For a month, the young maidens of Vraja, their hearts wholly absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, faithfully observed their vow. With steadfast devotion, they worshipped Bhadrakālī, each one cherishing the hope that the beloved son of Nanda would become her husband. Each dawn, the girls would rise together, linking arms in sisterly affection, their voices ringing out in joyful songs of Kṛṣṇa as they made their way to bathe in the waters of the Kālindī. Their spirits alight with love, they would leave their garments upon the riverbank as was their custom, and, singing of Kṛṣṇa, they would enter the river, delighting in playful games. One day, as they were thus absorbed, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all yogis, knowing the secret desire of their hearts, arrived at the riverbank, surrounded by his friends. Wishing to fulfill the longing of the maidens, he quickly gathered up their garments and, with a playful laugh, climbed into a kadamba tree, the boys joining in his merriment. From his perch, Kṛṣṇa called out to the girls, “Come here, each of you, and reclaim your own garment as you wish. I speak truly, not merely in jest—if you are indeed wearied from your vow, come and take them. I have never spoken a lie, and these boys can attest to it. But come one by one, not all together, O fair-waisted ones.” Hearing his teasing words, the gopīs, overwhelmed by love and bashfulness, exchanged glances and smiled, but hesitated to leave the water. As Govinda continued to jest, the girls, now shivering in the cold river, their bodies immersed up to their necks, addressed him with trembling voices: “O beloved son of Nanda, please show us respect. We know you are worthy of all praise in Vraja. Give us our clothes, for we are cold and shivering. O Śyāmasundara, we are your servants and will do as you say. Please return our garments, O knower of dharma, or else we must complain to the king.” The Blessed Lord replied, “If you truly are my servants and will do as I have asked, then let these pure-smiling girls come here, and each may receive her garment.” Thus compelled, the maidens, afflicted by the chill, emerged from the water, covering themselves as best they could with their hands. Seeing them helpless and pure in their devotion, the Lord, pleased, draped their garments over his shoulder and spoke to them with gentle affection: “You entered the water naked, maintaining your vow, and this is an offense against the gods. With folded hands, bow your heads to dispel this fault, and then you may take your clothes and put them on.” Hearing these words of Acyuta, the girls realized that bathing naked was a breach of their vow. Wishing to fulfill their purpose, they accepted this act as the completion of their ritual, for it was directly ordained by Kṛṣṇa and thus without fault. When the girls bowed to him as instructed, the Lord, son of Devakī, moved by compassion and pleased by their sincerity, returned their garments. Though they had been teased and embarrassed, and made to play along with his sport, the gopīs bore no resentment toward Kṛṣṇa. Instead, they found joy simply in his beloved company. Once clothed, their hearts still yearning to be near him, the girls, eyes lowered in modesty, lingered and could not bring themselves to leave. Perceiving their desire to touch his feet, Lord Dāmodara addressed the girls, who had so faithfully kept their vow. “O virtuous ones, your intention to worship me is known to me. I approve of it, and it shall be fulfilled. For those whose minds are fixed on me, desire does not lead to lust, just as roasted and boiled grains do not sprout. Now, return to Vraja, perfected in your vow. In the nights to come, you will enjoy with me, for your vow was performed with the aim of worshipping me.” Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their desires fulfilled, returned to Vraja, their minds absorbed in meditation upon his lotus feet, though it was difficult for them to leave his presence. Afterwards, Kṛṣṇa, surrounded by his cowherd friends, left Vṛndāvana. Along with his elder brother, he drove the cows to graze at a distance. As they traveled beneath the midday sun, Kṛṣṇa noticed how the trees stretched their branches wide, providing cool shade like umbrellas against the fierce rays. He turned to the boys—Stokakṛṣṇa, Aṃśu, Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha, and Varūthapa—and said: “Behold these great souls, the trees, who live solely for the sake of others. Enduring wind, rain, sun, and cold, they protect us all. Blessed indeed is their birth, for all creatures live by their grace. Like the truly good, they never turn away those who seek their help. They fulfill desires with their leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrant resin, sap, ashes, and bones. This 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, entering the groves along the Yamunā, through branches laden with fresh shoots, clusters, fruits, flowers, and leaves, the boys watered the cows with pure, cool, auspicious water and then drank their fill. As the cattle grazed freely in the groves, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, feeling hungry, approached the cowherds, who began to speak of deeper matters. They reflected, “Because of absorption in sense objects, a living being forgets himself; and death is the total forgetting. Birth, though experienced as the self, is said to be the acceptance of sense objects, like a dream or a fantasy. Just as one does not recall a dream or fantasy from before, so too, 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; but 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, this is not seen. Just as with flames, streams, and the fruits of a tree, so too are the ages and stages of all beings established.” So, in the company of his friends, Kṛṣṇa delighted in the forests of Vraja, imparting wisdom through his words and his playful, compassionate deeds.