​Radhashtami class – When Krishna leaves the gopis and Radharani during rasa lila

​Class at ISKCON, Alachua, USA

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna.
So I seek the blessing of all the senior devotees. So that despite my fallen condition, I can try to speak something on the exalted subject of Srimati Radharani on her supremely auspicious appearance. Once a senior devotee was giving class and he asked for the start of the class.
So which words do you want me to speak on? Any words you tell, I’ll speak on that. So some people started thinking, very proud, think I can speak on any words. Then he said, actually, whatever words you tell me to speak on, I’ll speak on the same thing.
I’ll start from whatever topic I want. I’ll speak on the same thing. So actually, the topic of Radharani is very exalted topic.
And one advantage of being a travelling preacher is that you can speak the same stuff at different places. Since last year, I spoke at Rahashtami here. So I was not sure what to speak this year.
I had never given two festival classes at the same place. So I’ll try to speak in a non-esoteric way on an esoteric subject today. So Radharani is mentioned indirectly in the Srimad Bhagavatam in the Rasa Pancha Adhyaya.
The Srimad Bhagavatam has 335 chapters, out of which the biggest section, 90 chapters, are in the 10th Canto. And the 10th Canto, within that, the heart of the 10th Canto is considered to be the Rasa Pancha Adhyaya. Chapters 29 to 33, the five chapters describing the Rasa Leela.
So within those chapters also, Radharani is actually pointed to very indirectly, Anjara, Anitara, indirect references there in one verse, where Shukadeva Goswami indicates that actually Radharani, that there was one special gopi who worshipped Krishna in a very special way because of which Krishna went away with her alone during the Rasa Leela. So Sanatana Goswami has written a commentary on the 10th Canto called the Dasham Timpani. And there he describes how the Bhagavatam’s structure flows, especially in the 10th Canto.
And he makes an interesting difference between Smriti and Spurti. Smriti, he says, is cultivated remembrance. And Spurti is spontaneous remembrance.
So for example, we come into the Deities and then we see the beautiful Deities, we may recite some prayers and then try to cultivate absorption in Krishna. That is cultivated remembrance. But for those who have love for Krishna, as soon as they come in front, immediately a thought starts flooding.
And sometimes even without a stimulus also, even if they’re not in the temple, suddenly thoughts start flooding. Very spontaneous remembrance. So he explains that the Bhagavatam’s first nine cantos are manifestation of Smriti.
Shukadeva Goswami is contemplating how he can best guide Parikshit Maharaj to prepare for his final exam in the last seven days. But as he goes into the 10th Canto, his ecstasy becomes more and more. He’s all throughout ecstatic, of course, but there’s ecstasy that is to some extent regulated and there’s ecstasy that goes out of regulation.
So from the 29th chapter onwards, when he starts speaking about the gopis whose love for Krishna is so exalted, the ecstasy starts becoming more and more. And he manages to restrain the ecstasy for a few more chapters also. Till 55th chapter, the Bhagavatam is more or less chronological.
And after the 55th chapter, the Bhagavatam becomes more inspirational, driven by whatever is inspiring Shukadeva Goswami rather than chronological. So after the marriage with Rukmini, immediately the appearance of her sons are described. Then Krishna is married, the other gopis are described.
And then the Bhagavatam loses its chronological flow. And this is actually not a loss, this is a gain because it reveals the intense heart of Shukadeva Goswami. So even without mentioning Radharani, even mentioning her just indirectly, still his ecstasy becomes so great that eventually he becomes overwhelmed by ecstasy and he speaks spontaneous.
But that point that we often hear that because Radharani is such an exalted devotee and her devotion is so great that Shukadeva Goswami would have been so overwhelmed by ecstasy that he could not have spoken any further. He just fainted in ecstasy. We’ll talk about fainting a little bit later.
So Shukadeva Goswami is very restrained in his mention of Srimati Radharani. And yet, the later bhakti tradition has revealed her central position. Suppose we come into an unknown house.
It’s a big house and then we find a small opening somewhere and when we go into that opening and we find actually there’s an even bigger hall over there and that is so big that what was earlier, earlier it seemed very grand but now this hall is just stupendous. So similarly, in the Bhagavatam itself, there’s a huge book. As I said, 335 chapters, thousands upon thousands of verses.
Within that, the Rasa Panchatya appears like a small opening but when our Acharyas lead us through that opening, then they find that there’s a whole universe over there. In fact, most of the Gauravachana Acharyas have commented primarily on the 10th Canto and even on the 10th Canto, many of them have commented on the Rasa Panchatya. So Anubhrandavan Champu is a book in which Kavi Karnapur focusses on Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan and there he has elaborated the Rasa Leela in a very poetic and riveting manner.
