Krishna Nectar Lila 73 – “Their Love Is Secret” – Mahanidhi Swami

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

Then Yasoda addressed Radhika, “Hey Vrsabhanunandini! Your preparations give complete satisfaction. From now on my dear son Krishna must only eat food cooked by Your hands. He will no longer accept any meal cooked by another. So in very sweet words I will seek permission from Your elders, and definitely they will allow You to cook for my son. For doing this service I will reward You with opulent dresses and ornaments. From now You must come to my house and prepare all of Krishna’s meals with a joyful heart.”

On hearing Yasoda’s statement, Kirtida (Radhika’s mother) said, “O Vrajesvari Yasoda! You are the Queen of our lives. Your order has greatly enhanced the beauty, love and affection of Radhika. Those who know the workings of love will be pleased by your request. Everyday Radhika will come and skillfully cook for your son. As soon as the sun rises She will go to your house. By your mercy the kingdom of Vrndavana now shines with transcendental glory and stands beyond the effects of time. Your pleasure alone is our ultimate goal.”

After receiving the consent of Her elders, Radhika could now freely associate with Her beloved from that day on. As Krishna continued to relish the nectarean foods cooked by Her hands, Radhika’s desire to offer Him the sweet nectar of Her lips increased day by day.

Meanwhile, another sakhi named Candravali had tied up Gokulacandra (Krishna) in the prison house of her heart like a thief. Whenever Krishna and Candravali met, They looked immensely beautiful. At that time the heart of Candravali, which possesses the wealth of supreme beauty, would melt in anticipation. For she hankered always to be pierced by the arrow of Krishna’s love. All the gopis headed by Candravali were like flowers of love emanating the highly praiseworthy fragrance of the joy of meeting Krishna. In assessing the stage of their budding love, one could understand that within a year their love would flourish and clearly express itself.

Sometime later, on the pretext of picking flowers, the Vraja gopis met their beloved Krishna in a lonely garden decorated with fresh, untouched creepers and enjoyed intimate pastimes with Him. Krishna, who is more beautiful than a fresh rain cloud, is the totally independent well-wisher of everyone. He is the sole object of love for the gopis and all the other Vrajavasis devoid of envy.

Now the Vraja gopis freely displayed their love without any pretension. Because their superiors did not practice fault finding the young girls of Gokula did not fear criticism. Since their birth, the Vraja gopis had an overflowing loving attraction for Krishna. They no longer felt any need to hide their feelings. Fully exhibiting their frivolous moods, the gopis delighted in forest pastimes with their beloved. Discarding all inhibitions, they completely fulfilled their heart’s desires.

The husbands of the gopis observed all the proper rules of social etiquette, but for some reason they did not prevent their wives from running to the forest. Just see the wonderful workings of Yogamaya who made all the necessary arrangements to nourish the rasa of these eternally perfect lovers of Krishna. But surprisingly enough, under the influence of the same Yogamaya potency the gopis felt extremely anxious and apprehensive about their illicit love for Krishna. They thought, “We gopis are married to other men, therefore we are parakiya or belonging to others.”

Besides creating such thoughts within the gopis, Yogamaya arranged that their secret meetings with Krishna remained hidden from their superiors. How did she accomplish this? The fathers-and mothers-in-law and the husbands of the gopis thought of themselves as their superiors and protectors. For those having this false pride, Yogamaya arranged for a mayic expansion or duplicate of each gopi to remain home beside her husband, while the original spiritual body of that gopi went out to meet Krishna.

Yogamaya performed these tasks perfectly. On the other hand, to pacify Krishna’s parents Yogamaya made a completely different arrangement. Krishna, whose character is praised by even Brahma and Siva, is famous for His elegance and ability to control Cupid. Although these qualities usually disappear as a boy matures, tender beauty and impudent behavior mingled within Krishna’s youthful form. Due to this, Nanda and Yasoda who were tied to Him by the creeper of parental affection, thought that Krishna would remain perpetually as their little boy.

Despite their thinking, Krishna soon blossomed into manhood. At this time the gopis saw Krishna as a handsome most lovable young man, but His parents continued to see Him as their darling son. As a result, Nanda and Yasoda did not feel any suspicion when Krishna met secretly with the lovelorn, lotus-eyed gopis. To satisfy the Lord’s desire to relish parakiya bhava, Yogamaya also arranged for the gopis to maintain the consciousness of identifying as other men’s wives. Just see the amazing power of Krishna’s Yogamaya potency! 

Excerpt: Sri Kavi Karnapura’s Ananda Vrindavana Campu ki jai!

Krishna Nectar Lilas ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

All parts of Krishna Nectar Lilas can be found here.