Gopalacampu 1.22

Now the twenty-fourth chapter,

named 'The Good Fortune of Hearing of Śrī Rādhā's Blessedness'.

Then Snigdhakaṇṭha said:

Now it is described in brief, as follows:

"Surrounded by those women of noble gestures, whose faces bloomed at the sight of their beloved, / Acyuta, the radiance of whose teeth shone like jasmine in a generous smile, / shone forth like the hare-marked moon encircled by stars." [Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.29.43]

There, the first quarter-verse is attended to by an ornament in the form of an appreciative stanza:

"Touching her hand with his own, the hand of the beloved, / creeping along another limb, was guessed at; / scattered, entering her inner spaces, / it was seen again, having attained the state of being victorious."

Now the second quarter-verse:

"Though gazing at their beloved hundreds of thousands of times together, they did not wink; / what a divine state this was! / That pure nectar of his glance which was offered by their beloved / they tasted together, yet each individually; what more could be described?"

Now, by the maxim of the lion's backward glance, the second and third quarter-verses together, as follows:

Just as they repeatedly cast their glances in every direction, / so Hari cast his glance directly toward them. / When they experienced an unceasing meeting of eyes, / he then broke into clear laughter again and again, in turn.

Likewise, the second half [is explained]: / By poets, the nature of the moon has been attributed in poetry to Kṛṣṇa, and the nature of stars to them; / but these [gopīs] were chosen by multitudes of dazzling charms from his smiling face.

And then, as Kṛṣṇa acted somewhat without inhibition through his skill in various playful jests and through forceful boldness, and as virtually all their limbs were observed, and the disarrangement of their veils and garments became familiar, they laughed much with tearful eyes and then properly performed all that was requested here.

Having thus brought this about, delightfully adorning the line of groves on the Yamunā’s bank by his northward movement, he attracted those fawn-eyed women with his own radiant beauty; / where, having found delight, he accepted the company of the moon as well, as if drawing it to his right side. / And after that, along with all those youthful women whose fresh youth was blooming—who followed him alone, who therefore did not shun one another's company, who therefore did not suddenly attain a single solitary moment of intimacy, and who therefore experienced vast longing for a special union with him—Hari contemplated that very condition:

Then, having no other recourse and depending solely on the joy of singing together, this wearer of the forest garland, endowed with all virtues, wandered in the forest adorned with tender, lovely blossoms agitated by restless bees. But:

That singing together, which inherently was an experience of one another's multitude of virtues / and a joy, constantly became the site for producing yet another desire; / in which, for the sake of embracing, kissing, and the like, this happiness / became the goal for them and for Hari too, and deep absorption brought about ways to turn back towards it.

This has been described by Śrī Bādarāyaṇi as follows:

"Being sung to and singing aloud, the leader of the host of a hundred women, / wearing the vaijayantī garland, wandered about, adorning the forest." [BhP 10.29.44]

And the specific manner of their singing [is described] by Śrī Parāśara:

"Kṛṣṇa sang of the autumn moon, the moonlight, and the cluster of night-blooming lotuses, / but the cowherd women sang repeatedly only the single name of Kṛṣṇa." [ViP 5.13.52]

"The moon has now arrived at the autumn season; / but has this sorrowful [lover] reached you women? / O Mādhava, victory to you! O hero of Gokula, victory, victory to Kṛṣṇa, Hari! [a]

Lest there be agitation in the cluster of white lotuses, / this little moonlight has arrived; this must be inferred. / O Keśava, victory to you whose body is love! Victory, victory to Kṛṣṇa, Hari! [b]

This forest of blossoms attains beauty through the bees; / may it extend my love towards you! / O dark one, victory to you, the gentle breeze of the heart! Victory, victory to Kṛṣṇa, Hari! [c]

In the cluster of flowering bowers, the splendor is gathered in multitudes; / indeed, longing has been aroused to follow you! / O enchanter, victory to you who are steadfast in consciousness! Victory, victory to Kṛṣṇa, Hari!" [JGc 1.24.6]

Thus, while those young maidens sang in response to their beloved as he sang, the supreme secret of Śrī Śuka's words [is revealed], as follows:

"Entering the sandy bank of the river with the gopīs, where the sand was cool as frost / and served by the wind bearing the fragrance of night-blooming lotuses that delighted the restless waters,

[*6] 'reme' in Vallabha and Gītā Press editions

by stretching out his arms, embracing, touching their hands, curls, thighs, / waistbands, and breasts, by playful pranks, and by scratches of fingernails, / and by teasing glances and laughter, he aroused the lord of love and gave pleasure to the beautiful women of Vraja." [BhP 10.29.45-46]

This is as follows: Thus, even though an expanse was reached by wandering again and again, since no opportunity was found among the vast gathering of honored women accompanied by the eager Kṛṣṇa, there was no solitude for the desired playful dalliance.