So I’ll speak some aspects of his description over here and see how explain how that elaborates on what is given in the Bhagavatam. The Rasa Panchatya basically has 5 chapters and Kavi Karnapur explains that the whole Rasa Panchatya is not just about Krishna performing the Rasa Leela of his Gopis but it is also about demonstrating the supremacy of Radharani’s love for Krishna. Radharani is one of the Gopis at the start of the Rasa Leela in the Bhagavatam.
She’s one of the many Gopis. But by the end of the Rasa Leela she is revealed as the most special Gopi. And not only is her speciality revealed by Krishna choosing her but it is also revealed by her own actions and that will be the theme of our discussion.
The flow of these 5 chapters is that the 29th chapter is where Krishna calls the Gopis by playing his flute and the Gopis leave everything and rush towards Krishna. pati-sudhanvaya-bhradra-bandhra-van ati-vilavyate antacchudagata They give up everyone and everything. They give up all shackles, all restraints and just rush towards Krishna.
The Gopis actually demonstrate what is the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita. sarva-dharman parityajya ma ve kamsaranam vraja They give up all other duties. These duties are important to their family members but for Krishna’s sake everything can be given up.
And that’s when the Gopis demonstrate the supreme surrender. And they come and meet Krishna. Krishna has some friendly banter with them after which at the end of that chapter Krishna suddenly disappears.
And then the 30th chapter is the Gopis frantically searching for Krishna. The search, search, they go so deep into the forest to a point where even the moonlight can’t penetrate. They can’t even see their hands in front of them.
And they feel there’s no point in searching now. And then they return dejected. They come back to the banks of Yamuna sit on the banks of Yamuna and offer fervent prayers to Krishna.
Those prayers are the Gopi Gita. That is chapter 31. And then based on their fervent call Krishna appears.
And they start the 32nd chapter where there’s a conversation between the Gopis and Krishna when the Gopis are both angry with Krishna and are afraid of expressing their anger. They’re angry because how can Krishna, after calling us like this, leave us? But they’re afraid to express their anger because they think Krishna may leave us again. So they in an indirect way try to chide him for having deserted them.
And then Krishna describes how his leaving them was actually out of his love for them. And then the 33rd chapter is the celebration of Rasa where the Gopis and Krishna they perform the Rasa dance. So the Rasa dance just starts at the end of the 29th chapter but it stops because Krishna disappears.
So the Anandam Champu has several chapters which elaborate these five chapters. In fact, there are several chapters which elaborate each of these chapters. So I will focus on the 30th chapter where Krishna leaves the Gopis.
Now there are multiple levels at which the Rasa Leela can be understood. So when the Gopis and Krishna meet and then they’re about to start performing the Rasa Leela and at that time at one level it is said that the Gopis become proud. Oh, we are so special that Krishna is performing dance with us.
That Krishna has called for us among everyone in the world Krishna considers us so special that he has called us especially invited us and is performing a Leela with us. When the Gopis think like this when this tinge of pride comes in their heart Krishna does not tolerate this pride and Krishna departs leaves them all alone except he takes one Gopi with him and that special Gopi is Srimati Radharani and when Krishna and Radharani they’re talking and they’re performing Leela at that time Radharani says Krishna is only with me Oh, Krishna loves me so much Krishna loves me so much Krishna loves me a lot and when she thinks like this and she becomes a tinge of pride comes in her heart at that time Krishna leaves even her and goes away Now this is one level of understanding this pastime and from the Gauriya Vaishnav point of view it is an external understanding Yes, it is true that Krishna does not like pride in his devotees and this is such an important lesson that we can learn it even from the Raas Leela but actually the Gopis are such exalted devotees and among them Radharani is so exalted that Mandir Parvati can never even touch their hearts So actually Kavi Karnapur describes that when the Gopis are performing Leela with Krishna at that time the Gopis think Oh, we are so fortunate that Krishna is with all of us but now we know that Radharani’s love for Krishna is far far far more than our love for Krishna and we want that love to be known to the world we want that everybody know her special love and with this desire that her love be singularly distinguished the Gopis act as if they have become proud it is not that the Gopis become proud it is their selflessness by which they want Radharani’s love to be demonstrated and celebrated because of which they act as if they are proud it’s like if there is a team of devotees who has done some wonderful service the team of distributors has gone for a lot of done a lot of good distribution and then that team is felicitated now if in that team there is one leader whose performance is outstanding even among this whole group of outstanding performers then if there is good camaraderie between the team then when they all be felicitated the team members will say yes among us is our leader this person has done outstanding service and they would want that person’s outstanding service to be known so similarly the Gopis they are all extraordinary devotees but among them Radharani is the topmost and they want Radharani’s love to be celebrated and thus they act as if they are proud so that Krishna leaves them and goes away when Krishna leaves them suddenly and goes away now when we talk about talk about this that they act as if proud now we have to