Then, from over-much pleasure, proud each maid became, and her simple joy to vanity was turned because thus she was favored by Krishna, the youth Krishna, the Heavenly One, Krishna, the Glorious of all glorious ones! He, noting this, to punish the sin of vanity, in swiftness from them vanished; and with his going the sin was gone. Maddened by love, the maids pleaded to the skies and the trees and the flowers for Him, who was their life. But still He came not. So absorbed in Him they became, themselves they forgot, and even as Krishna they thought they were. And imitating His acts they cried to one another: "Lo, I am Krishna! See, I hold the mountains on high! Lo, Putanā I slay and baffle the rage of Indra with my power!" And still came He not. Then they sang His praises, then with breaking hearts they wailed and prayed for Him to return to their midst. At this He came, for ever is the Lord most kind to the lowly and sorrowing. And He soothed their grief and brought light to their hearts; and forming a circle about Him, in ecstasy they danced. And now He, that was the King of the upper world and of all the earth, of the plants and oceans and clustering stars. He, the Lord of all might and Yoga power, Himself divided into many Krishnas; and each Gopi thought she, herself, danced alone with the Glorious One that as Krishna was known. And the dance began lightly, then madder became; and He who had come on earth to teach man Love, manifested Himself in every maid that lightly and rarely stepped at His side, as they danced in that grove on that wondrous night. And the lotus blossoms wept tears of nectar on seeing the dance, and birds and bees from unknown trees and flowers came forth and whirled round and round the heads of the dancing ones. And the heavens showered blossoms rare, and the gods who had stolen from their abode to watch the Feast of Love that Krishna gave to the lovely milkmaids, lo, senseless became at the first sight of that revel of Bliss! And night throbbed and panted and forgot to draw its curtain to let day in, but lengthened into aeons. The veil from every Gopi's eye was drawn, and they gazed into the ocean of active spirituality and spiritual became. And all sin that were theirs no more was there. And in that mighty dance a flood of spirituality went forth that took from the heart of men and the bosom of earth the sins with which they were burdened withal. And men's hearts were won by the force of that Love and were led to the door of that sacred abode, where only the loving may go. And the Gopis, who by force were detained and could not come to the dance with Krishna, lo, in meditation sat, and in deep pain concentrated on Him, and in that dance they were at His side and felt His love-embrace, and all their sins were as naught. For to touch Krishna, with the mind alone, was to gain spirituality and stand pure in His eyes.