is going to save the Vraj? The
rain drops of pangs of separation, rain of Virah is so intense and we are being drowned in it.
Without your darshan, your appearance, without listening to that beguiling voice of yours
and without the strong enticing hug from your long arms(deerga bahu) and soft alluring
touch of your hands, these love ravenous Gopis are absolutely going to be drowned in the
tears of Virah.
Nanda, Krishna’s father was returning from Mathura. He was a broken man, his heart was
crying and he felt helpless, to know that Krishna had decided to stay in Mathura. He
remembered embracing Krishna a farewell when taking leave for Gokul.

He knew that this was his last hug. As he hugged Krishna he thought, ‘Krishna will never
return to Vraj. He will not play his flute on the banks of Shree Yamuna River anymore’. 
With these thoughts, tears flowed from his eyes and dropped on Shree Krishna’s lotus feet.
The tear drops looked like the first drop of the dew. The first ever dew of paroxysm of
separation.

Then he put his hands on Krishna’s shoulder and added, ‘Hey Lala, had you dropped the
Giriraj Mountain upon us with your lotus hands then that pain would have been much
simpler to bare, than the grief of drowning of my heart, from the tears acquired from your
absence.’

Such is the pangs of separation from the Lord, for a true devotee.

Vaidhootanlatt:

Vaidhootanlatt is made of three syllables, Vaidhoot (Fire )+ Anala (Tornado )+ aata (of).
Krishna is also reminded by Gopis that He saved them from Tornado and the fire (Davanal).

Vrushbhayatamjat Vishvatobhayaat:

Gopis say:  “You have protected us from Vrushbha  Asura (demon). You also saved your
dear ones (Atamaja) from Vrushbhasur (demon).

O Master, You have protected us from all (yaat) the world (Vishava) predicament (Bhaya)”

This where Gopis reminds Krishna that He has never been away from his loved ones and
bhaktas and always protected them.
Rushabh Vayam rakshita: Muhuh:

Rushabh means “the BEST of all” or unparalleled in being the Best. Vayam  is You have
(for us), Rakshita = protected, O’ Shresta (the best of all ) Krishna you have always
protected us, again & again (muhuh:)

Gopis said:

You have shielded us from a myriad of calamities and from innumerable terrifying forms of
death, but now You are killing us. Having given up everything we have and offering You
our very existence, we came to You.  If You desire to kill us now, why did You protect us
on so many other occasions?”

Na khalu Gopika-nandano bhavaan

akhil-dehinaam antaraatma drik |
Vikhana saarthito vishwa-guptaye
sakha udeyivaan satvataam kuley || 4 ||

Meaning:

You are not just the son of Yashoda. but you are indwelling divine Lord in all embodied
beings. O eternal companion! In response to the prayer of Brahma, [the creator of the
Worlds], you have incarnated as a scion of Yadu clan, to protect the world.

Explanation:

Na khalu Gopikä-nandano bhavän:

Khalu means ‘surely,’ Gopikä-nandana refers to Yashodä-nandana, the son of Yashoda,

and bhavän means ‘You,  Krishna.’ The Gopis say, “You are certainly not the son of
Yashoda.”
Akhila-dehinäm antarätma-drik

Means ‘for all beings,’ and antarätma-drik means ‘Paramatma, the Super soul, the external
witness who is situated in everyone’s heart.’

Gopis tell Krishna:  “We know that You are the son of Yashoda. We have firm belief in
that. At the same time, when we perceive Your uncommon activities, we tend to accept
what Rishi Gargäcärya have told us about You. You are certainly our friend, but You are
not merely the son of Yashoda & Nandagopa.”

“Well, who am I then?”  Krishna asks.

“You are the indwelling witness of all souls,” the Gopis reply. “This has been told by
the rishis Bhäguri, Garga and others. As the Super soul, You reside perpetually in the hearts
of all, where You witness everyone’s deepest feelings and desires. You reside in our hearts
as well, so You must know the depths of our sadness and the misery we feel in separation
from You. Therefore do not be upset with us; kindly be pleased.”

Vikhanasärthito vishva-guptaye:

vikhanasä refers to Lord Brahmä, arthitah means ‘by the prayer,’ and vishva-guptaye means

‘for universal protection and welfare.’ By uttering this phrase, the Gopis say, “Brahmä
prayed for the welfare of all the inhabitants of the universe.”

Udeyivän sätvatäà kule:

Udeyivän means ‘arose like the sun.’ With these words the Gopis imply, “You have come to
this world.” Sätvatäm kule has two meanings: ‘the Yadu dynasty’ and ‘the pure devotees.’
The Gopis have both meanings in mind when they say, “You have appeared in the dynasty
of Yadu. But you came of your accord to be with us, to bless us with your divine leelas &
now that have disappeared, the separation is killing us.”

Virachitaa bhayam vrishni dhurya te

charan miyushaam samsriteir bhayaat |
Kara-saroruham khanta kaamadam
shirasi dhehi nah shri kara-graham || 5 ||

Meaning:

O crest jewel of Vrushni clan! O! Our Beloved!!  the fulfiller of all desires! whoever takes
refuge in your lotus feet from the torments of samsara [materialistic world], they become
fearless by your protection. O our beloved, the bestower of all boons, do lay your delicate
lotus hands on our head – the divine hand affectionately held by the hands of Goddess
Lakshmi.

Translation:

Vrushni Duryathe:

The Gopis say to Krishna, “O crest-jewel of the Vrushni dynasty, O dear most beloved

(Känta), O You whose lotus hand fulfills all desires (Käma-da). We are now extremely
frightened (viracitäbhayam).”

Those who are perplexed and frightened by worldly affairs approach the lotus feet of the
Supreme Lord Sri Krishna to become free from the repetition of birth and death (samsrti).

Sri Adi Shankarächärya has written in Bhaja Govindam (Verse 22): “Punar api
jananam, punar api maranàm, punarapi janani jatare shayanam – again birth, again death,
again lying in the womb of a mother. This is samsrti, traversing material existence. Singing
the glories of Govinda, is the only way out”
Viracitäbhayam:

Gratified by their appeal, Krishna says:  “O Gopis, I have heard your words of sweet
criticism. I know that they were not abuse, but an expression of your intimate feelings,
spoken in the anger of pure love. I am so pleased with you that I will now offer you a boon.
You may ask anything from Me. Tell Me what you desire and I will grant you that.”

Now, gladdened by Krishna’s statement, the Gopis say: “O most magnanimous personality

in the entire Vrushni dynasty, You are the brilliant sun that illuminates the lotus flower of
the Yadu dynasty. Please place Your lotus hand on our heads.”

The Gopis implore Krishna, “Your lotus hand can fulfill all of our desires, so please grant
us fearlessness(‘aa Bhayam’ is ‘Abhayam’ from Abhaya Hasta) by placing it on our heads.”
What do the Gopis fear? They fear burning in the blazing fire of käma because Krishna is
not with them. They think, “If Krishna comes into our midst, we will be out of danger. He
will certainly dance with us and perform all varieties of loving pastimes with us.”

Charan miyushaam samsriteir bhayaat: 

One who surrenders to your lotus feet, need not fear the cycle of birth and death.

Gopis say:   “Kantha, Oh Beloved!!  So we have surrendered unto Your feet, knowing that
Your lotus hand will surely fulfill our desires. But not only that; we will no longer feel
separation from You. We always fear that You will leave us. If You keep Your lotus hand
on our heads, we will know for certain that You will never leave us and that we will always
be with You.”

