"Stunned by bliss they cannot speak," they concluded. Asking such questions to inanimate objects shows the internal love of the gopis and is a sign of unmada. Searching for Krsna while speaking in this way, the gopis could not find him. Some gopis among them gave them this advice. "By imitating the form and activities of Krsna, I will now show myself as Krsna, and this way momentarily you and I will get relief from our extreme pain." As all Krsna’s pastimes gradually came to memory, with their minds absorbed in Krsna (tad atmika) they began to enact those pastimes including the killing of Putana. Yogamaya took the form of a gopi and played the parts involving unfavorable moods in order to complete this pastime. The gopis played the favorable roles.

Speaking word like those of an insane person, the gopīs were unable to search for him because of grief (kātarāḥ). They began singing loudly as before (verse 4) and began acting out the pastimes such as killing of Pūtanā. This was because their consciousness was completely in Kṛṣṇa (tad-ātmikāḥ): they were deeply attached to him. They imitated him because of this, not because of completely non-difference with him. “She lifted her shawl above her head” (verse 20) shows effort. In saying “I am Kṛṣṇa! Just see how gracefully I move!” (verse 20) a gopī uses words to indicate that she is acting as Kṛṣṇa. They imitated the killing of Pūtanā to indicate Kṛṣṇa’s fear of her, out of deep attachment to Kṛṣṇa, just as a madman may imitate a tiger to indicate his fear of a tiger. These imitations had no elements contrary to their love for him. When one of them imitated Yaśodā, it did not represent their own type of love but was done on thinking of his infancy. Because of intense general love, they identified with Kṛṣṇa’s emotions such as fear, without touching her type of motherly love. There was no combination of conflicting bhāvas because they imitated only Kṛṣṇa’s bhāvas. This imitation was done suddenly because of their state of unmāda.

Speaking in this way (iti) the gopīs enacted Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Or with insane words, as was mentioned previously (unmattaka), they enacted his pastimes. The repetition of unmatta from verse 4 emphasizes their condition. Though they should not be called insane, from their questions to the various objects this is the conclusion. They imitated Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes because they were pained by separation, after searching for he who is most attractive (kṛṣṇa). Because of the pain they imitated him, not whimsically, or thinking that it would create happiness. They did this because their hearts were stolen by him (tad-ātmikāḥ). Or tad-ātmikāḥ can mean that they became absorbed in the pastimes in order to enact them. Or “by remembering him, the prāṇas of those who are pained by separation will suffer more. By the ghee of imitating the pastimes how can the ātmā remain in the hearts of those burning from the fire of increased separation?” The ātmā will not leave because it has a relationship with a sweet, soothing ocean. If they remain as they are, they will burn up. Or tad-ātmikāḥ can mean that they were absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Their imitations depended on this. They were not whimsical.