The Rasa Dance

Verse 1 (bhagavata.10.33.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच इत्थं भगवतो गोप्यः श्रुत्वा वाचः सुपेशलाः । जहुर्विरहजं तापं तदङ्गोपचिताशिषः ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca ittham bhagavato gopyaḥ śrutvā vācaḥ su-peśalāḥ jahur viraha-jaṁ tāpaṁ tad-aṅgopacitāśiṣaḥ

Sukadeva said: Hearing these charming words of the Lord, the gopis let go of the ache of separation, their hearts' desires now fulfilled by the touch of his limbs.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.10.33.2)

तत्रारभत गोविन्दो रासक्रीडामनुव्रतैः । स्त्रीरत्नैरन्वितः प्रीतैरन्योन्याबद्धबाहुभिः ॥ २ ॥

tatrārabhata govindo rāsa-krīḍām anuvrataiḥ strī-ratnair anvitaḥ prītair anyonyābaddha-bāhubhiḥ

There Govinda began the sport of the rasa dance with his devoted companions — those jewels among women, joyful, their arms entwined with one another.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.10.33.3)

रासोत्सवः सम्प्रवृत्तो गोपीमण्डलमण्डितः । योगेश्वरेण कृष्णेन तासां मध्ये द्वयोर्द्वयोः । प्रविष्टेन गृहीतानां कण्ठे स्वनिकटं स्त्रियः । यं मन्येरन् नभस्तावद् विमानशतसङ्कुलम् । दिवौकसां सदाराणामौत्सुक्यापहृतात्मनाम् ॥ ३ ॥

rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ yogeśvareṇa kṛṣṇena tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ praviṣṭena gṛhītānāṁ kaṇṭhe sva-nikaṭaṁ striyaḥ yaṁ manyeran nabhas tāvad vimāna-śata-saṅkulam divaukasāṁ sa-dārāṇām autsukyāpahṛtātmanām

Thus the rasa festival began, the circle of gopis its ornament. Krishna, the master of all mystic power, entered between each pair of them and drew each one close, his arm about her neck — so that every woman there believed him beside herself alone. Meanwhile the sky filled with hundreds of celestial chariots, as the gods and their wives, overcome with eagerness, gathered to watch.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.10.33.4)

ततो दुन्दुभयो नेदुर्निपेतुः पुष्पवृष्टयः । जगुर्गन्धर्वपतयः सस्त्रीकास्तद्यशोऽमलम् ॥ ४ ॥

tato dundubhayo nedur nipetuḥ puṣpa-vṛṣṭayaḥ jagur gandharva-patayaḥ sa-strīkās tad-yaśo ’malam

Then kettledrums resounded in the heavens, showers of blossoms fell, and the chief Gandharvas, together with their wives, sang his spotless glories.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.10.33.5)

वलयानां नूपुराणां किङ्किणीनां च योषिताम् । सप्रियाणामभूच्छब्दस्तुमुलो रासमण्डले ॥ ५ ॥

valayānāṁ nūpurāṇāṁ kiṅkiṇīnāṁ ca yoṣitām sa-priyāṇām abhūc chabdas tumulo rāsa-maṇḍale

In the circle of the rasa dance a tumultuous sound rose from the bangles, anklets and waist-bells of the women as they moved with their beloved.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.10.33.6)

तत्रातिशुशुभे ताभिर्भगवान् देवकीसुतः । मध्ये मणीनां हैमानां महामरकतो यथा ॥ ६ ॥

tatrātiśuśubhe tābhir bhagavān devakī-sutaḥ madhye maṇīnāṁ haimānāṁ mahā-marakato yathā

There amid them Krishna, son of Devaki, appeared most resplendent, like a great sapphire set among golden ornaments.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.10.33.7)

पादन्यासैर्भुजविधुतिभिः सस्मितैर्भ्रूविलासै- र्भज्यन्मध्यैश्चलकुचपटैः कुण्डलैर्गण्डलोलैः । स्विद्यन्मुख्यः कवररसनाग्रन्थयः कृष्णवध्वो गायन्त्यस्तं तडित इव ता मेघचक्रे विरेजुः ॥ ७ ॥

pāda-nyāsair bhuja-vidhutibhiḥ sa-smitair bhrū-vilāsair bhajyan madhyaiś cala-kuca-paṭaiḥ kuṇḍalair gaṇḍa-lolaiḥ svidyan-mukhyaḥ kavara-rasanāgranthayaḥ kṛṣṇa-vadhvo gāyantyas taṁ taḍita iva tā megha-cakre virejuḥ

