How to Purify Body and Mind? / Beginning of Raas Leela / Shri Krishna Plays the Flute // 23/10/26

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. To listen to the full discourse, watch the video above.

Full Discourse

Vrindavaneswari tav padarvindm prema makrand raso purnam had pitam madhupte smarta mugram nirvai param shital mashryam param shital maya param sacchidanand ghan Premanand swaroop navni nikunj mahmmahim param pavan shri Vrindavan dham
O Queen of Vrindavan, your lotus feet are full of the nectar of love. O Madhupati, remembering you, the supreme cool shelter, the supreme, true-conscious, bliss-dense form of love-bliss, the most sacred and glorious Vrindavan Dham.

Salutations, countless prostrations and bows to the feet of the darlings of Vrindavan Dham, the Yugal Sarkar, the Pranaradhya and Pran-priya Shri Priya Pritam, all the sahachari vrind, the birds, deer, animals, creepers, Yamuna, Ras Rani, Raj Rani, and all the Brajvasi parikar. Shri Priya Pritam Ji is extremely generous, the abode of compassion and full of great love, and has chosen us.

We are spending our breaths in the sacred land of Vrindavan. This is the meaning of life, and it is proof that Shri Ji's grace is upon us. Otherwise, entry into this supremely holy abode is forbidden. Whoever manages to come here, no one can think about Vrindavan, which is beyond reach even for the mind, without the grace of Shri Radhika. If we have received Shri Ji's grace, then now we should become worthy of that grace. She is the one who showers grace, and she is showering it. But we hold up the umbrella of ego and deprive ourselves of that shower of grace.

If we surrender to the Lord with body, mind and speech, then grace has such a nature that while bestowing it, it is never satisfied. Grace keeps increasing. But we neglect that grace. Yet grace is grace. It will not even look at our tendency to neglect. One day it will surely drown us. So, relying on that grace, we should chant and recite His name with our speech. We should accept from the heart that I belong to the Lord, and with the body, as far as possible, turn away from sinful actions and do actions that are devoted to God, actions that are in accordance with dharma.

Only by this is life meaningful.

shrad Vimal Chandrika tati suchandan charchita dadhatmal muktika bhram laksham sukham Priya sharno dhara dhaval dhamra smara had Radhika suvan phul malli bane aa
The pure autumn moonlight, anointed with fine sandalwood, adorned with spotless pearls.. Remember Radhika, the beloved of Shri Priya, in the white abode, in the garden of jasmine flowers.

Likewise, Priya Ji, whose beauty outshines the moonlight of crores of moons, lights up Vrindavan. Then, here, the sakhi herself is the moon. The sakhi herself is the sun. The moon and sun of the natural creation of Brahma do not enter here. In the Gita, the Lord has said: "Na tat bhasayate suryo na shashanko na pavakah, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama."
Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor fire illumines it. Having gone there, one does not return. That is My supreme abode.

That is, in my supreme abode there is no entry even for the radiance of the sun, fire and moon.

And the abode, having reached which one never again returns to the cycle of birth and death, is the supreme abode. This is Vrindavan. How beautiful it is. Likewise, Gauranggi Priya Ji and Shyamanga Shri Lal Ji today have beautifully sandalwood-anointed limbs. Shri Pyari Ji has been decorated with a saffron-mixed sandalwood paste pattern, and a beautiful tilak has been made. And Lal Ji is an ocean of grace. There is no one whose mind he does not steal. He has stolen the minds of even the great paramhansas.

In Vrindavan, such a supremely glorious divine couple is roaming. The moonlight of pure autumn is scattered. How beautiful is this pair, the fair and dark couple. From every creeper radiance appears. Some creepers of Vrindavan are like crystal, some like coral, some red, and many colours, just as here electric lights of various colours illuminate. Naturally, the moonlight of blissful colours is spread from the blissful trees. Gauranggi Priya Ji and Shyamanga Shri Lal Ji, embracing each other, wearing beautiful sacred garments and new ornaments, are roaming in the Mallika forest.

This description has been given. If the beauty comes into the mind, love will be stunned. Always remember this Priya Pritam. Whatever moment you spend attached with attachment and possessiveness is useless. Instead of father, mother, brother, friend, relatives, wife, children, family, and the rest of the household, those who are your own: although mother and father are worthy of reverence, if you do not see the Lord in them and hold possessiveness, then the purpose of your life will not be fulfilled. Although the wife, son and family are in fact my Lord, you cannot recognise Him. But if you see the Lord in them, with the sense that it is God, and hold possessiveness, then you will say, "What will I get?" Instead of expecting, think: father, mother, brother, friends, the close ones, the whole family circle. The moment the breath stops, it is over. Neither your identity nor theirs remains. When the breath breaks, it is finished. It is as if you do not know the family of your past life at all. Even if they meet you and say, "I am yours," you will not accept it.

Neither do you know them, nor do they know you. Likewise, this circle that you have received in this life will also be left behind. The fair of millions gathers in the world, but when the swan flies away, it flies alone. Do acts of welfare, do bhajan, win over the Lord. Instead of "no," instead of expectation, instead of expectation.. Father, mother, brother, friend: however much you study and become learned, you will conquer maya. To conquer maya, this is the state: surrender in every way, with body, mind and speech, to the refuge of the Lord. The Lord is nourishing and sustaining everyone.

It is only a matter of believing. We believe in two, and not in the rest of ourselves. No, everyone is ours. Everyone is ours. Until this sense of God does not come, there is only bondage upon bondage. What will you get, he says? By living your life in the possessive attachment of mother, father, brother and relatives, you get nothing. What do you expect instead? Whoever has done bhajan is the most fortunate woman or man in life. Doing bhajan is very difficult. Brother, it is very difficult. Forcefully cut through all the knots of attachment to home, wealth and so on, and worry about the body and so on, and attain union with God in this very life.

Those who think "I sustain the creation by my own strength" are full of ego. Hey, my Master created infinite universes in an instant, sustains and nourishes all of them in an instant, and gathers them back in an instant. This is called the world of death. Whether you took an imperishable body or not, we did not take one either. We know we have to go. But what are you doing as you go? That is the important thing. If you die like insects and worms, what was your human life worth? If you cannot bring coolness to even a few hearts, and cannot free your own life, then what is the meaning of this human life?

anant parpasate nitya yogkshm ye

Those who worship me constantly, I carry their welfare.

dukhatma kshanbhanguram sukh lava bhase sanmohan

This life is full of suffering and momentary; the appearance of happiness, even a particle of it, is a delusion.

What kind of body is this? Dukhatma means it gives suffering. Kshanabhanguram means it is destroyed in a moment. And how does happiness appear here? Lavabhase means it seems to last only a moment. You think, "Wow, what joy!" But in the next moment it is the same craving, the same desire, the same indulgence, and you gain nothing. Lavabhasen means the happiness is only an appearance. It is like water seen in the sand. When you reach the place, there is only dry sand. Here, happiness appears for a single moment, you think, "Yes, there is happiness," and then it is the same desire and the same worry again. Dukhatma kshanabhanguram, sukha lavabhase sanmohan: this attachment is in the wife, the son, wealth, and money. There is great attachment to the body, to the wife, to the son, and to money and rupees.

A person can do anything for money, because money brings enjoyment. And this is such a cycle of illusion that happiness exists only in counting. You cannot use it, but it keeps adding up, and you keep adding to it your whole life, and then you die, and others will use it. Those who do not use it die after ruining their lives in the government's bank. The effect of wealth in numbers is that the more you accumulate, the more happiness you feel in the numbers. And this bank, this country, is such that when you leave here, your clothes will be taken off you. When you go, even the body, which is like a garment, will be taken off. Nothing here goes with you: not your currency, not your possessions, not your relatives, not the love you received here. Nothing. Only the sins and good deeds you have done will go with you, and nothing else.