Conditioned souls want to become free from the cycle of birth and death, but the Gopis’
only desire is to be free from the fear of separation from Lord Sri Krishna.
Vraja-janaartihan veer yoshitaam
nija-jan smaya-dhvans na-smita |
Bhaj sakhey bhavat-kinkarih sma no
jala-ruhaananam chaaru darshaya || 6 ||

Meaning:

O Destroyer of the miseries of the inhabitants of Vraja! Oh Warrior, of great valor!! Your
mere smile is enough to quell the pride of your love ones. O our beloved friend, graciously
accept us, your servants. We are fully surrendered at your lotus feet. Show your most
admirable lotus-like face.

Explanation:

vraja-janärti-han:

Gopis say:   “You destroy the sufferings of the residents of Vraja (vraja-jana), and the
sufferings of people in general. Yet, although we are also vraja-jana, You are giving us
distress. We have seen You remove the distress of everyone else in Vrindavan, so why not
ours?”

Veera:

This refers only to madhura-rasa, meaning Sri Krishna’s divine leelas, and thus signifies
that He is the ‘hero of madhura-rasa, who is expert in the sixty-four arts and sports, forever
a most handsome youth, expert at entertaining, devoid of anxiety, and controlled by
the prema(love)  of His beloveds.”

Yoshitha nija-jana-smaya-dhvaàsana-smita:

With these words the Gopis allude to their desire, which is blazing like a fire.

Gopis tell Krishna, “By Your mere smile, You destroy the burning torment caused by
Cupid’s(Manmatha) arrows. Your smile alone would have been enough to remove our
pride. There was no good reason to have given us such pain by disappearing. This was a
waste of energy.”

Upon hearing these words, Krishna’s heart melts. “Oh, you only want to see Me smiling?”

He asks. “The loving words you speak, give Me so much happiness that I am ready to give
you whatever you want.”

Bhaja sakhe bhavat-kiìkaréh:

The Gopis continue, “We are Your kinkarés, Your completely devoted maidservants, so

please fulfill our desire.” Bhaj means ‘to serve,’ so here the Gopis are saying, “You should
serve Your kinkarés, but not just by appearing before us. Because you are our ‘Sakha’
(friend), you should also decorate us and give us betel nuts, as You did earlier, when we
first came here to meet with You.”

Krishna says:  “But Gopis, friendship is with people on the same platform. How are we both
on the same platform?”

Gopis reply: “Hey Govind! We are on the same platform, let us explain – You do not want
anything, so do we.  You love to give, so do we. Like you say there is nothing for you to
gain in all three worlds

na me paarthasti kartavyam trishu lokeshu kinchana |

naanavaaptamavaaptavyam varta eva cha karmani || B.Gita 3.22

Neither have we to gain anything in this world or beyond, not even moksha (liberation).  So
‘saka’, we are on the same platform as you are.”
In actuality, however, they want Krishna to fulfill their desire to serve Him. In this
connection, the word bhaja implies that the devotees serve Krishna and Krishna serves His
devotees. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gitä, “Ye yathä mäm prapadyante taàm tathaiva
bhajämy aham – As they surrender to Me, I reciprocate accordingly.” This is His promise.

Nija-jala-ruhänanam cäru darshaya:

The Gopis  entreat Krishna, “Please show us Your beautiful lotus face.”

Jala-ruha means ‘lotus’ and änanam means  ‘face.’ “First come to us, and after that we will
order You to do specific services.”  The Gopis smile, and this is just what Sri Krishna wants
to see. In fact, He wants to see their smiling faces more than He wants to smile Himself.

The Gopis have no inclination to act for their own enjoyment, and yet their joy increases;
the joy of the Gopis lies in the joy of their beloved Krishna. When Sri Krishna sees
the Gopis, His joy increases and thus His unparalleled sweetness also increases.

The Gopis prema(love) is samarthä-rati, and this rati is found only in

Vraja. Samarthä means ‘powerful’ and ‘competent,’ which indicates that this rati surely
controls Krishna in every respect. The Gopis are selfless to the utmost degree and endowed
with this pure prema. They never think about how they can be relieved of their own sorrow,
nor do they worry for their personal happiness. They only want Krishna’s happiness, and
that is why He is fully controlled by them.

Pranat-dehinaam paap-karshanam
trina charaa nugam shri niketanam |
Phani-phanaarpitam te padaambujam
krinu kucheshu nah krindhi hrichchayam || 7 ||

Meaning:
Your lotus-feet destroy the sins of those who prostrate to you – the lotus feet that pursue the
foot steps of grazing cows, and which are coveted by the goddess Sri, which gracefully
danced on the hood of Kaliya. O Lord, please put your lotus feet on our chest(heart) to
soothe our burning desire and rid us of the sorrows lurking in our hearts.

Explanation:

Pranata-dehinäm päpa-karñasham:

Pranata means ‘surrendered,’ dehinäm refers to living entities in material bodies,

and päpa-karshañam means ‘removal of sinful reactions.’

Gopis tell Sri Krishna, “Your lotus feet remove all kinds of sinful reactions for those
embodied beings who are surrendered to them.” Again and again, they glorify the virtues of
His lotus feet.

Truna-caränugam:

Truna-cara refers to cows and all other animals that graze on grass, and anuga means
‘following.’ The Gopis say, “Your feet always follow behind the cows, who do not know
the difference between grass and tasty edibles. We may be ignorant to some extent, but we
are more qualified than they are. You follow the cows, so what is the harm in Your
following us and placing Your lotus feet on our chest?”

The Gopis’ mood is so deep that they weep as they speak, whereas we simply hear their
words and smile. We are unable to perceive their pain in separation from Krishna.

Sri-niketanam:

Sri means ‘beauty,’ and it also refers to Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. In this way,
the Gopis’ statement has two meanings: “Your feet are exquisitely beautiful,” and “Your
feet are the abode (niketana) of Sri or Goddess Lakshmi. She perpetually resides at Your
feet and never leaves them.”

Phani-phanärpitam, te padämbujam:

Phani refers to creatures with hoods (phana). Here, phani particularly refers to the hooded

serpent Käliya. Arpitam means ‘placed,’ and te padämbujam refers to Sri Krishna’s lotus
feet. The Gopis say, “You placed Your lotus feet on the hoods of that serpent, even though
He was poisonous. You did not feel any burning sensation then. You even boldly placed
Your feet on his hoods and performed a wondrous dance there, so why not place Your feet
on our chest.”

Krinu kuceshu nah kråndhi hru-chayam:

Krinu means ‘keep,’ kråndhi means ‘cut away,’ kuceshñu means ‘chest,’ and na: hru-

chayam refers to the disease of käma(desires)  in the Gopis’ hearts. The Gopis pray,
“Please place Your lotus feet on our hearts, and thus destroy our heart-disease of desires.”

By praying for the touch of His lotus feet, the Gopis desired for complete destruction of all
their desires, once & for all.

Madhurayaa gira valgu-vakyayaa

budha-manognaya pushkare kshana |
Vidhikaririmaa vira muhyatir
adhara-sidhuna pyaayaya svanah || 8 ||

Meaning:

O Lotus-eyed One! We, your maids are bewildered by Your sweet voice, replete with sweet,
enchanting words. Even the wise and learned get engrossed in it and sacrifice everything for
it. Oh Hero! After tasting the nectar of the sound of your voice, your faithful Gopis are
falling in love. Now you can give us the gift of life by giving us the divine nectar from your
lips.

Explanation:

Madhurayä girä:

The Gopis tell Krishna, “Whatever You utter is exceedingly sweet.” By speaking the words
the Gopis have drunk the nectar of Krishna’s words, which are sweet, melodic and
brimming with literary ornaments (alankära) and exquisite imports.

Gopis say:  “Our complete bewilderment is a serious malady, which only You can treat.
You are the only doctor to cure us of our critical condition, and the ambrosia of Your lotus
lips is the only medicine.” With these words they imply that their bewilderment is so sweet
that they want to experience it further.

valgu-väkyayä:

They tell Him, “Your words are enchanting.”

