Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 13.136
The Gopīs’ Pure Absorption in Kṛṣṇa
“[The gopīs spoke thus:] ‘Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.’”
What the purport teaches
- The gopīs were interested only in bhakti-yoga, not karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga. Rather than meditate on the Lord’s lotus feet, they preferred to place them on their breasts.
- They feared that their breasts might be too hard for Kṛṣṇa’s soft lotus feet. When grains of sand pricked His feet in the Vṛndāvana pasturing ground, they were pained and began to cry.
- The gopīs wanted to keep Kṛṣṇa at home always, and their minds were absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; such pure consciousness can arise only in Vṛndāvana. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus began to explain His own mind, saturated in the ecstasy of the gopīs.
Try this today
During one household task today, recall the prayer that the Lord’s lotus feet may awaken within your heart.
Ask yourself
How does the gopīs’ concern for Kṛṣṇa’s comfort deepen your understanding of devotion?
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.