Gopi Prem Day – A Celebration of Divine Love

Speech by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

February 14 is globally recognized as Valentine’s Day, a day traditionally dedicated to the celebration of romantic love. It has become one of the most commercially significant holidays, where people express their affection by exchanging greeting cards, chocolates, gifts, and flowers – especially red roses.

However, our beloved Spiritual Master, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, redefined the significance of this day, elevating it from a worldly celebration of love to a divine one. He chose to commemorate the selfless, transcendental love of the Braj Gopis for their beloved Lord Krishna, naming it Gopi Prem Day.

To mark this occasion, Shri Maharaji has written beautiful devotional couplets expressing the yearning of a devotee for the divine love of Shri Radha Rani:

“O Radhe Ju, on this Gopi Prem Day today, I beseech you for the selfless love as that of the Braj Gopis and plead to you that somehow make me yours.  My only desire now is to spend my days singing your glories and shedding tears of love for you in ecstasy.”

“Blessed in the three worlds is the selfless Divine Love of the Gopis of Braja, bound by which, the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna forgets himself! He, who has created infinite material universes, is known in Braja simply as the son of the cowherd, Nanda.”

The Gopis of Braj exemplified the pinnacle of selfless devotion, abandoning both worldly and even Vedic duties for the sake of their beloved Lord Krishna. They defied societal norms and even disregarded the commands of their husbands – not out of rebellion, but out of an unparalleled and exclusive love for Krishna. 

The Bhagavatam defines virtue and sin in a profound way, as explained by Lord Krishna:

“That sin which is performed for My sake, is not a sin, it is virtuous.  But the virtuous action that is performed without remembrance of Me, is a sin.”

Before delving into the unparalleled love of the Gopis, we must first attempt to grasp the nature of Prem (Divine love) itself. However, the Shastras (scriptures) declare that Prem is indescribable – it cannot be captured in words. It is something that can only be experienced, and even those who experience it find themselves incapable of expressing it fully.

Prem is without any selfish desires. In true Prem, one abandons all personal desires and instead aligns completely with the desires of the beloved. The sole purpose of such love is to bring happiness to the beloved, without expecting anything in return. If this is the nature of divine love, then Gopi Prem stands at the highest, most unfathomable level of devotion. It is so rare and so elevated that even Lord Brahma and Lord Shankar remain unable to comprehend its depths. 

The Chaitanya Charitamrita offers a profound definition of selfless love:

“To seek one’s own happiness is desire, and it is like darkness. But to desire only the happiness of one’s beloved is love, and it is like sunshine.”

A beautiful analogy illustrating this selfless love is found in the chataka bird. This extraordinary bird remains devoted exclusively to the rain-bearing clouds. It drinks only the raindrops that fall during the autumn asterism, Svati, and refuses to consume any other water – even if surrounded by abundant sources. Such steadfast devotion symbolizes the unwavering, single-minded love a true devotee should cultivate toward the Divine.

It is said that in true love, one should never entertain selfish desires – not even in a dream. If love is accompanied by desire, its intensity fluctuates. When the desire is fulfilled, love appears to increase. When the desire is only partially fulfilled, love weakens. When the desire remains completely unfulfilled, frustration and anger arise. We observe this daily in our worldly interactions – relationships often become transactional, tied to personal expectations and fulfillment. 

However, Sage Narad Ji defines true Prem (divine love) as being completely free from selfish desire. Prem exists only when there is no personal desire, only the desire to bring joy to the beloved. To attain such love, one must renounce all cravings for personal happiness and instead dedicate oneself entirely to the happiness of the beloved. 

In this world, wherever love is found, there is always an inherent element of selfishness. The moment self-interest is harmed, love begins to wane, and in many cases, it even turns into enmity. But the love of the chataka bird is different—it is selfless, unwavering, and pure.

No one in this world, whether a human being or a celestial god, can truly act for the sole happiness of another. Every action is ultimately driven by the pursuit of one’s own happiness. No matter whom one loves, it is always for personal fulfillment in some way or another. This conditional affection, however, is not Prem (true love); it is merely attachment disguised as love.