Even so, you still do not understand. Be alert and earn something that will go with you to the next world. People think this world is everything, and they cremate others and come back, and they lecture others. Brother, this is the world of death. Everyone has to die here. But they do not think, "I too have to die." They just keep drifting in the unreal current of life.

krandam krand mamand kand sad bhavankura sat

Weep, weep before the feet of the Lord, the root of all worldly sprouts.

Weep before the feet of the Lord, sit in solitude and weep, and say, "O Lord, engage my mind in your bhajan. O Lord, I want nothing else."

O Nath, show such mercy that I may wake from the sleep of worldly attachment. I have slept enough. Now wake me up, O Lord. Wake up. If you weep to the Lord, He will wake you. O Nath, now grant such grace that this life does not go to waste. O Lord, until now our life has gone to waste. Now let our life not be wasted. Awaken us so that I will not sleep again. Make me a selfless lover. Let me love you and attain you. Let the fear of the world remain no longer. O Nath, now grant such grace that this life does not go to waste.

ab prabhu kripa karahu yahi bhanti sab taj bhajan karo din rati

O Lord, show mercy in this way: giving up everything, may I do your bhajan day and night.

Sometimes, in solitude, we used to ask the Lord for this chaupai. We used to ask for this:

abheel bhagti virti satsanga charan saro priti abhanga

Unbroken devotion, dispassion, satsang, and unwavering love for your lotus feet.

Let me attain unbroken bhakti. Let there be dispassion toward the world. Let there be the company of the mahatmas who love the Lord. And let me remain immersed day and night in your naam, your form, and your glories. This is what we should ask for. Weeping, we ask the Lord for this. It is an invaluable thing. If you say "Radha" even once, it will never be destroyed in any of the three times. This one Name will hold you and lift you up from the pit of hell. We say that for someone drowning, a straw is enough support.

agar ek naam ek naam trailok hi tare jo na le so jan hare

If the one Name saves all three worlds, then whoever does not take it has lost.

And there are people whose whole life passes in maya. In such people, there is never time to sit even ten minutes and contemplate the Lord, who is Sachchidananda, to remember Him, to weep for Him, or to feel like offering their life to Him. Only the son, the child, and the family remain. This is the difficult maya of the Lord.

kandam kand mamand kand sad ro prabhu se prarthna karo nath bhajan ki hamen vritti do hamen apne charnon ki rati do

Weep, and pray to the Lord: O Nath, give us the inclination for bhajan, give us love for your feet.

When you pray to the Lord like this, weeping, then you are blessed, most blessed. The Lord, the ocean of bliss, will someday see your weeping, and He will erase the weeping of countless lifetimes. Be immersed in bliss. How is He an ocean of bliss? Believe me, whether your mind attaches or not, you should firmly hold one conviction.

We have to chant the Lord's naam. Many sadhaks say, "My mind does not engage." How will the mind engage? The mind is a sinful mind, attached to sense objects, and you have accepted its friendship too. Leave it. Go, wherever you have to go, do whatever you have to do. Let us see what you can do without me. Now I will do bhajan. Radha, Radha, Radha. Chanting the naam with the tongue has great glory. Then, when upanshu and mental chanting begin, you are most blessed.

Pujyapad Shri Udiya Baba Ji Maharaj gave very touching questions and answers. Maharaj Ji, how does the body become pure? How does speech become pure? And whose wealth is considered pure, and how?

How is the inner mind (antahkaran) purified? Revered Shiv Udiya Baba Ji Maharaj answers that there are four kinds of purity: purity of the body, purity of speech, purity of wealth, and purity of the inner mind.

Giving up lying and violence, such as eating meat, speaking words that hurt others, adultery, and the many other sinful acts of the body, and then doing service to saints, service to the Lord, service to society, and service to parents, is essential. The body becomes pure and meaningful only when you serve.

Revered Swami Shri Ram Mangal Das Ji Paramhans of Gokul Bhawan in Ayodhya was a siddha mahapurush. At 2:00 at night he would take a shovel and a tasla and clean up the waste left in Ayodhya by people who went out in the open. He would sweep it up, put it under the soil, and sprinkle the sacred water of the Sarayu. He served Avadh Puri and the Dham in this way. He was such a siddha mahapurush that great siddha mahapurushas, who had become unmanifest, would come to him for satsang.

Why did these great mahapurushas accept service? Because without service, the sevak bhav (the attitude of a servant) is not nourished, and without the sevak bhav, it is extremely difficult to cross the ocean of worldly existence.

sevak se bhav bin bhav na tar urgar.
Without the attitude of a servant, one cannot cross the ocean of worldly existence.

If people who are young in body turn their faces away from service, then how can the body be pure? Service to saints, service to the Lord, service to society, and service to all living beings in the moving and unmoving world: it is through these that the body becomes pure. You may have bathed in the Ganga, but if you act willfully and hold attachment and aversion toward others, your body will not be pure. Serve this Ganga in the form of society. Serve your parents.

If you never go to the Ganga, the Ganga will come to your home and purify you. The Ganga is not only a river; she is a goddess. All the holy rivers bathe and anoint the one who serves. Whoever, by His grace, does social service while following the command of God, is not someone I am speaking of when I say "in the name of social service, feeding your own desires." Social service means that God is present in it. In the moving and unmoving world, Vasudeva Sarvam: God is present in every form.

How does the body become pure? By giving up adultery, violence (which includes eating meat), drinking liquor, and impure, sinful conduct, and through devotion to the Lord, service to saints, and service to society.

The faults of speech are these: criticizing others, backbiting, lying, and speaking in ways that pierce the heart. Some people speak very bitterly, in such a way that the heart keeps burning for a long time and stays restless for a long time. Such words strike directly at the heart.

boli ek amol hai jo koi bole jaan.
he taraaju tal ke tab mukh bahar aa.
Speech is a priceless jewel; a person who knows how to speak should weigh it on the scale before bringing it out of the mouth.

Speech must be guarded very carefully, so that no one's heart is hurt, no one is criticized, and no offense is committed through speech. When you renounce these faults, chant the Lord's naam, sing the Lord's leela, and speak sweet, beneficial, and pure words after thinking them over, then your speech becomes pure. If you remain silent and chant the Lord's naam, your speech will become siddha. Leave aside purity for now: whatever you say will come true.

Keep your eyes protected, and you will see that power enters your eyes. You will gain the ability to see the subtlest things in nature. But wherever you look, you keep losing the power of your eyes. By watching the filth of the world on your mobile phone, how will your eyes become powerful? How will your speech gain the strength to see the Lord, and how will your body become pure, if you act willfully?

When Gandhari heard that Dhritarashtra, who was to become her husband, was blind, she immediately tied a blindfold over her own eyes. Such power came into her eyes that she told Duryodhan: "Come before me stark naked. I will untie my blindfold and look at you, for the first time in my life, and whatever I see will become like vajra." Duryodhan's body did become like vajra. But the Lord intervened, and so it was only at one spot that Bhima struck. Otherwise, wherever Bhima's mace struck, sparks would fly, and it would make no difference. The Lord gave a signal, Bhima struck that very spot, and Duryodhan fell, because that spot had remained vulnerable.

Just by tying her eyes, Gandhari gained such divine power that she could say, "If I look, you will become vajra." We have powers, but we have lost them all. By engaging in all kinds of impure conduct, these desires are never fulfilled. They are never fulfilled. You may enjoy as much as you like, and you may enjoy as many things as you like. Until you take refuge in the Lord and bring these desires under your control, there is no peace. Renunciation (tyag) leads to the highest peace.

