Gopika Geet appears in the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavata, the last of the eighteen Mahapuranas composed by Sage Veda Vyasa. Here the lilas or divine sports of Bhagavan Sri Krsna are extensively described. It was at the urging of Sage Narada that Sage Veda Vyasa wrote this Mahapurana extolling bhakti, the most exalted and perfect form of love, of which Sri Krsna is the embodiment. The great beauty and relevance of this theme is because in such love alone can abiding happiness, fulfilment, wholeness, timelessness and infinitude be attained. Without such love, everything in life remains incomplete.
It is not uncommon for many intellectuals to be disconcerted or even deluded by descriptions of such divine love for Bhagavan (or for His devotees). While at the personal level we all yearn for love, when we hear of stories pertaining to the love of others, we are not always able to appreciate their depth and significance. We are taken aback by descriptions of 'tears of love'. Take the example of Sri Ramacandra weeping for Sita Devi while he searched for her after her abduction in the forest. Seeing that, even Devi Sati, the wife of Lord Siva, got deluded! Hence, a mere intellectual or logical approach while reading or listening to such stories becomes an impediment to the understanding and experience of what bhakti really implies.
Therefore, before we enter into the lament of the gopi's separation from Sri Krsna which is the theme of Gopika Geet, let us first understand who is Sri Krsna, who are the gopis and what bhakti truly signifies.
Who is Sri Krsna?
In the first sloka of Srimad Bhagavata Mahatmya, Sage Veda Vyasa indicates who is Srī Krsna. Salutations to that Srī Krsna who is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss (Sat-Cit-Ananda)." 'Sat' signifies Existence, the eternal Truth which is ever present. That ever existent Truth is not inert. It is of the nature of Consciousness (Cit) and because of that, all knowledge, all experiences and transactions are possible. Therefore, 'Sat' is also 'Cit', 3 and both 'Sat' and 'Cit' are also Ananda svarupa, that is, of the nature of infinite, unconditioned Happiness, which we all seek.
That supreme Essence, which is Sat-Cit-Ananda, is the ultimate cause from which creation arises, by which it is sustained and into which it dissolves. It is with Its infinite power or potential as Isvara, that the supreme Essence creates, sustains and dissolves the universe.
There are billions of galaxies and they represent only the materialistic plane of creation. According to the sastras there are fourteen such planes or realms, and together these fourteen realms constitute one brahmanda or cosmos. There are countless such cosmoses.
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