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The Relationship Between Krishna And Gopikas "The coming together of Gopikas and Krishna became exemplary to the world and represented the coming together of Prakriti (nature) and Purusha (God). Whatever has been said or done by them appears as of low level because of our low thoughts, but actually whatever they had done or said was of great significance." Sai Baba, Summer Showers, 1978, p. 121 "The life of the Gopikas was indeed exemplary. In none of their actions, can one detect untruth, unjustness or unfaimess. They led perfect lives. The coming together of Krishna and the Gopikas is regarded as one of bodily attachment because of the cinemas and dramas that we see today. The confluence of the Gopikas and Krishna is truly divine. All actions of Krishna are truly to be treated as ideal examples. Whatever he did was intended to destroy and remove the little attachment they had to their body and life. The aspect of love in Krishna got imprinted in their minds and they got immersed in that ecstasy." Sai Baba, Summer Sho\vers, 1978, pp. 122 & 123
"In the Bhagavatam, the Gopikas from the very beginning used to tell Krishna, 'We belong to you.' This is the characteristic feature of true devotion and surrender. Therefore, Krishna protected them at all times wherever they were. On the other hand, the people ofDwaraka regarded Krishna as their possession. "Krishna is our brother, our aunt's son, our uncle's son, our cousin, our nephew', they thought. Such relationships clouded their attitude towards Krishna. This feeling that Krishna belonged to them made them feel that the Pandavas triumphed because of Krishna, who belonged to the Yadava clan, and therefore, the credit should go to the Yadavas. Thus, they developed Ahamkara (pride) ^ also and this marked the beginning of their destruction, taking the shape of a catastrophe (Pralaya) and wiping out the entire race itself. On the other hand, the Gopikas were safe and happy because they were devoid of ego, possessiveness and pride. In Arjuna's case, however, the Lord Himself claimed him as His own. How fortunate Arjuna was! Krishna and Arjuna were described Nara (man) and Narayana (God). Krishna showed Arjuna as the ideal man and the model representative, through Arjuna as his medium. He communicated to mankind the sanctified message." Sai Baba, Summer Showers in Brindavan-1979, pp.39 & 40 Gopikas' Love For Krishna
"The Gopikas were illiterate and totally innocent. But their love for Krishna was unalloyed and exclusive. Even while engaged in their daily activities, their thoughts were centered on Krishna. Hence, they experienced indescribable joy." Sai Baba, SS, 10/96, p. 257 "Kansa having come to know that he would die at the hands of Krishna, decided to kill Krishna and Balarama. Immediately, he called Akrura and commanded him to go and fetch Balarama and Krishna saying, '0 Akrura, you are a good friend and devotee of Krishna. If you go, they will surely condescend to your request.' Since he could not disobey the command of the king, Akrura went and met Yashoda and Nanda and told them that Kansa was performing a Yajna and wanted Krishna and Balarama to attend it. Yashoda and Nanda were not in favour of their children's going to Kansa's palace.
Gopikas, having heard of this (departure) surrounded Nanda's house, said 'Krishna should not go to Mathura, as he was their life and they could live without him. They raised objections in several ways. Krishna is the very form of mystery and wonder. He did not utter a word, since he knew that Gopikas would not be convinced so easily. So he sat in the chariot and made it disappear with his divine power. Until he reached the banks of the Yamuna (river), no one could see the chariot. As the Gopikas found themselves helpless, they returned to Brindavan. Gopikas had this intense love for Krishna, so they could see this love pervading all over." Sai Baba, SS. 9/98, p. 227 ' The hearts of the Gopikas were soft, sweet and blissful like the butter. Hence, Krishna relished their pure love even more than the delicacies his mother offered out of maternal affection." Sai Baba, SS, 9/97, p. 227 Misunderstanding Of Gopikas' Love "The experiences of the Gopikas and Gopalas of Brindavan during Krishna's early years at Repalle have been misinterpreted. Krishna was in the village for five years only. It is absurd to suggest that a five-year old child behaved in an objectionable manner. After going to Mathura, Krishna did not return to Repalle. To ascribe anything to the pure and divine life of Krishna is sheer blasphemy. The true nature of the Divine has to be fully understood." Sai Baba, SS, 10/96. p. 254 "It is not as if there were no Gopikas who had bodily attachments. Even such Gopikas, put the path of divinity at a high level and always adopted a sacred path. It was the normal practice that Krishna visited all the homes in Gokulam. He could assume any number of forms. There was, however, no scope for any misinterpretation because at that time Krishna was about seven years old. On the other hand Gopikas were about thirty years old. The Gopikas had no attachment to Krishna even as a brother or as a son. They regarded him as a Divine Incarnation. Because of this, Krishna had no bad thoughts at all. He used to freely enter the house of the Gopikas." Sai Baba, Summer Showers, 1978, p. 108 "In the Bhagavatam, the connection between the Gopikas and Krishna was pictured as a sacred connection between their hearts. There was no further scope for misinterpretation. They were fully merged in each other and there was no feeling whatsoever relating to their body, and in such a case how can there be any distortion? Sai Baba, Summer Showers, 1978, p. 109
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