198
Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
surpasses and transcends all Vedic injunctions. This was possible for the  gopīs  because they saw Krṣṇa face to face. This is not possible for any women in the conditioned state. Unfortunately, by imitating the behavior of Krṣṇa with the  gopīs , sometimes a rascal takes the position of Krṣṇa, following the philosophy of monism or oneness, and he very irresponsibly takes advantage of this  rāsa-līlā  to entice many innocent women and mislead them in the name of spiritual realization. As a warning, Lord Krṣṇa has herein hinted that what was possible for the  gopīs  is not possible for ordinary women. Although a woman can actually be elevated by advanced Krṣṇa consciousness, she should not be enticed by an imposter who says that he is Krṣṇa. She should concentrate her devotional activities in chanting and meditating upon Krṣṇa, as is advised herein. One should not follow the men called  sahajīyā , the so-called devotees who take everything very lightly.
When Krṣṇa spoke in such a discouraging way to the  gopīs , they became very sad, for they thought that their desire to enjoy  rāsa  dance with Krṣṇa would be frustrated. Thus they became full of anxiety. Out of great sadness, the  gopīs  began to breathe very heavily. Instead of looking at Krṣṇa face to face, they bowed their heads and looked to the ground, and they began to draw various types of curved lines on the ground with their toes. They were shedding heavy tears, and their cosmetic decorations were being washed from their faces. The water from their eyes mixed with the  kuṅkuma  of their breasts and fell to the ground. They could not say anything to Krṣṇa, but simply stood there silently. By their silence they expressed that their hearts were grieviously wounded.
The  gopīs  were not ordinary women. In essence they were on an equal level with Krṣṇa. They are His eternal associates. As it is confirmed in the  Brahma-samhitā , they are expansions of the pleasure potency of Krṣṇa, and as His potency they are nondifferent from Him. Although they were depressed by the words of Krṣṇa, they did not like to use harsh words against Him. Yet they wanted to rebuke Krṣṇa for His unkind words, and therefore they began to speak in faltering voices. They did not like to use harsh words against Krṣṇa because He was their dearmost, their heart and soul. The  gopīs  had only Krṣṇa within their hearts. They were completely surrendered and dedicated souls. Naturally, when they heard such unkind words, they tried to reply, but in the attempt torrents of tears fell from their eyes. Finally they managed to speak.
“Krṣṇa,” they said, “You are very crue! You should not talk like that. We are full-fledged surrendered souls. Please accept us, and don’t talk in that cruel way. Of course, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead,