Suka said: -- Even the great are âgavataPurâseen to violate what we call Dharma and the gods become over bold. But this does not bespeak any evil of them, as they have got superior force, even as fire eats everything but is ever pure. But he who is not capable (_i.e._ who is a slave to his body and its attributes) is not to perform such acts even in mind. If he does such acts through ignorance, he is sure to be ruined. It is only Siva that could drink the poison that appeared from the ocean of milk. The words of the Lords (Ísvara) are true. Their deeds are only sometimes true, (_i.e._ their exceptional life, which is governed by extraordinary consideration and unusual conditions, is not meant always as an example for ordinary beings. But what they say is always for the good of the universe and is to be followed as a teaching. What is given as their life is also sometimes allegorical and has to be understood in another sense). The wise man therefore follows such of their deeds as are consistent with the other words of the great ones. They have nothing to gain or lose by good or bad deeds. For they have no Egoism in them. What is good and what is bad to him who is the Lord of all beings? By devotion to His feet and by power of Yoga, even Munis are freed from the bonds of good and evil. The Lord did only assume a body at will. Whence could there be any bondage in His case? (And was there really an enjoyment of others' wives? No for He dwells in all beings, even the Gopis and their husbands. He is the manifestor of all the senses. The assumption of the body is only a playful fancy. It is for the good of all beings that He became a man. His indulgences are such as are likely to make one devoted to Him, when heard of. Even the minds of those that are very much turned away from Ísvara are attracted towards Ísvara, by means of Sringâra Râsa or love topics. Hence the love matter of Sri Krishna. This is the purport. _Sridhara_) The people of Vraja, deluded by the Mâyâ of Krishna, thought that their wives were by their side. They bore no ill-feeling towards Krishna. (It follows that those who perform such acts without such powers are sinners. _Sridhara_.)
When it was Brahmâ Muhurta, (the part of the night immediately preceding the dawn), the Gopis, with the permission of Sri Krishna, reluctantly left Him and went home.