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          The Rasa Pancadhyaya

            As contained in

          The Bhagavata Purana, 

       Book 10, Chapters 29 - 33



   From the translation and notes of 
             Edwin F. Bryant
                   in
 Krishna:  The Beautiful Legend of God,
    Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Book X,
 published by Penguin Books Ltd, 2003.
           ISBN 0-140-44799-7


This  adaptation of  the  text  i s  for
private devotional use  only and is used
without the permission of the  author or
of the  publishers.  This translation is
copyrighted by Edwin F. Bryant  and  all
rights have been reserved.  If you  have
benefited by this adaptation p l e a s e
purchase  the  complete book from reput-
able book dealers.  Mass distribution of
this transcription is both  immoral  and
illegal  without  proper remuneration to
the author and/or publishers.


   A Note from the Transcriptionist:

This  translation by Edwin Bryant is not
just  another dry English rendering from
an  academic with a liberal bias.  While
Bryant is indeed an academic, as a  lec-
turer in Hinduism at Harvard  University
and an assistant professor  in  Hinduism
at Rutgers University, he dedicated this
translation to Bhaktivedanta  S w a m i,
'whose  devotional rendition of the text
was  the  first  to  present the Krishna
story and the  path  of  Krishna  bhakti
around the world on a popular level, and
in whose works [Bryant] first encounter-
ed the Srimad Bhagavata Purana  and  the
story of Krishna.'   While this transla-
tion is scholarly, it is also devotional
and reverential of the  subject  matter.
Bryant adopts a literal approach  except
to supply  'proper  names  for  pronouns
where  their referents are unclear in an
English   translation.'    Occasionally,
Bryant inserts explanatory phrases  into
the text to clarify the meaning. He used
the  Chakhamba  Samskrit   Prathisthan's
edition of  the  Bhagavata  Purana  with
reference to Vijayadhvaja's text and the
fourteenth - century   commentary    b y 
Sridhara Svami.

The  Rasa  Pancadhyaya actually consists
o f   five  chapters  of  the  Bhagavata
Purana, Book 10, comprising chapters  29
through 33  (pages 125-143 of the source
volume).   The Rasa Pancadhyaya is often
read   with  the  object  of  developing
madhurya   bhava  within  devotees   o f
Krishna;  some of the male devotees even
take up cross-dressing and living in the
role of women to develop such devotional
f e r v o r .    Furthermore,  the  Rasa
Pancadhyaya  ends   with  the  following
promise:   'The  sober person  who   i s
endowed  with  faith  should  hear   and
describe these pastimes of  Vishnu  with
the maidens of Vraj.   Achieving supreme
devotion to the Lord, one  quickly frees
oneself from lust, the  disease  of  the
heart.'

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critical marks.  Exceptions include such
well-known  names  such   as  'Krishna'.  
In   text  references  to  endnotes  are
denoted by reference numbers enclosed in
parenthesis,  usually  following a word.
Many of Bryant's explanatory notes (EFB)
are included and  a few devotional notes
written by  this  anonymous  transcriber
(AT) have also been inscribed.  The Rasa
Pancadhyaya  contains various principles
useful  for  devotional  instruction for
those called to madhurya bhava.

As with the rest of the Bhagavata Purana 
the story is narrated as a  conversation 
between  the last king of the Yadu clan, 
King Pariksit, and the sage Suka.  T h e 
Rasa Pancadhyaya begins in the middle of 
a narrative passage recited by Sri Suka.  
OM  TAT  SAT.

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 P L E A S E   W R A P   T E X T   N O W


The Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Chapter 29, or

The Rasa Pancadhyaya

Chapter 1:  The Description of the Rasa Pastime


1.  Sri(1) Suka, the son of Badarayana, said:

'Even Bhagavan, God Himself, beholding those nights, with autumnal jasmine [mallika] flowers blossoming, called upon his divine power of yogamaya, and turned his thoughts towards enjoying love.
2.   At that time, the moon, king of the constellations, arose in the east, covering the face of the heavens with its copper-coloured soothing rays.  It wiped away the cares of the onlookers, like a lover who has been absent for a long time wipes away the cares of his beloved.
3.   Seeing that full disc, heralder of the white night-lilies, reddened with fresh vermilion powder, its splendour like the face of Lakshmi,(2) the goddess of fortune, and seeing the forest coloured by its silky rays, Krishna(3) played [his flute] softly, capturing the hearts of the beautiful-eyed women.
4.   The music aroused Kama.(4)  When they heard it, the women of Vraj, enchanted by Krishna, came to their lover, their earrings swinging in their haste, and unknown to one another.
5.   Some, who were milking cows, abandoned the milking and approached eagerly.  Others had put milk on the fire, but then came without even removing [the milk or] the cakes [from the oven].
6-7.   Others interrupted serving food, feeding their babies milk, and attending to their husbands.  Still others were eating, but left their food.  Others were putting on make-up, washing, or applying mascara to their eyes.  They all went to be near Krishna, their clothes and ornaments in disarray.  
8.  Their hearts had been stolen by Govinda, so they did not turn back when their husbands, fathers, brothers and relatives tried to prevent them.  They were in a state of rapture.
9.   Some gopis, not being able to find a way to leave, remained at home and thought of Krishna with their eyes closed, completely absorbed in meditation.
10-11.  [The karma] from their impious deeds was destroyed by the intense and intolerable pain of separation from their lover, and their auspicious deeds were diminished by the complete fulfillment resulting from the intimate contact with Acyuta(5) that they obtained through meditation.(6)  Their bondage was destroyed, and they immediately left their bodies made of the gunas.  Uniting with the supreme soul, they considered him their lover.
12.   Sri Pariksit said:

'O sage, they related to Krishna as their supreme lover, not as brahman, the absolute truth.  So how did the flow of the gunas, in which their minds were absorbed, cease for the gopis?'