With the placing of their feet, the swaying of their arms, the playful arch of their smiling brows, their waists bending, the cloths across their breasts swaying, their earrings rocking against their cheeks, their faces bright with sweat, and their braided hair and girdles bound tight, Krishna's brides shone as they sang of him, like flashes of lightning amid a bank of clouds.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.10.33.8)

उच्चैर्जगुर्नृत्यमाना रक्तकण्ठ्यो रतिप्रियाः । कृष्णाभिमर्शमुदिता यद्गीतेनेदमावृतम् ॥ ८ ॥

uccair jagur nṛtyamānā rakta-kaṇṭhyo rati-priyāḥ kṛṣṇābhimarśa-muditā yad-gītenedam āvṛtam

Loudly they sang as they danced, their throats flushed, given wholly to love's delight, made joyful by Krishna's touch — and their singing filled this entire world.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.10.33.9)

काचित् समं मुकुन्देन स्वरजातीरमिश्रिताः । उन्निन्ये पूजिता तेन प्रीयता साधु साध्विति । तदेव ध्रुवमुन्निन्ये तस्यै मानं च बह्वदात् ॥ ९ ॥

kācit samaṁ mukundena svara-jātīr amiśritāḥ unninye pūjitā tena prīyatā sādhu sādhv iti tad eva dhruvam unninye tasyai mānaṁ ca bahv adāt

One gopi, singing alongside Mukunda, raised pure notes distinct from his own; pleased, he honored her, saying, 'Well done, well done.' Another then raised that very melody exactly, and to her too he gave great acclaim.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.10.33.10)

काचिद् रासपरिश्रान्ता पार्श्वस्थस्य गदाभृतः । जग्राह बाहुना स्कन्धं श्लथद्वलयमल्लिका ॥ १० ॥

kācid rāsa-pariśrāntā pārśva-sthasya gadā-bhṛtaḥ jagrāha bāhunā skandhaṁ ślathad-valaya-mallikā

One gopi, weary from the dance, rested her arm on the shoulder of Krishna, who stood at her side — her bangles slipping and the jasmine in her hair coming loose.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.10.33.11)

तत्रैकांसगतं बाहुं कृष्णस्योत्पलसौरभम् । चन्दनालिप्तमाघ्राय हृष्टरोमा चुचुम्ब ह ॥ ११ ॥

tatraikāṁsa-gataṁ bāhuṁ kṛṣṇasyotpala-saurabham candanāliptam āghrāya hṛṣṭa-romā cucumba ha

There, smelling Krishna's arm resting upon her shoulder, fragrant as a blue lotus and anointed with sandal paste, she kissed it, her body's hair rising in ecstasy.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.10.33.12)

कस्याश्चिन्नाट्यविक्षिप्त कुण्डलत्विषमण्डितम् । गण्डं गण्डे सन्दधत्याः प्रादात्ताम्बूलचर्वितम् ॥ १२ ॥

kasyāścin nāṭya-vikṣipta kuṇḍala-tviṣa-maṇḍitam gaṇḍaṁ gaṇḍe sandadhatyāḥ prādāt tāmbūla-carvitam

To one gopi, whose cheek — set alight by the glittering earrings that shook as she danced — she pressed beside his own, he gave the betel-leaf still moist from his own lips.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.10.33.13)

नृत्यती गायती काचित् कूजन्नूपुरमेखला । पार्श्वस्थाच्युतहस्ताब्जं श्रान्ताधात्स्तनयोः शिवम् ॥ १३ ॥

nṛtyatī gāyatī kācit kūjan nūpura-mekhalā pārśva-sthācyuta-hastābjaṁ śrāntādhāt stanayoḥ śivam

One gopi, dancing and singing, her anklets and belt tinkling, grew weary and set upon her breasts the auspicious lotus hand of Achyuta, who stood beside her.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.10.33.14)

