As Krishna wandered far, tending the cows with his elder brother Rama and the cowherd boys, hunger arose among them. Someone urged, “Please bring food for him—he is hungry, and so are his companions.” Upon hearing that Achyuta, Krishna, had arrived, the women of the village, ever eager to see him and their minds absorbed in his stories, were filled with excitement. Without delay, they gathered four kinds of excellent food in vessels and hurried toward their beloved, their eagerness likened to rivers rushing to the ocean. Even though their husbands, brothers, relatives, and sons tried to restrain them, the women’s minds were fixed on the Lord of illustrious fame. Sustained by teachings they had long heard, they went forth, undeterred. In a grove by the Yamuna, adorned with fresh asoka shoots, they found Krishna, surrounded by cowherds and his elder brother, wandering there. They gazed upon him: dark as a raincloud, wearing golden garments, adorned with garlands of forest flowers and peacock feathers, dressed as a dancer. A lotus rested on his shoulder, one hand twirled another lotus, and a lily decorated his ear. His locks framed his cheeks, and his face blossomed with a radiant smile. Their minds, immersed in him whose stories they loved, whose presence delighted their ears, entered him through their eyes. They embraced him within, holding him close in their hearts, and, wise as they were, let go of all sorrow. Having abandoned all other hopes, the women came, desiring to see their very Self. Krishna, the seer of all, knowing their hearts, spoke to them with a smile: “Welcome, O highly fortunate ones! Please be seated. What may I do for you? It is right that you have come here, wishing to see us. “Indeed, those who are truly wise and seek their own good render to me, who am dearer than their very selves, devotion that is causeless and unbroken. Life, intellect, mind, self, wives, children, wealth, and so on—all these become dear through contact with me; therefore, who else could truly be dear? “Now, return to the sacrificial altar, O wives of the twice-born! Your husbands, householders, will complete their sacrifice with your participation.” The wives responded: “Do not speak so harshly, O Lord! Fulfill the promise of your scripture at your feet. We have come, leaving behind all relatives, to gather the dust of your feet adorned with tulasi, to place in our hair. “Neither our husbands, nor parents, nor children, nor brothers, nor friends, nor anyone else will accept us now. Therefore, O subduer of enemies, for those of us who have fallen at your feet, there is no other refuge—please grant us this.” Krishna replied: “Let not your husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, or others bear resentment; even the worlds, the gods, and all beings honor you, for you are now connected with me. Physical association among people in this world is not for love or affection; by fixing your minds on me, you will soon attain me.” Śuka continued: Thus addressed, the wives of the brāhmaṇas returned to the sacrificial enclosure, and their husbands, now free of envy, completed the sacrifice with their own wives. Yet, one woman, restrained by her husband, embraced the Lord in her heart as she had heard, and, giving up her body bound by karma, attained liberation. Govinda, Krishna, took the food brought by the women and fed the cowherds in fourfold ways, himself partaking as well. Thus, the Lord, assuming a human form for his divine play, delighted the cows, cowherds, and cowherd women with his beauty, words, and deeds. Meanwhile, recalling the request made to Krishna by their wives, the brāhmaṇas repented for their offense, having mocked the Lord in human guise. Seeing the extraordinary devotion of their wives to Krishna, and recognizing their own lack of such devotion, they became remorseful and blamed themselves. “Fie upon our birth, our threefold knowledge, our vows, our great learning, our lineage, and our ritual expertise—if we are turned away from the Lord beyond sense perception. Surely, the Lord’s māyā is deluding, even for yogis; for we, the teachers of men, are bewildered about our own true welfare, O brāhmaṇas. “Behold the steadfastness of these women, who, even for Krishna, the teacher of the world, broke the bonds of death called ‘home.’ These women had no initiation as twice-born, no residence with a teacher, no austerity, no self-inquiry, no purity, and no auspicious rituals. Still, even though we possess refinement and other virtues, our devotion to Krishna, the Lord of the most exalted, the master of all yogis, is not firm. “Indeed, though we were deluded about our true welfare and distracted by household life, He reminded us of the path of the righteous through the words of the cowherd women. Otherwise, what need would we, who are subject to His command, have for boons like liberation or anything else, from Him who is the Lord of all blessings and whose desires are already fulfilled? This is only a display of His play. “Lakshmi, seeking only the touch of His feet, abandons all others and worships Him even once; her request for liberation from her own faults is merely a deluding charm for people. Place, time, distinct objects, mantras, rituals, priests, fires, deities, the sacrificer, the sacrifice, and dharma—all these are composed of Him. “He, this very Lord, Vishnu, the master of all yogis, has appeared among the Yadus—we have heard so, yet, being deluded, we do not truly know Him. Ah, how blessed we are, for among us are such women whose unwavering devotion to Hari has arisen in their hearts. “Obeisance to You, O Lord Krishna, of unfailing wisdom; deluded by Your maya, our minds wander along the paths of karma. He, the original person, surely forgives the transgressions of those whose minds are bewildered by His own maya and who do not recognize His true nature. “Thus, remembering our own offense, though we neglected Krishna, we do not waver in our desire to see the infallible ones, even though we are afraid of Kamsa. “If the planets are the cause of happiness and distress for a person, what concern is that for the soul, who is unborn? The wise say that the planets only affect other planets; so, to whom should a person direct anger? “If karma is the cause of happiness and distress for a person, what concern is that for the soul? For karma pertains to the insentient and the sentient. This body is merely skin, while the person is the conscious self, the suparna; to whom should one be angry? For karma is not the root. “If time is the cause of happiness and distress for a person, what concern is that for the soul? For time is of the same nature as the soul. Just as heat is not the property of fire, nor cold of snow, to whom should one be angry? For duality does not belong to another. “By no one, anywhere, in any way, does duality arise for the supreme soul, who is beyond all. Just as I am, so is the cycle of birth and death; thus, one who is awakened does not fear the elements.” Thus ended this episode, where the devotion of the simple-hearted women surpassed the learned rituals of the brāhmaṇas, and Krishna’s grace illuminated all, revealing the true path to the Self.