In order to speak of the supreme position of bhakti yoga directed only to Krsna and the supreme position of Krsna among all the forms of bhagavan, first the srutis denigrate jnana yoga which has as its goal impersonal Brahman. "The sages who engage in steadfast yoga by fully controlled airs, mind and senses, worship in the pure heart (which also becomes Brahman) that same Brahman which the demons who appeared when Krsna descended attained by remembrance of him with animosity. Such is the greatness of Krsna’s form. The sages, meditating with unbroken attention, still remain worshiping that Brahman, but Kamsa and other demons, though seeing the Lord for a short period, though they were impure in mind because of sinful nature, though devoid of realization of the sweetness of Krsna’s body because of being Krsna’s enemies--just by remembrance of his form, attained Brahman and remained fixed there. We do not know when the sages will attain that Brahman." Having stated in the first part of the verse that the sages with effort attain a taste of Brahman which was also attained by the enemies, the srutis say that they, with effort, will attain a taste of prema rasa attainable by friendliness to the Lord. "The women of Vraja (sriyah) were attracted with great love to the arms of Krsna which were like the body of the king of snakes, and worshiped, served and realized his lotus feet, placing them on their breasts (anghri saroja sudhah)." This is described in the verse yat te sujata carnamburuham stanesu...sb 10.31.19 Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Next the srutis in ecstatic longing imagine that they have attained those feet (vayam api) "But you must be similar to the gopis." "By some special observances, we attained bodies of gopis (te samah)." "How exactly was that?" "By following after them with our vision (sama drsah)."

Four types of people have been described here: in the first half to the verse, the sages and the demons, who achieved the same goal, and in the last half of the verse, the gopis and the srutis who attain the same goal. This is understood from using the word api twice. There is a history in the Brhad Vamana Purana. The planet filled with bliss of Brahman is called vaikuntha. The resident there, the supreme Lord, was praised by the resident Vedas. After some time, being pleased with those prayers, he spoke invisibly to them. "I am satisfied. You should ask for some benediction, whatever you desire." The srutis said, "We have developed the desire to worship you as the gopis on your planet worship you with prema, thinking of you as a lover." The Lord said, "This desire of yours is very rare and very hard to fulfill. But I agree, so it definitely come true. After the next Brahma is born and begins creation, during the sarasvata kalpa, you will become gopis. On the earth, in the land of Bharata, in Mathura mandala, in Vrndavana, I will become your lovers in the rasa dance. Having attained very strong attachment and affection to me, though you are married to someone else, you will have your desires fulfilled." Brahma said, "Hearing this they meditated on the form of Krsna for a long time, and when the time came they became gopis and attained Krsna."

Sruti verses support the topic of this verse. Atma va are drastavyah strotavyo mantavyo nididhyasitavyah One must see the Lord, hear about him, think about him, and meditate on him. Brhad Aranaka Upanisad 4.5.6 One must directly see the Lord. The means of doing this are then stated. You must hear from the guru the conclusion by proper method. You should repeatedly think about it, excluding impossible or opposite meanings. You should meditate on it with conviction. According to the jnanis the impersonal form is the conclusion. According to the vaisnavas, the form of bhagavan with spiritual variety and qualities is the conclusion, as the following sruti explains: Yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas tasyaisa atma vivrnute tanum svam One cannot understand the supreme soul by studying the Vedas or by hearing many scriptures or by ones mental energy. The Lord reveals his body to the person who accepts the Lord as his master. That person alone attains the Lord. Katha Upanisad 1.2.23 One must see (drastavyah) bhagavan who has a body (tanum) of all auspicious qualities. Then the way of achieving it is