गोप्यो लब्ध्वाच्युतं कान्तं श्रिय एकान्तवल्लभम् । गृहीतकण्ठ्यस्तद्दोर्भ्यां गायन्त्यस्तं विजह्रिरे ॥ १४ ॥

gopyo labdhvācyutaṁ kāntaṁ śriya ekānta-vallabham gṛhīta-kaṇṭhyas tad-dorbhyāṁ gāyantyas tam vijahrire

Having won Achyuta as their beloved — the very consort of the goddess Shri herself — the gopis, his arms about their necks, sang of him and rejoiced.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.10.33.15)

कर्णोत्पलालकविटङ्ककपोलघर्म- वक्त्रश्रियो वलयनूपुरघोषवाद्यैः । गोप्यः समं भगवता ननृतुः स्वकेश- स्रस्तस्रजो भ्रमरगायकरासगोष्ठ्याम् ॥ १५ ॥

karṇotpalālaka-viṭaṅka-kapola-gharma- vaktra-śriyo valaya-nūpura-ghoṣa-vādyaiḥ gopyaḥ samaṁ bhagavatā nanṛtuḥ sva-keśa- srasta-srajo bhramara-gāyaka-rāsa-goṣṭhyām

With the beauty of their faces — lotus flowers tucked behind their ears, locks of hair framing sweat-bright cheeks — and to the ringing accompaniment of their bangles and anklet-bells, the gopis danced together with the Lord in the assembly of the rasa dance, their hair-garlands slipping loose as bees hummed like singers around them.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.10.33.16)

एवं परिष्वङ्गकराभिमर्श- स्निग्धेक्षणोद्दामविलासहासैः । रेमे रमेशो व्रजसुन्दरीभि- र्यथार्भकः स्वप्रतिबिम्बविभ्रमः ॥ १६ ॥

evaṁ pariṣvaṅga-karābhimarśa- snigdhekṣaṇoddāma-vilāsa-hāsaiḥ reme rameśo vraja-sundarībhir yathārbhakaḥ sva-pratibimba-vibhramaḥ

Thus, with embraces, the touch of his hands, tender glances and broad, playful smiles, the Lord of the goddess of fortune sported with the beautiful women of Vraja, just as a child delights in playing with its own reflection.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.10.33.17)

तदङ्गसङ्गप्रमुदाकुलेन्द्रियाः केशान् दुकूलं कुचपट्टिकां वा । नाञ्जः प्रतिव्योढुमलं व्रजस्त्रियो विस्रस्तमालाभरणाः कुरूद्वह ॥ १७ ॥

tad-aṅga-saṅga-pramudākulendriyāḥ keśān dukūlaṁ kuca-paṭṭikāṁ vā nāñjaḥ prativyoḍhum alaṁ vraja-striyo visrasta-mālābharaṇāḥ kurūdvaha

O best of the Kurus, their very senses overwhelmed with joy at the touch of his body, the women of Vraja could no longer keep their hair, their robes, or the cloths across their breasts in order — their garlands and ornaments fell loose and scattered.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.10.33.18)

कृष्णविक्रीडितं वीक्ष्य मुमुहुः खेचरस्त्रियः । कामार्दिताः शशाङ्कश्च सगणो विस्मितोऽभवत् ॥ १८ ॥

kṛṣṇa-vikrīḍitaṁ vīkṣya mumuhuḥ khe-cara-striyaḥ kāmārditāḥ śaśāṅkaś ca sa-gaṇo vismito ’bhavat

Watching Krishna at his play, the sky-faring women lost themselves entirely, overcome by desire, and even the moon, with the stars as his following, stood astonished.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.10.33.19)

कृत्वा तावन्तमात्मानं यावतीर्गोपयोषितः । रेमे स भगवांस्ताभिरात्मारामोऽपि लीलया ॥ १९ ॥

kṛtvā tāvantam ātmānaṁ yāvatīr gopa-yoṣitaḥ reme sa bhagavāṁs tābhir ātmārāmo ’pi līlayā

Multiplying himself into as many forms as there were cowherd women present, the Lord — though wholly self-satisfied — sported with each of them purely as his own play.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.10.33.20)