It is because of Krishna’s expertise in speaking that the Gopis now address Him with the
words madhurayä-girä valgu-vakhyayä, which mean that His sweet words are filled with
various charming and profound meanings.   The Gopis remembered how Krishna after
welcoming them at Vaamshi-vata and addressed them as greatly fortunate, Sri Krishna
asked them, “Priyam kim karaväni vah – what may I do to please you?”  The Gopis  now
remember such captivating conversations.

It is said when King Janaka (Goddess Sita’s father) spoke, the Kundalini (dormant energy)
would awaken. What to say of the effect, when Bhagavan Sri Krishna (Poorna Puroshottama
Parathpara Brahma) Himself spoke.
The Lord’s words are so thoroughly imbued with elixir that all living creatures of the world
are mesmerized by them. Serpents, deer, birds, cows, calves and all other species listen to
His words and become entranced. When He plays His flute or utters any words, the cuckoos
stop their singing to listen, and all the male and female parrots become spellbound. Just like
sages in meditation, they close their eyes and listen, as do the cows and everyone else.

His words are sweet, the meanings of His words are sweet, and hearing His words is sweet.
Everything about Him is so sweet.

Vidhi

Means ‘order,’ and vidhi-kinkari  means ‘obedient maidservant.’ By these words

the Gopis say, “We will do everything You tell us to do.”

Veera Muhyatir:

The Gopis address Him as véra, hero. Véra is generally interpreted to mean ‘one with

bodily strength,’ but this is not what the Gopis mean. They say, “You are véra because You
are fully conversant with rasa, and You can thus satisfy our every desire for rasa. By
hearing Your delightful, melodious words, we have become Your obedient maidservants.
We yearn to hear them again, but our intense desire is to taste the ambrosia of Your coral
red lips, from where Your sweet words have come.”

adhara-sidhuna pyaayaya svanah:

Gopis say:  “Where have these words come from? Water comes from the ocean through the
clouds. Because the ocean has the power to generate all the nectarean waters that give
refreshment and sustain life, it is certain to contain special nectarean potency. Similarly, all
the words coming from Krishna’s lotus mouth are exquisite, fascinating, and fully imbued
with nectar. We have already become enthralled and enchanted by hearing the words
emanating from His lips, so what would happen if we directly drink the nectar from the very
reservoir of those words – His lips? We would be bewildered to the point of fainting. We
hanker for this.”

Tava Kathaamritam tapta jeevanam

kavi bhiriditam kalma shaap-ham |
Shrawana-mangalam shrimadaa tatam
bhuvi grinanti te bhurida janaah || 9 ||

Meaning:

Oh Lord!, the stories of your divine acts [Lila Katha] are an embodiment of nectar which
brings life and hope to the people suffering from the pain of separation. The wise
Mahatmas, the devoted poets have all sung its praises. By mere listening to them removes
all sins and sufferings and bestows the supreme bliss and welfare as well. The reciters of
Katha are the large-hearted benefactors and give the utmost to this universe.

Translation:                                          

Tava kathä amrutam:

Gopis say:   If You speak these delightful words directly to us, they are sweeter
than amrutam, celestial nectar. But if, in Your absence, we hear anyone else repeat the same
words, then it is like måtyu, death, for us; tava kathä måtam.”

Krishna asks Gopi:  If you so attached to me & sad after my disappearing, how come you
are still alive?
Gopis reply:  Hey Nath, we would have died a long time ago, but on listening to your divine
stories our lives have been saved.  For your divine story gives the same limitless bliss like
you do & it has the same power to protect & save as your own self.

tapta-jévanam:

Hey Prabhu! Your divine leelas gives life to those who are suffering in any painful
condition. It gives life to those who are diseased and to those who are unhappy in this world
in any way.

Kavibhiriditam:

Kavi  means ‘a wise person or great thinker,’. Because the nectar of hari-kathä is glorified
by wise sages, who are always relishing this superior nectar. They say that it gives life.

kalma shaapa-ham:

The divine stories of the Lord, destroys all the sins & defects.  Any action or words, that
causes pain to another living entity is usually defined as a sin.  Along with it, the following
sins occur depending on the path chosen to reach Him:   In ‘Karma Marg(path)’, renouncing
dharma is a sin. In ‘Jnan Marg(path)’, seeing duality(dwaith) is a sin.  In ‘Yog Marg’,
diversion of mind is a sin & in ‘Bhakti Marg’, forgetting the Lord even for a second is a sin.

Shravana Mangalam:

It’s extremely auspicious to hear to His stories, for it confers welfare in every way. It is said
in Srimad Bhagavatham “sadyo hrudya varudhyate ’tra krutibhi: shushrüshibhi: tat-
kshanäth”, if a person hears His divine stories with faith, then Sri Krishna will manifest in
their heart’s, at once without delay.
.

Srimadatatham:

Sri or Goddess Lakshmi resides in your divine stories.  Hence the ‘teller’ & the ‘listener’ of
these leelas, attain their respective goals.  Bhagawan’s opulence is unlimited & in the same
way the opulence of His stories are unlimited too.

Bhooridajana:

It is sung by devoted people.

Gopis say :  “To hear about the Krishna Leelas regularly, is nectar for the ears. For those
who relish just a single drop of that nectar, even once, their dedication to duality is ruined.
Many such persons have given up their  homes and families and, themselves becoming
sanyasis, traveled here to Vrindavan to wander about like birds, begging for their living.”  –
Srimad Bhagavatham 10.47.18.

Krishna says: “But Gopis then why are you constantly singing about my leelas.”

The Gopis conclude, “The only reason we are discussing it is that we cannot stop, however
hard we try. We cannot think of anything other than You.”

This would be difference between Gopi & others.  We need to make an effort to think about
the Lord, for our mind is occupied with several other things.  However for Gopis it’s an
effortless effort to think of Krishna.  He’s in their every breath & every heart beat.
Prahasitam priya prema vikshanam
viharanam cha te dhyaana Mangalam |
rahasi samvido ya hridi sprishah
kuhaka no manah kshobh-yanti hi || 10 ||

Meaning:

Oh Beloved! Your alluring laughter, your captivating looks with divine love & your gait, 
even thinking about them is supremely blissful. Having seen You, as You conversed
intimately with us in secret places & played with our hearts. Oh cunning one! now these
memories has increased our hankering to meet with You, and therefore our minds are
repeatedly bewildered.

Explanation: 

Prahasitam priya prem vikshanam:

Gopis say:  ‘Hey Priya!’ – Priya is one who can satisfy every need (preenathi eti priya: )   O
cherished beloved, when parted from You, remembrance of Your enchanting smile
(prahasitam), Your tender glance with your beautiful eyes (prema-vikshanam),  please give
us your kripa dristi(mercy).”
Krishna says: “The sun shines, rain falls on time, crops grow, are these not my kripa
(mercy).”

Gopis agree but still say “ True Krishna, those help the body but the soul needs to see your
enchanting loving smile.”

The prefix pra in prahasitam means ‘in an excellent way, and prahasitam means ‘the most

exquisite smile or laughter.’ At every opportunity, Krishna laughs in a charming way and
casts His glance toward the Gopis, sometimes from behind a tree and sometimes from
within a lake. Somehow or another, He contrives to send them the shafts of His arrow-like
glances coming from His stunning lotus face, which is adorned with the most graceful and
sweet smiles.

A glance that carries the deep message of one’s heart is known as prema-vikshanam.

viharanam cha te dhyaana Mangalam

Your intimate pastimes with us (viharanam), and Your loving talks with us in solitary
places fills our hearts with pain.

viharanam means ‘a special kind of theft.’ The Sanskrit verb hå means ‘to steal.’ According
to this specific definition, viharanam refer to stealing the heart. In this
connection viharanam also denotes ‘to walk with friends’ and ‘to walk with a lady.’

