Just like gopīs, the topmost devotees, their only business is to please Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Caitanya-manjusa). There cannot be better method of worship than the process which the gopīs adopted. They did not care for anything. The gopīs, some of them were engaged in household affairs, somebody was talking with husband, some of them taking care of the children, some, some of them were boiling milk. As soon as there was Kṛṣṇa's flute, everything left undone. "Where you are going?" Husband, brother, father: "Where you are going?" "No, don’t care. Kṛṣṇa's flute is there; we do not know anything." This is devotion, the highest, topmost. Caitanya Mahāprabhu…, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict that a woman could not come very near to offer him obeisances. From little distance. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as a sannyāsī, He was so strict. Of course, that should be the principle, but especially in your country, that cannot be very strictly observed. But at least one should be very careful. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict—He's eulogizing the gopīs' love of Kṛṣṇa.
So that gopīs' love is not ordinary thing, this. It is transcendental. Otherwise, how Caitanya Mahāprabhu appreciates? How Śukadeva Gosvāmī appreciated kṛṣṇa-līlā? This kṛṣṇa-līlā is not ordinary thing. It is spiritual. So unless one is situated firmly in bhakti-yoga, they should not try to understand what is the pastimes of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. That will be dangerous. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he says,
- rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti
- kabe hāma bujhabo se jugala-pīriti
- (Lālasāmayī Prārthanā 4)
Jugala-pīriti: the loving dealings between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Jugala, jugala means "couple"; pīriti means "love." So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, exalted ācārya, he said, "When I shall be able to understand?" Not that "I have understood everything." Not "I have understood everything." This is nice. This is vijñānaṁ, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ. So we should be very careful to understand the science. And the science can be understood through the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād: first of all try to please your spiritual master. Then try to understand.
So it is a great science.
- tad viddhi praṇipātena
- paripraśnena sevayā
- upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
- jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
- (BG 4.34)
This is the process. First of all surrender yourself: "Sir, I’ll surrender you." "All right." "Now I don’t like it." What is this? What is this surrender, "Now I don’t like it"? That means there was no surrender. Surrender does not mean, "Now I surrender, and if you do not please me, if you do not satisfy my senses, then I don’t like." That is not surrender. Surrender, the example is given by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura: dog. Very good example. The dog surrenders to the master fully. Even the master kills him, he does not protest. This is example.
- vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura
- bhuliyā jānaha more
"Vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, my dear, my revered spiritual master, you are the best of the Vaiṣṇavas. Please accept me as your dog." That is surrender.
So real surrender begins,
- mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
- yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
- (BG 7.1)
Āśrayah. Āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyāje (Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura). One who executes devotional service, taking shelter of bona fide spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa will never give him up. He will accept him. Āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṇa tāre nāhi tyāge āra saba more akaraṇa(?). Others, they will simply waste their time, that's all. So this is bhagavad-bhakti-yoga. Ādau gurv-āśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchā, sādhu-mārga-anugamanam (Brs. 1.1.74).