As fruitless trees are abandoned by birds, guests depart after their meal, deer flee from a burnt forest, and lovers leave a woman once their desire is sated, so too did the gopīs of Vraja renounce worldly concerns when Uddhava, Krishna’s messenger, arrived. Their words, bodies, and minds were wholly absorbed in Govinda, and upon Uddhava’s coming, they cast aside all else. The gopīs sang of Krishna’s beloved deeds, weeping openly and without shame, recalling again and again the acts of his childhood and youth. Their hearts overflowed with longing and devotion. One gopī, seeing a honeybee and meditating on union with Krishna, imagined the bee as a messenger sent by her beloved and spoke to it: “O bee, companion of the deceitful, do not touch the feet of my rival. Her garland, smeared with the pollen from her breasts, stains your whiskers. Let the lord of bees carry the favor of those proud women, for you are his messenger, fit to be mocked in the assembly of the Yadus. “After giving us but once the nectar of his lips, enchanting us, he abandoned us like a flower is left behind. How does Padmā serve his lotus feet, whose mind is stolen by the praises of the glorious one? “Why do you, six-legged one, sing here of the lord of the Yadus, who is the ancient master of our homes? Go sing of his exploits among his friends in victory, for he has healed the pain of their breasts, granting them their desires. “What women, in heaven, on earth, or in the underworld, are unattainable to him, whose charming smile and playful brows deceive? We, whose fortune is to worship the dust of his feet, are but humble; even among the wretched, the name of the glorious one is heard. “Leave his foot from your head; I know his sweet words. He sends you, skilled in persuasion, as his messenger. He has abandoned his wives and children here, creating them himself, and left without concern. What trust can be placed in him? “Like hunters pursuing the king of monkeys, he wounded women who were unprotected and deformed by love, conquered by desire. Even Bali, though powerful, was bound like a bird. Enough of friendship with the dark one; the topics of his deeds are hard to abandon. “Those who once tasted the nectar drops of his playful acts, hearing them just once, were freed from all dualities and abandoned their homes and families, though destitute. Many here, like birds, wander as mendicants. “We, trusting his crooked words as nectar, ignorant as chicks listening to their mother’s call, are Krishna’s wives, like deer. Again and again we recall the intense pain from his nail’s touch. Let other news be told, O messenger. “Dear friend, have you returned, sent by the beloved? Tell me, what do you seek? You are worthy of honor, O gentle one. How do you bring us to the side of the one who cannot be abandoned, when Lakshmi, his bride, always dwells upon his chest? “Is the noble son now in Mathurā? Does he remember his father’s house, his kin, and the cowherds? Does he ever speak of us, his servants? When will he place his mighty, fragrant arm upon our heads?” Śuka then said: Uddhava, hearing their longing for Krishna’s presence, comforted the gopīs with loving messages and spoke: “Ah, you are truly fulfilled and honored in the world, for you have devoted your minds entirely to Vāsudeva, the Lord. By vows, austerity, sacrifice, recitation, study, self-restraint, and many other means, devotion to Krishna is attained. By your good fortune, you have established supreme devotion to the Lord of exalted fame—a devotion that is difficult even for sages to attain. “By destiny, you have abandoned sons, husbands, bodies, relatives, and homes, and chosen that Supreme Person known as Krishna. The state of complete absorption in the Transcendent, O greatly fortunate ones, has arisen in you through separation; by this, you have bestowed a great favor upon me. “Listen to the dear message, bringing you happiness, which I have brought in secret from your beloved husband.” Uddhava then conveyed Krishna’s words: “My separation from you is never complete, for I am present in all beings, just as the elements—space, air, fire, water, and earth—are present in all things; so too am I the foundation of mind, life-breath, elements, senses, and their qualities. By Myself, within Myself, I create, destroy, and sustain Myself, through My own power, as the essence of elements, senses, and their qualities. “The Self is made of knowledge, pure, distinct, and not bound by qualities; yet, through the workings of illusion, it appears to move through deep sleep, dream, and waking states. By which one contemplates the objects of the senses—arising falsely like a dream—let one restrain the senses, remaining ever wakeful and self-possessed. “This is the inner teaching, the yoga and discriminative wisdom of the wise: renunciation, austerity, self-control, and truth, like rivers flowing to the ocean. “Indeed, though I, your beloved, appear to be far away from you, it is for the purpose of drawing your minds closer to Me, out of your longing for constant remembrance. Just as, when a beloved is far away, the mind dwells upon him, so too, for women, the heart is not as absorbed when he is near and visible to the eyes. “Fixing your entire mind on Me, freed from all other attachments, and remembering Me always, you will soon attain Me. Those blessed ones who, while I played at night in this forest of Vraja, could not join the dance, did not fail to attain Me, for they meditated on My heroic deeds.” Śuka continued: Hearing these words from their beloved, the women of Vraja, filled with joy, spoke to Uddhava, recalling the message he had brought. The gopīs said: “By fortune, the wicked Kaṁsa, the enemy of the Yadus, has been slain; by fortune, Acyuta is now safe, having achieved all His aims with His kin. O gentle one, does the elder brother of Gadā, honored by the loving, bashful, smiling glances of the city women, bring them joy? “How could He, who knows the subtleties of love and is dear to the women of the city, not be captivated by their words and playful gestures? O noble one, does Govinda ever remember us, the village women, in the midst of the city ladies, during their intimate conversations? “Do you remember those nights when he delighted with his beloveds in Vrindavan, amidst the beauty of lotus, jasmine, and moonlight, enjoying the rasa dance with the tinkling of anklets, and sometimes charming us with delightful stories? “Will the descendant of Dasharha return here, afflicted by the sorrow caused by his own actions, and revive us with his touch, just as Indra rejuvenates the forest with rain? “Why would Krishna come here, having attained his kingdom and destroyed his enemies, O king, after marrying royal maidens and being surrounded by all his dear friends? What purpose could we forest dwellers or others serve for the great soul, the Lord of Lakshmi, who has fulfilled all desires and is accomplished within himself? “Indeed, supreme happiness lies in freedom from expectation, as Pingala the courtesan declared; yet, even knowing this, our hope in Krishna remains difficult to abandon.” Thus, in their love and longing, the gopīs poured out their hearts, expressing both their pain of separation and their unwavering devotion to Krishna, whose presence, though unseen, filled their lives with transcendental joy.