In this instance, Krishna casually walks along with His friends, and His walking like this is
only to show His desire to meet with them. He ambles along, nonchalantly resting one hand
on the shoulder of a friend and twirling a lotus in the other. In this way, He intentionally
pulls at their hearts. Seeing this, they lose awareness of everything else and thus become
mad with love.

Dyaana is ‘Meditation’.  The Gopis’ remembrance is not like a yogi’s meditation. When

they remember Krishna, they forget everything else. Whatever they are doing, whether it is
walking, talking or cooking, they are always immersed in sahaja-samädhi, a natural, deep
absorption in Sri Krishna. The word sahajäyate means ‘to come naturally, from birth.’
Their full absorption in anything related to Krishna comes automatically and naturally.

They never come out of samädhi; they simply go deeper and deeper into it.
Their samädhi deepens when they see Krishna, and it further deepens as they remember
Him when He is out of sight.

rahasi samvido ya hridi sprishah

Gopis continued: “We want to be free from these memories, but we cannot. We are
absorbed in thinking of Your beautiful smile (prahasitam), Your tender glance (prema-
vikshanam), Your intimate pastimes with us (viharanam), and Your amorous talks with us
in solitary places (rahasi samvidaù). In this way we are always reminded & it fills our hearts
with pain.”

As mentioned, prahasitam means ‘smiling’ or ‘laughing.’  When, along with that smiling,

there is also glancing with increasing love and affection, it is called prema-vikshanam.
The Gopis’ amorous pastimes with Him (viharanam) are still superior; as the divine lovers
gaze into each other’s eyes and blissfully smile, they wander throughout the forest, arm in
arm. Superior still, and inclusive of all the other three features, are their secret conversations
(rahasi samvidaù), in which they touch each other’s hearts by expressing the priceless
moods contained there. In this way, there are gradations in the realm of perfection.

The phrase rahasi samvidaù also has its own specialty. Krishna’s loving talks with
the Gopis so deeply touch their hearts that they become embedded there. As a result,
the Gopis cannot remove remembrance of those intimate conversations at any time, even if
they desperately want to do so.

kuhak no manah kshobh-yanti hi:

These four beautiful features bring auspiciousness to the heart (dhyäna-mangalam), but they
also cause the heart to feel agitation (kshobhayanti hi). O cheater, the mere remembrance of
these four features causes great disturbance to our hearts.

Gopis say: “You cheat with Your smile, You cheat with Your loving words, and You cheat
with Your loving looks.  For if You had any love and affection for us at all, You would
appear before us, but You do not”

Krishna replies:

“O Gopis, You know that I am difficult to attain, so why are you expressing your desires to
enjoy intimately with Me? Sometimes you say, ‘Please place Your hands on my head’;
sometimes you say, ‘Please place Your lotus feet on our chest’ and at other times you say,
‘Your smile and everything else about You is so enchanting.’  You just now said that my
divine stories are everything.  If you feel affection for Me, then just listen to them and be
satisfied with that. Why do you want to see Me face to face?”

In reply the Gopis say, “You, Yourself, are the reason we cannot be satisfied simply by
hearing Your divine plays. The fault lies in Your previous loving dealings, in pürva-räga.
You play your divine flute to attract us, and then smile, even though You have absolutely no
reason to smile. By doing so, You have increased our ardent longing to be with You and
love You.

But now You have disappeared, and that which You increased now causes us so much pain
that we are not able to remain alive any longer.”

Chalasi yad-vrajaa-chaarayan pashoon

nalina sundaram nath te padam |
Shila trinaankuraih sidathi tinah
Kali lataam manah kantha gachchati || 11 ||

Meaning:
O master! O beloved! When you take the cows for grazing from Vraja , your feet are more
tender and beautiful than the Lotus,  get hurt from stones, grass & edge of druva grass.  Our
mind becomes very agitated at the very thought of your pain.

Explanation:

The Gopis tell Krishna:  “You perpetually torment us with suffering, both in meeting

(samyoga) and separation (viyoga). When You enter the forest to herd Your cows, we feel
unending grief due to separation from You. You run along rough, uneven paths without
stopping for a moment, and as You do, rough grains and other sharp objects pierce Your
lotus feet. When we think of this, we drown in sorrow, unable to maintain our patience.

Krishna says, “Do not be anxious about My feet. Just forget about any discomfort you think
I may be feeling.”

The Gopis reply, “But You are our beloved; we cannot stop thinking about it for you are our
‘Kantha’- ‘Ka’ is joy (sukh) & ‘Anantha’ is infinite, so the one who gives infinite happiness
or joy is Kantha.’

Gopis continue:  “So being our Kantha, you cannot give us sorrow caused by your
separation.  And our attachment to You is not our fault; it is Yours, because You are our
beloved and You are so astonishingly attractive. If You were not so affectionate and
attractive, we would have no love for You and everything would be all right. You have
made Yourself so beautiful and such a charming lover that our minds have left us and gone
with You. Why have You done that? You alone can remove our attachment, because You
are the one who is in possession of our mind and heart.”

Dina Parikshaye neel kuntaleir

van-ruhaananam bibhradaa-vritam |
Dhanraja-svalam darshayan muhur
manasi nah smaram vir yachch-si || 12 ||
Meaning:

O beloved hero, at dusk when You return from the forest, Your lotus face partly covered by
Your bluish- black locks of curling hair and veiled in a very thin layer of dust rising from
the host of cows’ hooves. At that time, by repeatedly showing us Your beautiful lotus face
so exquisitely ornamented, You arouse intense love within our minds.

Explanation:

Dina-parikshaye:

Dina means ‘day’ and kshaya means ‘end.’ Dina-parikshaye means that the end of the day

has come. It is evening. The sun is moving towards the horizon but has not yet set.

Earlier in the day, all the cows  were done grazing and Lord Krishna sometimes calls them,
in His thundering voice & at times calls them, playing their names on His venu (flute). One
of Lord Krishna’s name in Vishnu Sahasranama is ‘Mahaasvanah’– One who possesses
thundering voice of compulsion: Svana means ‘sound’. One whose ‘call’ is thundered in all
hearts, familiarly known as the ‘compelling whisper’ of the Higher.

The cows have eaten and drunk their fill, and they are ready to return home. They remember
their calves and call out, “Hamba! Hamba! Hamba!” Sri Krishna then plays on His flute,
gathers His friends and all the cows, and prepares to return home.

Néla-kuntalair:

Néla means ‘dark blue’ and kuntalair means ‘by curly hair.’

Vana-ruhänanam bibhraa dävrutam:

Änanam means ‘face’ and ävåtam means ‘covered.’ Sri Krishna’s beautiful curly blue-black

hair reaches down to His shoulders and partly covers His face, which appears like a lotus
flower covered by bees. The word bibhrad refers to Krishna’s exhibiting the exquisite
loveliness of His face, which is likened to the beautifully shining moon.

Gopis say: “The moon is splendid with its diffusing rays, and Your face has the same
exquisite appearance. In fact, Your face is more beautiful when it is partially hidden by the
dust rising from the cows’ hooves and by Your curly hair.”

Dhana-rajasvalam:

Raja refers to the pollen-like dust of the earth. That raja is dhana, wealth, and here it refers
to go-dhana, the wealth of cows. The cows are running, returning to their homes and to their
calves. Krishna has called their names and they all hurry to be with Him, thinking, “Krishna
is calling me.” Then, as they run, the dust rising from their moving hooves sweeps upward
towards the sky, sprinkling the leaves of the trees all around. This pollen-like dust also falls
on Krishna, creating a very fine covering on His face, body, and garments.

