by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Krishna Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopis
This chapter describes how the marriageable daughters of
thecowherd men worshiped Katyayani to get Lord Sri Krishna as
theirhusband, and how Krishna stole the garments of the young girls
andgave the girls benedictions.
During the month of Margasirsha, every day early in the morning
theyoung daughters of the cowherds would take one another’s hands
and,singing of Krishna’s transcendental qualities, go to the Yamuna
tobathe. Desiring to obtain Krishna as their husband, they would
thenworship the goddess Katyayani with incense, flowers and
otheritems.
One day, the young gopis left their garments on the shore as
usualand began playing in the water while chanting of Lord
Krishna’sactivities. Suddenly Krishna Himself came there, took away
all thegarments and climbed a nearby kadamba tree. Wanting to tease
thegopis, Krishna said, “I understand how fatigued you gopis are
fromyour austerities, so please come onto the shore and take back
yourclothes.”
The gopis then pretended to become angry and said the cold water
ofthe Yamuna was giving them great pain. If Krishna did not give
themback their garments, they said, they would inform King Kamsa of
allthat had happened. But if He did give the clothes back, they
wouldwillingly carry out His orders in the mood of humble
servants.
Sri Krishna replied that He had no fear of King Kamsa, and that
ifthe girls really intended to follow His command and be
Hismaidservants they should each immediately come onto the shore
andtake their respective garments. The girls, trembling from the
cold,climbed out of the water with their two hands covering
theirprivate parts. Krishna, who felt great affection for them,
againspoke: “Because while executing a vow you bathed in the
waternaked, you have committed an offense against the demigods, and
tocounteract it you should offer obeisances with joined palms.
Thenyour vow of austerity will achieve its full result.”
The gopis followed this instruction and, folding their hands
inrespect, offered obeisances to Sri Krishna. Satisfied, He gave
themback their clothing. But the young girls had become so
attracted toHim that they could not leave. Understanding their
minds, Krishnasaid that He knew they had worshiped Katyayani to get
Him as theirhusband. Because they had offered their hearts to Him,
theirdesires would never again become tainted by the mood
ofmaterialistic enjoyment, just as fried barleycorns can no
longergrow into shoots. Next autumn, He told them, their most
cherisheddesire would be fulfilled.
Then the gopis, fully satisfied, returned to Vraja, and Sri
Krishnaand His cowherd friends went off to a distant place to graze
thecows.
Sometime later, when the boys felt disturbed by the great heat
ofsummer, they took shelter at the base of a tree that stood
justlike an umbrella. The Lord then said that the life of a tree
ismost excellent, for even while feeling pain a tree continues
toprotect others from heat, rain, snow and so on. With its
leaves,flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrance, sap,
ashes,pulp and sprouts, a tree fulfills the desires of everyone.
Thiskind of life is ideal. Indeed, said Krishna, the perfection of
lifeis to act with one’s vital energy, wealth, intelligence and
wordsfor the benefit of all.
After the Lord had glorified the trees in this way, the
entirecompany went to the Yamuna, where the cowherd boys let the
cowsdrink the sweet water and also drank some themselves.
SB 10.22.1.
sri-suka uvaca
hemante prathame masi
nanda-vraja-kamarikah
cerur havishyam bhunjanah
katyayany-arcana-vratam
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami said: During the first month of the winter
season,the young unmarried girls of Gokula observed the vow of
worshipinggoddess Katyayani. For the entire month they ate only
unspicedkhichri.
PURPORT
The word hemante refers to the month of
Margasirsha—fromapproximately the middle of November to the middle
of December,according to the Western calendar. In Volume One,
ChapterTwenty-two, of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
SrilaPrabhupada comments that the gopis “first ate havishyanna, a
kindof food prepared by boiling together mung dal and rice without
anyspices or turmeric. According to Vedic injunction, this kind
offood is recommended to purify the body before one enacts
aritualistic ceremony.”
SB 10.22.2-3
aplutyambhasi kalindya
jalante codite ‘rune
kritva pratikritim devim
anarcur nripa saikatim
gandhair malyaih surabhibhir
balibhir dhupa-dipakaih
uccavacais copaharaih
pravala-phala-tandulaih
TRANSLATION
My dear King, after they had bathed in the water of the Yamuna
justas the sun was rising, the gopis made an earthen deity of
goddessDurga on the riverbank. Then they worshiped her with such
aromaticsubstances as sandalwood pulp, along with other items both
opulentand simple, including lamps, fruits, betel nuts, newly
grownleaves, and fragrant garlands and incense.
