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The Gopis put on their garments
And got ready for
The loving encouter
With their Beloved Shri Krishna.
Their minds were so captivated that
They could not move.
Their bashful glances were
Riveted upon Him.
Shrimada Bhagvatam - 10th Canto - Rasa lila - verse 23 �
Subodhiniji (by Shri Vallabhacharyaji)
Now the Gopis prepare for the lila. Each one of them adorn themselves with divine garments. They are getting ready for the love plays with their Beloved. They are masterminding the attainment of the third pursuit of life, perfect desire.
The Gopis are filled with ras, otherwise the amorous mood would have no support and loving nectar would dimish. This is the lila position of their bodies. Now understand the plight of their inner faculties of cognition. Their minds have been ravished.
Krishna is captivated by the Gopis and the Gopis are entranced by Him. Their mutual allurement has to do with Who is the collaborator And who is the performer. When Shri Krishna was the collaborator, His mind was stolen by the Gopis, the doers, when they put on their divine garments. The Gopis became the collaborators, (the connecting forces) and were captivated when Shri Krishna the performer was pleased with them.
The Gopis ability to make any decisions was impeded when the sprout of desire arose firmly within them. At that moment, they were no longer able to move. Their power of knowledge was suspended. A good utilization of ras arose when their bashful looks were riveted upon Shri Krishna. At that moment, their bashfulness inspired in them total dedicated.
Some say that they then realized their previous fault of not coming before their Beloved but actually everything manifested because of their bhava, their loving Krishna outlook. This made their bodies, faculties of awareness and senses all fall into a state of total bhava.
Tiippani (by Shri Gusaiji)
The Gopis have became a collection of divine rases, Krishna's nectar has penetrated their every limb. Now they are worthy of Shri Krishna's divine love just as it is revealed in the Kama Sutras, the sacred book of love. If they did not become saturated with ras, Krishna's nectar would have nowhere to reside. But now that they are nectar-worthy, they prepare themselves for the love games with their beloved Bhagavan, like warriors who get ready for a mighty battle. This all arose after they received their garments filled with lila fervor.
You can't say that any of this is improper. If their bodies did not become full of divine longings, Shri Krishna's nail and teeth marks, and other acts of love that are mentioned in the Kama Sutra would have no worthy place to make their impressions. After all, these Gopis are Krishna's wives and Shri Krishna is perfectly beyond all worldly virtues. He is a mass of nectar and made them like Himself when He entered them. They were transformed, spiritually perfected without recourse to the process of time. Now full of His bhava, they are unaware of anything else.
Translated from the original by Shyamdas.
He has translated numerous books on Pushti Marg.
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