Katyayani Vrata 11 27 23

Katyayani Vrata 

A vow to observe austerities to please Katyayani Devi, or Yogamaya Devi, the spiritual energy of Lord Krsna.

Krishna Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopis

This chapter describes how the marriageable daughters of the cowherd men worshiped Katyayani to get Lord Sri Krishna as their husband, and how Krishna stole the garments of the young girls and gave the girls benedictions.

During the month of Margasirsha, every day early in the morning the young daughters of the cowherds would take one another’s hands and, singing of Krishna’s transcendental qualities, go to the Yamuna to bathe. Desiring to obtain Krishna as their husband, they would then worship the goddess Katyayani with incense, flowers and other items.

One day, the young gopis left their garments on the shore as usual and began playing in the water while chanting of Lord Krishna’s activities. Suddenly Krishna Himself came there, took away all the garments and climbed a nearby kadamba tree. Wanting to tease the gopis, Krishna said, “I understand how fatigued you gopis are from your austerities, so please come onto the shore and take back your clothes.”

The gopis then pretended to become angry and said the cold water of the Yamuna was giving them great pain. If Krishna did not give them back their garments, they said, they would inform King Kamsa of all that had happened. But if He did give the clothes back, they would willingly carry out His orders in the mood of humble servants.

Sri Krishna replied that He had no fear of King Kamsa, and that if the girls really intended to follow His command and be His maidservants they should each immediately come onto the shore and take their respective garments. The girls, trembling from the cold, climbed out of the water with their two hands covering their private parts. Krishna, who felt great affection for them, again spoke: “Because while executing a vow you bathed in the water naked, you have committed an offense against the demigods, and to counteract it you should offer obeisances with joined palms. Then your vow of austerity will achieve its full result.”

The gopis followed this instruction and, folding their hands in respect, offered obeisances to Sri Krishna. Satisfied, He gave them back their clothing. But the young girls had become so attracted to Him that they could not leave. Understanding their minds, Krishna said that He knew they had worshiped Katyayani to get Him as their husband. Because they had offered their hearts to Him, their desires would never again become tainted by the mood of materialistic enjoyment, just as fried barleycorns can no longer grow into shoots. Next autumn, He told them, their most cherished desire would be fulfilled.

Then the gopis, fully satisfied, returned to Vraja, and Sri Krishna and His cowherd friends went off to a distant place to graze the cows.

Sometime later, when the boys felt disturbed by the great heat of summer, they took shelter at the base of a tree that stood just like an umbrella. The Lord then said that the life of a tree is most excellent, for even while feeling pain a tree continues to protect others from heat, rain, snow and so on. With its leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrance, sap, ashes, pulp and sprouts, a tree fulfills the desires of everyone. This kind of life is ideal. Indeed, said Krishna, the perfection of life is to act with one’s vital energy, wealth, intelligence and words for the benefit of all.

After the Lord had glorified the trees in this way, the entire company went to the Yamuna, where the cowherd boys let the cows drink the sweet water and also drank some themselves.

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CHAPTER 31

Songs by the Gopīs


One gopī said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, ever since You took Your birth in this land of Vrajabhūmi, everything appears to be glorious. The land of Vṛndāvana has become glorious, and it is as if the goddess of fortune is personally always existing here. But it is only we who are very unhappy, because we are searching for You but cannot see You with our greatest effort. Our life is completely dependent upon You; therefore we request that You again come to us.”


