Verse Text
śrī-mūrter mādhurīṁ prekṣya tat-tal-līlāṁ niśamya vā |
tad-bhāvākāṇkṣiṇo ye syus teṣu sādhanatānayoḥ |
purāṇe śruyate pādme puṁsam api bhaved iyam ||300||
Translation
Those who develop longing for the bhāva of the gopīs after seeing the sweetness in the deity of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, or after hearing about His pastimes with the gopīs, are qualified for sādhana of either of these types of kāmānuga-bhakti. In the Padma Purāṇa, it is said that even men can attain this bhakti.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Devotees should see the particular sweetness of pastimes through the deity forms of Kṛṣṇa and His consorts (gopīs), or hear about the sweetness of their love and pastimes. Previously (in verse 294) only hearing (and remembering, after hearing) was mentioned. The intention is to show that, in the act of seeing, the assistance of hearing is also necessary. Without hearing, there will be no manifestation of their basic forms and pastimes. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, even without seeing, is also effective. These persons develop longing for the bhāva of the gopīs, and thus become qualified (sādhanatā) for these two types of sādhana (anayoḥ).
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
This development of conjugal love can be possible only with those who are already engaged in following the regulative principles of devotional service, specifically in the worship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Such devotees gradually develop a spontaneous love for the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord’s exchange of loving affairs with the gopīs, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes. After this spontaneous attraction becomes highly developed, the devotee is placed in either of the above-mentioned categories.
This development of conjugal love for Kṛṣṇa is not manifested in women only. The material body has nothing to do with spiritual loving affairs. A woman may develop an attitude for becoming a friend of Kṛṣṇa, and, similarly, a man may develop the feature of becoming a gopī in Vṛndāvana. How a devotee in the form of a man can desire to become a gopī is stated in the Padma Purāṇa as follows: