Just like if you love somebody, what he is—he is rich man, poor man, educated or non-educated—there is no consideration. Love has no such thing, consideration. Similarly, gopīs' love for Kṛṣṇa was pure. There was no consideration that Kṛṣṇa was God, therefore they wanted to dance with Him. No. Kṛṣṇa wanted to dance with them, therefore they came to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is now calling by the vibration of His flute at this dead of night. So, all these young girls, they are all married—some of them are mothers—so immediately left their home. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Some of them were cooking, some of them were feeding, breast-feeding the children, some of them were feeding the husband or the father.
In this way, everyone was engaged. But as soon as Kṛṣṇa's flute was heard at dead of night, they left home immediately. All the guardians . . . generally in India for young girls, the guardians are the father, the husband, the brother—all male members—they forbid, "Where you are going? Where you are . . .?" Nobody cares. No love for so-called children, no love for home, no love for brother, father, or no respect. Kṛṣṇa. That is gopīs' superexcellence.
So that is being explained, and Bhīṣmadeva, at the point of his death, he is relishing. These are to be learned. Unless we are practiced to think of Kṛṣṇa always, how at the time of death we can think of? Therefore Kulaśekhara says:
- kṛṣṇa tvādiya-padapaṅkaja-pañjarāntam
- adyaiva viśsatu me mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ
- prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ
- kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te
- (Mukunda-mālā-stotra 33)
Mahārāja Kulaśekhara, king, a great devotee, is praying to Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, this is the opportune time. Now I am healthy. I am quite in good health, so let me die immediately, thinking of You. Because my whole purpose is to think of You, of Your pastimes, at the time of death." So generally, at the time of death, kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ, the whole system becomes disarranged. There are coughing, there are headache, there is some pain. This is general system. Sometimes they are so intolerable that the man who is going to die, he cries. The system within the body is so complicated that at any time it can be disarranged, and it becomes a great source of pain.
So, at the time of death means the arrangement becomes so dangerously painful that one leaves this body: "No more." This is death. This bodily arrangement becomes so painful. Just like one commits suicide. When the situation is too much painful he wants to rescue by committing suicide. Similarly, when the bodily pains are too severe, then the living entity cannot live in this body. Tyaktvā deham: he gives up this body. So we have to give up this body. That we forget.