Text 22
dṛḍhaṁ pralabdhās trapayā ca hāpitāḥ
prastobhitāḥ krīḍana-vac ca kāritāḥ
vastrāṇi caivāpahṛtāny athāpy amuṁ
tā nābhyasūyan priya-saṅga-nirvṛtāḥ
dṛḍham — thoroughly; pralabdhāḥ — cheated; trapayā — of their shame; ca — and; hāpitāḥ — deprived; prastobhitāḥ — laughed at; krīḍana-vat — just like toy dolls; ca — and; kāritāḥ — made to act; vastrāṇi — their clothing; ca — and; eva — indeed; apahṛtāni — stolen; atha api — nevertheless; amum — toward Him; tāḥ — they; na abhyasūyan — did not feel inimical; priya — of their beloved; saṅga — by the association; nirvṛtāḥ — joyful.
Although the gopīs had been thoroughly cheated, deprived of their modesty, ridiculed and made to act just like toy dolls, and although their clothing had been stolen, they did not feel at all inimical toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Rather, they were simply joyful to have this opportunity to associate with their beloved.
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “This attitude of the gopīs is described by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He prays, ‘My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, You may embrace Me or trample Me under Your feet, or You may make Me brokenhearted by never being present before Me. Whatever You like, You can do, because You have complete freedom to act. But in spite of all of Your dealings, You are My Lord eternally, and I have no other worshipable object.’ This is the attitude of the gopīs toward Kṛṣṇa.”