Bhajana-rahasya 5.7: Developing the mood of a gopi.
Lord Krishna is the only enjoyer. The living entity is constitutionally the object of the Lord’s enjoyment. Therefore, as one worships the Lord more profoundly, he begins to feel a strong desire for the service of Srimati Radharani. This means that he begins to develop the mood of a gopi. Here is how the gopis pleaded with Krishna after He told them to return home—
Therefore, O vanquisher of all distress, please be merciful to us. We have abandoned our families and homes to come here in the hope of serving Your lotus feet. O jewel among men, our hearts are burning with intense desires aroused by Your beautiful smiling glances, so please allow us to serve You. (10.29.38)
Expanded translation: We have abandoned our homes and families and come to You, seeking Your service, just like Narayan’s devotees who renounce everything for His sake. Since You are the equal of Narayan, please be merciful to us. If You should say, “Your past karma is bad and makes it impossible for Me to be merciful. After all, does Narayan give His merciful blessings to just everyone?” We answer, “O vanquisher of all distress! Does Narayan not destroy the distresses of those who take shelter of Him? He most certainly does! We too have come here and are standing right next to You. What is more, we desire nothing else, for we have abandoned our homes and families.”
If You then say, “Since You have given up all the pleasures of family life for My sake, You may ask something from Me that will make you happy.” This is our answer: “We have come here desiring to serve Your lotus feet. We have not come in search of the pleasure that is the fruit of such service, even if You should give it us. Service means to seek Your pleasure, not ours. Even so, if we feel joy at seeing You, we suppose there is no fault in that!
“If You say that makes no sense, we will answer, ‘Then extinguish the fire in our hearts.’ You are in fact the cause of this fire, for You have set our souls ablaze with Your beautiful smiling glances. So make us Your servants, Your mistresses, not Your wives.
“ ‘What kind of service is this?’ You may ask. Well, You are a lover of many women and an ocean of sensual desire. As such, there is only one way for young women like us to serve You—by giving You joy through worshiping You with our bodies. Therefore, even if we ask You to pour water on the fire of our desire, this is also really a prayer to serve You. The fire of our desire is really the primary tool by which we serve You. Therefore it is appropriate that we should address You as the jewel among men. We are like gold, and You are like a blazing sapphire, so please adorn our entire bodies.” (Vishwanath)
tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana te’ṅghri-mūlaṁ
prāptā visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ
tvat-sundara-smita- nirīkṣaṇa-tīvra-kāma-
taptātmanāṁ puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa dehi dāsyam
Therefore, O vanquisher of all distress, please be merciful to us. We have abandoned our families and homes to come here in the hope of serving Your lotus feet. O jewel among men, our hearts are burning with intense desires aroused by Your beautiful smiling glances, so please allow us to serve You. (10.29.38)
Expanded translation: We have abandoned our homes and families and come to You, seeking Your service, just like Narayan’s devotees who renounce everything for His sake. Since You are the equal of Narayan, please be merciful to us. If You should say, “Your past karma is bad and makes it impossible for Me to be merciful. After all, does Narayan give His merciful blessings to just everyone?” We answer, “O vanquisher of all distress! Does Narayan not destroy the distresses of those who take shelter of Him? He most certainly does! We too have come here and are standing right next to You. What is more, we desire nothing else, for we have abandoned our homes and families.”
If You then say, “Since You have given up all the pleasures of family life for My sake, You may ask something from Me that will make you happy.” This is our answer: “We have come here desiring to serve Your lotus feet. We have not come in search of the pleasure that is the fruit of such service, even if You should give it us. Service means to seek Your pleasure, not ours. Even so, if we feel joy at seeing You, we suppose there is no fault in that!
“If You say that makes no sense, we will answer, ‘Then extinguish the fire in our hearts.’ You are in fact the cause of this fire, for You have set our souls ablaze with Your beautiful smiling glances. So make us Your servants, Your mistresses, not Your wives.
“ ‘What kind of service is this?’ You may ask. Well, You are a lover of many women and an ocean of sensual desire. As such, there is only one way for young women like us to serve You—by giving You joy through worshiping You with our bodies. Therefore, even if we ask You to pour water on the fire of our desire, this is also really a prayer to serve You. The fire of our desire is really the primary tool by which we serve You. Therefore it is appropriate that we should address You as the jewel among men. We are like gold, and You are like a blazing sapphire, so please adorn our entire bodies.” (Vishwanath)
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