The Reunion

In the thirty-second chapter, Sukadeva describes how Krsna returned to the gopis. Krsna appeared before the gopis, the gopis worshipped him, and Krsna responded with words of prema to pay his debt to them.

Longing for Krsna, the gopis sang and sang (pra gayantah) in various rhythms and tunes (citradha), and talked and talked (pralapantyah) because of extreme prema. Then they began crying.

Sukadeva used the word “sauri”, for Krsna, indicating him as a ksatriya, in order to show favor to the gopis, to show displeasure with him. Because Krsna was born as a ksatriya, who have crooked hearts, he displayed that nature by giving sorrow to the gopis. If he had been born as a cowherd, who are by nature soft and honest, he would not have done like that. This is the hint he gives by using the word “sauri”.

Because of this, thought the gopis were suffering, he was broadly smiling (smayamana mukhambuja). Actually he was smiling to please the gopis, and the suffering of the gopis pained his lotus heart. He appeared with a yellow cloth over his two shoulders and hanging in front on both sides, and folding his hands, he asked them for forgiveness. He wore a garland , to show the gopis what Radha had given him. He was directly cupid, one who agitated their mind, because, though cupid bewilders the whole world, when he came to bewilder Krnsa by taking the form of a woman, seeing Krsna’s beauty, cupid himself became pierced with arrows of love and fainted. Therefore Krsna and the gopis, both being pierced with arrows of love from the cupid emanating from Krsna himself, began to enjoy together. They were not impelled by the material cupid’s arrows, which are not qualified for spiritual pastimes. When appearing before the gopis, Krsna took this particular form of the bewilderer of cupid in revealing his own sweetness, in order to make the gopis forget such intense sorrow of separation.

Like life airs returning (agatam) to the hands and feet (tanvah-bodies), the gopis stood up on seeing Krsna come (agatam). Agatam is repeated to make clear that the swooning gopis recovered only because of Krsna’s coming.

Five verses describe the personal loving activities of some of the principal gopis. One gopi held Krsna’s right hand in hers. This is understood because in the second half of the verse, it is described that another gopi put his other hand, decorated with sandalwood pictures, on her shoulder. That would be his left hand, since it is proper from the gopis to stand to left of Krsna. The gopi took his hand (jagrhe) out of courteous friendship and explicit eagerness. Because of the reverential touch of the gopi, it can be understood that she was of the subservient group (daksina), fully surrendered to Krsna (paradhina), thinking herself as belonging to Krsna, with ghrta sneha (reverence). Because she is mentioned first, it may be concluded that she was senior most of that group, that is Candravali.

The other gopi, characterized by a slightly reverential embrace, was an independent lover (svadhina) of the submissive group (daksina), with explicit expression of affection, madhu sneha (possessive) mixed with ghrta sneha (reverence). That gopi was Syama, a member of the friendly group to Radha, suhrt paksa.

One gopi took Krsna’s chewed tamula in her folded hands. She was a member of the daksina group, dependent, with friendship almost of the dasya mood. Another rgopi took Krsna’s right lotus foot and placed it on her breast, while sitting on the earth. Supporting himself with his left arm on the shoulder of a gopi, he was standing on his left foot. The seated gopi was of the daksina group, dependent, with dasya almost of friendly mood. Both were ghrta sneha (reverential), thinking of themselves as belonging to Krsna (sakhis of Candravali, Padma and Saibya)

One gopi, arching her brows like a bow, helplessly subject to the anger of love,

aimed arrow glances at Krsna, as if to shoot him. “O leader of rogues! You have been completely successful in administering the halahala poison of prema to me. Why are you again approaching me to burn my life airs which have almost left my body already? I can understand very well who you are.” This was the mood she revealed as she glanced upon him. She bit her lips, hiding them with her hands, as an expression of anger. This gopi exhibited jealousy (mana), arising from madhu sneha, thinking of Krsna as hers. This gopi was Radha.

One gopi gazed at Krsna with unblinking eyes, due to being stunned with bliss. Like bees mad to taste lotus honey of face, her two eyes, though relishing his face, were not satisfied.

Or this verse can be interepreted in another way. Because of the fierce glance of Radha mentioned in the previous verse, his face was trembling with fear and remorseful. Therefore that gopi could not be satisfied, though tasting repeatedly that face relished by her two eyes.

Though Krsna’s face is an ocean of sweetness, at that time, because of the mixture of the sancari bhavas such as shyness, despair, meekness and fear, because of being struck with the arrow glance of the leader of her group, the ocean of sweetness increased to the extreme with great variety. The gopi could not be satisfied because of her increased thirst.

For lacking a complete example (covering the second interpretation as well as the first) to illustrate this, an example covering the first interpretation is given. Just as devotees situated in the dasya and sakkya bhavas though they serve Krsna’s lotus feet repeatedly, cannot be completely satisfied, so this gopi also could not be satisfied.

It should be understood that Krsna cast his full glance and full mind upon that gopi who was glaring at him with furrowed brows, and did not divert himself to any one else at all. Seeing Krsna was inattentive to herself, the gopi mentioned in this verse without shyness looked at Krsna directly and leisurely with both eyes. In other words, that gopi pouring down arrows of glances at Krsna, Radha, was the most fortunate in all ways.

8.One gopi, understanding that Krsna was fickle, and even if he comes, will go away, took him into her heart. Thinking he would escape through her eye holes, she closed her eyes. Her body erupted in goose bumps because of the unobstructed enjoyment of union with Krsna. She stood there in a pose of embracing Krsna to her chest with her arms, her sense control being absent due to intense thirst at the end of long separation, and her shyness absent due to outsiders not gazing on her.

The gopis mentioned in verses 6,7, and 8, because they did not go to the side of their beloved, are understood to be of the uncooperative type (vama). They thought, “he should come to us, we should not go to him.” From this mentality it can be understood that these three gopis, being possessive (madiyata maya) and with madhu sneha, were very intimate with Krsna and brought him under their control. Among the three, the gopi mentioned in verse six is Radha, the leader of the best group. Those mentioned in verse seven and eight are her sakhis. According to Vaisnava Tosani, the gopis mentioned in verses 4-8 are Candravali, Syamala, Saibya, Padma, Radha, Lalita and Visakha. Bhadra, the eighth gopi is mentioned in the Visnu Purana:

“One gopi looking at Krsna became joyful and began to sing his name repeatedly. She could say nothing else.”

These eight gopis are considered the best of all the gopis.as explained in the Dvaraka Mahamya in the Prahlada Samhita of the Skanda Purana, quoted in Vaisanava Tosani. To understand the ranking among those eight gopis one should consult Ujjvala Nilamani.

The chief of all the gopis is Radha. Padma Purana says, “ As Radha is dear to Krsna, so also is her kunda. Among all the gopis she is unparalleled, the most dear to Krsna.” Brhad Gautamiya Tantra says, “Sri Radha is the most beautiful, always absorbed in Krsna, the most worshipable supreme devata, the abode of all laksmis, fulfilling all of Krsna’s desires, the attractor of the mind of Krsna, and the full sakti of Krsna. She is inseparable from Krsna. “ The Rk Parisista says, “Madhava with Radha, and Radha with Madhava are the most attractive thing in the whole universe.”

As those who are suffering the pains of material existence (janah) give up suffering on meeting a topmost devotee (prajnam), so the gopis began to get release from suffering by seeing Krsna. This is similar to the description of the rainy season in 10.20.20 it is said, “Just as the vaisnsava grhasthas become blissful at the arrival of the topmost devotees…”

As a man attains splendor when endowed with the power of all his senses, and without that power of his sense appears miserable, when Krsna is saddened by the sadness of the gopis, he does not look splendid. When the gopis appear splendid after the pain of separation has ceased, Krsna appears more beautiful. As a man is happy when his senses are happy and sad when the senses are sad, so Krsna is happy when the gopis are happy and sad when they are sad. This reveals Krsna’s great prema for the gopis and the gopis as direct emanations (svarupa bhuta) from the form of Krsna. This is described in the Skanda Purana, Prabhasa Khanda: “At the rasa mandala sixteen thousand gopis assembled. In the midst, like the best of swans, was the paramatma, Janardana. O devi, these gopis are glorified as the sixteen saktis of Krsna. Among them Krsna is the moon, and the gopis are the sixteen phases of the moon. These sixteen parts of the moon make a complete circle. Theses sixteen parts are each further divided into sixteen more gopis. They exist with separate bodies and separate emotions.”

In the agamas it is said, “Krsna appeared splendid surrounded by hundred kotis of gopis.” According to this statement, three hundred kotis of gopis assembled at the rasa mandala. Among them sixteen thousand were prominent. Of those one thousand were more prominent, and among the thousand, eight gopis including Radha were the most prominent. Among those eight Radha and Candravali were the most prominent. Among those two, Radha was supreme. This is the conclusion of the devotional scriptures.