understand that this acting is not just a show put on for a purpose actually when in Leela whenever any role is performed the participant actually enters deep into that role so for example when Yashodamayi catches a stick and she says Krishna I will beat you so so when it is said that Kunti Maharani says remember this past time when she says that Krishna is looking down his eyes are filled with fear there are tears in his eyes as the mascara is flowing down along with the tears now this is not just a show actually Krishna feels fear oh my mother she’s angry she will beat me and he feels fearful what should I do how can I avoid this beating so when we say that it is a Leela that does not mean the feelings are not real at a subconscious level certain higher purposes may be served but at a conscious level for them they actually go through those emotions so when the Gopis see that Krishna has left them they are not just thinking oh now our plan is working now Krishna will go with Radharani that is at a subconscious level that is there they want Radharani to be glorified but at a conscious level they are devastated Krishna was with us and suddenly Krishna has just left where has Krishna gone think is Krishna playing a joke with us you know maybe just hiding somewhere and we can’t see him and they look around they look around search out call out to Krishna nowhere can they see Krishna and their agony becomes so unbearable calling out Krishna Krishna Krishna and they can’t see Krishna anywhere they feel devastated and at that time they go mad in love for Krishna now actually the Chaitanya Charitamrita repeatedly talks about a kind of madness called as Divya Unmad Unmad is madness Divya Unmad is divine madness so there was a famous doctor who treated mad people and he was a therapist for people who were mentally unstable in a mental asylum or mental health care centre and he said sometimes I feel that these people do they really need treatment because they’re happier in their madness than in their real life their real life was so distressful that that caused a psychological trauma and then they went mad and now in their imaginary world created by their madness they’re happy they’re happy so there’s a there’s a joke about an Indian Prime Minister he once went to a he just wanted to do some PR work so he went to a mental asylum unplanned visit and then he went to a person and he said that you know he said, how are you? he was worried the person said, I’m the Prime Minister of India when I came here I was saying the same thing so one mad person thinks that everyone else is mad they are not aware of the reality so Shri Prabhupada writes that actually everyone is dancing in Rashtriya that everyone is dancing according to Maya that there are people in this material world who are dancing according to Mahamaya and there are devotees in the spiritual world who are dancing according to Yogamaya so in one sense madness is unavoidable what is there for us to is to choose which kind of madness we want materialistic people they are also mad they are mad for sport they are mad for TV now there is this video game Pokemon Go people are mad just lost for hours going here going there and just travel trying to catch a Pokemon then they wonder where have I come now so this material world actually people just cannot live without becoming lost in something becoming mad so there was a survey done of people in the first world countries they said that people 5% of the time they are happy 5% of the time they are miserable and 90% of the time they are bored so most of the time life at the material level is not very stimulating and one way to escape that is to seek some stimulation to seek some stimulation and people try to go mad in getting that stimulation so there is material madness and there is spiritual madness so in this case the Gopis when they see that Krishna has disappeared from them they just go mad and when they go mad they describe that when psychologically that when there is too much pain either at the physical level or the mental level when the pain becomes unbearable for us to sustain the body has two main defence mechanisms one is the body falls unconscious when we fall unconscious then we don’t feel the pain or the person goes mad because when they get mad then they withdraw from the reality that is painful and they imagine that there is some other reality so actually we’ll see that when this pastime progresses that the Gopis they go mad because they can’t tolerate the separation from Krishna and later on we’ll see Radharani she fades in separation from Krishna so here when the Gopis see Krishna is here and Krishna is suddenly not there where has Krishna gone? they just can’t understand it so it’s like you know it’s a mundane example but this may give us some idea of the agony and suppose let’s say today afternoon there is a feast and there is some item which is very delicious and we just want to savour it fully so we take it close our eyes just tasting every single morsel of that and then as we are tasting it we put our hand down to take another handful there’s nothing there we look the whole plate has disappeared so like that the Gopis are relishing Krishna’s presence they’re beholding his beauty with their eyes they’re feeling his fragrance with their nose they are sensing Krishna’s presence with all their senses and they’re relishing that presence and as they’re completely absorbed in relishing that presence suddenly this Krishna disappears no explanation, no intimation, no warning Krishna is there one moment next moment he disappears the Gopis are devastated when they’re devastated they start looking for Krishna and Anandana Chaturthi is the example for the Gopis in their sense they always had intense love for Krishna but at this point when they were about to unite with Krishna at that time when Krishna disappears it is like a person has a wound and then you open the wound to say heal it or to stitch it and after the wound