PURPORT
The word balibhih in this verse indicates offerings of
clothing,ornaments, food and so on.
SB 10.22.4
katyayani maha-maye
maha-yoginy adhisvari
nanda-gopa-sutam devi
patim me kuru te namah
iti mantram japantyas tah
pujam cakruh kamarikah
TRANSLATION
Each of the young unmarried girls performed her worship
whilechanting the following mantra. “O goddess Katyayani, O
greatpotency of the Lord, O possessor of great mystic power and
mightycontroller of all, please make the son of Nanda Maharaja
myhusband. I offer my obeisances unto you.”
PURPORT
According to various acaryas, the goddess Durga mentioned in
thisverse is not the illusory energy of Krishna called Maya but
ratherthe internal potency of the Lord known as Yoga-maya.
Thedistinction between the internal and external, or illusory,
potencyof the Lord is described in the Narada-pancaratra, in
theconversation between Sruti and Vidya:
janaty ekapara kantam
saiva durga tad-atmika
ya para parama saktir
maha-vishnu-svarupini
yasya vijnana-matrena
paranam paramatmanah
mahurtad deva-devasya
praptir bhavati nanyatha
ekeyam prema-sarvasva
svabhava gokulesvari
anaya su-labho jneya
adi-devo ‘khilesvarah
asya avarika-saktir
maha-mayakhilesvari
yaya mugdam jagat sarvam
sarve dehabhimaninah
“The Lord’s inferior potency, known as Durga, is dedicated toHis
loving service. Being the Lord’s potency, this inferior energyis
nondifferent from Him. There is another, superior potency,
whoseform is on the same spiritual level as that of God Himself.
Simplyby scientifically understanding this supreme potency, one
canimmediately achieve the Supreme Soul of all souls, who is the
Lordof all lords. There is no other process to achieve Him.
Thatsupreme potency of the Lord is known as Gokulesvari, the
goddess ofGokula. Her nature is to be completely absorbed in love
of God, andthrough Her one can easily obtain the primeval God, the
Lord of allthat be. This internal potency of the Lord has a
covering potency,known as Maha-maya, who rules the material world.
In fact shebewilders the entire universe, and thus everyone within
theuniverse falsely identifies himself with the material body.”
From the above we can understand that the internal and external,
orsuperior and inferior, potencies of the Supreme Lord
arepersonified as Yoga-maya and Maha-maya, respectively. The
nameDurga is sometimes used to refer to the internal, superior
potency,as stated in the Pancaratra: “In all mantras used to
worshipKrishna, the presiding deity is known as Durga.” Thus in
thetranscendental sound vibrations glorifying and worshiping
theAbsolute Truth, Krishna, the presiding deity of the
particularmantra or hymn is called Durga. The name Durga therefore
refersalso to that personality who functions as the internal
potency ofthe Lord and who is thus on the platform of
suddha-sattva, puretranscendental existence. This internal potency
is understood to beKrishna’s sister, known also as Ekanamsa or
Subhadra. This is theDurga who was worshiped by the gopis in
Vrindavana. Several acaryashave pointed out that ordinary people
are sometimes bewildered andthink that the names Maha-maya and
Durga refer exclusively to theexternal potency of the Lord.
Even if we accept hypothetically that the gopis were worshiping
theexternal Maya, there is no fault on their part, since in
theirpastimes of loving Krishna they were acting as ordinary
members ofsociety. Srila Prabhupada comments in this regard: “The
Vaishnavasgenerally do not worship any demigods. Srila Narottama
dasa Thakurahas strictly forbidden all worship of the demigods for
anyone whowants to advance in pure devotional service. Yet the
gopis, who arebeyond compare in their affection for Krishna, were
seen to worshipDurga. The worshipers of demigods also sometimes
mention that thegopis also worshiped goddess Durga, but we must
understand thepurpose of the gopis. Generally, people worship
goddess Durga forsome material benediction. Here, the gopis could
adopt any means tosatisfy or serve Krishna. That was the
superexcellentcharacteristic of the gopis. They worshiped goddess
Durgacompletely for one month in order to have Krishna as their
husband.Every day they prayed for Krishna, the son of Nanda
Maharaja, tobecome their husband.”
