The Gopis' Love - When God Himself Was Not Enough (Bhakti Yoga)

Dadi: "Guddu beta, today I'll tell you about a love so pure that even God himself said it was the highest form of devotion."

Guddu: "Really, Dadi? Whose love was that?"

Dadi: "The gopis of Vrindavan - the cowherd women who loved Krishna with all their hearts. But this story begins even earlier, in a forest called Dandaka."

Guddu: "What happened there?"

Dadi: "Great sages had been meditating there for thousands of years. They had given up everything - family, comfort, home - all to find liberation. They knew every scripture by heart."

Guddu: "They must have been very wise!"

Dadi: "They were. But then one day, Rama walked through their forest. And the moment they saw him, something unexpected happened."

Guddu: "What?"

Dadi: "They forgot about liberation! They didn't want enlightenment anymore. They simply wanted to be near him, to serve him, to love him. Rama promised them: "In your next life, you will be born as women in Vrindavan. There, I will come as Krishna and dance with you.""

Guddu: "And they became the gopis?"

Dadi: "Yes! They were reborn as simple village women with husbands and children. They churned butter, tended cows, did all the normal things. But when Krishna played his flute..."

Guddu: "They ran to him?"

Dadi: "*smiles* They forgot everything! They left cooking fires burning. They left children in the middle of feeding. They ran to the forest with such joy that locked doors couldn't stop them."

Guddu: "But what about their duties? Their families must have been upset!"

Dadi: "Their families said the same thing! "What about propriety? What about society?" And the gopis answered: "Krishna is calling. What could matter more?""

Guddu: "That's very bold of them!"

Dadi: "They danced with him through the autumn nights - it was called the rasa lila. And Krishna did something magical. He multiplied himself so that every single gopi felt she was dancing with him alone!"

Guddu: "Wow! Each one had her own Krishna?"

Dadi: "Yes! They experienced a closeness with God that sages achieve only after lifetimes of practice. But then, beta, something went wrong."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "Some of the gopis began to feel proud. They thought: "I am special. Krishna loves me most. My devotion has earned this.""

Guddu: "That doesn't sound so bad..."

Dadi: "But the moment that pride entered their hearts, Krishna vanished!"

Guddu: "He disappeared? Just like that?"

Dadi: "Completely! The gopis searched everywhere. They asked the trees: "Have you seen Krishna?" They asked the deer: "Which way did he go?" They searched until they had no energy left. Finally, they just sat by the river and sang."

Guddu: "Were they calling him back?"

Dadi: "No, beta. That's the beautiful part. They weren't bargaining or demanding. They simply sang because they couldn't help it. Their love needed no reason, no reward. And then..."

Guddu: "He came back?"

Dadi: "Yes! And he explained: "The moment devotion becomes about the devotee, it stops being true devotion. You weren't loving me - you were congratulating yourselves for loving me.""

Guddu: "*thinking* So pride broke the connection?"

Dadi: "Exactly! Krishna told them: "I leave whenever you grasp. I return whenever you release. Hold tightly, and I slip away. Open your hands completely, and I fill them.""

Guddu: "That's like when I chase butterflies and they fly away, but when I sit still, sometimes they land on me!"

Dadi: "*laughs* Perfect example, beta! There's one more beautiful part. A great scholar named Uddhava once came to teach the gopis philosophy. He told them about the formless absolute, about transcending attachment."

Guddu: "Did they become his students?"

Dadi: "No! One gopi said: "Sir, your philosophy may be true. But our minds are fixed on Krishna's face and cannot move toward formlessness. Our hearts are full of his flute music. We cannot even transcend this moment of longing for him.""

Guddu: "What did Uddhava say?"

Dadi: "He was humbled! He said: "I came to teach but I need to learn from you. You have achieved through love what I cannot achieve through all my learning.""

Guddu: "So love was greater than all his knowledge?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta. The gopis never cared about liberation. They just wanted Krishna - his smile, his presence, his flute. And in wanting him so completely, they received what liberation promises: union with the divine."

Guddu: "Not by giving up love, but by perfecting it?"

Dadi: "*proudly* You understand, Guddu! This is the secret the gopis teach us. You don't love God to get something. You love because love itself is enough. When love is pure, it needs nothing else."

Guddu: "I think I understand, Dadi. It's like how I love you - not to get sweets or stories, but just because you're you!"

Dadi: "*eyes moist* And that, my beta, is exactly what makes your love precious. Now, shall we go to the temple together? Not to ask for anything - just to be there?"

Guddu: "Yes, Dadi! Just to be there."