Taking the gopis by holding their hands (sam =samyak adaya), he approached the bank of the Yamuna, and appeared especially (visesa bhave) splendid (vyarocyate). This verb, from the previous verse, is to be added here. The splendor of the bank is described in one and a half verses. On that bank, wind fragrant with blossoming kunda and mandara flowers blew. Because of that, the bees were circling around. Because it was near the river, the breeze was cool. Being the shelter of the bees, it was gentle. The darkness of the night was dispelled by the full moon of the autumn season. The bank gave great pleasure (sivam). With hands in the form of waves, the Yamuna had spread out soft sand.

This verse describes the service of love offered by the gopis in friendly affection. These women of Vraja whose suffering was removed by the blissful sight of Krsna who bewilders the whole world, served their dear friend by spreading out their cloth covering their breasts as a seat for him. Seeing them, the upanisads fulfilled their highest desire (manorathantam). Or, seeing them the upanisads were full of longing. “When will we be able to become women of Vraja and enjoy with Krsna by spreading out or cloth tinged with kumkum from our breasts?” In the Brhad Vamana Purana it is said that the Upanisads, in order to attain bodies of gopis, performed severe austerities following after gopis’ passions. The Upanisads themselves say, “The women of Vraja attained the nectar of his lotus feet, having their intelligence vanquished by the sharp poison in the form of the beauty of his arms appearing like snakes. We will take bodies of gopis and attain his lotus feet, following after the gopis.” Sb 10.89.23

Seeing Krsna in a previous yuga, all the Upanisads became eager to enjoy with Krsna, and in this present cycle attained bodies of gopis. Those upanisads in this yuga cycle who desire to enjoy with Krsna will become gopis in the next yuga when Krsna appears in Gokula. It should be understood that the Upanisads are unlimited in number.

Krsna sat upon his asana laid out by the successive groups of gopis. How could Krsna sit upon so many cloths with only one body? Because he is the controller (isvara) he expanded him form into many without anyone noticing, in order to fulfill his desires (bhagavan).

Bhaga means desire (kama) as well as wealth and glory according to the Amara Kosa. Bhagavan therefore means one who possesses desires. As soon as his aisvarya sakti (isvasra) noted his desire to sit on all the asanas, these forms were manifested by the yoga maya potency.

The indestructible, most valued sitting place of the Lord, is difficult to attain by anyone in the three worlds, and is established in the hearts of Sesa and Siva by their meditation. But the gopis arranged his asana from their used garments, perfumed by scents they had enjoyed. And Krsna accepted that asana, and appeared brilliant as he sat on it. He who is svayam bhagavan, who appears only by the praises of Brahma, Siva and others on the bank of the milk ocean, and who for a few seconds makes his appearance in their hearts, of his own accord, now came, uncalled for, and appeared as a companion to the gopis (gopi parisad gata).

There are two readings of this verse. One has the word arcita. Krsna was respected or worshipped by offering of tambula, smiles, joking, and glances. If the word acyuta is used, it means he sat there for a long time accepting worship.

Why did he appearing among the gopis? He whose body is the only shelter of all opulence up to his own infinite expansions in all the lower, middle and upper regions of the material and spiritual worlds (trailokya laksmi ekapadam vapur dadhat) was nourished by immersion in the sweet ocean of the gopis beauty, soft smiles, and glances.

Another meaning is as follows. Krsna was seated there on the bank of the Yamuna on such asanas. At that time, Krsna ,with his extraordinary sitting arrangement, shining among the gopis with his extraordinary beauty, and worshipped by the them with extraordinary love, was brought into the hearts of Siva and others, by their meditation (yogesvara antar hrdi kalpita asanah) (He became the object of meditation of Siva and others from that time.)

This verse describes the actions of gopis who did not want to give themselves over to Krsna’s advances for love making. Glancing with explicit movements of their eyebrows, according to their individual feelings, the gopis began to respect Krsna, the instigator of lust within them. They felt anger because though he previously abandoned them, now he has come for his own enjoyment. To hide that anger, they began to praise him, taking his feet feet and hands in their lap. Anka krta can here also indicate that they placed their hands and feet on his lap. Pleased with the touch of Krnsa’s hands and feet, they began to praise him. “Oh, your feet and hands are extraordinarily cool. Having relieved us of the painful fire of separation, you are truly the pleasing moon, who knows no distress or sorrow.” After praising him with such sarcastic verses, they became slightly angry. That is, their anger disappeared due the natural bliss from seeing him, but a trace remained in their minds. In this mental state they began to speak.

Each gopi began to consider personally this issue. If, though he is the crown jewel of prema, he has put us into such an unfortunate condition, it is better that we ask him about this.

