Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 46
Veṇu-gīta-āhvāna and the Gopīs’ Appeal: The Opening of Rāsa-līlā
नद्या: पुलिनमाविश्य गोपीभिर्हिमवालुकम् । जुष्टं तत्तरलानन्दिकुमुदामोदवायुना ॥ ४५ ॥ बाहुप्रसारपरिरम्भकरालकोरु- नीवीस्तनालभननर्मनखाग्रपातै: । क्ष्वेल्यावलोकहसितैर्व्रजसुन्दरीणा- मुत्तम्भयन् रतिपतिं रमयां चकार ॥ ४६ ॥
nadyāḥ pulinam āviśya gopībhir hima-vālukam juṣṭaṁ tat-taralānandi kumudāmoda-vāyunā
Śrī Kṛṣṇa went with the gopīs to the bank of the Yamunā, where the sand was cool and the breeze, enlivened by the river’s waves, carried the fragrance of lotuses. There He spread His arms and embraced them, and by playful touches, gentle scratches of His nails, joking, glancing and laughing, He awakened Cupid within the lovely maidens of Vraja and thus enjoyed His divine pastimes.
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The riverbank becomes a sacred stage for Kṛṣṇa’s intimate līlā with the gopīs—cool, fragrant, and serene—highlighting the sweetness of Vraja-bhakti and the atmosphere that nourishes devotional rasa.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these events to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, describing the setting and mood of Kṛṣṇa’s pastime with the gopīs.
By seeking sanctified environments and practices that cool the mind—hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathā, chanting, and serving—so the heart becomes receptive to devotion, just as the calm, fragrant riverbank supports divine remembrance.