One group wanted to defeat Krsna by arguments. "You have said that women’s duty is to serve the husband and others. That may be, and we have no quarrel with that. We have been doing that all the time." "In what way?" "We are always engaged in service to you, the originator of instructions on dharma meant for us. This is according to the reasoning that first one should serve the acarya who teaches dharma, and then one should perform the instructions given. The scriptures say that by service to the acarya sincerely dharma is perfected. Furthermore, if the acarya is the supreme lord himself (ise), how much more we should serve. Because you are the supreme Lord, the soul of all embodied beings (tanu bhrtam), you are most dear. Being most dear you are the best friend. In other words, scriptures say that within the husbands and others, one should serve the supreme lord who resides within them. When the paramatma leaves, the bodies are taken out of the house and burned on the bank of the river. This is the statement of religious scriptures. Therefore by performing service to you, the paramatma, our service to husband becomes perfect. What is the need of serving other husbands or lords who are devoid of paramatma because they have animosity to you." Because the nature of strong prema is to cover knowledge of Krsna’s lordship, how is it that the gopis could be aware of Krsna as God? The characteristics of prema mentioned in the Narada pancaratara and other scriptures is explained in bhakti rasamrta sindhu. Because of separation and meeting, prema has always natural qualities of warmth and coolness. Prema that is due to the waves of bliss brings about tears, shivering and other symptoms in the body. "The bliss of Brahman multiplied by millions of times does not equal one atom in the ocean of happiness of bhakti." And the pain experienced during separation from the Lord by the prema bhakti is millions of times more intense than the pain of separation of a person from his realization of brahman. In the pain of separation, all the qualities of the Lord related to both aisvarya and madhurya are revealed. Separation reveals everything like the sun. Meeting brings about supreme bliss more than millions of moons, and reveals only the Lord’s madhurya aspect. Meeting brings about intoxication with the sweet nectar, like liquor, and this covers the aisvarya. And where during union or meeting, aisvarya is revealed, the prema becomes less perfect. In this verse, expecting separation, the gopis have a realization of Krsna’s aisvarya. This is the working of prema itself. Prema even produces realization of aisvarya or greatness where there is none. What then to speak of where there actually is aisvarya.

When Kṛṣṇa said that the gopīs should serve there husbands as their dharma, they inferred that he was following karma-mīmāṁsa philosophy. Taking support of brahma-mīmāṁsa which is a superior philosophy, taking Kṛṣṇa as the ātmā and defeating his opinion, the gopīs claim that their dharma is not to serve their husbands. They address him as the knower of dharma sarcastically. According to the statements sāstra-yonitvāt (the Lord is known through scriptures) and tat tu samanvayāt (that is the meaning of all texts) (Braham-sūtra 1.1.3-4) the conclusion of all scriptures is that everyone should serve you, the Lord, and no one else. “How do these scriptural statements refer to me?” The gopīs reply with sly words. You are Paramātmā (bhavān) who is dear to all living beings. That which is the object of love is called the ātmā. Since you are the dearest among all ātmās, you are Paramātmā and consequently are the unconditional benefactor of all beings (bandhuḥ). You act as Paramātmā and the friend by your ability to manifest everywhere. You are this person, and thus we conclude that you are the Lord. And thus we should serve you alone. Another meaning is as follows. “O gopīs endowed with proper conduct! You may renounce all material enjoyment, but you should follow your dharma.” They then address him with hatred. Though you give teachings, the shelter of all teachings is you alone. You are the proper goal of scriptural teaching. “How can that be?” You attract the hearts of all beings. You fulfill the desires of everyone. Therefore you are the ātmā, the monitor in the heart and the inspiration for desires. Therefore what fault do we have in being attracted to you? You are at fault. You should be given instructions so you can give up your faults. As with the previous verse, the verse may also be explained in terms of recognizing Kṛṣṇa as the Lord. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains it thus. It is based on impersonal thought, with the word ātmā being used without distinction between the jīva and the Lord. In his explanation, the enjoyer refers to his controlling aspect, just as a king is called an enjoyer. However, if the insignificant jīva were to be taken as the enjoyer, the intended meaning will not be apparent. But the general statement depends on taking the jīva as the subject of the example, and establishing him as the form of all beings. In an alternative meaning Śrīdhara Svāmī takes the verse as a complaint. Others may teach one, but the ātmā cannot teach itself. Thus you are simply ātmā for us, not our teacher. Thus there is no instruction that we should serve our husbands. There are two other meanings according to Vaiṣṇava ideas. You are our shelter (svāmini). devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam O King! One who has given up all varṇāśrama duties and has taken full shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, who offers shelter to all, is not a debtor to or servant of the devatās, great sages, ordinary living beings, relatives or Pitṛs. SB 11.5.41 Having explained the power of worshipping the Lord, then the real meaning is explained. Or, you are the basis of all manifestations such as husbands. Yasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti: by the Lord’s light all things manifest. (Katha Upaniṣad 2.2.15) The word kila emphasizes the various powers of the Lord. Upadeśa-pade means “at the Lord’s lotus feet which are explained by scriptures and guru.” The gopīs speak joking words. You are like Ajita who took the form of Mohinī, a woman, and acted as a woman serving her husband. Why? You are the guru (upadeśa-pade). If the guru does not perform actions as an example, the student cannot learn. You are capable (iśe). One should not think that others cannot have affection for you even in this form of a woman (Mohinī), for by your nature you are dearest to all beings. You have a most attractive nature (bandhur ātmā). The meaning expressing indifference is as follows. O Kṛṣṇa (aṅga)! Following husbands is the worst dharma (su adharma). You who know dharma have said this. This you have stated by word play in verse 24. You are capable (iśe) of saying or doing everything, since you are the teacher. Let those instructions be for you. Why? You are the object of love for the four kinds of living entities in Vṛndāvana. You produce prema (bandhuḥ). You are ātmā. There is mutual exchange of entering each others’ hearts: sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api The pure devotee is my very heart: what pains him pains me. I am the heart of the pure devotee: what pleases him pleases me. My devotees do not know anything else but me, and I do not know more than they do. SB 9.4.68 If you become detached from the unlimited inhabitants of Vṛndāvana then we also can become detached from our husbands who possess dharma and who are much fewer in number than all the inhabitants. Show the same detachment towards us. This is a joke. Or, you have said that the dharma of women is to follow their husbands. Let that be an instruction for you, the instructor and Lord, since you are dear to all beings, the friend and ātmā. We accept you as our husband and thus we should serve you.