has been opened then somebody pours lemon water on it lemon juice on it the pain is unbearable so for the Gopis at that point the pain was unbearable only way they could maintain their life and maintain their consciousness was just becoming mad in thoughts of Krishna so they start it is described in the Bhagavatam that they start enacting Krishna’s pastimes how Krishna danced on Kaliya how Krishna killed various demons but Anandana Chaturthi describes that this was not just an enactment the Gopis in order to somehow feel the presence of Krishna they suddenly they entered into those pastimes and they were completely lost over so the Kavikantapura describes elaborately the exalted love of the Gopis so we should not think that when Radharani is the highest that does not mean the other Gopis are anything low the other Gopis are also exalted we are all talking about very exalted levels of spiritual realisation sometimes some devotees they say that actually we are worshipping Gauri Avasthi we are going to Goloka Vrindavan we are not going to Vaikuntha so we sometimes treat Vaikuntha as if it’s like our backyard we are not interested no Vaikuntha is also the spiritual world it is also the abode of eternal happiness so just because Goloka Vrindavan is higher than Vaikuntha that does not mean Vaikuntha is anything insignificant so similarly the Radharani is the topmost devotee but that does not mean the Gopis are any ordinary souls or ordinary devotees they are extraordinary and they just get completely absorbed in the pastimes of Krishna and they are mad they start asking the deer they start asking the trees they start asking the birds where is Krishna? have you seen Krishna? and they are mad in their desperation to see Krishna and they start cheesing going here going there looking somewhere for Krishna they are not able to find and then suddenly they see the footprints of Krishna and they delight that yes Krishna must be here somewhere Krishna is just close by and as they are looking at the footprints of Krishna they see another set of footprints now it is described that actually there are two sets of Gopis there are the Gopis headed by Radharani and there are the Gopis headed by Chandravani so now there is mutual competition between the two and that competition is actually pleasing to Krishna so when the Gopis who are Radharani’s group when they see that Radharani’s footprints are there with Krishna they become delighted and the Gopis who are Chandravani’s group they become agitated why has Krishna gone with Radharani? but both of them their intention is to increase the pleasure of Krishna and they start looking after the footprints pursuing the footprints and they try to find out where is Krishna? where is Krishna? where is this special Gopi who’s also with Krishna? in the meanwhile Radharani is there with Krishna and her heart is overflowing with joy thinking that Krishna is with her she looks around and sees Krishna is taking her deeper into the forest as they’re going deeper and deeper into the forest Radharani at one level feels great joy but then at another level immediately the next moment she starts thinking how can I enjoy alone? now what must be the state of Lalita, Vishaka, Chitra all of them being separated from Krishna they will be shattered they will be shattered and therefore I cannot I cannot stay I cannot enjoy like this she starts thinking what to do Krishna is absorbed in delight being with Radharani and then Radharani thinks what should I do? how can I and she says other Gopis also catch up she knows that so they know each other’s heart they know that the Gopis will be frantically searching for us so she thinks that somehow I’ll get Krishna to slow down so she says Krishna she tells Krishna Krishna you know we have been walking for a long time now I am tired you know unless we find something to carry I cannot walk any further so when she speaks this now obviously she also knows there’s nothing in the forest to carry there’s no horse there’s no chariot so her purpose is she’s also in a gentle way tell Krishna Krishna let’s stop here but Krishna takes it as a Viparinbha Krishna becomes angry and in an angry tone he speaks to her because we are in a forest oh queen there is nothing to carry therefore you can climb on my back and carry you and Radharani is alarmed to hear this tone of Krishna’s voice normally a tone also conveys sometimes you know a couple may be quarrelling and say you don’t love I love you now the words are saying I love you but basically the tone is saying I’m mad at you so what happens is that Krishna speaks in an angry tone Radharani is alarmed she looks around and at that moment she says Krishna has disappeared and Krishna has just completely disappeared and she is shocked is Krishna Krishna she starts calling out desperately to Krishna and she calls out to Krishna desperately there is no sound at all the whole forest is deadly silent it’s completely silent and there’s nothing that Radharani hears and in her desperation to feel Krishna’s presence she starts having an imaginary conversation with Krishna she feels that Krishna will somehow hear my words and Krishna will return so she speaks in her own voice and she speaks also in Krishna’s voice she’s hoping that Krishna will hear what I’m speaking Krishna is here somewhere and he’s observing me so if one person gets upset in a relationship the other person tries to persuade them so she is hoping that Krishna is not there so I cannot persuade him but I know what Krishna is likely to speak so I will speak on Krishna’s side also and then I will try to counter whatever he’s saying and I’ll try to persuade him so at that time she says oh Krishna please how can you leave me and go away please come back Krishna says yes you know you became proud I don’t tolerate pride in those who love me therefore I have left you so Radharani is so desperate she takes a very humble note yes Krishna I know that you don’t like pride but please hear