Damsels (Lectures, Conv. and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"damsel" |"damsels"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

The Lord is also perpetually happy, and if we associate with the Lord, cooperate with Him, take part in His association, then also we become happy. The Lord descends on this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vṛndāvana full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana, His activities with His cowherd boys friends, with His damsels, with His friends, damsel friends, and with the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and His occupation of cowherding in His childhood, and all these pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa were full of happiness.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

It is such a nice place. So that Vṛndāvana-dhāma is also worshipable.

And ramya kaścid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-varga-vīrya kalpita. Now, Kṛṣṇa was worshiped by the damsels of Vrajadhāma. Lord Caitanya recommends, "That is the highest, topmost grade of worship because that was pure love." The damsels of Vraja loved Kṛṣṇa so much, without any return. That's a sublime thing. So He recommended, "That is the highest form of worship."

Ramya kaścid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-varga-vīrya kalpita, śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam: "And Śrīmad-Bhāgavata is the spotless Vedic literature." Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of Kṛṣṇa consciousness only. That's all. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā is full of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.27 -- Los Angeles, April 19, 1973:

Still it is prohibited. But we find that all the gopīs as soon as they heard the flute immediately they came. So from material conception it is immoral, but from the spiritual conception, it is the greatest morality. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇā yā kalpitā. "Oh, there is no better mode of worship than what was conceived by the vraja-vadhūs, the damsels of Vṛndāvana." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very strict about women. In His family life also, He never played any joke with women. He was very joking. But all, all with men. He never played any joke with women. No. Perhaps only once He played joke with His wife, Viṣṇu-priya. When Śacīmātā was searching after something, she, He simply played a joking word: "Maybe your daughter-in-law has taken it." That is the only joking we find in His whole life. Otherwise, He was very strict.

Lecture on SB 1.9.40 -- New York, May 22, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Translation: Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose motions and smiles of love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhāma (the gopīs). The damsels imitated the characteristic movements of the Lord (after His disappearance from the rāsa dance)." (SB 1.9.40)

Prabhupāda: Purport.

Pradyumna: By intense ecstasy in loving service, the damsels of Vrajabhūmi attained qualitative oneness with the Lord by dancing with Him on an equal level, embracing Him in nuptial love, smiling at Him in joke, and looking at Him with a loving attitude. The relation of the Lord with Arjuna is undoubtedly praiseworthy for devotees like Bhīṣmadeva, but the relation of the gopīs with the Lord is still more praiseworthy because of their still more purified loving service.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Melbourne, June 26, 1974:

Any associate of Kṛṣṇa, either His cowherd boyfriends or calf or cows, or the Vṛndāvana trees, plants, flowers or water, they are all devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They like to serve Kṛṣṇa in different capacities. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṇa as animal. Somebody is serving Kṛṣṇa as fruits and flowers, as tree, as Yamunā water, or the beautiful cowherds men and damsels or Kṛṣṇa's father and mother, so many with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not imperson. So He has got so many lovers. Kṛṣṇa also loves them. So Kṛṣṇa's another name is paśu-pāla, paśu-pāla-paṅkaja. He is, mean, tender of the animals. Surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). He takes pleasure in tending the cows, surabhī. These are surabhī cows, not these ordinary cows, surabhī cows. Surabhī cows means you can milk the cow as many times as you like and as much milk as you like. That is surabhī.

So therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says "It is glorified question you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa." So about Kṛṣṇa, it is called kṛṣṇa-kathā, topics about Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, May 29, 1972:

In the mundane field such an outlook of doing good to others in the form of society, community, family, country, or humanity is a partial manifestation of the same original feelings in which a pure living entity feels happiness by the happiness of the Supreme Lord. Such superb feelings were exhibited by the damsels of Vrajabhūmi for the happiness of the Lord. The gopīs loved the Lord without any return, and this is the perfect exhibition of the akāma spirit. Kāma spirit, or the desire for one's own satisfaction, is fully exhibited in the material world, whereas the spirit of akāma is fully exhibited in the spiritual world.

Thoughts of becoming one with the Lord, or being merged in the brahma-jyotir, can also be exhibitions of kāma spirit if they are desires for one's own satisfaction to be free from the material miseries. A pure devotee does not want liberation..."

Prabhupāda: Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I don't want my liberation alone.

Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:

In other words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtainable directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80), or "the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopī damsels at Vṛndāvana." A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasī leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is never to be found by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee. In Vṛndāvana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1977:

So the lust is also coming from Kṛṣṇa. We find lusty desire among the gopīs, among Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ramya kācid upāsana vrajavadhū kalpitā: "There is no better mode of worship than it was conceived by the vrajavadhū, damsels of Vraja, Vṛndāvana, parakīya-rasa." But in the material world Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict about woman that once upon a time there was singing of woman in the Jagannātha temple, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was running fast: "Oh, how nice singing is going on in the temple. Let Me go and hear." Then Govinda, His personal servant, checked Him: "My dear Sir, this singing is done by woman." "Oh? It is woman? Govinda, you have saved My life." Just see. And the same Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended about the gopīs who loved Kṛṣṇa as paramour: ramya kācid upāsana vrajavadhū-vargabhir ya kalpitā. Just see the distinction.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. As Kṛṣṇa is worshiped, similarly His place, Vṛndāvana, is also worshipable. Ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū vargeṇa kalpitā. There is no more better form of worship than it was conceived by the damsels of Vraja. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. And the book, authoritative literature, to understand Kṛṣṇa and His service is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrī-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam. This is the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is exactly following the principles of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, yāre dekha tāre kaha upadeśa.

So the atheist class, they cannot see Kṛṣṇa. They ca... They'll see Kṛṣṇa at a certain time. What is that? That is ex..., described in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34).

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.4 -- Mayapur, March 28, 1975:

The gopīs' dealing with Kṛṣṇa is considered to be the topmost. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. Vrajavadhū, the gopīs, the damsels of Vṛndāvana, they worship Kṛṣṇa in the topmost loving affairs. They did not know anything but Kṛṣṇa. For Kṛṣṇa they could sacrifice anything—their honor, their prestige, everything, their husband, their sons, family. That is the gopīs' standard. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is accepted by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in many verses. One of the verses in here, anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.8 -- Vrndavana, March 15, 1974:

Pradyumna: Translation: "Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme enjoyer in the rāsa dance. He is the leader of the damsels of Vraja, and all others are simply His associates." (CC Adi 7.8)

Prabhupāda: Before this verse, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta has described:

svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa ekale īśvara

advitīya, nandātmaja, rasika-śekhara

(CC Adi 7.7)

Kṛṣṇa has got many, unlimited forms. Advaita-acyuta-anādi-ananta-rūpam. Svāṁśa-vibhinnāṁśa. Some of the forms are called svāṁśa. Svāṁśa means God, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva, They have expanded in so many ways. So all the Viṣṇu-tattvas, They are called svāṁśa, personal expansions. And others, they are called vibhinnāṁśa.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.108 -- San Francisco, February 18, 1967:

Now, so there are Upaniṣads. Generally they take eleven Upaniṣads primarily, but there are 108 Upaniṣads. Sometimes the explanation is given that "Why we have got 108 beads?" "Because there are 108 Upaniṣads." So chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa with 108 beads means that we are surpassing the study of 108 Upaniṣads. Another meaning is that there are 108 damsels who served Kṛṣṇa with all respect at Vṛndāvana. So that is also another explanation, 108. We are serving Kṛṣṇa's servitors, hundred and..., chief damsels of, at Vṛndāvana. So these 108 Upaniṣads are described, īśa kena kaṭha praśna muṇḍa māṇḍūkyo taittirī... You can count how many: Īśopaniṣad, Kenopaniṣad, Kaṭhopaniṣad, Praśnopaniṣad, Muṇḍakopaniṣad, Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad, Taittirīyopaniṣad. Then aitareyas ca chāndogya bṛhad-āraṇyakam tathā. Then Aitareya Upaniṣad, Chāndogyopaniṣad, Bṛhad-āraṇyakopaniṣad, Brahmokaivalyopaniṣad, Jābālopaniṣad. There are so many Upaniṣads, 108 Upaniṣads. Āruṇeyopaniṣad, Garbho, Nārāyaṇo, Haṁsa. This Haṁsadūta, the name, the Haṁsa Upaniṣad, it comes from Haṁsa. Garbho nārāyaṇo haṁso bindūro nārada sikaḥ. Sika-upaniṣad, Nārada Upaniṣad.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966:

And as Lord Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, similarly His place of pastimes, Vṛndāvana-dhāma, is also worshipable." Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanaya tad-dhāmaṁ vṛndāvanam. And what is the best kind of worship for Kṛṣṇa? Now, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā-kalpitā: "The highest kind of worship is as demonstrated by the damsels of Vṛndāvana, the girlfriends of Kṛṣṇa." Yes. They had no adulteration. Simply they were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is going outside of the village, and they were thinking at home, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa's," I mean to say, "sole is so soft. How He's wandering in the jungle? There are so many particles of stone. Must be pricking." In this way. Kṛṣṇa is there; they are at home, but they are thinking of Kṛṣṇa, how He's walking, how His soft foot is suffering.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966:

They were cowherds girls. But their love of Kṛṣṇa was so intense that Lord Caitanya recommends, "Oh, there is no better worship than, than it was being demonstrated by the damsels of Vṛndāvana." Ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. Then what is the source of understanding Kṛṣṇa? Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Amalaṁ purāṇam. If you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then you attain all these things. Śrī-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam. And premā pumartho mahān.

So the book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; the ideal worship, the damsels of Vṛndāvana; Kṛṣṇa is the worshipable object; and the necessary of life, necessity of life, is to attain love of God. This is the whole mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, sum and substance. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu is saying here, puruṣartha-śiromaṇi prema mahā-dhana. People are, have their objective of life, everyone.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-142 -- New York, November 29, 1966:

The Lord says... The same chapter in which Lord Kṛṣṇa instructed Uddhava... Uddhava was also one of His cousin-brothers in the family. He was a great devotee, Uddhava. He was more advanced than Arjuna. There are different grades of devotees. The first-class devotees were the gopīs, the damsels of Vṛndāvana. Nobody could be compared with their devotional service. So next were Uddhava, then Arjuna. There are different grades of devotees also. So Uddhava was also a great devotee of (the) Lord, and he was also instructed similarly, just like Arjuna was instructed. So the Lord says to Uddhava, bhaktyā aham ekayā grāhyaḥ. Ekayā: simply by devotional service, one, this one method... God is one, and to achieve Him, the process is also one. Just like in your body there are many holes, nine holes, nine holes: these two nostrils, two ear, two eyes, one mouth, and genital and evacuation, these nine holes.

Festival Lectures

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

Although they were the most perfect, they never said that "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." Their prayers were like this: he rādhe! vraja-devike! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ. He rādhe, Rādhārāṇī, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca. Rādhārāṇī does not remain alone. He (She) remains always with His (Her) friends, vraja-devī, Lalitā or Viśākha and other damsels of Vṛndāvana. So the Gosvāmīns are praying, in their mature stage, when they were living at Vṛndāvana, they were praying in this way, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ: "Where, Rādhārāṇī, where You are? Where are Your associates? Where You are, Nanda-suno, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa? Where you are, all?" They were searching after. They never said, "I have seen Kṛṣṇa dancing with the gopīs. Last night I saw." (laughter) This is sahajiyā. This is not mature devotee. This is called... They are called sahajiyā.

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

So as if somebody, if there is incarnation of God, somebody believes and somebody does not believe, when Kṛṣṇa was actually present on this earth, it is not that everybody understood that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not even up to date. Only few persons, the five brothers of the Pāṇḍavas and the damsels of Vṛndāvana, only in the fingers' count, say, out of the whole population, say, hundred or two hundred men knew Him that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise everyone thought that "He is an ordinary man just like one of us, but most powerful. That's all." Similarly, the demigods in other planets, they also thought, "Oh, he's a foolish person. They are thinking of a cowherd boy as God," sophisticated, like that. And especially Indra, the heavenly kingdom..., king of heaven. He was... He's very powerful, so he thought, "What god he has come? My God, He cannot come." This was some speculation.

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, July 5, 1971:

Ordinary. But what is their credit? The credit is nobody could love Kṛṣṇa excelling them. That was their credit. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā: "There is no comparison of the method of worship which was adopted by the damsels of Vraja." Unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa. No bargaining: "By loving Kṛṣṇa, I shall become a big man, I shall become a great philosopher, or great scientist," or "I shall improve my material condition." These are anyābhilāṣitā. And bhakti begins when one is devoid of all these material considerations. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnyam means when one makes zero all these material desires. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: (CC Madhya 19.167) even uncovered by the resultant action of philosophical speculation and fruitive activities. Everyone is working to get some result.

