192 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna and is in full Krsna consciousness, he does not care for any worldly
duties, even though very urgent. Krsna consciousness is so powerful that
it gives everyone relief from all material activities. Srila Ripa Gosvamt has
written a very nice verse wherein one gopi advises another, ““My dear
friend, if you desire to enjoy the company of material society, friendship
and love, then please do not go to see this smiling boy Govinda, who is
standing on the bank of the Yamuna and playing His flute, His lips
brightened by the beams of the full moonlight.” Srila Ripa Gosvami
indirectly instructs that one who has been captivated by the beautiful
smiling face of Krsna has lost all attraction for material enjoyments. This
is the test of advancement in Krsna consciousness: a person advancing in
Krsna consciousness must lose interest in material activities and personal
sense gratification.

Some of the gopis were factually detained from going to Krsna by their
husbands and were locked up by force within their rooms. Being unable to
go to Krsna, they began to meditate upon His transcendental form by
closing their eyes. They already had the form of Krsna within their minds.
They proved to be the greatest yogis; as is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, a
person who is constantly thinking of Krsna within his heart with faith and
love is considered to be the topmost of all yogis. Actually, a yogi concen-
trates his mind on the form of Lord Visnu. That is real yoga. Krsna is the
original form of all Visnu tattvas. The gopis could not go to Krsna per-
sonally, so they began to meditate on Him as perfect yogts.

In the conditioned stage of the living entities, there are two kinds of
results of fruitive activities: the conditioned living entity who is constantly
engaged in sinful activities has suffering as his result, and he who is engaged
in pious activities has material enjoyment as a result. In either case—
material suffering or material enjoyment—the enjoyer or sufferer is condi-
tioned by material nature.

The gopi associates of Krsna, who assemble in the place where Krsna is
appearing, are from different groups. Most of the gopis are eternal com-
panions of Krsna. As stated in the Brahma-sarihitd, dnanda-cin-maya-rasa-
pratibhavitabhih: in the spiritual world the associates of Krsna, especially
the gopis, are the manifestation of the pleasure potency of Lord Krsna.
They are expansions of Srimati Radharani. But when Krsna exhibits His
transcendental pastimes within the material world in some of the universes,
not only the eternal associates of Krsna come, but also those who are
being promoted to that status from this material world. The gopis who
joined Krsna’s pastimes within this material world were coming from the
status of ordinary human beings. If they had been bound by fruitive action,
