Date: 2008, Venue: Vrindavan (Braj mandal Parikrama) Haribol, so when a devotee was walking with umbrella he was trying to hold it over me, immediately I was remembered of a pastime,
when first time Krishna had to leave for cow herding.  Then mother Yashoda approached Krishna,
please take umbrella and also take pair of shoes. Krishna refused “no. no….i can’t wear shoes, cows don’t have shoes but if you insist I wil wear the shoes then bring the shoes for all
the cows first”.

So Nanda Maharaj had 900,000 cows and each cow has 4 legs, so how many shoes are
required? 36 lakhs so which bata-tata company would provide so many shoes (laughter
maharaj also laughing).

So mother Yashoda gave up the idea of insisting Krishna to wear the shoes. Oh! But at
least take the umbrella it’s hot out there, again Krishna’s condition was first
get umbrella for the cows, so how many umbrella required? 9lakhs then Krishna
said cows have feet but they don’t have hands so we would require somebody to
carry the umbrella, so we need 9 lakh people walking next to the cows holding
umbrella. Mother Yashoda also gave up that idea (laughs) she could not manage 9
lakh people. So during all the cow herding pastime of Sri Krishna in Vrindavan
, He always walks bear feet behind the cows. So don’t think you are the only
ones going on Braj mandal parikrama without shoes, Krishna also goes around without
shoes in Vrindavan.

So He has gone around without shoes, without umbrella, then He did little preaching to mother Yashoda.  He said “dharmo rakshati rakshaka” if we protect dharma then dharma will in turn protect us. So Krishna says “serving cows taking care of cows this is our dharma” this is our dharma then our own protection is guaranteed if we take care of cows protect the cows, serve the cow.  Lord Krishna not only has delivered talk – discourse on this topic but He has practically demonstrated throughout His Lilas the importance of cows and importance of serving the cows.

So cow is the center of our culture and religion. Krishna, s one of the principal pastime
is  “gocaran-lila” cow herding –calf herding pastime. What does the God do? This morning also a question came up what does the God do every day? That minister or that priest he was not able to give suitable answer to that question. But we know the answer is very simple, I know
that you also know the answer now I have given you some clue. So what does
Krishna do every day? He is a cow herd boy He is herding cows. Supreme
Personality of God head, master and controller of all the universes all that He
does in Vrindavan during the day is herding cows and calves “namo brahmanya devaya go brahmanya hitayacha jagad hitaya krishnaya govindaya namo namhaa”.

So in this way Krishna has established the importance of Cows and the Brahmanas in Krishna
consciousness. So we are doing the puja of the cows today as it was instructed
by Krishna to Nanda Maharaj. Krishna says worship cows, brahmanas and Giriraj,
so we have done some puja of the cows, Gomata ki ……..jai, we should worship and serve the brahmanas “vancha-kalpataru bhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca patitanam pavanebhyo
vaisnavebhyo namo namah”. And then soon we would also be worshiping Giriraj
and in this way till this day Krishna’s instructions get followed Giriraj Govardhan
ki ….jai. So the cows and Govardhan they are very closely connected, closely related if you hear the
name Govardhan there is a cow connection right there in the name of Govardhan .
So cows become healthy they become hell and hearty because of the grass that is
available at Govardhan, the water, the shades of the trees, that is all
available at Govardhan. The cows enjoy being around this Govardhan, the cowherd boys are also very very happy being around cows and Govardhan. So let us contemplate, meditate upon Govardhan and Krishna, cowherd boys and cows around Govardha. So that one day we would be
promoted we will also get assignment as a cowherd boy, but you may say O! I am engineer,
come on! I am doctor, I can’t  be a cow herd boy .but Krishna is a cow herd boy, if you just want to be doctor, engineer just continue in this world. But if you want to come back home then be
prepared to be the cow herd boy herding cows, taking care of the cows. Anyone
interested in going back home going to Krishna, going to Vrindavan? Haribol.
Then pray to this cow, pray to this dhama, pray to Giriraj so that you will
become eligible we will have that adhikar of entering the pastime of Krishna
being a cow herd boy. Gomataki…….jai, so before you leave pay your obeisance’s
to the cows deep in your heart, pray to the cow, touch the feet of the cow.

He is Vasudev, we have both Vaasudevas. Krishna is Vaasudev, Balarama is also Vaasudev. By that definition, son of Vasudev is Vaasudev. And om namo bhagavate, that’s important part, Bhagavate. And they are both Bhagavan. There are some other Vaasudevas but not necessarily Bhagavan. Here Krishna and Balarama, they are both om namo bhagavate vasudevay. Krishna Balarama ki jay!

Are you all expecting their arrival? (Haribol!!………….. Claps). They are coming, they are coming, they are coming! They are here, they are here, they are here! Better late than never expecting. This community was expecting Krishna Balarama for quite some time, 15 years? They were also wondering whether Krishna Balarama coming or someone else is coming. There were also some debates or some different desires and finally who is coming? Krishna Balarama is coming haribol……… Is that ok? Krishna Balarama is coming? (Yes!!) So no one told me what the topic was. So I (laughs), so I thought, Krishna Balarama, carry on.

As this is a childhood pastimes of Krishna and Balarama

“vanam vrndavanam nama pasavyam nava-kananam

gopa-gopi-gavam sevyam punyadri-trna-virudham” (S.B 10.11.28)

From Sukadev Goswami, “vanam vrrndavanam nama” This is Upananda speaking. There are in Gokul they have istagosti, community istagosti. Just now Yamal-arjuna trees, they have been uprooted, they felled and they crashed. They were wondering, trying to figure it out. Old review is on and in that big assembly Upananda, brother of Nanda Maharaj, he has a proposal, where as Vrindavan is “pasavyam nava-kananam”. He had been going around. He was very much concerned; the security was a big concern. For security reasons he had been travelling all over Vrindavan, all over Braja. He was thinking of relocation “We have to leave this place”. He had been thinking ahead of the rest of the members of the community.

Not only he was concerned but he wanted to do something about it. Being concerned is one thing but he was one step ahead forward. So he had travelled and travelled all over Braja. There are 12 forests of Vrindavan and he is thinking of one of those forests called Vrndavan, all forests are not called Vrindavan, each one of them have their own name. He says “vanam vrrndavanam nama”. There is a forest called Vrndavan. Nava-kananam. It is new to us. “pasavyam” What is so special about this Vrindavan. It is good for our cows, pasus pasavyam. Good for the animals first concerned, major concerned. If we go there what about our animals? Is that good place for our animals also? Yes yes, before even query is there.

“gopa-gopi-gavam sevyam” and also sevaniya, the Gopa and Gopis, Gopa-Gopi, translation is not required. You understand Gopa, you understand Gopis. Cowherd men, cowherd ladies, girls. sevyam. It is wonderful place to reside and worship. And another very special feature, pun?yadri-There is punya adri. There is a very auspicious mountain, punya adri. Adri is mountain. trna-virudham and he is full of green grasses. Everywhere there are grass, waters, lakes, shades, caves.

