Shloka 20
Gopī-gīta Aftermath: Kṛṣṇa Returns and Explains Divine Non-Reciprocation
Rāsa-līlā Dialogue
नाहं तु सख्यो भजतोऽपि जन्तून् भजाम्यमीषामनुवृत्तिवृत्तये । यथाधनो लब्धधने विनष्टे तच्चिन्तयान्यन्निभृतो न वेद ॥ २० ॥
nāhaṁ tu sakhyo bhajato ’pi jantūn bhajāmy amīṣām anuvṛtti-vṛttaye yathādhano labdha-dhane vinaṣṭe tac-cintayānyan nibhṛto na veda
But, O gopīs, I do not immediately reciprocate even when living beings worship Me, because I wish to intensify their loving bhakti. They become like a poor man who gains wealth and then loses it—so anxious that he can think of nothing else.
Lord Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: “As people approach Me, I reciprocate with them accordingly.” Yet even if the Lord is approached by someone with devotion, to intensify the devotee’s love the Lord may not immediately reciprocate fully. In fact, the Lord is truly reciprocating. After all, a sincere devotee always prays to the Lord, “Please help me to love You purely.” Therefore the Lord’s so-called neglect is actually the fulfillment of the devotee’s prayer. Lord Kṛṣṇa intensifies our love for Him by apparently separating Himself from us, and the result is that we achieve what we really wanted and prayed for: intense love for the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa’s apparent negligence is actually His thoughtful reciprocation and the fulfillment of our deepest and purest desire.
FAQs
In this verse Krishna explains that He sometimes withholds immediate reciprocation to intensify the devotee’s longing and exclusive absorption in Him, thereby deepening pure love (bhakti).
After disappearing and then reappearing, Krishna addresses the gopis to explain the purpose of His apparent neglect—creating viraha (separation) that makes their devotion more concentrated and selfless.
When spiritual feelings seem dry or prayers feel unanswered, a devotee can continue steady sādhana and remembrance, using the period as a way to deepen sincerity, dependence on God, and single-minded focus.