Gopi Lila

Mahanidhi swami 

Srila Rupa Goswamipada states (Brs. (1.2.291) that the practice of raganuga-bhakti sadhana can begin when one has eager craving or strong desire (divine greed) to attain a bhaava or feeling similar to some particular residents of Vrindavana (vraja-vasi jana bhaava lubdho), such as Sri Radha and the gopis in madhura-rati, and to serve Sri Krishna in a similar way that they do. 

In Nectar of Devotion (pg. 125) Srila Prabhupada says, “There is a gradual development to become like a particular devotee.” Srila Rupa Goswamipada says (Brs.1.2.292) this development and divine greed occur by hearing [or reading] the scriptures. Sri Jiva Goswamipada says one should especially hear the Bhagavatam’s descriptions [six gitas of the Tenth Canto] of the sweet love and activities of the Vrajavasis to develop one’s interest to practice raganuga-bhakti sadhana. 

In (Brs.1.2.294) Srila Rupa Goswamipada says practicing raganuga-bhakti means to live in Vraja Mandala and be absorbed in hearing topics specifically related to the Vrajavasis whom you want to follow, such as Radhika and the Vraja-gopis. 

For devotees pursuing Vraja bhakti in the mood of the gopis conjugal love, the Srimad Bhagavatam contains six priceless jewels known as the six gitas or songs of the Vraja-gopis. As the Srimad Bhagavatam is the cream of the Vedas, these six gopi-gitas are the concentrated sweet burfy of the Bhagavata. Why is that you may ask? In these deeply emotional, love surcharged verses arising from their immaculately pure hearts, the Vraja-gopis reveal the topmost ecstatic loving sentiments of mahabhava or pure divine love for their dearly beloved Priyatama Shyama Bhagavan Sri Krishna! 

These songs are especially meant for sadhakas desiring to or following the path of raganuga-bhakti in pursuance of the madhura-rati of the Vraja-gopis as taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Devotees will quickly develop the moods and feeling of the damsels of Vraja by regularly hearing [or reading] these six songs of love divine. And moreover, since the Vraja-gopis are the topmost devotees of Bhagavan Sri Krishna in all of creation, any devotee who daily hears [or reads] these songs will surely increase his attraction, love and attachment for our Sweet Lord Sri Krishna. 

While commenting on the divine pastimes contained within these gitas, Srila Sukadeva Goswami (SB 10.33.36), “People must hear about these pastimes. By doing so they will become exclusively devoted to Lord Sri Krishna.” 

Here is a brief outline of the six songs:
1. Venu-gita: In these verses (10.21.7-19), the gopis describe Sri Krishna’s purvahna-lila (8:24-10:48 a.m.) after Govinda leaves in the morning to tend His cows in the forest with His cowherd friends. When the gopis back in the village hear Krishna sweet flute song echoing and resounding in the distant pastures, their hearts thrill with ecstatic hankering. In response, the lovely damsels of Vraja sing about their beloved Shyama, His amazing flute and Shyama’s enchanting pastimes in the land of Vrindavana. 

2. Pranaya-gita: This gita appears in the Tenth Canto at the end of the first chapter describing the rasa-lila, namely chapter 29 verses 31-41. After the gopis heard Sri Krishna’s flute invitation for conjugal love, they dropped everything, and ran through the dark frightening forest to stand right before their beloved Shyama. Yet Shyama appeared to reject them, so the damsels of Vraja forcefully expressed their loving sentiments and pure intentions. In these outpourings of deepest pure love, the Vraja-gopis reveal a type of sweetness in prema called pranaya. To better understand the gopis’ feelings at this time, please attentively read and reflect upon the following passage:

Pranaya-prema is the mentality of equality and oneness of heart between the lover and beloved. It includes boldness, firm faith and trust, and it is completely free from the slightest scent of reverence. Ujjvala-nilamani states that pranaya is the fifth stage (rati, prema, sneha, mana, pranaya) of ever-thickening sweetness in divine love. In pranaya prema the lover completely identifies with the beloved, but not like the oneness of the jiva identifying with Brahman in sayujya-mukti. 

At this level the lover feels that his life, mind, intelligence, body, and garments (prana, mana, buddhi, deha, vesh) are identical with the counterparts in his beloved. The lovers think, “You are my very prana and I am your very prana (life force).” Thus, in their loving exchanges there is no hesitation, fear or distance created by respect. For example, Sri Krishna can place His feet on Radharani’s breasts or pass His chewed pan into Radha’s mouth without any fear or hesitation. 

3. Gopi-gita: This gita appears in the Tenth Canto at the beginning of the third chapter describing the rasa-lila, namely chapter 31 verses 1-19. On the camphor white, soft sands of the Yamuna’s bank, the beautiful cowherd damsels of Vraja sang the Pranaya-gita in chapter 29 and this song late in the night (nisha-lila 10:48 p.m.-3:36 a.m.) during the course of the rasa dance pastimes after Sri Krishna suddenly disappeared from the scene. 

The gopis, overwhelmed by feelings of separation from Krishna, sat down on the bank of the Yamuna after continuously searching for Krishna for a long time. Each gopi began addressing Sri Krishna, the personal manifestation of all enjoyable tastes, according to her individual mode of ecstasy, and praying for Shyama’s merciful darsana. As the pastimes of Krishna spontaneously arose in the minds of the gopis, whose consciousness was fully imbued with Shyama’s presence, they sang their song (Gopi-gita), which relieves the agony of those suffering from the burning pain of separation from Krishna and which bestows supreme auspiciousness. 

