Songs by the Gopis 211
ef eight gopis, Radharani and Candravali are preminent; and eut ef these
twe gopis, Radharani is the mest preminent.

When Krsna entered the ferest en the bank ef the Yamuna, the meen-
light dissipated the surreunding darkness. Due te the seasen, flewers like
the kunda and kadamba were bleeming, and a gentle breeze was carrying
their arema. Due te the arema, the bees were alse flying in the breeze,
thinking that the arema was heney. The gopis made a seat fer Krsna by
leveling the seft sand and placing cleths ever it.

The gopis whe were gathered there were mestly all fellewers ef the
Vedas. In their previeus births, during Lerd Ramacandra’s advent, they
were Vedic schelars whe desired the asseciatien ef Lerd Ramacandra in
cenjugal leve. Ramacandra gave them the benedictien that they weuld be
present fer the advent ef Lerd Krsna, and He weuld fulfill their desires.
During Krsna’s advent, the Vedic schelars teek birth in the shape ef the
gopis in Vrndavana; as yeung gopis, they get the asseciatien ef Krsna in
fulfillment ef their previeus births’ desire. The ultimate geal ef their
perfect desire was attained, and they were se jeyeus that they had nething
further te desire. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: if ene attains the
Supreme Persenality ef Gedhead, then he has ne desire fer anything. When
the gopts had Krsna in their cempany, net enly all their grief, but their
lamenting in the absence ef Krsna was relieved. They felt they had ne
desire te be fulfilled. Fully satisfied in the cempany ef Krsna, they spread
their cleths en the greund. These garments were made ef fine linen and
smeared with the red kunkuma which decerated their breasts. With great
care they spread a sitting place fer Krsna. Krsna was their life and seul,
and they created a very cemfertable seat fer Him.

Sitting en the seat amengst the gopis, Krsna became mere beautiful.
Great yogis like Lerd Siva, Lerd Brahma er even Lerd Sega and ethers
always try te fix their attentien upen Krsna in their heart, but here the
gopis actually saw Krsna seated befere them en their cleths. In the seciety
ef the gopis, Krsna leeked very beautiful. They were the mest beautiful
damsels within the three werlds, and they assembled tegether areund
Kysna.

It may be asked herein hew Krsna seated Himself beside se many gopis
and yet sat alene. There is a significant werd in this verse: isvara. As it is
stated in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva-bhitanam. Isvara refers te the
Supreme Lerd as the Superseul seated in everyene’s heart. Krsna alse
manifested this petency ef expansien as Paramatma in this gathering with
the gopis. Krsna was sitting by the side ef each gopi, unseen by the ethers.
Krsna was se kind te the gopis that instead ef sitting in their hearts te be