Another gopī said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the life and soul even of the lotus flower that grows on the water of lakes made transparent by the clear rains of autumn. Although the lotus flowers are so beautiful, without Your glance they fade away. Similarly, without You, we are also dying. Actually, we are not Your wives but are Your slaves. You never spent any money for us, yet we are simply attracted by Your glance. Now, if we die without receiving Your glance, You’ll be responsible for our deaths. Certainly the killing of women is a great sin, and if You do not come to see us and we die, You will suffer the reactions of sin. So please come see us. Do not think that one can be killed only by certain weapons. We are being killed by Your absence. You should consider how You are responsible for killing women. We are always grateful to You because You have protected us many times: from the poisonous water of the Yamunā, from the serpent Kāliya, from Bakāsura, from the anger of Indra and his torrents of rain, from the forest fire and so many other incidents. You are the greatest and most powerful of all. It is wonderful for You to protect us from so many dangers, but we are surprised that You are neglecting us at this moment.


“Dear Kṛṣṇa, dear friend, we know very well that You are not actually the son of Mother Yaśodā or the cowherd man Nanda Mahārāja. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supersoul of all living entities. You have, out of Your own causeless mercy, appeared in this world, requested by Lord Brahmā for the protection of the world. It is by Your kindness only that You have appeared in the dynasty of Yadu. O best in the dynasty of Yadu, if anyone afraid of this materialistic way of life takes shelter at Your lotus feet, You never deny him protection. Your movements are sweet, and You are independent, touching the goddess of fortune with one hand and in the other bearing a lotus flower. That is Your extraordinary feature. Please, therefore, come before us and bless us with the lotus flower in Your hand.


“Dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the killer of all the fears of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. You are the supremely powerful hero, and we know that You can kill the unnecessary pride of Your devotees, as well as the pride of women like us, simply by Your beautiful smile. We are simply Your maidservants and slaves; please, therefore, accept us by showing us Your beautiful lotuslike face.


“Dear Kṛṣṇa, actually we have become very lusty, having been touched by Your lotus feet. Your lotus feet certainly kill all kinds of sinful activities of devotees who have taken shelter there. You are so kind that even the ordinary animals take shelter under Your lotus feet. Your lotus feet are also the residence of the goddess of fortune, yet You danced on the heads of the Kāliya serpent with them. Now we are requesting You to kindly place Your lotus feet on our breasts and pacify our lusty desires to touch You.


“O Lord, Your attractive eyes, like the lotus, are so nice and pleasing. Your sweet words are so fascinating that they please even the greatest scholars, who also become attracted to You. We are also attracted by Your speaking and by the beauty of Your face and eyes. Please, therefore, satisfy us by Your nectarean kisses. Dear Lord, words spoken by You or words describing Your activities are full of nectar, and simply by speaking or hearing Your words one can be saved from the blazing fire of material existence. Great demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are always engaged in chanting the glories of Your words. They do so to eradicate the sinful activities of all living entities in the material world. If one simply tries to hear Your transcendental words, he can very quickly be elevated to the platform of pious activities. For the Vaiṣṇavas, Your words give transcendental pleasure, and saintly persons who are engaged in distributing Your transcendental message all over the world are first-class charitable persons.” (This was confirmed by Rūpa Gosvāmī when he addressed Lord Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation because He distributed the words of Kṛṣṇa and love of Kṛṣṇa free of charge all over the world.)


“Dear Kṛṣṇa,” the gopīs continued, “You are very cunning. You can imagine how much we are distressed simply by remembering Your cunning smile, Your pleasing glance, Your walking with us in the forest of Vṛndāvana and Your auspicious meditations. Your talks with us in lonely places were heartwarming. Now we are all aggrieved to remember Your behavior. Please save us. Dear Kṛṣṇa, certainly You know how much we are saddened when You go out of Vṛndāvana village to tend the cows in the forest. How we are afflicted simply to think that Your soft lotus feet are being pricked by the dry grass and the tiny stones in the forest! We are so attached to You that we always think simply of Your lotus feet.


