Silent they stood and gazed on the Beauty, the concentrated love of a
world in each eye.
A spiritual force that swept from its path all matter was theirs, as
they beheld that Centre to which their hearts did gravitate.
The strains of the flute that made the heaven to bend to the earth, that
brought the stars closer to the hillsides, and drew the gods from their
abodes of light, had ceased; and the voice of Him that was All-Love fell
on the ears of the Gopis in sound as sweet as the flute's dear strains:
"O Gopis mine, maids of Braja! My peace and greeting be with you all!
But why are ye here one and all? Tell Me this!
"The hour is late, and your homes at a distance are, and the forests are
dark, and wild beasts are in plenty. And alone ye have come without
husband, or father!
"What is it, pray tell Me, that brings you here? Is it love for Me that
brings you here? I draw all to Myself and all love Me.
"But, O Gopis dear, the Scriptures ever have said that the chaste woman
leaveth not her husband, father and babe, to look on the face of a
youth.
"Pure are your hearts, I know; but it is not good that ye come to Me,
and it looseneth your chances to reach that place where all of your
hearts do long to dwell, when to your bodies ye have said farewell.
"Perhaps ye have come to see the forest, silvered by the autumn full
moon! Or mayhap to greet the breezes that come from the hillsides! Or
the blossoms of the trees that grace its sides to behold! If this be so,
now ye have seen them, depart to your homes, lest the hearts of your
friends be alarmed at your absence."
The bevy of women, that crowded about Him, grew pale with pain and ashen
with fear. Tears came to their eyes and anxiety to their souls, as they
heard the words of Him who was all in all to them; till one, more brave
than the rest, broke forth:
"O Lord, for the Master of Love art Thou, send us not away from Thy
side. All have we left to serve Thee, our Master. Husbands have we, and
fathers and brothers, but to Thee alone we belong. They are but the
keepers of our earthly bodies: Thou art the custodian of our souls.
"Our souls are Thine, for Thou art the Soul from which we came; and
panting we come to find again the Home wherein to rest.
"Difficult art Thou to find, O Lord! and now we have found Thee, Oh
thrust us not from Thy Lotus Feet, we who find our joy and happiness in
Thee!
"Thy flute hath drawn us from our homes! Oh, suffer us to remain with
Thee and know Thee as Thou art! Unable are we to live without Thy love,
O Lord! and our duties of home cannot engage us since our minds are ever
contemplating Thee.
"If Thou sendest us away, we shall die. Be Thou kind to us, Thy
servants, and grant us to serve Thee with our Love."
Then singing into their midst He came, He the Lord of the Highest, the
Lord of Love and Lord of the Lowest and Lord of Mercy! And with mighty
Love swayed He all alike. And each self was forgotten and Love alone
was.
Now singing in chorus, now dancing, now skipping, the Lord and his
maidens in those forest groves roamed, till the river was reached.
Then, from over-much pleasure, proud each maid became, and her simple
joy to vanity was turned because thus she was favored by Krishna, the
youth Krishna, the Heavenly One, Krishna, the Glorious of all glorious
ones!
He, noting this, to punish the sin of vanity, in swiftness from them
vanished; and with his going the sin was gone.
Maddened by love, the maids pleaded to the skies and the trees and the
flowers for Him, who was their life. But still He came not.
So absorbed in Him they became, themselves they forgot, and even as
Krishna they thought they were. And imitating His acts they cried to one
another: "Lo, I am Krishna! See, I hold the mountains on high! Lo,
Putanā I slay and baffle the rage of Indra with my power!" And still
came He not.
Then they sang His praises, then with breaking hearts they wailed and
prayed for Him to return to their midst. At this He came, for ever is
the Lord most kind to the lowly and sorrowing.
And He soothed their grief and brought light to their hearts; and
forming a circle about Him, in ecstasy they danced. And now He, that was
the King of the upper world and of all the earth, of the plants and
oceans and clustering stars. He, the Lord of all might and Yoga power,
Himself divided into many Krishnas; and each Gopi thought she, herself,
danced alone with the Glorious One that as Krishna was known.
And the dance began lightly, then madder became; and He who had come on
earth to teach man Love, manifested Himself in every maid that lightly
and rarely stepped at His side, as they danced in that grove on that
wondrous night.
And the lotus blossoms wept tears of nectar on seeing the dance, and
birds and bees from unknown trees and flowers came forth and whirled
round and round the heads of the dancing ones.
And the heavens showered blossoms rare, and the gods who had stolen from
their abode to watch the Feast of Love that Krishna gave to the lovely
milkmaids, lo, senseless became at the first sight of that revel of
Bliss!
And night throbbed and panted and forgot to draw its curtain to let day
in, but lengthened into aeons.
The veil from every Gopi's eye was drawn, and they gazed into the ocean
of active spirituality and spiritual became. And all sin that were
theirs no more was there.
And in that mighty dance a flood of spirituality went forth that took
from the heart of men and the bosom of earth the sins with which they
were burdened withal. And men's hearts were won by the force of that
Love and were led to the door of that sacred abode, where only the
loving may go.
And the Gopis, who by force were detained and could not come to the
dance with Krishna, lo, in meditation sat, and in deep pain concentrated
on Him, and in that dance they were at His side and felt His
love-embrace, and all their sins were as naught.
For to touch Krishna, with the mind alone, was to gain spirituality and
stand pure in His eyes.
So in those hours of intensest happiness the world gained what for
births it had striven to gain. And active love was ripe among mortals,
and that love had wiped all sin away.
And when the last ray of the moon was seen, into the waters of the
laughing river they plunged; and ere the sun with ardent eye did awaken
the sleeping Brindāban, each maiden singing homeward went, transformed
into a being of unalloyed love.