By the grace of fortune, you have attained the highest devotion to the Lord of illustrious renown—a devotion so rare that even the sages strive for it in vain. By the workings of destiny, you have forsaken sons, husbands, bodies, kin, and homes, and chosen instead that Supreme Person known as Krishna. Through your separation from Him, O most fortunate ones, you have reached a state of total absorption in the Transcendent, and by this, you have bestowed a great favor upon me. Now, listen to the secret message I have brought, a message that will bring you happiness, sent to you by your beloved husband. The Blessed Lord said: "My separation from you is never complete, for I am present within all beings, just as the elements—space, air, fire, water, and earth—are present in all things. I am the foundation of mind, life-breath, the elements, the senses, and their qualities. By My own power, within Myself, I create, destroy, and sustain Myself, as the essence of all elements, senses, and their attributes. The Self is pure knowledge, distinct and untouched by qualities, yet through illusion, it appears to journey through deep sleep, dream, and waking states. With the mind, one contemplates the objects of the senses, which arise falsely like dreams; let one restrain the senses, remaining ever wakeful and self-possessed. This is the inner teaching, the yoga and discriminative wisdom of the wise: renunciation, austerity, self-control, and truth, all flowing like rivers to the ocean. Though I, your beloved, seem far from you, it is only to draw your minds closer to Me, so that your longing may lead to constant remembrance. For, just as when a beloved is far away and the mind dwells upon him, so too, when he is near and visible, the heart is not as absorbed. Therefore, fix your entire mind on Me, free from all other attachments, and remember Me always—you will soon attain Me. Even those fortunate ones who, while I played at night in the forest of Vraja, could not join the dance, did not fail to attain Me, for they meditated on My heroic deeds." Śuka continued: Hearing these words from their beloved, the women of Vraja were filled with joy. They spoke to Uddhava, recalling with gratitude the message he had brought. The gopīs said, "By fortune, the wicked Kaṁsa, the enemy of the Yadus, has been slain. By fortune, Acyuta is now safe, having achieved all His aims with His kin. O gentle one, does the elder brother of Gadā, honored by the loving, bashful, smiling glances of the city women, bring them joy? How could He, who knows the subtleties of love and is dear to the women of the city, not be captivated by their words and playful gestures? O noble one, does Govinda ever remember us, the village women, amidst the city ladies, during their intimate conversations? Do you remember those nights when He delighted with His beloveds in Vrindavan, surrounded by lotus, jasmine, and moonlight, enjoying the rasa dance with the tinkling of anklets, and sometimes charming us with delightful stories? Will the descendant of Dasharha return here, afflicted by the sorrow caused by His own actions, and revive us with His touch, just as Indra rejuvenates the forest with rain? Why would Krishna come here, having attained His kingdom and destroyed His enemies, after marrying royal maidens and being surrounded by all His dear friends? What purpose could we forest dwellers or others serve for the great soul, the Lord of Lakshmi, who has fulfilled all desires and is accomplished within Himself? Indeed, supreme happiness lies in freedom from expectation, as Pingala the courtesan declared; yet, even knowing this, our hope in Krishna remains difficult to abandon. Who could bear to give up communion with the glorified Lord, even unwillingly, when fortune never departs from His limbs? These rivers, mountains, forests, cows, and the sound of the flute—all have been traversed by Krishna, accompanied by Sankarshana. Again and again, the abodes of Lakshmi remind us of Nanda’s son; by those footprints, we are unable to forget Him. With His graceful walk, noble laughter, playful glances, and sweet speech, He has captivated our minds—how could we ever forget Him? O Lord, O consort of Lakshmi, O master of Vraja, destroyer of distress, lift up Gokula, O Govinda, from the ocean of suffering in which it is submerged." Śuka said: Then, relieved of the fever of separation by Krishna’s messages, the gopīs honored Uddhava, recognizing him as a manifestation of the Lord Himself. Uddhava remained for several months, dispelling the grief of the gopīs, singing stories of Krishna’s pastimes, and bringing delight to Gokula. For as many days as Uddhava stayed in Nanda’s Vraja, the moments for its residents passed swiftly, absorbed in news of Krishna. As he beheld the rivers, forests, and blossoming trees, Uddhava remembered Krishna and found joy, serving the people of Vraja. Seeing the gopīs so deeply absorbed in Krishna, their minds overwhelmed with love, Uddhava, filled with supreme joy, bowed to them and spoke: "These cowherd women are the highest among embodied beings on earth, for their love for Govinda is deep within their hearts. Even sages, fearful of rebirth, and even we, desire such devotion—what use is birth as Brahma compared to tasting the nectar of His stories? Where are these women, forest-dwellers, considered to have transgressed, and where is this supreme love for Krishna, the Paramatma? Truly, even those ignorant who worship the Lord directly attain blessing, just as a king bestows favor upon those who serve him. O friend, this grace of intense love is not found even among the heavenly women, fragrant as lotuses, nor among others; it arose at the rasa festival, when He embraced the necks of the beloveds of Vraja, granting them fulfillment. Oh, how I wish I could become even a blade of grass, a bush, a creeper, or a herb here in Vṛndāvana, so that I might receive the dust of the feet of those who, abandoning what is so hard to give up—their own kin and the path of the virtuous—have sought the path of Mukunda, which is searched for by the Vedas. Those whose breasts, adorned with the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa—the Lord, worshipped by Lakṣmī and the greatest of the self-satisfied yogis, and who is the very goal of the rāsa dance—have, by embracing Him, cast off all suffering. I bow again and again to the dust of the feet of the women of Nanda's Vraja, whose singing of Hari's glories purifies all the three worlds." Śuka concluded: Then, after taking leave of the gopīs, Yaśodā, Nanda, and bidding farewell to the cowherds, Uddhava, about to depart, ascended his chariot.