Text 34
yat tv ahaṁ bhavatīnāṁ vai
dūre varte priyo dṛśām
manasaḥ sannikarṣārthaṁ
mad-anudhyāna-kāmyayā
yat — the fact that; tu — however; aham — I; bhavatīnām — from your; vai — indeed; dūre — far away; varte — am situated; priyaḥ — who am dear; dṛśām — to the eyes; manasaḥ — of the mind; sannikarṣa — of the attraction; artham — for the sake; mat — upon Me; anudhyāna. — for your meditation; kāmyayā — out of My desire.
But the actual reason why I, the beloved object of your sight, have stayed far away from you is that I wanted to intensify your meditation upon Me and thus draw your minds closer to Me.
Sometimes that which is close to our eyes is far from our heart and mind, and conversely absence makes the heart grow fonder. Although apparently going far away from the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa was bringing them closer to Him on the spiritual platform.