Darshayan muhur:

Is to see His dazzling divine beauty again & again.  There is a difference between darshan &
pradarshan.  Pradarshan is like an exhibition, where everybody sees the same thing.  But
darshan is when the object remains the same, but is seen differently by each person. Only
Krishna’s exquisite beauty is ‘darshaneeya’ worth seeing, a true feast to the eyes says the
Gopi in Veenu Geet.

As Krishna returns with the cows, He takes them in His arms and embraces them. His inner
motive in doing this is solely to show His beloved Gopis His lotus face, which is beautified
by this dust, and to convey to them that He desires to embrace them. And the real reason He
plays His flute is not to gather the cows, but to call the Gopis. Hearing the deep sound of
His flute, the Gopis stand on the road and on the palace roofs, only to see Him return.
Gopis continue : “We suffer greatly in separation from You, from morning until the time we
see You again. But then, when we do see You, we suffer even more than before because our
desire to see You has increased.”

Manasi nah Smaram vira yacchasi:

When the Gopis address Krishna with the words, “O hero (véra),” they mean ‘hero
in madhura-rasa.’ “You are able to give us whatever we want,” they tell Him. “You have
the power to give smara, so You are our hero.” In this connection, smara refers to the
Sanskrit verb små with the suffix ra, meaning ‘to remind.’ It relates to an experience of
something that brings something else to mind. For example, the Gopis see Krishna again
and again showing them His face that is beautified by the dust of the earth rising from the
running cows, and that beauty leads to intense prema in their hearts.

Moreover, among millions of Gopis He is looking for one Gopi  in particular. Now, in their
song of separation, the Gopis say, “When we see You searching in this way, we become
restless and feel that we cannot live a moment longer without You. Seeing You embrace the
cows and cowherd boys, we desire that You do the same with us.” This is called smara.

Manasi  is the mind that manifests smara. The Gopis say, “You drag us towards You, and
then You put that smara in our mind by showing us Your face. Why do You repeatedly
show Your face? We want a remedy for our smara, but instead it increases. We know that
You are a hero, but Your heroism goes only as far as giving us smara and killing Gopis. O
Krishna, You are certainly a hero!”

Pranat-Kaamadam padma jaarchitam

dharani mandanam dhyeya-maapadi |
Charana pankajam shantmam chate
raman nah staney-shvarpa-yaadhihan || 13 ||
Meaning:

Oh most beloved dear! Oh redeemer of the pain in our minds! Your lotus feet fulfills the
desire of devotees who have surrendered to You .  It has been worshipped by Lord Brahma;
it is the most beautiful ornament of this earth, when meditated upon removes all the
calamity.  Please place such glorious holy feet on our chest.

Explanation:

pranata-käma-dam:

Have two meanings here: “You immediately fulfill all the desires of those surrendered
(pranata) unto You,” and “You bestow nothing less than käma in the hearts of those
surrendered unto You.”  Kama is prema(love) or bhakti strong enough to reach Him.

Padmajärcitam dharani-mandaanam:

Padmajärcitam means ‘worshiped by Brahmä,’ (Padma-ja refers to Brahmä, who was born

through the lotus from the navel of Lord Narayana) and dharani-mandanam means
‘ornament of the earth.’ Both these words are adjectives describing Sri Krishna’s lotus feet
(carana-pankajam). “Your lotus feet, which are the ornaments of the earth, are always
worshiped by Brahmä.” Here, the Gopis say, “Just as Your lotus feet are the ornaments of
the earth’s heart, they are also the ornament of our hearts.”

Dhyeyam äpadi:

Äpadi means ‘at times of distress.’ If anyone remembers  Krishna’s lotus feet, he or she
becomes free from all varieties of obstacles, miseries, and calamities.

An instance of this is  Krishna’s appearance before the Gopis, when they completed their

singing of Gopi-Geet.  At that time, a Gopi came to Him and placed both of His hands in
hers. Another Gopi placed His arms on her shoulders. Another came to Him with tämbüla
(betel nut) in her hands, and another placed His lotus feet on her chest.

Another Gopi  was in such an angry mood that, she saw Him from a distance, She stared at
Him from the corners of Her eyes. Another Gopi looked towards Him as if she wanted to
take Him into her heart. Another Gopi immediately took Him through her eyes into her
heart, where she embraced Him tightly, thinking herself to be alone with Him in a solitary
place. Simply by her absorption in Him, that Gopi became so full of spiritual pleasure that
her hair stood on end in ecstasy and all her miseries at once disappeared.

The Gopis do not feel material miseries, so what is their misery? The only calamity they
face is separation from  Krishna, and that pain of separation disappears only when they meet
with Him. They pray, “O Ramana (delightful beloved), please place Your lotus feet on our
hearts so that our suffering in separation from You, and our disease of käma, will cease.”

Shantamam cha te:

One of the meaning is ‘always pleasing.’ The Gopis say, “You are always pleasing to us.
We need You, only You, and no one else.”

Ramana

Is Beloved, to denote that Lord blesses His devotee whatever they desire to one who has
surrendered (Pranat) to Him.  Gopis say that His holy feet confers five types of benefit: 
Destroys worldly desires; Confers the opulence; Fulfills the satvic desires; Removes their
sorrows;  Imparts bhakti or love.  They ask Him to remove the sorrow from their hearts,
which is as a result of His separation.

Arpaya ädhi-han:

Ädhi means ‘miseries,’ and han means ‘one who removes.’ Arpaya ädhi-han refers to one

who removes all kinds of miseries, diseases, and everything inauspicious. Because
the Gopis’ misery is their käma, their prayer is this: “The käma that lives in our hearts can
be removed by You, like magic. If You please place Your lotus feet on our hearts, all our
torment will cease.”

Surat-vardhanam shoka naashnam

svarita venuna sushthhu chumbitam |
Etara-raaga-vi smaaranam nrinam
vitar veera naste-dharaa-mritam || 14 ||

Meaning:

O hero, the nectar of Your lips increases the pleasure of divine union, and it eliminates all
sorrow due to separation from You. Your ambrosial lips passionately kisses Your flute
filling it with divine notes. Every being who drinks that nectar, even once, forget about all
other desires & attachments. O hero, please make us drink the nectar of Your lips.

Explanation:

Surata-vardhanam:

Surata refers to a particularly exalted state of devotion (prema)  in which

the Gopis supernatural desire for the Lord increases exponentially.  Surata-vardhana means
‘that which increases surata or Aiswarya’ of sharing that love of the Lord which is limitless
& whole.  This sharing would remove any blemish in one’s heart & make the hearts pure
enough for the Lord to reside.

Adharä-mritam:
Gopis tell Krishna. “The nectar (amruta) of Your lips have many wonderful qualities. It
gives immortality (a-mruta).  They are nectarean, and their juice is nectarean as well. Please
give this nectar to us. Although You left us here and we are dying, when we remember the
nectar of Your lips, our desire for Surata increases.”

Shoka Nashanam: 

Means  ‘that which destroys misery.’ The Gopis say that all their unhappiness will be
destroyed by Krishna’s adharämruta. How? The taste of His adharämrutam is so nectarean
that it will make them forget everything else.

If this nectar is received, all suffering is destroyed. The suffering it destroys is the suffering
of not seeing Krishna.

Svarita-venunä sushthhu chumbitam:

Krishna fills His flute (venu) with His adharämruta. This creates svara (näda, or sound
vibration), and therefore the sound of the flute is called venu-näda.. This sound is non-
different from Krishna’s adharämruta, and when it emanates from His flute, the nectar of
His lips comes through the flute and is heard as venu-näda.

Svara means ‘tune,’ or more specifically, ‘trembling tune.’  The melodies emanating from
Krishna’s flute sound as if they are trembling, vibrating, and wavering slowly with different
notes.

