Uddhavji thinks:
(The Gopis love is unfathomable. Uddhava worries about their life in the absence of Shree Krishna.)
Uddhavji readies himself for his return journey to Mathura. He thinks about how the Gopis will sustain their life? They are lamenting in the absence of Shree Krishna. Some are weeping and murmuring softly “Krishna............ Krishna” and some are staring at sky to meet Shree Krishna. Uddhav said to them:
(Sisters! Please control yourselves. Have solace and patience. God will give you the pleasures of your choice. Wipe off the tears from your eyes.)
He said, “O Gopis! Please don’t cry. Have solace. God will bless you with pleasures and happiness.” The Gopis said in tears, “Brother! We have lost all hope and solace”:
(What else can we do to prevent the tears from our eyes? You too are leaving us for us to bear alone the pain of separation. You have comforted us for a long while by allowing us to narrate episodes of Shree Krishna. Who will be here with us to share our unhappy moments of separations now you are leaving?)
The charmful Gopis said with a sigh of agony, “O Uddhava! O Brother! You have consoled us by narrating cheerful episodes of Shree Krishna. Now who would be with us to narrate such episodes in your absence?”
“O Uddhava! You are most fortunate. You are blessed with the opportunity of doing darshan of Shree Krishna. You are most fortunate to touch the lotus-like feet of Shree Krishna.”
Meanwhile Yashodaji asks him to take butter for Shree Krishna. She asks him to convey her message to Shree Krishna. She asks her son to come back soon. She feels that they also cannot live without Shree Krishna. Krishna is their soul and life. Uddhava assures them, “Don’t worry. I will come here soon with Shree Krishna.”
(Uddhava seeks departure by saluting the Gopis and rides his chariot.)
Uddhava pays obeisance to the Gopis and with due permission from them, he rides back on his chariot in the direction of Mathura. Mother Yashoda and the Gopis could not bear the scene of his departure. They hid their tearful eyes in the veil of their chunari and wept silently. Uddhava too could not hold himself together in such emotion packed moments. Tears rolled from his eyes. He admired the devotional fervour of the Gopis. He saluted the holy land of Gokul and Vrindavan. On his way to Mathura, Uddhava reflected and pondered upon the devotional fervour and love of the residents of Vraj and compared them to himself.
Uddhava thought, “I always believed that Lord Krishna is the ocean of mercy and kindness, but in fact he is cruel and merciless. The Gopis are dying in their separation from him, but He has not come here to meet them. Not only the Gopis, but also his mother Yashoda has become a pray to his merciless acts. I will ask him to visit Mathura immediately, I will persuade him to the best of my ability.” Engrossed in the surge of melancholic sentiments and shaken inwardly by the agonies faced by Yashodaji and the Gopis, the spiritually wise Uddhava came to the imperial capital of Mathura and drove his chariot straight to the palace to meet Shree Krishna.
Krishna ran to him when he saw the chariot of Uddhava. Shree Krishna is omniscient and omnipresent. He is all knowing. Shree Krishna knew that Uddhava would scold him for not honouring the tender feelings of the Vraj-Vaasis. Shree Krishna said, “O Uddhava! I am not rude or merciless. I am tender and sentimental. The Gopis are my soul and life.” With these love soaked words, he placed his blessed palm on the head of Uddhava.
Uddhava fell instantly into meditational trance and did darshan of the supreme Lord Shree Krishna. Omnipresent Lord Shree Krishna was present in Mathura and at the same time he dwelled in Gokul and played Raasa with the Gopis, manifesting in plurality. He saw Shree Krishna sleeping on the lap of mother Yashoda, manning the cows grazing in the meadows and at the same time playing in the lap of Nand Baba. This was a wonderful experience for Uddhava. Uddhava held devoutly the lotus like feet of Shree Hari when he returned to waking state, “O Shree Krishna! Your divine leelas are beyond the limits of human perception. My doubts are resolved as you are forever with the Gopis”:
(Uddhava came there and hugged Shree Krishna with devotional fevour. He satisfied the thirst in his eyes with blissful darshan of Shree Krishna. Shree Krishna welcomed him.)
Uddhava embraced the Lord with love and affection. He looked at Bhagwan constantly to quench his thirst of darshan. Bhagwan asked him, “O Uddhava! Please tell me. How are my Gopis in Vraj?”
“O Lord! What should I say about the Gopis? They have lost worldly sense after your separation. They have stopped taking food or water and they remember only you constantly. They see nothing except you. They are not aware of their physical state.”
It is possible to perform Yoga, Yagya, Japa, Tapa, Tirtha and difficult Vedic rituals, but very few in the world have the capacity to do devotion like the Gopis.