44 / Devotional Service
in Conjugal Love

A pure devotee’s attraction to Krsna in conjugal love is called de-
votional service in conjugal love. Although such conjugal feelings are
not at all material, there is some similarity between this spiritual love
and material activities. Therefore, persons who are interested only in
material activities are unable to understand this spiritual conjugal
love, and these devotional reciprocations appear very mysterious to
them. Ripa Gosvami therefore describes conjugal love very briefly.

The impetuses of conjugal love are Krsna and His very dear con-
sorts, such as Radharani and Her immediate associates. Lord Krsna
has no rival: no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him.
His beauty is also without any rival, and because He excels all others
in the pastimes of conjugal love, He is the original object of all con-
Jugal love.

In the Gita-govinda by Jayadeva Gosvami one gopi tells her friend:
“Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure within this universe. His body is
as soft as the lotus flower. And His free behavior with the gopis,
which appears exactly like a young boy’s attraction to a young girl,
is a subject matter of transcendental conjugal love.” A pure devotee
follows in the footsteps of the gopis and worships the gopis as fol-
lows: “‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances to all the young cow-
herd girls, whose bodily features are so attractive. Simply by their
beautiful attractive features they are worshiping the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead, Krsna.” Out of all the young gopis, Srimati
Radharani is the most prominent.

The beauty of Srimati Radharani is described as follows: “Her eyes
defeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakori bird. When

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