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Plate 123

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa Enjoy Together on the Yamunā's Shore

1 L other beloved gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa came out onto the shore, taking all the gopīs with Him. Then After performing wonderful pastimes in the Yamunā River wich Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and His

the gopīs who had stayed on the riverbank rendered service by massaging the other gopīs and Kṛṣṇa with scented oil and smearing paste of āmalaki fruit on their bodies.

Next they all bathed again, and after putting on dry clothing they went to a small jeweled house, where the gopī Vrndā arranged to dress them in forest clóthing by decorating them with fragrant flowers, green leaves, and all kinds of other ornaments.

In Vṛndāvana the trees and creepers are wonderful because throughout the entire year they produce unlimited varieties of fruits and flowers. The gopīs and maidservants in the bowers of Vṛndāvana picked these fruits and flowers and brought them before Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs peeled all the fruits and placed them together on large plates on a platform in the jeweled cottage. They arranged the fruit in orderly rows for eating, and in front of it they made a place to sit. Among the fruits were many varieties of coconut and mango, as well as bananas, berries, jackfruits, dates, tangerines, oranges, blackberries, grapes, almonds, and various dried fruits. There were also cantaloupes, palmfruits, bel, pilu, pomegranate, and many others. Some of these fruits are occasionally available in other places, but in Vṛndāvana they are always available in so many infinite varieties that no one can fully describe them.

At home Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī had made various sweetmeats from milk and sugar, and then She had brought them all for Kṛṣṇa. Now these sweets were also presented before the divine couple, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa saw the very nice arrangement of food, He happily sat down and had a forest picnic.

Painting by JADURĀṆĪ-DEVĪ DĀSĪ (1975)

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa Enjoy Together on the Yamunā's Shore