The purity of wealth lies in giving it to a worthy recipient. You can give food to anyone. You can give medicine to the sick. You can give clothes to someone in need of them, to someone suffering from cold. But do not simply hand over money. Give money only after very careful thought. With your money, that person will drink liquor, commit adultery, gamble, and behave impurely, and you will become a partner in those acts. The purity of wealth lies in giving it to a worthy recipient. Look carefully at the recipient and their worthiness, with great understanding, so that our wealth is put to good use.

so dhan dhanya pratham gati jaki.
That wealth is blessed whose first destination is service to others.

That wealth is blessed which is used in the service of others, and through it the inner mind is purified. While chanting naam, with attentive meditation (dharana), we hold devotion to our Ishta. We call it the time spent meditating on the naam of the feet of our Mai, Shyama Ji. Without chanting naam, without dharana, the heart does not become pure. All external practices are like hitting the hole of an anthill with a stick while the snake sits inside: it makes no difference to the snake. In the same way, the inner mind will not be purified by these external practices.

The inner mind (antahkaran) becomes pure through the inner means. The inner means is constant contemplation of the Lord, staying absorbed in meditation on the Lord. These two things are very special.

Siya Ji, in Ashok Vatika, kept the Lord's name as her sentinel, day and night, and meditation on you as her door:

naam pahru divas nish dhyan tumhare kapaat

The name is the sentinel by day and by night; your meditation is the door.

The name keeps running, day and night, and Siya Ji chanted Ram's name and meditated on him day and night. Keep Radhavallabh Lal of Shri Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu in the heart, meditation on the mind, and the name on the lips. By this, the inner mind becomes pure very quickly.

Look in the verse: japat hari vivas ta naam pratipad Vimal manas ta dhyan te nim nahi tarbo naam jap raat din

Chanting the Lord's name at every step, with a pure mind and meditation: without this you will not cross over. Chant the name day and night.

Now, from today, we begin the five chapters of the Raas, which are the life of Shrimad Bhagwat and the rasa of the paramahamsas. All the God-realised great souls have come and become Gopis.

In yesterday's episode I heard Lal Ji Maharaj say to Priya Ji, Ishwari, that you came to the Raas yesterday, because there is no Raas without Ishwari. For the Raas, the land of Vrindavan and Priya Ji are needed. Without them the Raas cannot happen. The Raas cannot happen anywhere else; the land of Vrindavan is required. No one can perform the Raas. Priya Ji and Lal are this great rasa.

bhagwan pita ratri shrad phul mallika vikshu manasre yog maya musrit tadora kabh kare mukham pryaa vilinn narun santam sachni naam mudgacho majan Priya priyaya i deegh darshan

The Lord, seeing those nights of autumn with full-blown jasmine, desired to play, relying on Yoga-maya.

It is the autumn season. The jasmine, chameli, madhavi and malti creepers are all in bloom. A fragrant breeze is blowing, carrying the pollen of scented flowers, and the flowers are giving off their fragrance. The beauty of Vrindavan is very splendid. The nights that Bhagwan had signalled to the Gopis have arrived tonight. The full-moon night of Sharad seems as if many nights have joined together into one night, delighted.

The Lord looked at Vrindavan. This is special. Whoever looks at Vrindavan finds it illumined, full of chidanand. Wondrous splendour: divine blossoming trees, creepers wrapped around them, all in bloom, fragrant with flowers, with bees hovering over them.

The Lord looked, and by looking, made it divine. As soon as the Lord's gaze fell, divine splendour shone forth. Then the Lord remembered his inconceivable great power, Yoga-maya, because this rasamay raas-leela taking place in Braj will be fulfilled through Yoga-maya. As there are many Gopis, there are as many Shri Krishnas; this is completed only by Yoga-maya.

The Lord resolved, as he had resolved to manifest creation, that he would become many forms. So he resolved the raas-leela. This resolve is to fulfil the loving desire of his beloved devotees.

The Lord has no mind of his own. The minds of the devotees become the mind of the Lord. So, to fulfil the desire of his beloved devotees, the Lord accepted a mind. Whatever the Lord accepted, he accepted to fulfil the loving wish of his devotees. As soon as he resolved, the divine moon appeared. On the face of the eastern direction, with its cool rays like lotus hands, it began to apply the redness of the dawn like rosy saffron. This is the glory of the gaze of Lord Shri Krishna, like someone applying saffron to the face of his beloved.

So when the moon rose, a wondrous redness spread over Vrindavan, as if, after many days, a beloved had returned to his life-companion wife and was delighting her. Then, when the full moon rose, white moonlight spread. This moon is not the one that removes the torment of the moving and unmoving beings of the world, nor the one that cools the heat of the sun's rays. This is the moon that showers the lovers with the nectar-like rays of love. This is the moon of love.

drishtwa kumudwant makhand mandlam raman nabham nav kumkumarunam vanam chat komal goranjitam jagau kalam vad drish manohram

Seeing the unbroken orb of the moon, lotus-hued and red like fresh saffron, and the forest tinted by its soft rays, the Lord sang a sweet melody that captivates the minds of the women.

This is the full-moon night: light redness like fresh saffron, and pure white moonlight, because the moon has just risen. It seems mixed with shyness. Such is the splendour, like the face of Lakshmi Ji. With its soft rays, all of Vrindavan was coloured in the hue of love. In every corner of the forest, the moonlight poured out an ocean of nectar.

Shri Krishna looked: for the Raas, there was divine moonlight, divine creepers, divine land, everything complete.

Now the Raas begins, and it begins with the flute. Very beautiful Vrindavan, very beautiful. Lal Ji Maharaj:

mohan Madan tribhangi mohan muni man rangi mohan muni saghan pragat parmanand gun gambhir Gopala shish kireet shravan mani kundal ur mandit vanmala pi Pitambar tan dhatu vichitrit kalkin kat changi nakham tar charan sarsi rooh mohan Madan tribhangi

Mohan, Madan, Tribhangi, the Mohan who colours the minds of sages; Mohan, dense and manifest, embodiment of supreme bliss, deep in virtues, Gopal, with a crown on the head, jewelled earrings, a garland adorning the chest, yellow silk garments, a body decorated with coloured minerals, a lovely waist, lotus feet with shining nails. Mohan, Madan, Tribhangi.

How wondrous is Lal Ji Maharaj, and how divine is Vrindavan. You recite one or two verses on the glory of Vrindavan every day.

Vrindavan dwiti patr ki upma ko kachu nahi koti koti Baikunth te sam kahe na jae Vrindavan ki lata sam koti kalp tarunah raj ki tul Baikunth nahi aur lok ki ma

Vrindavan has no equal. Millions upon millions of Vaikunthas cannot be called equal to it. The creepers of Vrindavan are like millions of wish-fulfilling trees. The dust of Vrindavan has no equal in Vaikuntha or in any other world.

And today, the Raas: the Lord, by his gaze, divinity upon divinity. In that divinity, Sachchidanand Shri Lal Ji Maharaj became Lalit Tribhangi, because this is the posture of holding the flute: bent in three places, the waist bent, the neck bent, the feet crooked. How is this? Mohan says that no one can enchant Mohan. Priya Ji enchanted him. So is Priya Ji someone else? Is it not indeed Priya Ji? She is the very rasa, one and the same. Ek dha sada Shri Radha Krishna rupabhyam tasmai namo namah.

I bow again and again to the form of Shri Radha-Krishna, who are ever one and yet two.