The conclusion is that a sincere devotee of Krishna will
neverimagine any material quality to exist in the transcendental
gopis,who are the most exalted devotees of the Lord. The only
motivationin all their activities was simply to love and satisfy
Krishna, andif we foolishly consider their activities to be mundane
in any way,it will be impossible for us to understand
Krishnaconsciousness.
SB 10.22.5
evam masam vratam ceruh
kumaryah krishna-cetasah
bhadrakalim samanarcur
bhuyan nanda-sutah patih
TRANSLATION
Thus for an entire month the girls carried out their vow
andproperly worshiped the goddess Bhadrakali, fully absorbing
theirminds in Krishna and meditating upon the following thought:
“Maythe son of King Nanda become my husband.”
SB 10.22.6
ushasy utthaya gotraih svair
anyonyabaddha-bahavah
krishnam uccair jagur yantyah
kalindyam snatum anvaham
TRANSLATION
Each day they rose at dawn. Calling out to one another by name,they
all held hands and loudly sang the glories of Krishna whilegoing to
the Kalindi to take their bath.
SB 10.22.7
nadyah kadacid agatya
tire nikshipya purva-vat
vasamsi krishnam gayantyo
vijahruh salile muda
TRANSLATION
One day they came to the riverbank and, putting aside theirclothing
as they had done before, happily played in the water whilesinging
the glories of Krishna.
PURPORT
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, this
incidentoccurred on the day the young gopis completed their vow,
which wasa full-moon day. To celebrate the successful completion of
theirvow, the girls invited young Radharani—the daughter of
Vrishabhanuand the special object of their affection—along with
otherimportant gopis, and brought them all to the river to bathe.
Theirplaying in the water was meant to serve as the
avabhritha-snana,the ceremonial bath taken immediately upon the
completion of aVedic sacrifice.
Srila Prabhupada comments as follows: “It is an old system
amongIndian girls and women that when they take bath in the river
theyplace their garments on the bank and dip into the water
completelynaked. The portion of the river where the girls and women
take bathwas strictly prohibited to any male, and this is still the
system.The Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing the minds of
theunmarried young gopis, awarded them their desired objective.
Theyhad prayed for Krishna to become their husband, and Krishna
wantedto fulfill their desires.”
SB 10.22.8
bhagavams tad abhipretya
krishno yogesvaresvarah
vayasyair avritas tatra
gatas tat-karma-siddhaye
TRANSLATION
Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and master of
allmasters of mystic yoga, was aware of what the gopis were doing,
andthus He went there surrounded by His young companions to award
thegopis the perfection of their endeavor.
PURPORT
As the master of all masters of mystic power, Lord Krishna
couldeasily understand the desires of the gopis, and He could
alsofulfill them. The gopis, like all young girls from
respectablefamilies, considered the embarrassment of appearing
naked before ayoung boy to be worse than giving up their lives. Yet
Lord Krishnamade them come out of the water and bow down to Him.
Although thebodily forms of the gopis were all fully developed, and
althoughKrishna met them in a secluded place and brought them fully
underHis control, because the Lord is completely transcendental
therewas not a trace of material desire in His mind. Lord Krishna
is theocean of transcendental bliss, and He wanted to share His
blisswith the gopis on the spiritual platform, completely free
ofordinary lust.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that the companions
ofKrishna mentioned here were mere toddlers two or three years
old.They were completely naked and were unaware of the
differencebetween male and female. When Krishna went out to herd
the cows,they followed Him because they were so attached to Him
that theycould not bear to be without His association.
SB 10.22.9
tasam vasamsy upadaya
nipam aruhya satvarah
hasadbhih prahasan balaih
parihasam uvaca ha
TRANSLATION
Taking the girls’ garments, He quickly climbed to the top of
akadamba tree. Then, as He laughed loudly and His companions
alsolaughed, He addressed the girls jokingly.
SB 10.22.10
atragatyabalah kamam
svam svam vasah pragrihyatam
satyam bravani no narma
yad yuyam vrata-karsitah
TRANSLATION
[Lord Krishna said:] My dear girls, you may each come here as
youwish and take back your garments. I’m telling you the truth and
amnot joking with you, since I see you’re fatigued from
executingaustere vows.