“O Kṛṣṇa, when You return from the pasturing ground with the animals, we see Your face covered by Your curly hair and dusted by the hoof dust of the cows. We see Your mildly smiling face, and our desire to enjoy You increases. O dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the supreme lover, and You always give shelter to surrendered souls. You fulfill everyone’s desire; Your lotus feet are worshiped even by Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe. On whoever worships Your lotus feet, You without a doubt always bestow Your benedictions. So kindly be pleased with us and keep Your lotus feet on our breasts and thus relieve our present distresses. Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are seeking Your kisses, which You offer even to Your flute. The vibration of Your flute enchants the whole world and our hearts also. Kindly, therefore, return and kiss us with Your mouth of nectar.”


Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the thirty-first chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Songs by the Gopīs.”

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Katyayani Vrata by Vraja-kumaris

"Spreading their radiant effulgences in all directions, the gopīs appeared like a garland of lightning bolts moving on the earth. Everyday before sunrise these lovely young ladies went to the Yamunā while singing loudly about the qualities of Hari who is forever praised by heavenly demigods like Brahmā. Full of rhythm and precise intonations, their voices blended harmoniously with the soft sweet notes of their vīṇās.

A sweet smell emanated from their mouths as the gopīs engaged in kīrtana. Captivated by that fragrance, swarms of bees flew excitedly towards their lotus faces hoping to drink the nectar. When the gopīs blinked their eyes in fear of the buzzing bees, the beauty of their faces greatly increased. 

The chiming sounds of their bangles conquered the chirping of love-maddened sparrows. Just as the hot sunshine does not wilt the lotus flowers, the faces of the gopīs remained fresh and attractive, even though they constantly burned with the deśire to meet Kṛṣṇa.

The maidservants of the gopīs followed behind them carrying the finest ingredients for devī-pūjā which they had collected according to strict rules. Thus the Vraja kumārīs, brimming with affection, ignored the restrictions imposed by their elders and proceeded to the bank of the Yamunā.

Although Yamunā-devī is the daughter of the sun, who removes all darkness and afflictions, she herself is filled with streams of darkness. With the eyes of her swirling waves, Yamunā-devī could directly perceive the faith of the young women who deśired Nandasuta as their husband. Seeing the agitation caused by their blossoming prema, Yamunā-devī wanted to embrace the gopīs with the playful hands of her waves. 

Yamunā respectfully said, "O sakhīs! Come, come!" Then she made a "jhat! jhat!" sound with her waves in response to the delicate "jhat! jhat!" sound of the gopīs' anklebells as they quickly ran down the forest path.

Understanding the deśire of the young girls, Yamunādevī offered her respects and tenderly looked at the gopīs from the corners of her lotus flower eyes. The rays of the rising sun instigated pleasure pastimes among the pairs of reunited cakravāka birds who had been separated the night before. Water birds chirped gaily while flying overhead.

Upon arriving at the Yamunā, the impatient Vraja kumārīs immediately threw off their woolen shawls. Covered by thin white cotton bathing outfits, the blissful bodies of the gopīs looked more beautiful than a stream of falling snow. The gopīs shivered and softly sighed due to the chilly morning air. The quivering of their leaf bud-like lips revealed the splendor of their pearly white teeth.

The gopīs smiled gently and giggled upon noticing their friends feeling the same way. Reacting to the biting cold, the gopīs made a comic scene by slapping their arms and crossing their legs in various contorted postures.

Commencing their vrata, the Vraja kumārīs offered obeisances to Kālindī before bathing. Climbing down the bank, they slowly entered the water. Ignoring the cold, they followed all the prescribed rules and completed their baths. Then they joyfully ran back up the banks of the Yamunā. After coming out of the Yamunā the gopīs felt elated over courageously tolerating the painful cold water.

The water dripping from the garments on the limbs of the young, beautiful, doe-eye gopīs with pretty smiles fell onto the earth. It seemed that their bodies wept golden tears after being tortured by the cold black waters of the Yamunā.
The water birds that had spent their youth among the blooming lotus flowers in the Yamunā saw these drops as the wonderful essence of nectarean beauty. The shimmering light emanating from their golden bodies made the gopīs look like blissful embodiments of the goddess of fortune.