“punyadri-trna-virudham, tat tatradyaiva yasyamah’

And his proposal is, “today only we leave for that place. How do we go?” sakattaan yunkta ma ciram. (S.B 10.11.29) “Get all the oxcarts ready”. ma ciram. “Do not, no delays”. Ma ciram, do not, no delays. Rush, get your carts ready, “godhanany agrato yantu” cows will be in the front and the carts behind, “bhavatamm yadi rocate” This is my proposal. If you so desire we could do this. This is only proposal. And in response of this proposal

“tac chrutvaika-dhiyo gopah sadhu sadhv iti vadinah” (S.B 10.11.30)

aika dhiya means unanimous, eka means one, dhiya- intelligence, everyone’s intelligence is on the same wave length. You say this in America (laughs). So aika dhiya, everybody’s dhiya, the intelligence is fixed on this idea. They are all unanimous. And how did you find that they all are unanimous? They all said,” Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! ……………Very nice! Very nice! Wonderful! We are for this proposal. Let’s go

“vrajan svan svan samayujya yayu rudha-paricchadah” (S.B 10.11.30)

And they immediately got up, they returned to their respective homes and their axe together, got their oxcarts together, loaded all the paraphernalia rudha-paricchadah, loaded T.V. sets (laughter) not required it’s the last of thing. Doordarsan, (laughter) T.V. in India is called Doordarsan, something that is at the great distance bring that closer and watch it. But for them Krishna Balarama was that darshan.

“vr?ddhan balan striyo rajan sarvopakaranani ca anahsv aropya gopala” (S.B 10.11.31)

So, who get to sit in the cart? The old folks in the cart, “balan” children they go into the cart, Striyah- ladies in the cart. Everyone else is walking. Culture, we get to know the culture also. We get to know the mode of transportation also. If you want to shift look for a cart (laughs), bullock cart, “yatta atta-sarasanah” (S.B 10.11.31)

But they also have some weapons, bows and arrows because they have to travel through the forest. And the cows, godhanani puraskr?tya. Take note of this, They are carrying wealth with them. What is that wealth? godhanani. Dhan is wealth. What is dhan? The cows. They are carrying their wealth in the form of the cows. Economic development begins with plants and the cows. Godhanani puraskr?tya they are in the forefront. Srngan?y apurya sarvatah, many bugles. Bugles are, “get ready! Get ready!”. Inspired to signal. “Time to go, time to go. Get everyone ready, turya-ghosena mahata, out loud they are playing their bugles. Yayuh saha-purohitah (S.B 10.11.32)

And they are also taking their purohita, the priests, chanting mantras, all auspiciousness. In this connection it is to be noted, Srila Prabhupada writes short purport, “Although inhabitants of Gokul were mostly cowherd men and cultivators, they knew how to defend themselves from danger and how to give protection to women, the old men, the cows and the children, as well as to the brahmanical purohitas.

“gopyo rud?ha-ratha nutna- kuca-kunkuma-kantayah” (S.B 10.11.33)

Sukadev Goswami is describing ladies, the beauty of the ladies, goswami. Their breasts and youthful bodies and kumkum on the breasts. Well decorated in every possible way here, Banarasi sarees (laughs). ya thats popular one, Silk sarees. Lots of opulence of that sort. Lots of ornaments, earrings and bangles. They are loaded with all that.

“krna-lila jaguh pritya niska-kanthyah suvasasah” (S.B 10.11.33)

Although they are well dressed there is no bodily concept. They are not looking in mirror and busy with, ‘how I look! Where did you purchase that one? (laughter) That’s not the topic. Wonderful ladies wonderfully dressed! suvasasah, suvasa, vasa, suvasa, vasa means dress, suvasa? Wonderfully dressed. niska-kanthyah, their lockets hanging from their necks, very valuable gems. And in the midst of that krsna-lila jaguh pritya, krsna-lila jaguh, they are singing lilas of, Krsna-lila, Ram, Balaram-lila prityah, the great pleasure. They were chanting glories of the Krishna and Balarama

“tatha yasoda-rohinyav ekam sakat?am asthite rejatuh krsna-ramabhyam tat-katha-sravanotsuke” (S.B 10.11.34)

So there is one cart. In that one cart, there are hundreds and thousands of carts. Each family has one cart. Old folks, ladies, children are sitting in the cart. And in one cart there is Yasoda, Rohini, Krishna, Balarama. They are sitting in one cart. sakat?am, sakat means cart. Yes, “sakatam asthite rejatuh krs?na-ramabhyam tat-katha-sravanotsuke” (S.B 10.11.34)

They are very very eager, utsuka, they are very eager, very anxious to talk about katha, “krsna-ramabhyam katha,  “vrndavanam sampravisya sarva-kala-sukhavaham” (S.B 10.11.35)

So as the carts are going, Krsna, Balarama, Rohini, Yasida in one cart and so many other carts behind. And cows in the front and cowherd men are in the front around with their speres and bows and arrows an d bugles. And the priests also going chanting the mantras. And whole procession, grand procession is on the eastern bank of Jamuna going in a northerly direction, Delhi side. They are going and going and going. Their goal is to Vrndavan is trans Jamuna. Other side of Jamuna is Vrndavan. They have to cross. But as they were travelling soon there was sunset and was difficult. So they camped, camping on the bank of the river and next morning as they got up, waking up Krishna, uthi uthi Gopala……. Oh! Gopala please get up, oh! Gopala please, oh! Balarama please get up! They are singing songs, “oh! Getting up!” Vrndavan forests, birds are chirping-kuhoo, kuhoo, kuhoo, kukoo koo koohoo, some cocks are there. They are mentioned in Dwaraka pastimes. No alarm clock. The cock is the clock (laughs). You just feed few grains and it does its job (Laughs). No repairs and no maintenance just few grains and wakes you up. Beautiful to look at, the Vrindavan side, the peacocks and the parrots, some another cuckoos, birds, they have woken up. They are chirping and they are waking up. As they singing songs they are waking up people. So everyone is up and now they have to cross Jamuna. The big span, big, wide river bed. So what they do, this is described in Gargasamhita more detail. They are not mentioned here by Sukadev Goswami. But Gargacarya fills in the blanks.

So they built a bridge using the carts, using the ox-carts. They placed one cart, they placed next cart in front of that cart. Next one in front and next one infront and next one infront. Soon there, were few hundred carts one in front of the other and they started walking over that bridge. And there are many bridges. Like many carts, one after the other, one in front of the other. They all are crossing Jamuna, Jamuna maiya ki…………… jay!! Jamuna maiya ki……… jay!! Jamuna maiya ki…………. jay!!

The cows are swimming across, the cowherd men, they are carrying some calf. They are carrying calves on their shoulders. And, they are swimming the cowherd men are swimming with the calf on their shoulders. And the cow of that calf is right behind. He doesn’t have to do anything her calf is going, so that is magnetic pole. She is being pulled by the affection for the calf. So, so many cowherd men are going across swimming, holding the calves on their shoulders and cows are following. So they are crossing and elderly and children, old folks are going through the oxcart bridge way and they have crossed. So, “vrndavanam sampravisya” Sukadev Goswami said, now they have crossed Jamuna and samapravisyate , nicely entered, meaning they have not entered and just they are on the banks the river, no! Nicely entered means gone deeper into the forest, Vrindavan forest. “tatra cakrur vrajavasam”, and there, they park the carts, sakatair ardha-candravat. Candra? What is candra? Moon, ardha? Half.  ardha-candravat, just like in a semicircle. They parked all their sakatas and circle is made by this sakat, the cart. So that is becoming the fence and they are residing in, inside. This is where, so where they have landed, where they have going to be residing now, next 3 years and 4 months, according to Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur, Krishna was 3 years and 4 months when they left Gokul for Vrndavan. They shifted; relocation took place, Krishna was 3 years and 4 months. And Balarama? 4 years and 4 months. Devaki was giving birth to one child every year, so by that calculation.

So where the sakatas? Catikara, Catikara! You know Catikara? Old folk’s devotees  know Catikara Road. There has to be Catikara Road, we go from Delhi on highway and if you are not interested in Taj Mahal (laughs), you make a left turn to go to Krishna- Balarama temple, where that? You call T junction, T junction highway coming and then you go to Vrindavan. T junction, so that at that junction there is a village called Catikara refers to this Catikara, sakat. That’s where the centre of that township, and they relocated was there. And that road became known as Catikara Road was first and then became known as Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg ki……………jay! When you take that road you end up with lotus feet of Krishna and Balarama. Otherwise you end up in Tajmahal (laughs). You have to wake up and take right turn, left turn in fact it is. We take left turn there that is right, left is right.

“vrndavanam govardhanam Yamuna-pulinani ca” (S.B 10.11.36)

So, where they are residing is, is, where is this Vrndavan. This is in between Govardhan Hill, all the way to Jamuna. That whole forest is Vrndavan forest.

“vr?ndavanam govardhanam yamuna-pulinani

ca viks?yasid uttama priti rama-madhavayor nr?pa” (S.B 10.11.36)

“Nrpa! Oh, King! King Pariksit, are you listening King Pariksit?” Why he had to say Nrpa? He is trying to get his attention “O, King, are you hearing, are you with me?. O, Nrpa! O, King Pariksit! That I was just there where Sukadev Goswami spoke Bhagavatam. I was just there 10 days ago. Wonderful place! On the banks of Ganga, Sukadev Goswami is speaking; he is sitting there, talking all Vrindavan pastimes to King Pariksit. The big banyan tree and the murthi of Sukadev Goswmi, where he sat and spoke. What we are reading now was spoken by him right there, and we are sitting not far from there, reciting Bhagavatam. One short class we did, same spot where Sukadev Goswami spoke these pastimes. To our audience we said, look, look Sukadev Goswami”. We took darshan of Sukadev Goswmi’s murthi Sukadev Goswami ki……….. jay!! And next to Sukadev Goswami’s murthi there was pujari. So when we showed everyone Sukadev Goswami, the pujari, he was reading newspaper (laughs). Where Sukadev Goswami recited Bhagavatam and care taker of that place absorbed in reading newspaper. This is the age of Kali. “viks?yasid uttama priti” by seeing that Vrindavan which is situated between Govardhan and Jamuna. Ram Madhav, Ram is Balaram, Madhav is Krishna. Uttama priti, they were enjoying lots of pleasure, uttam priti, the best, they have good time. As they had arrived there,

“evam vrajaukasam pritim yacchantau bala-cestitaih

kala-vakyaih sva-kalena vatsa-palau babhuvatuh” (S.B 10.11.37)

Vrajaukasam, the residents of Vrndavan, they were also enjoying, bala-cestitaih, the  bala-cesta, the pastime, the childhood pastime, sweet nectarian pastimes of Ram Madhav, Ram and Madhava’s pastimes, they were enjoying kala-vakyaih. They were little boys. They were not even able to say few sentences, broken language, half sentence they were able to say. They don’t know the verbs, the noun, they were just saying something something, kala-vakyaih. But even those vakyas, those sentences, the broken language spoken by Krishna and Balarama was relished by Vrajaukasam, the residents of Vrndavan. Sva-kalena vatsa-palau babhuvatuh, and as they were now growing, they were about 4 years old. Balarama 5 years old. Vatsa-palau, they became vatsapalas. Vatsa, what is vatsa? Calf and pala – protector. They became calf herd boys, vatsa-palau babhuvatuhh. Krishna and Balarama very much wanted to you know go out. Outing, they were eager for another, some more variety, the spice of life, variety. Mostly they were enjoying the vatsalya-rasa, they were eager for another rasa, another mellow, sakhya-rasa. So, they would go out into the fields, into the forests. Then the calf herding as well as playing with the friends, two in one. So they were very very eager. When they propose this, Yasoda was not into this, “no, no, no, what! You and going into the forest? You are drinking breast milk every now and then, you are so tender, look at your lotus feet pinkish and soft and out there thorns, they heat and rocks, no, no, no”. She couldn’t imagine Krishna and Balarama going out and there herding cows.

But they were insisting and the good news was Nanda Maharaj was in favour (laughs). “Let them go they want to go”. So along with father, Nanda, Krishna and Balarama, only Yasoda against. So three against one, so they won and they got to go as calf herd boys. They were boys so little cows they could manage. They couldn’t manage big cows. Little cows choti choti gaiya, chote chote gwal. They sing in Vrndavan, gaiya, the cows are choti choti, small small calves, cows. The boys were also choto choto, small small boys. And they are going. So first day small group of cows are gathered by Nanda, Yasoda. Krishna and Balarama were given ropes, hold these ropes. And as they were leaving town, Nanda and Yasoda were accompanying and some crash course was given, how to, different instructions, how to turn them around and how to get them to sit down and how to, and as they were leaving, Yasoda, “come back soon, don’t go deep into the forest, and Balarama you have to take care of your brother.”, “yes, mummy” (laughs), “yes maiya, yes Yasoda maiya.

And their other friends also. They also had their cows and they go into the forest. Vatsa-palau babhuvatuh. And then Yasoda, “Ok, you could go but not every day.” Just see so sometimes Krishna, he was kept behind. “No, no, not today, no you don’t go today.” “Ok, maiya, I will stay behind.” And mother is relieved thinking he stay behind. And Balarama goes, some other neighboring friends are going, the cows are going. And she makes sure looking through windows, he is not there, Krishna is not there. And she gets busy with her churning butter and other household duties. From time to time she looks through the window to make sure he has not joined. Few times she looks only Balarama and other friends are there. ‘Nice boy, he is obedient child, he is following my command’. Next time she looks through the window. She saw Krishna running and she starts running behind him. And Krishna is trying to run faster,  “Balarama, Balarama, help, help” and Yasoda is running behind,” aye! Krishna, come here, come here. Where are you going? Stop, stop.”  So finally she has caught up with Krishna but here Krishna also has caught up with Balarama and Balarama is holding one side and Yasoda is holding, tug up war. “No, no, I will take care; let him go, let him go.” “No, no, you can’t go.” That also would go on.

“avidure vraja-bhuvah saha gopala-darakaih

carayam asatur vatsan nana-krida-paricchada” (S.B 10.11.38)

So, they are allowed only to go avidure, dur means distance, avi means not long distance. There is a condition, you could go but you cannot go deep into the forest, just near the village, near Gokul, near Nandagram he could go carayam asatur and they are taking care of the cows. Cows are grazing and they are playing, nana-krida, krida the lila. How many kridas? Nana-krid?a, many many kridas, many many lilas they are performing. Nanavatara makaraud bhuvanesu kintu, nanavatara, nana, so some sample kridas mentioned it is.

One word, one lila, half sentence one lila. Kvacid kvacid vadayato venum (S.B 10.11.39), this is one lila. Both Krishna and Balarama, what do they do? Vadayato venum, they are playing their venus. Ksepan?aih ks?ipatah kvacit, sometimes they are throwing rocks, not, they get some fruits from the trees. It’s mango season. They are taking rock and ksepan?aih ksipatah kvacit. Kvacit padaih kinkin?ibhih, and they have little jingling, tinkling bells around their ankles and they are jumping. And as they hear, they like sounds of their own bells and they are enjoying jumping. Kvacit padaih kinkin?ibhih, no other sounds, there is no noise pollution there. Every little detail could be heard. Tinkling, jingling of the bell, pin drop silence. What kind of silence? We drop a pin and big sound, amplified sound. Now there is a bomb, what? A bomb. No one hears there is so much sound (laughs). Pin drop, bomb drop. Kvacit krtrima-go-vrs?aih. And sometimes they are playing, imitating go-vrsaih, the cows. They are on their knees and not standing. But they are playing, “I am a cow, you are a calf, you are this, you are that”. They are playing different,

“vrayamanau nardantau yuyudhate parasparam” (S.B 10.11.40)

And next thing is that they are fighting with each other, they are beating each other.  “Aye! Come! Wrestling!”  “anukrtya rutair jantums ceratuh prakr?tau yatha” (S.B 10.11.40)

Sukadev Goswami says,” They are playing as if they are prakrit, as  children play like this. Children everywhere play like this. What do the children do? Balavastha kridasakta. Children all over the world. All children what do they do? They play. The  predominant pastime of children is to play. Balavastha kridasakta. They are attached to the play. Did you play? American children play? I used to think that they must not be playing. When I was a child I used to think that they must not be playing. When I was a child I used to think that American children must be very serious, Scientific and looking through their microscopes and telescopes (laughs). They must not be playing. I had a misconception like that (laughs). But for first time I came, landed in New York Airport and going to the temple, the school and playground children were playing. And I was convinced, the children play wherever. So Krishna and Balarama prakritah yatha. As if children play, they were also played just simple things, small games no big deals. But when Krishna does anything it,s a big deal and becomes a talk of the town.

“kadacid yamuna-tire  vatsams carayatoh svakaih” (S.B 10.11.41)

Once upon a time, now little serious business here. Normally playing, normally, But one day, jamunatire, on the banks of, you feel nice when says jamunatire. You could say that in English also. But when you say jamunatire, something special about jamunatire, vatsam carayatoh svakaih, they were playing; they were playing and taking care of their cows.

“vayasyaih krsna-balayor jighamsur daitya agamat” (S.B 10.11.41)

Ah! One demon arrived. And what was the purpose? He started krsna-balayor jighamsur. He wanted to kill Krishna and Balarama. That was his intention. He arrived on the scene

“tam vatsa-rupinam viksya vatsa-yutha-gatam harih” (S.B 10.11.42)

Immediately Krishna, haribol! Krishna has taken note, viksya. This demon has arrived in the form of vatsa-rupinam. His rupa is, form is like that of vatsa. He has come as a calf so that he could hide in the midst of other cows. Someone said, if a terrorist was to come to ISKCON temple he would come in what form? Probably he would come chanting japa (laughs). No one would doubt, some sadhu has come, please come, sadhu! (Laughs). And if he is more smart he would come as sanyasi (laughs) watch out! So tam vatsa-rupin?am viks?ya. That Krishna detected vatsarup, vatsa-yutha-gatam harih darsayan baladevaya. And he started showing Balarama,” Aye! Aye! Come come come,” “yes I am here” look, look at that calf, that one, not that one, that one”.

“darsayan baladevaya sanair mugdha ivasada” (S.B 10.11.42)

As if bewildered Sukadev Goswami says, as if Krishna does not know why he has come, what is the purpose of this demon, why is he here? Therefore mugdha, mugdhaiva. Externally He is showing that He doesn’t  know. “Look, some demon, why is he here for?” He showed Balarama. The next thing is “grhitvapara-padabhyam saha-langulam acyutah” (S.B 10.11.43)

Krishna took lead and He moves forward and as Krishna is moving forward that calf demon is also moving forward. He is looking behind. And Krishna is right behind, coming right behind. He is trying to avoid. So many cows, hundreds, thousands, demon is trying to hide. But Krishna is following, Krishna is following, Krishna is not leaving him alone. And as Krishna finally grhitva, he caught hold of the hind legs along with the tail, langula, saha-langulam. Langula is tail, hind legs and the tail. bhramayitva, bhramayitva, twirling and whirling also . He is doing two things, twirling and twirling twirling, whirling whirling also (laughs), twirling and whirling.                    “Kapitthagre prahin?od gata-jivitam” (S.B 10.11.43)

He threw on the top of tree called kapittha. It is not translated which called kapittha, kapittha tree. And as he is thrown by the time he landed on the top kapitthagre, on the top of the tree has lost his life. Sa kapitthair maha-kayah. And he was small one. He was small calf size and he was amongst the cows. But as he is slipped over or Krishna threw him away to land on the top of the tree, between the time he slipped from the hand and landed on the top of the tree, maha-kayah, he showed big form. Like Putana, she was regular sized lady. But once Krishna started drinking blood and the milk poison and the milk and she grew in size.

So maha-kayah patyamanaih papata ha. And he is so maha-kayah. So heavy body that the tree failed down.

“tam viksya vismita balah sasamsuh sadhu sadhv iti” (S.B 10.11.44)

When all the children all the friends noticed what Krishna, just Krishna did, how he picked up that calf demon and whirl, twirl threw him, lost his life. Balan the children, his friends, they started praising Krishna. How did they praise? ‘Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu, sadhu!!! Jay ho, jay ho, jay ho!!! . Thus they were glorifying. As cowherd, calf herd friends were glorifying Krishna, devas ca parisantusta. And devas , the demigods also, there immediately demigods arrived and they seen in the sky, parisantust?a, they are pleased, satisfied, relieved also to see big, the demon has been killed, babhuvuh puspa-vars?nah. And immediately started showers of flowers, heavenly flowers of their own abode they had come with flowers, they are showering flowers and playing different instruments. And apsaras were dancing, gandharvas were singing, whole show going on up there in the sky, glorifying the Lord.

“tau vatsa-palakau bhutva sarva-lokaika-palakau

sapratar-asau go-vatsams carayantau viceratuh” (S.B 10.11.45)

And Sukadev Goswami is kind of concluding this thought  before he moves on to another demons arrival and pastimes, more pastimes. tau vatsa-palakau bhutva, tau, tau, those two, palakau bhutva, vatsa-palakau bhutva, by becoming vatsapalakas, sarva-lokaika-palakau, they are lokapalas. They are protectors and maintainers of the entire creation, whole Universe. But here they appear to be taking care of only cows as if they have nothing to do with the maintenance of the universe; they have nothing to do with the lokapalas and not lokanathas, not those, not those. They were just concerned with the taking all that they do is take care of the cows and they are playing. And the world who knows how it is running, who is operating. He didn’t say maya ahaksen prakriti. He told Arjuna,” Aye! I am adhyaksa, you know.”

“mayadhyaksen prakriti suyate-sa-caracaram”. I am, cara, acara, everything moving, non moving, I am the superintendent, vedaham samasthitani. Visnu says, Oh! Arjuna, veda aham, I know, I know, what do you know? Samasthitani, everybody’s past I know, vartamanani ca arjuna. I know the present of everybody, bhavisyanica bhutani, and I know bhavisya also, without looking at their palm. It’s called palm reading? Yah! He doesn’t have to read palm. He knows. But the trouble is Krishna says mam tu veda na kaschana I know everybody’s past , present, future, but no one knows me, no one knows about me. When they are looking at these pastimes they are taking care of the cows and playing. Sukadev Goswami says, He is not only vatsapalak, He is, sarva-lokaika-palakau, , sarva-lokaika-palakau, palakau, two vatsa palakau, , sarva-lokaika-palakau, these  two they are

“sapratar-asau go-vatsams carayantau”. So early morning hours they take their breakfast. I should have not mentioned (laughs). Now you get the idea (laughs), go-vatsams carayantau viceratuh. And then they would get their lunch packets ready and go out to take care of the cows, calves. You just killed the demon but his form was vatsarupinam. His form was like a calf, the cow, the calf, you are sinner, you are sinner, you have to take bath to become free from sin. Go to Ganga, go to the holy places, sacred rivers, take a holy depth and come back. So after this pastime, He was accused, Radha also had accused. Kanhaiya killed, which demon was that? Aristasur. He was also bull. Now for killing calf, He was also accused.

So Krishna, He created Ganga from His mind. We were also on the banks of Ganga just few days ago, then I travelled from banks of Ganga to Florida here, we had nice time on banks of Ganga! Haridwar, Uttarkasi,  Himalayan Mountains, so there also we remember this pastime of Krishna kills. One day we went early morning hours to take holy depth. Instead of taking bath in bathroom we all went to Ganga, took bath there, many devotees and we have Prabhupada murti, life size murti with us and some devotees went with Prabhupada murti in the middle of the stream and they were trying to give full bath to Prabhupada. It was not easy to pull him under the water, put him down the water. O! pushing him and Prabhupada just come out (laughs). We were trying to push him down and Prabhupada would jump and someone says “ just see, he is not sinking”. Prabhupada doesn’t sink. Someone says Prabhupada doesn’t sink. That’s right, yes, that’s right, Prabhupada doesn’t sink.

So Prabhupada ki jay! Sri Krishna Balarama ki jay! Radha-Shyamsunder ki jay! (claps) Haribol!!

 

In remote corners of Vrndavana, Pilgrims find little known places of Krsna’s  pastimes and get a clearer view Into their own hearts.

THE VRAJA Mandala Parikrama* is a walking pilgrimage throughout the land of Vraja, or Mathura, the district in North India where Lord Krsna appeared five thousand years ago. Devotees walk the entire parikrama path, stopping at the places where Krsna performed His pastimes. Vraja Mandala Parikrama can be considered pada-sevanam (serving Sri Krsna’s lotus feet), one of the nine forms of devotional service.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Within Mathura, the Yamuna River and the twelve forests of Vrndavana form the stage for the divine play of Radha and Krsna’s transcendental pastimes. Lord Krsna presides over the seven forests on the Yamuna’s western bank: Madhuvan, Talavan, Kumudavan, Bahulavan, Vrndavana, Kamyavan, Khadiravan. And Lord Balarama rules the five forests decorating the eastern bank: Bhadravan, Bhandiravan, Bilvavan, Lohavan, and Mahavan. These twelve beautiful forests are the most important places of pilgrimage.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, set an example by touring Vrndavana’s twelve forests. While Lord Caitanya was performing the parikrama, the residents said:

Who says He is a sannyasi? He is Krsna Himself appearing in this dress and form. Just see the proof. Different birds are all coming for His darsana [audience]. The cuckoos and parrots are happily addressing Him as Krsna, and the peacocks are dancing in jubilation. See the wonderful blooming of the trees! O brother, just see the creepers showering flowers on this person, who is disguised as a sannyasi. The deer are coming near Him and staring undivertedly towards His face. All the cows are coming running from all sides with raised tails, and they also look at His face. By the tears of ecstasy falling from the eyes of these creatures, we can understand that they are meeting Him after a long period of time.

From the book Mathura Mandala Parikrama, based on Srila Narahari Cakravarti Thakura’s Bhakti Ratnakara

The six Gosvamis and other associates of Lord Caitanya, as well as thousands of faithful in His line (Gaudiya Vaisnavas) throughout the centuries, have enthusiastically executed Vraja Mandala Parikrama, a blissful form of devotional service. In October 1932, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, led a group of more than a thousand disciples and other pilgrims on a month-long parikrama of the sacred places of Vrndavana. It was one of the largest parikramas ever seen in Vrndavana. Srila Prabhupada, then a married man living in Allahabad, traveled to Vrndavana intent on seeing Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and hoping to join the parikrama party.

 

“I was not initiated at the time of the parikrama,” Srila Prabhupada recalled, “but I had very good admiration for these Gaudiya Math people. They were very kind to me, so I thought, ‘What are these people doing in this parikrama? Let me go.’ So I met them at Kosi.”

Today dozens of groups of devotees from different parts of India still perform the padayatra (walking festival) of Vraja Mandala to see and hear about the places of Krsna’s pastimes. Every year during the month of Kartika (Oct.-Nov.), Krsna devotees taste the ecstasy of circumambulating Sri Vrndavana Dhama. Besides being a wonderful way to see and serve Sri Krsna’s transcendental land, Vraja Mandala Parikrama purifies one’s consciousness.

