The Gopi’s plead to Krishna

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They Say Sri-gopya ucuh “maivam vibho rhati bhavan gaditum nr-samsam” (10.29.31) don’t be cruel like this to us “santyajya sarva-visayamstava pada-mulam” we have given up everything, everything do you know what we had to go through to come to you? You were not there but we know what we have gone to reach your lotus feet, we have renounced everything just to reach pada-mulam, coming to your Lotus Feet. So our request is prasida be kind to us “vrjinardana-te nghri mulam” (10.29.38) O! Lord you are known as someone who vanquishes the distress and our goal is only upasanaasah to worship you. We have given up everything our home, our family, our only goal is to glorify you, to worship you, to serve you, to be with you.

“tvat-sundara smita-niriksana-tivra kama” (10.29.38) when we see your lotus face our desire to be with you even intensifies, O! Purasa-bhusana jewel among all men our only request is dehi dasyam we are only begging for the servitor ship your service. Sri Suka uvaca “iti viklavitam tasam srutva yogesvares varah” (10.29.42) after hearing these statement of Gopis they are many more, I have not shared with you. These expressions of despondency as Yogeshwar heard this finally there was prahasya sa-dayam little smile on His face and He was dayam sa-dayam prahasya sa-dayam, His smile was mixed with some kindness, they could read some kindness on His face.

“tabhih sametabhir udara-cestitah” (10.29.43) they could see now He has become more magnanimous, kind and magnanimous-open.  So Gopis who were standing at some distance as they were arriving, they had to hear this Krishna’s welcome address and which they thought that was not a very warm welcome here. So they were standing and as they were coming arriving, they were standing at a distance but as He melted smiling and some kindness immediately they all surrounded Him, gathered around Him and their faces immediately lit up like when sun rises sunflower open up right? There are hundreds and thousands same sunflowers open up and they all are looking at the sun. So like that when Krishna opened up showed some kindness immediately their faces were lit up.

“udara-hasa-dvija-kunda” (10.29.43) and as Lord also was smiling His lips were opening and His teeth were visible, the teeth also has been mentioned here as dvija, dvija means twice born. What happens with the teeth? They take birth two times so they are called dvija, the Brahmin is also dvija, so teeth is Sanskrit is like that instead of  saying teeth they say twice born whose going to understand which one is twice born is? So in this context, so as He is smiling they are even able to see His teeth and they are like jasmine buds and the Gopis are enjoying, Krishna’s  face is as it is beautiful and then He smile even teeth are visible, His beauty is further enhanced.

And then Sukadev Goswami describes  as Gopis were close and around Him so Krishna was like a moon and all the Gopis were like stars, stars twinkling  stars all around Him “upagiyamana udgayan vanita-sat-yuthapah malam bibhrad vaijayantim vyacaran mandayan vanam” (10.29.44). Now they are getting along well, and their vihar, they are walking and wondering kunja vihar, jamuna tira vanchari that begins. “nadyah pulinam avisya” (10.29.45) Jamuna they are not far from they are right on the bank of Jamuna valkham, there is nice fine sand and Lord is along with all those Gopis enjoying there are nice waves in the Jamuna and different flowers are blooming vayuna the air is blowing carrying that aroma and making whole area very fragrant hence very conducive for the pastimes.  So this, so some introductory relationship talking and singing and walking around this was happening everything was not in full blown action, long way to go before rasa dance and all that just opening a bud.

Then all ready Lord noticed “evam bhagavatah krsnal labdha- mana mahatmanah atmanam menire strinam maninyo hy adhikam bhuvi” (10.29.47) So Lord noticed that some of these Gopis are kind of developing pride, we are the only one, we are very special ladies we get to be with Krishna and I am closer and they are such great distance away from Him. So He was noticing that some pride was developing, thus gopis were again more mercy and lots of mercy and they couldn’t digest it, it was going to their head and pride was developing and with that becomes the end of that show Krishna disappears.“tatrai rantar’dhiyata” (10.29.48) Lord and it would be reveled unto us little later but we could mention that He has gone with Radharani, He has taken Radharani with Him, leaving all the Gopis behind.

And now the next chapter dealing with The Gopis looking for Krishna, trying to find their Krishna, so they begin, so they are wondering throughout the forest from one forest to another forest, to another to another and on that way they are making inquires, they are asking anyone and everyone, they have gone mad, they are even asking the trees, isn’t that sign of madness?. They are making inquiries from the trees, bushes, the birds, animals anyone, everyone, have you seen, ahe……….please ahe……….could someone tell us where our Govinda has gone? Where is our Shyamsundar? Ashoka tree and this tree and that tree, champaka tree and they are asking all different kind of trees. First these are smaller size of trees, first they asking smaller size trees first and then they ask the taller trees also, they think these trees are not tall enough but those who are tall they must for sure right now they must be seeing  where ever Krishna is?

