“Sri Sukadeva Goswami said, in this way after hearing such sweet words from Lord Sri Krsna and having received His personal association, all the Gopis became free from their distress caused by His separating from them.”

sri suka uvaca itt ham
bhagavato gopyah srutva
vacah supesalah jahur-virahajam
tapam tad-angopacitasisah

PURPORT BY SRI KRSNA BALARAM SWAMIJI

Lord Krsna performed many categories of transcendental pastimes among which His romantic dance is filled with a superlative degree of purity and is the disposition of pure consciousness. This pastime is based upon the stealing of the Gopis’ robes. When the robe-like contaminated mind is transformed through rigidly following the spiritual path only then this pastime of the Lord is appropriately grasped. The materialistic untrained mind can only think erroneously.

There are two categories of spiritual processes-one is bound by the rules and regulations of the scriptures; and the other is spontaneous, situated beyond the rules and regulations of the scriptures. Just as one has to rigidly follow all the rules of the scriptures to be successful in the first process, similarly the rules of the scriptures become an obstacle on the path of the second process. It is not that one knowingly ignores the rules of the scriptures while engaging in pleasing the Lord in the second process, but all the rules are automatically omitted when a devotee becomes properly advanced on the spiritual path. Externally following the scriptural rules are necessary until all the senses, their functions, and the heart does not automatically become immersed in pleasing the ocean of love, Lord Sri Krsna.

Every movement of all the Gopis who were to participate in Lord Krsna’s romantic dance had become fully supercharged with transcendental love of Lord Krsna. They relinquished all material attachment such as their husbands, children, relatives, possessions, social shame, good or bad karma, desire for heaven and so on. They came out from their homes to be with Lord Krsna. They were such a quality of devotees who, although engaged in household activities in their homes, were not at all attached to any material things. On their tongue were the names of Lord Krsna, in their eyes was the form of Lord Krsna, in their hearts they meditated on Lord Krsna’s pastimes, and their bodies were anxious to be with Krsna. This was the reason that as soon as they heard the flute sound of Krsna, they instantly left their homes. One may wonder why did Lord Krsna call the Gopis to a desolate forest? To this the Niti Sastra states, “Love is enjoyed properly in a solitary place, and such an affair is to be kept secret always.” Therefore Lord Krsna decided to call the Gopis at night to the forest because that was His solitary place.

Although the romantic dance and dealings between Lord Krsna and the Gopis and vice versa seems to be like dealings of ordinary people, it is indeed completely transcendental to this world. This pastime of the Lord can only be relished by those whose hearts have become fully purified, whereas an ordinary spiritual practitioner may slip away from the correct understanding of it. Therefore it is necessary for those who want to understand this secretive pastime of the Lord to come out of materialistic awareness and situate themselves on the transcendental platform. In such a state one can taste the supreme nectar of this pastime.

Anyone who becomes purified through the practice of devotional service becomes free from the web of material entanglements, as found with the Gopis who became free from their despondence. One may wonder why the Gopis’ burning sensation from separation from Lord Krsna did not fully go away after meeting with and hearing from Him? In answer to this the Niti Sastra states:

vidagdhanam mitho
lila-vilasena yatha sukham
na tatha samprayogena
iti sastra vinirnayah

“The scriptures state that the burning sensation in the heart of shrewd and crafty people becomes pacified through the pleasure received from amorously participating in a romantic dance with loving exchanges, but they do not receive that much appeasement from only revelry and consoling words.”

[Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.33.1, KBS0052]