The water previously caught in their hair now poured out rapidly. It appeared as if the gopīs cried out of fear. As they gracefully dried themselves with small towels, the gopīs looked very beautiful. After removing the water from their bodies the gopīs compassionately gave up their enmity towards the cold water.

While drying and arranging their hair, it seemed that the gopīs were showing affection to their weeping hair. The deśirable Vraja kumārīs had achieved a unique position due to their sweet beauty and refulgent golden complexions. After bathing and drying their creeper-like bodies, the gopīs looked even more beautiful as they filled their lotus mouths with the sweet name of Kṛṣṇa.

Even Lakṣmī-devī could not surpass their fortune. While dressing in fresh clothes, they thoroughly immersed their minds in remembrance of Kṛṣṇa. The borders of their dresses were ornamented with attractive lacing of gold and silver threads. After tying up their hair, the gopīs, who are expert in various arts, proceeded to a special place on the bank of the Yamunā.

They occasionally sighed from the cold while carrying the pūjā paraphernalia that they had painstakingly gathered. The sweet fragrance of their breath attracted swarms of bees. But the gopīs felt nervous and twitched their eyebrows because they could not tolerate the cold wind generated by the wings of those bees.

Feeling compassionate, Sūrya-deva gradually dispelled their chill by caressing them with his gentle warm rays. Thus, Sūrya-deva showed more affection to the gopīs than to his own daughter Yamunā-devī.

The gopīs set the excellent pūjā items on the sandy white banks of the Yamunā, which glistened like camphor powder. They chose a clean, quiet place for pūjā. It was a secluded location undisturbed by the wind, and free from the contamination of Yamunā foam and the footprints of birds and Animals.

Deśiring to make a mūrti of goddess Kātyāyanī out of sand, the highly qualified gopīs spoke in sweet voices resembling the soft cooing of cuckoos.

One gopī said, "O my friends! We have never observed the Kātyāyanī vrata. Before initiating this auspicious act, we should remove the evil elements from the atmosphere. Are we going to conduct the worship individually or all together? Let us decide in such a way that we do not end up with a disaster. With faith and intelligence we should take decision." 

Another sakhī said, "We should do the pūjā all together in a group. To perform pūjā separately is not good. Worshiping together will be more beneficial." The experts in pūjā chanted sweet verses praising Kṛṣṇa's attributes while offering handfuls of fragrant flowers to a murti of Kātyāyanī molded from sand. Seeing the elegant mūrti, the gopīs felt that Bhagavatī Kātyāyanī herself had appeared in that mūrti. 

The gopīs thought, "How fortunate we are to perceive goddess Bhagavatī, even though we have not yet installed the deity." Feeling that they had satisfied Devī Kātyāyanī, the gopīs felt elated. This strengthened their determination to execute the vow. To properly please Kātyāyanī, the gopīs did manasi-pūjā of the mūrti before commencing the worship. While concealing the confidential deśires within their hearts and controlling their minds, the gopīs silently fetched water from the Yamunā. The gopīs kept Kṛṣṇa locked inside their hearts like a precious treasure. 

After washing their hands and doing ācamana they sat down on kusa āsanas. Fixing their minds in the mode of goodness, the gopīs silently worshiped Katyayani. To invoke Kātyāyanī's presence in the mūrti, the expert pūjāris respectfully uttered the mantra:

ihā gacchā gaccha devī,
sannidhānam ihācarah,
kṛṣṇasya sannidhānam naha,
prāpayasva namo namaḥ.

"Come Devī, please enter this mūrti. Please help us come close to Kṛṣṇa. We pay obeisances to you again and again." After invoking Kātyāyanī-devī in this way, the young gopīs carefully placed an āsana before her.

With great bliss they humbly requested the glorious Kātyāyanī, "Welcome Devī! We offer our heartfelt respects to you. Please accept this splendid āsana. O Devī! May your visit be auspicious. We secretly request you to be merciful to us and bring Kṛṣṇa before us."