Srila Rupa Gosvami has described Vraja: “I remember the Lord standing by the banks of the Yamuna River, so beautiful amid the kadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in the gardens. And these impressions are always giving me transcendental realization of beauty and bliss.” Even non-devotees can feel the bliss described by Rupa Gosvami. The places in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathura and Vrndavana are so beautifully situated on the banks of the river Yamuna that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world.

Simple, Sacred Life

We rise before the sun and walk through hills and valleys, traveling deep into Vrndavana. Little remote villages dot our path. Village life is simple and austere, but the villagers are warm and generous. Whenever we stop they offer us fresh water, buttermilk, and steaming hot whole-wheat rotis (chapatis, or flatbreads).

As we cross cultivated fields, a team of oxen and a straw-laden donkey amble past rice paddies ornate with exotic birds. The sounds of the cuckoo bird, the mourning dove, and the Hare Krsna maha-mantra mingle together. Some devotees keep to the back of the kirtana party, silently chanting japa on their beads. The morning is calm, and the soft sandy path is gentle on our feet.

As we enter Madhuban, children bounce beside us, their eyes twinkling with glee. The kirtana reverberates off the mud walls and through the narrow lanes. The village brahmana greets us, a wise old man with happy eyes and stubbly beard. He sprinkles holy water on us. The cow-dung homes smell fresh and clean. In a spotless courtyard, children carrying bows and arrows imitate Sita, Rama, Laksmana, and Hanuman. Villagers invite us into their homes for something to eat or drink.

While some devotees rest or read, others venture farther into the village to get a closer look at the life of the local residents (Vrajabasis). Some devotees take a refreshing bath in a pond, while others wash their laundry. Clustered around the village water pump, we watch the children dexterously fill their waterpots. It is a crowded scene. Suddenly, a teenage boy and his mother approach the well. The boy pushes his way through the crowd and takes hold of the pump handle. We think he’s angry that we’re using “his” pump. But with an infectious smile, he begins to pump water for everyone.

Time to Think

Most devotees who visit Vrndavana never experience Vraja like this. One devotee comments, “If you don’t walk, you miss ninety per cent of Vraja.” Normally in Vrndavana we tend to feel like transcendental tourists, catching buses to the holy places. But to see Vraja on foot allows one more time to think and to find one’s real identity.

We visit Talavan forest, where Lord Balarama killed Dhenukasura. In the village of Etarsi, we visit the temple where breathtakingly beautiful deities of Balarama and His eternal consort, Revati, reside. A tala tree stands just inside the temple compound.

It is traditional to perform parikrama barefoot, and we try our best to follow the example of the saintly persons who have walked before us. Sometimes small thorns prick our feet, and we try to remember the austerities of Dhruva Maharaja, compared to which ours are insignificant. Vraja Mandala Parikrama strips one of all pretensions. We may have a big position in this world, but the thorns don’t discriminate.

Before it gets too hot, we climb to the summit of Kedarnath Mountain. A stone staircase etched into the mountainside leads us up 270 steps to a temple of Lord Siva. The temple is a natural cave, its overhang resembling the hoods of a multi-hooded snake. From atop the hill, we view the unique panoramic scene of the Vraja plains, stretched for about twenty kilometers all around us. As our gaze wanders out over the expanse of sacred land, we meditate on and hear about Krsna’s Vrndavana pastimes.

Krsna’s Footprints

In the early afternoon we take to tarred road on a seemingly endless walk to Caran Pahari. Here, Krsna would play His flute and melt the rocks with a touching melody. The rocks captured Krsna’s footprints. We eagerly rush to see them and smear on our heads the dust from these fivethousand-year-old footprints. We pray that our stone like hearts may also melt in response to Krsna’s call.

Where Krsna played His water sports and submerge ourselves in the Yamuna River, where He performed unlimited pastimes. We feel like we are following Him around Vraja. If we stay on His trail, we’ll turn the last corner of material attachment and catch up with Him. On parikrama we get a glimpse of the mood of separation from Krsna as we wander through the forests of Vrndavana. Parikrama instills appreciation for devotional sentiments even within the heart of a neophyte devotee.

Finally we see the city of Mathura rise from the plains of Vraja like an ancient medieval kingdom. We’ve made it! One hundred sixty-eight miles in thirty days. A tremendous feeling of accomplishment and exhilaration rises in our hearts. Our Vraja Mandala Parikrama is almost over, and our walk on the path back to Godhead has shortened.

A tall bridge leads us across the Yamuna back to Mathura. The kirtana resounds through the crowded back streets of the city. We take our final bath at Vishram Ghat. Vraja Mandala Parikrama is a perfect test for one’s spiritual health. In the pure atmosphere of the Lord’s land, our impurities stand out clearly, like black spots on a white sheet. Out here we see how far we have come in spiritual life and how far we have to go. Yet, this is encouraging; it increases our desire for purification, so that one day we may become qualified to reside eternally in Vrndavana. Lokanath Swami is the director of ISKCON Padayatras (“walking pilgrimages”) worldwide and the author of the recently published book Kumbha: The Festival of Immortality. He has been coordinating Vraja Mandala Parikrama since 1987.

Replica of the Spiritual World

IN THE SPIRITUAL world of Vrndavana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as surabhi cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires. In Vrndavana Krsna herds the surabhi cows, and He is worshipped by hundreds and thousands of gopis, cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune. When Krsna descends to the material world, this same Vrndavana descends just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when Krsna comes His land also comes, Vrnda-vana is not considered to exist in the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vrndavana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Vrndavana. Introduction to Teachings of Lord Caitanya, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Instructions from Sage Narada

Narada Says to Dhruva: “My dear boy, I therefore wish all good fortune for you. You should go to the bank of the Yamuna, where there is a virtuous forest named Madhuvana, and there be purified. Just by going there, one draws nearer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who always lives there.” Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.42

Acquiring Spiritual Flavors In Vrndavana

SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA Sarasvati Thakura states that the business of the tongue is to gratify itself with the varieties of flavor, but by wandering in the twelve holy forests of Vraja-mandala (Vrndavana), one can be freed from the twelve flavors of material sense gratification. The five principal divisions of material relationships are neutral admiration, servitude, friendship, parental affection, and conjugal love; the seven subordinate features of material relationships are material humor, astonishment, chivalry, compassion, anger, dread, and ghastliness. Originally, these twelve rasas, or flavors of relationships, are exchanged between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity in the spiritual world; and by wandering in the twelve forests of Vrndavana one can respiritualize the twelve flavors of personal existence. Thus one will become a liberated soul, free from all material desires. If one artificially tries to give up sense gratification, especially that of the tongue, the attempt will fail, and in fact one’s desire for sense gratification will increase as a result of artificial deprivation. Only by experiencing real, spiritual pleasure in relationship with Krsna can one give up material desires.