me it was not pride which made me speak those words I spoke that out of concern for the other gopis they would be desolate in separation from you and that is why I spoke those words so that you would slow down and they will come here Krishna still angry he says still I didn’t like the words that you spoke I didn’t like that you spoke like this to me Krishna says yes Krishna but just think if you leave me and go away I’ll be shattered I’ll fall unconscious and when all the other gopis come and search come searching for me and when they see that you have left me all alone what will they think about you what kind of lover are you that you leave you have left me all alone therefore for their sake for the sake of their love for them for you and your love for them please Krishna come back Krishna is still angry Krishna says no I left them and I have left you also I rejected all of you equally now I don’t care what any of you think about me so Radhani is desperate he says oh Krishna actually if you leave me I will die then you will have to come back and you will have to carry my dead body you refused to carry me when I was alive and that refusal will make you carry me when I die so please come back so Krishna says no I left the other gopis they did not die so even if I leave you you are also not going to die so Radhani says no but the other gopis they are together with each other they can remind each other of you and therefore they have some solace but Krishna I am all alone I am all alone if I don’t have your presence I will not be able to sustain your life sustain my life please Krishna come back Krishna is still angry he softens still he says oh Radha your form is the abode of all beauty and sweetness why do you want to leave that just for my sake just because I have left you you are so beautiful so Radhani says the cursed is the moonlight without the moon cursed is the night without the moon cursed is the lotus without the night cursed is the lover whose beloved has left her Krishna my beauty my sweetness are all meant only for you if you are not there I have no use of my life I have no use of my beauty I have no use of my sweetness Radhani tears are flowing down her eyes she’s shattered by Krishna’s repeated refusal to reappear and the snake of separation from Krishna has been swirling all around her sometimes when a snake is going to bite someone and a snake knows I have got the victim in my clutches then the snake may just move its fangs around to terrorise the person and then as the terror increases terror increases the snake swoops down and bites so in all this time the snake of separation from Krishna was swirling around Krishna showing its fangs but when Radhani spoke these final words her desperate call for Krishna to appear and still Krishna did not appear then that snake of separation entered into Radharani the cave of Radharani’s heart and stung her there with a lethal bite and Radharani she was standing desperately her hair dishevelled her clothes dishevelled tears spreading her mascara all over her face she’s calling out to Krishna and suddenly one moment she was standing and calling the next moment she fell down she fell down so she became unconscious and that unconsciousness was the only way she could maintain her life her last thoughts just before she fell into unconsciousness was that Krishna cannot leave me like this Krishna will surely come back and if if I die then who will be there to serve Krishna who will be there to serve Krishna if I die and therefore I will not die I will not die and she’s thinking like that separation from Krishna the snake bite of separation which would normally have killed her because her desire to serve Krishna was so strong that that snake bite of separation instead of killing her sent her into unconsciousness total unconsciousness she just fell on the ground her whole body spread wide apart and the gopis in the meanwhile are still searching for Krishna they’re searching for Krishna they’re searching for the special gopi who is with Krishna and they come closer and closer and closer and as they come closer they see that there are these two footprints and that there’s a place where the footprints are there for a long time if somebody stands for a long time the footprints become deeper so at this point the footprints have become deeper and deeper and they see oh Krishna must have stood here for a long time and then they see that they must have been talking over here something and then they look around and they see suddenly it’s as if both footprints have disappeared because Krishna doesn’t walk away when Krishna becomes upset with Radha and just disappears from there and they’re looking around they don’t see any footprints anywhere and it’s true they’re both of them there then both of them what happened and then they’re looking around they see suddenly Radha Rani just fallen around because it’s so dark over there they do not see her at present initially when they come and then they say who is this the gopis start talking oh surely this must be Radha Rani but then the gopis Krishna he cannot redeem Radha like this he loves her more than anyone else Krishna’s own life can go away but he cannot redeem Radha and go this cannot be Radha Rani this must be some illusion created by maya some illusory form who looks like Radha and he says where is Krishna where is Radha so other gopis says no the gopis who are in Radha Rani’s group they say no they come closer and they look at him this is Radha Rani can’t you see the tears have created a path on her face as they have flown incessantly down and she is afflicted by mortal separation from Krishna this is no illusion as they’re talking around Radha Rani but how could Krishna have left Radha and gone away like this so then the gopis on Radha Rani’s side they say actually Krishna has not left her maybe they performed past tense for a long time and then Radha Rani got exhausted so Radha Rani is sleeping and Krishna has just gone