While bathing Kātyāyanī's feet in water mixed with the appropriate ingredients the gopīs said, "O completely pure Durga! Please accept this worship of your feet. May our breasts be cooled by this foot water, which reminds us of Kṛṣṇa's perspiration. Please help us meet our beloved Kṛṣṇa."

Following the foot wash, the Vraja kumārīs offered priceless arghya (auspicious hand wash) made of selected items gathered according to sastric rules. "O Devī! You are worshipable by all the demigods. We offer this arghya in hopes that you will soon award us the association of Kṛṣṇa who is our mahā arghya."

After arghya the gopīs presented ācamana (mouthwash). "O Devī! We offer this pleasant ācamana to you in hopes that we will be able to taste Kṛṣṇa." Then they offered madhuparka (a pleasant drink composed of honey, ghee, and yogurt) saying, "O Devī! We offer you this sweet madhuparka with the deśire to taste Kṛṣṇa's honey sweet lips."

Absorbed in samādhi and overcome with prema-rasa, those young, pure-hearted girls with thin waists offered ācamana again while saying, "We offer you this ācamana with the deśire to repeatedly drink the nectar from Kṛṣṇa's lotus mouth."

They brought aromatic oil in a jeweled container for massaging the body. Even without any wind it automatically dispersed its rich fragrance through the air. It was an attractive deep red oil just suitable for massage. The gopīs said, "O Devī! Please accept this oil for massaging your body. Please attach our bodies, which are saturated with prema, to each of Kṛṣṇa's limbs."

To remove the oil they used a soft scented powder, which seemed like a spray from a fountain of concentrated bliss. While doing this the gopīs said, “We offer this fragrant powder to you. Please remove our sorrow by giving us the association of Kṛṣṇa."

They respectfully offered bathing water scented with the finest camphor and kept in a golden vessel. "We offer you this finely scented bath water. Please arrange for us to bathe in the nectar of Kṛṣṇa's association."

The Vraja kumārīs very methodically offered a neatly folded sari woven with golden threads. "O Devī! Please accept this golden sarī. Please arrange that our clothes will be exchanged with Kṛṣṇa's clothes." They brought the best quality flawless jewels and ornaments made by expert goldsmiths. "Please decorate yourself, O Devī, with these priceless ornaments. And please adorn us with the nectar of Kṛṣṇa's limbs."

The young, lotus-eyed gopīs brought attractive ointments made of aguru, camphor, and musk. "O Devī! We offer you these opulent ointments. Please arrange that our bodies will become anointed with the touch of Kṛṣṇa's limbs."
The air attained good fortune by carrying the pleasing, celestial aromas of the various scents presented by the gopīs. 

"O Devī! We offer you these scents which enliven the nostrils. Please make our limbs fragrant with the aroma from Kṛṣṇa's body." They offered Vṛndāvana flowers from all six seasons, which were very colorful, covered with sweet pollen, and surrounded by bees. "O Devī! Let our lips be worshiped by Kṛṣṇa's teeth which conquer the beauty of kunda flowers."

They offered incense made from black aguru, khus root, and clusters of the finest gulgul, saying, "O Devī! We offer you this pleasing incense smoke. Please show us your effulgence and pacify our burning hearts."

While offering opulent ghee lamps mixed with camphor, the gopīs prayed, "Please illumine the house of our breasts with the lamp of Kṛṣṇa's kaustubha jewel." They offered milk, butter, rock candy, bananas, coconuts, mung dal, sun-dried rice, cakes soaked in sugar water, malpoa, sweet rice, cooked grains, amṛtā-keli, and assorted little tasty cakes covered with powdered rock candy icing.

