आदिपुराणे च श्रीमदर्जुनवाक्यं—
त्रैलोक्ये भगवद्भक्ताः के त्वां जानन्ति मर्मणि ।
केषु वा त्वं सदा तुष्टः केषु प्रेम तवातुलम् ॥
श्रीभगवद्वाक्यं—
न तथा मे प्रियतमो ब्रह्मा रुद्रश्च पार्थिव ।
न च लक्ष्मीर्न चात्मा च यथा गोपीजनो मम ॥
भक्ता ममानुरक्ताश्च कति सन्ति न भूतले ।
किन्तु गोपीजनः प्राणाधिकप्रियतमो मम ॥
न मां जानन्ति मुनयो योगिनश्च परन्तप ।
न च रुद्रादयो देवा यथा गोप्यो विदन्ति माम् ॥
न तपोभिर्न वेदैश्च नाचारैर्न च विद्यया ।
वशोऽस्मि केवलं प्रेम्णा प्रमाणं तत्र गोपिकाः ॥
मन्माहात्म्यं मत्सपर्यां मच्छ्रद्धां मन्मनोगतम् ।
जानन्ति गोपिकाः पार्थ नान्ये जानन्ति मर्मणि ॥
निजाङ्गमपि या गोप्यो ममेति समुपासते ।
ताभ्यः परं न मे पार्थ निगूढप्रेमभाजनम् ॥
ādi-purāṇe ca śrīmad-arjuna-vākyaṁ—
trailokye bhagavad-bhaktāḥ ke tvāṁ jānanti marmaṇi |
keṣu vā tvaṁ sadā tuṣṭaḥ keṣu prema tavātulam ||
śrī-bhagavad-vākyaṁ—
na tathā me priyatamo brahmā rudraś ca pārthiva |
na ca lakṣmīr na cātmā ca yathā gopī-jano mama ||
bhaktā mamānuraktāś ca kati santi na bhū-tale |
kintu gopī-janaḥ prāṇādhika-priyatamo mama ||
na māṁ jānanti munayo yoginaś ca parantapa |
na ca rudrādayo devā yathā gopyo vidanti mām ||
na tapobhir na vedaiś ca nācārair na ca vidyayā |
vaśo’smi kevalaṁ premṇā pramāṇaṁ tatra gopikāḥ ||
man-māhātmyaṁ mat-saparyāṁ mac-chraddhāṁ man-manogatam |
jānanti gopikāḥ pārtha nānye jānanti marmaṇi ||
nijāṅgam api yā gopyo mameti samupāsate |
tābhyaḥ paraṁ na me pārtha nigūḍha-prema-bhājanam ||
(Ādi Purāṇa; cited in Laghu Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.1.34–40; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 1.4.184, 213)
“Also a statement of Śrīmad Arjuna [to Śrī Kṛṣṇa] in Ādi Purāṇa: ‘Which bhaktas of Bhagavān throughout the three worlds know you in truth? With whom are you always pleased? For whom do you have unparalleled prema? The reply of Śrī Bhagavān: ‘O royal, neither Brahmā, nor Rudra, nor Lakṣmī, nor myself are so beloved to me as the gopīs. How many devoted bhaktas do I have on the surface of the earth? [So many.] The gopīs, however, are beloved to me more so than [even] my life [so, it goes without saying they are more dear to me than all my other bhaktas]. The sages and yogīs do not know me, O tormenter of enemies. Not even Rudra or any of the other devas know me as the gopīs do. I am not captivated by austerities, by [study of] the Vedas, by observances of conduct, or by knowledge. [Rather, I am captivated] Only by prema. The gopīs are the evidence (pramāṇa) of this. The gopīs know my greatness, my service, my desire, and my intent. O Pārtha, no one else knows [these] in truth. O Pārtha, there are no greater vessels of highly confidential prema for me than the gopīs, who care even for their own bodies as my own [i.e., they care for their own bodies only because they consider them instruments for my service].”