somewhere else and Krishna will come back but then as the gopis touch Radha Rani she is not coming back to consciousness now the gopis say this is not sleep she’s actually unconscious and then if Krishna is nearby then we would have seen him by now no maybe Krishna is some distance away because even if Krishna is some distance away we would have sensed his fragrance Krishna is not here anywhere so how can Krishna have left Radha and gone away another gopi she touches Radha Rani she says actually he’s unconscious he’s not just sleeping and she’s in terrible unconsciousness it appears as if he has no symptoms of life at all her heart has stopped beating we don’t even know if she’s breathing at all and then the gopis just take a little grass and put her near her nose and they find it’s a little grass there is some life there is some breath still going on and they’re talking what to do how can Krishna have left her and gone away like this and on one side initially some of the gopis they were upset they were agitated that Krishna left us and went only with Radha Rani but now on seeing how Krishna left even Radha Rani all their agitation disappears rather than feeling angry that Radha Rani has gone away with Krishna they feel angry towards Krishna how could you have left her alone and gone away like this so at that point they all turn around Radha Rani and they start calling out Radha Rani start calling out Krishna’s name they start calling Radha’s name and as they keep calling they keep calling then they start again enacting Krishna’s pastimes as the enactment of Krishna’s pastimes becomes deeper and deeper at that time they get lost in Krishna’s pastimes and the more they become lost in Krishna’s pastimes the more they invoke Krishna’s presence over there and sensing Krishna’s presence Radha Rani comes back to consciousness she’s Krishna where are you she looks around and she sees all the gopis she looks around she can’t see Krishna she senses that she’s fallen on the ground and then she realises remembers all that has happened so on one side she’s happy that now the other gopis are there with her she’s shattered that Krishna has left her and gone away and the Radha Rani gets up immediately although she’s been in almost like a mortal swoon and the desire to be united with Krishna comes back again she immediately gets up fully energised she said let us search for Krishna Krishna must be here nearby somewhere he’s just invisible but he must be here and they all start searching for Krishna they search and search and search and they can’t find Krishna anywhere they sink into dejection and then they come so deep inside the forest they can’t see anywhere they think what should we do they say let us go back to the Jamuna we’ll go back to Jamuna and there we have performed pastimes with Krishna and there if we go back there we will be able to remember Krishna more and there we’ll call out to Krishna and when they call out to Krishna Krishna will appear and in this hope they all return tracing back their footsteps through the darkness they come back they come back to the banks of Jamuna and there they sit down and they sit in a circle and they place a comfortable cloth right at the centre like a like a throne and they’re in all the combined prayers they’re calling out Krishna please appear please appear and the whole Gopi Gita starting from daite drishyatam deekshatavakas taveetvaitrutasavasvam vichivate the Gopis are praying Krishna you have made this land of Vrindavan auspicious by your appearance it is already glorious but your appearance has made it so glorious that even the goddess of fortune now desires to come and stay over here but oh lord you who bring the goddess of fortune wherever you go how is it that you have brought misfortune in our life our life is sustained only by service to you without service to you what is the point of our life by losing you we are losing our life how oh lord who brings fortune everywhere are you bringing such misfortune in our life now Jiva Goswami in the Gopal Champu he analyses the Gopis prayers and actually he does an elaborate analysis of the nature of the different Gopis and he says each verse is actually he identifies this verse in the Gopi Gita is written by this Gopi this verse is sung by this Gopi this verse is sung by this Gopi actually the Bhagavatam in this chapter starts with Shri Gopya Uchu so watch is singular Uchu is plural so this Gopi Gita is a collective prayer by the Gopis so all of them are expressing their hearts separation from Krishna and while they are expressing the separation each of them speaks one one verse so they are all representing the group but because it’s a group all having the shared call of their heart Krishna please come back Krishna please come back with that call they are all individually expressing their desire longing for Krishna to come back and in this Gopi Gita there is this contrast which comes up between awareness of Krishna’s greatness and unawareness of his greatness that means at one level the Gopis know Krishna is God and they think Krishna sorry we thought of you as an ordinary person so they’re saying oh Krishna now we know the fourth text so we certainly know that you are not Gopikanand we know that you are not Yashoda’s son so in traditional Indian society people would not often refer to each other by their names they would refer to them by their relationship with whom they know so they are referring to Krishna as here in this particular I am Gopikanand we know Krishna that you are actually not the son of Yashoda then who are you? they are akhila dehinam antaraatmadrek you are actually the indwelling super soul in the hearts of everyone now the different Acharyas have given very sweet differing strands of commentary to this all of which heighten the call of the Gopis Krishna please come so here they’re saying you are actually the Krishna you are not the son of Yashoda you are the indwelling super soul in everyone’s hearts and if you