Çré Parçva Ekädaçé Issue no: 219 26th Sep 2023

The Highest Perfection of Loving Service

The Reunion The Highest Perfection of Loving Service
Srila Sukadeva Goswami By the disciples of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The Eight Principal Gopis Devotional Service in Conjugal Love

Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakura Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
 Issue no 219, Page — 2
The Reunion
Srila Sukadeva Goswami
Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, having thus
sung and spoken their hearts out in various
charming ways, the gopis began to weep loudly.
They were very eager to see Lord Krishna. Then
Lord Krishna, a smile on His lotus face, appeared
before the gopis. Wearing a garland and a yellow
garment, He directly appeared as one who can be-
wilder the mind of Cupid, who himself bewilders
the minds of ordinary people. When the gopis
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
saw that their dearmost Krishna had returned to
them, they all stood up at once, and out of their
affection for Him their eyes bloomed wide. It was
as if the air of life had reentered their bodies. One
gopi joyfully took Krishna’s hand between her
folded palms, and another placed His arm,
anointed with sandalwood paste, on her shoul-
der. A slender gopi respectfully took in her joined
hands the betel nut He had chewed, and another
gopi, burning with desire, put His lotus feet on
her breasts. One gopi, beside herself with loving
anger, bit her lips and stared at Him with frown-
ing eyebrows, as if to wound Him with her harsh
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
glances. Another gopi looked with unblinking eyes
upon His lotus face, but even after deeply relishing
its sweetness She did not feel satiated, just as mystic
saints are never satiated when meditating upon the
Lord’s feet. One gopi took the Lord through the
aperture of her eyes and placed Him within her
heart. Then, with her eyes closed and her bodily
hairs standing on end, she continuously embraced
Him within. Thus immersed in transcendental
ecstasy, she resembled a yogi meditating upon the
Lord. All the gopis enjoyed the greatest festivity
when they saw their beloved Keshava again. They
gave up the distress of separation, just as people
in general forget their misery when they gain the
association of a spiritually enlightened person.
Encircled by the gopis, who were now relieved of
all distress, Lord Acyuta, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, shone forth splendidly. My dear King,
Krishna thus appeared like the Supersoul encircled
by His spiritual potencies.
The almighty Lord then took the gopis with Him
to the bank of the Kalindi, who with the hands of
her waves had scattered piles of soft sand upon the
shore. In that auspicious place the breeze, bearing
the fragrance of blooming kunda and mandara
flowers, attracted many bees, and the abundant
rays of the autumn moon dispelled the darkness of
night. Their heartache vanquished by the ecstasy
of seeing Krishna, the gopis, like the personified
Vedas before them, felt their desires completely ful-
filled. For their dear friend Krishna they arranged
a seat with their shawls which were smeared with
the kunkuma powder from their breasts. Lord
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
for whom the great masters of mystic meditation
arrange a seat within their hearts, took His seat in
the assembly of gopis. His transcendental body, the
exclusive abode of beauty and opulence within the
three worlds, shone brilliantly as the gopis wor-
shiped Him. Sri Krishna had awakened romantic
desires within the gopis, and they honored Him
by glancing at Him with playful smiles, gesturing
amorously with their eye- brows, and massaging
His hands and feet as they held them in their laps.
Even while worshiping Him, however, they felt
somewhat angry, and thus they addressed Him
as follows.
[The gopis said:] Some people reciprocate the
affection only of those who are affectionate toward
them, while others show affection even to those
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Issue no 219, Page—3
who are indifferent or inimical. And yet others will
not show affection toward anyone. Dear Krishna,
please properly explain this matter to us.
[The Supreme Personality of Godhead said:]
So-called friends who show affection for each
other only to benefit themselves are actually self-
ish. They have no true friendship, nor are they
following the true principles of religion. Indeed,
if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they
would not reciprocate. My dear slender-waisted
gopis, some people are genuinely merciful or, like
parents, naturally affectionate. Such persons, who
devotedly serve even those who fail to reciprocate
with them, are following the true, faultless path of
religion, and they are true well-wishers. Then there
are those individuals who are spiritually self-sat-
isfied, materially fulfilled or by nature ungrateful
or simply envious of superiors. Such persons will
not love even those who love them, what to speak
of those who are inimical. But the reason I do not
immediately reciprocate the affection of living
beings even when they worship Me, O gopis, is
that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They
then become like a poor man who has gained some
wealth and then lost it, and who thus becomes so
anxious about it that he can think of nothing else.