And when it did not occur, [Kṛṣṇa] the younger brother of Bala recognized that a particular sandbank—layered with the hands of waves by the dark Yamunā and observed day after day—was especially powerful and suitable for that.

It shone forth with the quality of supreme whiteness, as one in which the sand was indeed like frost.

And right there, because of the immense radiance alert to the superior beauty reflecting the exquisite charm of the moon on the full-moon night, full of all such virtues, eyes did not quickly turn to causing compassion.

And right there, the sand, gentle like a mattress of down, required only a cloth as a covering; and right there, the daughter of Kalinda herself, having gathered her friends, rendered service by wafting breezes fragrant with sweet-scented water lilies and other delights.

And entering there, Śrī Keśava, pairing off with each beloved woman, practiced pastimes such as stretching out his arms.

And since this is the supreme secret, it is unfolded just a little in secret:

Namely, how each couple [acted] with one another:

He stretched out his arms to embrace, / but the two arms for long did not become the instruments of doing so. / How indeed can that which does not submit to someone / easily attain the status of being their most effective means? ||

And once the embrace was made, the enemy of Agha and his beloved women were powerless / to abandon it of their own accord. / If somehow union occurs between a creeper and a tree, / how could separation happen when both are without desire to move? ||

When, even in the absence of the presence of female friends, an intense swoon of bliss / arose from the beginning of the two lovers' embrace, / alas, only the anticipation of various playful sports, as if asleep, / awakened all around of its own accord to break their [trance]. ||

And then: / Becoming bashful again in secret, she / scattered Hari’s hand away with her own hand. / But under the pretext of wiping it clean, he touched her / who was revealing herself to be pained, as it were. ||

"Alas, bees are covering your face, and no one is driving them away!" / Saying this under false pretences, he stroked this row of her locks of hair.

Even when his touching of her thighs was repelled, Acyuta touched the knot of her garment; / for such conduct is indeed seen among shameless beggars.

Whatever lovely woman arranged her garment / and folded her hands before him, / that loving Hari touched her bodice / under the pretext that her breasts had become unfastened.

"O restless-eyed woman, your chest appears somewhat swollen, / and it cannot endure even the slightest touch; / therefore, only the touch of my sharp nail-polish will make it free from pain!" / Saying this, Hari laughed.

Alas, Nanda's son has become a bee to the lotus of her face / and a lion to the elephant-temples that are her breasts! / How could he not be fit to give rise to the god of love?

Now, whatever was fit to be told has been told and somewhat spread abroad; / but what is 'untold' and governs two objects, / understand that according to the rule of Pāṇini.

[23] Such being the situation:

Having obtained their beloved, who is superior to all objects, / subject to their own will, all at once those gopīs took excessive pride repeatedly in their own possession. / If people dwell in a kingdom with many kings, ruin follows; / thinking, therefore, that his disappearance would be beneficial, Mādhava too vanished.

[24] And indeed he deliberated thus: "Alas, my supreme goal has become something whose location is forgotten, because when I am sporting without distinction with all [the women], even Rādhā, who acts as the crest-jewel of the goddesses of fortune, has been reduced to common status.

[25] "Moreover, in the manifestation of her own desires, the first beginning of Rādhā's coming has now been attained; therefore, a great festival is especially celebrated for my benefit. And on this full-moon night, skilled in autumn's beauty, only the aesthetic rasa of the rāsa-dance quickly deserves fullness. But this expands its essential worth only through the harmony of all [the women]. And harmony comes about when the others, each proud in their hearts, are somewhat reduced to servant-like submission by my indifference. Therefore, taking Rādhikā, who surpasses [all others] in countless qualities, and disappearing, I will remain [hidden]."

