Uddhao (a friend of Shree Krishna whom He sent to Braj to meet gopis) is already in Braj and he’s standing in front of the gopis (cowherd maidens devoted to Krishna). The gopis see someone like Krishna has come, all decorated like Krishna, wearing orange robes, and with a complexion also very much like Shree Krishna, shyam-rang (dark Divine complexion). And seated in this glorious chariot, he has come from Dwarika (Krishna’s royal abode). So the gopis thought,
“Oh God, it seems he has come from the dham (Divine abode) of our Beloved.”
So they all gathered - all the gopis gathered.
You know, when you throw sweets, you don’t have to give personal invitations to the ants, do you? So likewise, when Uddho came, no personal invitation was needed. All the gopis just came. And they’re already in that intoxicated state all the time. So no gopi has even this mind to say,
“Hey sakhi (female friend), you come! Hey Lalita, you come! Hey Vishakha, you come!”
No, no. They all went in their own state of intoxication. And they are standing surrounding Uddhava. And Uddhava starts talking about his brahm gyān (knowledge of the absolute). And then the gopis could not tolerate it anymore. So they said:
जित देखूं तित श्याम मई है …
Jit dekhun tit Shyam mayee hai …(“Wherever I look, it is filled with Lord Krishna.”)
So Udho is saying, “Where is Kanhaiya?”
And these gopis were crying. Literally, they were crying. They were totally out of control. They were rolling on the sands,
“Ha Shyam! Ha Shyam!”
And one moment I see this, and the next moment I am seeing them talking to Shyam Sundar. They are laughing. They are rolling in laughter. Again, they are rolling in the sands of Braj out of joy. And they are talking to Shyam Sundar.
“Shyam Sundar, can You pick up this basket for me and put it on my head?”
“Hey Kanhaiya, You dance, and then I will give You balls of butter!”
Etc., etc.
Uddhava cannot see Kanhaiya. And then his head started reeling. Uddhava is thinking,
“Where am I? Where have I come? Where has Krishna sent me to? To all these illiterate minds of Braj who are absolutely, absolutely mental cases? Crazy! They’ve got a disease it seems, where they have started to see and talk with Shyam Sundar!”