As the Veda says, raso vai, he is indeed rasa, the very embodiment of rasa. These rasik Ladli Lal ever revel in rasa, with eyes full of rasa and wide.

ye rasik ladli lal ras hi so bilsat rahe ras bhare nain vishal

These rasik beloveds, Ladli and Lal, ever revel in rasa, with eyes full of rasa and wide.

Here, Mohan is not enchanted by anyone. He enchants everyone.

No one can enchant Him. Madan (Cupid) is the very form of love itself. And today He is in the tribhangi form, because He is about to play the flute. This is Mohan Muni Man Rangi, who colours the minds of sages with the colour of His love. He has coloured even the greatest sages.

Vyas Ji called out from behind, "Son! Son!" but Sukhdev Ji did not turn around to look. Such is the dispassionate incarnation of the Lord, Krishna Dvaipayan Vyas Ji, and he is calling out. "Son.. Son.." but he did not turn back. But when the disciples recited a verse, see what beauty of form our Lal Ji has:

barhapeedam natavravpuh karnayoh karnikaram bibhradwas kankakpisham vaijyantin cha malam. Randhranwenordharsudhya puryangopwrindairwrindaranyam swapadramnam pravishadgeetkeertih ॥

Adorned with a peacock feather on His head, the best of dancers in form, with a karnikara flower at His ears, wearing a golden-yellow garment and a vaijayanti garland, filling the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, accompanied by the cowherd boys, He entered Vrindavan, the forest that delights in His feet, His glory sung.

When the accomplished great soul heard this verse, with its form, its peacock feather, the karnikara flower, its golden-yellow garment and the flute, the moment it entered his ears as a verse, he was instantly drawn into bhavana. Once he was absorbed in bhava, his samadhi broke, and he had memorised all the 18,000 verses of the Shrimad Bhagavatam. He coloured the mind of the supreme sage, the paramahamsa Shri Sukhdev Ji Maharaj, in his own colour. Madhusudan Saraswati Ji, whose heart was established in Brahman and absorbed in the formless contemplation, did not accept Lord Krishna as Sachchidananda form. He said that Krishna was Brahman bound by maya.

But when the prayers of the devotees made Him visible to his eyes, he saw Lal Ji Maharaj wandering on the pure banks of the Yamuna, playing the flute. The same verse, now with the flute adornment, and when he saw that form, in the last line he said:

krishnatparam kimpi tattwamham na jane

"I do not know any truth greater than Krishna." Mohan Muni Man Rangi coloured the minds of great sages. When Shripad Prabodhanand Ji Maharaj heard Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cry out, "Ha Krishna! Ha mora prananath!", the entire atmosphere became Krishnamay. They used to say, "Being a sannyasi, why does he not contemplate Brahman, but instead dance, sing and do kirtan?" Once they went to Mahaprabhu, and Prabodhanand Ji went along, thinking that if he had darshan of Mahaprabhu just once, his pride in his knowledge would be destroyed.

So a gathering was arranged at Prabodhanand Ji's place. He sat on a high throne in the courtyard, because his prestige was very great. He was a learned mahatma, and hundreds of saints were his disciples. Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Dev arrived. He was in a state of divine intoxication, and in the assembly, in that state of prem, even Bhagavan is defeated. Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Dev appeared to show the darshan of prem and to reveal Krishna-anurag. He came and sat near the doorway, where everyone's feet had been washed.

Prabodhanand Ji had thought that when He came, he would.. But he was looking from the level of ego, while this humility of Mahaprabhu was showing the vision of prem. Seeing Him sit where everyone's feet were washed, a desire arose in him to fall at His feet. Seeing one of such a high state, Mahaprabhu could not bear it. He got up, took his hand and said, "Swamiji, why are you here?" The moment Mahaprabhu's gaze of prem fell on him, all his knowledge was dissolved. It is a great episode. At last he fell at His feet and said, "Prabhu, now I cannot carry the burden of this knowledge any more." Then He said, "Go to Vrindavan." Immersed in the anurag of such Priya Lal, you now hear one or two verses every day.

From the Vrindavan Mahimamrit vani of Shripad Prabodhanand Ji. This Lal Ji Maharaj is such that he steals the minds of great sages who are steeped in Vedanta-nishtha, and colours them in the colour of his anurag. Why? Because:

saghan pragat parmanand mohan muni saghan pragat parmanand gun gambhir Gopala murtiman parmanand swaroop shri lal jo maharaj jo apaar gun gambhir se yukt hain.

Dense and manifest supreme bliss, Mohan Muni; dense and manifest supreme bliss, Gopala of profound qualities, the embodied form of supreme bliss, Shri Lal Ji Maharaj, who is endowed with boundless profound qualities.

On His beautiful head is a peacock crown, in His ears are jewelled earrings, and on His chest a forest garland shines. He wears a yellow silk garment with the brilliance of countless lightnings. His body is decorated with the dust of Vrindavan in ochre and white clay, and the small bells of the kinkini at His waist release the light of a crore suns.

Thus Mohan, Madan, Tribhangi: now Shri Lal Ji Maharaj. The supreme bliss, the embodied Sachchidananda Ghan Prabhu, placed the flute on His lips, and this kleem is the bija mantra of love. He resolved that His flute would steal the hearts of the Braj-sundaris alone. Today the flute is not playing to steal the minds of all moving and non-moving beings.

nishamya geetam tadnangwardhanam vrajastriy krishnagriheetmansAh. AjagmuranyonyamlakshitodyamAh sa yatra kanto javlolkundalAh ॥

Hearing that song which increases desire, the women of Braj, their minds seized by Krishna, came to where their beloved was, each without the others noticing their effort, their earrings swinging with their haste.

Into whose heart? Only the Braj women, not animals, not birds, not cowherds, not the moving and non-moving world. This flute sound will reach only the ears of the gopis; this is the Lord's resolve. What kind of song is this? Tad-anang-vardhanam: Anang means Kaam, and Anang also means prem. This song increases the Krishna-prem in their hearts. The sound of the flute today is for the Braj women alone, the Braj women whose minds are seized by Krishna.

These are only for those who have practised sadhana and attained the gopi bhav. Not all the gopis, not all the gopis of Braj. Yashoda Maiya is among the gopis too, but there are not many gopis like Yashoda Maiya. These are only the ones who worshipped with the prayer that Shri Krishna would be attained by them as their husband: "O Katyayani, O Mahamaya, O Mahayogini, may Shri Nand Nandan be our husband." It is only in the ears of such a gopi, whose mind has been seized by Krishna, that the sound of the flute reaches. It is not that the flute sound reaches the ears of all the gopis of Braj. Here only those come who are krishna-gruhita-manasa, who worship Shri Krishna alone as their husband with the bhav of a wife, the kanta bhav.

nishamya geetam tadnang vardhanam
Hearing that song, which kindles desire within them,

Such women of Braj, in whose hearts the intense longing to meet Shri Krishna arises, who are they? Those who worship Shri Krishna with the kanta bhav. What are they like? Their minds have been stolen by Shri Krishna.

aaj lakshitoma satra kanto jalo kundla
They came, unnoticed by one another, earrings swinging, to where their beloved was.

So in their hearts there is no fear, no shame, no hesitation for Shri Krishna. We say this because it is night. In their hearts there is no fear, no hesitation, and now there is no restraint and no patience. This flute playing is of a very strange kind. It can only happen through krishna-gruhita-manasa. Now there are thousands and lakhs of cows. Some were milking, and some left their milk. They left the vessels of milk and ran off, abandoning their washing, for Shri Krishna.

dohant bhi y ka dohitwa samutsaka
Some were milking, and leaving the milking half done, went eagerly.

Such intense eagerness. This is the seed mantra of love for Shri Krishna. Just as the Lord placed the flute to his lips and sounded the klim, those women of Braj, the young women of Braj who had worshipped Goddess Katyayani so that Nand's son would be their husband, their ears received it. Not only that, they had husbands too. The cows do not stop in the cowshed. They go wherever Shri Krishna is. The calves do not stop either. Neither does the peacock group, nor the group of swans. Only the women of Braj, krishna-gruhita-manasa, with that flute in their hearts and desire kindled, began a sadhana for attaining Shri Krishna. They said nothing to anyone. They set off towards Shri Krishna and went with such speed that the earrings in their ears were swaying.

jabal kundla
Their earrings were swinging.

The earrings are moving. Hearing the flute sound, one was milking, and she left it as it was. One had put milk on the stove, and she left it and set off. One was making halwa, and she left it as it was. One was serving her husband his food without having served it, and she left it. One was feeding her child milk, and she left it. Serving, they left. Ah, what a divine state it is, that she who was serving her husband simply left him. Why leave the service of a husband? What is greater than it in the dharma of a pativrata? In the dharma of a pativrata, the husband is God.

No, today this is only the reflection of the husband. Today the worship of the real husband is about to happen, because the one present in the body of the husband, the one who is called by the name of the husband, is Shri Krishna. Today Shri Krishna himself is being worshipped. Today Shri Krishna himself is being invoked. How could they stop? This is why it is narrated here. Bhagavan Shri Krishna said, "Why have you come here?" Then the episode continued. They said, "Why did you leave your husbands and come?" They said, "Lord, let me give an example. You answer it, and we will go back. There is a pativrata wife. She does not drink even water without worshipping her husband. Her husband wants to go abroad for two or three days on some work. What should she do, because without worshipping her husband she cannot drink water?"

The Lord said, "Keep his reflection. Keep a picture, worship it, and when the real husband comes, say, 'Lord, very good.'" Now she is worshipping her husband, who is the reflection. The husband had gone out for two or three days, and while she was worshipping the reflection the husband came back. Lord, what should she do then? Should she worship the reflection, or leave the reflection and worship the real husband? The Lord said, "When the real husband has come, you should leave the reflection." They said, "That is exactly what we are doing. We are leaving the reflection and coming. Today you yourself have come, so we have found you."

sushu santya patin kit
Leaving the service of their husbands..

Someone heard the flute of her beloved and ran off. Someone was eating, and she left her meal. Shri Krishna, the beloved, has called. Klim, the expansion of desire. Some gopi was applying fragrant sandal paste and fragrant ointment to her body. She left everything and ran. Someone had applied collyrium to one eye only, and had not applied it to the other. She ran off just like that. Someone was putting on clothes, and she wrapped on whatever she could manage, all askew, and ran.

This is krishna-gruhita-manasa. It is not that she straightened her clothes and put them on properly, or applied collyrium to the other eye as well. No. It is the call of Shri Krishna. Her father and her husband, and everyone else, tried to stop her, but she could not be stopped. She could not be stopped, could not be stopped, could not be stopped. How could she be stopped? It is like a flood coming to a river. Show me someone who can stop it. In this way, the love of the krishna-gruhita-manasa gopis has swelled up like a flood in their hearts. Hearing the sound of the flute, klim, who can stop them now? Vishnu-mohan Bhagavan Shri Krishna has already taken away the life, mind, and soul of these gopis, everything.

parikshit kuch gopiyon ko antar gahta kit gop labdh vinirgama krishnam tad bhavna yukt dar milit lochna

Parikshit, some gopis who were inside their homes and could not get out, absorbed in thoughts of Krishna, closed their eyes.

Some gopis were locked in by the gopas, who shut the door from outside. These gopis were no ordinary women; they were great souls. They immediately sat down in meditation, and such intense separation arose in them, and the fire of that separation burned away all their impurities. Meditating, they saw Shri Krishna and embraced him, and such happiness came that all their merits were destroyed as well. When both merit and sin were destroyed, they took divine bodies and reached Shri Krishna ahead of the other gopis, who still had physical bodies.

Parikshit, they met Shri Krishna, their most beloved. Their bonds were completely broken, and they left behind the body made of the modes of nature:

tamev paramatma ja Buddha sangta jar gunamyam deham sya prakshan bandhna

They approached that very Supreme Soul even with a lover's attitude, and at once gave up their body made of the modes of nature, their bonds completely broken.

For Shri Krishna, the word jaar is used. It is said of a married woman who loves someone other than her husband. That is a worldly word. But toward the Supreme Husband, Shri Krishna, their true feeling of love is an unfailing feeling. Bhagwan is Paramatma. Shri Krishna. Giving up the body made of sin and merit, they reached close to Bhagwan in divine bodies, to join the divine Raas leela.

ai braj nari sunat bansi rapti bandhu bisare darshan Madan gopal manohar manaj tap nivare

The women of Braj came running on hearing the flute, forgetting their kin. The sight of the enchanting Madan Gopal removes the heat of the mind.

What is the form of Bhagwan? When the thirst of many lifetimes is quenched, one glimpse is enough. The gopis forgot everything and went to Bhagwan.

Then Parikshit ji raised a question. He asked:

krishnam vidu param kantam nat brahm taya mune gun pravaho parmasta gunadhiya katham

They know Krishna as their supreme beloved, not as Brahman, O sage. How could those whose minds are on the modes of nature be free from the flow of the gunas?

Toward Shri Krishna, the gopis do not have a Brahman attitude, a feeling that he is Paramatma. They have a beloved's attitude. My beloved, my husband, the lord of my life.

They do not have a Brahman feeling toward him. Shri Sukhdev ji answered the question, in line with the verse: kṛṣṇaṁ viduḥ paraṁ kāntaṁ na tu brahmatayā mune. They regard Krishna as their husband, their beloved, their dear one, but this is not a Brahman attitude. Further on, you will hear the gopis themselves say to Bhagwan:

nakhal gopika nandno bhava nakhil dehna mantratma da

You are not only the son of Yashoda. I know you are the Brahman who dwells in the heart of the whole moving and unmoving world, the inner witness of all embodied beings, present in everyone's heart.

How can it be that one's mind is attached to Bhagwan and yet one remains ignorant? That is not so. But here Parikshit ji is asking, to remove the doubts of us ignorant people. Toward Shri Krishna there is the supreme beloved feeling, but there is no Brahman feeling, is there? In that situation, their vision is on the material gunas. So how can they be released from the flow of the gunas and from the world, and reach Bhagwan with a body of pure consciousness and bliss?

Shri Sukhdev ji said:

uktam purastadetatte chaidyah siddhin yatha gat. Dwishannapi hrisheekesham kimutadhokshajapriyAh

I told you earlier how Chaidya attained perfection, even though he was hostile to Hrishikesh. How much more so the beloved gopis of Adhokshaja?

Hrishikesh's beloved. What a matter. These gopis, for their welfare, for their good, their word is decisive:

nihshreysarthay vyaktirbhagavto nrinam

The manifestation of the Lord is for the highest good of people.

Parikshit, look, the Raas is about to happen, so be very careful. Parikshit is asking so that no doubt arises later about the Raas. A king is a symbol of his people, so the king asks to remove all doubts: whether Bhagwan Shri Krishna has a Brahman attitude or a material attitude, and how they were freed from the flow of the natural qualities.