13.   Sri Suka said:

'This was explained to you previously:  in the same way as the king of the Cedis, Sisupala, attained perfection(7) despite hating Hrsikesa.(8)  What then of those dear to Adhoksaja(9) [Krishna]?
14.   God appears for the supreme good of humanity, O king.  He is immeasurable and eternal.  As the controller of the gunas, he is beyond the gunas.
15.  Those who always dedicate their desire, anger, fear, affection, sense of identity and friendship to Hari(10) enter for certain into his state of being.
16.  You should not show such surprise at Lord Krishna.  He is unborn and the master of all masters of yoga.  From him the whole universe attains liberation.
17.  The Lord saw that the women of Vraj had arrived in his presence.  Being the best of speakers, he addressed them, captivating them with the charm of his words:  
18.  "Welcome--you are most fortunate.  What can I do to please you?  Is everything well in Vraj?  Tell me the purpose of your coming.
19.  This fearsome dark night is frequented by ferocious creatures.  Go back to Vraj, O slender-waisted ones; this place is not fit for women.
20.  Your mothers, fathers, sons, brothers and husbands are worried because they cannot find you.  Do not cause your relatives concern.
21-22.  You have seen the forest, adorned with flowers, coloured by the rays of the full moon, and made beautiful by the blossoms of the trees quivering playfully in the breeze of the Yamuna river.  Therefore hurry now to the cow-pen and serve your husbands-you are chaste ladies.  The babies and calves are crying; suckle them and milk them.
23.  The highest dharma [duty] of a woman is to serve her husband faithfully, to ensure the well-being of her relatives, and to nourish her children.
25.  A husband who is not a sinner, even though he be of bad character, ill-fated, dull-headed, sick or poor, should not be abandoned by women who desire to attain heaven.
26.  Without exception, the adultery of a woman of good birth does not lead to heaven.  It is scandalous, fear-laden, worthless, fraught with difficulty and abhorrent.
27.  Love for me comes from hearing about me, seeing me, meditating on me and reciting my glories-not in this way, by physical proximity.  Therefore, return to your homes."
28.   Hearing Govinda speak those unwelcome words, the dejected gopis had their aspirations dashed and were inconsolable in their distress.
29.  They stood silently, their red bimba-fruit coloured lips faded by their sighs, and the vermilion powder on their breasts smeared by the mascara carried by their tears.  Casting down their faces out of sorrow and scratching the ground with their feet, they were weighed down by extreme unhappiness.  
30.  Wiping their eyes, and having checked their tears somewhat, the gopis spoke to Krishna, their beloved, with voices faltering with agitation.  They were utterly devoted, and had sacrificed all desires for his sake, but he had replied to them as if he were anything but their beloved:  
31.  "You should not speak to us in such a heartless fashion, O Lord.  Renouncing all enjoyments of the senses, we are devoted to the soles of your feet.  Reciprocate, you obstinate one, just as the Lord, the original being, reciprocates with those who desire liberation.  Do no reject us.
32.  You, the knower of dharma, have declared that the occupational dharma of women consists of attending to friends, husbands and children.  Then let this be our dharma when it comes to you, the source of this advice, O Lord-after all, you are the soul within all relatives.  Indeed, you are the most dear of all embodied beings.  
33.  You are the eternal beloved, O soul of all, and so the learned place their affection in you.  What is the use of husbands and children who simply cause problems?  Therefore, O supreme Lord, be pleased with us.  Do not dash our hopes.  They have been sustained by you for such a long time, O lotus-eyed one.
34.  Our hearts, which were absorbed in our households, have been stolen away with ease by you, as have our hands from domestic chores.  Our feet cannot move one step from the soles of your lotus feet.  How can we go to Vraj?  And, besides, what would we do there?
35.  O beloved, pour the nectar of your lips on the fire dwelling in our hearts which has been kindled by your musical harmonies, your glances and your smiles.  If you do not, we will traverse the path to your feet through meditation, our bodies consumed by the fire born of separation.
36.  Lotus-eyed Krishna, you are dear to the forest-dwelling hermits.  Somewhere or other, for a moment, we providentially touched the soles of your feet, which belong to the goddess of fortune.  Alas, from that moment, instantly enamoured of you, we became incapable of remaining in the presence of any other man.  
37.  The goddess of fortune aspires to the dust of those lotus feet which is worshipped by your servants, even though she has obtained a place on your chest along with Tulasi.(11)  Other gods, even, strive to attract her personal glance.  In the same way, we solicit the dust of your feet.  
38.  It is you who banish distress-therefore be compassionate to us.  In the desire to worship you, we have given up our homes and arrived at the soles of your feet.  Allow us, whose hearts are burning with intense desire born from your beautiful smiles and glances, to be your servants, O ornament of men.
39.  We have gazed on your face covered with curls, with its smiles and glances, and on your honeyed lips placed between your cheeks made beautiful with earrings.  And we have beheld your two strong arms, which bestow fearlessness, and your chest, which is the exclusive delight of the goddess of fortune.  After this, we have become your servants.  
40.  Dear Krishna, what women in the three worlds would not stray from the behaviour proper to Aryans, when thrown into turmoil by the melodies of your flute, which vibrates harmoniously?  And what woman would not stray after seeing this, your form, which brings good fortune to the three worlds and causes the hair of cows, birds, trees and deer to stand on end with bliss?  
41.  It is clear that you have accepted birth to remove the tribulations and fears of Vraj just as the Lord, the primeval person, protects the denizens of heaven.  Therefore, since you are the friend of the afflicted, place your lotus hands on the burning breasts and heads of your servants."'
42.  Sri Suka said:

'The master of the masters of yoga, hearing their despairing words, laughed and engaged in amorous pleasures from compassion, even though his satisfaction is self-contained.
43.  Krishna, the infallible one, whose conduct is upright, shone forth with the assembled gopis, who were dazzling with jasmine teeth and broad smiles.  As the gopis' faces blossomed from the glances of their beloved, Krishna appeared like the moon surrounded by stars.  
44.  Praised in song, and singing loudly himself, the Lord of hundreds of women, wearing a garland of vaijayanti flowers, frolicked in the forest, making it beautiful.  
45-46.  Accompanied by the gopis, Krishna approached the bank of the river.  Its cool sand was swept by a wind bearing the scent of kumuda flowers and refreshing from its contact with the waves.  Arousing Kama in the young women of Vraj with jokes, smiles and glances, playfully scratching their breasts, girdles, thighs, hair and hands with his nails, and embracing them with outstretched arms, he gave them pleasure.  
47.  Such attention from Krishna Bhagavan, the supreme soul, made the gopis proud.  Indeed, they thought themselves to be the best of women on earth.
48.  Kesava(12) [Krishna] saw their pride, which was born from the exhilaration of their good fortune, and vanished from the spot out of kindness, in order to moderate [their pride].'


The Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Chapter 30, or

The Rasa Pancadhyaya

Chapter 2:  Searching for Krishna in the Rasa Pastime


1.  Sri Suka said:

'When Bhagavan suddenly vanished, the women of Vraj were filled with remorse at his disappearance.  They were like female elephants who had lost sight of the leader of the herd.  
2.  Intoxicated by the pleasing glances, playfulness and words, as well as by the quivering glances, smiles of love and movements of Krishna, the husband of Rama, the goddess of fortune, their minds were overwhelmed.  They acted out each of those behaviours, their hearts [dedicated] to him.  
3.  Those beloved women were so bewildered by Krishna's pastimes that their bodies imitated their darling in the way they moved, smiled, glanced, spoke, and so forth.  With their hearts [dedicated] to him, the women declared:  "I am he!"
4.  Singing loudly in unison only about him, they searched from grove to grove, like mad women.  They asked the trees about the supreme being who, like space, is inside and outside living creatures:
5.  "O asvattha tree!  O plaksa tree!  O nyagrodha tree!  Have you seen the son of Nanda at all?  He has stolen our minds with his glances and smiles of love, and has gone.  
6.  O kurabaka, asoka, naga, punnaga and campaka trees!  Has the younger brother of Balarama [passed] by here?  His smile steals away the pride of haughty women.  
7.  O auspicious tulasi plant, you who are dear to Govinda!(13)  Have you seen your most beloved, Acyuta, wearing you [as a garland covered] with swarms of bees?
8. O malati  plant!  O mallika plant!  O jati plant!  O yuthika plant!  Has Madhava(14) passed by, awakening your love with the touch of his hand?  Have you seen him?
9.  O cuta [mango], priyala, panasa [bread-fruit], asana, kovidara, jambu [rose apple], arka, bilva [wood-apple], bakula, amra [mango], kadamba and nipa trees, and those others which grow on the shore of the Yamuna river and which exist to benefit others?  Point us to the path [taken] by Krishna.  We have lost our hearts.
10.  O earth, you are beautiful in that the hairs of your body [the trees] stand up from the bliss of the touch of the feet of Kesava.  What ascetic practice have you performed?(15)  Is the cause of this these very feet [of Krishna]?  Or is it because of the step of Urukrama(16)?  Or rather from the embrace of the body of Varaha?(17)
11.  O wife of the deer, has Acyuta passed by here with his beloved, his limbs giving pleasure to your eyes?  O friend, the scent from the jasmine garland of the Lord of our group is wafting here-a garland coloured with breast saffron contracted from the body of his lover.
12.  O trees, did the younger brother of Balarama wander here?  Was he followed by swarms of bees, blinded with intoxication, on his tulasi [garland]?  With his arm placed on the shoulder of his beloved, he [must have been] holding a lotus flower.  And did he acknowledge with glances of love your bowing down?
13.  As these creeping plants!  Just see, although they are embracing the arms of the forest tree, they surely must have been touched by his fingernails, for they are bristling with ecstasy."
14.  The gopis [uttering] these crazed words, became perplexed in their search for Krishna.  With their hearts [dedicated] to him, each of them imitated the lila of Bhagavan.  
15.  One, who was acting as if she were Krishna, suckled the breast of someone else, who was playing the part of Putana.(18)  Another became an infant, began crying, and then kicked another one, who was acting as a cart, with her foot.  
16.  After changing into a demon, one gopi kidnapped another, who was imagining herself to be the child Krishna.  Yet another crawled around, dragging her two feet, accompanied by the sounds from her jewellery.  
17.  Two gopis enacted the roles of Krishna and Balarama, and others behaved as gopas.  Yet another struck a gopi who had become Vatsa, the calf demon, while someone else there struck the gopi who was playing the role of Baka, the crane demon.
18.  One called the cows who were far away, as Krishna would have done.  Others praised one gopi who was sporting and playing the flute in imitation of him:  "Bravo!"
19.  Another, wandering about, placed her arm on someone else, and said:  "There can be no doubt that I am Krishna.  Look at how gracefully I move."  Her mind was intent on him:  
20.  "Do not fear the wind and the rain.  I have arranged protection."  Saying this, one gopi, exerting herself, lifted up her garment with one hand.
21.  Another gopi mounted and stepped on the head of another with her foot, O king, and said:  "Go, wicked snake!  There is no doubt that I have undertaken birth as the chastiser of the wicked."
22.  Someone there said:  "Hey gopas, look at the terrible forest fire!  Close your eyes, I will with ease arrange for your protection!"
23.  One slender-waisted gopi was tied to a mortar with a flower garland by another one.  The former, her beautiful eyes afraid, covered her face and adopted a posture of fear.  
24.  Inquiring thus after Krishna from the creeping plants and trees of Vrndavana, the gopis noticed the footprints of the supreme soul in a certain part of the forest:  
25.  "These footprints are certainly those of the great soul, the son of Nanda," they said.  "They are recognizable from such marks as the flag, the lotus flower, the thunderbolt, the goad and the barley."
26.  Following Krishna's tracks further, footprint by footprint, the women noticed that they were clearly interspersed with the footprints of a young woman.  They discussed this together in distress:  
27.  "Whose footprints are these?  She is going with the son of Nanda, his forearm placed on her shoulder, like a female elephant with a male elephant.
28.  She has worshipped(19) Bhagavan Hari, the Lord.  Consequently, Govinda was pleased, and so has abandoned us and led that gopi to a secluded place.
29.  Just see, O friends, how fortunate are these particles of dust from the lotus feet of Govinda.  Brahma, Siva and the goddess of fortune, Rama [Sri], place them on their heads to remove their sins.
30.  The footprints of that woman are causing us great distress because she alone of the gopis is enjoying the lips of Acyuta in a secluded place.
31.  Now, right here, her footprints are no longer visible:  the lover has lifted up his beloved, whose feet with their delicate soles are bruised by the blades of grass.  
31a.(20) Look, gopis, at these deeper footprints of lusty Krishna weighed down by carrying the younger woman.  And here the beloved has been put down by that great soul in order to [gather] flowers.  
32.  Here, the lover plucked flowers for the beloved:  these two footprints are incomplete because he stood on tip-toe.  
33.  Here, lusty Krishna decorated that lusty woman's hair.  Surely he sat here while making his lover a crown with those [flowers]."'
34.  [Sri  Suka said]:

'Krishna took pleasure with that gopi, although he is complete, content within himself and delights in his own self.  He was displaying the wretchedness of lusty men and women because of their depravity.  
35-36.  The dispirited gopis wandered about pointing [things] out in this way.  The gopi whom Krishna had taken to the forest after abandoning the other women, then thought that she was the best of all women:  "Krishna, my beloved, has abandoned the [other] gopis who were impelled by Kama and dedicated himself to me."  
37.  Then, after going to a spot in the wood, the proud woman spoke to Kesava:  "I am unable to walk any further.  Take me wherever your mind [desires]."
38.  At this request, Krishna told his beloved that she should climb on his shoulder, but then he disappeared.  The young woman was filled with remorse:  
39.  "O Lord, lover, dearest!  Where are you?  Where are you, mighty-armed one?  Reveal your presence to me, friend-I am your miserable servant!"'
40.  Sri  Suka said:  

'The gopis, searching for the path of Bhagavan, saw a distressed girl not far away who was disoriented by the separation from her beloved.  
41.  Hearing her story of how she had first received respect from Madhava, and then humiliation because of her bad faith, they were astounded.
42.  After this, they went as far into the forest as the moon gave light.  Then, seeing that the darkness had descended there, the women returned.  
43.  Their minds aborbed in Krishna, the gopis' conversations focused on him, their activities centred on him, and they dedicated their hearts to him.  Simply by singing about his qualities, they forgot their own homes.  
44.  Meditating on Krishna, they reached the bank of the Kalindi [Yamuna] river again.  Gathering together they sang about Krishna, longing for his arrival.'


The Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Chapter 31, or

The Rasa Pancadhyaya

Chapter 3:  The Gopis' Song in the Rasa Pastime


1.  The gopis said:  "Vraj has become pre-eminent because of your birth; indeed, Indira [Lakshmi] resides there permanently.  O loved one, show yourself!  Your devotees, whose lives are sustained in you, are searching for you everywhere.
2.  You are taking our life, O Lord of autumn; your glance excels in beauty the heart of a beautiful lotus perfectly born in autumn from a pool of water.  We are your maidservants [and do not ask for] any payment.  Isn't this killing us, O bestower of favours?
3.  O bull among men, we have been continuously protected by you from destruction from the poisonous water, from the wicked demon, from the winds and rains, from fire and lightning, from the bull [demon] Arista, from the [demon] son of Maya [Vyomasura], and from fear from all sides.
4.  You are not, in fact, the son of a gopi.  You are the witness of the inner self of all embodied beings.  Being petitioned by Brahma, you become manifest in the family of the Satvatas, O friend, for the protection of the universe.  
5.  Place your lotus hand on the head of those who have approached you out of fear of the material world, O foremost of the Vrsni clan.  Your hand, which holds the hand of Sri [Lakshmi], bestows fearlessness and fulfils desires, O lover.  
6.  You are the hero of women, and you take away the pain of the people of Vraj!  The pride of your devotees is annihilated by your smile!  Accept your maidservants, friend!  Show us your beautiful lotus face!
7.  Place your lotus feet upon our breasts.  Your feet have been placed on the hoods of the serpent [Kaliya] and follow the animals to the pasture.  They are the abode of goddess of fortune, Sri, and they remove the sins of submissive embodied beings.  Excise Kama, who dwells in our hearts.(21)  
8.  O hero, these women obedient to your will are stunned by your sweet voice, your charming words which please the mind and the intelligence, and your lotus eyes.  Reinvigorate us with the intoxicating liquid of your lips.  
9.  Those who repeat the sweetness of your words in this world are munificent.  These words are praised by poets, spread abroad, and are auspicious to hear.  They are life-giving for those who are suffering.  They remove sins and bring good fortune.  
10.  Your bursts of laughter, pleasing looks of love, and pastimes are auspicious to contemplate.  Those meetings in secret places touch our hearts, you cheater, and perturb us thoroughly.(22)  
11.  When you go from Vraj grazing the animals, O Lord, your feet, beautiful as lotuses, are troubled by blades of grass and corn stubble, and so we feel distress.  You are our beloved.
12.  You possess a lotus face, surrounded by blue locks of hair which you constantly display covered with thick dust at the end of the day.  You arouse Kama in the heart, O hero.  
13.  O lover, place your most beneficent lotus feet on our breasts.  They fulfil the desires of the humble and should be meditated upon in trouble, O destroyer of anxiety.  They are worshipped by the lotus-born Brahma, and are the ornament of the earth.  
14.  Bestow upon us the nectar of your lips, O hero, which have been thoroughly kissed by the flute as it plays music.  It destroys sorrow, increases the pleasures of love, and causes men to forget other passions.  
15.  When you, Lord, go to the forest during the day, a moment becomes a yuga(23) for those who do not see you.  He who created eyelashes is dull-witted, form the perspective of those beholding your beautiful face, with its curled locks of hair.(24)  
16.  Acyuta, you are the knower of [people's] movements.  Bewildered by your song, we have thoroughly neglected our husbands, sons, family, brothers and kinsfolk, and come before you.  Who would abandon women in the night, you rogue?
17.  We have become unsettled from contemplating your broad chest, the abode of Sri, the goddess of fortune, as well as your looks of love, your smiling face and the meetings in secret places which aroused Kama.  We long for you intensely all the time.  
18.  Your incarnation is for the good of the universe, and dispels the distress of the people of Vraj.  Deliver a little of that [medicine] which removes the ailment from the hearts of your devotees to us.  Our hearts yearn for you.  
19.  We gently place your tender lotus feet on our rough breasts with trepidation.  You wander in the forest on them and our minds are disturbed:  what if they have been hurt by small stones?  Your Lordship is our life."'


The Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Chapter 32, or

The Rasa Pancadhyaya

Chapter 4:  The Gopis' Lamentation in the Rasa Pastime


1.  Sri  Suka said:  

'Thus the gopis sang and spoke inco-herently in various ways.  Longing to see Krishna, O king, they wept loudly.
2. Krishna, the descendent of Sura, bewilderer of the mind of the mind-bewilderer Kama himself, appeared in their midst, his lotus face smiling.  He was wearing yellow garments, and bore a garland.  
3.  Seeing that their beloved had returned, the women, their eyes wide with love, sprang up simultaneously as if the vital air of the body had returned.
4.  One ecstatic woman caught hold of Krishna's lotus hand in her folded hands.  Another placed his arm, decorated with sandalwood paste, on her shoulder.
5.  A slender woman accepted his chewed betel nut with folded hands.  Another, burning [with desire], placed his lotus feet on her breast.
6.  Yet another, trembling with the fury of love, was biting her lips with her teeth, her brows knitted in a frown.  She glared at Krishna as if she could strike him with a look of rebuke.
7.  Another woman dwelt on his lotus face with unblinking eyes.  Although she drank it in with her eyes, she was not fully satisfied, just as a saint is not fully satisfied [by meditating on] Krishna's lotus feet.
8.  Some other woman, drawing Krishna into her heart through the apertures of her eyes and then sealing them shut, stood embracing him [in her heart], like a yogi immersed in bliss.
9.  All rejoiced at the wonder of seeing Kesava, and let go the distress they had felt at separation, as people are joyful after encountering a wise man.
10.  Bhagavan, Acyuta, surrounded by the women who had shaken off their sorrow, shone brilliantly, like the supreme being surrounded by his sakti  powers.
11-12.  The supreme ruler took the women along and enjoyed himself on the auspicious bank of the Kalindi.  There were bees with six legs and breeze fragrant with blossoming jasmine and mandara flowers.  Its soft sands were lapped by the waves that were like the hands of Krishna river [Yamuna].  The darkness of the night was dispelled by the full rays from the autumn moon.
13.  The heartache of the gopis had been assuaged by the bliss of seeing Krishna, just as the Vedas attained the culmination of their hearts' desire.(25)  The gopis made a seat for the friend of their heart with their outer garments, which were smeared with the Kunkum(26) powder from their breasts.
14.  Bhagavan, the Lord, whose seat is fixed within the hearts of the masters of yoga, sat down there.  He was worshipped as he sat in the company of the gopis, and revealed himself in a form that was a unique embodiment of beauty in the three worlds.
15.  Those women worshipped that inciter of Kama by massaging his hands and feet, which they had placed on their laps.  They praised him, their eyebrows quivering, with playful looks and laughter.  Then they spoke, somewhat angrily.
16.  The beautiful gopis said:  "Some serve those who serve them.  Some do the opposite of this [i.e., serve those who do not serve them].  And some do not serve either.  Can you explain this for us clearly?"
17.  Sri  Bhagavan said:  "Friends, there are those who serve each other reciprocally but their exchange is exclusively out of self-interest; there is no dharma or friendship there.  Personal gain and nothing else is the motive.  
18.  Those, like mothers and fathers, who serve those who do not serve [them] are truly compassionate.  There is perfect friendship in dharma in this, O slender-waisted ones.
19.  Some do not even serve those who serve [them], let alone those who do not serve [them].  They include those who take pleasure in their spiritual self, those whose desires are fulfilled, the ungrateful and the guru-haters.
20.  I do not serve even those beings who serve me to enhance their devotional state of mind, O friends.  The case is like that of the poor man who is not conscious of any-thing else when the wealth that he had gained is lost, but continues to contemplate that wealth obsessively.
21.  In this way, O women, when I disappeared from your presence-you who had abandoned relatives, the [injunctions of the] Vedas, and the world for my sake-it was really to further [your dedication] to me.(27)  I was serving you.  Therefore, beloved ones, you should not be displeased with your beloved.(28)

24.  You have broken the enduring shackles of the household, and have served me.  You are full of goodness and without fault, and I am unable to reciprocate, even in the lifetime of a god.(29)  Therefore, let your reward be your own excellence."


The Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Chapter 33, or

The Rasa Pancadhyaya

Chapter 5:  The Description of the Rasa Pastime


1.  'Hearing the Lord's winning words spoken in this way, the gopis relinquished their distress at separation, but their aspirations increased from touching his limbs.
2.  Govinda began the rasa pastime there, in the company of those devoted jewels of women, who linked arms happily together.
3.  The festival of the rasa dance began, featuring a circle of gopis.  The Lord of all yogis, Krishna, inserted himself between each pair of gopis, and put his arms about their necks.  Each woman thought he was at her side only.  Meanwhile, the sky was crowded with hundreds of the vehicles of the gods, who were accompanied by their wives and carried away with excitement.
4.  Kettledrums resounded then, streams of flowers fell, and the chiefs of the gandharvas(30) and their wives sang of Krishna's spotless glories.
5.  There was a tumultuous sound of bracelets, ankle-bracelets and the bells of the young women in the circle of the rasa dance with their beloved.
6.  Krishna Bhagavan, the son of Devaki, was radiant in their company, like a great emerald in the midst of golden ornaments.
7.  The consorts of Krishna, their braids and belts securely fastened, sang about him with hand gestures and dancing feet.  Their faces were sweating, their earrings rolling on their cheeks, and the garments on their breasts slipping.  Their waists were bent, and they smiled, their eyebrows playful.  They shone like lightning in a circle of clouds.
8.  They were intent on amorous pleasure and overjoyed by Krishna's touch.  Their throats decorated with dye, they sang loudly as they danced, and the world reverberated with their songs.
9.  One gopi led a duet in harmony with Mukunda.(31)  Krishna was pleased and praised her:  "Well done!  Well done!"  Then she led the refrain and he heaped praises on her.
10.  Another, tired by the rasa dance, her mallika flowers and bracelets loosened, laid her arm on the shoulder of Krishna, the wielder of the club, who was standing by her side.  
11.  Krishna placed his arm on the shoulder of one of the gopis.  Smelling it, fragrant as a blue lotus and smeared with sandalwood, she kissed it, the hairs of her body tingling with rapture.
12.  Krishna gave his chewed betel nut to another gopi as she placed her cheek, adorned with the glitter of earrings in disarray from the dancing, next to his cheek.
13.  Yet another gopi  who was singing and dancing, her belt and ankle-bracelets jingling, became fatigued.  She placed the soothing lotus hand of Acyuta, who was at her side, on her breast.
14.  The gopis won their lover Acyuta, who is the exclusive beloved of Sri, the goddess of fortune.  Their necks encircled by his arms, they delighted in him as they sang.
15.  The gopis, with glowing faces, cheeks adorned with locks of hair, and lotus flowers behind their ears, were beautiful.  They danced with the Lord in the circle of the rasa(32) to the musical accompaniment of the bees complemented by the sound of their anklets and bangles.  Wreaths of flowers fell from their hair.
16.  Thus Krishna, the Lord of Lakshmi, sported with the beautiful girls of Vraj with freely playful smiles, amorous glances, and with caresses and embraces.  He was like a child enraptured by his own reflection.
17.  The senses of the women of Vraj were alive with pleasure from the contact of his limbs.  Their ornaments and garlands were awry, and the women could not keep their garments or their hair or the cloth covering their breasts in order, O best of the Kuru Dynasty.(33)
18.  The women of the celestial realm travelling in the air were stricken with desire at seeing Krishna's pastimes, and became entranced.  The moon and its entourage [the stars] were full of wonder.
19.  Although content within himself, the Lord became manifest in as many forms as there were gopi  women, and enjoyed himself with them in lila(34) pastimes.
20.  With great compassion,  Krishna lov-ingly caressed with his very soothing hands the faces of those gopis who were exhausted from the pleasures of love.
21.  The gopis paid homage to their hero with sideway looks and honeyed smiles.  Their beautiful cheeks glowed with locks of hair and the glitter of golden earrings.  Thrilled by the touch of Krishna's fingernails, they sang of his auspicious deeds.
22.  When he tired, Krishna went into the water with them.  He was pursued by bees, who [sang] like gandharva-chiefs, because of his garland.  Crushed by contact with the limbs of the gopis, it was stained with the Kunkum powder from their breasts.  Krishna was like the king of the elephants who had lost all inhibitions with his female elephants.
23.  With looks of love, the young women around him laughed and splashed him vigorously, O King!  Worshipped with showers of kusuma flowers by the celestial beings in their aerial chariots, Krishna disported himself like an elephant in lila pastimes, even though he is content within himself.
24.  Later, he strolled in the groves of the Yamuna river, surrounded by groups of young women and bees.  The furthest corners of the river, both on land and on the waters, were pervaded by a wind bearing the fragrance of flowers.  He was like an elephant exhilarated by the company of his female elephants.
25.  Krishna's desires are always fulfilled, and his propensity for enjoyment is fulfilled within himself, but during all those nights he participated in this way in the company of throngs of young women.  Such nights, brilliant with the rays of the moon, are the setting for rasa in poetry and prose that describe autumn.'
26.  Pariksit said:

'God, the Lord of the universe, has descended into the world along with his expansion [Balarama] for the establishment of dharma, and for the suppression of adharma, non-dharma.(35)
27.  He is the original speaker, exemplar and protector of the injunctions of dharma.  How could he behave in a manner contrary to dharma, O brahmana, by touching the wives of others?
28.  The Lord of the Yadu dynasty, who is content within himself, has performed an abhorrent deed.(36)  What was his purpose?  You who are true to your vows, please take away our doubt.'
29.  Sri  Suka said:  

'Just as fire consumes everything [without being polluted], so it is seen that the blatant transgressions of dharma by the more powerful of rulers are not faults.
30.  One who is not a powerful being should certainly never behave in that fashion, not even in his mind.  Otherwise, acting out of foolishness, he will be destroyed, just as one who is not Siva will be destroyed [by drinking] the poison churned from the ocean.(37)
31.  The words of powerful beings are truth, and so is whatever is performed by them.  The wise will act in accordance with their words.
32.  O master, those who are devoid of personal ego do not accrue benefit for themselves through appropriate behaviour, nor undesirable results through its opposite.(38)
33.  What then of the applicability of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness to the supreme being of all supreme beings and of all living entities, whether celestial, human or animal?
34.  Satisfied by worshipping the dust of Krishna's lotus feet, even the sages act according to their own free will.  The bondage of all their karma has been destroyed through the power of yoga, and so they are never bound.  How, then, can one speak of bondage for Krishna, who accepts forms according to his own will?
35.  He lives within the gopis, their husbands and all living beings.  He is the supreme witness who has assumed a form in this world for the purpose of sport.
36.  Manifest in a human form, he indulges in such pastime as a favour to the devotees.  Hearing about these, one becomes fully devoted to him.
37.  Confused by his power of illusion, the menfolk of Vraj were not resentful of Krishna; each thought his own wife was present at his side.
38.  The gopis held the Lord dear.  When the duration of Brahma's night had expired,(39) they went home unwillingly with the approval of Vasudeva.
39.  The sober person who is endowed with faith should hear and describe these pastimes(40) of Vishnu with the maidens of Vraj.  Achieving supreme devotion to the Lord, one quickly frees oneself from lust, the disease of the heart.'

T H E   E N D 


Endnotes

(1)  Sri is a courtesy title as well as a name of the goddess of fortune, Vishnu's eternal consort.  (EFB)

(2)  Lakshmi is Sri, the goddess of fortune and consort of Vishnu.  (EFB)

(3)  Krishna is a name of God [Vishnu] meaning black or all attractive.  (EFB/AT)

(4)  Kama, the Hindu Cupid, is similar to his Western counterpart.  He is generally depicted as a naked youth who flies around piercing his victims with flowery arrows of love.  The mastery of Kama's domain demonstrates how Krishna can use even the basest drives to draw his devotees to him.  (EFB/AT)

(5)  Acyuta, a name of Krishna or Vishnu meaning 'one who does not fall down.'  (EFB)

(6)  Both impious deeds and auspicious deeds are the source of bondage, since both require that the performer undergo rebirth in order to experience the good or bad results that accrue from such deeds.  (EFB)

(7)  Any kind of meditation upon God, even in hatred, results in the purification and ultimate liberation of the meditator.  This underscores the purity and potency of God.  (EFB)

(8)  Hrsikesa is a name of Krishna meaning 'Lord of the senses' or 'one with bristly hair.'  (EFB)

(9)  Adhoksaja is a name of Krishna or Vishnu meaning 'one who is beyond sense perception.'  (EFB)

(10) Hari is a name of Krishna meaning 'one who takes away (evil, or sin).'  (EFB)

(11) Tulasi is another consort of Vishnu, who takes the form of a [basil] plant.  Krishna often wears a tulasi garland.  (EFB)

(12) Kesava is a name of Krishna meaning 'having beautiful hair.'  (EFB)

(13) Govinda is a name of Krishna, meaning 'tender of cattle.'  (EFB)

(14) Madhava, a name of Krishna meaning, 'descendent of Madhu.'  (EFB)

(15) The sense is that the earth is most fortunate since it is constantly being touched by the feet of Krishna.  The trees are the hair of the earth, and they are described here as standing erect with bliss.  The earth therefore must have performed intensely austere practices in previous births to have earned this privilege.  (EFB)

(16) Urukrama is Vamanadeva, the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu.  (EFB)

(17) Varaha is the boar incarnation of Vishnu, who lifted the earth from the ocean where it had fallen because of the agitation of the demons.  The accounts of these and other previous incarnations are narrated in earlier books of the Bhagavata Purana.  (EFB)

(18) Putana was a demoness who took the form of a beautiful woman and tried to take the life of Krishna by poisoning her nipples and offering them to the infant Krishna.  Instead, she was killed but attained the destination of saints through his grace (see the Bhagavata Purana, Book 10, Ch. 6).  (EFB/AT)

(19) The word here for 'worshipped' is aradhitah, the past passive participle of the verb aradh, 'to worship'.  Gaudiya commentators of the Chaitanya school of Vaishnavism see this as a veiled reference to a nominal form of this root, Radha, which is the name of Krishna's primary consort, who is otherwise not mentioned in this text.  (EFB)

(20) This verse is not found in the Sridhara, but it is in a number of other editions.  (EFB)

(21) Surrender is a recurring theme in The Rasa Pancadhyaya, highlighting its importance in individual spiritual progress.  See 1.9-11,15, 2.37-44, and 5.39.  By such surrender, even the wiles of Kama are utilised by the Lord to the benefit of the devotee.  (AT)

(22) The many sufferings of those feeling separation from their lover Krishna, or madness out of love for him, have justification here.  Eventually, the lover will find reconciliation and completion within him and no longer will the lover suffer so (see 4.9-13).  (AT)

(23) A yuga consists of 4,320,000 years.  (EFB)

(24) The sense, here, is that even blinking causes an unwelcome momentary interruption in gazing at Krishna's face.  (EFB)

(25) According to Sridhara:  'in their karma kanda [ritualistic sacrificial sections], the Vedas, not seeing the Supreme Lord, remain unfulfilled because of those attachments which are born of desire.  But, in the jnana kanda sections, after seeing the supreme soul, they are then filled with bliss and renounce the attachments produced by desire.'  The sense of this is as follows:  the karma kanda sections of the Vedas deal with the specifics of ritual sacrifice, which are performed in order to attain worldly benefits.  Since Krishna only appears to those who are free of all desire for worldly enjoyments, he does not appear in these sections of the Vedas.  Thus, the Vedas, personified, who are devotees of the Lord, remain unfulfilled in these sections.  The jnana kanda sections of the Vedas, however, which stress detachment, discuss the supreme soul (correlated with Krishna in the Bhagavata), and thus the Vedas become blissful due to the appearance of the Lord in these sections.  (EFB)

(26) Kunkum is a powder used as a cosmetic on the breasts of women, interpreted by Bryant as saffron powder.  Others suggest vermilion.  (AT)

(27) This text shows us the mystery embraced by mystics of all religious traditions; that is, of apparently abandoning the law elements of religion in favour of the extreme devotion of mystical union with the divine beloved.  Rumi writes of the necessity of becoming his own heretic and St. Paul writes of no longer being under the custodianship of law, but set free as heirs of the kingdom.  Krishna himself discusses the many schools of yoga throughout the Bhagavad Gita only to advise Arjuna in the end to abandon all in favour of divine love (BG 18.62-66).  Love wins these battles as the devotee becomes ever more purified through such driving motivation that the lover ultimately unites with the Beloved (see Rasa Pancadhyaya  5.1).  (AT)

(28) Once such love has taken hold of a devotee, Krishna does whatever is necessary to grow that devotion (should the devotee be sufficiently surrendered to Krishna).  Such treatment includes long bouts of separation from the knowledge of his presence, sickness, and other material tribulations.  Much can be learned from these challenges as individual ego learns to surrender all to the pervading power of his glorious love.  (AT)

(29) The Rasa Pancadhyaya demonstrates how Krishna guides the spiritual journey of each of his lovers.  First, the joy of the calling and meeting with the beloved.  Then comes the pain of separation and the seeming inconsolability of such loss.  Yet here, and in the next chapter, we find that the lover is finally reconciled with Krishna.  In much the same way, the modern lover will experience the same joy of union, separation, and ultimate reunion.  Eventually, the lover awakens to the knowledge that he dwells within and nothing can now separate her from that reality.  All things in life now point the way to the final destination of the lover's soul.  Life is simply lived now solely for him.  (AT)

(30) The gandharvas are celestial beings who are renowned for their beautiful singing.  (EFB)

(31) Mukunda is a name of Krishna meaning 'the giver of liberation.'  (EFB)

(32) The rasa dance is a circle between Krishna and the gopis.  (EFB)

(33) Kuru is the forefather of both the Pandavas and the 100 sons of Dhrtarastra, but usually in connection with the latter.  (EFB)

(34) Lila refers to sport or pastime, especially of Krishna when he incarnates into the world.  (EFB)

(35) Dharma encompasses religious and moral as well as social duty.  Adharma is its antonym.  (EFB)

(36) Many of today's conservative interpreters deny that any sort of sexual experiences are described here and those believing that such took place are victims of their own depraved imaginings.  Krishna's wives and lovers, even in this latter day, know that he continues to touch and to play at love sport.  This is an actual fact in the lives of all called to be his lovers.  While material sex acts may not actually occur, the experience, effects, and outcomes are all very real for his lovers.  It may well be that in this text, Krishna touched these gopis in the same way, with deeply resonant spiritual and physical effects.  The point of such an experience is not lovemaking for the sake of lovemaking, but to touch the souls of his lovers in a way so meaningful and intimately that the individual is forever affected by the experience.  Permanent union of lover and beloved is assured.  His purpose in these seemingly debased acts is to draw to him those that are truly his.  This proposition is borne out in Sri Suka's reply.  (AT)

(37) When the gods and the demons churned the ocean of milk, poison was produced as well as various valuable things.  Siva drank the poison, as a result of which his throat turned blue.  The story is narrated in the eighth book of the Bhagavata (chapters 6-9).  (EFB) 

(38) This is why a devotee gives all activities and the fruits of their activities to their beloved Krishna.  Once he has touched his lovers, the only desire of the devotee is to ever dwell with him.  The devotee gives up all desire for this world, ending the karma (both good and bad) that binds an individual to continuous rebirth.  Instead, the lover is now free to forever dwell with him.  See verses 34-36.  (AT)

(39) Brahma's night lasts 4,320 million years, as does his day.  He lives for 100 years of such days and nights.  (EFB)

(40) His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada pointed out that true lovers of Krsna will be interested not only in the rasa lila, but in all aspects of our Beloved’s life on earth.  While the promise of this verse is vitally important in the growth of Krsna’s lovers, we should be aware of our own motivations in approaching this text.  (AT)


Rasa Pancadhyaya Index

The Roman numeral 'ii' refers to the 'A Note from the Transcriptionist' section on page ii.  References such as '1.1' indicates chapter 1, verse 1 of The Rasa Pancadhyaya.  A reference such as 'n1' indicates endnote number 1.  This index, while not exhaustive, attempts to be thorough in indexing both active and descriptive terms.


