Sri Krishna’s Intimate Affairs

Mahanidhi Swami

Often we receive questions about Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s intimate conjugal affairs with the Vraja-gopis. The Srimad Bhagavatam rasa-panchadhyaya (10.29-33) clearly says that Sri Krishna pinches, kisses, fondles and embraces His beloved gopis.

But does Krishna enjoy amorous enjoyment like mundane men and women? The basic question is this: does Krishna have conjugal union with His beloved Vraja-gopis and Dvaraka queens?

Before directly answering this question, we should consider the spiritual truths, bhagavata-tattva, concerning the completely transcendental and immaculate loving relationship between Bhagavan Sri Krishna and His divine lovers, the Vraja-gopis and Queens of Dvaraka, who are none other than the personal expansions of Sri Krishna’s own intrinsic pleasure potency, hladini-shakti.

Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja explains the true identity and supremely unique position of Sri Krishna’s beloved village darlings, the gopis of Vraja:

“The pure immaculate love of the Vraja-gopis (vishuddha nirmala prema) is never at any time called lust. Because of its absolute purity, the dearest devotees of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, bhagavata-priya, like Uddhava Mahashaya desire to experience the gopis’ prema.

“Gopi prema is gold and lust is loha, iron—totally different in nature. The gopis’ prema glows like the radiant pure rays of the sun, nirmala bhaskara, and lust resembles blind darkness, andha tamah.

“Lust is nothing but selfish-pleasure (nija-sambhoga kevala), and “I love to please my senses!” (atma indriya priti). Whereas, the gopis’ love is selfless seva for Shyama’s satisfaction (krishna indriya priti).

“The gopis’ intense loving attachment is for Krishna alone (krishna drdha anuraga). Nothing in this world can compare with the purity of their prema that is like super white cloth without a spot. In the gopis’ pure loving relationship with Sri Krishna, there is not even a scent of lust, krishna se sambandha, nahi kama gandha.

“Never caring for their personal happiness or distress, atma sukha duhka na vicara, the damsels of Vraja think and act only for the happiness of Krishna, krishna sukha hetu ceshta manah. And for Krishna’s sake, the sakhis have renounced everything else in the world, krishna lagi saba parityaga. (Cc. 1.4.162-176)

The answer to the questions is “Yes, Bhagavan Sri Krishna does enjoy divine union with His personal hladini-shaktis, pleasure potencies, manifesting as the transcendental forms of the Vraja-gopis and Dvaraka mahishis. Externally, Krishna’s union with the gopis appears like ours, or rather ours is like His.

What is the sastric proof? There are many ancient authorized works i.e. Gita Govinda by Sri Jayadeva Goswami that describe the intimacies of Krishna’s encounters with the Vraja-gopis. The best proof, however, is found in the amala purana paramahamsa samhitam Srimad Bhagavatam (10.55.1): “Pradyumna took birth from the womb of Rukmini from the semen of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, jato vaidarbhyam krishna virya samudbhavah pradyumna.” Admittedly, all of this is most amazing and inconceivable.

In summary, the Srimad Bhagavatam tenth canto describes the nara-lila, human like pastimes of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. And because they so much resemble human exploits, there seem to be so many similarities between Sri Krishna’s divinely orchestrated, transcendental activities and our karmic dancing to the tunes of maya. In Gita (9.11), Bhagavan Sri Krishna warns one and all not to be foolish and ass-like by trying to weigh, compare or measure His completely transcendental divine pastimes. Sri Krishna said, “Because I appeared as a human being, fools and asses consider Me to be an ordinary human like them, avajananti mam mudha manushim tanum ashritam.”

No one in the universe except Bhagavan Sri Krishna is completely and utterly desireless and endlessly sweetly blissful within Himself. Thus Krishna alone is glorified as atma-kama and atma-rama, svatantra, sarva-jna bhagavan and the sarva-avatari. Although He was a mere child during His Vraja nara-lila, Sri Krishna humbled into submission the greatest devatas of the universe including Siva, Brahma, Indra and Varuna. Thus upon once gaining a glimpse of Sri Krishna’s indomitable omnipotence and omnipresence, pitamaha Sri Brahmaji prayed, “O Krishna, my greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula, and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of the Vrajavasi residents.” (SB 10.14.34)

Only by the grace of bhakti-devi, great saints, and the direct mercy of Sri Krishna Himself can conditioned souls like you and me understand a drop of the unlimited ocean of Sri Krishna’s alaukika, divya, and acintya sports and play that He performs simply to please His beloved bhaktas.

May the soothing pure light of divine wisdom shine on all to remove the shadows of doubt concerning this most sublime subject.

The glorious love of gopis ki jai! Ananda Khanda Bhagavan Sri Krishna ki jai!

Shree Vraja lila ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!