Shloka 17
Balarāma Visits Vraja: Consoling the Gopīs and Dragging the Yamunā
द्वौ मासौ तत्र चावात्सीन्मधुं माधवमेव च । राम: क्षपासु भगवान् गोपीनां रतिमावहन् ॥ १७ ॥
dvau māsau tatra cāvātsīn madhuṁ mādhavaṁ eva ca rāmaḥ kṣapāsu bhagavān gopīnāṁ ratim āvahan
Lord Rāma (Balarāma) stayed there for the two months of Madhu and Mādhava, and at night He bestowed upon the gopīs the joy of conjugal love.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that the gopīs who enjoyed conjugal affairs with Śrī Balarāma during His visit to Gokula had not taken part in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance, being too young at the time. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī confirms this statement by quoting a phrase from the Bhāgavatam (10.15.8) — gopyo ’ntareṇa bhujayoḥ — which indicates that there are particular gopīs who act as Lord Balarāma’s girlfriends. Furthermore, Jīva Gosvāmī states that during the Holī festivities celebrated when Kṛṣṇa killed Śaṅkhacūḍa, the gopīs Lord Balarāma enjoyed with were different from the ones Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī agrees with this explanation.
FAQs
It states that Lord Balarama stayed in Vraja for two months—Madhu and Mādhava—and during the nights He increased the gopīs’ loving delight.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating to King Parīkṣit, continuing the account of Lord Balarāma’s pastimes in Vraja.
Devotional love (bhakti) deepens through sincere association with the Lord and His devotees; steady practice over time—like “two months” of dedicated immersion—nourishes the heart, especially in quiet, reflective moments.