So he said: Parikshit, I have already told you that Chedi king Shishupal held a feeling of hatred toward Bhagwan. He used to count out abuses and hurl them. But in the end, he left his material body and became of the form of pure consciousness and bliss. He became a parshad of Bhagwan. In such a situation, the gopis, who love Shri Krishna, who are devoted only to Shri Krishna, whom Bhagwan loves, who are beyond prakriti and its gunas, attained the form of Bhagwan. What is surprising about this? Shishupal, who gave abuses, attained the form of Bhagwan. So these gopis, who love Bhagwan, and whom Bhagwan loves, attained Bhagwan's form. What is surprising about that? Parikshit, in truth, Bhagwan is free from birth, growth and decay, from measure and what is measured, from the relation of quality and the one who possesses quality. He is inconceivable, infinite, non-material, of supreme auspicious form, the sole refuge of all qualities.

He revealed himself and his leela for this one purpose: that living beings, by singing this leela, purify their hearts and attain Bhagwan. The mind must be joined to Bhagwan. Whether through desire, or kinship, affection or hatred, however the mind gets joined to Bhagwan, that is the Supreme Brahman, Paramatma, and welfare comes through his influence. The mind must be joined. Look, it is said:

kamam krodham bhay snehyam sadmevach nityam har vid dhatu ya tanmay taam hate

Whether through desire, anger, fear, affection, oneness or friendship, those who constantly fix their minds on Hari attain absorption in him.

Simply a connection with Bhagwan, whether it is through desire, anger, fear, affection, kinship or friendship, in whatever way it happens. In whatever attitude, when the vrittis are constantly and continuously joined to Bhagwan, the vrittis join with Bhagwan, and so every vritti becomes bhagwat

He becomes that very form. The jiva certainly attains Bhagwan, certainly. Look, look, Shri Sukhdev Ji had to say it: "Parikshit, from the mouth of a great Bhagwat like you, such a question had to be asked. From the mouth of a supreme devotee like you, one who knows the secret of the Lord, such a question should not arise. There should be no doubt."

na chav vismay karo bhavta bhagwatje yogeshwareshware Krishna vimuchte ta drishtika mayata bhagwan brajita avta shresho vacha pesh voh
You should not be surprised by this, O dear devotee of the Lord, for this is said of Krishna, the lord of the lords of yogis.

You should have no doubt at all about Shri Krishna in this way. For the lord of yogis, what is so surprising? By the mere resolve of his will, by a flick of his eyebrow, the entire world can attain Bhagwat-prapti.

For this very thing we must hold firm conviction, in a single second. We have no trust in our own sadhana. We trust in Shri Krishna's grace, and we trust Maharani Ji, from whom Shri Krishna himself begs for grace. Parikshit, by his mere resolve, by a mere gesture of his brow, the entire world can attain Bhagwat-prapti. Supreme welfare can come about. Now let us return to the topic.

sab gohya darshan Madan gopal manohar manas tap nivare harshit badan bank avlokan saras madhur dhun gawe madhumay Shyam saman dharadhri mohan
All the gopis beheld Madan Gopal, the charming one who removes the heat of the mind, his face joyful, his sidelong glance sweet, singing a melodious tune, honey-sweet, dark as Shyam, the enchanter.

The gopis saw the form of Lal, as the Mahaprabhu describes it:

rup madhuri nainan nirakh nek sakhi manas man haran madhur muskura de to karod kam murchhit ho jae
The sweetness of his form. Just a glance of the eyes, O sakhi, steals the mind. If he smiles sweetly, crores of Kamadevas would swoon.

Thus all the gopis saw Shri Lal Ji, with his flute held at his lips. When he saw that the gopis had arrived, he tucked the flute into his waistband. Bhagwan is the speaker of all speakers.

The greatest speaker, Jagadguru Bhagwan Shri Krishna Chandra Ji, spoke with skilful speech to bewilder them. Vimohayan means he is testing the gopis.

avat vatam shreshtho vaach pesh vimohyan
The best of speakers, bewildering with skilful speech.

By his own eloquence he was enchanting the gopis and testing them, because the teacher of all speakers, past, future and present, is this very Shri Krishna. Bhagwan said that "swagatam" (welcome) is spoken in only two places.

The first is to the wives of the brahmins, who scorned their husbands and brought food-plates for Krishna, the Lord of the world.

The second is to those who renounce all relationships and come to God. Bhagwan says, "Swagatam, O fortunate one. Welcome, welcome! The tapasya of many births has borne fruit." Bhagwan says welcome, welcome. Friend, even if you do not welcome me, still accept us. We are all wandering souls at your feet, and you are our friend, friends from birth after birth.

swagtam wo mahabhaga Priyam kim karan
Welcome, O fortunate ones. What may I do for your pleasure?

When Purañjana, in female form, was about to make himself a sati, taking on the husband-feeling of the king of Madhya Pradesh, a voice came from behind: "O friend, you are neither woman nor man."

"You are my friend, my dear one." "Who are you?" "I am your friend, but they remain unmanifest." "What name did Bhagwan tell you your friend has?" "Avigyat Sakha. It is not known. Avigyat Sakha, this Avigyat Sakha is a friend, and if they wish, everything happens in a single second." "Yes Krishna, yes Prananath. Nothing else should come out."

Now, just let him take it up, this is all his matter. Don't welcome us, but at least take it up, brother. Krishna-gati mānasā: if this is grasped, the matter is done. How to grasp? He has already called us, so grasp, just grasp our mind, our chitta, and make it your slave. That is the only longing: day and night, nothing should be remembered except him. That is the point.

We have indeed come to the very country of the gopis, and the discussion is of this very land where you are sitting. O fortunate ones, listen: this talk is sung throughout the whole universe, but where are you sitting to hear it? Sitting in the land of Raas. This is the swagatam, welcome, welcome. Who is that fortunate one who, for Shri Krishna, came having given up everything? Hearing the flute, the Braj-naris forgot their husbands, household and kin. So Bhagwan says:

swagtam wo mahabhaga Priyam kim karanwa
Welcome, O fortunate ones. What may I do for your pleasure?

Come, come, you are welcome. Tell me, what should I do to please you, what should I do so that you become happy? Understand, understand the words of Bhagwan: priyam kim karanava, what should I do that is dear to you, so that you feel joy.

When the gopis said nothing, he said:

brajasya namyam kachit bhutagman karnam
Is all well in Braj? Is there no trouble, that you have all come running here? What is the reason for your coming?

Maharaj is the chief speaker. First he makes body, mind and life all his own, and then he says, "Why have you come? Go and enjoy." He says, "You are the ocean of bliss. Where would you go to find bliss?" He is a great, great player, and he is not caught like this. Remember: if you go toward him, he will throw you away.

Gold, silver, rupees, money, and the pleasures of the world, they will all be thrown away. Look, don't come near me. Look, if some clever player leapt over them and moved ahead, you would embrace him. Listen carefully. Why was there any need to come here at this time? How did the need to come arise? You are calling..

rajanyesha ghorrupa ghorsattwanishevita. Pratiyat vrajam neh streenan swastri sumadhyamAh ॥

This night is dreadful in form and frequented by fierce beings. Return to Braj. Women should not stay here, O slender-waisted ones.

Women going alone into the forest at night is forbidden. Where liquor is drunk, that is called a tavern, a madhushala. Where there is a royal court, in a father's house, or in a forest place, when a marriage is performed (pani-grahan sanskar), the seven vows are made by the bride and the groom. So where many people are drinking, or in a lonely forest, or at a royal court, a political stage, or even one's father's house, one should not go without taking one's husband along, unless the husband gives permission and arranges protection. Bhagavan is saying that it is against the scriptures for you to have come here at night, into the forest, a place frequented by fierce beings. Return to Braj at once, O beautiful gopis, slender-waisted ones. This is night, and terrifying creatures are roaming the forest. Go back to Braj immediately. First they pull you, then they say, "Go, go into the world." "O brother, how did you drag us? We were only playing a game."

