gopÄ«-Änugatya vinÄ aiÅ›varya-jñÄne
bhajileha nÄhi pÄya vrajendra-nandane
gopÄ«-Änugatya - subservience to the gopÄ«s; vinÄ - without; aiÅ›varya-jñÄne - in the knowledge of opulence; bhajileha - if serving the Supreme Lord; nÄhi - not; pÄya - gets; vrajendra-nandane - the son of MahÄrÄja Nanda, Kṛṣṇa.
“Unless one follows in the footsteps of the gopÄ«s, he cannot attain the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda MahÄrÄja. If one is overcome by knowledge of the Lord’s opulence, he cannot attain the Lord’s lotus feet, even though he is engaged in devotional service.
One can worship Laká¹£mÄ«-NÄrÄyaṇa by the process of vidhi-mÄrga, worshiping the Lord with regulative principles according to the instructions of the Å›Ästra and the spiritual master. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead, RÄdhÄ-Kṛṣṇa, cannot be directly worshiped by this process. The dealings between RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa and the gopÄ«s are devoid of the opulences of Laká¹£mÄ«-NÄrÄyaṇa. The process of vidhi-mÄrga, following the regulative principles, is utilized in the worship of Laká¹£mÄ«-NÄrÄyaṇa, whereas the process of spontaneous service — following in the footsteps of the gopÄ«s, who are the denizens of Vá¹›ndÄvana — is transcendentally more advanced and is the process whereby RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa are worshiped. One cannot attain this elevated position while worshiping the Lord in His opulence. Those attracted by the conjugal love between RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa must follow in the footsteps of the gopÄ«s. Only then is it possible to enter into the Lord’s service in Goloka Vá¹›ndÄvana and directly associate with RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa.