explained: by hearing, considering, meditaing. One should hear (stroavyah). From the guru one hears the mantra of the Lord. This is the same as the body of the Lord. The Krama Dipika and other scriptures state that the mantra and the svarupa of the Lord are the same. One should consider (mantavyah). One should remember, or concentrate on the meaning of both the mantra and its words. One should meditate (nididhyasatavyah). According to amara kosa nirdhyana means seeing. The desire to see is called nididhyasana. Concentrating on the meaning of the mantra, while doing japa repeatedly, one should desire to see the deity mentioned in the mantra. By repeatedly desiring to see, one should see the Lord. The desire for kama like the gopis is expressed in the Vedas in Gopal Tapani Upanisad, in the words of Krsna: Yam mam smrtva niskamah sakamo bhavati He who remembers me with no personal desires, becomes a desirer of me. Gopal Tapani Uttara khanda 4, Vraja sri jana sambhuta srutibhyo brahma sangatah Through the srutis who becoming women of Vraja, as told in the vamana purana (as the gopal tapani upanisad), Krsna attained the status of being part of the Vedas. Gopala Tapani Uttara Khanda 57

Upaniṣads like Gopāla-tāpanī, standing there with a desire to praise the Lord at the end, with deep devotion to Kṛṣṇa alone, hearing the other śrutis’ various conclusions and not able to surpress their enthusiasm, directly describe the greatness of Kṛṣṇa’s intimate devotees along with the description of the excellence of his appearance in this world. Taking support from what was just said, they produce this verse. Why should his ordinary qualities be described? Please hear about his extraordinary nature. Four groups of people (sages, enemies, gopīs, and śrutis) are described in this verse. The word api separates the sages and enemies mentioned in the first two lines from those mentioned in the last two lines, and the enemies are lesser in status than the sages and the śrutis are lesser than the gopīs. The second two attained the Lord to a greater degree than the first two groups. That is the meaning. Sages on their own, with great effort (nibhṛta), in the pure antaḥ-karaṇa, worship or realize or attain, after a long time, you in the form of Brahman without qualities. The enemies of the Lord, being of opposite nature to the sages, are eternally qualified for the worst hell. But they, just by remembering the Lord, with great offense, achieve the Lord before the sages do. This means they merge with the Lord. Ah! Let that be! This is the special quality which distinguishes Kṛṣṇa from the appearances of all avatāras: he gives liberation to those who hate him. Hear about the qualities of the gopīs who are greater than us. Your eternal consorts (striyaḥ), such as Rādhā, take (upāsate) your lotus feet which are sweet to the touch (’ṅghri-saroja-sudhāḥ) on their chests (hṛdi). Yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu: your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts. (SB 31.19) The plural (sudhāḥ) indicates that they continually do this. Śukadeva also describes this through the words of the women of Mathurā. Aho gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran: what severe austerities the gopīs must have performed to be able to regularly see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who are the greatest source of pleasure for all mankind! (SB 10.41.31) Those feet are incomparable and ever fresh. We śrutis also desire that sweetness of his feet as expressed by Uddhava, though we are unqualified. āsām aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣām ahaṁ syāṁ vṛndāvane kim api gulma-latauṣadhīnām yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām The gopīs of Vṛndāvana have given up the association of their husbands, sons and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, which one should search for by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes, creepers or herbs in Vṛndāvana, because the gopīs trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet. (SB 10.47.61) We wish to attain bodies of gopīs in Vraja, women with forms similar to theirs. Their minds were attached to your strong arms. What austerity did they do to become like this? nāyaṁ śriyo ’ṅga u nitānta-rateḥ prasādaḥ svar-yoṣitāṁ nalina-gandha-rucāṁ kuto ’nyāḥ rāsotsave ’sya bhuja-daṇḍa-gṛhīta-kaṇṭha- labdhāśiṣāṁ ya udagād vraja-sundarīṇām When Kṛṣṇa was dancing with the gopīs in the rāsa-līlā, the gopīs were embraced by the arms of the Lord. This favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune, though she was intensely attracted to him, or to other consorts in the spiritual worldwhose bodily luster and aroma resemble the lotus flower. And what to speak of worldly women? SB 10.47.60 This means the gopīs were endowed with most rare mahābhāva brought about by realizations of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. The feet of the manvantarāvatāra, son of Vikuṇṭha, were also desired by the great sages: evaṁ tadaiva bhagavān aravinda-nābhaḥ svānāṁ vibudhya sad-atikramam ārya-hṛdyaḥ tasmin yayau paramahaṁsa-mahā-munīnām anveṣaṇīya-caraṇau calayan saha-śrīḥ At that moment, the Lord, with lotus navel, who appears within the hearts of the deserving, understanding that his servants had offended the Kumāras, came to the seventh gate with Lakṣmī, moving his feet which should be sought by the great renounced sages. SB 3.15.37 How will the śrutis attain this position? They should have bhāvas following after those of the gopīs (samadṛśaḥ). May similar service as the gopīs, with the highest bhāvas for the object of our desires be visible (dṛśaḥ). The word “arm” indicates their strong rāga for Kṛṣṇa’s embrace. The word “foot” indicates their devotion to him, expressing their humble position. These words indicate parabrahman in human form. Bṛhad-vāmana Purāṇa says: brahmānanda-mayo loko vyāpī vaikuṇṭha-saṁjñitaḥ tal-loka-vāsī tatra-sthaiḥ stuto vedaiḥ parātparaḥ ciraṁ stutyā tatas tuṣṭaḥ parokṣaṁ prāha tān girā tuṣṭo ‘smi brūta bhoḥ prājñā varaṁ yan manasecchatha All the spiritual planets are spread with bliss of the Lord. The inhabitants are praised by the Vedas residing there. After praising a long time, the Lord was satisfied and spoke to the Vedas while remaining invisible. “I am pleased with you. O Vedas! Please ask the boon which you desire.” śrutaya ūcuḥ yathā tal-loka-vāsinyaḥ kāma-tattvena gopikāḥ bhajanti ramaṇaṁ matvā cikīrṣājani nas tathā The śrutis replied, ‘We have developed the desire to become like the cowherd women of the mortal world who, inspired by lust, worship you in the mood of a lover.’ śrī-bhagavān uvāca āgāmini viriñcau tu jāte sṛṣṭy-artham udite kalpaṁ sāraśvataṁ prāpya vraje gopyo bhaviṣyatha ‘When the next Brahmā takes birth to faithfully execute his duties of creation, and when the day of his life called the Sārasvata-kalpa arrives, you will all appear in Vraja as gopīs.’ Among them, the chief, Gāyatrī attained him as a gopī. This is stated in Padma Purāṇa. One can consult the commentaries on the rāsa-līlā. The chief śrutis also state this. apūtaḥ pūto bhavati yaṁ māṁ smṛtvā, avratī vratī bhavati yaṁ māṁ smṛtvā, niṣkāmaḥ sa-kāmo bhavati yaṁ māṁ smṛtvā, aśrotrī śrotrī bhavati yaṁ māṁ smṛtvā: By remembering me, one who is impure becomes pure. By remembering me, one who follows no vows becomes a strict follower of vows. By remembering me, one who is desireless develops desires to serve me. By remembering me, one who has studied no Vedic mantras becomes an expert knower of the Vedas. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad (Uttara 4),

Having described the materialist wandering in saṁsāra, the śrutis now describe the attainment of the worshippers of the Lord. Those inclined to contemplation (munayaḥ), worshipping Brahman in their hearts, attained Brahman. The enemies by remembrance of the Lord in hatred attained that same Brahman. Moreover we śrutis or the women of Mathurā will attain the nectar of your lotus feet, with minds were absorbed in your huge, snakelike arms. This indicates their particular bhāva. As devotees, they see with equal vision (sama-dṛśaḥ) because they see antaryaṁī everywhere. Or they see the lord with Lakṣmī (sama-dṛśaḥ), being on the same planet. “Attaining the nectar of his lotus feet” indicates that they are fixed in pure bhakti or that they serve directly by massaging the feet. We become equal to you (samāḥ). On attaining the Lord they become one with him. Though the enemies and the devotees do not attain the same oneness, Brahman and the form of Bhagavān are considered one in this statement. Or the sages and the enemies attained Brahman but the women attain equality with you by your affection.