तासां रतिविहारेण श्रान्तानां वदनानि सः । प्रामृजत् करुणः प्रेम्णा शन्तमेनाङ्ग पाणिना ॥ २० ॥

tāsāṁ rati-vihāreṇa śrāntānāṁ vadanāni saḥ prāmṛjat karuṇaḥ premṇā śantamenāṅga pāṇinā

My dear Parikshit, moved by compassion, he tenderly wiped with his most soothing hand the faces of the gopis, wearied by their amorous play.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.10.33.21)

गोप्यः स्फुरत्पुरटकुण्डलकुन्तलत्विड्- गण्डश्रिया सुधितहासनिरीक्षणेन । मानं दधत्य ऋषभस्य जगुः कृतानि पुण्यानि तत्कररुहस्पर्शप्रमोदाः ॥ २१ ॥

gopyaḥ sphurat-puraṭa-kuṇḍala-kuntala-tviḍ- gaṇḍa-śriyā sudhita-hāsa-nirīkṣaṇena mānaṁ dadhatya ṛṣabhasya jaguḥ kṛtāni puṇyāni tat-kara-ruha-sparśa-pramodāḥ

Honoring their hero with the beauty of their cheeks, radiant with shimmering golden earrings and flowing locks, and with nectar-sweet, smiling glances, the gopis sang of his most auspicious deeds, thrilled through and through by the touch of his fingernails.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.10.33.22)

ताभिर्युतः श्रममपोहितुमङ्गसङ्ग- घृष्टस्रजः स कुचकुङ्कुमरञ्जितायाः । गन्धर्वपालिभिरनुद्रुत आविशद् वाः श्रान्तो गजीभिरिभराडिव भिन्नसेतुः ॥ २२ ॥

tābhir yutaḥ śramam apohitum aṅga-saṅga- ghṛṣṭa-srajaḥ sa kuca-kuṅkuma-rañjitāyāḥ gandharva-pālibhir anudruta āviśad vāḥ śrānto gajībhir ibha-rāḍ iva bhinna-setuḥ

To dispel their fatigue, he — his garland crushed from their embraces and dyed red by the vermilion of their breasts — entered the water together with them, tired, swiftly followed by bees humming like gandharva singers, just as a lordly elephant, having broken through the dikes of a paddy field, wades in with his cow-elephants.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.10.33.23)

सोऽम्भस्यलं युवतिभिः परिषिच्यमानः प्रेम्णेक्षितः प्रहसतीभिरितस्ततोऽङ्ग । वैमानिकैः कुसुमवर्षिभिरीड्यमानो रेमे स्वयं स्वरतिरत्र गजेन्द्रलीलः ॥ २३ ॥

so ’mbhasy alaṁ yuvatibhiḥ pariṣicyamānaḥ premṇekṣitaḥ prahasatībhir itas tato ’ṅga vaimānikaiḥ kusuma-varṣibhir īdyamāno reme svayaṁ sva-ratir atra gajendra-līlaḥ

My dear King, splashed all over with water by the young women who gazed at him with love and laughter on every side, and praised by the celestials as they showered flowers from their aerial chariots, the self-satisfied Lord sported there in the water like a lordly elephant at play.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.10.33.24)

ततश्च कृष्णोपवने जलस्थल- प्रसूनगन्धानिलजुष्टदिक्तटे । चचार भृङ्गप्रमदागणावृतो यथा मदच्युद् द्विरदः करेणुभिः ॥ २४ ॥

tataś ca kṛṣṇopavane jala-sthala prasūna-gandhānila-juṣṭa-dik-taṭe cacāra bhṛṅga-pramadā-gaṇāvṛto yathā mada-cyud dviradaḥ kareṇubhiḥ

Then, in a small forest on the Yamuna's bank — its every corner filled with breezes carrying the fragrance of flowers both aquatic and terrestrial — he wandered, surrounded by his company of humming bees and lovely women, like an elephant in must, roaming with his cow-elephants.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.10.33.25)

