Never Before... Never Again...

The moon was at its fullest, it's light was ripping through every window like arrows, ripples on Yamuna river made an illusion of flower bed of diamonds, the splash of the tides, brushing of leaves, chattering of little bugs, the smell of mud gave the environment a distinctive feeling. It catered to needs of brijwasi's tired souls. Not everyone approved tiredness tough.

She was busy milking the cow, while calf was asleep. She had to prepare kheer early morning, her hands had the brain of their own, synchronizing with apt motions, her eyes were gazed on the ground, but it was not what she was mentally looking at.

Few blocks aside from that house, milk had reached its boiling point and was spilling over, someone had failed in her task of keeping an eye on the milk and removing the vessel from flame at right moment, even after being present parallel to it.

Right to the next door, there was a cry of toddler, as food was being fed into his nose by his mother, while she herself was psychologically ignorant of her own actions, her thoughts were too busy.

Beyond the doors of its opposite house, her husband was in deep slumber, but she still continued massaging his feet without realizing it.

And to the little ahead of that house, utensils were dropped fourth time as she was barely able to maintain her balance on two legs, she was eagerly marching entire veranda of the house.

All these collective ladies in brij were known as Gopis. Not a single GOPI that night were in their senses.

One thing common between all the Gopis was that, they shared same reason for their unconsciously weird behaviour.

They were all waiting for that melodious tune which would act as a signal, the tune which would make them wide awake from their lifeless state, the tune which would end their long wait, the tune audible only to them, they knew they could hear that anytime.

And it was heard.

It was the melody which came from the most blessed flute in the universe, the flute which felt the touch of his soft fingers, the flute which tasted nectar of those alluring lips, the flute which was most near to that guiltless smile, the tune was so harmonious that even wicked mind would ascend to pious state . They froze for a while, allowing their ears to get immersed in the tone, allowing their eyes to sprinkle the excitement which was crammed up as curiosity, and than they all started running.

They forgot what role they were assigned to, they forgot they were wives, daughters, mothers. Their feet moved to the direction of the sound, dodging every relation of the materialistic world, the notes of the melody were  soaring faster  as if keeping up pace with their feet, only they knew where the sound came from. They were hypnotised to the melody, and they reached where they were destined to, on the banks of river Yamuna.

He was standing there with legs crossed, flute adjusted to his lips, breeze playing with the peacock feather on his head, shadow of moon light carved out the perfect masculine yet tender shape of his body. As he came close his dark skinned baby shaped face with mysteriously vicious smile was visible to them, hearts refused to beat, it was a sight to behold.

" you all are not supposed be here, its dark and your family members might be worried" he said that with mischievous smile

Lumps in their throats, they all looked at each other with bewilderment, consciously they gathered their words and spoke one after another

" O madhava what type of game you are playing with us, why are you doing this with us? Showing water to a thirsty person and then purposely wasting it, first you had promised us to be here and when we have came leaving aside every relation, crossing all boundaries, and you are telling us not to be here..."

" O devki nandan, if you not wanted us to be here why you played that tune and lured us here, and now when we have seen your face, you are telling us to go away"

" O keshava, when you come back after grazing your cows on hills, we wait for you at our doorsteps to get a sight of you and we clean even the tiniest of stones and pebbles from your way so that it doesn't hurt your tender lotus feet, and you  have bothered to call us at this time and than ultimately telling us to go away"

He spoke again testing their patience " but you are young girls, your parents must be worried, what suffering your husbands will go when they realize you are not at home, your children will be afraid when they wont feel touch of their mother near them, I request you all to please go..."

" we wake up at 4am, keep fast, in chilling dawn we go to Yamuna to take bath, hardly a drop of water slides from our throats for entire day, we do all of this so that you remain near to our hearts, if our relations, our parents, children, husbands come in way to reach you, we are happy to leave them for you. "

" so be it " he said and opened his arms

And then began the greatest dance the universe had ever staged for the nectar of love, it was dance which has remained unexplained, dance to which even greatest of all sages are oblivious, a dance for which souls have passed cycles and cycles of births and deaths but are still deprived, a dance which lies beyond the limitations of human consciousness, and while they danced they witnessed an unusual sight of themselves being present with their husbands, children, parents even when they were not there. It were the souls which were at the banks of the Yamuna, while they had left their physical body at home.

Gopis were neither scholars in Vedas, nor where they interested. They never learned Upanishads, yoga, cycle of karma. They unknowingly chose a path known as 'bhakti yoga' every ritual, every sacrifice of them was dedicated to the almighty, they loved him to the core, it was only him which they desired, and that is why they were awarded with something which made  even the demigods underprivileged. They were awarded with the greatness of  'Raas leela'