Songs by the Gopīs
211
• f eight  gopīs , Rādhārāṇī and Candrāvalī are prominent; and • out • f these two  gopīs , Rādhārāṇī is the most prominent.
When Krṣṇa entered the forest on the bank of the Yamunā, the moonlight dissipated the surrounding darkness. Due to the season, flowers like the  kunda  and  kadamba  were blooming, and a gentle breeze was carrying their aroma. Due to the aroma, the bees were also flying in the breeze, thinking that the aroma was honey. The  gopīs  made a seat for Krṣṇa by leveling the soft sand and placing cloths over it.
The  gopīs  who were gathered there were mostly all followers of the  Vedas . In their previous births, during Lord Rāmacandra's advent, they were Vedic scholars who desired the association of Lord Rāmacandra in conjugal love. Rāmacandra gave them the benediction that they would be present for the advent of Lord Krṣṇa, and He would fulfill their desires. During Krṣṇa's advent, the Vedic scholars took birth in the shape of the  gopīs  in Vṛndāvana; as young  gopīs , they got the association of Krṣṇa in fulfillment of their previous births' desire. The ultimate goal of their perfect desire was attained, and they were so joyous that they had nothing further to desire. This is confirmed in the  Bhagavad-gītā : if one attains the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he has no desire for anything. When the  gopīs  had Krṣṇa in their company, not only all their grief, but their lamenting in the absence of Krṣṇa was relieved. They felt they had no desire to be fulfilled. Fully satisfied in the company of Krṣṇa, they spread their cloths on the ground. These garments were made of fine linen and smeared with the red  kuṅkuma  which decorated their breasts. With great care they spread a sitting place for Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa was their life and soul, and they created a very comfortable seat for Him.
Sitting on the seat amongst the  gopīs , Krṣṇa became more beautiful. Great  yogīs  like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā or even Lord Śeṣa and others always try to fix their attention upon Krṣṇa in their heart, but here the  gopīs  actually saw Krṣṇa seated before them on their cloths. In the society of the  gopīs , Krṣṇa looked very beautiful. They were the most beautiful damsels within the three worlds, and they assembled together around Krṣṇa.
It may be asked herein how Krṣṇa seated Himself beside so many  gopīs  and yet sat alone. There is a significant word in this verse:  īśvara . As it is stated in the  Bhagavad-gītā ,  īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām .  Īśvara  refers to the Supreme Lord as the Supersoul seated in everyone's heart. Krṣṇa also manifested this potency of expansion as Paramātmā in this gathering with the  gopīs . Krṣṇa was sitting by the side of each  gopī , unseen by the others. Krṣṇa was so kind to the  gopīs  that instead of sitting in their hearts to be