“O Krnsa, do you have affection for us, indifference to us, or hostility towards us? Though there are three possibilities, on considering things, none of them stand up. Moreover, is your love conditional or unconditional? It cannot be conditional, because the person with conditional love has attraction for those who help him fulfill his desires, and therefore does not give them misery. And you threw us into the fire of separation to kill us.

“Your love is neither unconditional, for seeing our suffering when you left us alone in the dense forest in the late night, you did not feel any sadness. In that we see some motive. Therefore it is not unconditional. We can also understand that you are not indifferent to us, because we see that you try to make us both happy and sad. And you are also not hostile to us, neither permanent dislike or from some unfavorable quality in us. It is not permanent hostility, because we don’t see it in you. It is also not from unfavorable qualities in us because we do not have such unfavorableness to you.

“It is not proper to accuse you directly of desiring to kill trusting women servants, but it is proper to ask such questions in the form of riddles, so that Krsna himself will clearly answer whether he desires to kill trusting women or not.”

Because all the gopis were of similar mind, they reflected in a similar way. These gopis of similar mind then spoke. “O greatly wise one! Considering the meaning of this riddle please speak.

“There are some people who only respect those who respect them. Their respect is conditional. They give respect, expecting something, and if they do not get that, then they no longer give respect. This is conditional love. There are other persons who are the opposite, and give respect to those who do not respect them. They have unconditional respect. Not expecting any results for themselves, they have unconditional love.

The third type of people are those who do not respect anyone, whether that person respects them or not. There is no question of conditional or unconditional here. Those persons are indifferent. Malice and hatred fall in this category of non respect.”

Though not mentioned here clearly, it will become somewhat evident in Krnsa’s answers. “Who are these people about whom we speak? (Or what is this respect and non-respect?) Please tell us that. Answer correctly without wandering from the subject (sadhu).”

Understanding the intention of the gopis, Krsna answered. “Those who respect each other in expectation of results, are enthusiastic for attaining results for themselves in the present and future. These people actually only respect themselves, and not others. They respect each other (tat) because there is no other way to get results for themselves (svatmanam). They are selfish persons, with conditional love. Among these people, there is no prema (sauhrdam). There is also no permanent dharma.”

Krsna here answers the second question.

“Those who respect those who do not give respect, who respect without expectations, are divided into two types: those without family relationship and those with family relationship, such as merciful persons and father and mother. The merciful persons are the pure devotees. Among these we see unconditional mercy arising in persons like Prahlada. Both these types do not expect response. And the happiness and distress of the persons who do not respect them, becomes the happiness and distress of the pure devotee and the mother and father. Even after death they do not give up their respect. Among these the pure devotees are the best, and the mother and father are second class. In both cases , dharma, being without desire for results, is permanent (nirapavadah). Their prema (suahrdah) is also permanent. O beautiful women (sumadhyama)!”

Sumadhyama can also be interpreted as follows. “This splendid (su) riddle you have placed in the middle (madhyama) of the other two. Because for the first and last questions I give examples of degraded persons, the questions themselves are not respectable.”

Or it can mean, “This middle answer actually is directed towards you gopis. You are the personification of the middle question’s answer.”

Krsna answers the third question of the gopis.

“If some persons do not respect or respond to those who respect them, what is the question of respecting those who do not respect them. They are of four types, in decreasing value. The first is the atmarama, who does not have desire for external enjoyment, and takes delight in the self alone. The second type is the apta kama, who though he is interested in external enjoyment, has satisfied his desires, and therefore does not want enjoyment from others. The third type is the ungrateful person (akrtajna). Though he desires to take enjoyment from others, he is not aware of what others have done for him. The fourth type is the guru druha, who does not acknowledge what others have done for him, and rather shows excessive hatred towards them, showing causeless hatred. If there is cause for hatred, then that hatred is meager (not guru), but it is classed as guru droha, being of lesser degree. Hatred of one who protects one (guru) is guru droha. Injurying one who is faithful to one is guru droha. These three types of guru drohi are those who do not respect others. The example given in the answer of the first question was a selfish person. The examples given for the second question were devotees like Prahlada and mother and father. The examples given for the third question were six. Thus in all there were nine examples given.

“You are not any of the persons you described in your answers to the first two questions. You are not a selfish materialist, not a merciful devotee, nor a mother or father. Please tell us which of the four types of guru drohi you belong to”

“O gopis you are desiring to hear my defeat from my own mouth. O sakhis, smiling and glancing at each other in glee! Please hear me. I ,as a form of Narayana , am both atmarama and purna kama, but as the son of Nanda, I am neither of these. As a small cowherd boy , not having read niti sastra, I am also arktajna , ignorant, but as Narayana I am krta jna, all knowing. Though I am guru drohi for having hurt you by once giving you up after you had been satisfied many times, I am not guru drohi, for I again gave you the satisfaction of seeing me.”