 

War and pious deeds have often come together at this ancient North Indian site.

KURUKSHETRA, about one hundred miles north of New Delhi, is best known as the place where the great battle of the Mahabharata was fought and Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita. But long before that, Kurukshetra had played a dominant role in the history and culture of ancient India. For thousands of years it was a hub around which the Vedic civilization spun in its full glory. Kurukshetra’s religious importance is described in many scriptures, including the Bhagavad-gita, the Mahabharata, and various Upanisads and Puranas. The scriptures refer to it as a place of meditation and an abode of demigods. The atmosphere of Kurukshetra is still charged with the chanting of Vedic hymns, especially the Bhagavad-gita.

The first verse of the Gita refers to Kurukshetra as dharma-ksetra, or “the field of dharma,” indicating that it was already known as a holy place. Today one can find many ancient temples and sacred lakes at Kurukshetra, an area of about one hundred square miles between the sacred rivers Sarasvati and Drsadvati in Haryana state.

The Great King Kuru

Kurukshetra was formerly known as Brahmaksetra, Brghuksetra, Aryavarta, and Samanta Pancaka. It became known as Kurukshetra because of the work of King Kuru.

The Mahabharata tells of how King Kuru, a prominent ancestor of the Pandavas, made the land a great center of spiritual culture. King Kuru went there on a golden chariot and used the chariot’s gold to make a plow. He then borrowed Lord Siva’s bull and Yamaraja’s buffalo and started plowing. When Indra arrived and asked Kuru what he was doing, Kuru replied that he was preparing the land for growing the eight religious virtues: truth, yoga, kindness, purity, charity, forgiveness, austerity, and celibacy.

Indra asked the king to request a boon. Kuru asked that the land ever remain a holy place named after himself, and that anyone dying there go to heaven regardless of his sins or virtues. Indra laughed at the requests.

Undaunted, Kuru performed great penance and continued to plow. Gradually, Indra was won over, but other demigods expressed doubts. They said that death without sacrifice did not merit a place in heaven. Finally, Kuru and Indra arrived at a compromise: Indra would admit into heaven anyone who died there while fighting or performing penance. So Kurukshetra became both a battlefield and a land of piety.

The Mahabharata Battle

When the Pandavas claimed their legitimate share of their paternal kingdom from their uncle Dhrtarastra and his sons, the Kauravas, they were given the Khandava Forest in the south of the Kuru kingdom. There they built a magnificent city called Indraprastha, located where Delhi is today. The Kauravas kept Hastinapura, situated to the northeast of Delhi, as their capital.

Later, the Pandavas were exiled for thirteen years after Yudhisthira’s defeat in a game of dice. After the exile, the Pandavas demanded the return of their kingdom. On behalf of the Pandavas, Lord Krsna went to Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, and begged for five villages for the five Pandavas. But proud Duryodhana refused to give any land. “I won’t even give them enough land to fit on the tip of a pin,” he said.

The war was therefore unavoidable, and the Kauravas and Pandavas decided to fight at Kurukshetra, because it was large, uninhabited, and abundant with water and fuel-wood.

The Pandavas won the Battle of Kurukshetra, which lasted only eighteen days.

The Birth of the Gita

The Battle of Kurukshetra began on the day known as Moksada Ekadasi. (Ekadasi is the eleventh day of either the waxing or waning moon, and moksada means “giver of liberation.”) On that day, Krsna enlightened Arjuna with the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, liberating him. Now every year on that day considered the birthday of Bhagavad-gita festivals in honor of the Gita are held at Kurukshetra and many other places in India. The grand festival in Jyotisar, the spot where the Gita was spoken, is organized as a state function, with chief ministers and governors presiding. Coincidentally, this is also the time of ISKCON’s annual Prabhupada Book Marathon, when devotees distribute hundreds and thousands of copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is in India and around the world.

Rathayatra’s Kurukshetra Roots

Once, when Krsna was preparing to go to Kurukshetra at the time of a solar eclipse, He invited the gopis (cowherd girls) and other residents of Vrndavana to meet Him at Kurukshetra. When He had left Vrndavana in His youth, He had promised to return very soon. But He had been away for a long time (about a hundred years), so out of intense spiritual love, the residents of Vrndavana had always felt ecstatic longing to see Him again.

The residents of Dvaraka (a majestic city) arrived at Kurukshetra on chariots; the residents of Vrndavana (a simple cowherd village), on ox carts. Because the families of Vrndavana and Dvaraka were related, a joyful reunion took place.

Of all the residents of Vrndavana, the leading gopi, Srimati Radharani, had felt the pangs of separation from Krsna more than anyone else. She and the other gopis were determined to bring Krsna back to Vrndavana. The loving exchange between Krsna and the gopis at Kurukshetra is the esoteric meaning behind the festival known as Rathayatra (“Festival of the Chariots”). So whenever Hare Krsna devotees put on Rathayatras in cities around the world, they are proclaiming the glories of Kurukshetra.

 

 

The unseen merciful hand of Lord Krsna helps a determined young student become one of Srila Prabhupada’s first Indian disciples.

I was born in Aravade, a small village in the Indian state of Maharashtra that differs little from more than seven hundred thousand others in India. After I graduated from high school, my family sent me to Bombay to study chemistry in college. But my college career was not to be.

In the year 1971, in late March, something happened to prevent me from following the program my family had so carefully laid out for me. For the first time, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was touring India with his foreign disciples. They had arrived in Bombay just before I had, and now they were going to have a pandal (a spiritual festival) at Cross Maidan.

The devotees publicized the pandal very widely, in newspapers and on billboards. In the advertisements, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were described as American, Canadian, European, African, and Japanese sadhus (saintly devotees). This was unprecedented. Previously, whenever the word sadhu had been applied to someone, it was understood that the person was Indian. There could be no other consideration. But these advertisements were talking about sadhus from all over the world. This was indeed a novelty for every Bombayite, and it especially fascinated me.

Intrigued, I went to the Hare Krishna Festival, which was quite well organized. The Hare Krsna sadhus were the biggest attraction for me. I appreciated their singing, dancing, walking, and talking. In fact, I liked everything about them, and I attended the function practically every evening. I would simply watch and listen. Though I knew English, I wasn’t fluent, and speaking with foreigners was too difficult for me. I purchased a few magazines and a few booklets with the little money I had.

Srila Prabhupada spoke every evening. He discussed many issues relating to Krsna consciousness and made many points. But the point that had the greatest impact on me, and which attracted me to him and his society more than anything else, was the simple point that if you serve Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you simultaneously serve everyone and everything else. Srila Prabhupada gave the analogy of what happens when one waters a tree. Just by pouring water on the root of a tree, one automatically waters all the leaves, branches, fruits, and flowers on the tree.

