Texts 35-36
ity evaṁ darśayantyas tāś
cerur gopyo vicetasaḥ
yāṁ gopīm anayat kṛṣṇo
vihāyānyāḥ striyo vane
sā ca mene tadātmānaṁ
variṣṭhaṁ sarva-yoṣitām
hitvā gopīḥ kāma-yānā
mām asau bhajate priyaḥ
iti — thus; evam — in this manner; darśayantyaḥ — showing; tāḥ — they; ceruḥ — wandered; gopyaḥ — the gopīs; vicetasaḥ — completely bewildered; yām — which; gopīm — gopī; anayat — He took; kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; vihāya — abandoning; anyāḥ — the other; striyaḥ — women; vane — in the forest; sā — She; ca — also; mene — thought; tadā — then; ātmānam — Herself; variṣṭham — the best; sarva — of all; yoṣitām — women; hitvā — rejecting; gopīḥ — the gopīs; kāma-yānāḥ — who are impelled by lusty desire; mām — Me; asau — He; bhajate — is accepting; priyaḥ — the beloved.
As the gopīs wandered about, their minds completely bewildered, they pointed out various signs of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The particular gopī whom Kṛṣṇa had led into a secluded forest when He had abandoned all the other young girls began to think Herself the best of women. “My beloved has rejected all the other gopīs,” She thought, “even though they are driven by Cupid himself. He has chosen to reciprocate with Me alone.”
Previously all the gopīs had become proud of their association with Kṛṣṇa and then suddenly lost His association. Only Rādhārāṇī remained with Him. Now She has also become proud of that association and will suffer a similar fate. The Lord arranges all this to reveal the gopīs’ unparalleled devotion for Him, a devotion whose intensity fully manifests in moments of separation.