Why does the flute sound like this? It actually has no control over how it sounds. It is
maddened by tasting the nectar of Krishna’s lips and is thus trembling.

Gopis say: “When you play the venu ‘sushthhu chumbitam’ – it’s perfect & complete kiss of
your alluring ruby red lips to the your venu. We desire the same, oh dear Krishna!”
Krishna says:  “Gopis, this venu is very dear to me because, it’s completely hollow inside; it
plays when I play it; it plays wherever I play it; it also plays however long I play it.  Can
you say the same about yourselves.”

Gopis reply:  “We will be, hey kanta, first give us Your adharämruta, and that will enable
us to get your two divine qualities of wisdom (Jnana) & detachment (Viaragya).  The nectar
of Your lips has such extraordinary qualities that if anyone drinks it, all of his or her
attachments disappear.”

Etara-raaga-vismaaranam nrunam:

Means making every other desire to be forgotten, of Nrunäm means ‘of mankind’ or ‘of
human beings.’

The nectar of Lord’s lips, is by itself, one of the main goals in one’s life (purushartha) &
this will confer all the other four main goals of one’s life (proof, goal, path & result).

Gopis say:   ‘Shokanashanam’ denote the power of this nectar (pramanam).  ‘Surath
Vardhanam’ enabling the rise of divine desire (sadhana) & the nectar itself is the goal
(Prameya)”

Vitara veera nas-te-adharaa-mritam:

Means distribute or please share that adaramrutham.

Gopis say: “This adharämåta is not only a wonderful medicine; it also removes the
inclination for any kind of other desires & is the only medicine which will keep us alive. 
Because You are the greatest giver (dhani) when it comes to charity, we believe that You
will give us this nectar just to protect us.”

Mähä-prasäda is Sri Krishna’s adharämruta, His singing or talking to anyone is also

His adharämruta. The Gopis are now weeping for this.
How much more blessed is someone who directly tastes the nectar of Krishna’s lips? One
who does not have this extreme good fortune, but gets to hear about that nectar & His divine
plays, can still be considered very fortunate.

Atati yadh bhavan ahni kaananam

trutir-yugaayate tvaam-pashyataam |
Kutila-kuntalam shri-mukham cha te
Jada udikshtaam pakshma krid drishaam || 15 ||

Meaning:

O our beloved, during the day when you have gone to the forest, every moment without
seeing you passes like a yuga (millennium). Then, upon Your return from the forest at dusk,
although we eagerly gaze upon Your exquisitely beautiful lotus face adorned with curly
locks, we become greatly perturbed by the occasional blinking of our eyes.  At that time, it
seems that creator of eyelids is really cruel to us.

Explanation:

Atati yadh bhavan ahni kaananam:

Atati means ‘walks’ or ‘goes.’ Bhavän refers to ‘Krishna,’ Ahni means ‘in the daytime,’

specifically ‘in the morning.’ And känanam refers to vrindä-känanam, the forests and
gardens of Vrindavan.

The Gopis tell Krishna, “You look exceedingly beautiful in the morning when, surrounded
by many friends, You wander to the pasturing grounds of Vrindavan so that Your cows may
graze. At that time, You make us suffer thinking about your separation for the rest of the
day.”
Trutir-yugaayate tvaam-pashyataam:

A truti is a very short time – a fraction of a second – and a yuga is billions of years. Trutir
yugäyate: Is the time taken to pierce the stalk of a flower with a needle. One kshana is
32/25 seconds, and a truti is a 2,700th part of a kshana. A truti is a very tiny fraction of a
second, but whenever the Gopis do not see Krishna, it becomes like a yuga.

The Gopis continue, “When You take the cows to graze in Vrindavan, we feel so much
separation that the very briefest moment, a minute part of a second, becomes millions of
millenniums for us.”

Their prema is so elevated that they feel a moment of separation to be like a yuga; and
conversely, in a yuga of meeting with the Lord, time passes away like truti for them.

Tväam pashyatäm means ‘for those who do not see You.’  The Gopis say, “In the morning,
You take the cows out to graze in the pasturing grounds, and at that time we are not the only
ones who feel separation from You. Everyone in Vrindavan suffers because they can no
longer get to see You till dusk. All the residents of Vraja suffer, including Nandagopa,
Yashoda, and even the calves who cannot go with You. So not only we, but all are suffering
& waiting to see You. It seems that time has stopped still.”

This experience is only for those who have crossed the various stages of prema (bhakti). No
one else can feel like the Gopis, who have not only attained prema, but
also sneha, mäna, pranaya, räga, anuräga, and so on. This advanced stage of separation
will only come when one has passed through all these stages. Although only the Gopis feel
like this, they think, “Everyone else feels more separation than we do and everyone is more
elevated than us.” They consider that when the cuckoos stop singing, it is because they are
weeping in the same mood as they are. This is a symptom of mahäbhäva.

Kutila-kuntalam shri-mukham cha te:

Kuntalam means ‘hair,’ and kutila-kuntalam means ‘curly hair’. The Gopis say, “You also
look exquisite when You return home in the evening, Your curly hair falling here and there
as it covers part of Your lotus face(shri-mukham). At that time also, You give us intense
anguish, tormenting us with the affliction of your intense desire.”

Jada udikshtaam pakshma krid drishaam:

Udikshatäm means ‘of those who are looking very carefully and with great eagerness to
see.’ “We are greatly eager to see Your lotus face,” the Gopis say. “Everyone in Vrindavan,
whoever one may be – father, mother, man, woman, or child – says that Brahmä, the creator
of eyelids, is certainly dull and foolish (jada). He has given us only two eyes, and even
those two eyes have lids that interrupt our vision. If we were in Brahma’s place and he was
in ours, we would have given him millions of eyes without any lids, to be able to savor your
exquisite divine beauty continuously without interruption.”

Weeping and searching for Krishna, they say, “It is not Your fault that we are agonized by
separation from You. It is our own misfortune. We suffer unbearable separation in Your
absence, and it is the same when we see You in the evening. When You return home from
the pastures with all the cows and cowherd boys, we see You for only a moment.  Besides
that, our eyelids obstruct our vision as we look at You, and sometimes our eyes fill with
tears. Sometimes the hooves of the cows raise so much dust that we cannot see You.  We
want to relish Your beauty at that time, but we cannot.  There are numerous problems, and
we understand that they are all caused by our own misfortune. This misfortune makes us
suffer under all circumstances, both in separation from You and in meeting with You.”

The Gopis continue:  “If you want to save us, You must come to meet with us at once;
otherwise we will not be able to live much longer without seeing You.”

.
Pati-sutaanvaya-bhratri-baandhawaan
ati vilanghya te-achyutaa gataah |
Gati vidastavod geet mohitah
kitava yoshitah kastya jennishi || 16 ||

Meaning:

Hey Achyuta! We have come to you after relinquishing the ties & orders of our husband,
son, brother and our relatives. You are fully aware of
our inner-most thoughts. We have come here after being infatuated by your divine music. O
cheater! who else will abandon a group of defenseless women in the darkness of night, other
than You.

Explanation:

Achyuta:

Is one of the names of Lord Sri Krishna.  Means the one who is infallible from His
infiniteness, Aiswarya (wealth) or His unlimited qualities (Kalyana Gunas). This is the case
even when takes a foam (where the infinite shines through the finite).

Pati-sutaanvaya-bhratri-baandhawaan:

Pati means ‘husband,’ suta means ‘son,’ and anvaya refers to the relatives of

the Gopis’.  Bhrätå means ‘brothers’ and bändhavän refers to one’s own father, mother,
brothers and sisters, and all other relatives.

Ativilanghya :

Means ‘completely neglecting.’