“Then to which class do you belong?”

“To none of these (tu). I do not respond to any living entity who respects or worships me. “

“But how is this different from the group (guru drohi) you previously explained?”

“For those surrendered souls who worship me through nama kirtana and other means, I do not respond in order to make their worship more perfect. O gopis who cannot understand my words (abala gana)! Not seeing me, those surrendered souls develop humility. “Everything I have done has been useless, because I am an offender, and could not get a drop of mercy. I am most unfortunate.” Constantly thinking in this way, bhakti grows prominently, devoid of lust and anger. This is concerning the nature of those who have not attained prema. The nature of those with prema is different. For them, I do not respond in order to increase their attachment to me. I appear and then I disappear, in order to increase their attachment. An example is given for the treatment of those with prema. When a poor man gains wealth and then loses it, he becomes absorbed (nibhrta) in thoughts of that wealth, and cannot think of anything else, such as eating and drinking. Those who have attained prema, and then lose the Lord react similar to this. It is desirable that those worshipping me have this complete attachment to me. To increase that attachment more and more, though it seems I do not respond to them, I respond to them additionally, but in a covered way. Actually I am very merciful, as much as you are, being the ideal example in the answer to your second question. That is, I am the person who worships even if the object of worship does not respond. One should not think that only if I am present that I respond, and if I am not present, I do not respond, for then my promise “I will respond accordingly as they worship me,” would be broken.”

“That you respond to the devotees who have not achieved prema and to those have achieved prema in these ways is correct. However then you consider us among the ordinary jiva, since you treat us also in this way.”

Fearing this statement of the gopis, Krsna said, “O gopis dear to my life, who are atoms of lotus pollen! Please forgive my behavior for treating you like ordinary living entities today.” This is the meaning of evam. Or evam can mean “in this way.”

“For me you have given up family and religion (loka, veda) and come here. Not considering if it were correct or not, you gave up local rules, and not considering what was dharma or adharma you gave up the vedas. You gave up relatives, wealth and friends (svanam), which means you gave up your affection for these, in order to come to me. In order to increase your attraction (anuvrttaye), I have responded to you invisibly as with the ordinary devotees. I disappeared from view with a desire to hear your talks filled with prema.”

In this way Krsna spoke with regret.“I have done something very regrettable, which was very improper for me. Devotees such as you have never existed, in the past, do not exist now, and cannot exist in the future. It is not possible increase or decrease your attraction for me at all, by one atom or by a huge amount. Therefore I desired to show the other prema bhaktas the great glory of your prema in separation.. Please forgive me for my lack of consideration of you. You should not find fault (asuayitum) with me (ma), because I am dear to you (priya). The woman does not see faults in the person she loves.”

“Please listen as I tell what has been coming into my mind. You have this faultless, unconditional relation (niravadya samyujam) with me, not depending on kama, karma, loka, dharma or sastra, Your actions are naturally the most proper and excellent (sva sadhu krtyam), not produced by contact with some other object. Even living for the lifetime of the devas, I could not repay you for your deeds.” The word krtyam is in the singular in order to suggest that even one such action of the gopis can never be repaid. “Cutting completely (samvrsca) the chains of famly life (husband, children, in laws) which should not be cut, you worshipped me (ma abhajan, ma is taken as mam, me).”

Another meaning of ma abhajan is as follows. Ma is used as a negative in this case: “you do not worship”. “Having given up family, you do not again respond to them, or reestablish connection, unlike the immature yogis.”

Another meaning is as follows. “I, however, am worshipping you without giving up affection for father, mother, brother and friends. Though I promise “ye yatha mam prapadyanate…” I have failed in this promise in regards to you, for I did not give up my father, mother, brother and friends as you did.(this meaning is obtained from the same phrase samvrsca ma abhajam (as you gave up family, I did not respond in the same way abhajan is taken as abhajam, I did not respond, changing to abhajan by rules of sandhi.) Therefore it is impossible for me to repay what you have done. Therefore let you own pure character be the payment. That is, your good character makes you forgive me for my fault, and that way I have no debt. But still, I remain indebted to you.”

Then the gopis began to consider in their minds, “Though as the Supreme Lord, he is full of all qualities, though he is devoid of all faults, though he knows all about our love for him, in order to establish our superiority, in order to make himself a debtor to us, he has performed this act of giving us up. We, who wanted to defeat him and criticize for his conduct with our riddles, have been most unvirtuous in intent, whereas he desired to establish our excellence. We can never be like that! We have finally been defeated by his prema.”