Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 7.29
The Gopīs Receive Incomparable Transcendental Favor
“ ‘When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was dancing with the gopīs in the rāsa-līlā, the gopīs were embraced around the neck by the Lord’s arms. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Nor was such a thing ever imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, girls whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the beauty and fragrance of lotus flowers. And what to speak of worldly women, who may be very, very beautiful according to material estimation?’
What the purport teaches
- During the rāsa-līlā, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa embraced the gopīs around their necks with His arms.
- This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world.
- Even the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets could not imagine such favor. Worldly beauty offers still less basis for comparison.
Try this today
Read the verse slowly once, focusing on the gopīs’ transcendental favor rather than material beauty.
Ask yourself
How does this verse challenge the value you place on outward beauty?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.