Hare Krishna Narayana

Maharishi Śuka continued, ‘The Gopikas who were searching for Lord Krishna spotted this lady who was weeping inconsolably due to separation from Him’.”

Similar to them, the lady was also mad due to separation from the Lord. It will take at least an hour to describe this lady (Radha’s) disconsolate state. She too began to search desperately for Him. While she was grieving, the Gopikas arrived near her.

“This lady was totally bewildered due to separation from the Lord. She explained to them how the husband of Goddess Lakshmi had honoured her and how she had behaved disrespectfully by asking Him to carry her on His shoulder. She explained how He vanished from there”.

In a way, it can be said that, for many consecutive days the Gopikas had been searching for Krishna but in vain. The lady acknowledged to them that Krishna had come along with her and that after spending many days with Him, she had turned arrogant due to which he deserted her. She was aware that her pride in her ability to obtain the Lord exclusively for herself had caused her to behave arrogantly with him. She was now remorseful of her deeds.

“The Gopikas who heard her narration were full of surprise. Thereafter, in the cool rays of that Fullmoon night, they all continued to search for the Lord. They searched for Him even in the dark areas of the forest. However, upon not finding Him anywhere, they at last decided to return back. The minds of these Gopikas were exclusively fixed upon Lord Srikrishna. Talking about Him and imitating His actions, they attained mental oneness with Him. They had mentally merged into Him. Those Gopikas who were totally immersed in singing His glories could neither remember their bodies nor their homes.

Punaḥ pulinam āgatya kālindyāḥ kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāḥ

Samavetā jaguḥ kṛṣṇaḿ tad-āgamana-kāńkṣitāḥ

The Gopikas who eagerly awaited the arrival of Srikrishna, arrived once again on the banks of Yamuna. In their minds, they were meditating exclusively upon Him. Unable to bear the pangs of separation from Him, they again began to sing His glories.

With this, the thirtieth chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.

Tenth Canto Chapter Thirty-one

In this chapter, the song of the Gopikas (Gopika Geeta) is elaborated. It is a wonderful song replete with Vedanta.

The Gopikas sang, “O dearest one, due to Your birth Gokula has been rendered more superior to Swarga and other heavenly planets as Mother Lakshmi now resides here. However, O Lord, we, your dearest ones, are searching fervently for You in all directions.

O ruler of Nanda, O Lord who showers boons! We are but servants who receive wages known as boons from You. With Your tender eyes, which steal the inner beauty of the splendorous winter-blossoming lotus, You are tormenting us.

O Lord, unable to stay away from You we are agonizing. We are unable to desist from eternally gazing at Your lotus face. We are unable to live without Your music. We are unable to stay away from smelling the fragrance from Your lotus feet. O compassionate Lord, we seek to touch You and talk to You. We seek Your darshan, sparshan (touch) and sambhāshan (dialogue).

Deep within the mind, feelings of guilt rule. Perhaps we have wronged You. But yet, dear Lord, at least from a distance bless us with Your darshan. Make yourself visible to us. Without You, our minds are as good as dead. They lack vitality. Your absence torments us and reduces us to living corpses. O Lord, just grace us with Your darshan, which in itself is a tonic that fills us with positive energy.

O Supreme Lord, You have rescued us from the poisonous deathly waters created by Kaliya, from the clutches of Demon Aghasura who had assumed the form of python, from the torrential rains and winds created by Indra, from the clutches of demon Tŗṇavarta, from the fire created due to Indra’s thunderbolt, from the demon who appeared in the form of a bull, from Vyomasura the son of demon Maya and from every other form of fear”.

These verses bring to the forefront the supreme devotion – the infinite, intense devotion of the Gopikas towards the Lord. It can emphatically be said that, in this creation, there was none before them and none after them who could even remotely match them in devotion. None in this creation will be blessed with such devotion. Tormented by the deep pangs of separation from the Lord, they were earnestly seeking Him. They were calling out to Him, singing for Him and recounting all His divine deeds. Through this recollection of His divine deeds, they were in a state of divine bliss. They were supremely blessed.

Due to the grace of Lord Srikrishna, they possessed divine energies or it can be said that the mystical power called clairvoyance arose in them. Knowing that the future impediment would attack them in the form of demon Vyomasura and that knowing fully well that it would be Krishna who would rescue them from this predicament, they were praising Him for that incident which would take place in the days to come. These Gopikas, who were no ordinary women, were in reality supremely knowledgeable Jnanis. The story of Vyomasura will be covered in the thirty-seventh chapter of this canto.

“Na khalu gopīkā-nandano bhavān akhila-dehinām antarātma-dṛk

vikhanasārthito viśva-guptaye sakha udeyivān sātvatāḿ kule”

This is a verse from the song sung by the Gopikas. Gopika- Geeta is a wonderful song.

Narayana Narayana