As Krishna entered among the women of Vraja, he drew them close by the neck, embracing each with loving affection. Those who witnessed this divine scene imagined the sky itself crowded with hundreds of flying palaces, so wondrous was the sight. The gods and their wives, their minds swept away by eagerness, watched from above. Drums sounded, showers of flowers fell from the heavens, and the Gandharvas, along with their wives, sang of Krishna’s spotless glory. Within the rāsa circle, a tumultuous sound arose—bracelets, anklets, and bells mingling with the laughter and movement of the women and their beloved Krishna. Amidst them all, the Lord, son of Devakī, shone brilliantly, like a great emerald amidst golden gems. The wives of Krishna, their feet stamping, arms waving, eyes smiling, brows dancing playfully, earrings swaying and brushing their cheeks, hair loosened and damp with sweat, sang joyfully. They shone like flashes of lightning within a circle of clouds. As they danced, their voices rose, throats flushed with passion, delighted by Krishna’s touch. Their song filled the place, echoing through the night. One gopī, singing with Mukunda, skillfully blended her melody with his; honored by his affection and praised with “well done, well done,” she sang again and again, receiving his special favor. Another, exhausted from the rāsa, rested her arm—her bracelet loosened, jasmine garland slipping—upon the shoulder of the mace-bearer standing beside her. One gopī, thrilled with joy, took Krishna’s arm, fragrant with blue lotus and sandalwood, to her nose and kissed it lovingly. Another, her cheek aglow with the gleam of earrings tossed by her dancing, pressed her cheek to Krishna’s and offered him betel she had chewed. Yet another, weary from singing and dancing, her anklets and girdle ringing, placed the lotus hand of Acyuta, who stood beside her, upon her breasts for comfort. The gopīs, having gained Acyuta—the exclusive consort of Śrī—as their beloved, embraced him around the neck with their arms and, singing, enjoyed his company. With lotus earrings, shining locks of hair, cheeks radiant with sweat, faces aglow, and the music of bracelets and anklets, the gopīs danced with the Lord. Their garlands loosened in their hair, surrounded by bees singing in the cowherd’s grove. Embraces, touches of the hand, affectionate glances, exuberant playful smiles and laughter—all these filled the night as the Lord of Lakshmi delighted with the beautiful women of Vraja, just as a child delights in his own reflected image. Their senses overwhelmed with joy from contact with Krishna’s limbs, the women’s hair, garments, and breastbands loosened; unable to gather up what had fallen, their garlands and ornaments slipped down. Seeing Krishna’s playful sports, even the celestial women in the sky became bewildered and overcome by desire; the moon and his retinue were astonished. Krishna, by his own playful will, assumed as many forms as there were cowherd women, though he was self-satisfied, and enjoyed with them all. When the gopīs became tired from excessive play, Krishna, compassionate and loving, gently wiped their faces with his peaceful hand. Their cheeks adorned by the radiance of golden earrings and hair, with sweet smiles and glances, the gopīs sang of the glorious deeds of the foremost of men, feeling blessed by the touch of his lotus hands. Surrounded by these women, their garlands crushed and smeared with saffron from their breasts, Krishna entered the forest, followed by hosts of Gandharvas, just as a weary elephant, breaking through a dam, enters the water surrounded by female elephants. There, as he was bathed by the young women, gazed upon with love and laughter, and praised by the celestial beings showering flowers, Krishna, the self-delighting Lord, sported like the king of elephants. Then, in Krishna’s grove, on land and water, where the directions were filled with the fragrance of flowers, he wandered, surrounded by swarms of joyful women, like a rutting elephant with his female companions. Thus, through nights adorned by the rays of the moon, Krishna, true to his word and surrounded by loving women, enjoyed with them, his passion absorbed within himself, savoring the poetic essence of the autumn season. King Parikshit, hearing of these pastimes, asked: “The Lord of the universe descends to establish righteousness and subdue unrighteousness. How then could he, who is the speaker, doer, and protector of the boundaries of righteousness, act contrary by touching the wives of others? The Lord of the Yadus, who is self-satisfied, performed an act that is censured; what was his intention in this? Please dispel our doubt, O virtuous one.” Shuka replied: “Transgressions of righteousness and bold acts are seen among the lords—the gods; for the powerful, there is no fault, just as fire consumes everything. One who is not a lord should never imitate this, not even in thought; if he acts out of ignorance, he perishes, just as Rudra was harmed by the poison from the ocean. The words of the lords are true, and so too are their actions at times; the wise should follow only those words and deeds that accord with reason. By their skillful conduct, they have no personal aim here; nor is there harm for those without ego, even if the opposite occurs. What then of all beings—animals, mortals, and gods—who are ruled and to be ruled? The connection of good and evil applies to them. Those who are satisfied by serving the dust of His lotus feet, whose powers of yoga have dissolved all bondage of karma, roam freely as sages, unrestrained; by His will, having assumed a body, how could there be any bondage at all? He who dwells within all beings—the gopīs, their husbands, and everyone embodied—is the overseer, playing here in bodies. For the sake of showing favor to living beings, He has taken on a human body and performs such pastimes, hearing which one becomes devoted to Him. Indeed, the residents of Vraja, deluded by His māyā, did not envy Krishna, thinking those beside them to be their own spouses. When the night of Brahmā had ended, the gopīs, beloved of the Lord, though reluctant, returned to their homes, with Vasudeva’s approval. Whoever faithfully hears or recounts this play of the wives of Vraja with Viṣṇu quickly attains supreme devotion to the Lord, and the wise person swiftly removes the disease of lust from the heart. Shuka continued: Once, during a festival for the gods, the cowherds, eager with excitement, set out for Ambikā forest with their oxen yoked to carts. There, after bathing in the Sarasvatī, they worshipped the mighty Lord Paśupati with offerings, and also the goddess Ambikā, O King, with devotion. They respectfully gave cows, gold, clothing, honey, and food to the brāhmaṇas, saying, “May the Lord be pleased with us.