4. Yugala-gita: This gita appears in the Tenth Canto in chapter 35 verses 2-25. Every day when Sri Krishna went to the forest, the minds of the gopis would run after their beloved Syama. While staying back in the village tending to their chores, the youthful damsels sadly passed the time singing of Krishna’s pastimes while eagerly awaiting Shyama’s return. 

Standing in small groups here and there in Vraja, the gopis recited pairs (yugala) of verses describing Sri Krishna’s late afternoon pastimes (aparahna-lila 3.36 p.m- 6 p.m) of returning from the pasturing grounds (uttara-gostha lila) with the cows and cowherd boys. 

5. Viraha-gita: This gita appears in the Tenth Canto in chapter 39 verses 19-31. This chapter describes how on a dismal day in February, Akrura came to Vraja to take the tender boys Krishna and Balarama out of Vraja and on to Mathura City for a wrestling match with the fierce and hefty henchmen of the notorious demon King Kamsa. Priyaji Radha and the other gopis were frightened at the prospect of even the briefest separation from their Priyatama Shyama, who is their very life and soul. So when they heard the news, they became extremely upset and distressed.

Their faces turned pale from their heavy breathing, and their dresses, bracelets and braids began to slip off. When Radhika heard about this She remembered some of Her sweet intimate moments with Shyama and fainted. 
Tossed by the high waves of prema, the Vraja-gopis spent the night in the grips of various emotions like madness and fainting. Losing all external awareness, the gopikas began to remember Krishna’s pastimes. They lamented and condemned the creator for separating them from Shyama. The gopis said that Akrura did not deserve his name, which literally means not (a) cruel (krura), since he was actually very cruel to be taking away their dearest Shyama.

Due to the intense anxiety of thinking that they may never see Krishna again, the gopis regained external consciousness. Thus at dawn, the lovely damsels of Vraja thought let us forget our shyness and try to stop our Priyatama from leaving Vrindavana. Then they eagerly gathered in great longing before Nanda’s door to express their deep feelings of love of separation in what is called the “Viraha Gita”. 

In Sri Krishna’s divine love affairs with Srimati Radhika and the newly married brides of Vraja there are four types of meeting or sambhoga and four types of separation, which is called viraha or vipralambha. When lovers are separated by a great distance for a long time it is a type of separation or viraha called sudura-pravaasa. 

In Nectar of Devotion (ch 44), Srila Prabhupada cites Srila Rupa Goswamipada’s Padyavalli to describe this: “Since the inauspicious day when Krishna left Vrindavana to go to Mathura, Srimati Radharani has been pressing Her head on one of Her hands and constantly shedding tears. Radha’s face is always wet now, and therefore there is no chance of Radha’s sleeping even for a moment. Radharani was always weeping for Krishna because of His separation and She could not sleep for a moment.” 

And how did Krishna feel in separation from His dearly beloved sweetheart Radhika? In the Prahlada-samhita Uddhava says, “Lord Govinda, panic-stricken due to being pierced by the arrows of Cupid, is always thinking of Radharani, and He is not even accepting His regular meals. Nor is Govinda able to sleep at night.” 

6. Bhramara-gita: This gita appears in the Tenth Canto in chapter 47 verses 12-20. After Sri Krishna left the gopis and went to Mathura, He sent Uddhava back to Vrindavana with a message to pacify the gopis who were completely distraught in Krishna’s separation.

When the young maidens of Vraja saw lotus-eyed Uddhava, who wore a yellow garment and attractive earrings, they were astonished at how much he resembled Krishna. The gopis brought Uddhava to a secluded place where he could speak to them confidentially.

Remembering their pleasurable pastimes with Krishna, the gopis abandoned all propriety and shyness and loudly cried. At that time, Sri Radha saw a bumblebee and mistook it to be a messenger of Uddhava or someone very dear to him and Krishna. Completely bewildered by intense pangs of love in separation from Shyama (divyonmada mahabhava), Radha spoke to that bee like a madwoman.

Although Uddhava tried his best to console the deeply anguished Radharani and the damsels of Vraja, who were so anxious to see their dearly beloved Shyama once again, he failed. Rather than helping or pacifying the Vraja-gopis, Uddhava himself became completely baffled and amazed by the depth and extent of Srimati Radhika’s intensely mad love in separation from Shyama. 

In response, Uddhava spontaneously praised the gopis with prayers of gratitude, glorification, appreciation and aspiration. Uddhava, the direct disciple of the great Brhaspati; the confidential friend of Lord Krishna, and the wise counselor to the Yadavas was begging the simple cowherd damsels of Vraja to bless him with the dust of their feet in some future lowly birth of his as a creeper on the ground of Vrindavana. It seems this pastime occurred during the morning (purvahana-lila 8:36-10:48 a.m.)
We hope this short article will inspire devotees to cultivate their individual budding attraction to follow the Vraja-gopis by regularly hearing and reading these gitas of the Tenth Canto. 

To facilitate the daily hearing of the gopis’ six gitas we are offering a free download audio CD titled “Gopi Lila’ on our website mnsaudio.com. It contains these six gopi gitas—the songs the Vraja-gopis sang, either in times of union or separation, while relishing the ecstasy of their srngara-prema prema or pure ecstatic conjugal love for Shyamasundara, the beautiful dashing sweet Lord of Love, The CD contains another track titled “Kuruksetra Vrajavasi Milana”, which is the Tenth Canto chapter 82, “Krishna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrindavana”. This reveals the most amazing meeting of Sri Krishna and the Vraja-gopis in Kuruksetra [before the battle] after more than fifty tortuous years of separation.
Jai Jai Sri Radhe!