are the indwelling super soul in the heart what is the significance? they’re saying Krishna you are in our hearts also you are in our heart also so can’t you see how afflicted we are in separation from you please Krishna come back please Krishna come back then bhikhanasarthito vishvaguttaye that bhikhanasar Brahmaji he prayed to you arthito because he said the universe was afflicted and therefore you came vishvaguttaye for the protection of the universe so then this line also another Acharya explained that actually there’s a fervent call they’re saying that Krishna you have come to protect the whole universe and we are also the part of the universe so if you come to the protect the universe why are you not protecting us instead of protecting us you are afflicting us please Krishna come back and then in the same verse where at one level they know Krishna is indwelling super soul in the heart of all the living beings but in the same word they say sakha udayivan sattvatam kule sakha udayivan sakha sakha is friend so they know he is God but for them the awareness that Krishna is God doesn’t stay for very long for them the primary awareness Krishna you are our friend sattvatam kule you have appeared in sattvata dynasty so here the Gopis also reveal the knowledge that they know Krishna is actually the son of Vasudev but that knowledge is in the background it doesn’t come in the foreground for them the foreground for them is their irresistible love for Krishna their longing to serve him in a later verse they describe the Kaliya bath time in another poetic way and here Chiradharani is also there she is also offering these prayers and this is there is one prayer which says that pranat dehinam paapakarshanam trunacharanugam shrinketanam panipanarpitam tepadambujam krunakucheshuna krundiruchayam so there they are describing the glory of Krishna’s lotus feet and what do they say poetically first they describe their glory in terms of those who offer obeisances to your lotus feet they become free from all sins paapakarshanam but what is the amazing thing that those lotus feet which anybody which the whole world goes down to what are those lotus feet doing they are actually going after the cows trunacharanugam and if they’re just going after the cows that would mean that is this an ordinary cowherd boy no this is even when they are going after the cow shrinketanam there are the marks of the lotus of fortune residing at those lotus feet over there and then they very poetically describe the kalia pastime what do they say panipanarpitam tepadambujam say krishna you offered your lotus feet to kalia now kalia did not feel it was offering for kalia when krishna was dancing it was the end of the world each lotus each feet that was like a thunderbolt crashing on it but the gopis are thinking here in a poetic way krishna you offered your lotus feet even to kalia why are you not offering them to us please offer them to us so here there is that awareness that krishna is god krishna is so powerful that krishna danced on the feet of kalia but then same just a few verses later the gopis pray for him actually krishna you have gone to the forest and now what is happening they say krishna when you are gone in the forest if you don’t want to come back for our sake at least come back for the sake of your own lotus feet see your lotus feet are so soft those lotus feet if you go into the forest dalina is a lotus flower actually a lotus feet are softer than a lotus that there are pebbles there are twigs there are bramble there are stones there are thorns in the forest and when they touch your lotus feet if they cause even a tiny scratch on your lotus feet it will be like a rash against our heart our heart rips apart to think that there is even a tiny scratch on the lotus feet krishna please come back please come back so each of these prayers it’s a separate prayer which has its own meaning but the underlying call of all these prayers is krishna please come back and to all these prayers radharani finally offers her prayer and radharani offers her prayer krishna at that time cannot resist krishna has to come back the rasa leela is a pastime that happens in different ways on different occasions so krishna performed it many times so in one particular pastime when the gopis they sing all these prayers nashila prabhupada he does something fascinating in his krishna book when he describes this rasa leela pastime this kopi jita is mentioned but before i go to that let me just talk about another we could say another iteration of this rasa leela that means when it happens another time which also demonstrates radharani’s love for krishna so the gopis krishna has left them the gopis have sung their prayers and they sense krishna’s presence in the distance and they all start running towards krishna and as they run towards krishna they see some bluish black complexioned person and when they go there they actually find it is vishnu that’s four-handed vishnu is shankhachakra gadavan and all the gopis become disappointed now yogis are delighted when they see vishnu that is the perfection of their life but the gopis are so exalted that when they see vishnu they feel disappointed and they offer obeisances to vishnu and they say vishnu please tell me where is krishna where is krishna they desperately ask and when krishna actually that is not vishnu that is krishna only but krishna has taken on the form of vishnu and krishna sees how intense is the love of the gopis for him his throat gets choked up and he can’t speak he can’t speak so he just points with his finger points the finger like this so the gopis they thank him and they run in that direction they run in that direction to chase after krishna now radha rani has been so afflicted by separation from krishna that she’s almost unconscious and so she doesn’t realise what has happened when the other gopis catch a sight of krishna radha rani is actually seeing krishna in her heart and she doesn’t notice that