While presenting these delicacies to Kātyāyanī the girls prayed, "Please eat all these pure and pleasing food offerings. And please give us the remnants from the lotus mouth of the ever-youthful Kṛṣṇa. Fixing their minds on their goal, the gopīs chanted the following mantra with full feeling:

kātyāyanī mahā-māye,
mahā-yogīny adhīśvari,
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devī,
patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ

"O goddess Kātyāyanī! O great potency of the Lord! O possessor ot great mystic power and mighty controller of all! Please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja our husband. We offer our obeisances unto you."

Then they muttered japa with clear pronunciation. While offering tāmbūla and ācamana the gopīs said, "Please relish this tāmbūla made of betel, cloves, camphor, and cardamom. And please color our lips with the juice of Kṛṣṇa's tāmbūla ."

Performing ārati, they said, "O Mahesvari! We show these lamps to you in hopes that you will please illumine our limbs with the glow of Kṛṣṇa's limbs."

After ārati they gracefully bowed down on the ground and offered eloquent prayers disclosing their minds' deśires. The gopīs prayed, "O mother of Ganesh! Neither your husband Mahādeva, nor Brahmā, nor Bṛhaspati can offer suitable praise to you, what to speak of others. We are greedy only to taste Kṛṣṇa. 

Therefore, we glorify you so that you will stop the itching of our tongues. O Mahesvari! Please shower your mercy upon us.

"You are called Yogamāyā, the potency of Mahā-Viṣṇu, who possesses all energies. You have the power to do the impossible. You are peace, tolerance, nourishment, satisfaction, knowledge and ignorance. Although you bind the living entities, you are the giver of liberation. O mother of all! By your glance the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the world takes place. 

"O Devī! You are the pinnacle of all auspiciousness. Your order and glories are sitting like a swan on the heads of all the devatās. You are expert in worshiping Kṛṣṇa, and you are the supreme Vaiṣṇavī. O Parameśvarī! O supreme goddess! You always engage in the welfare of others. We pay our respects unto you. You perfectly understand the minds of all living entities. So please fulfill our deśire to achieve Kṛṣṇa as our husband."

Upon finishing their personal prayers for that day, the gopīs paid respects and offered the deity of Kātyāyanī to the Yamunā. Throughout the days and nights of the entire month of the vrata the young girls maintained their unswerving zeal. Their throats always sung about Kṛṣṇa's qualities. As the days passed the gopīs offered more items and increased the standard of worship.

Kātyāyanī-devī was pleased with their pure offerings and regular worship. Thus the gopīs hoped to attain her grace. Indeed, just before the end of the month they received the mercy of Devī. Everyone suspected that the gopīs wanted wealth like any ordinary human being. But the gopīs did not want any wealth from their worship of Yogamāyā or the devatās.

The all-auspicious Kātyāyanī fulfills deśires, and bestows mercy and happiness upon those qualified with a pure heart. She reciprocated with the Vraja kumārīs by appearing within their minds saying, "O auspicious girls! You are the embodiments of Kṛṣṇa's conjugal attraction. You will attain all good fortune by worshiping Kṛṣṇa. The devotees of Lakṣmī, who fulfills all deśires, do not worship other devatās to attain the favor of Lakṣmī-devī. 

Your sincere prayer ornaments your heart and indicates your longing for Kṛṣṇa. Your prayers also make me glorious. Very soon you will attain the association of Kṛṣṇa according to your individual tastes. Now you can stop your austerities." After speaking thus, Kātyāyanī disappeared from their hearts. The words of the goddess greatly increased the gopīs' faith.

On the last day of the vrata, the gopīs felt quivering in their left arms, eyes, and thighs. These signs of imminent auspiciousness removed their fatigue, and made them confident of attaining the fruit of their deśire to enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. As they considered how to best complete their vrata, the sun rose brilliantly in the sky. The lotuses responded by opening happily as the atmosphere saturated with immeasurable joy."

From Ananda Vrindavana Campu by Kavi Karnapura
Stealing the Garments of the Gopis, p.79-88