Krishna, standing on the bank of the Yamuna, addressed the young gopīs who had left their clothes behind to bathe as part of their vow. With a playful glint in his eye, he spoke, “I have never uttered a lie before, and these boys here can attest to it. O fair-waisted ones, come forward one by one to receive your garments—not all at once.” Hearing Krishna’s teasing, the gopīs, overwhelmed with love and bashfulness, glanced at each other and smiled shyly, but none of them dared to come out of the water. As Govinda continued his gentle jesting, the girls, their minds agitated, stood immersed up to their necks in the cold river, shivering from the chill. Gathering courage, they called out to him, “O beloved son of Nanda, please show us respect. We know you are worthy of all Vraja’s praise. Please return our clothes, for we are trembling.” Another among them pleaded, “O Śyāmasundara, we are your servants and will do as you ask. O knower of dharma, please give us our garments—or else we will have to complain to the king.” Krishna smiled and replied, “If you truly are my servants and will do as I say, then let these pure-hearted girls come here to me and receive their garments.” Shivering from the cold, the gopīs, covering themselves as best they could with their hands, emerged from the water, afflicted by the chill. Seeing them so helpless, Krishna, pleased by their pure devotion, placed their clothes on his shoulder and, smiling affectionately, spoke to them, “You entered the water naked to observe your vow, but this is an offense against the gods. With folded hands, bow your heads to dispel this fault. Then, take your clothes and put them on.” Hearing these words from Acyuta, the gopīs realized that bathing naked had been a breach of their vow. Yet, understanding Krishna’s words as the completion of their ritual—since it was ordained by him—they accepted it as blameless and fulfilled their purpose. Bowing as he instructed, they offered their respects. Seeing their humility, Krishna, the son of Devakī, moved by compassion and pleased with them, returned their garments. Though they had been teased, embarrassed, and even deprived of their clothes, the gopīs felt no resentment. Instead, they rejoiced in Krishna’s beloved company. After putting on their garments, their hearts still longing for his presence, the girls, eyes lowered in modesty, lingered and did not wish to leave. Perceiving their desire to touch his feet, Krishna, Dāmodara, addressed them gently, “O virtuous ones, I know your intention to worship me. I approve of it, and it is destined to be fulfilled. For those whose minds are fixed on me, desire does not become lust—just as roasted and boiled grains do not sprout. Go now, girls, 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 worshiping me.” Śuka then explained: Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their desires fulfilled, returned to Vraja, meditating on Krishna’s lotus feet, though it pained them to leave his presence. After this, Krishna, surrounded by the cowherd boys, left Vrindavana and, with his elder brother, led the cows to graze at a distance. As they wandered, Krishna noticed the trees providing shade with their branches, sheltering everyone from the fierce midday sun. He turned to the residents of Vraja and called out, “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. They endure wind, rain, sun, and cold to protect us. How blessed is their birth! All creatures depend on them, and 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: to always work for the highest good with one’s life, wealth, intelligence, and speech.” Thus, Krishna and his companions entered the midst of the Yamuna, passing through the low branches laden with fresh shoots, clusters, fruits, flowers, and leaves. There, after watering the cows with pure, cool, auspicious water, the cowherd boys themselves drank freely, satisfying their thirst. In the groves along the river, letting the cattle graze as they pleased, Krishna and Balarama approached the cowherd boys, who, now hungry, began to speak of deeper matters: “Because of absorption in sense objects, a living being forgets his true self; and death is simply the total forgetting. Birth, though experienced as the self, is merely the acceptance of sense objects—like a dream or a fantasy. Just as one does not remember a dream or a fantasy from before, so too, in that state, one sees oneself as new, not as before.” They continued, “This threefold manifestation—senses, their objects, and the mind—arises in the underlying substance. The division of inner and outer is created by people, just as are the actions of the good and the wicked. Beings constantly come into being and pass away, but the swift, subtle force of time makes this imperceptible. Just as flames, streams, and the fruits of a tree come and go, so do the ages and stages of all beings.” “This lamp is called a flame, this water is called a stream, and this person is called a man—but such speech is false, as is the notion of lasting life. Do not think that a person is truly born from his own actions, or that he truly dies; it is an illusion, just as fire seems to arise and cease with wood. Conception, gestation, birth, childhood, boyhood, youth, maturity, old age, and death—these are the nine stages of the body. These various higher and lower bodies, made of imagination, are assumed through association with qualities; sometimes one acquires them, sometimes abandons them.” “The coming into being and passing away of the self are inferred from father and son; but one who knows the true nature of things that come and go is not defined by either birth or death. Just as one who knows the seed and fruit of a tree understands its birth and destruction, yet is distinct from the tree, so too is the witness—our true self—distinct from the body.” In this way, Krishna, his brother, and their friends continued their day in the forests of Vraja, their hearts and minds illumined by the wisdom and play of the Lord.