Arjun's Shakti-Sadhna ? to become a Gopi

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Namaste all.

 

In Padma Purana Lord Krishna Himself discloses this to His eternal

friend Arjuna (the esteemed enjoyer of Sakhya rasa and the victorious

warrior):

 

'sahAyA "guravaH"ziSyA bhujiSyA bAndhavAH striyaH,

satyaM vadAmi te pArtha! gopyah kiM me bhavanti na?

manmahAtmyaM matsaparyo macchddhAM manmanogatam,

jAnanti gopikAH pArtha! nAnye jAnanti tattvataH.'

 

Lord Krishna says:

 

'O My dear friend, Arjuna!

The Gopis are My helping Associates of the blissful pastimes of

Vrindavan,

They are My gurus (teachers), They are My sishyas (committed

students), They are My enjoyers, They are My dearest realtives

and My intimate Consorts.

 

I am telling you this confidential Truth, always remember and keep it

in your mind that Gopis are My ALL in all, My everything, there is no

other relation that I can think of that Gopis are not to Me!

 

O Dear Arjuna! Gopis alone know My True Opulence, They alone know how

to serve Me with selfless Divine Love, and They alone are aware of My

Divine exploits.

The blessed Gopis alone ever know My intimate lilas of Divine Grace

and My deep seated transcendental ecstasies.

 

There is no one else in the entire Spiritual world or in My whole

creation, Who can be equal to My eternal Sweethearts, Vraja Gopikas!'

 

Another interesting episode was described in "Patala Khanda of Padma

Purana", that after the successful Mahabharata war, Lord Kishna had

taken Arjuna along with Him to visit Vrindavana and glorified the

Vraja Gopis (the Rasika Acaryas of 'Madhurya Bhava)'. (see the above

verse)

 

When Arjuna took his bath in Yamuna River, he was surprisingly turned

into a beautiful Gopi by the Divine Grace of Sri Radha (the Ahlaadini

Shakti of Lord Krisha) to participate in the Divine Rasa Dance of Lord

Radha-Krishna.

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!