True love does not exist in this material world. It is simply not possible. Loving someone for personal gain is not Prem – it is deception. Everyone loves based on self-interest. If someone fulfills 100% of our desires, our love for that person will be equally strong. But if only 50% of our self-interest is met, the intensity of our love will also decrease proportionally. And when self-interest is no longer served, love disappears altogether. What follows is quarrels, resentment, conflict, and in many cases, complete estrangement—even in the closest of relationships. This is not love; it is merely a transaction masked as affection.

Prem is a divine power of God, which can only be received through the Grace of a Guru. However, there is one condition – the devotee must purify the mind through complete surrender. Just as a vessel must be cleansed before it can hold pure water, the heart must be prepared to receive divine love. The Guru bestows Prem freely, but the effort to purify the mind lies with the devotee. This purification happens through sadhana – spiritual practice. The kirtan and bhajan that one engages in are not merely rituals; they serve the sole purpose of purifying the heart, making it worthy of receiving Divine love. Once the mind is purified, the Guru bestows Prem (Divine love).

To purify the mind, one must love someone who truly possesses Prem. But in this world, true love is absent; instead, there is only deception. People constantly mislead each other with words of affection. A mother tells her son, “I cannot live without you,” yet the same mother may rebuke or punish him when her expectations are not met. The love between family members, spouses, or friends appears strong on the surface, but the moment self-interest is harmed, tension arises. The same son who cannot live without embracing his mother may argue with her countless times in a day. This is the reality of worldly relationships – where attachment is mistaken for love, and selfishness often lurks behind words of devotion.

Only two personalities in existence possess Prem – God and the Saint. A Saint, also known as a Mahatma, Mahapurush, or Guru, is one who has attained God and been blessed with His Divine Love. Such a Saint carries within them the treasure of spiritual love, and it is from them that a devotee can receive it. But when will they bestow it? How will it be given? The answer lies in the purification of the mind. Only when the mind is completely purified does one become eligible to receive Prem.

How does one purify the mind? The first step is to accept God and Guru as one and the same. Devotion must be practiced with this understanding. True bhakti is not performed merely with the voice, ears, or external rituals, nor is it achieved simply by bowing at the feet of the Guru. Real devotion is done with the mind. It requires complete surrender of the body, mind, and soul.

When surrender reaches 100%—when there is no trace of ego or self-interest—only then is the mind purified. And in that purified mind, the Guru bestows Prem, the highest and rarest divine gift.

We should not worship Shri Krishna as the Supreme Almighty Personality, for doing so may create fear, hesitation, and a sense of distance, hindering a close relationship with Him. Rasik Saints emphasize devotion to Lord Krishna through intimate relationships, mirroring those we experience in the material world.

These divine relationships, known as bhavas, bring the devotee closer to God. There are five bhavas – shanta, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhurya. Each bhava fosters a deeper bond, allowing the devotee to relate to Krishna as a king, master, friend, child, or beloved.

Madhurya bhava is the most intimate of all, embodying the sweetness of love between a lover and her beloved. Even in the world, no bond is as close as that of a lover with her beloved. In this bhava, the devotee enjoys all privileges and has complete authority over Krishna, experiencing the highest form of Divine love. The selfless, amorous devotion of the Gopis is well known – their love was so pure that it made the Supreme Brahm, Krishna, forget His godliness and become their eternal servant.

Blessed in all three worlds is the selfless Divine love of the Gopis of Braj, a love so intense that it binds the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna Himself, making Him forget His own divinity. One Gopi recalls, “I see Krishna everywhere— in the marketplace, at the riverbank, in the lanes, in the gardens, in the trees, in the vines, in the kunjs, in the forests, in the doors, in the walls, in the door sills, in the windows, in the diamonds, in the garlands, in the jewellery, on my body.”

Wherever I look, I see only Krishna. My Shyamsundar resides in my eyes and has taken control of my mind. There is no place where I do not see Him.” Such is the pure, all-encompassing love of the Gopis of Braj.

(Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat  wishes all devotees a very Happy Gopi Prem Day)