abandonment  3.16
	also see pain of separation from Krishna
absorption, in Krishna  2.43
Acyuta  1.10-11, n5, 2.7, 2.11, 2.30, 3.16, 4.10, 5.13-14
adharma  5.26, n35
adultery  1.26
Adhoksaja  1.13, n9
aerial chariots
	see vehicles (of the sky)
affection  1.15
amorous pleasures  1.42, 1.45-46, 2.30, 2.34, 3.14, 4.11-12, 5.8, 5.16, 5.20
amra plant
	see mango
anger  1.15, 4.15
animals (unspecified)  3.7, 3.11
anxiety  3.13
appearances, Krishna  4.2, n25, 5.35-36
multiple  5.3, 5.19
Arista, the bull demon  3.3
arka plant  2.9
arm(s), of Krishna  4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 5.11, 5.14
arouses, Krishna  3.12, 4.15
Aryans  1.40
asana plant  2.9
aspirations  1.28, 5.1
asoka tree  2.6
asvattha tree  2.5
attachment  n25, 4.24
auspicious(-ness)  1.10-11, 2.7, 3.9-10, 4.11-12, 5.21, 5.33
autumn  1.1, 3.2, 4.12, 5.25
Baka, the crane demon  2.17
bakula plant  2.9
Balarama  2.17
Balarama, younger brother of (Krishna)  2.6, 2.12, 5.26
bank, of river  1.45-46
barley  2.25
beauty, brought by Krishna  1.44
beauty, of Krishna  1.38-39, 3.15, 4.14
bees  2.7, 2.12, 4.11-12, 5.15, 5.22, 5.24
behaviour(s)  1.40, 2.2, 2.41, 5.30, 5.32, n38
being(s)  4.20
celestial  5.23
embodied  1.32, 3.4, 3.7, 5.35
powerful  1.15, 1.31, 5.30-31
supreme  2.4, 4.10, 5.33
bells  5.5
beloved, Krishna the eternal  1.33, 5.5
bestower of favours, Krishna  3.2, 3.5
betel nut  4.5, 5.12
bewilderment, by Krishna  2.3, 3.16
Bhagavan  1.1, 2.28, 2.40, 4.10, 4.14, 4.17, 5.6
Bhagavata Purana  ii, n17, n25, n37
bilva plant
	see wood-apple
bimba-fruit  1.29
bite(-ing)  4.6
birds  1.40
blinded, with intoxication  2.12
blinking  n24
bliss  1.40, 4.13, n25, 5.8
bodies consumed  1.35
bondage (to Samsara)  1.10-11, 5.34
	also see liberation
bracelets  5.5, 5.10, 5.13, 5.15
Brahma  2.29, 3.4, 3.13, 5.38, n39
Brahman  1.12, 5.27
breadfruit  2.9
breast(s)  1.29, 1.41, 1.45-46, 2.11, 2.15, 3.7, 3.13, 3.19, 4.5, 4.13, 5.7, 5.13, 5.17, 5.22
brothers  1.8
bull among men, Krishna  3.3
burning, of passion  1.38, 1.41, 4.5
charm, of Krishna  3.8
chest, of Krishna  1.37, 1.39, 3.17
chores, domestic  1.34
clothes  1.6-7
campaka tree  2.6
compassion, 
of Krishna  1.38, 1.42, 1.48, 5.20
of others  4.18
consorts, of Krishna  5.7
content, Krishna within himself  2.34, 5.19, 5.23, 5.25, 5.28
corn (grain) stubble  3.11
cosmetics  1.6-7, n26
cows  1.5, 1.40, 2.18
creeping plants  2.13, 2.24
crown, for lovers  2.33
cuta plant
	see mango
dance(-ing)  5.3, 5.5, 5.7, 5.10, 5.12, 5.13
darkness  2.42, 4.11-12
darshan, of Krishna  1.39, 1.43, 3.15, n24
	also see pain of separation from Krishna
dedication, to Krishna  2.2-3, 2.43, 4.21
deer  1.40, 2.11
demon (unspecified)  3.3
depravity  2.34
describe, pastimes  5.39
desire(s)  1.15, 1.38, 3.5, 4.5, 4.19, 5.18
Devaki, son of (Krishna)  5.6
devotees  5.36
devotion  ii, 4.20, 5.39
dharma  1.23, 1.32, 4.17, 5.26-28, n36, 5.29
Dhrtarastra  n33
disappearance of Krishna
	see vanishes, Krishna
distress  1.28, 1.38, 2.26, 2.30, 2.40, 3.11, 3.18, 4.9, 4.21, 5.1
dust, from the feet of Krishna  1.37, 2.29, 5.34
dust, covering the hair of Krishna  2.12
dye  5.8
earrings  1.4, 1.39, 5.7, 5.12, 5.21
earth  2.10
eating  1.6-7
ecstasy  1.8, 2.13, 4.4, 4.7, 5.11
ego  5.32
elephants
female  2.1, 2.27, 5.22
male (or king of elephants)  2.27, 5.22-24
embrace(s), of Krishna  1.45-46, 5.16
eye, unblinking
	see staring
excellence  4.24
faith  5.39
faithfulness, to Krishna  1.36
fatigue  5.13, 5.20
fear  1.15, 1.39, 2.23, 3.3, 3.5
feet, of Krishna  1.34-38, 2.10, 3.7, 3.11, 3.13, 3.19, 4.5, 4.7, 4.15, 5.34
fire (emotional)
	see pain of separation from Krishna
	also see desire
fire (physical)  2.22, 3.3, 5.29
flag  2.25
flowers, for lovers  2.31a-32, 5.4, 5.24
flute
	see music, of Krishna
foolishness  5.30
footprints, of Krishna  2.24-27, 2.31-32
forest  1.44, 2.24, 2.42, 3.15, 3.19
forgetting (of the material)  2.43, 3.14
forms, of Krishna  5.34-36
free will  5.34
friend of the afflicted, Krishna as  1.41
frolick, of Krishna  1.44
friendship  1.15, 3.6, 4.17-18
fruit, of action
	see karma
fulfils desires, Krishna
	see bestower of favours, Krishna
gandharvas  5.4, n30, 5.22
garland  1.44, 2.7, 2.11-12, 2.23, 4.2, 5.15, 5.17, 5.22
garment(s)  2.20, 4.2, 4.13, 5.7, 5.17
gestures  5.7
glories, of Krishna  5.4
goad  2.25
God  1.14, 5.26
gods, other  1.37, 5.3, 5.18, 5.23, n37
goodness  4.24
gopas  2.17, 2.22
Govinda  1.8, 1.28, 2.7, 2.28, 2.29, 5.2
grass  2.31, 3.11
groves  5.24
gunas  1.10-12, 1.14
guru-haters  4.19
hair, of Krishna  1.39, 3.12, 3.15
hair, standing or tingling  1.40, 5.11
hands, folded  4.5
hand(s), of Krishna  1.41, 2.8, 4.4, 4.15, 5.13, 5.20
Hari  1.15, n10, 2.28
hatred  n7
hear  1.4, 1.27-28, 1.42, 2.41, 3.9, 5.1, 5.39
heart(s)  1.8, 1.34-35, 2.2, 2.9, 2.14, 2.43, 3.7, 3.10, 3.12, 3.18, 4.8, 4.13, 4.14, 5.39
hermits  1.36
hero of women, Krishna  3.6, 3.8, 3.12, 3.14, 5.21
hope  1.33
Hrsikesa  1.13, n8
humble (persons)  3.13
humiliation, from Krishna  2.41
husbands  1.8, 1.25, 1.32-33, 3.16, 5.35, 5.37
"I am he!"
	see identification with Krishna
identification with Krishna  1.15, 2.3, 2.19
illusive power, of Krishna  5.37
imitation, of Krishna  2.3, 2.14, 2.19-22
in all living beings, Krishna  2.4
incarnation, of Krishna  3.18
incoherent  4.1
Indira
	see Lakshmi
infallible, Krishna  1.43
intimate contact, with Krishna  1.10-11
intoxication, holy  2.2, 3.8
jambu plant
	see rose apple
jasmine  1.1, 2.11, 4.11-12
jati plant  2.8
jnana kanda  n25
kadamba plant  2.9
Kalindi river
	see Yamuna river
Kaliya, the serpent  3.7
Kama  1.4, n4, 1.45-46, 2.35-36, 3.7, 3.12, 3.17, 4.2, 4.15, 5.39
karma  1.10-11, n6, 5.32, n38, 5.34
karma kanda  n25