So they asking the tall one tall trees another address is there and in between they asking Tulsi trees “kaccit tulsi kalyani govinda-carana –priye” (10.30.7) Oh! Tulsi have you seen our Krishna? Who always when He has His garland so many bees also fresh garland, fragrant flowers where ever He goes the garland is surrounded by the bees that kind of Govinda have you seen? What about O malike, O malati, O jati, O yuthika, the different kind of varieties of trees, bushes which are only found more in Vrindavan “pritim vo janam yatah kara-sparsena madhavah” (10.30.8) You look little jubilant is that because while Madhav was going this way, He touched you kara sparsena because of  madhav sparsha– touch is that the reason you look very very happy?.

So no response from any trees, then they are  are asking the earth, earthly planets, bhoomi mother bhoomi seems to be very ecstatic, Gopis are thinking all these trees and bushes are like a hair standing on the body of mother earth, mother earth has these trees are bushes are standing erect that means ecstasy. This is symptom of her ecstatic feelings so they say so your ecstasy, oh! Mother earth is that because Krishna has just now gone this way and He has touched you with His lotus feet is that the reasons of your ecstasy? Or is it because once upon time that Vamandev put His feet on you and then another one Trivrama He had become from that time to this day you are still maintaining  this ecstasy or “varaha-vapusah parirambhanena” (10.30.10) that Lord Varaha had  also  lifted you embraced you or you are feeling ecstatic because of that embrace of that Varaha dev. What is? Which is? It is now or is it from the past, that this ecstasy that is manifesting in you.

So bhoomi also has kept quiet, no response, so they are walking, moving forward making further inquires, they see she deer along with her family was there and they felt look this she deer is with the he deer but us we are not with our Lord.  Just by seeing them together, couple together, they are feeling just see when would that time come for us that we also could be together like this couple look he and she they are together but we are alone, we are left alone. So they are inquiring also from the deer, O! deer come near, come here, O! deer, O! my deer, but you know the deers are usually scared of people. Deers starts going away, he and she deer but what was happing was that as deers they were going but they are looking from time to time behind and then going, looking behind and going. So gopis were thinking this is what acharyas,  previous acharyas give a little commentary and they say that gopis were thinking that O, this deer they know where our Krishna is, so whenever they are looking they are saying ahe……come over they are running yes come come. So they are kind of yes you just follow us we will take you to your Krishna so they are following right behind. But then after while they couldn’t see he and she deer they both hid somewhere and then gopis think look…. look… look ….there must be Krishna near here, that’s why know this deer they did not want Krishna to know that they were helping us to take us to Him so they served us helped us but now they have gone away, Krishna must be around here.  So this kind of thoughts are being so much Krishna conscious everything leads them to the Krishna, thinking of Krishna like this.

So their search continues and but that gets them no were “ity unmatta-vaco gopyaha”(10.30.14) they are just intoxicated more they search for Him,  more they make inquiries they become more more the separation feelings, they get intensified and they get more mad and “krsnanvesana-katarah” distort they are in total intense separation and the distress that comes with that, that is what they are going through.  So for a while they kind of decide not to search and they are just remembering different pastimes of Krishna but now they are not only seating and talking but they start enacting different pastimes of Krishna.

“kasyacit putanayantyah krsnayanty apibat stanam”(10.30.15) one Gopi became Putna another one in her lap sucking the breast so this Putna, killing Putna and then Krishna sucking the life and the milk. “tokayitva rudaty anya” one gopi became lying down another one becomes  some kind of cart Sakatasura and Krishna crying and kicks that’s Sakatasura  pastime.  So like that two gopis become Krishna and Balarama, one becomes Vastasura and Krishna goes and catches hold of demon and through in to the “ma bhaista vata-varsabhyam” (10.30.15) Don’t fear don’t be afraid, Krishna says one gopis saying this playing role of Govardhan- Giriraj ok,I have lifted Govardhan, please come ,please come and then all the gopis are coming under the shelter of Govardhan.