The Gopis tell Krishna: “Although it is generally considered very dishonorable for a person
to disobey superiors, we neglected our superiors’ orders, quarreled with them, and came
here to meet with You.”

Te achyutä gatäh:

Gopis say, “O Acyuta (infallible one), You have disappeared (cyut) from our vision. You
have failed (chyut) in the matter of showing Yourself to us. Thus, is the name Acyuta not
contrary to Your deeds?”

Gopis continue, “You are certainly infallible in Your great obstinacy. Your mind is single-
pointed to the point of obstinacy. We have been weeping continuously due to our longing to
see You, and calling You because of our grievous suffering. Still, You are determined not to
meet with us. Your determination to make us suffer is relentless, and thus You are Achyuta;
You never fail to give us suffering.”

Krishna asked: “Gopis , why did you come to Me then?”

Gopis reply: ““It was You who called us.  We did not come here of our own accord; we did
not desire to come. You are the cause of our coming here.”

Krishna says, “No, no, I have not called you. When & how did I call you?”

Gati-vidas tavod gita-mohitä :

Gopis replied:  “You played Your flute (venu) deliberately, with full knowledge of all the
consequences. You knew that we would be irresistibly attracted by Your flute-song and that
surely we would be unable to stop ourselves from running to You. For we belong to You &
only You (gati-vidas tavod)”

Krishna asks: “If you know My intentions and My nature, then why have you come?”
Gopis replied:  “You are so expert at sweetly playing Your flute that all varieties of sounds
and melodies blend into its song. Its melody trembles and quivers as it rises from the lower
notes to the higher notes, and then falls again. You know many melodies, which are so
beautiful that everyone is attracted to them. And You are expert in knowing which sound
and melody is able to attract different people and creatures (gita mohita). That is why we
have come to You, just like deer.”

Gopis continued: “Even Gods like Indra, Shankara, and Brahmä are attracted when they
hear those songs. Why, then, would we not respond? After all, You are extremely beautiful
and we are completely spell-bound by You. When we heard you calling our name on your
flute, we became mad with love and we came running to You.”

kitava yoshitah kastya jennishi:

kitava – O cheater; yoshitah – young ladies; kash – who; tyajet – would abandon; nishi – in

the night

Gopi say: “ You are a cheater(kitava). What is more, You cheat only for the sake of
cheating. One cheats others in order to gain some-thing, but You gain nothing & You want
nothing.”

“Previously we were under the impression that You are called Achyuta because You never
fail to exhibit Your many refined qualities. But now we understand that You are Achyuta
because You never fail to exhibit Your cheating. You called us & made us yours. Now there
is breach of contract, with you disappearing. This does not reflect well on you.”

Rahasi samvidam hrich-chayodayam,

prahasitaa nanam prema vikshanam |
Briha durah shriyo vikshya dhaama te
muhurati spriha muhyate manah || 17 ||
Meaning:

O Beloved,  having seen You as You conversed intimately with us in secret places – Your
beautiful smiling face which acts as a stimulus for our amorous desires, Your glancing at us
with love and Your expansive chest, which is the eternal resting place of the goddess of
fortune – our hankering to meet with You has increased manifold and our minds are
repeatedly bewildered.

Explanation:

Rahasi samvidam hrich-chayodayam:

Gopis explain:  “Hey Ramana! When we met in solitude (rahasi) & heard your secret
whispers of love (samvidam), there is a rise(udayam) of intense desire in our hearts (hrich).

You possess five features and You have used these arrows to pierce our hearts. Your first
arrow was the sweet words of conversations we previously had with You in solitary places. 
The second arrow was the desire  in our heart, caused by Your enticing words.”

prahasitaa nanam prema vikshanam:

prahasitänanam, the Gopis refer to  Krishna’s delightful laughter.

Gopis continue:  “Your third arrow is Your radiantly ravishing smiling face. A beautiful
flower can smile, but it cannot speak. On the other hand, You are not only captivating but
also adorable with your sweet charming words

Vikshanam means ‘sidelong glances,’ and prema-vishanam refers to  Krishna’s glancing

lovingly at the Gopis from the corner of His magnetic eyes. Gopis say this is the fourth
arrow that has pierced their heart.

Briha durah shriyo vikshya dhaama te: 

The Gopis had seen Krishna’s love-laden glances. They had seen Him looking at them with
love in His eyes, and now they tell Him:

“The fifth arrow is Your expansive chest, where Goddess Lakshmi has her sacred abode. It
is the abode of all kinds of beauty because  Lakshmi lives there. The sight of Your
admirable chest caused us to be infatuated & spell bound.”

muhurati spriha muhyate manah:

Two actions occur in this verse: having seen (vikshya) Krishna, the Gopis experience a
desire (sprihä).

Brihad indicates that Krishna’s feeling is extremely deep, and with the words urah shri yo,
the Gopis imply, “We can see what is in Your heart; we feel it, and Your face affirms it. If
Your heart is in love, Your face expresses it. We looked at Your face and understood that
You have an intense desire (ati-spruhä) for our association. Seeing this desire deep within
Your heart, we yearn (ati-spåhä) to satisfy it.”

As a result of all these, we have lost our minds (manah), our memories, and our intelligence,
and ourselves too. We are completely bewildered (muhyate). These arrows entered our
hearts through our eyes and wounded us. Now our hearts are burning, and that is why we
have come running here & there. You should please free us from this pain.

Vraja vanaukasaam vyaktiranga te,

vrijina hantryalam vishwa mangalam |
Tyaj manaak cha na-stva-sprihaat manaam
svajana-hren-dru-jaam yanni shoodanam || 18 ||

Meaning:

Our Beloved, your appearance completely destroys the sorrows of residents of Vraja and
blesses the whole world with incalculable auspiciousness. Our hearts, which desire You
alone, are agonized by our heart-disease, Therefore  kindly give us in charity a little bit of
that medicine of Your divine form, which can cure Your dear ones.

Explanation: 

Vraj vanaukasaam vyaktir anga te:

“O anga! O beloved!” This form of address is full of love and affection. The Gopis are also
experiencing an intense feeling of separation and also profound humility, and for these
reasons they do not address Krishna by His name. At other times and in other places they
call Him Mukunda, Keshava, or other names such as Devaki-suta, Yashoda-suta, Vrajendra-
nandana, and Vrajendra-suta. And sometimes they call Him Kamsäri or Aghäri. But here
they simply address Him as their beloved anga. The word anga actually refers to one’s own
hand or other limb, so they are saying, “You are part of our body.  How can you think of
being away from us?”

vraja-vanaukasäm

The words vraja-vanaukasäm refer to residents of Vraj, which are also the cows, buffalos,
peacocks, monkeys; indeed all creatures are included. Krishna’s appearance is to vanquish
the sorrow of all creatures. It is the very form of auspiciousness, because His appearance is
for two purposes: to relieve distress, and to give happiness to the Gopis and everyone else.

vrijina hantry-alam vishwa mangalam:

The Gopis say, “Your appearance is auspicious for the entire universe (vishva-mangalam).

It is true that You have appeared to take away everyone’s distress and to give everyone
happiness. But this is for those who live in the Vraja and most specially for us, who are here
hankering for You.”
The word alam, meaning ‘enough,’ is used as an adverb to qualify both vrijina-
hantri and vishva-mangalam. Thus, Krishna’s appearance is sufficient to destroy distress
(vrujina-hantri), and to bring auspiciousness to the entire world (vishva-mangalam).

Tyaj manaak cha na-stva-sprihaat manaam:

Gopis say, “Please give us something that can relieve our sorrow and the burning in our
hearts.” They refer to ‘something,’ but they do not specify what that ‘something’ is. Spruhä
means ‘hankering’ of the mind (manaam).

Krishna asks the Gopis, “What are you hankering for?”

