One is introduced to the deep love of the gopis for Krishna by listening to the great pain that the gopis in wandering through the forests of Vraja feel while thinking about Krishna. They express their pain in these words (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.11):
yat te sujata-caranamburuham stanesu
bhitah sanaih priya dadhimahi karkasesu
tenatavim atasi tad vyathate na kim svit
kurpadibhir bhramati dhir bhavad-ayusam nah
Oh dearest beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we gently place them on our hard breasts, fearing they will get hurt. Our life depends only on You. Our minds are filled with anxiety at the thought that Your feet may get hurt with stones as You wander the forest paths.
An emotional release of sambhoga is described in Krishna-karnamrta (12):
nikhila-bhuvana-laksmi-nitya-lilaspadabhyam
kamala-vipina-vithi-garvankusabhyam
pranamadabhaya-dana-praudhi-gadhadrtabhyam
kim api vahatu cetah krishna padambujabhyam
May my heart take indescribable pleasure from Krishna’s lotus feet, which are the abode of the sweetest and most playful pastimes of Srimati Radharani, who is the goddess of fortune of all transcendental planets. His lotus feet defeat the pride of bouquets of lotus flowers and are highly esteemed for providing the salvation of the devotees of the Lord.
Also in Krishna-karnamrta (18) it is written:
tarunaruna karunamaya vipulayata nayanam
kamalakuca-kalasibhara-vipuli-krta pulakam
muralirava-tarali-krta-muni-manasa nalinam
mama khelatu mada-cetasi madhuradharam amrtam
May the nectar of Krishna’s sweet lips poison my heart while having fun with it. His large eyes, reddish like the rising sun, are filled with compassion upon seeing the weariness of His beloved Srimati Radharani. His hair stands on end from happiness at the touch of Kamala’s (Radharani) erect breasts. The sound of His flute melts the hearts of the sages, which become soft as lotus flowers, and the already soft lotus hearts of the gopis – who have taken a vow of silence out of anger or shyness – become even softer.
The Ujjvala-nilamani describes with the following words the various services that take place in the mind of one who is situated in His eternal form:
mithah prema-gunotkirttis tayor asakti-karita
abhisara-dvayor eva sakhyah krsne samarpanam
narmmasvasana-nepathyam hrdayodghata-patavam
chidra-samvrtir etasyah patyadeh parivancana
siksa-sangamanam kale sevanam vyajanadibhih
tayor dvayor upalambhah sandesa-presanam tatha
nayika prana samraksa prayatnadyah sakhi-kriyah (19)
In Krishna’s amorous pastimes, Krishna is the hero (nayaka) and Radhika is the heroine (nayika). The first service of the gopis is to sing the glories of both. Their second service is to gradually create a situation where the hero attracts the heroine and vice versa. Their third service is to get both of them to approach each other. Their fourth service is to offer Radharani to Krishna, the fifth is to create a jovial atmosphere, the sixth is to reassure Them of Their meeting, the seventh is to dress and beautify both the hero and the heroine, the eighth to cleverly inspire Radha and Krishna to express Their minds, the ninth to conceal the faults of the heroine, the tenth is to deceive Their respective husbands and relatives, the eleventh to give instructions, the twelfth to make sure They can both meet at the right time, the thirteenth service is to wave at Them, the fifteenth to send messages, the fourteenth to sometimes reproach the hero and the heroine, and the sixteenth to protect the heroine in various ways.
This is a section of the book “Bhajana Rahasya”, by Bhaktivinode Thakura.
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