42  At night in autumn the atmosphere is pleasant because it is neither very hot nor very cold. The mild wind blowing through the gardens of fruits and flowers in  Vțndăvana  appeared very much pleasing to all — all but the gopis, who were always overtaken by heartfelt sorrow in the absence of Krsna.
There are two kinds of transcendental feelings for those engaged in the worship of the Lord. One is called  sambhoga , and the other is called  viraha . According to authorities in the disciplic line,  viraha  worship is more palatable than  sambhoga  worship.  Sambhoga  takes place in direct touch, whereas  viraha  takes place without such direct contact. Lord Caitanya Mahā-prabhu taught us to accept  viraha  worship. In the present state of affairs we cannot make any direct touch with the Personality of Godhead. But if we practice the  viraha  mode of worship we can transcendentally realize the presence of the Lord more lovingly than in His presence.
Without love of Godhead there is no meaning even to direct contact. During the presence of the Lord there were thousands and thousands of men, but because they were not in love of Godhead they could hardly realize the Personality of Godhead, Srī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we must first activate our dormant love of Godhead by following the prescribed rules and by following in the footsteps of the authorities who are actually fixed in love of Godhead. The  gopīs  provide the highest example of such unalloyed love of Godhead, and Lord Caitanya at the ultimate stage of realization displayed the  viraha  worship in the mood of the  gopīs .
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