SB 10.22.11
na mayodita-purvam va
anritam tad ime viduh
ekaikasah praticchadhvam
sahaiveti su-madhyamah
TRANSLATION
I have never before spoken a lie, and these boys know it.Therefore,
O slender-waisted girls, please come forward, either oneby one or
all together, and pick out your clothes.
SB 10.22.12
tasya tat kshvelitam drishtva
gopyah prema-pariplutah
vriditah prekshya canyonyam
jata-hasa na niryayuh
TRANSLATION
Seeing how Krishna was joking with them, the gopis became
fullyimmersed in love for Him, and as they glanced at each other
theybegan to laugh and joke among themselves, even in
theirembarrassment. But still they did not come out of the
water.
PURPORT
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains this verse
asfollows:
“The gopis were from most respectable families, and they might
haveargued with Krishna: ‘Why don’t You simply leave our clothes on
thebank of the river and go away?’
“Krishna might have replied, ‘But there are so many of you thatsome
of the girls might take clothes belonging to another.’
“The gopis would reply, ‘We are honest and never steal anything.
Wenever touch another’s property.’
“Then Krishna would say, ‘If that’s true, then simply come and
getyour clothes. What is the difficulty?’
“When the gopis saw Krishna’s determination, they were filled
withloving ecstasy. Although embarrassed, they were overjoyed
toreceive such attention from Krishna. He was joking with them as
ifthey were His wives or girlfriends, and the gopis’ only desire
wasto achieve such a relationship with Him. At the same time,
theywere embarrassed to be seen naked by Him. But still they could
nothelp laughing at His joking words and even began to joke
amongthemselves, one gopi urging another, ‘Go ahead, you go first,
andlet us see if Krishna plays any tricks on you. Then we will
golater.’ ”
SB 10.22.13
evam bruvati govinde
narmanakshipta-cetasah
a-kantha-magnah sitode
vepamanas tam abruvan
TRANSLATION
As Sri Govinda spoke to the gopis in this way, His joking
wordscompletely captivated their minds. Submerged up to their necks
inthe cold water, they began to shiver. Thus they addressed Him
asfollows.
PURPORT
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives the following example
ofjoking between Krishna and the gopis.
Krishna: O birdlike girls, if you do not come here, then with
thesegarments caught in the branches I will make a swing and a
hammock.I need to lie down, since I have spent the entire night
awake andam now becoming sleepy.
Gopis: Our dear cowherd boy, Your cows, greedy for grass, have
goneinto a cave. So You must quickly go there to herd them back on
theproper path.
Krishna: Come now, My dear cowherd girls, you must quickly go
fromhere to Vraja and perform your household duties. Don’t become
adisturbance to your parents and other elders.
Gopis: Our dear Krishna, we will not go home for an entire
month,for it is by the order of our parents and other elders that
we areexecuting this vow of fasting, the Katyayani-vrata.
Krishna: .My dear austere ladies, I too, by the strength of
seeingyou, have now developed a surprising mood of detachment from
familylife. I wish to stay here for a month and execute the vow
ofdwelling in the clouds. And if you show mercy to Me, I can
comedown from here and observe the vow of fasting in your
company.
The gopis were completely captivated by Krishna’s joking words,
butout of shyness they submerged themselves in the water up to
theirnecks. Shaking from the cold, they addressed Krishna
asfollows.
SB 10.22.14
manayam bhoh krithas tvam tu
nanda-gopa-sutam priyam
janimo ‘nga vraja-slaghyam
dehi vasamsi vepitah
TRANSLATION
[The gopis said:] Dear Krishna, don’t be unfair! We know that
Youare the respectable son of Nanda and that You are honored
byeveryone in Vraja. You are also very dear to us. Please give
usback our clothes. We are shivering in the cold water.
SB 10.22.15
syamasundara te dasyah
karavama tavoditam
dehi vasamsi dharma-jna
no ced rajne bruvama he
TRANSLATION
O Syamasundara, we are Your maidservants and must do whatever
Yousay. But give us back our clothing. You know what the
religiousprinciples are, and if You don’t give us our clothes we
will haveto tell the king. Please!
