By saying that the elder gopis attained more than Putana in going to Vaikuntha there is a contradiction to the statement that enmity and affection lead to the same goal. That statement taken literally would lead to criticism of the Lord for lack of discrimination. If it is true that the elderly gopis attained more than Putana who attained Vaikuntha, what did they attain? That should be explained. With this in mind the present verse is spoken. Though he is the bestower of all sorts of goals such as liberation, he drank the breast milk with extremely rare awareness (alam). As bhagavatam 10. 14.31 says, "Fortunate are the cows and gopis whose sweet breast milk he drank in great bliss." With this rare awareness he thinks, "Whatever they want I will give, and as well, whatever I want, they are willing to give." Since whatever is desired is easily attained, Krsna certainly will give to the cows and gopis a suitable reward. More than Vaikuntha or even Goloka, he will grant them Vraja on this earth which is the most attractive of all. Though born as the son of Devaki, he did not drink her milk, but the milk of the gopis. Thus by mentioning Krsna as Devaki putra in this verse there is the implication that the gopis were more attractive to him. One should not think that he bestowed on them liberation from samsara, for already they had no material bondage. There is no bondage for those engaged in the Lord’s service. That is for those attached to house, husband and sons. Krsna drank from the breasts of the bodies of these gopis. He played in their houses. Krsna’s father was their husband. Krsna was their son. This attachment did not breed samsara. That is the intent of verse 40. Suteksana means they looked on him as their son. For them samsara did not occur ( na punah kalpate). Samsara is born of ignorance. By the jnani’s knowledge of Brahman, samsara ceases. However better than that is the santa bhakta’s realization of bhagavan as Brahman. Better than that however is the dasya bhakta who realizes the lord as his master. By that, the Lord becomes controlled. Superior to that is the sakhya bhakta who realizes the Lord as friend. Higher that that is the vatsalya bhakti who realizes the Lord as a son (mentioned in this verse). Here there is gradation of release from samsara according to the degree of surrender of the Lord to the devotee.

Two verses clarify the meaning of svargam mentioned in the previous verse. The Lord gives all benedictions including liberation. To persons with material desires he gives artha, dharma and kāma and not his spiritual form. To persons desiring liberation he gives kaivalya, his spiritual form as unqualified Brahman, with attainment of identity with the Lord, without realization of Bhagavān with qualities. Bhagavān gives to devotees realization of his form as Bhagavān but not his form as a son which evokes special possessiveness and special prema. He was the son of Devakī by birth only. Pitarau nānvavindetāṁ kṛṣṇodārārbhakehitam: although Kṛṣṇa was so pleased with Vasudeva and Devakī that he descended as their son, they could not enjoy Kṛṣṇa’s magnanimous childhood pastimes. (SB 10.8.47) But she did not care for Kṛṣṇa in the praiseworthy mood of Yaśodā. He drank excessively (alam) the milk of the cows and gopīs which flowed with parental affection. Thus the cows and gopīs are shown to have the deepest and most abundant affection itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puṣjāḥ Neither those who are engaged in self-realization, appreciating the Brahman effulgence of the Lord, nor those engaged in devotional service while accepting the Supreme Lord as master, nor those who are under the clutches of māyā, thinking the Lord an ordinary person, can understand that certain exalted personalities, after accumulating volumes of pious activities, are now playing with the Lord in friendship as cowherd boys. SB 10.12.11 Samṣāra producing ignorance will not occur for them since they have far surpassed jṣāna. They cannot be touched by saṁsāra because the pure devotee is most rare. Such a devotee is rarer than the jṣānī: muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune O great sage, among many millions who are liberated and perfect in knowledge of liberation, one may be a devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. Such devotees, who are fully peaceful, are extremely rare. SB 6.114.5 They have constant devotion to Kṛṣṇa as a son. This means that Kṛṣṇa is constantly with them because of their devotion. Śukadeva addresses the king. O king (rājan), existing (rājate) with correct knowledge of the Lord! Please understand correctly! One should therefore understand that svargam mentioned in the previous verse is a non-material place since it is modified by jananī-gatim—the position of a mother which is also beyond the material realm, as explained in this verse.

There was no suffering for these mothers, but rather the greatest happiness. Two verses describe more details. The son of Yāśodā (devakī-putraḥ) drank the mothers’ breast milk. Devakī means the wife of Nanda (ka) or kī, who was godly (deva). Thus Devakī means Yāśodā, the godly wife of Nanda. Since Kṛṣṇa was her direct son, Yaśodā was superior to all cowherds and cowherd women. They had no saṁsāra, which arises by ignorance. It is not possible to show their nature, because by intense bhakti they had achieved unlimited knowledge. Punaḥ is an ornament or means tu, emphasizing their special attainment. The Lord gives to the devotees liberation or prema (kaivalya) and even more things. He drank their milk because it was from their breasts. With affection as a son he drank. And they saw him constantly as their son (sutekṣaṇam). O king (rājan)! As the best of men or by manifesting everything you can understand this truth. Or though saṁsāra is everything present (rājan), it does not exist for them. Or they were not at all qualified for liberation, but for Vaikuṇṭha. The best of the four puruṣārthas (saṁsāraḥ), liberation, was not suitable for them because it arises from knowledge (jṣāna-saṁbhavaḥ). Being the best of devotees, attaining the result from jṣāna was not suitable for them. Their great bhakti is shown. They were constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa as their son. And the Lord does not give trifling results like liberation to these devotees. He destroys all trifling things of which the best is liberation. Or if Pūtānā attained eternal happiness by destroying saṁsāra, why do the mothers undergo saṁsāra? They have no saṁsāra, since they are eternally liberated.