" There was an occasion when Krishna laid His flute aside and declared that He would not play on it again. It is a long story, not found in books; I alone must tell you about it, for it is only the person who has experienced it, that can describe it.
A bride called Neeraja came to Gokulam as the daughter-in-law of a Gopa family. Her husband and parents-in-law warned her against Krishna and His pranks and threatened her, on pain of dire punishment, to keep away from Him and to avoid Him by every possible means. It was Govardhana Puuja (worship) day and all the Gopas and Gopikas had to go beyond the village limits to circumambulate and worship the Govardhan hill, a festival they celebrated every year. Neeraja too went with the others and in spite of the severest warning, she peeped into a crowd of enthusiastic Gopees watching the dance of Raadha with Krishna, in a flower bower near the hill. She was so captivated by the divine presence that she was no longer the same person. Another day, while on the Yamuna bank, she saw Krishna fashioning a Flute from a reed taken out of Vamsi Kunj (bamboo bower) and she heard Him play! Oh, it was overwhelmingly ecstatic! It was a call to transcend the material bonds, to free oneself from the trammels of earthly endeavours. Neeraja did not care for any one now. She became God-mad. In fact, she was the first to hold the reins of Akrura's chariot when he was taking Krishna to Mathura away from Gokulam, and try to push the vehicle back! Well; she was driven out of her house by the mother-in law for that. She was an outcast. The whole village rose up against her; she spent her days in the Vamsi Kunj, her whole mind fixed on the Lord whom she had installed there. Years passed. Nandha, Yasodha and Raadha left the world. She was now 52 years old. One day, she prayed desperately to Krishna; I can no longer bear this forlorn life. My eyes have gone dry, they have no more tears to keep this love, green. My heart too is fast turning a wasteland. Come, O Lord, come and save me, take me unto yourself. Krishna heard the prayer. He responded to her yearning and called her by name, so sweetly that the very voice filled her with new life. The Vamsi Kunj was fragrant with divine glory. Krishna came near and took Neeraja's palm in His hand. "What do you desire?" He asked. She questioned, "What is the purpose of life?" "To merge in God." "Well let me merge in You... but, before that, before my Prema merges in Yours, let me hear You play on that flute for a short while." Krishna smiled and gave the excuse that He had not brought His flute. But, seeing Neeraja's yearning, He plucked a reed from the Vamsi Kunj and broke it right and in a trice converted it into a flute. With Neeraja on his lap, Krishna played so melodiously on the flute that the entire Gokula and even the whole world, was bathed in ecstatic joy. When He stopped, Neeraja had attained final beatitude and was no longer a limited individual Gopee separate from Him. Krishna laid aside His flute and said, He will not play on it again. That is the story of one Gopee; the story of every Gopee will be interesting, each in its own way, for they were all so transmuted by the Bhakthi they bore towards the Lord. The Gopees were declared by Naaradha in the Bhakthi Suuthras (aphorisms on devotion) to be the greatest among the Bhakthas . - taken from Swami's Krishnastami Discourse on 12th August 1963. Sai Ram