एवं शशाङ्कांशुविराजिता निशाः स सत्यकामोऽनुरताबलागणः । सिषेव आत्मन्यवरुद्धसौरतः सर्वाः शरत्काव्यकथारसाश्रयाः ॥ २५ ॥

evaṁ śaśāṅkāṁśu-virājitā niśāḥ sa satya-kāmo ’nuratābalā-gaṇaḥ siṣeva ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ sarvāḥ śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ

Thus, through those nights radiant with moonlight, he whose every desire is ever fulfilled — surrounded by his devoted, love-struck companions, though his own passion remained wholly self-contained — passed the time; each of those nights was itself the very wellspring of the poetic sentiment that tales of autumn evoke.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.10.33.26)

श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच संस्थापनाय धर्मस्य प्रशमायेतरस्य च । अवतीर्णो हि भगवानंशेन जगदीश्वरः ॥ २६ ॥

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca saṁsthāpanāya dharmasya praśamāyetarasya ca avatīrṇo hi bhagavān aṁśena jagad-īśvaraḥ

Sri Parikshit said: The Supreme Lord, ruler of all the worlds, has indeed descended here with his own portion to establish dharma and to subdue its opposite.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.10.33.27)

स कथं धर्मसेतूनां वक्ता कर्ताभिरक्षिता । प्रतीपमाचरद् ब्रह्मन् परदाराभिमर्शनम् ॥ २७ ॥

sa kathaṁ dharma-setūnāṁ vaktā kartābhirakṣitā pratīpam ācarad brahman para-dārābhimarśanam

How then, O brahmana, could he — who himself speaks, upholds and protects the bounds of dharma — have acted against them, touching the wives of other men?

Verse 28 (bhagavata.10.33.28)

आप्तकामो यदुपतिः कृतवान्वै जुगुप्सितम् । किमभिप्राय एतन्नः शंशयं छिन्धि सुव्रत ॥ २८ ॥

āpta-kāmo yadu-patiḥ kṛtavān vai jugupsitam kim-abhiprāya etan naḥ śaṁśayaṁ chindhi su-vrata

The Lord of the Yadus, whose every desire is fulfilled, has surely done something contemptible — with what purpose, O keeper of true vows? Please cut through this doubt of ours.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.10.33.29)

श्रीशुक उवाच धर्मव्यतिक्रमो दृष्ट ईश्वराणां च साहसम् । तेजीयसां न दोषाय वह्नेः सर्वभुजो यथा ॥ २९ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca dharma-vyatikramo dṛṣṭa īśvarāṇāṁ ca sāhasam tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya vahneḥ sarva-bhujo yathā

Sukadeva said: One may indeed see what looks like a transgression of dharma in the bold acts of powerful controllers, yet for those who are truly potent it carries no fault at all — just as fire, which consumes anything fed into it, itself remains untouched.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.10.33.30)

नैतत् समाचरेज्जातु मनसापि ह्यनीश्वरः । विनश्यत्याचरन् मौढ्याद्यथारुद्रोऽब्धिजं विषम् ॥ ३० ॥

naitat samācarej jātu manasāpi hy anīśvaraḥ vinaśyaty ācaran mauḍhyād yathārudro ’bdhi-jaṁ viṣam

One who is not himself such a controller should never even think of acting this way; should he attempt it out of folly, he destroys himself — just as anyone other than Rudra would be destroyed by drinking the poison risen from the ocean.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.10.33.31)

ईश्वराणां वचः सत्यं तथैवाचरितं क्वचित् । तेषां यत् स्ववचोयुक्तं बुद्धिमांस्तत् समाचरेत् ॥ ३१ ॥

īśvarāṇāṁ vacaḥ satyaṁ tathaivācaritaṁ kvacit teṣāṁ yat sva-vaco-yuktaṁ buddhimāṁs tat samācaret

The words of the great controllers are always true, and so too, at times, is their conduct; an intelligent person should follow only that among their actions which agrees with their own teachings.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.10.33.32)

कुशलाचरितेनैषामिह स्वार्थो न विद्यते । विपर्ययेण वानर्थो निरहङ्कारिणां प्रभो ॥ ३२ ॥

kuśalācaritenaiṣām iha svārtho na vidyate viparyayeṇa vānartho nirahaṅkāriṇāṁ prabho

For such egoless beings, my lord, there is no personal gain in acting virtuously, nor any real harm in doing the reverse.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.10.33.33)

किमुताखिलसत्त्वानां तिर्यङ्मर्त्यदिवौकसाम् । ईशितुश्चेशितव्यानां कुशलाकुशलान्वयः ॥ ३३ ॥

kim utākhila-sattvānāṁ tiryaṅ-martya-divaukasām īśituś ceśitavyānāṁ kuśalākuśalānvayaḥ

What then to speak of any connection between good and bad and the Lord who controls every being — animals, humans and the denizens of heaven alike — and those very beings he controls?

Verse 34 (bhagavata.10.33.34)

यत्पादपङ्कजपरागनिषेवतृप्ता योगप्रभावविधुताखिलकर्मबन्धाः । स्वैरं चरन्ति मुनयोऽपि न नह्यमाना- स्तस्येच्छयात्तवपुषः कुत एव बन्धः ॥ ३४ ॥

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-niṣeva-tṛptā yoga-prabhāva-vidhutākhila-karma-bandhāḥ svairaṁ caranti munayo ’pi na nahyamānās tasyecchayātta-vapuṣaḥ kuta eva bandhaḥ

Even sages, content simply from tasting the dust of his lotus feet, whose every bond of action has been washed away by the power of yoga, move about entirely free, unbound by anything — so how could there be any bondage at all for him, who takes on his form purely by his own will?

Verse 35 (bhagavata.10.33.35)

गोपीनां तत्पतीनां च सर्वेषामेव देहिनाम् । योऽन्तश्चरति सोऽध्यक्षः क्रीडनेनेह देहभाक् ॥ ३५ ॥

gopīnāṁ tat-patīnāṁ ca sarveṣām eva dehinām yo ’ntaś carati so ’dhyakṣaḥ krīḍaneneha deha-bhāk

He who dwells within the gopis, within their husbands, and indeed within every embodied being, as the witness overseeing all, has here assumed a body purely for his own divine play.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.10.33.36)

अनुग्रहाय भक्तानां मानुषं देहमास्थितः । भजते तादृशीः क्रीडा याः श्रुत्वा तत्परो भवेत् ॥ ३६ ॥

anugrahāya bhaktānāṁ mānuṣaṁ deham āsthitaḥ bhajate tādṛśīḥ krīḍa yāḥ śrutvā tat-paro bhavet

To bestow grace upon his devotees, having assumed a human form, he performs such pastimes that whoever hears of them becomes wholly devoted to him.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.10.33.37)

नासूयन् खलु कृष्णाय मोहितास्तस्य मायया । मन्यमानाः स्वपार्श्वस्थान्स्वान्स्वान्दारान् व्रजौकसः ॥ ३७ ॥

nāsūyan khalu kṛṣṇāya mohitās tasya māyayā manyamānāḥ sva-pārśva-sthān svān svān dārān vrajaukasaḥ

The cowherd men of Vraja, bewildered by his divine illusion, felt no jealousy toward Krishna whatsoever, believing all the while that their own wives were standing right there beside them.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.10.33.38)

ब्रह्मरात्र उपावृत्ते वासुदेवानुमोदिताः । अनिच्छन्त्यो ययुर्गोप्यः स्वगृहान्भगवत्प्रियाः ॥ ३८ ॥

brahma-rātra upāvṛtte vāsudevānumoditāḥ anicchantyo yayur gopyaḥ sva-gṛhān bhagavat-priyāḥ

When that night of Brahma had run its course, at Krishna's own gentle urging, the gopis — the Lord's own beloved companions — reluctantly made their way back to their homes.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.10.33.39)

विक्रीडितं व्रजवधूभिरिदं च विष्णोः श्रद्धान्वितोऽनुशृणुयादथ वर्णयेद् यः । भक्तिं परां भगवति प्रतिलभ्य कामं हृद्रोगमाश्वपहिनोत्यचिरेण धीरः ॥ ३९ ॥

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ

Whoever hears of, or with faith retells, this play of Vishnu with the young women of Vraja will attain supreme devotion to the Lord, and, growing steady of mind, will swiftly and without delay banish desire, the disease of the heart.