Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.33.25

evam śaśāńkāmśu-virājitā niśāh

sa satya-kāmo 'nuratābalā-ganah

sisheva ātmany avaruddha-sauratah

sarvāh śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāh

SYNONYMS

evam — in this manner; śaśāńka — of the moon; amśu — by the rays; virājitāh — made brilliant; niśāh — the nights; sah — He; satya-kāmah — whose desires are always fulfilled; anurata — constantly attached to Him abalā-ganah — His many girlfriends; sisheve — He utilized; ātmani — within Himself; avaruddha — reserved; sauratah — conjugal feelings; sarvāh — all (the nights); śarat — of the autumn; kāvya — poetic; kathā — of narrations; rasa — of the transcendental moods; āśrayāh — the repositories.

TRANSLATION

Although the gopīs were firmly attached to Lord Krishna, whose desires are always fulfilled, the Lord was not internally affected by any mundane sex desire. Still, to perform His pastimes the Lord took advantage of all those moonlit autumn nights, which inspire poetic descriptions of transcendental affairs.

PURPORT

It is difficult to translate into English the word rasa, which indicates the spiritual bliss derived from one's loving relationship with Lord Krishna. That bliss is experienced in the midst of spiritual pastimes with the Lord and His devotees. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that great Vaishnava poets like Vyāsa, Parāśara, Jayadeva, Līlāśuka (Bilvamańgala Thākura), Govardhanācārya and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī have tried in their poetry to describe the conjugal affairs of the Lord. These descriptions are never complete, however, since the Lord's pastimes are unlimited; thus the attempt to glorify such pastimes is still going on and will go on forever. Lord Krishna arranged an extraordinary season of beautiful autumn nights to enhance His loving affairs, and those autumn nights have inspired transcendental poets since time immemorial.

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