Why did I drag you into the world? I only want to see how firm your devotion to Krishna's love is. Women should not come to the forest at night. That is the scriptural rule. Look, not seeing you, your mothers, fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands are anxious. See, I am reminding you of everyone's love. Whom do they love? Not seeing you, look at your mother and father, your husband, and whatever sons, brothers, and relatives you have. Don't put them in fear. Go back. Oh, so you came to see the beauty of Vrindavan? They are not saying anything.

drishtam kusumitam Rakesh kar ranjitam yamuna neel leelai jat taru pallav shobhitam

Seen: the forest in full bloom, lit by the moon's rays, the Yamuna, and the trees adorned with tender shoots.

So did you see how beautiful Vrindavan is?

You have seen the beauty of Vrindavan, laden with flowers of many colours. It is painted with the full, gentle rays of the moon, as if someone painted it by hand. You have seen the sandbank of the Yamuna. You have seen the Yamuna. A cool breeze is blowing gently, and great beauty surrounds you. Now that you have all seen it, go back. Still the gopis did not move a single step, and did not say a word. Or, out of your affection for me, you have come, and you are bound by it.

athva madbhisnehadbhavteenan madarthinam. Agtanan priyte jantav ॥

Or, out of affection for me, you have come to me. Do not delay. Quickly return to Braj. You are all noble, chaste women. You have seen me. If you came out of love for me, you have seen me now, so go, all of you, and return. Serve your husbands; this is the supreme dharma of a woman. Bhagavan is teaching dharma: you are all chaste, and I know that serving a noble husband is the dharma of chaste women.

Go! Your little children must be crying. Go! The calves are bellowing. Go! Even the animals and birds of the world love me when they see me. If you came out of love, that is fine, but return. O auspicious gopis, the supreme duty of a woman is to serve her husband and his relatives with sincere devotion, and to raise her children. Women who wish to attain the highest worlds should never, having left their husband, think of anything else. They should worship their husband. Yes, if the husband acts against dharma, that is a different matter. Otherwise:

duhsheelo durbhago vriddho jado rogi dhanopi wa. Patih streenan param daivam..

Whether he is ill-natured, unfortunate, old, dull, sick, or even poor, a husband is a woman's supreme deity.

Suppose he is unfortunate, and has no wealth, property, or happiness. Even then, one should not abandon one's husband. If he is physically disabled, one should not abandon him. If he is foolish, one should not abandon him. If he is sick, one should not abandon him. If he is poor, one should not abandon him. Noble women should serve their husband and nothing else.

The next world is ruined. No happiness is found, and everything is lost. A woman who loves another man commits a very base act. In the present life she will suffer nothing but hardship, she who takes delight in a man who is not her husband, and in the next life she will suffer hell. This is the cause of hell. And the attainment of my love does not come from being physically near me.

shravnad darshanad dhyanan mayi bhavonukeertanat. Na tatha sannikarshen pratiyat tato grihan ॥

Love for me comes from hearing about me, seeing me, meditating on me, and chanting my glories. It does not come from being physically near me. Therefore, go back to your homes.

My love comes from chanting my name, from singing my leelas, and from hearing my stories.

My love comes from kirtan of my name, and from meditation on me. Being near me does not produce that same love as naam kirtan, meditation, and leela do. Go, all of you, home. Now the gopis could see no way forward. You have stolen our minds, you have stolen our hearts, and now you teach us dharma, saying, "Go back."

parikshit iti vipriymakarnya gopyo govindabhashitam. Vishanna bhagnasankalpashchintamapurduratyayam ॥

O Parikshit, having heard these unpleasant words spoken by Govinda, the gopis became despondent, their resolve broken, and they sank into an unbearable anxiety.

Hearing the unpleasant words of Shri Krishna, their beloved, they were told to go back. They became sad and dejected, their hope was broken, and they sank into an immeasurable ocean of worry: the one for whom we offered everything is abandoning us, saying, "Go back."

Hearing these words from Lord Krishna, their bimba-fruit-red lips dried up from the long, hot sighs born of grief. They lowered their faces and scratched the ground with the nails of their feet. Tears of sorrow flowed from their eyes and, mixed with kajal, reached their chests. Their hearts were so full of sorrow that they could not speak, and they stood silently. Why? Because the gopis have given up everything for Shri Krishna.

prashma priy tarmav pratibha samm krishnam tadartha vinivrit sarv kam
Dearest of the dear, they had renounced all desires for the sake of Krishna.

This is the special point. This is what a sadhak keeps trying to do his whole life: to give up all desires for Krishna's sake.

netr vimjitote kinchit sanam gadgad girota
Wiping their eyes, they spoke a little, their voices choked with emotion.

The gopis gave up all their desires, all their enjoyments and all their relationships for their beloved Shri Krishna. This is the special point: giving up all desires, enjoyments and relationships, and having exclusive and supreme love for Shri Krishna. When they heard Krishna's cruel and very unpleasant words, they felt great grief.

Their eyes were red from crying, and their throats were choked with tears. Now they steadied themselves, wiped away their tears, and with a voice choked with loving anger, they began to speak.

gopiyon ne kaha mav vibhu hati bhavan gadit tum nasam.
The gopis said: "O Lord, you should not speak such cruel words to us."

Only a gopi can make this claim. No ordinary person, not even a great divine soul, can make it, because it is a claim made by one who has turned her life to dust at Krishna's feet.

bhakta bhajaswa durwagrah ma tyajasman devo yathadipurusho bhajte mumukshun
"We have given up all other objects and taken refuge at your feet. Accept your devotees and do not reject us. As the Original Person, Narayana, graciously loves those who seek liberation, so should you love us."

yatpatyapatyasuhridamnuvrittiranga streenan swdharm iti dharmavida twayoktam.
"You, who know the essence of dharma, have said that serving husband, children, friends and kin is a woman's duty."

Lord, they said: "Yes, you are right, this is what you have taught. But you, the Lord, are the dearest and the Self of all embodied beings. Why do you tell us to go back?"

They said: "Your words are cruel, go back and leave us. We have given up everything and only love your feet. Yes, it is certain that you are stubborn. Your nature is very obstinate. You are free, and nobody controls you. If no one can control you, what can we do? But we pray to you: as the primal Lord Narayana graciously loves those who seek liberation, love us in the same way. Accept us and do not abandon us at your feet. Dear Shyamsundar, you know the secret of all dharmas. How then can you say, 'Go back, serve your husbands and sons'?"

Serving husband, children and kin is a woman's dharma. That is right. But what is the fruit of this service? The fruit of sadhana is siddhi, and the fruit of siddhi is the attainment of you. And after attaining you, you send us back to sadhana again. No, Lord. You are the Self of all embodied beings and the supreme Beloved of the husbands too. Only those great souls who are skilled in self-knowledge love you, because you alone are eternal, dear, and the Self. What is the purpose of these impermanent and painful husbands and sons? Look at the condition of the gopis: what purpose do these impermanent and painful husbands and sons serve? Those who know the Self love only you.

parmeshvar parmeshvar jo jante ho ki gopi bhagwan ko parmeshvar ne to dekho tan prasaddha parmeshvar madhya aata ta chirav netr
"O Supreme Lord, be pleased with us. Do not send us back. Show us your grace, O lotus-eyed one."

Be pleased with us, O Supreme Lord, and do not send us back. Show us grace, O lotus-eyed one. Do not cut off the hope and longing we have held in our hearts for you since long ago. Do not sever it. Look, we are not at fault here. Our minds were happily engaged in the world. You dragged our minds away, and having dragged them, you now want to abandon them. After this, you say that you are not worthy, that we are not qualified, that we are weak in sadhana.

yah sab daleelen theek nahi.
itam chitam sukhe bhavtam ga yat kara ga krite pado padam na chalav pad mla yam katham braj matho karva kiva
"Your mind has been stolen by you, the joy of home and hearth. Our hands are busy with household work, but our feet will not move from your lotus feet. How can we go to Vraja, and what can we do?"