Kesava  1.48, n12, 2.10, 2.37, 4.9
kettledrums  5.4
kiss(-ed)  3.14
kovidara plant  2.9
Krishna  n3, n4, n25
kumuda flowers  1.45-46
Kunkum powder  4.13, n26, 5.22
kurabaka tree  2.6
kusuma flowers  5.23
Kuru (dynasty)  5.17, n33
Lakshmi  1.3, n2, 1.36-37, 1.39, 2.2, 2.29, 3.5, 3.7, 3.17, 5.14, 5.16
laugh  5.23
lila pastimes  5.19, n34
liberation  n7, 1.15, 1.16, 1.31, n31
life, sustained in Krishna  3.1
lifted up  2.31-31a
light  2.42
lightning  3.3, 5.7
lila  2.14, 5.23
lips  1.29, 1.39, 2.30, 3.14, 4.6
longing, for Krishna  2.44, 3.1, n22, 3.17, 4.1
	also see pain of separation from Krishna
Lord of autumn  3.2
Lord of hundreds of women  1.44, 2.11, 5.3
Lordship, of Krishna  3.19
	also see Lord of autumn
	also see Lord of hundreds of women
lotus  2.12, 2.25, 3.2, 3.5, 5.15
love for Krishna  1.10-12, 1.27, 1.36, 2.8, n22, 3.11, 4.3, 5.23, n38, 5.38
love, of Krishna  2.5, 2.12, 3.5, 3.17, n29, 5.14
lover  1.10-11, 1.12
lover (special, likely being Radha)  2.11-12, 2.26-28, 2.30-33, 2.35-40
lust
	see Kama
lust, Krishna inciter of
	see arouses, Krishna
lusty, Krishna  2.31a, 2.33-34
Madhava (Krishna)  2.8, n14, 2.41
madness, holy  2.4, 2.14-24, 3.17, 4.1
malati  plant  2.8
mallika  plant  1.1, 2.2, 5.10
mandara flowers  4.11-12
mango  2.9
manifestations, many of Krishna
	see appearances, Krishna multiple
mascara  1.6-7, 1.29
maya
	see illusive power, of Krishna
medicine  3.18
meditation  1.9-11, n7, 2.44, 3.13, 4.7
meetings in secret, with Krishna  3.10
men  2.34, 3.14, 5.37
mind(s)
absorbed  1.12, 2.19, 2.43
behavior  5.30
bewildered by Krishna  4.2
devotional state  4.20
disturbed  3.19
enhancement (selfish)  4.20
overwhelmed  2.2
pleased by Krishna  3.8
stolen by Krishna  2.5
moment  3.15
moon  1.2-3, 2.42, 4.11-12, 5.18, 5.25
mortar  2.23
Mukunda  5.9, n31
music, of Krishna  1.35, 1.40, 2.18, 3.14, 3.16
naga tree  2.6
nails, of Krishna  1.45-46
naked  2.20
Nanda, son of (Krishna)  2.5, 2.25, 2.27
nectar  3.14
night  4.11-12, 5.38, n39
nipa tree  2.9
nyagrodha tree  2.5
ornament(s)  1.6-7, 1.38, 1.39, 3.13, 5.6, 5.15, 5.17
pain of separation from Krishna  1.10-11, 1.28  1.35, 2.1-24, 2.40, n22, 3.15, 3.18, 4.9, 4.13, n29, 5.1
panasa plant
	see breadfruit
Pandavas  n33
Pariksit  ii, 1.12, 5.26
passions  3.14, 3.17
pastimes, of Krishna  3.10, 5.18, 5.35-36, 5.39
pasture  3.7
path (spiritual)  1.35
payment (no)  3.2
personal gain  4.17
plaksa tree  2.5
pleasure  2.11, 3.10, 4.19
	also see amorous pleasures
poetry  5.25
poison, poisonous water  3.3, 5.30, n37
praise
for Krishna  1.44, 4.15
of Krishna  5.9
pride, of devotees  3.6
pride, of the gopis  1.47-48, 2.6, 2.35-37, 3.6
priyala plant  2.9
prose  5.25
protection  2.22, 3.3-4
punnaga tree  2.6
Putana  2.15
qualities, of Krishna  2.43
Radha
	see lover (special, likely being Radha)
radiance, of Krishna  5.6
rain  3.3
Rama, the goddess of fortune
	see Lakshmi
rapture  
	see ecstasy
rasa pastime  5.2-3, 5.10, 5.15, n32, 5.25
relations  1.8, 1.20, 1.23, 3.16, 4.18, 4.21
renouncing sensuality  1.30, 3.14
reproving Krishna  1.30, 4.6
respect, from Krishna  2.41
ritual sacrifice  n25
river  1.45-46
	also see Yamuna river
rose apple  2.9
sacrifice  1.30, 1.38
saffron  2.11, n26
sages  5.34
saint  4.7
sakti   4.10, 5.11
sand  1.45-46, 4.11-12
sandalwood  4.4, 5.11
Satvatas  3.4
scratch(-ing)  1.29, 1.45-46
seclusion  2.30
secret places  2.30, 3.17
	seeing Krishna  4.13
self-contained, Krishna  1.42
self-interest  4.17
senses, of the women of Vraj  5.17
separation
	see pain of separation from Krishna
servants, of Krishna  1.38-39, 2.39, 3.2, 3.6, 4.24
service  4.16-24
shackles
	see attachment
shining, Krishna  4.10
singing  2.4, 2.43-44, 3.1ff, 4.1, 5.4, 5.8-9, 5.21, 5.22
sins  2.29, 3.7, 3.9, 5.28
Siva (Shiva)  2.29, 5.30
smile(s), of Krishna  1.35, 1.38-39, 1.43, 1. 45-46, 2.2, 2.6, 3.6, 4.2, 5.16
snake  2.21
sober  5.39
sound, tumultuous  5.5
sorrow  3.14
speaker, Krishna is the original   5.27
sport  5.35
Sri  ii, n1
	also see Lakshmi
staring  4.7
stars  5.18
stones  3.19
submission  3.7
suffering  3.9, n22
Suka  ii, 1.1, 1.42, 2.1, 2.34, 2.40, 4.1, 5.29
supreme ruler  4.11-12
supreme soul  1.10-11, 1.47, 2.24, n25
Sura, Krishna a descendent of  4.2
surrender, to Krishna  2.37
tears  1.29
thigh  1.45-46
thought(s) of Krishna  1.9, 2.19, 2.43
three worlds, the  1.40, 4.14
throats, dyed  5.8
thunderbolt  2.25
touch, of Krishna  2.8, 2.10, 2.13, 5.8, 5.21, n38
transformation  2.16
trees  1.40, 2.4-5, 2.10, 2.24
trembling  4.6
trouble  3.13
Tulasi  1.37, n11, 2.7, 2.12
ungrateful (persons)  4.19
union, with the supreme soul  1.10-11
upright, Krishna  1.43, 5.4
Urukrama  2.10, n16
vaijayanti flowers  1.44
vanishes, Krishna  1.48, 2.38, 4.21
Varaha  2.10, n17
Vasudeva (Krishna)  5.38
Vatsa, the calf demon  2.17
Vedas  4.13, n25, 4.21
vehicles (of the sky)  5.3, 5.18, 5.23
vermilion  1.3, 1.29, n26
Vishnu  n1, n2, n3, 5.39
vital air  4.3
Vraj  1.4, 1.34, 1.41, 3.1, 3.6, 3.11, 3.18, 5.16-17, 5.37, 5.39
Vrndavana  2.24
Vrsni (clan)  3.5
Vyomasura, the demon son of Maya  3.3
washing  1.6-7
water  5.22
waves  1.45-46, 4.11-12
wealth  4.20
weeping  4.1
wicked, chastiser of  2.21
within, taking Krishna  4.8, 5.35
wind(s)  1.45-46, 3.3
wise man  4.9
witness of the inner self, Krishna  3.4, 5.35
wives (wife) 5.27-28, n36, 5.37
woman(-men)  1.23, 1.26, 2.34, 3.6, 5.24-25, 5.39
wonder  5.18
wood-apple  2.9
words, of Krishna  3.8-9
world, material  3.5, 4.21, 5.8
worship, of Krishna  1.38, 2.28, n19, 3.13, 4.14-15, 5.23, 5.33
Yamuna river  2.9, 2.44, 4.11-12, 5.24
yearning
	see longing, for Krishna
yellow  4.2
yoga  1.16, 1.42, 4.14, 5.3, 5.34
yogamaya  1.1
yuga  3.15, n23
yuthika plant  2.8

This is revision 2007.01.14