Shreemad Bhagavat Mahapuran- Canto: 10, Chapters: 28-29
Shukadevji tells Parikshit that once Nandbaba observed the sacred vow of Kartik Shukla Ekadashi with devotion. That very night, when Dwadashi began, he went to the Yamuna to bathe. Unaware that night-time is regarded as the realm of asuras, Nandbaba was at that moment seized by a servant of Varun and taken to his abode.
When Nandbaba did not return, the hearts of the people of Braj were filled with anguish. The gopas wept bitterly and cried out, “Shree Krishna, now only You can bring Nandbaba back. Balaram, You alone are our refuge.”
Shree Krishna forever removes the fear of those who take shelter in Him. When He heard the sorrowful cries of the Brajvasis and learned that His father had been taken by Varun’s servant, He set out for Varunlok. Seeing Bhagwan Shree Krishna standing before him, Varun, the god of the waters, rose in reverence, welcomed Him with honour, and worshipped Him with folded hands. At the mere sight of Bhagwan, Varun’s heart overflowed with joy.
Praising the glory of Bhagwan, Varun humbly begged forgiveness for the offence committed by his servant, who had acted in ignorance. With folded hands, he requested Bhagwan to take His father, Nandbaba, back to Braj and also to bestow grace upon him. Thereafter, Bhagwan Shree Krishna returned to Braj with His father.
When Nandbaba returned, waves of joy spread through Braj. Nandbaba shared that he had witnessed the wondrous splendour and peace of Varunlok and that its residents repeatedly bowed at the feet of his son, Shree Krishna. Hearing this, the gopas who loved Shree Krishna felt a quiet awakening within. They began to understand that Shree Krishna was no ordinary child, but Bhagwan Himself. A tender longing then arose in their hearts, would Krishna one day show them His own divine abode, the realm accessible only to His devotees?
Nothing remains hidden from Shree Krishna. He gently perceived the unspoken yearning in the hearts of His beloved gopas. Moved by compassion, He reflected on their simple, loving desire.
Bhagwan considered how the jeev, veiled by ignorance, identifies himself with the body, wanders through countless desires, and performs endless actions. Bound by the fruits of those actions, he is born again and again among devas, humans, animals, and birds, forgetting his true nature as the eternal atma.
Out of sheer mercy, Bhagwan Shree Krishna resolved to lift His devotees beyond the darkness of Maya and grant them a glimpse of their eternal home.
First, He allowed them to experience that Brahman which is Truth, Knowledge, Infinite, ever-existing, and self-luminous, known only to realised souls in deep meditation. He led them to the sacred Brahma-hrada, the same divine waters in which He would later reveal His divine form to Akrur. As the gopas immersed themselves, they were gently drawn beyond worldly awareness. Then, Bhagwan brought them forth and bestowed upon them the vision of His supreme abode.
Beholding that radiant realm of divine beauty, Nandbaba and the gopas were overwhelmed with supreme bliss. There, they saw the Vedas themselves, personified, offering praise to Krishna. Their hearts stood still in wonder, flooded with love, awe, and quiet tears of fulfilment.
Shree Krishna’s Resolve for the Maha Raas and the Divine Call to the Gopis
Shree Shuk uvaacha-
bhagavaan api taa raatrih sharad utphulla mallikaah
veekshya rantum manash chakre yogamaayaam upaashritah
Shukadevji says, “It was the season of Autumn. The air was thick with the intoxicating fragrance of blooming Jasmine and Bela flowers. All the nights that Bhagavan Krishna had promised to the Gopis during the Cheer-haran episode converged into one singular, extraordinary night.
As Bhagavan gazed upon this night, He infused it with divinity. The Gopis had long yearned for this moment, and now, the Lord, too, relying on His inconceivable and supreme power, Yogamaya, resolved to perform the nectar-filled Raas leela. Though He is traditionally 'Amana' (devoid of mind), He voluntarily accepted the state of having a 'mind' simply to fulfil the deepest yearnings of His lovers." (Bhagavat 10.29.1)
Word Meanings:
Bhagavaan api: Even the Supreme Lord (showing that although He is self-satisfied/Atmarama, He chose to do this). Taa Ratrih: Those extended/divine nights or a Brahma ratri. Rantum manash chakre: He made up His mind to enjoy (divine pastimes/love). Yogamayam upashritah: Taking resort to His internal spiritual potency (Yogamaya).
Here the use of the word 'api' (even/also) here indicates that although Shree Krishna is 'Purnakama' (perfectly self-satisfied and lacking nothing), and thus has no need for any external source of joy, He nevertheless took recourse in His inconceivable 'Yogamaya' potency to perform the Raas leela, solely to fulfill and reciprocate the intense love of His devotees.
Two extraordinary work of His Inconceivable Power (Achintya Shakti):
- Many Forms at Once: Shree Krishna manifested countless forms simultaneously, standing beside thousands of gopis at the same time. This is beyond logic and reasoning; it is achintya, inconceivable.
- The Suspension of Time: It is said that that single night extended to the length of many nights of Brahma, yet worldly time continued as usual. The divine experience expanded infinitely, while the outer world remained unchanged.
The moment Bhagwan formed His resolve, the moon rose in the sky. With its cool rays, the eastern horizon became luminous. The heat that had gathered during the day under the sharp autumn sun was gently soothed by the moonlight. It was a night of the full moon. The moon stood complete and radiant, its rays tender and pure, filling the entire forest with light and coolness. Peace and sweetness spread in all directions.
Beholding that enchanting atmosphere, Bhagwan Shree Krishna lifted His flute and played a gentle, melodious note. The sound of His flute was so irresistibly sweet that it drew the hearts of the gopis of Braj toward Him. That divine call awakened an intense longing within them to meet Krishna. Fear, hesitation, restraint, and social decorum dissolved from their minds. The moment they heard the flute, they began to move from wherever they were.
No one informed anyone else. Silently, all walked toward Shree Krishna. They moved so swiftly that their earrings began to sway. Those who were milking cows left their milking unfinished and went. Those boiling milk left it to overflow and walked away. Those cooking meals abandoned the food as it was and departed.
Those serving food stopped midway and left. Those nursing small children rose and went, leaving everything behind. Those attending their husbands left their service and walked away. Those eating their meals left them half-finished and hurried toward their beloved Shree Krishna.
Some gopis had been applying sandalwood paste and fragrant ubtan to their bodies, while others had been adorning their eyes with kohl. Leaving all their tasks, they set out just as they were, garments disordered, hearts burning with love. Fathers, husbands, brothers, and relatives tried to stop them, yet they could not. They were too deeply enchanted to turn back, for Shree Krishna had taken full possession of their minds, their life-breath, and their very souls.
At that time, some gopis remained inside their homes, unable to find a way out. The intolerable agony of separation from their most Beloved acted as a scorching fire that instantly burnt away all their 'unfavourable' karma. Simultaneously, the immense, blissful joy of embracing the Infallible Lord within their meditation exhausted all their 'favourable' or pious karma.
Shukdevji further adds that, though the gopis approached Shree Krishna with the mindset of a lover toward a paramour (jāra-buddhyā), their focus was on the Supreme Soul. Thus, with all their material bondages instantly shattered, they abandoned their bodies made of the three material modes and attained their pure spiritual forms.
Shree Parikshit Uvaacha-
krishnam viduh param kaantam na tu brahmatayaa mune
gunapravaho paramah taasaam gunadhiyaam katham
King Parikshit asks, "O Sage, the Gopis knew Krishna only as their most beloved paramour (kāntam); they did not perceive Him as the Supreme Brahman (the Absolute Truth). Their consciousness was focused on His physical form and attributes (guna-dhiyām). How, then, was it possible for them to transcend the flow of the material modes (guṇa-pravāha-uparamaḥ) and attain liberation? How can a mundane passion for a 'person' result in the cessation of all material bondage?" (Bhagavat 10.29.12)
Shukadevji replies to Parikshit that he has already explained how Shishupal, the king of Chedi, harboured hatred toward Bhagwan Shree Krishna, and yet, upon giving up his ordinary body, attained a divine form and became an attendant of Bhagwan. If even hatred can yield such a result, then there is nothing astonishing in the gopis, who loved Shree Krishna with exclusive devotion and were most dear to Him, attaining Bhagwan.
Shukadevji further explains that the laws of this world do not apply to Bhagwan. He neither diminishes, nor increases, nor is He ever destroyed. Though He is the reservoir of all qualities, His qualities are not worldly like ours, but divine and transcendental. The form He has assumed and the leelas He performs are not for His own sake. He enacts all these divine plays solely for the welfare of beings like us, so that by remembering His form and His stories, we may attain our highest good and be freed from the cycle of birth and death.
kaamam krodham bhayam sneham aikyam sauhridameva cha
nityam harau vidadhato yaanti tanmayataam hi te
Whether it is through desire (kāmam), anger (krodham), fear (bhayam), affection (sneham), a sense of oneness (aikyam), or friendship (sauhṛdam), those who constantly fix their consciousness upon Hari attain a state of total absorption (tanmayatām) in Him. Because the mind is focused with such singular intensity, the object of that focus eventually consumes the identity of the seeker, transforming them into His very likeness. (Bhagavat 10.29.15)
Shukadevji then says to Parikshit, “A great devotee like you should not harbour such doubts regarding Bhagwan Shree Krishna. He is the Supreme Lord even of yogis and is Himself unborn. For Him, nothing is extraordinary. By His mere resolve, or even by a subtle movement of His eyebrow, the welfare of the entire universe can be accomplished.”
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Shreemad Bhagavat Katha [Hindi]- 19.01.2026