[26] Conceiving this and accomplishing the matter to be done, Mādhava said here and there to each beloved whose limbs, such as hands and feet, had grown weary: "Surely it is not proper that one should stay here with the jingling of her girdle having cheated [silence]. And that is considered by me because I am sporting as your sole companion. Therefore, since you have exerted yourself greatly, please stay here. But I, having made an effort at hunting nearby, shall return without excessive passage of time."

[27] Having said this, disappearing from there and from everywhere, he suddenly departed with Rādhā.

[28] Then, unable to bear the lapse of a few moments, this woman and that woman, rising from here and there and setting out, searching for him, met one another by degrees in ones and twos as they wandered. Having met, they, uttering oaths out of mutual disbelief, searched only along Kṛṣṇa's path. But: / Yearning to search for dear Kṛṣṇa, and burned by thinking that he was nearby, / they were not at all able to do so; alas, having fallen into utter exhaustion, they sank down! / Remaining thus for a long time, and perceiving him through an internal vision on all sides, / their minds confounded, they mistook each other for him and embraced one another.

And then: / Those who, agitated by thirst, fell under the sway of Kṛṣṇa's mood, / they indeed acted as Kṛṣṇa, having attained the role of protector of all.

[29] Then, somehow regaining awareness of external things and being unable to pass the time, out of previous habit and out of the power of self-preservation, they began to sing his pastimes from childhood onwards, which bestow all happiness, and became embraced by absorption in him.

[30] And there, searching for Kṛṣṇa and going here and there, they repeatedly questioned even the community of trees and creepers, owing to the persistence of a state of madness, as follows:

Singing his pastimes and subject to their respective absorptions, / the host of gopīs attained his various moods. / Wonder of wonders! Whichever fair-limbed woman attained absorption in Kṛṣṇa / was recognized as dark-colored like Kṛṣṇa! / Even today my heart burns with pain, alas, when it remembers that / these [women], distressed by separation, questioned even the trees again and again: "Alas, Hari! Oh!" / Let that be; this is piercing to my heart: through songs for his sake, / with hearts driven mad by fear of the terrible [forest], they assumed a terrible imitation [of him].

[31] Thus, through the intentness of repeatedly questioning each successive thicket, such absorption in his divine play gradually brought about a dense withdrawal [from questions], in which the intentness on questioning subsided in this way, as follows:

Thinking some trees were showing derision with blooming flowers, / some had their faces turned away with their bending tips, / and some were uttering angry words through the buzzing of intoxicated bees, / they ceased from the pleasure of questioning them.

[32] And then, making the earth itself the target of their inquiry, as follows:

"Oh, what great austerity did you perform here, O earth, that, touching the feet of holy Hari, / you obtain various sprouts in the form of bristling hairs of joy? / Was that gathered by you from the stride of Trivikrama, / or perhaps from the embrace of the Boar? Yet nowhere else!"

"You are called Pṛthvī and Kṣamā, and you are marked with the impression of his feet; / therefore, we have come to you as our refuge to ask about him."

[34] Thus, while they all inquired of the trees and other [creatures] and wandered here and there, embracing his fragrance as it was carried toward the winds of the world, Rādhā's circle of companions—their hearts softened and anointed with his cleverness—lovingly addressed a doe with delight and charm:

“O doe, friend, did Acyuta come here with his beloved, / delighting your eyes with his limbs? / For here wafts the fragrance of the garland of kunda flowers of the chief of our family, / reddened with the vermilion from his beloved’s breasts through contact with her body.”

“Resting an arm on his beloved’s shoulder, holding a lotus, / followed by swarms of bees blind with passion for his tulasī garland, / did Rāma’s younger brother, as he wandered, acknowledge your bow, O trees, / with glances full of love?”

[34] Here, indeed, through the three words “deer” (eṇa), “wife” (patnī), and “friend” (sakhi), they expressed: “O fair-eyed one! O you who roam the grounds of Vṛndāvana with a discernment resembling that of women like us! O you who have obtained friendship with one such as me through joy resembling our various joys!” With hearts delighting in that joy, they said:

[35] “Did Acyuta, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in close embrace with his beloved, unseparated from her presence, approach near you, expanding a bliss far exceeding even the joy born of merely seeing him alone, through limbs touched by her beauty, for your eyes such as they are?” There, by words containing praise of that couple, they set forth the cause: “beloved” (kāntā) and so on. The fragrance of the kunda garland belonging to the ornament of the royal family of Gokula, unattainable anywhere else, spreads here carried by a breeze resembling the broken speed mingling with its heavy scent. Of what kind of garland? Thickly coated with the paste of kunkuma from the breasts through contact with the body of his beloved—who, by supreme merit and supreme possession of all good qualities, is the supreme abode of the eager longing even of him. Therefore, having embraced that extraordinary fragrance through continuous intimate acquaintance, it is clearly perceived by these [women] in that manner; such is the meaning.

[36] Then, suspecting that her speech was stopped by the joy born of seeing him, and now by the longing born of separation from him, and thereby determining their union itself; praising in supreme bliss the particularities of his sportive play; imagining, moreover, that the many lovely trees bent beneath the weight of sprouts and foliage were bowing down to him in the manner of his personal attendants and servants; and doubting whether he, absorbed in amorous pastimes with his beloved, acknowledged their homage, she described the excess of their absorption in such amorous dalliance: “arm” (bāhuṃ) and so on.

[37] Then, turning indifferently away from her, they said:

“Ask these creepers, which were never seen / to blossom before even when embracing the trees; / now they bear blossoms from the touch of the enemy of Bakī, / for here indeed is the artwork of his fingernails!”

[38] Then, as astonishment was obtained from that, the earth, bearing the spotless footprints of his lotus feet, which are a path of all auspiciousness, suddenly scattered, like nectar, a succession of radiant abodes upon their eyes—and upon those of the other women as well—which were touched by disbelief; beholding which, they conjectured:

“Reflecting that this earth, acting like a silent sage, / gave no answer, it gave one again; / as if writing his arrival / by displaying his footprints adorned with a flag, a lotus, and other signs.”

[39] At some distance, however, they recognized other footprints amid his footprints. As follows:

Following that, between his footprints, / a different footprint, not like his, was seen: / depressed, small, not slender in the middle, / having an accumulation of flag-marks and others, and facing in the opposite direction.

[40] And regarding this, it was inferred:

“Here must be the footprint of a doe-eyed woman, joined with Hari’s footprints / on account of its distinctiveness, but there was nothing at all earlier. / Therefore, clearly, holding a certain woman to his heart, he set her down here; / for among thieves in the world, the eradication of traces of damage is well known.”

“That the left and right footprints / of the two youths crush one another / clearly suggests their forearms / resting mutually upon their shoulders.”

[41] Thus, hearing the description of the ordinary [gopīs], Rādhā's companions spoke again:

“The state of an intoxicated elephant couple, the abode of exuberant play flashing with the touch of each other's hands— / that the pair of these two youths should freely perform a supreme festival in this lonely forest / nourishes us exceedingly well.”

[42] Then, the words of the friends there:

“Surely the Lord, Hari, the Supreme Sovereign, has been propitiated by this woman, / since Govinda, pleased, abandoned us and led her into secret.”

[43] This is the meaning: “Surely by this woman, by this woman alone, some Supreme Sovereign Himself of imperishable power, who accepts the devotion of His devotees, was propitiated without impediment, and not merely some minor deity. And He is Śrī Hari alone, the master of all directional guardians, and neither Hara nor the Creator. Even in the state of being Hari, He is the original Supreme Lord who expands into all incarnations; thus it is established, and no other, even if praised as an expansion of Him, is so.”

[44] They also introduce the cause of such wonder, saying: 'yan naḥ' ('since, leaving us...'). For, by the splendor of her qualities and beauty, quickly winning all hearts, Śrī Govinda himself led her away; it was not that he did not lead her away. And the manner of it was accomplished by placing her against his chest, brimming with the ways of love, and not otherwise. That love, too, was concentrated in a solitary place filled with the rising splendor of passion, and not esteemed in an ordinary manner. That assembling in secret, too, was augmented by virtues swollen by an abundance of the wealth of happiness, and not detached from that. And that happened precisely at a time when we, who are astonished by all virtues, were awake to abandonment, and not through any exchange; thus, even as he was going, he led her away himself.

[45] Therefore we consider it just so: she who is fortunate, named Rādhā, fashioned by the creator as having peerless name, qualities, and form—she alone is fit to have received divine favor. In that regard, although the etymological explanation of her name might be constructed as 'the means of worshiping the Lord in such a manner,' nevertheless, an insistence upon connection with the fruit is superior; hence, the derivation 'she satisfies Govinda' (rādhayati govindam) or 'she is pleased by Govinda' (govindena rādhyate) is the only reasonable one, as is to be understood by the intellect.