The Gopis reply, “You are so beloved to us – to the extreme extent – and therefore we are
always thinking about You and ways to make You happy. This is our soul’s desire. We
cannot be satisfied unless we can see You. We want You & You alone. Nothing else can
give us relief.”

The Gopis suppose that Krishna might say, “All the Vraja väsis have love and affection for
Me. They always pray to God and to all other great personalities, ‘Please keep our Krishna
happy.’  What is the difference between you and all the others?”

The Gopis have kept their desire hidden in their hearts. Krishna wants to see it openly, but it
cannot be seen openly.

Gopis say:  “The point is that we are not only Vraja väsis.”

Krishna asks :  “Then who are you?”

svajana-hren-dru-jaam yanni shoodanam:

Sva-jana-hed-rujäm: Sva means ‘one’s own.’

Gopis say, “ For us Gopis, we are Yours and You are ours. You are our life (jana). We
cannot live without You, just as a body cannot live without consciousness.”

“We have a heart-disease (hred-ruj). You are a very expert doctor, so please give us some
remedy to counteract and remove it (yan nisüdanam).”

Südana in the word nisüdanam means ‘to remove,’ and ni refers to nishesha-rüpa. The

word nishesha indicates ‘forever,’ and implies ‘fully, so that which is removed does not
return.’

Yatte sujaat-charnaam-buruham staneshu

bhitah shaney priya dadhi mahi karkshesu |
tenaat-we matsi tad vyathate na kinsvit
koorpardi-bhir-bhramati dhir bhvadaa yushaam nah||19||

Meaning:

As your feet are more tender than a lotus, we use utmost caution while putting them on our
chest(heart). With same tender feet you wander in the deep dark forest bare feet. The mere
thought of you treading with those tender feet on the thorny, stony paths in the forest give us
pain and we loose our wits. O Lord, our lives are Only for you. We are only living for you.
We are only yours!!

Explanation:

yat te sujäta caranäm buruham stanesu:

Gopis say, “O dearly beloved, we will tell You our heart-disease and the medicine we want.
We worry about the pain caused when You walk on rough surfaces with Your lotus feet
(charanam), which are so sweet, tender, soft, and cool.  Please keep that lotus feet on our
chest ”
The word sujäta refers to someone with great qualities.  For example, the lotus flower
is sujäta because it blossoms in pure, clean water; thus it has many natural qualities like
softness and a sweet fragrance. It also gives a cooling effect. The Gopis use this word to
describe the qualities of Krishna’s lotus feet, and their anxiety that those delicate feet might
experience pain.

Actually, when Sri Krishna takes the cows out to graze during the day, He goes to lush
green pasturing grounds. Prakruti (personification of Nature) had  specially made silken
grasses with fragrant flower petals, for the comfort of her Master’s  (Purushottama)
appearance in this world.

tenaat-we matsi tad vyathate na kinsvit 

Gopis say:  When you roam (atasi) in the forest (atavim),  we (tat) are very distressed
(vyathate) by the thought of you walking on rough surfaces.

Another meaning of atavim is samsara (society or family).  Lord Shree Krishna has blended
into this samsara, just like the combination of milk & water.  We need to churn out the
butter that is hidden in the milk, so that butter stands out from the milk. Similarly we need
to churn our mind to that ego-less state, so that He who is residing right now in our hearts,
will appear before us to be enjoyed in all His divinity.

bhir-bhramati dhir bhvadaa yushaam nah

dhir bhavad-äyuñshàm nah:

Gopis now say:

“You are our life, You are our soul, You are our everything. If anything hurts Your feet, that
pain pierces our soul, because You are our soul. You may not feel the pain, but we feel it.”
[callout font_size=”13px” style=”coolblue”]“*** Rorahe hai hum, Krishna Yaad me,
Aajawoo Prabhu, Jeena payenge.
Aaap ke nayan, Baan bangaye, Aap ke Charan, Pran bangaye***”  [/callout]

||Sri Shuka Uvacha||

iti gopyah pragäyantyaha

pralapantyas ca citradhä|
ruruduh su-svaram räjan
Krishna-darshana-lälasäh||

Sri Sukha Maharishi said: O Parikshith, thus the Gopis of Vraja, brimming with intense
eagerness to see their beloved Krishna, could no longer contain their feelings. Absorbed in
separation and lamenting, they spoke many plaintive words, their voices heart-wrenching
and sonorous.

When Sri Krishna hears this prayer of the Gopis, their words penetrate His heart. He is their
life-breath and their life itself, so when they weep and speak in this way, His heart melts. “I
should not conceal Myself any longer,” He thinks. “I must appear before them.” In Srimad-
Bhägavatam (9.4.68) He says, “I am the heart of My pure devotees, and My pure devotees
are My heart.”

täsäm ävira bhüc shaurih

smayamäna-mukhäm bujah|
pithämbhara-dharah sragvi
säkshän manmatha-manmathah||

Sri Krishna, the crest-jewel of the Shüra dynasty, appeared before the weeping Gopis. A
gentle attractive smile blossomed on His riveting face. He had adorned His neck with
Vanamala (garland) and His body with brilliant pitambhara (yellow garment). The exquisite
beauty of such a divine form bewilders the mind of Cupid himself, who is the churner of
hearts of all beings.

Sri Krishna Chandra, the most precious crown-jewel, appeared in the midst of the Gopis,
displaying His unparalleled ravishing beauty which is described in this text with three
adjectives: smayamäna, sragvé, and säkshäth manmatha-manmathaha.

Smayamäna :

His captivating smile was to remove the distress of Gopis and console them. For
the darshana of His enchanting divine lotus face, would remove all their sorrows.

Conscious that He had given great suffering to His dear ones, He was admitting that He was
an offender, and He held His Upari (upper garment) with His hands, to show Gopis that He
was at their service.

Sragvi:

Krishna wore a fresh, radiant garland of forest flowers around His neck. He wore this
garland of cooling lotuses only to remove the Gopis’  fire of separation and, in doing so, He
expressed the sentiment, “You are the flowers of My garland; you are My very heart. You
strung this very garland yourself and garlanded Me with it. I am displaying My eternal
gratitude by wearing it upon My heart.”

Säkshän-manmatha-manmathah:

Sri Krishna’s extremely intriguing beauty, embellished by His being in the midst of
the Gopis, churned the mind of Cupid (Manmatha). The Manmatha or Cupid, intoxicates
all beings, but when this Manmatha receives the darshana of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, which
enchants the three worlds, it churned  the heart of Manmatha (Cupid) himself.
Krishna says:  “My prema is divided, not just into millions of parts but into uncountable
parts. I have many types of devotees: jïäni-bhaktas, shuddha-bhaktas, rasika-
bhaktas, premi-bhaktas, fathers, mothers, sakhäs, and sakhés. I cannot neglect any of them.
I must drive the chariot of Arjuna and be there for Bheesma, Gajendra, Prahläda & several
others. My infinite reserve of love is divided into many fractions, but your love for Me is
one-pointed. You give all of your love to Me, and there is none left for your children or
husbands, what to speak of others. Because You do not love anyone but Me, I will always
be indebted to you. Even if I were to offer you a boon, I know that you would only ask to be
able to render more service to Me, and this would only increase My debt to you. For this
reason, I will not be able to repay you in millions of births.”

Let us try to love Krishna as the Gopis do, desiring nothing for oneself. For this pure love
will definitely bring the Lord to your doorstep.

Veda says:

When the mind gets what it was desiring so intensely & when the eyes finally get to see
what the mind wanted all along, the  incredible splendor of divine beauty of the Lord – then
only two things could happen:

 Those eyes would close forever, not wanting to see anything else.

 Or would remain open forever, seeing & drinking His divine beauty forever.
****Jai Shree Radhe Krishna****