Lecture on Manipur Dancing -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975:

We should not misunderstand this līlā, or pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, that material lusty affairs. Then we'll be misled. It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ. The activities of the Vraja-vadhu, the damsels of Vṛndāvana, vikrīḍitam, activities, vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ śraddhānvito 'nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ, bhaktiṁ parāṁ pratilabhya hṛd-roga-kāma apahinoti.

Our material existence is due to our lusty desires in the heart. That is hṛd-rogam. That is our heart disease. And we are suffering in this material world for this heart disease life after life. People have lost their intelligence that they cannot understand that there is life after death. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:

Their lusty desires become purified and they became the first-class devotees. Therefore Lord Caitanya was so strict as a sannyāsī to allow women to come to near to His (indistinct), He says, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. So there is no superior mode of worship than it was conceived by the damsels of Vraja, because they loved Kṛṣṇa blindly, without any reservation, without any return. Mad after Kṛṣṇa. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says this is the first-class love. They might have gone with some purpose, that doesn't matter, but because they approached Kṛṣṇa somehow or other, (indistinct) kāma, it doesn't matter. Fire, the same example: fire you touch in any way, it will act. So in that way, Kṛṣṇa does not become polluted. Even superficially it appears to be wrong, the gopīs were others' wives, but because He is Kṛṣṇa, He cannot be polluted. The example is given, just like the sun.

1967 Conversations and Morning Walks

Discourse on Lord Caitanya Play Between Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva -- April 5-6, 1967, San Francisco:

Hayagrīva: That's the third scene, the rāsa dance. So Rādhārāṇī appears in that?

Prabhupāda: That's the third scene, yes. There is the appearance, appearance of Rādhārāṇī.

Hayagrīva: The damsels of Vṛndāvana appear also in the...

Prabhupāda: No, the dance was in Vṛndāvana. Yes. Rāsa dance was in Vṛndāvana.

Hayagrīva: The damsels of Vṛndāvana also appear in the third scene.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Third scene. Yes. Rāsa dance of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His associates, Lord Kṛṣṇa's determination.

Hayagrīva: All right. Now we have the fourth scene. Does Advaita speak to anyone in the fourth scene or is that...?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Questions and Answers -- September 6, 1968, New York:

Therefore they have reached that unalloyed stage: without any consideration, simply loving Kṛṣṇa. That stage they have passed already. There is no such consideration. Pure love. That is pure love. Pure love means anyābhilāśitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). There is no question of knowledge. What these gopīs...? They were damsels, cowherds girls. They had no study of Vedānta or anything knowledge. Simply ordinary village girls. How they attained such love for Kṛṣṇa? That is not ordinary thing. So it is not a thing that one should attain the transcendental loving platform of Kṛṣṇa by studying. No. vinā mahat-pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. It can be achieved by the grace of Kṛṣṇa or by the grace of Kṛṣṇa's devotees. It is not that because one is very learned, he will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Or because one is rich, therefore he will become Kṛṣṇa conscious, or because one is great mystic, therefore he will. No. That will come... vinā mahat-pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. It cannot be achieved without touching the dust of lotus feet of a great devotee.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:

One should therefore surrender unto Him if one wants to know Him as He is and that is the real process to approach the Infinite by the infinitesimals.

9) Sri Krishna is easily available by the religion of love i.e. by love and service as conceived by the damsels of Vraja who had practically no education whatsoever and much less any claim for high class birth right.

10) The highest service that can be rendered to the mankind is, therefore, to preach the philosophy and religion of Bhagavad-gita for all the times, all the places and all the people.

I hope you may agree with me and thus make a combined effort in this direction for the benefit of the mankind.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Rupanuga -- Montreal 3 July, 1968:

The word klin is significance of the mantras being the root of devotional activities. Krishnyaya, unto Krishna; Govindaya, unto Govinda; Gopijanavallabhaya, unto the Pleasure Reservoir of the damsels of Vraja, and Svaha, offering oblations unto Him. You will get in time the translations of all the mantras.

Yes, we have got all the qualities of the Supersoul. Therefore, unless the Supersoul has got consciousness, how we can have consciousness? We are the samples, therefore the origin must have all the qualities that we have. There is no such thing as acceptance or rejection by the mind of the Supersoul. Our mind is in the present material existence a nonsense. It's business is simply to accept or reject. The Supersoul has no separate mind like that, but He has got mind also, and whatever He thinks in His mind, also, that is a fact.