All these arguments are not right. Dear beloved, our minds were happily engaged in our work and our households, and our hands were busy there. But you, right before our eyes, dragged away and looted our minds. You felt no difficulty in doing this, because you are the Enchanter of the heart. You are the form of supreme joy. But now, do you know what our state and our understanding are? Only Krishna, only you, and you are telling us to go back. Our feet will not move one step away from your lotus feet, and they are not moving. If we go to Braj, what will we do there, and for whom? Because you have stolen our minds. You are our everything, so for whom should we return? Beloved, dear friend, your gentle smile, your loving glance, and this enchanting music have set fire to our hearts for union with you.

Beloved, give us the gift of the nectar of your lips. Otherwise, I speak the truth. Only a gopi can say this. Only a gopi has this capacity.

sinchangasta dhara puke hasavok kalgi jaya nochey viha jagyukta deha dhyaneya padyo padvi sakhet
"Sprinkle us with the nectar of your lips. Your smile, your glances and your sweet flute have stirred our desire. If you do not, we will embrace the fire of separation and, meditating on your feet, reach your abode, O friend."

Friend, I speak the truth: I will not go back. But in your separation, I will burn in front of you, meditate on your feet, and attain you. By burning in separation before you, and destroying my body, I will reach you through meditation on your lotus feet.

Lord, we have heard that you love those who live in the forest very much, and that you love those who come having given up everything. You mostly stay with them. The lotus feet that Goddess Lakshmi gets to serve only now and then are continuously available to such devotees who give up everything and depend on you. We have received the touch of those very feet. From the day we got this good fortune, from the day we tasted this bliss, we are not anyone else's, we are only yours. Not even for a moment can we stay anywhere else.

I became unable. Serving husband, son and others is far off. I cannot stand before them even for a moment, because I have become Yours. This is the test for entry into the Raas.

Swami shri padas tulasya lavas padam kilat jushtam yasya swaveen krite sur prayas tadwayam chapa prapna ta prasan te mulam prapta visaj vasteepasnasa tat sundrit nireekshan teevr kam tapt naam purush bhushan deh dasyam vishalka mukham tav kundal gandasthala dhar sudham hasita datta bhay bhuj dand yugam vilokya vaksha karnam cha bhava dasy

Lakshmi, for whose gracious sidelong glance the great gods perform austerities, seeks the dust of Your feet along with Tulsi.

Our Lord, Lakshmi Ji, for whose gracious sidelong glance the great gods perform austerities.

Even though that same Lakshmi Ji has found a place on your chest without any rivalry, she still longs to obtain the dust of your feet along with Shri Tulsi Ji. All the devotees until now have partaken of this same dust of your feet. Like them, we too have come under the refuge of that same dust of your feet. Lord, whoever has taken refuge at your feet until today, you have embraced them and ended all their sufferings. We too have taken shelter at your feet. Please show mercy. Make us also worthy recipients of your gracious prasad.

Hoping for the chance to serve you, we have given up home, village, family and kin, and taken refuge at your pair of feet. O Beloved, accept us. Those caught up in the entanglements of household life have no leisure to contemplate you or to sing your bhajan. O ornament of men, O Purushottam, your sweet smile and your glances have kindled in our hearts a fire of longing for union in love. Every hair of ours longs only for union with Krishna, only Krishna. We are the maidservants of your feet. Accept us. Give us the opportunity to serve you.

Beloved, your lotus face, with curly locks glimmering. Your lovely cheeks, on which the beautiful earrings scatter infinite beauty. Your sweet smile, these lips that put nectar to shame, these enchanting eyes with their sidelong glance, this gentle, soft smile, these two arms that grant fearlessness, the most generous arms for those who take refuge, these fearless arms and shoulders, and this your chest. We have all become your maidservants; we have all been sold. This is the state of the gopi, absorbed in Krishna. Dear Shyamsundar, is there anyone in the three worlds who, seeing your form and hearing the flute's melody with its sweet ascending and descending notes and its many modulations, would not be enchanted?

Who is there in the three worlds? Who in the three worlds, seeing this enchanting form of yours, would not be captivated by such beauty? From a single drop of beauty the three worlds become beautiful, from one point in your ocean of beauty. Seeing this form of yours, cows, birds, trees and deer all are thrilled with love and horripilation. Who is there who, seeing you, would not be shaken from their own dignity, and would not, giving up family, clan and the fear of public shame, become devoted to you? This is no secret to us. I know what a wondrous nature the gopis have. They are great paramahamsas.

vyaktam bhavan braj bhayati haro bhajato devo yathad purush sur lok Gupta tano nidhi kar pankaj mar bandhu tne such kina

Clearly you have appeared as the remover of Braj's fear and distress, as the primeval Purusha Lord Narayan protects the devotees of the gods.

Lord, just as the primeval Lord Narayan protects the devotees of the gods, so you have appeared to remove the fear and sorrow of the Braj region. I know clearly that you are a kind friend. Your grace and love are great toward the poor and the suffering. Beloved, we too are distressed; we are very sorrowful. Our hearts burn with longing for union with you. We are all your maidservants. Place your lotus feet on our heads and on our chests, and grant us the gift of life.

Parikshit, Lord Shri Krishna is the Lord even of the Sanakadi yogis and of the Shiva-adi yogeshvaras. Though he is Atmaram, by the gopis' single-minded devotion, anguish and love, he, who needs no one and delights in himself, expects nothing from anything, object, person or place other than himself. Now the Lord smiled and spoke to all the gopis: "Come, you have come near." He who removes attachment to all the world and abides in my supreme attachment is the one who enters our Raas. Five forgot their bodily awareness; then in the sixth came the feeling of the Raas, and Lord Shri Krishna became favourable to the gopis.

Remaining established in his own form, he adapted his graceful gestures to the gopis. He laughed out loud. When he laughed, his bright white teeth were like kunda buds, and with a very loving glance he looked at all the gopis. The gopis saw the Lord was pleased, and all became delighted: "Now we won't have to go away." Seeing the Lord pleased, they surrounded him from all sides. At that time Lord Shri Krishna had such splendour, as if the moon were surrounded by its stars. Lord Shri Krishna, wearing the Vaijayanti garland, beheld the beauty of Vrindavan along with the gopis. On the holy sandy bank of the Yamuna, the wondrous flute, the taal, mridang, veena and upang, all the instruments began to play.

nadya pulin mavash gop him balukam reme tat tarand kumda mod vayuna shital mand sugandh vayu ba rahi

Entering the sandy bank of the river with the gopis, he delighted; a cool, gentle, fragrant breeze was blowing, carrying the waves of joy of the lotuses.

A cool, gentle, fragrant breeze was blowing, as if Yamuna herself had prepared the Raas mandal from sand with her own hands. The Lord, on the holy bank of the Yamuna, took all the gopis onto the Raas mandal. While beholding the beauty of Vrindavan, he began again the embrace with outstretched arms. Adapting to the gopis, the Lord manifested the wondrous Raas. Further discussion: Jai Shri Radhavallabh Lal.

yah path video ke swachalit (auto-generated) upasheershkon se liya gaya hai — ismen shabdon ki trutiyan ho sakti hain. Pramanik vachan ke liye video avashya sunen.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated subtitles. It may contain word errors. For authentic words, be sure to listen to the video.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)