Shloka 25
The Kātyāyanī-vrata, the Stealing of the Gopīs’ Garments, and Kṛṣṇa’s Teaching on Purified Desire
सङ्कल्पो विदित: साध्व्यो भवतीनां मदर्चनम् । मयानुमोदित: सोऽसौ सत्यो भवितुमर्हति ॥ २५ ॥
saṅkalpo viditaḥ sādhvyo bhavatīnāṁ mad-arcanam mayānumoditaḥ so ’sau satyo bhavitum arhati
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] O saintly girls, I know your true intent in this austerity—to worship Me. I approve it, and that resolve must indeed come to fulfillment.
Just as Kṛṣṇa is free of all impure desire, so are the gopīs. Their attempt to gain Kṛṣṇa as their husband was therefore motivated not by a desire for personal sense gratification but by their overwhelming desire to serve Kṛṣṇa and to please Him. Because of their intense love, the gopīs did not see Kṛṣṇa as God but rather as the most wonderful boy in all creation, and being beautiful young girls, they desired only to please Him by loving service. Lord Kṛṣṇa understood the pure desire of the gopīs and was thus satisfied. The Lord could certainly not be satisfied by ordinary lust, but He was moved by the intense loving devotion of the cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.
FAQs
In this verse (10.22.25), Kṛṣṇa declares He knows the gopīs’ resolve to worship Him and, having approved it, says it deserves to be fulfilled—showing that sincere devotion receives His sanction and completion.
During the Kātyāyanī-vrata episode, Kṛṣṇa reveals He understands the gopīs’ intention and assures them their worship will bear fruit, affirming their devotion while guiding them toward Him as their ultimate refuge.
Make a clear devotional intention (saṅkalpa), worship with sincerity and purity, and trust that steady practice aligned with dharma brings divine support—turning spiritual goals into lived reality.