SB 10.22.16
sri-bhagavan uvaca
bhavatyo yadi me dasyo
mayoktam va karishyatha
atragatya sva-vasamsi
praticchata suci-smitah
no cen naham pradasye kim
kruddho raja karishyati
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: If you girls are
actuallyMy maidservants, and if you will really do what I say, then
comehere with your innocent smiles and let each girl pick out
herclothes. If you don’t do what I say, I won’t give them back to
you.And even if the king becomes angry, what can he do?
PURPORT
Srila Prabhupada comments, “When the gopis saw that Krishna
wasstrong and determined, they had no alternative but to abide by
Hisorder.”
SB 10.22.17
tato jalasayat sarva
darikah sita-vepitah
panibhyam yonim acchadya
protteruh sita-karsitah
TRANSLATION
Then, shivering from the painful cold, all the young girls rose
upout of the water, covering their pubic area with their hands.
PURPORT
The gopis had assured Krishna that they were His eternal
servantsand would do whatever He said, and thus they were now
defeated bytheir own words. If they delayed any longer, they
thought, someother man might come along, and this would be
unbearable for them.The gopis loved Krishna so much that even in
that awkward situationtheir attachment to Him was increasing more
and more, and they werevery eager to stay in His company. Thus they
did not even considerdrowning themselves in the river because of
the embarrassingsituation.
They concluded that they could do nothing but go forward to
theirbeloved Krishna, putting aside their embarrassment. Thus the
gopisassured each other that there was no alternative and rose up
out ofthe water to meet Him.
SB 10.22.18
bhagavan ahata vikshya
suddha -bhava-prasaditah
skandhe nidhaya vasamsi
pritah provaca sa-smitam
TRANSLATION
When the Supreme Lord saw how the gopis were struck
withembarrassment, He was satisfied by their pure loving
affection.Putting their clothes on His shoulder, the Lord smiled
and spoke tothem with affection.
PURPORT
Srila Prabhupada comments, “The gopis’ simple presentation was
sopure that Lord Krishna immediately became pleased with them.
Allthe unmarried gopis who prayed to Katyayani to have Krishna
astheir husband were thus satisfied. A woman cannot be naked
beforeany male except her husband. The unmarried gopis desired
Krishna astheir husband, and He fulfilled their desire in this
way.”
For aristocratic girls like the gopis, standing naked before ayoung
boy was worse than death, and yet they decided to give upeverything
for the pleasure of Lord Krishna. He wanted to see thepower of
their love for Him, and He was completely satisfied bytheir
unalloyed devotion.
SB 10.22.19
yuyam vivastra yad apo dhrita-vrata
vyagahataitat tad u deva-helanam
baddhvanjalim murdhny apanuttaye ‘mhasah
kritva namo ‘dho-vasanam pragrihyatam
TRANSLATION
[Lord Krishna said:] You girls bathed naked while executing
yourvow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods.
Tocounteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing
yourjoined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your
lowergarments.
PURPORT
Krishna wanted to see the full surrender of the gopis, and thus
Heordered them to offer obeisances with their palms joined
abovetheir heads. In other words, the gopis could no longer cover
theirbodies. We should not foolishly think that Lord Krishna is
anordinary lusty boy enjoying the naked beauty of the gopis.
Krishnais the Supreme Absolute Truth, and He was acting to fulfill
theloving desire of the young cowherd girls of Vrindavana. In
thisworld we would certainly become lusty in a situation like this.
Butto compare ourselves to God is a great offense, and because of
thisoffense we will not be able to understand Krishna’s
transcendentalposition, for we will wrongly take Him to be
materially conditionedlike ourselves. To lose transcendental sight
of Krishna iscertainly a great disaster for one trying to relish
the bliss ofthe Absolute Truth.
SB 10.22.20
ity acyutenabhihitam vrajabala
matva vivastraplavanam vrata-cyutim
tat-purti-kamas tad-asesha-karmanam
sakshat-kritam nemur avadya-mrig yatah
TRANSLATION
Thus the young girls of Vrindavana, considering what Lord Acyutahad
told them, accepted that they had suffered a falldown fromtheir vow
by bathing naked in the river. But they still desired
tosuccessfully complete their vow, and since Lord Krishna is
Himselfthe ultimate result of all pious activities, they offered
theirobeisances to Him to cleanse away all their sins.