[46] Then those who were neutral toward her said:

"Ah, look! Even these grains of dust here are fortunate, / for they shine, having attained the touch of the lotus feet of the unconquered Lord! / Surely, to remove their sins, Brahmā, Śiva, and Lakṣmī / place them upon their heads; let us praise the good fortune of seeing them!"

[47] Then a certain rival girl, the fire of her envy growing, uttered words resembling a column of smoke:

"The footprint of Śrī Hari brings happiness here, / alas, if it is not joined with that of her who possesses poor conduct! / Behold, alas, her audacity! Truly, what was meant for your enjoyment— / tasting the nectar of his lower lip, she has hidden herself!"

[48] Then her friends replied:

"Ah, how is it that those footprints of hers, / having the most auspicious markings, do not appear? / Holding her right against his chest, / O friend, the lover carried his beloved whose limbs are exquisitely formed!"

[49] Then again came the words of the rival girls:

"Look at the signs here of him who made a lap for the maiden with his arms, who was stricken with passion, / and repeatedly anxious with arranging her garments and ornaments: / footprints pressed deep and uneven, strewn with garlands and saffron, / copiously sprinkled with drops of sweat, and the edge of the path where creeper-twigs were pushed aside!"

[50] The words of her friends:

"In front of the imprint of his two knees pressed down, a pair of subtle footprints / placed turned away reveals that fair-eyed maiden's position upon his thighs."

[51] Then the rival girls:

"From the falling of pieces of the garland tied within her hair, it is clearly observed / that the dressing of the passionate woman's hair was indeed performed by her lover."

Moreover: / "Here the tangled line of steps entwined with one another / makes known the shameless love-play of Rādhā and Mādhava."

[52] Then, along with Vṛndā and her companions, they wished to enter the door of the collection of creeper-bowers decorated by Vṛndā, which was the door of entrance for the two lovers.

[53] There, sweetly and along with honey, a cluster of flowers was placed by her at the entrance in such a manner that swarms of fortunate bees, greedy for them, acted like gatekeepers turning people away. [54] Indeed, from the very beginning of the entrance, having grown agitated and flying directly toward those entering, they manifested the meaning of their name 'arrow' (śilīmukha) in an alternative sense as well. [55] Then, when they somehow grew lax after a long time, all [the gopīs] gradually entered by pushing aside the foliage of the trees and tracing the path, and beheld that supremely unprecedented abode, as follows:

Where cuckoos announced the fifth note, and the low humming of bees resounded, / where musical instruments were made manifest by leaves stirred by the wind, rising in splendor, / and which was accepted as an incomparable assembly-chamber by those two, / surrounded by the luster of peacock-dancing and the brilliance of flash-lightning clouds,

with the ground strewn with manifold flowers, crowded with ample couches, / with numerous fans and fly-whisks, boxes of fragrant betel leaves, / and endowed with large, heavy vessels of superior sandalwood, camphor, and aloe— / this secret city within the creeper-bower sounded out to them:

"This heap of flowers has become loosened by the falling of feet, / and this little bed here has its posture disturbed by the bending of limbs; / this fan and fly-whisk have their mechanical swinging stopped, / and the fragrant betel and other things have likewise been enjoyed and abandoned!

So why do you ask as if you did not know? Understand that I have been abandoned! / But go quickly beyond here, and find him there! / These cuckoos and others have clearly taken to wanting to fly away; / when one is oneself in sorrow, whose words are accepted?"

Moreover: / "Here, sprinkled with musk and lightly touched with drops of saffron, / lies the little bed, and there too is the sign of turning over! / When a circle of kinsfolk is famous for reciprocal discord, / how could a state of humiliating defeat not manifest for them?" / [56] Now let the narrative of the two lovers be pursued. [57] But when the confusion of their clamor, as they were eagerly intent on entering the gateway of the bower-city, was noticed, then, overwhelmed with agitation, that lover, delightful with Rādhā, began to adjust his and her clothes and ornaments in order to arrange their departure from there, but could not accomplish it. But—

The helplessness that had swallowed up the perking of ears, the listening, and the putting on of garments and ornaments— / when haste swallowed that up, Murāri, seizing the moment, / hid away embraced by his beloved.

