Narayana Krishna

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Srikrishna, the master of Yoga and the Lord of all the supreme Yogis , heard the pleas of the Gopikas and laughed compassionately. He decided to delight them”.

The Lord had entreated the Gopikas to return home and serve their families which they outrightly rejected. The desire that they had cherished for many years, in fact- the desire that they had been cherished for many, many births was about to be fulfilled. Under such circumstances, why would they seek to leave Him and return to this mundane material world? They vehemently argued that it was unfair to be sent back. Hearing their pleas, the Lord laughed now compassionately.

“Through His music, He fulfilled the desire in their hearts. Seeing Him, who was dearest to their hearts, the faces of the Gopikas shone brightly. When He laughed heartily, His teeth shone like jasmine buds. He, who was surrounded by them on all sides, illumined divinely like the Moon surrounded by star constellations”.

The Gopikas were blessed with this wonderful darshan.

“When the Gopikas sang His glories, Krishna, the leader of the Gopikas, also loudly sang their praises. Along with the song, He played the flute. Wearing a Vyjayanti garland around His neck, He wandered through the forest, ornamenting the forest itself”.

The forest glowed due to His presence. He was an ornament that enhanced its beauty. He enhanced the beauty of the flower He was wearing. He was an ornament to that flower. When He wore golden ornaments, His presence caused the ornament to glitter even more divinely. He was an ornament that enhanced the beauty of the ornament itself. Such was His indescribable beauty!

“Together with the Gopikas, He went to the banks of River Yamuna and wandered freely there. The cool breeze blowing upon the tiny waves and which was charged with the fragrance of the lotuses brought great delight to the minds of all.

Stretching His arms and embracing the women, touching their hands, locks, thighs, chests, and clothing and with His jocular talks, His sidelong tender glances, His charming smiles and with laughter, He sported with them while inflaming the passion in them. He pushed back the hair of the Gopika when it fell on her face. He touched her eyes, nose, and cheeks. As desired by them, time and again He lovingly embraced them. He filled them with laughter. All through He continued to wander in the forests”.

This was the desire cherished by them across many births. After all, in their past births, they were supreme ascetics walking on the path of Self-realization. When the Lord incarnated as Rama, these saints chased Him, seeking to embrace Him and lovingly touch Him. Srirama politely declined their request and promised to fulfill it in His subsequent incarnation. Seeking to fulfill that desire these thousands of saints took birth as Gopika women.

“Thus the high-minded Supreme Lord Srikrishna fulfilled the long-standing desire of the Gopikas. He fulfilled all their demands. He touched them, played with them, sat amidst them, danced and sang for them, fulfilling all their desires. With this, the Gopikas began to consider themselves as the luckiest among all women on Earth. They believed that they were the happiest of all women-folk on Earth. Feelings of pride began to seep into them. They prided in their beauty and in the fact that Srikrishna belonged solely to them alone”.

Thus along with intense love for the Supreme Lord, feelings of pride intensified in each of them. ‘Aha, we are so beautiful. For this reason, the Divine Lord seeks to mingle only with us. He sings for us and plays with us. He enjoys our company’.

“Srikrishna, the Supreme Lord, perceived that the women had slowly succumbed to pride and that they were falling prey to delusion. He understood that these feelings of pride would simply devour them. Deciding to pluck out the feelings of vanity in them thereby blessing them, all of a sudden Krishna vanished from amidst them”.

The importance of keeping pride at bay is highlighted here. ‘I am the best among devotees. There is no devotee even remotely close to me; none can match my levels of devotion. I have the opportunity to touch the Lord. I am extremely obedient. He discusses all matters with me’.

Thus devotees, who succumb to feelings of vanity, forget the real purpose of life and commit sins. Great precaution should be taken to ensure that pride does not enter into those who are engaged in Guru seva. “Swami talks longer with me; He shares all news with me; I am very dear to Him”- such feelings should not even remotely arise.

The Supreme Lord considers every living entity as dear to Him. Everyone is equal in His eyes- this realization should dawn in us. Even slightest degree of suspicion and vanity should not enter. The moment arrogance enters, the person is thrown into deep darkness from which there is no exit. At every moment, one should diligently complete the duties specified for that particular moment.

The Gopikas were fortunate to touch the Lord. Can there be anything more fortunate than this? In accordance with their past desires, He was touching them and thereby blessing them. However, this caused them to turn vain. He now decided to destroy this pride in them and bless them. Hence, He simply vanished.

With this, the twenty-ninth chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.

Krishna Narayana