PURPORT
The transcendental position of Krishna consciousness is
clearlydescribed here. The gopis decided that it was better to
renouncetheir so-called family tradition and traditional morality
andsimply surrender unto the Supreme Lord Krishna. This does not
meanthat the Krishna consciousness movement advocates
immoralactivities. In fact, the devotees of ISKCON practice the
higheststandard of restraint and morality, but at the same time
werecognize the transcendental position of Krishna. Lord Krishna
isGod and therefore has no material desire to enjoy young girls
insexual affairs. As will be seen in this chapter, Lord Krishna
wasnot at all attracted to enjoying the gopis; rather He was
attractedto their love and wanted to satisfy them.
The greatest offense is to imitate the activities of Lord
Krishna.In India there is a group called prakrita-sahajiya, who
imitatethese affairs of Krishna and try to enjoy naked young girls
in thename of worshiping Krishna. The ISKCON movement sternly
rejectsthis mockery of religion, because the greatest offense is
for ahuman being to ludicrously imitate the Supreme Personality
ofGodhead. In the ISKCON movement there are no cheap
incarnations,and it is not possible for a devotee of this movement
to promotehimself to the position of Krishna.
Five hundred years ago Krishna appeared as Lord CaitanyaMahaprabhu,
who practiced strict celibacy throughout His studentlife and at the
age of twenty-four took sannyasa, a lifelong vow ofcelibacy.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu rigidly avoided contact with women inorder to
carry out His vow of loving service to Krishna. WhenKrishna
personally appeared five thousand years ago, He exhibitedthese
wonderful pastimes, which attract our attention. We shouldnot
become envious or shocked when we hear that God can performsuch
pastimes. Our shock is due to our ignorance, because if wetried to
perform these activities our bodies would be afflicted bylust. Lord
Krishna, however, is the Supreme Absolute Truth and istherefore
never disturbed by any material desire whatsoever. Thus,this
incident—in which the gopis gave up normal standards ofmorality
and, raising their hands to their head, bowed down incompliance
with Krishna’s order—is an example of pure devotionalsurrender and
not a discrepancy in religious principles.
In fact, the gopis’ surrender is the perfection of all religion,
asSrila Prabhupada describes in Krishna, the Supreme Personality
ofGodhead: “The gopis were all simple souls, and whatever
Krishnasaid, they took to be true. In order to be freed from the
wrath ofVarunadeva, as well as to fulfill the desired end of their
vows andultimately to please their worshipable Lord, Krishna,
theyimmediately abided by His order. Thus they became the
greatestlovers of Krishna, and His most obedient servitors.
“Nothing can compare to the Krishna consciousness of the
gopis.Actually the gopis did not care for Varuna or any other
demigod;they only wanted to satisfy Krishna.”
SB 10.22.21
tas tathavanata drishtva
bhagavan devaki-sutah
vasamsi tabhyah prayacchat
karunas tena toshitah
TRANSLATION
Seeing them bow down like that, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead,the son of Devaki, gave them back their garments,
feelingcompassionate toward them and satisfied by their act.
SB 10.22.22
dridham pralabdhas trapaya ca hapitah
prastobhitah kridana-vac ca karitah
vastrani caivapahritany athapy amum
ta nabhyasuyan priya-sanga-nirvritah
TRANSLATION
Although the gopis had been thoroughly cheated, deprived of
theirmodesty, ridiculed and made to act just like toy dolls,
andalthough their clothing had been stolen, they did not feel at
allinimical toward Sri Krishna. Rather, they were simply joyful
tohave this opportunity to associate with their beloved.
PURPORT
Srila Prabhupada comments, “This attitude of the gopis is
describedby Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he prays, ‘My dear Lord
Krishna,You may embrace Me or trample Me under Your feet, or You
may makeMe brokenhearted by never being present before Me. Whatever
Youlike, You can do, because You have complete freedom to act. But
inspite of all of Your dealings, You are My Lord eternally, and
Ihave no other worshipable object.’ This is the attitude of
thegopis toward Krishna.”
SB 10.22.23
paridhaya sva-vasamsi
preshtha-sangama-sajjitah
grihita-citta no celus
tasmin lajjayitekshanah
TRANSLATION
The gopis were addicted to associating with their beloved
Krishna,and thus they became captivated by Him. Thus, even after
puttingtheir clothes on they did not move. They simply remained
where theywere, shyly glancing at Him.
PURPORT
By association with their beloved Krishna, the gopis had becomemore
attached to Him than ever. Just as Krishna had stolen theirclothes,
He had also stolen their minds and their love. The gopisinterpreted
the whole incident as proof that Krishna was alsoattached to them.
Otherwise, why would He have gone to the troubleof playing with
them in this way? Because they thought that Krishnawas now attached
to them, they glanced at Him with shyness, andbeing stunned by the
rising of their ecstatic love, they could notmove from where they
stood. Krishna had overcome their shyness andforced them to come
out of the water naked, but now, having dressedproperly, they again
became shy in His presence. In fact, thisincident increased their
humbleness before Krishna. They did notwant Krishna to see them
staring at Him, but they cautiously tookthe opportunity to glance
at the Lord.
SB 10.22.24
tasam vijnaya bhagavan
sva-pada-sparsa-kamyaya
dhrita-vratanam sankalpam
aha damodaro ‘balah
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord understood the determination of the gopis
inexecuting their strict vow. The Lord also knew that the
girlsdesired to touch His lotus feet, and thus Lord Damodara,
Krishna,spoke to them as follows.
SB 10.22.25
sankalpo viditah sadhvyo
bhavatinam mad-arcanam
mayanumoditah so ‘sau
satyo bhavitum arhati
TRANSLATION
[Lord Krishna said:] O saintly girls, I understand that your
realmotive in this austerity has been to worship Me. That intent
ofyours is approved of by Me, and indeed it must come to pass.
PURPORT
Just as Krishna is free of all impure desire, so are the
gopis.Their attempt to gain Krishna as their husband was
thereforemotivated not by a desire for personal sense gratification
but bytheir overwhelming desire to serve Krishna and to please
Him.Because of their intense love, the gopis did not see Krishna as
Godbut rather as the most wonderful boy in all creation, and
beingbeautiful young girls, they desired only to please Him by
lovingservice. Lord Krishna understood the pure desire of the gopis
andwas thus satisfied. The Lord could certainly not be satisfied
byordinary lust, but He was moved by the intense loving devotion
ofthe cowherd girls of Vrindavana.
SB 10.22.26
na mayy avesita-dhiyam
kamah kamaya kalpate
bharjita kvathita dhanah
prayo bijaya nesate
TRANSLATION
The desire of those who fix their minds on Me does not lead
tomaterial desire for sense gratification, just as barleycorns
burnedby the sun and then cooked can no longer grow into new
sprouts.
PURPORT
The words mayy avesita-dhiyam are very significant here. Unless
onehas achieved an advanced degree of devotion, one cannot fix
themind and intelligence on Krishna, since Krishna is pure
spiritualexistence. Self-realization is a state not of
desirelessness butrather of purified desire, wherein one desires
only the pleasure ofLord Krishna. The gopis were certainly
attracted to Krishna in amood of conjugal love, and yet, having
fixed their minds and indeedtheir entire existence completely on
Krishna, their conjugal desirecould never manifest as material
lust; rather, it became the mostexalted form of love of Godhead
ever seen within the universe.
SB 10.22.27
yatabala vrajam siddha
mayema ramsyatha kshapah
yad uddisya vratam idam
cerur aryarcanam satih
TRANSLATION
Go now, girls, and return to Vraja. Your desire is fulfilled, forin
My company you will enjoy the coming nights. After all, this wasthe
purpose of your vow to worship goddess Katyayani, Opure-hearted
ones.
SB 10.22.28
sri-suka uvaca
ity adishta bhagavata
labdha-kamah kumarikah
dhyayantyas tat-padambhojam
kricchran nirvivisur vrajam
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami said: Thus instructed by the Supreme Personalityof
Godhead, the young girls, their desire now fulfilled, couldbring
themselves only with great difficulty to return to thevillage of
Vraja, meditating all the while upon His lotus feet.
PURPORT
The gopis’ desire was fulfilled because Lord Krishna had agreed
toact as their husband. A young girl can never spend the night
withany man except her husband, and thus when Krishna agreed to
engagethe girls in the nocturnal rasa dance during the coming
autumnseason, in effect He was agreeing to reciprocate their love
for Himin the role of a husband.
