Aggrieved that Srikrishna was leaving them and travelling to Mathura, the Gopikas assembled at a place and discussed amongst themselves as follows,

“It appears that Srikrishna does not have any feelings of affection towards us. Look how He has happily boarded the chariot readying to leave. Look how these arrogant cowherds have already readied their bullock carts. Krishna does not even bother to glance nor smile at us. How hard-hearted He is!”

The agony of separation caused them to speak thus about the Lord.

“Look at these cowherds who seem to instigate Akrūra to depart quickly. Look at the elderly persons who remain indifferent to our pain. Even destiny does not appear to favour us today. Truly, today is an inauspicious day as it is separating us from our beloved Krishna.

Shall we collectively block Srikrishna from leaving us?”

The Gopikas planned to stop Him from leaving. Some of them could lie down on the road such that the chariot couldn’t move. Some could hold tightly the wheels of the chariot- they were thinking thus.

“Even a second’s separation from Srikrishna, the bestower of liberation, is unbearable. Yet, providence has ensured that we get separated from Him. The Lord, who is the cause for all our happiness, has decided to move away from us. In what way can the elders in our families console us, when we are thus distressed?

O Gopikas! During Rāsa-kreeda, Srikrishna would cast love-filled divine smiles upon us. The many nights we spent in His company have gone by in a fraction of a second. How will we now cross this endless grief created due to separation from Krishna?

During evenings, surrounded by all the cowherd boys, Srikrishna, who would be accompanied by Balarama would play the flute as He walked back to Brindavan. At that hour, His curly locks and the garland of forest flowers around His neck would be covered with the dust raised by the cow’s hooves. With His tender, charming smiles and sideward-glances, He would steal our minds. How can we henceforth live in His absence?”

Maharishi Śuka continued,

evaḿ bruvāṇā virahāturā bhṛśaḿ vraja-striyaḥ kṛṣṇa-viṣakta-mānasāḥ

visṛjya lajjāḿ ruruduḥ sma su-svaraḿ govinda dāmodara mādhaveti

Thus, the Gopikas agonized terribly due to their impending separation from Srikrishna. Their minds were exclusively fixed upon Srikrishna. Discarding their bashfulness, in their melodious voices they cried, ‘Govinda, Damodara, Madhava’.”

This is a very important verse. We should periodically recollect or chant it. There is a wonderful hymn named ‘Govinda Damodara stotra’ in which all the verses conclude with the mantra ‘Govinda Damodara Madhaveti’. These words uttered by Maharishi Śuka in Bhagavatam are the source for that hymn.

“Even as the Gopikas were thus crying, the Sun arose in the East. Akrūra completed the morning obligatory worship to the Sun-god and drove the chariot”.

Although the Gopikas had planned to stop the chariot from moving, they lacked the courage to do so. They were shedding tears at this impending separation.

“Nanda, Sunanda and other cowherds of Gokula, mounted their bullock carts which were laden with pots of milk and many other tributes for the king, and closely followed the chariot in which Srikrishna was seated. The Gopikas whose hearts were over-flowing with love for Srikrishna, began to walk behind Krishna’s chariot.

Krishna then asked them to return home. The Gopikas halted there awaiting His message. Srikrishna, the scion of the Yadu lineage, then looked at these Gopikas who were agonizing due to His departure. He now looked at them all and then sent a messenger with a message, “I shall return” thereby consoling them.

Slightly comforted with this reply, the Gopikas stood there and watched the chariot for so long as its flag and the dust raised by the chariot were visible to their eyes. Having sent their minds along with Srikrishna, the Gopikas who stayed back remained as mere puppets”.

They had sent away their mind with Srikrishna.

“Giving up any hope of His return, they slowly returned back to the hamlet. They felt He would never return after seeing the glamourous city of Mathura”.

Some Gopikas had the faith that He would return. Many others didn’t have this faith.

Narayana Hare Krishna