[58] Now, for the development of the subsequent narrative, reflection is undertaken. / [59] Nor should it be thought, despite this, that they and he share common lustfulness. The intrinsic nature, which is the instrument for eliminating any suspicion of that lustfulness, is now expounded:

All those lovers are known to have bodies resembling corpses; / Kṛṣṇa is concentrated bliss, and Rādhā and the others are his glories.

[60] As it has been said:

'Bound on the outside with skin, beard, hair, nails, and locks, / filled within with flesh, bones, blood, worms, feces, phlegm, bile, and wind— / exceedingly foolish is the woman who, not smelling the nectar of your lotus feet, / worships such a living corpse as her lover.'

'The syllable kṛṣ denotes existence, and ṇa denotes bliss; / the union of the two, the supreme Brahman, is called Kṛṣṇa.'

'The supreme Brahman in human form.'

'In you alone, the infinite, whose body is eternal bliss and consciousness.' [BhP 10.14.22],

and: / 'Surrounded by them, whose grief had been dispelled, the blessed Lord, the Infallible One, / shone all the more resplendently, O dear one, like the Supreme Person with his energies.' [BhP 10.32.10] / [61] Moreover, this bhāva does not partake of lust, but is rather a particular kind of divine love that merely resembles it, because:

Longing, union, and the play of meeting, embracing, kissing, and the like at every step / are identical in form between the holy gopīs and Kṛṣṇa as well as between ordinary youths; / but for the former, they are mutual and have solely unconditioned well-being as their chief happiness, / while for the latter, they are known to consist solely of an urge toward self-gratification. / [62] Just as those very deities of love will say themselves:

'Your tender lotus foot, which we, / full of fear, place gently on our hard breasts, O beloved...' [BhP 10.31.19], and so forth. / [63] Therefore, due to this distinct characteristic, this special love merely takes on the garb of lust, and is thus metaphorically referred to as lust, but is not remembered as such in reality. For this reason, the hearing of the results of hearing his pastimes is famously proclaimed thus:

'Anyone who, endowed with faith, repeatedly hears or narrates / this sporting of Viṣṇu with the brides of Vraja, / will attain supreme devotion to the Lord / and quickly cast off the disease of the heart, lust, becoming steadfast.' [BhP 10.33.39] / [64] And by virtue of their special bhāva, indeed, they continuously renew the path of search even for all the great, greater, and greatest persons. As will be proclaimed by glorious Uddhava: / 'These cowherd women alone have truly attained embodied existence on earth, / having rooted their love in Govinda, the soul of all; / this is what sages fearing worldly existence, as well as ourselves, desire— / of what use are births as Brahmā for one who tastes the nectar of the infinite Lord's narratives?' [BhP 10.47.58]

[65] For this very reason, Lord Kṛṣṇa, thirsting for such love from them, will acknowledge his own subservience to it:

'I cannot repay my debt to you, of blameless union, / for your good deeds, even throughout a lifetime of the gods.' [BhP 10.32.22], and so forth.

[66] That being so, all other virtues naturally attend upon them:

'In him who has selfless devotion to the Lord, / all the gods reside with all their virtues.' [BhP 5.18.12], and likewise. / [67] Hence it is described thus:

The host of clever arts revealed in that treatise of boundless rasa— / the lustful world is incapable of knowing even a tiny particle of it; / yet in whose ocean of love all of that appears as nothing at all, / this divine couple, consisting of the unconquerable Lord and the gopīs, shines forth.

[68] This being so, among all of them Śrī Rādhā holds an extraordinary status. As it has been said: 'Surely by this one was he worshiped...' [BhP 10.30.28], and so forth. [69] Thus examined and distilled, the realized conclusion is understood:

Because he, though delighted in the self and having all desires fulfilled, / sported abundantly with her who is the abode of love for Rādhā, / I consider that by his very self / the subjugation of all lustful men and women was accomplished.

[70] For here 'delighted in the self' refers to his being the embodiment of supreme bliss, and 'having all desires fulfilled' refers to his distinction of being the beloved of hundreds of thousands of gopīs who possess the characteristics of supreme Lakṣmī; / [71] and 'abundantly' follows from the fact that even after leaving them, his uninterruptedness in her was made manifest. [72] And that being the case: