"Seeing those autumnal nights, gay with Mallika flowers, Bhagavan wished
to enjoy Himself by resort to Yogamaya."
(It looks odd that there should be a show of conquering the God of love
by enjoyment of others' wives. But it is really not so. For you have "By
resort to Yoga Maya." "Enjoyed though self enjoyer," "The subduer of the
God of Love Himself," "With enjoyment all self contained," and such like
passages, which show absolute self dependence. Therefore this show of
Rasa play is only meant to recite the conquest of Kama Deva. This is the
real truth. Moreover through this love topic, the five chapters on Rasa
are calculated to bring about a complete disinclination to worldly
matters. _Sridhara_).
("Those nights" _Go back to Vraja. These nights you shall enjoy with me_
-- the nights promised by these words. _Sridhara_.')
At that time the moon had appeared on the horizon. As the lover reunited
after long separation besmears the face of his beloved with orange
coloured saffron, so he besmeared the face of the east with the most
delightful orange rays which brushed away the sorrows of men
(_charshani_). Krishna looked at the Moon, the lover of the Kumud
flower, with unbroken disc, glowing like the face of Lakshmi, orange red
like fresh saffron, and he looked at the forest illumined with the
tender rays of the Moon and he indulged in song so sweet that it
ravished the hearts of good-looking women.
Listening to that passion-exciting song, the women of Vraja, with minds
absorbed in Krishna rushed forth to where their lover was without taking
notice of each other, their ear-rings moving violently about.
Some left their houses while milking the cow. Some did not wait to see
the boiling of the milk. Some did not take down boiled wheat from the
oven. Some had been giving food to others, some had been giving milk to
their own children. Some had been serving their husbands and some had
been taking their own food. But they all left their work half finished.
They gave up their household duties and, with clothes and ornaments all
in disorder, they hurriedly went to Krishna, (Hearing the voice
indicative of Sri Krishna, the Gopis became strongly inclined to Him,
and they showed by their acts that then and there they had complete
disinclination for works that had the three Vargas, Dharma, Artha and
Kama for their object. They left their half finished work and went over
to Krishna straight. _Sridhara_.)
Their husbands could not keep them back nor their fathers, brothers and
friends. Their hearts had been completely charmed by Govinda. They did
not turn back. (Obstacles cannot overcome those whose hearts are
attracted by Krishna. _Sridhara_.)
Some Gopis that had been inside their houses could not make their way
out. Their thoughts had been already devoted to Krishna, and now with
closed eyes, they held Him fast in their minds.
With sins all removed by the acute pain of unbearable separation from
the dearest one, the Karmic effects of good works taken away by the
absolute pleasure caused by the embraces of Krishna in meditation, with
their bonds completely severed at that very moment, those Gopis gave up
their bodies composed of the Gunas, even though they united with Krishna
as their paramour. (How could they give up their bodies composed of
Gunas while they did not know Krishna as Parama Atma, but knew him only
as their paramour, a relation caused by the Gunas? "Even though they
&c." A thing is not dependent for its properties upon what another
thinks of it. Drink nectar without knowing it is so. The effects are
there. There is another difficulty. The Gopis had their Prarabdha Karma,
or Karma that brought about the present birth and its surroundings, and
Prarabdha is exhausted only after being worked out. So with the bonds of
Prarabdha, how could they give up their body? "With their bonds
completely severed at that very time." But Prarabdha cannot be exhausted
without suffering and enjoyment. Where were the suffering and enjoyment
in this case? "With sins all removed &c." The greatest suffering caused
by separation removed all demerits and the greatest enjoyment caused by
the embraces of Krishna removed the bonds of merits. Therefore when
Parama Atma was attained by intense meditation, the suffering and
enjoyment of the time completely eradicated Karma and the Gopis gave up
their bodies composed of the Gunas. _Sridhara_.)