My dear girls, understanding that simply for My
sake you had rejected the authority of worldly
opinion, of the Vedas and of your relatives, I acted
as I did only to increase your attachment to Me.
Even when I removed Myself from your sight by
suddenly disappearing, I never stopped loving you.
Therefore, My beloved gopis, please do not harbor
any bad feelings toward Me, your beloved. I am
not able to repay My debt for your spotless service,
even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection
with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped
Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult
to break. Therefore, please let your own glorious
deeds be your compensation.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
Bonum » Chapter 32 » Verses 1–22 » Translations by Disciples of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The Eight Principal Gopis
Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakura
The seven gopis mentioned so far in this chap-
ter are the first seven of the eight principal gopis,
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 219, Page — 4
Top left 4
whose status allowed them to immediately ap-
proach Sri Krishna upon His reappearance. The
äcärya quotes a verse from the Çré Vaiñëava-toñaëé
that gives the names of these seven as Chandravali,
Shyamala, Shaibya, Padma, Sri Radha, Lalita and
Vishakha. The eighth is understood to be Bhadra.
Çré Vaiñëava-toñaëé itself quotes a verse from the
Skanda Puräëa that declares these eight gopis to
be the principal among the three billion gopis. De-
tailed information about the hierarchy of gopis is
available in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Ujjvala-nélamaëi.
The Padma Puräëa confirms that Sri Radha is the
foremost of the gopis:
yathä rädhä priyä viñëos
tasyäù kuëòaà priyaà tathä
sarva-gopéñu saivaikä
viñëor atyanta-vallabhä
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
"Just as Srimati Radharani is most dear to Krish-
na, Her bathing pond is similarly dear. Of all the
gopis, She is the most beloved of the Lord."
The Båhad-gautaméya-tantra also names Sri-
mati Radharani as Krishna's foremost consort:
devé kåñëa-mayé proktä
rädhikä para-devatä
sarva-lakñmé-mayé sarva
käntiù sammohiné parä
"The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani
is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna.
She is the central figure for all the goddesses of
fortune. She possesses all attractiveness to attract
the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is
the primeval internal potency of the Lord." (This
translation is Srila Prabhupada's English render-
ing of Caitanya-caritämåta, Ädi 4.83.)
Additional information about Sri Radha is given
in the Åg-pariçiñöa (the supplement to the Åg Veda):
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
rädhayä mädhavo devo mädhavenaiva rädhikä/
vibhräjante janeñu. "Among all persons, it is Sri
Radha in whose company Lord Madhava is espe-
cially glorious, as She is especially glorious in His."
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
Bonum » Chapter 32 » Verse 7 » Särärtha-darçiné of Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti
Thakur
The Highest Perfection of Loving Service
By the disciples of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gétä, ye
yathä mäà prapadyante täàs tathaiva bhajämy
aham: [Bg. 4.11] "As people approach Me, I re-
ciprocate with them accordingly." Yet even if the
Lord is approached by someone with devotion,
to intensify the devotee's love the Lord may not
immediately reciprocate fully. In fact, the Lord
is truly reciprocating. After all, a sincere devotee
always prays to the Lord, "Please help me to
love You purely." Therefore the Lord's so-called
neglect is actually the fulfillment of the devotee's
prayer. Lord Krishna intensifies our love for Him
by apparently separating Himself from us, and the
result is that we achieve what we really wanted and
prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth,
Krishna. Thus Lord Krishna's apparent negli-
gence is actually His thoughtful reciprocation and
the fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.
