The Reunion

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that the analogy given here of saintly persons meditating upon the Lord’s feet is only partially applicable, since the ecstasy the gopīs felt when Kṛṣṇa came back was actually unparalleled. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also reveals that this particular gopī is the most fortunate of all, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura states that the seven gopīs mentioned so far in this chapter are the first seven of the eight principal gopīs, whose status allowed them to immediately approach Śrī Kṛṣṇa upon His reappearance. The ācārya quotes a verse from the Śrī Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī that gives the names of these seven as Candrāvalī, Śyāmalā, Śaibyā, Padmā, Śrī Rādhā, Lalitā and Viśākhā. The eighth is understood to be Bhadrā. Śrī Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī itself quotes a verse from the Skanda Purāṇa that declares these eight gopīs to be the principal among the three billion gopīs. Detailed information about the hierarchy of gopīs is available in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

The Padma Purāṇa confirms that Śrī Rādhā is the foremost of the gopīs:

“Just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is most dear to Kṛṣṇa, Her bathing pond is similarly dear. Of all the gopīs, She is the most beloved of the Lord.”

The Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra also names Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī as Kṛṣṇa’s foremost consort:

“The transcendental goddess Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the direct counterpart of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord.” (This translation is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.83.)

Additional information about Śrī Rādhā is given in the Ṛg-pariśiṣṭa (the supplement to the Ṛg Veda): rādhayā mādhavo devo mādhavenaiva rādhikā/ vibhrājante janeṣu. “Among all persons, it is Śrī Rādhā in whose company Lord Mādhava is especially glorious, as She is especially glorious in His.”

The gopīs are Lord Kṛṣṇa’s internal potency, and therefore when they were relieved and happy again the Lord shone forth even more brilliantly than before, and His transcendental bliss increased. Kṛṣṇa loves the gopīs with pure transcendental love, and they love Him in the same pure way. The whole affair, conducted on the transcendental platform, is inconceivable to those bound in material existence.

In the Eighty-seventh Chapter of this canto (text 23), the śrutis, or personified Vedas, pray as follows:

“These women fully absorbed their minds in meditation on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s powerful arms, which are like the bodies of great serpents. We want to become just like the gopīs and render service to His lotus feet.” The śrutis had seen Kṛṣṇa during His appearance in the previous day of Brahmā and had become full of the most intense desire to associate with Him. Then in this kalpa they became gopīs. And since the Vedas are eternal in human society, the śrutis in this kalpa also become full of desire for Kṛṣṇa and in the next kalpa will also become gopīs. This information is given by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.

The masters of mystic meditation include Lord Śiva, Ananta Śeṣa and other exalted personalities, all of whom keep the Lord seated within the lotus of their hearts. This same Lord, conquered by the intense, selfless love of the gopīs, agreed to become their boyfriend and dance with them in Vṛndāvana, after sitting upon their fragrant shawls on the bank of the Yamunā River.

By this apparently polite question, the gopīs want to expose Lord Kṛṣṇa’s failure to properly reciprocate their love. They were very disturbed when Śrī Kṛṣṇa left them in the forest, and they want to know why He caused them to suffer in these loving affairs.

The Lord here reminds the gopīs that in pure loving friendship there is no sense of selfish interest but rather only love for one’s friend.

Some people, being spiritually self-satisfied, do not reciprocate others’ affection because they want to avoid entanglement in mundane dealings. Other persons do not reciprocate simply out of envy or arrogance. And still others fail to reciprocate because they are materially satisfied and thus uninterested in new material opportunities. Lord Kṛṣṇa patiently explains all these things to the gopīs.

Lord Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: “As people approach Me, I reciprocate with them accordingly.” Yet even if the Lord is approached by someone with devotion, to intensify the devotee’s love the Lord may not immediately reciprocate fully. In fact, the Lord is truly reciprocating. After all, a sincere devotee always prays to the Lord, “Please help me to love You purely.” Therefore the Lord’s so-called neglect is actually the fulfillment of the devotee’s prayer. Lord Kṛṣṇa intensifies our love for Him by apparently separating Himself from us, and the result is that we achieve what we really wanted and prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa’s apparent negligence is actually His thoughtful reciprocation and the fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.

According to the ācāryas, as Lord Kṛṣṇa began to speak this verse the gopīs looked at one another with squinting eyes, trying to hide the smiles breaking out on their faces. Even as Lord Kṛṣṇa was speaking, the gopīs had begun to realize that He was bringing them to the highest perfection of loving service.

Here the Lord indicates that though the gopīs were already perfect in their love for Him, still, to inconceivably increase their perfection and show an example for the world, He acted as He did.

The translation and word meanings for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 4.180).

In conclusion, the gopīs became eternally glorious by their behavior in the Lord’s temporary absence, and the mutual love between them and the Lord was wonderfully enhanced. This is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa and His loving devotees.