The young maidens of Vraja, their hearts filled with longing, gathered together each day to worship the goddess. With deep devotion, they chanted the mantra: “O Kātyāyanī, great power, great yoginī, supreme ruler, O goddess, make the son of Nanda my husband; I bow to you.” United in their purpose, their minds fixed upon Kṛṣṇa, they observed this sacred vow for a full month, offering worship to Bhadrakālī and desiring above all that the beloved son of Nanda become their husband. At dawn, the girls would rise with their companions, linking arms and singing joyfully of Kṛṣṇa as they made their way to bathe in the waters of the Kālindī. One morning, as was their custom, they arrived at the riverbank, left their clothes upon the shore, and entered the water. Immersed in play and song, they rejoiced together, their voices praising Kṛṣṇa. On that day, the Lord Kṛṣṇa, master of all yogis and knower of all hearts, understood the secret desire of the maidens. Surrounded by his friends, he came to the riverbank, intent on fulfilling their wish. Swiftly, he gathered up their garments and, with a playful spirit, climbed a kadamba tree. Laughing with his companions, he called out to the girls, “Come here, and each of you take back your own garment as you wish. I speak the truth, not merely in jest, if you are truly wearied by your vow. I have never spoken a lie before, and these boys know it. O fair-waisted ones, come one by one to receive them, not all together.” The gopīs, seeing Kṛṣṇa’s playful gesture, were overcome with love and bashfulness. They looked at one another, smiling, but remained in the water, hesitant to come out. As Kṛṣṇa continued to tease them, their minds were agitated. Immersed up to their necks in the cold water, shivering, they pleaded with him: “O beloved son of Nanda, please respect us; we know you are worthy of Vraja’s praise. Give us our clothes, for we are trembling. O Śyāmasundara, we are your servants and will do as you say. Give us our garments, O knower of dharma, or else we will complain to the king.” The Blessed Lord replied, “If you are truly my servants and will do as I have said, let these pure-smiling girls come here and receive their garments.” Hearing this, shivering from the cold, the girls emerged from the water, modestly covering themselves with their hands, afflicted by the chill. Seeing them so helpless, Kṛṣṇa was pleased by their pure devotion. Smiling affectionately, he placed their garments on his shoulder and spoke to them with warmth: “You entered the water naked while maintaining your vow, and this is an offense against the gods. With folded hands, bow your heads to dispel this fault, and then, taking your clothes, put them on.” Hearing Acyuta’s words, the girls understood that bathing naked was a breach of their vow. Wishing to fulfill the purpose of their worship, they accepted this act as the completion of their ritual, for it was directly ordained by him and thus blameless. Seeing the girls bowing with humility, the Lord, son of Devakī, moved by compassion, returned their garments to them, pleased by their devotion. Though they had been teased, embarrassed, and made to play as if in sport, and even had their clothes taken, the girls harbored no resentment toward Kṛṣṇa. Instead, they found joy in his beloved company. After dressing themselves, their hearts still yearning to be close to him, the girls stood before Kṛṣṇa, their eyes cast down in modesty, reluctant to leave. Understanding their desire to touch his feet, Lord Dāmodara spoke gently to the maidens who had kept their vow: “Your intention, O virtuous ones, to worship me is known to me. I approve of it, and it is destined to be fulfilled. For those whose minds are fixed on me, desire does not lead to lust, just as roasted and boiled grains generally do not sprout. Go now, girls, to Vraja, perfected in your vow. In the nights to come, you will enjoy with me, for this vow was performed by you with the aim of worshiping me.” Śuka then said: Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their desires fulfilled, returned to Vraja. Though it was difficult for them to depart, they went, their minds absorbed in meditation upon his lotus feet. Afterward, surrounded by the cowherd boys, the Lord, son of Devakī, left Vṛndāvana and, along with his elder brother Balarāma, herded the cows at a distance. As the midday sun blazed fiercely, Kṛṣṇa noticed the trees providing shade with their own bodies, like umbrellas for the residents of Vraja. He spoke to his friends: “O Stokakṛṣṇa, O Aṃśu, Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha, Varūthapa! Behold these great souls—the trees—who live solely for the sake of others. Enduring wind, rain, sun, and cold, they protect us. Blessed indeed is their birth, for all creatures live by them. Like the truly good, they never turn away those who seek their help. They fulfill desires with leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrant resin, sap, ashes, and bones. This alone is the true fulfillment of birth for embodied beings: one should always act for the highest good with one’s life, wealth, intelligence, and speech.” Thus, passing through the lush groves along the Yamunā, beneath branches laden with fresh shoots, clusters, fruits, flowers, and leaves, Kṛṣṇa and his companions led the cows to the water. There, after watering the cows with pure, cool, auspicious water, the cowherd boys themselves drank deeply, satisfying their thirst. As the cattle grazed freely in the groves, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, feeling hungry, approached the cowherd boys, who then spoke thoughtfully: “Because of absorption in sense objects, a living being does not remember himself again; for some reason, death is the total forgetting. Birth, though experienced as the self by a person with all his being, is said to be the acceptance of sense objects, just like a dream or a fantasy. Just as one does not remember a dream or a fantasy from before, so also, in that state, one sees oneself as new, not as before. This threefold manifestation—of senses, their objects, and the mind—appears in the substance; the division of inner and outer arises from people, just as the actions of the good and the wicked. Indeed, O dear one, beings constantly come into being and cease to be; by the imperceptible, swift force of time, due to subtlety, this is not seen.