“O teachers of proper conduct! In giving up things you have to consider sva-dharma.” They speak with a joking mood. Aṅga is an addressed offering in prema. Things should be offered to you, the supreme Lord, or the master all people in Vraja! You have been addressed as such by Brahmā and Indra in Vṛndāvana. He is addressed in this way in order to refute his words, not to express their bhāva. He always appeared to them as the son of Nanda full of sweetness, eternity, knowledge and bliss. You are the dearest (preṣṭhaḥ), dear to all beings, and you are the friend, or benefactor of all beings, because you are Paramātmā. Kila indicates certainty. Service to you is the highest dharma. Everythinge else should be rejected.

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate As long as one does not become detached from daily and periodic duties or has not awakened his faith in hearing topics about me, one must perform one’s prescribed duties of varṇāśrama. SB 11.20.9 Or by you who know dharma it is said women who are attached (raṅga-strīṇām) should serve their husbands. This does not apply to us who are attached only to you. Everything else should be ignored by people like us. They show the reason. Speaking of how he is dearest, they request with logic. You are dearest to all beings, what to speak of us, because you are the benefactor and ātmā. You are naturally dear. Or you give consciousness to everything. You are the helper, internally and externally. Or you make the jīvas beautiful with bhakti or the bind them with chains of prema (bandhura ātmā). Therefore let the svadharma for all beings and us be in you. This is not stated directly as it is secret. Let dharma be in you, since your feet are taught to be worshiped while giving up everything, according to all scriptures or gurus. Considering your lotus feet, svadharma can be given up. Or “O women who know the essence! Let your desires become manifest.” Then they pray with fervor. In this way (evam) may you in person, not as an avatāra, be the ātmā of all beings, including us. May you be the dearest and the benefactor of all beings. The words preṣṭha and bandhu indicate prīti. The prīti is for you, who are the object (pada) of teaching by elders or friends. To avoid being bold they speak indirectly of associating with him at this point. Women can directly attain perfecton and men, can attain perfection in bhāva only, or in another birth, like the sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya. They speak in general, out of longing in prema. Or you should be the master (īśe), the object of teaching for us, because you are beautiful by nature (bandura ātmā), the best of all beings. Or let there be cruelty in you, who are the object of all statements by gurus who indicate your worship since you are the supreme Lord or the supreme independent (īśe). (You can do as you like.) They speak with malice. Or let there be cruelty in you, but you are the lord of our lives. You are the very ātmā or body of all us embodied women, the dear friend, the dearest to us all. Because we have bodies, the ātmā is our friend. But you are not dear to us (apreṣṭhaḥ), are you (kila)? Are you thinking that we cannot give up our bodies? We are as if free of our bodies already. Now, for you, we will give up our bodies. This their response to verse 19. They do not fear animals since they are not concerned with their bodies and there is no goal in returning to Vraja since you are the object of worship. There are three meanings without considering his powers. They joke. Let this be in you (tvayī etad astu): you become a woman and perform service for your husband, since you are guru (upadeśa-pade). If the guru does not perform an action, the students will not be inclined to do the action. You are also capable of doing this (iśe), since you are the best (preṣṭḥaḥ) by your nature. No one will have affection for you as a poor imitiation of a woman. The meaning using puns is this. It is the svadharma of women to serve the husband, sons and friends. Friends should be served and you are friend (verse 24). So your desires can be fulfilled. (astu evaṁ etat īśe = astu eva me tat īśe). Let the love be for you, my husband (me īśe) since you are the subject of all scriptural instructions about husbands. “O chaste women! Let that be. The husband should be served. But since I am accepted as a friend, the object of love by all the people of Vraja, without worry experience happiness seeing the forest in the autumn moonlight in beautiful Vṛndāvana.” Though you are dearest to all beings related to Vraja, you have a mischievous nature (bandhura ātmā). Because of that, we do not trust you. Or serving husbands is really (su) adharma for women. You who know dharma have said this. Let that statement be yours since you are the instructor, and are capable of doing or saying anything (īśe). People will not slander you, who have given these instructions. No one will slander you since you are supreme among all beings.