Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.3

The transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are twofold, viz., manifested and nonmanifested. The pastimes in Vṛndāvana visible to mortal eyes are the manifestive līlā of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and that which is not so visible, is nonmanifestive līlā of Kṛṣṇa. The nonmanifestive līlā is always visible in Goloka and the same is visible to human eyes in Gokula, if Kṛṣṇa so desires. In his Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhu says, “Nonmanifestive pastimes are expressed in manifestive kṛṣṇa-līlā, and goloka-līlā is the nonmanifestive pastimes of Kṛṣṇa visualized from the mundane plane.” This is also corroborated by Śrī Rūpa in his Bhāgavatāmṛta. The progressive transcendental manifestation of Gokula is Goloka. So Goloka is the selfsame majestic manifestation of Gokula. The eternal pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, although not visible in Gokula, are eternally manifested in Goloka. Goloka is the transcendental majestic manifestation of Gokula. The manifestations of the nonmanifestive pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with regard to the conditioned souls are twofold, viz., (1) worship through the channel of the mantras (inaudibly recited, liberating, self-dedicatory, transcendental sounds), (2) spontaneous outflow of heart’s spiritual love for Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī has said that worship through the mantra is possible permanently in the proper place, when confined to one pastime. This meditative manifestation of Goloka is the pastime attended with the worship of Kṛṣṇa through the mantra. Again, the pastimes that are performed in different planes and in different moods, are autocratic in diverse ways; hence svā-rasikī, i.e., spontaneous, outflow of heart’s spiritual love for Kṛṣṇa. This śloka conveys a twofold meaning. One meaning is that in the pastime attended with worship through the mantra consisting of eighteen transcendental letters, transcendental words contained in the said mantra being differently placed make a manifestation of only one līlā of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As for example klīṁ kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopījana-vallabhāya svāhā—this is a hexagonal mantra consisting of six transcendental words, viz., (1) kṛṣṇāya, (2) govindāya, (3) gopījana, (4) vallabhāya, (5) svā, (6) hā. These six transcendental words, when placed juxtapositionally, indicate the mantra.

The hexagonal great transcendental machinery is in this wise. The principal seed, i.e. klīṁ, is situated in the instrument as the central pivot. Anybody with an impression of such an instrument in his mind and concentrating his thought on such spiritual entities, can attain, like Candradhvaja, to the knowledge of the cognitive principle. The word svā indicates kṣetrajña i.e., one who is conversant with one’s inner self, and the word hā indicates the transcendental nature. This meaning of the mantra has also been corroborated by Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. The general meaning is this that one who is desirous of entering into the esoteric pastimes of Kṛṣṇa will have to practice His transcendental service along with the culture of the devotional knowledge relative to Him. (1) kṛṣṇa-svarūpa—the proper Self of Kṛṣṇa; (2) kṛṣṇasya cin-maya-vraja-līlā-vilāsa-svarūpa—the true nature of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes in Vraja; (3) tat-parikara-gopījana-svarūpa—the true nature of His spiritual associates in Vraja, viz., the spiritual milkmen and the milkmaids; (4) tad-vallabha—the true nature of self-surrender to Kṛṣṇa in the footsteps of the spiritual milkmaids of Vraja; (5) śuddha-jīvasya cid-(jñāna)-svarūpa—the true nature of the spiritual knowledge of the unalloyed individual soul; (6) cit-prakṛtir arthāt kṛṣṇa-sevā-svabhāva—the true nature of transcendental service to Kṛṣṇa is this that the esoteric relation is established on the awakening of one’s pure cognition. The meaning is that rasa is only the transcendental service of the central refuge Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as predominating aspect of the Absolute, by one’s ego as the spiritual maid of the predominated moiety of the absolute integer, attended with pure devotion in the shape of one’s entire self-surrender. The pastime in Goloka or in Gokula during the stage of devotional progress, is the meditative worship through the mantra, and during the stage of perfection the pastimes manifest themselves as the unrestrained transcendental jubilations. This is the real aspect of Goloka or Gokula, which will be made more explicit in due course. The meaning of the words jyotī-rūpeṇa manunā [Bs. 5.3] is that the transcendental meaning is expressed in the mantra by means of which, on transcendental desire of love for Kṛṣṇa and the service of Kṛṣṇa being added, one is established in the eternal love of Kṛṣṇa. Such eternal pastimes are eternally manifested in Goloka.