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Beyond Valentine’s Day: The Divine Love of Gopi Prem

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
14 February 2026
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Beyond Valentine’s Day: The Divine Love of Gopi Prem

February 14 is widely celebrated around the world as Valentine’s Day – an occasion devoted to the expression of romantic love. Over time, it has become one of the most commercially observed holidays, marked by the exchange of greeting cards, chocolates, gifts, and especially red roses as symbols of affection.

Yet our revered Spiritual Master, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, offered a profoundly higher vision of this day. He transformed it from a celebration of fleeting, worldly emotion into a remembrance of the highest and purest love – the selfless, transcendental devotion of the Braj Gopis for their beloved Lord Shri Krishna. He named it Gopi Prem Day, inviting seekers to reflect upon and aspire toward that Divine love which seeks nothing for itself, but lives solely for the happiness of God.

But what truly distinguishes such Divine love from the love commonly experienced in this world?

No one in this world – whether human or celestial – can genuinely act solely for another’s happiness. Every action, however noble it may appear, is ultimately driven by the pursuit of one’s own happiness. No matter whom one claims to love, some element of personal fulfillment remains at its core. This conditional affection is not Prem in its pure sense; it is attachment disguised as love.

Before delving into the unparalleled love of the Gopis, we must therefore attempt to understand the nature of Prem itself. The Shastras declare that Prem is indescribable – it cannot be confined within words. It is not an emotion that can be defined intellectually. It is something that must be experienced, and even those who experience it find themselves unable to express it fully.

True Prem is completely free from selfish desire. In Divine love, one abandons all personal wants and aligns entirely with the will of the Beloved. The sole purpose of such love is to bring happiness to Him, without expecting anything in return. If this is the definition of Divine love, then Gopi Prem stands at the highest and most unfathomable level of devotion. It is so rare and so elevated that even Lord Brahma and Lord Shankar cannot comprehend its depths.

The Chaitanya Charitamrita beautifully explains:

“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.”

In the Gita, God declares:


“The soul who loves Me in whatever bhav, and in whatever measure, I also love that soul in that same bhav and in that same measure.” 

This is Divine justice. The measure of God’s grace corresponds to the measure of one’s love –  it rests entirely in your hands. If you desire a little love from God, then love Him a little. If you desire abundant love, then love Him greatly. There is no need even to ask Him for it. As much love as you offer, that much love He returns, bestowing His grace accordingly. This is an unbreakable spiritual law. 

However, this law does not apply in the case of Gopi Prem.

The love of the Gopis is so exalted that God Himself says, “I cannot follow that rule with you. As much as you love me, I cannot love you to that extent.” Why? Because the Gopis abandoned both worldly and Vedic bindings solely for His sake. They relinquished all forms of social and scriptural obligations out of pure love. Whereas God is not bound by worldly or Vedic duties, and therefore cannot demonstrate love in the same way they did. Thus, He declares that He cannot equal their love.

He declares that the Gopis are more dear to Him than Brahma, than Shankar, than His own brother, even more dear than Mahalakshmi – indeed, more dear than His very Self.

To the Gopis, God says: “O Gopis, I am indebted to your love. I am your debtor. Even if I were to serve you for the entire lifespan of the gods, I still could not repay this debt.

The lifespan of the gods spans vast cosmic ages. Yet even with such immeasurable time, He declares that He could never repay the debt of their love.

Thus, the Gita’s principle – that God reciprocates love in equal measure – finds its limit in Gopi Prem. In that exalted realm, the Lord Himself becomes conquered by love.

Gopi Prem stands as a divine exception. Just as an owl sees only in darkness while others cannot, so this love operates beyond the ordinary laws of spiritual reciprocity. Here, God Himself becomes indebted.

What other love could possibly compare with such love? And what is so extraordinary about it?

The Gopis preserve their bodies deliberately. Though they possess the power to renounce their bodies in a single moment, they choose to maintain them, thinking, “If Shyamsundar were to appear suddenly, how would we serve Him?” Thus, even the act of maintaining the body is performed solely for Shyamsundar.

Consider one example of the Gopis’ love – you will be left astonished.

The Gopis say that when they burn in the fire of separation (virah), the intensity of that heat is so overwhelming that if even a single tear were to fall upon a tree, that tree would be reduced to ashes – turned to dust. Such is the exalted category of that love.

In such a state of burning separation, when they press Shri Krishna’s lotus feet to their bosom, they become anxious that His soft, tender feet might be hurt by the heat of their breasts.

Pause and reflect – this is beyond ordinary imagination.

If a mother loses her small child and then finds him after four days, she embraces him so tightly in joy that the child can hardly breathe. She holds him firmly out of her own happiness at having found him again. In such moments of intense affection, whether between mother and child, husband and wife, or any loved ones – one does not pause to consider whether the other may feel discomfort or pain. One is absorbed in one’s own joy.

Worldly love, impure and tinged with self-interest as it is, does not truly consider the comfort of the other. It ultimately seeks personal happiness.

But here, where the fire of separation (virah) burns with unbearable intensity, even while touching their Beloved’s lotus feet, the Gopis remain concerned that He should not experience the slightest discomfort.

Such a state is beyond imagination. It belongs to the highest realm of Samartha Rati – the supreme, fully selfless love – where the sole aim is the happiness of Shyamsundar. There is absolutely no desire for one’s own happiness.

What, then, is the essence of such love?

Prem means to give – only to give. To offer body, mind, wealth – everything – solely for the happiness of one’s Swami. There is but one goal: that He be pleased.

If joy arises within us, it is only because He is pleased; for in Gopi Prem, seeking personal happiness is forbidden.

It is in this light that we must understand the lives of the Gopis. They maintained and adorned their bodies. From an external viewpoint, someone might conclude that they appeared worldly – beautifying themselves and living outwardly ordinary lives. One might even question how they could be regarded as renunciates or saints. Yet the inner secret behind their actions was entirely different.

They ate food, wore clothes, braided their hair, and decorated themselves for one reason alone – so that if Shyamsundar were to appear before them, He would not feel sorrow upon seeing them in a neglected condition. Every action, every resolve, every adornment was for His happiness alone.

Thus, the highest Rasik saints declare: Let even the four kinds of liberation be cast aside. Even moksha – though considered the pinnacle of spiritual attainment – remains a desire. Whether it is merging into oneness or attaining one of the four liberations granted to devotees, it is still a personal aspiration. And from the perspective of the highest love, even a desire related to God is still a desire.

Therefore, the essence of Gopi Prem is this:

* To desire only what Shyamsundar desires.
* To delight only in what delights Him.
* To find joy solely in His joy.

This alone is the supreme ideal. Unlike material love, which seeks personal fulfillment and fades with time and circumstances, Gopi Prem seeks nothing for itself and therefore never diminishes. It is love in its purest form – selfless, unconditional, and eternal. Such love does not attempt to bind God, yet it binds Him completely. It does not seek to conquer, yet it conquers even Shri Krishna Himself.

This is Gopi Prem – the highest revelation of Divine Love, and the sacred ideal toward which every soul should humbly aspire. 

A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education. To stay updated with all the news and events of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, visit www.jkp.org.in/jkpwhatsapp.