SB 10.22.29
atha gopaih parivrito
bhagavan devaki-sutah
vrindavanad gato duram
carayan gah sahagrajah
TRANSLATION
Some time later Lord Krishna, the son of Devaki, surrounded by
Hiscowherd friends and accompanied by His elder brother,
Balarama,went a good distance away from Vrindavana, herding the
cows.
PURPORT
Having described how Lord Krishna stole the garments of the
younggopis, Sukadeva Gosvami now begins introducing the description
ofLord Krishna’s blessings upon the wives of some
ritualisticbrahmanas.
SB 10.22.30
nidagharkatape tigme
chayabhih svabhir atmanah
atapatrayitan vikshya
druman aha vrajaukasah
TRANSLATION
Then the sun’s heat became intense, Lord Krishna saw that the
treeswere acting as umbrellas by shading Him, and thus He spoke
asfollows to His boyfriends.
SB 10.22.31-32
he stoka-krishna he amso
sridaman subalarjuna
visala vrishabhaujasvin
devaprastha varuthapa
pasyataitan maha-bhagan
pararthaikanta-jivitan
vata-varshatapa-himan
sahanto varayanti nah
TRANSLATION
[Lord Krishna said:] O Stoka Krishna and Amsu, O Sridama, Subalaand
Arjuna, O Vrishabha, Ojasvi, Devaprastha and Varuthapa, justsee
these greatly fortunate trees, whose lives are completelydedicated
to the benefit of others. Even while tolerating the wind,rain, heat
and snow, they protect us from these elements.
PURPORT
Lord Krishna was preparing to bestow His mercy on the wives of
thehard-hearted ritualistic brahmanas, and in these verses the
Lordindicates that even trees who are dedicated to the welfare
ofothers are superior to brahmanas who are not. Certainly the
membersof the Krishna consciousness movement should soberly study
thispoint.
SB 10.22.33
aho esham varam janma
sarva -prany-upajivanam
su-janasyeva yesham vai
vimukha yanti narthinah
TRANSLATION
Just see how these trees are maintaining every living entity!
Theirbirth is successful. Their behavior is just like that of
greatpersonalities, for anyone who asks anything from a tree never
goesaway disappointed.
PURPORT
This translation is quoted from Srila
Prabhupada’sCaitanya-caritamrita (Adi 9.46).
SB 10.22.34
patra-pushpa-phala-cchaya-
mula-valkala-darubhih
gandha-niryasa-bhasmasthi-
tokmaih kaman vitanvate
TRANSLATION
These trees fulfill one’s desires with their leaves, flowers
andfruits, their shade, roots, bark and wood, and also with
theirfragrance, sap, ashes, pulp and shoots.
SB 10.22.35
etavaj janma-saphalyam
dehinam iha dehishu
pranair arthair dhiya vaca
sreya-acaranam sada
TRANSLATION
It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare
activitiesfor the benefit of others with his life, wealth,
intelligence andwords.
PURPORT
This translation is quoted from Srila
Prabhupada’sCaitanya-caritamrita (Adi 9.42).
SB 10.22.36
iti pravala-stabaka-
phala-pushpa-dalotkaraih
tarunam namra-sakhanam
madhyato yamunam gatah
TRANSLATION
Thus moving among the trees, whose branches were bent low by
theirabundance of twigs, fruits, flowers and leaves, Lord Krishna
cameto the Yamuna River.
SB 10.22.37
tatra gah payayitvapah
su-mrishtah sitalah sivah
tato nripa svayam gopah
kamam svadu papur jalam
TRANSLATION
The cowherd boys let the cows drink the clear, cool and
wholesomewater of the Yamuna. O King Parikshit, the cowherd boys
themselvesalso drank that sweet water to their full
satisfaction.
SB 10.22.38
tasya upavane kamam
carayantah pasun nripa
krishna-ramav upagamya
kshudh-arta idam abravan
TRANSLATION
Then, O King, the cowherd boys began herding the animals in
aleisurely way within a small forest along the Yamuna. But soon
theybecame afflicted by hunger and, approaching Krishna and
Balarama,spoke as follows.
PURPORT
Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that the cowherd boys were
concernedthat Krishna would be hungry, and thus they feigned their
ownhunger so that Krishna and Balarama would make
suitablearrangements to eat.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine GraceA . C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to the Tenth Canto,Twenty-second Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “KrishnaSteals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopis.”
