SB 10.29.17

Though it is inappropriate to interrupt topics in relation to the highest rasa of the rāsa dance, you asked this question to create a unified perspective in everyone’s heart. I have, following your request, indicated the conclusion. Then he suddenly begins speaking the topic again without being asked, out of great enthusiasm. Kṛṣṇa saw these women, qualified to live in Vraja, who were not materialistic persons, who had been drawn by the sound of his flute and had become most agitated (tāḥ). They had come very close to him, not keeping far away out of shyness. Seeing them, he spoke with playful words (vācaḥ peśaiḥ). Playful words are of two types: skilful presentation of words (śābdhika) and changing the meaning of the sentence (ārthika). “Use of words” refers to moving his eyebrows, eyes and face while smiling and speaking joyful words easy to understand, with graceful placement of syllables. “Play on meaning” refers to verses which are used as ornaments to intensify the emotions of rasa. There are of four types: statements suggesting indifference, words expressing a request for enjoying with the gopīs, statements with apparently both meanings, and statements expressing the truth (taken literally). By that means the gopīs became bewildered (vimohitāḥ): they became most attracted to him and lost their ability to judge. They became most attracted to him on accepting śabdhika meaning, with statements of request for enjoying and truthful statements. Later, they became devoid of ability to judge by understanding the statements as indifference or with double meaning. Śābdhika words particularly express real emotions. Among the ārthika expressions, those which show feigned indifference are meant to increase the gopīs longing for him, and are not real indifference, for it has already been said that in the autumn Kṛṣṇa desired to enjoy and that he played on his flute to attract the gopīs (verses 1 and 3). It is only playing with words and not the actual meaning. The mind thinks one thing and the words express another thing. This creates despair in their strong desire for him. By that, their discrimination becomes lost. Among the ārthika statements, his requests produce desire in himself. Expressing the desire to meet with them is for joking. His qualification to speak such words cannot be stated since he is the master of speaking, the best of speakers, since he is the topmost in such knowledge by his nature (bhagavān). Or, the word api can be added to each phrase. Though the women of Vraja were famous for their prema, though they had attained this transformation of prema, though they had come close to him, though he saw them, and though he knew their love for him since he was omniscient, he made them extremely agitated by his deceptive words and spoke while joking, since he was the best among clever jokers (vadatāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ).