Śrī Śuka continued: As Uddhava listened to the gopīs pour out their longing for Krishna, their hearts aching in His absence, he sought to comfort them. With gentle affection, he shared the loving words and secret messages he had brought from their beloved. Uddhava addressed them with reverence: “Truly, you are the most blessed and honored among all people, for you have surrendered your minds wholly to Vāsudeva, the Supreme Lord. Many strive for such devotion through vows, austerities, sacrifices, sacred recitations, study, self-restraint, and countless other disciplines, yet it is by rare good fortune that you have attained the highest devotion to Krishna, the Lord of all glory—a devotion even the sages find difficult to reach. “By destiny’s favor, you have set aside sons, husbands, your very bodies, kin, and homes, choosing instead that Supreme Person, Krishna. In your separation from Him, you have reached complete absorption in the Transcendent, O supremely fortunate ones. In this, you have bestowed a great blessing upon me. “Now, please listen to the dear message I have brought for you, a secret from your beloved, meant to bring you happiness.” Then Uddhava spoke Krishna’s words: “My separation from you is never complete. I am present in all beings, just as the elements—space, air, fire, water, and earth—pervade all things. I am the foundation of mind, life-breath, elements, senses, and their qualities. By My own power, within Myself, I create, sustain, and destroy all, being the essence of the elements, senses, and their attributes. “The Self is pure, knowledge alone, distinct and beyond all qualities, yet, by the play of illusion, it appears to wander through deep sleep, dreams, and waking states. The mind, by illusion, contemplates sense objects, which arise as falsely as dreams. Therefore, one should restrain the senses, remaining ever wakeful and self-controlled. “This is the inner teaching, the yoga and wisdom of the wise: renunciation, austerity, self-mastery, and truth, flowing like rivers to the ocean. Though I may seem far from you, it is only to draw your minds closer to Me, so that your remembrance of Me may be unbroken. For when a beloved is far away, the mind clings more tightly, but when he is near and visible, the heart is less absorbed. “Fix your entire minds on Me, free from all other attachments, and remember Me always. You will soon attain Me. Even those blessed souls who, during My nightly play in Vraja’s forests, could not join the dance, did not fail to reach Me, for they meditated upon My heroic deeds.” Śuka said: Hearing these gracious words from Krishna, delivered by Uddhava, the women of Vraja were filled with joy. Their hearts overflowing, they spoke to Uddhava, recalling the message he had brought. The gopīs said: “By fortune, the wicked Kaṁsa, enemy of the Yadus, has been slain, and Acyuta is safe, having achieved all His aims with His kin. O gentle Uddhava, does Krishna, the elder brother of Gadā, now honored by the bashful, loving glances of the city women, bring them happiness? Surely, He who knows the delicate ways of love and is so dear to the women of the city must be captivated by their words and playful gestures. “O noble one, does Govinda ever remember us, the simple village women, as He sits among the city ladies during their intimate conversations? Do you remember those nights in Vrindavan, when He delighted with His beloveds amidst blooming lotuses and jasmines, beneath the moonlight, enjoying the rasa dance, anklets tinkling, charming us with delightful stories? “Will the descendant of Dasharha return here, afflicted by sorrow for His own actions, and revive us with His touch, as Indra restores the forest with rain? Why would Krishna come here, having won His kingdom, destroyed His enemies, married royal maidens, and surrounded Himself with dear friends? What purpose could we forest dwellers serve for the great soul, the Lord of Lakshmi, who has fulfilled all desires and is complete within Himself? “Indeed, supreme happiness lies in freedom from expectation, as Pingala the courtesan once declared; yet, even knowing this, we cannot abandon our hope in Krishna. Who could bear to give up communion with the Lord, even unwillingly, when fortune never departs from His limbs? “These rivers, mountains, forests, cows, and the sound of the flute—all have been traversed by Krishna, accompanied by Sankarshana. Again and again, the abodes of Lakshmi remind us of Nanda’s son; by those footprints, we are unable to forget Him. With His graceful walk, noble laughter, playful glances, and sweet speech, He has captivated our minds—how could we ever forget Him? “O Lord, consort of Lakshmi, master of Vraja, destroyer of distress, lift up Gokula, O Govinda, from the ocean of suffering in which it is submerged.” Śuka narrated: Thus, comforted by Krishna’s message, the gopīs’ fever of separation was eased. They honored Uddhava, recognizing in him a manifestation of the Lord. Uddhava remained in Vraja for several months, dispelling the grief of the gopīs by singing stories of Krishna’s pastimes, bringing delight to all of Gokula. For as long as Uddhava stayed in Nanda’s Vraja, the days passed swiftly for the residents, as they remained absorbed in news of Krishna. As Uddhava beheld the rivers, forests, and blossoming trees, he too remembered Krishna and found joy, serving the people of Vraja. Seeing the gopīs so completely absorbed in Krishna, their minds overwhelmed with longing, Uddhava, filled with supreme joy, bowed to them and sang: “These cowherd women are the highest among embodied beings on earth, for their love for Govinda is deep within their hearts. Sages, fearful of rebirth, and even we, yearn for such devotion—what use is birth as Brahma compared to tasting the nectar of Krishna’s stories? Where are these women, forest dwellers, considered fallen by worldly standards, and where is this supreme love for Krishna, the Paramatma? Yet, even those ignorant who worship the Lord directly attain blessing, just as a king bestows favor on those who serve him. “O friend, this grace of intense love is not found even among the heavenly women, fragrant as lotuses, nor among others; it arose at the rasa festival, when Krishna embraced the necks of the beloveds of Vraja, granting them fulfillment. Oh, how I wish I could become even a blade of grass, a bush, a creeper, or a herb here in Vṛndāvana, so that I might receive the dust of the feet of those who, abandoning what is so hard to give up—their own kin and the path of the virtuous—have sought the path of Mukunda, which is searched for by the Vedas.” Thus, Uddhava marveled at the gopīs’ devotion, recognizing in their love for Krishna the highest attainment, and honored them above all.