According to the äcäryas, as Lord Krishna began
to speak this verse the gopis looked at one anoth-
er with squinting eyes, trying to hide the smiles
breaking out on their faces. Even as Lord Krishna
was speaking, the gopis had begun to realize that
He was bringing them to the highest perfection of
loving service.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
Bonum » Chapter 32 » Verse 20 » by Disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhak-
tivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Devotional Service in Conjugal Love
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Association with saintly persons is so power-
ful that it eradicates even the most abominable
impurities from one's heart and elevates the
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Issue no 219, Page—5
spirit soul to the level of complete perfec-
tion. Unfortunately, such saintly association
is not always available, and thus the follow-
ing instructions are given to us in this verse.
Humbly pray to Radha-Krishna to overcome deceit
A humble plea indicates a mood of sincere
surrender and devotion, particularly when
the devotee feels that he is the most wretched
person with out any shelter to protect him.
Srila Rupa Gosvami writes in his Sri Gandhar-
va-samprathana-astakam:
“O Radharani! You and Lord Krishna are con-
stantly relishing Your ambrosial amorous pastimes
in the groves of Vrindavana like the intoxicated
king of elephants sporting with his queen ele-
phants. Please be compassionate upon this soul,
and thus being pleased, allow me to behold Your
two lotus-like faces.
“Alas, Sri Radha, O Gandharvika! Wretched
and miserable, I throw myself to the ground like
a stick and implore You with a choking voice to
hear my plea that You kindly be pleased with me
and consider me as one of Your maidservants.
“O Srimati Radharani! Your beloved Shyamasun-
dara, Krishna, is much more charming than Lord
Narayana. His beauty enchants the entire creation.
You are always present on His left, embraced by
His arm, and Your exquisite beauty far surpasses
the beauty of Laksmidevi. Oh, when will I be able
to see this Divine Couple and serve Them with
all my heart?
“O my worshipable mistress, Radharani! I yearn
to become Your maid-in-attendance and to dress
Your transcendental form in a blue sari and to
remove the ankle bells from Your lotus feet, and
in this way to dress You appropriately for Your
nocturnal rendezvous with Your beloved Krish-
na, the beautiful young son of Nanda Maharaja.
I want to send You off to Your lover's tryst in the
amorous groves where Your paramour awaits. O
Radha, when will this wonderful opportunity be
available to me?
“O Srimati Radhika! You and Lord Krishna
are the finest adornment within all creation. In
groves of love You lie on a bed of flowers and
exchange dalliances of love. Oh, when will I be
blessed to serve You and Your beloved's lotus feet?
“O Queen of Vrindavana! When will I be able
to fan You with a cämara? When You and Your
beloved Krishna come to relax under the tree on
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya
 Issue no 219, Page — 6
the banks of Radha-kunda after becoming fatigued
from Your amorous pastimes, pearls of perspira-
tion decorate Your bodies. I wish to find You in
this condition and soothe away Your weariness.
“O beautiful-eyed Radha! Sometimes You hide
in a well-concealed spot within the forest groves,
but Krishna somehow comes to know Your ex-
act hiding place and naturally catches You. You
suddenly suspect me of revealing Your place of
concealment and begin to question me. I begin to
stutter, 'It wasn't me! Chitralekha tattled on You.
So please do not frown and chastise me so!' Oh,
when will I be able to speak entreating words like
these to You in the presence of Sri Krishna?
“When you defeat Krishna in a playful bouts of
words You laughingly boast about Your victory to
your girlfriends, Your sakhis. They appreciate Your
victory very much and cheer You on with 'Jaya Rad-
he! Jaya Radhe!' Oh, When shall I become fortu-
nate enough to participate in Your victory chorus?
“Anyone who reads this prayer with faith and love,
glorifying the superexcellent character of Srimati
Radharani, the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, will
surely attract Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna
to appear before him in person, being very much
pleased with him.”
Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org
nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
The cure for all pretentiousness, whereas the
pure soul is inherently simple and honest, deceit
is the living entity's overriding contamination. As
soon as the jiva comes in contact with ignorance
and nescience he becomes dishonest, arrogant,
and yearns for worship and status, seeking de-
ceitful ways and ever endeavoring in transient
material activities. He thus distances himself from
his original spiritual consciousness, or Krishna
consciousness. But if that same unfortunate soul
realizes that his true position is to feel himself
humbler than even the straw in the street, and
therefore develops the intelligence to respect oth-
ers according to their positions, simultaneously
taking complete shelter of the holy names of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, then surely he
will receive the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna and con-
comitantly the grace of all the saintly personalities.
Devotional service in conjugal love
Srila Rupa Gosvami describes conjugal srnga-
ra-rasa in the following way:
“The fifth mellow, namely conjugal love, is
the crown jewel of all spiritual mellows. First
comes deep loving attraction for Krishna, which
is known as madhura-rati. When this attraction
 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
intermingles with the four ecstatic feelings of
vibhava, anubhava, sattvika and vyabhicari, one
can then actually taste the conjugal mellow.”
For example, in the mellows of servitorship, friend-
ship, and parenthood, a deep and steady attraction
known as sthayi-bhäva mingles with the four ec-
static feelings and produces rasa, or mellow. In the
conjugal mellow, Lord Krishna and Srimati Rad-
harani are the alambana principle, or the support,
and Their qualities are uddipana, or stimulants to
the madhura-rasa. While participating in their pas-
times, the gopis and sometimes even Lord Krishna
Himself manifest the eight varieties of ecstatic
symptoms known as the asta-sattvika-vikaras and
the thirty-three devotional sentiments known as vy-
abhicäri-bhävas. Thus these churn the ocean of rasa.
Development of rasa
When sadhana-bhakti, or devotional service in
the stage of practice, matures into bhava-bhakti, or
spontaneous devotional service, it is automatically
transformed into sthayi-bhava, or permanent spir-
itual sentiment. Later, when it intermingles with
the four ecstasies of vibhava, anubhava, sattvika,
and vyabhicari, rasa is produced and bhava-bhakti
is transformed into prema-bhakti, or devotional
service in pure love of Godhead. This is some-
times called bhakti-rasa. All of Krishna's pastimes
in Vrindavana, particularly His activities with the
gopis, are perfect examples of this rasa. Unalloyed
devotees who are fortunate enough to be elevated
to the platform of prema-bhakti-rasa first become
assistants to the gopis and intensely implore Srimati
Radharani to bestow Her causeless mercy. Then,
a ray of hladini-sakti, Radharani's own potency,
enters their hearts and the buds of prema-rasa, or
loving mellows, begin to blossom. No other process
for attaining prema-rasa is effective.
Paramananda, the highest happiness
By means of jnana the living entity may sometimes
experience brahmananda, or the bliss of brahman
realization, and thus become situated in self-real-
ization. But without the mercy of Radharani he
can never experience paramananda, or the highest
spiritual happiness. For this the jiva has to pray
very sincerely and humbly to attain the devotion-
al sentiments of a resident of Vraja and become
intensely greedy for such ecstasy. He then takes
shelter of the sakhis, or girlfriends of Radharani, or
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Issue no 219, Page—7
of their assistants, the manjaris. By serving them
he gradually increases his eligibility of becoming
ever more intimately connected with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna, and
thereby his chances of rendering further direct and
confidential service increase.
Obtaining the mercy of the gopis
One obtains this special grace of Srimati Radhara-
ni by receiving the mercy of Her girlfriends, and
as the mercy increases, the hladini-sakti matures,
eventually engaging the spirit soul in the Divine
Couple's personal ecstatic service, bestowing sub-
lime spiritual joy upon him. It is very important
to note that as long as the jiva considers himself
as male, he is barred from participating in such
intimate devotional mellows. This realm is far
beyond any bodily conception, for in the primeval
spiritual state the soul receives a female form for
participating in this rare mellow that has absolutely
nothing in common with mundane forms, male or
female. If one tries to interpolate the mundane onto
the spiritual, the ensuing result is spiritual suicide,
disastrous for real transcendental life.
— Çré Manaù Çikñä » Verse Eight » Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura » Translated
by Sarvabhavana dasa
!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
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Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada
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