krishna’s presence is manifested externally so when she all sees all the gopis running in a particular direction she comes back to external consciousness she’s all they’re running and she understands oh they saw krishna over there she also starts running so in this case she is the last gopi who comes and in this last gopi she is then krishna she said where is krishna and she calls out with such a desperation a tear was just bathing her whole body when krishna sees that you know he cannot maintain his facade he wants to and he wants to do the same thing that he has done for the gopis you know he wants to point out with his finger in the same direction but just as when krishna becomes jagannath you know his hands disappear so like that krishna wants to point out his hands but his hands disappear and the four-handed vishnu changes into two-handed krishna and as radha rani’s love causes krishna to manifest himself causes krishna to reveal himself over there and such is the love of krishna of radha rani for krishna even when krishna doesn’t want to manifest he wants to hide but that love comprises such an irresistible call that radha krishna manifests himself now shloka prabhupada in his krishna book when he renders the 10th canto puras panchadhyaya into english there he describes the translations of the gopi gita and then he concludes that chapter by saying and this way the gopis chanted hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare ram hare ram ram ram hare hare now somebody’s sceptical when i say where is the evidence that the gopis chanted hare krishna and the gopis are chanting gopi gita now of course there’s nobody stopping the gopis from chanting hare krishna also they can chant but shloka prabhupada had a very special style special empowerment to make the transcendental accessible to make the transcendental accessible and when scripture is to be explained the point is not just to get it right the point is to get it across the point is not just to get it right now prabhupada could have come to america and just given classes in sanskrit he would have got everything right but he would have got nothing across so prabhupada’s style of commentary was that he wanted to get it across he wanted to make the transcendental accessible and the pathway for us to rise to the highest levels of bhakti that are demonstrated by the gopis that is demonstrated by radha rani that pathway shloka prabhupada is giving us in this rendering of the gopi gita so just as the gopis sang prayers of the gopi gita in separation from krishna similarly for us the hare krishna mahamantra is a call in separation from krishna so of course there is a difference for the gopis there is already love for krishna and they are calling out in separation for us there is separation but there is not much love right now so we have to cultivate that interaction to krishna krishna also says atta chittam samadhatam nishaknosi mahisiram abhyasa yoginato mam kshaktum benantiya and by repeatedly striving to fix the mind on me attraction for them will awaken so that sadhana bhakti which we practise is meant to enable us to develop attraction for krishna and the summit of those who have attraction for krishna is shrimati radha rani so on radha rani’s appearance day at one level we can appreciate according to our tiny capacity her exalted love for krishna but along with that we can also seek her mercy she is at one level a devotee the topmost devotee but another level she is god manifesting in a female form so when we want to appreciate her devotion we discuss her pastimes where she is a chip so senselessly absorbed in krishna and when we see her on appearance day she is also god in a female form we beg for her mercy she who enables us to access krishna and we see even in the most exalted levels it is the relationship with krishna is never alone radha rani is alone with krishna but radha rani is also she’s concerned about the other gopis and she’s concerned about them and she cares for them so we cannot practise bhakti alone in isolation from others now we practise it in relationship with other devotees now i conclude with this point that when an aeroplane is to fly off now it cannot just be on the ground at one moment and next moment it is in the air the aeroplane has to gain momentum while it is on the ground and as its speed increases increases increases increases that momentum eventually enables it to take off so similarly we are in this world where we are having so many mundane relationships so many relationship people in this world we cannot suddenly develop a relationship with krishna now we have to cultivate selflessness in our relationships with devotees that helps us to develop the momentum and as that momentum increases just as the aeroplane it gets a particular speed then it takes off from the earth so like that the more we cultivate selflessness in our relationship with devotees it’s on the ground it’s not mundane but it’s a relationship with others in this world but the more we cultivate that the momentum develops and then we can take off and that this is an exalted pastime but the theme i focused on is even at the highest level among the gopis the focus is on caring for each other Radharani cares for the gopis gopis care for Radharani they are not all alone caring for krishna they’re all together caring for each other and caring for krishna and that is the mode in which we can serve Shri Prabhupada in the krishna consciousness movement Prabhupada said that the krishna conscious moment is nourished by the sixfold exchanges among the devotees which are described in the Upadesha Amrit so we can pray to Srimati Radharani that we get attraction towards krishna and we also get selflessness in our relationship with those who are also striving to love krishna and thus we can follow Sri Prabhupada’s instruction to cooperate and move forward in sharing his mission in this world as well as in our own hearts thank you very much Srimati Radharani Thank you