So all these pastimes which they had been hearing and they were witnessing they are enacting and they  are trying to get near that way to Krishna and again they continue some more search “vrndavan-lats tarun” (10.30.24) so as they go forward searching they saw there was ray of hope there aha………..,look look ahe……..come come everybody come one gopi must have seen, she had seen footprints  as she sat down closely noticed, O there is a flag and the lotus also, oh!  all the signs are there eleven in one feet and eight in another one grand total nineteen  these are  Krishna’s lotus feet, Krishna must have walked  on this from here. So all gopis they came there and confirmed these are lotus  foot prints of Krishna so now let’s just follow, the path so they all now going walking next to the footprints of Krishna, He has gone this way on this way gone that way and “vadhvah padaih su-prktyani vilokyartah samabhrvan” (10.30.26) but they noticed that there are footprints of not one person but two persons are  walking next to each other not at ten feet distance hardly any distance as if two are walking just to next each other and then one gopi “kasyah padani caitani” (10.30.27) whose feets are these? these are Krishna that we understand but these other feet oh, you foolish sakhi, don’t you  understand and now you say this next verse Sukdev Goswami as he is first one to narrate this pastime is mentioning name of Radharani. This is chapter 30th text number 28 “anayaradhito nunam” finish this is only mention of Radharani don’t you understand these are lotus feet of that Gopi who always worships “aradhito bhagvan harir isvarah” who is always worshiping the Lord that gopis lotus feet these are don’t you understand “yan no vihaya govindah prito yam anayad”(10.30.28) so He left us behind, He took that gopi, who does lots of aaradhna of govinda, these are Her feet and the gopis are for moment by seeing that they all have seen lotus feet So He left us behind took “dhanya aho ami alyo govindanghry-abja-renavah” (10.30.29) oh! how these lotus feet of the Lord are so special, they say that even the dust dust of these lotus feet personalities like Brhama “Brahmesau ramadevi” Bhrama, Shiva, Rama that’s Laxmi “dadhur murdhny agha-nuttaye” (10.30.29) they keep that on their smear that dust on their head on their body so that they would become free from agha any sin that they have committed to become free sinless, they take dust from these Govinda’s lotus feet and like that the search is continuing.

And then they go forward and then notice some more things look look here, this is the place another thing that they notice is ahe…. look here there is no feet of that gopi, only Krishna’s feet but here his feet have gone deeper into the dust sunken into the soft dust more than the what we had seen before what could be the reason?  And then don’t you understand this is where that Kami (Maharaja laughs) that lusty Lord must have picked  up gopi on His shoulders and because of heavy weight of the two persons His feet have made deeper impression in the Braj raj here so they go some distances and then they notice.

Oh! look here we see only the front portion of the feet and also gone deeper O, this is were He must have jumped up and down to pick up flowers for that gopi and look look…. here is some seat that both of them sit down here.  Of course after picking up the flowers He must have made Her  sit down done some hair decoration and but then again no feet of any feet of now only one person. So Radharani we are mentioning Sukdev Goswami doesn’t say that She become proud and “kesavam abravit” (10.30.37) and then she say to Keshav Krishna Govinda “na paraye ham calitum”(10.30.37) O! I cannot you know I cannot walk anymore, if you wish you could carry me on your shoulders again and then Krishna sitting sits down and He says ok jump climb up and as She about to climb up, Shoo………. He disappeared. Seeing how proud this women Radharani was becoming. So soon the gopis they go forward and they go forward they only found  Radharani there only crying and praying and begging for Lord’s association.

“ha natha ramana prestha kvasi kvasi maha- bhuja dasyas te krpanayame sakhe darsaya sannidhim” (10.30.39) O! sakhe O! Friend please sannidhim were ever you are please bring me there or please come here where I am now stations. O! Nath my master O! My dear kvaci kvaci where are you? Where are you? O! maha -bhuja O! strong arm one dasyas-te I am just yours dasi poor  krpanayame I am just poor and give me darshan give me your darshan, give me your association.  So this is Radharani crying and praying, so Gopis found her Radharani in that state and after upon meeting Radharani told everything the great time that She had with the Krishna. “mana-praptim ca madhavat” (10.30.41) I was honored He honored me so much enjoyed His company so much but dauratmyad because of my misbehavior She was confessing now avamanam I was dishonored, I was rejected, I am just dumped here, He disappeared it is not His fault it’s just me you know I misbehave with Him.  I should not have become proud so now there were Gopis and now Gopis and Radharani they searched and they don’t find, it is said that they went as far as they could. “candra jyotsna yavad vibhavyate” (10.30.42) the moon was shining and with the help of the moon shine they were searching but then came to that thick or thickest part of forest they were not able to see the moon shining was not effective enough it was peach dark, they couldn’t enter they couldn’t move forward so they simply returned and came to the banks of “punah pulinam agatya kalinday samaveta jaguh krsnam tad-agamana-kanksitah” (10.30.44) so they returned to the bank of Jamuna this is where they had originally started their journey from their search from ,so they all get together they begin talking about Krishna, singing Krishna’s glories  and hoping that He would return Krishna would return there very soon and that ends that chapter and the next chapter is  called Gopi Geet chapter 31,which we  will hear the Gopi geet.

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  1. jayabhadra dd

    All glories to the gopis of vraja when will i develop little love for the lord………………

  2. kuldeep

    Gopis looking for Krishna, trying to find their Krishna.

    Gopis Ki Jai.