Srila Prabhupada had simplified my job. “Here is my chance,” I thought. I had always wanted to serve others, and thus at different stages in my life I had contemplated becoming an engineer or a doctor or a lawyer. Whenever I thought of my future, I would think of how I could serve others. Yet although throughout all these years I had mainly thought of service, I didn’t know where to begin, and I had practically no resources in my possession. But now Srila Prabhupada had cleared my path by showing the easy way of serving the whole creation through the simple medium of serving the Lord, the source of all that be. This idea greatly appealed to me.

As scheduled, the Hare Krishna Festival ended after eleven days, and everything went back to normal.

I continued going to college in Bombay. I shared a room with some people from my village, whom my family had asked to keep an eye on me. Once, several years before, I had left my studies and gone to join an asrama in a town nearby my village. I had almost made it to the asrama, but the unseen merciful hand of the Lord brought me back so that later I could join Srila Prabhupada instead.

After this incident, my family had anticipated my going away somewhere, sometime, and that is why they asked the villagers to watch over me. But how much could they watch me? I had gone to the Hare Krsna function practically every evening, and no one had noticed that. I would keep Hare Krsna magazines and booklets inside my big fat chemistry books and read them for hours. My roommates would marvel at how seriously I was studying chemistry. They couldn’t detect that instead of absorbing myself in analyzing chemical solutions, I was probing into the ultimate solution to the problems of life.

Whenever my roommates went out, I would bolt the door and, with my arms raised, chant Hare Krsna and dance to my full satisfaction. Having seen the devotees chanting and dancing onstage at the festival, I was trying to imitate them. Thus, in hiding, I was following the process of Krsna consciousness: chanting, dancing, and reading over and over again the few pieces of literature I had.

I knew that the Hare Krsna devotees were living somewhere in Bombay, but after the function their small group had merged into the big city, and I was deprived of their association.

One year passed.

Then, in March 1972, ISKCON organized another festival, this time at Juhu Beach. During the course of the year, the devotees had purchased some land at Juhu, and the function was going to be held right on their premises. Once again, advertisements appeared in the newspapers and in other media, and news of the festival reached me by the causeless mercy of the Lord. I had been waiting for this news, and I was extremely happy to receive it.

Naturally, I attended the programs. I would go long before they began, borrow books, and read them. During the chanting I would join in wholeheartedly. The foreign devotees, in Indian dhotis and kurtas, and the Indian student, in imported trousers and shirt, would dance together.

Occasionally, during prasadam time, when I happened to be near the gate, the devotees would invite me to come and take prasadam with them. I was eager to observe their life closely, so I would take advantage of the opportunity and join them. They were all nice devotees. On top of that, they were all foreigners, and I was duly impressed.

A few days after the festival at Juhu ended, I sat down and composed an application for membership in ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness). I had decided to join the devotees, and to join any organization, I thought, one needed to fill out an application. I addressed my application to the president of ISKCON, Bombay. I wrote that I agreed to follow the four regulative principles no meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex, and no gambling. I also stated that I liked their dazzling aratis, ecstatic kirtanas, and sumptuous prasadam. (I had picked up all these terms from their publicity handouts.) I went to a typing institute and had the application typed out. ISKCON was an international society, so I thought everything had to be formalized and just right.

Then I went to the Hare Krsna asrama at Juhu and asked who the president was. It wasn’t difficult to get to see him. His name was Giriraja dasa. He went through my letter-application, and on the spot he accepted me and embraced me. Not only that: he welcomed me in and immediately introduced me to all the asramites as a new devotee.

I quickly adjusted to my new lifestyle. I had a new home, a new uniform, new associates, a new program almost everything was new to me. Nonetheless, I immediately embraced all of it and liked it. Although the devotees were mostly foreigners, I felt completely at home. I was determined to make this my life’s commitment.

One week passed quickly. Then my elder brother arrived at the temple with one of my old roommates. Among the things I had left in my room was a handbill with the Hare Krsna address at Juhu on it. That’s how they’d found me. It was no big surprise to them that I’d joined the devotees. They had been expecting something like this for some time, and now all they had feared had come to pass.

My brother wanted me to visit my family, especially for the sake of my mother. If I wouldn’t go she might die, he said. But he assured me my family had no objection to my returning after the visit. I had always respected my brother, and here he was practically begging me to return home, saying that it was a matter of life and death for my affectionate mother and that I could return soon. Finally, I asked permission from Giriraja and left, wearing my new uniform of dhoti and kurta.

After I arrived in my village, people began saying that though I used to be such a nice boy, now something had gone wrong with me. The difference was that I was wearing a dhoti and kurta, chanting Hare Krsna, and avoiding the association of nondevotees. The townspeople considered all these things strange and abnormal.

My father requested me not to wear my new clothes and not to put on tilaka, even though he wore clothes similar to mine and occasionally wore tilaka himself. He was a devotee of Lord Vittala, a form of Lord Visnu, or Krsna, and devotees of Lord Vittala apply tilaka in a way similar to that of the Hare Krsna devotees. On special occasions my father would put on his tilaka, but he didn’t want me to imitate him, because he was worried about what people would think. (If such is the reaction of Indian parents, I can hardly imagine the reaction of parents of devotees in other lands).

Thus my parents tried everything in their power to dissuade me from returning to the Hare Krsna devotees. They even went to astrologers to learn some way to “cure” me or to find out how long I would continue living this “strange type of life.” They were really concerned.

More than a week passed, yet no plans were made for my return to the devotees, as per the original agreement between my brother and me. My parents kept telling me that some relative or other still had to come see me and that it wouldn’t be proper for me to leave without meeting him. My family planned to enlist the relatives as agents to somehow or other talk me out of this sadhu business. My parents tried everything on me, but my mind was fixed on going back to the Hare Krsna devotees.

One day I saw my sister shedding tears. When someone asked her what was wrong, she replied, “Just see how in our house all the other boys are nicely engaged in playing cards, but my brother Raghunatha isn’t sitting with them.” Such was the cause of her tears. She was feeling sorry that I wasn’t playing cards with the other boys but was instead busy chanting the holy names of God on my beads.

When my family all realized I wouldn’t give up the life I had embraced, they came up with the proposal that I could continue the life of a sadhu but that I should do it in our village. They promised to build a small temple so I could do my devotional practices there. I rejected this idea, too, however, because I wanted to associate with the devotees. There is no question of leading a spiritual life without proper association, without the association of devotees who are practicing Krsna consciousness full-time. I didn’t want to be just another bogus sadhu. India was already overcrowded and overburdened with them. I wanted to engage in the service of Krsna in the Hare Krsna movement. Srila Prabhupada had already cleared my path. He had given me my life’s mission, and I was fully satisfied once and for all with that.

I had sold my heart to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. So, finally, my family accepted the inevitable. I returned to Bombay after about a month and moved back into the asrama. Since I had stayed in my village quite a long time, I wasn’t sure how Giriraja and the other devotees would react to my return. When they saw me, however, I was surprised to find myself most welcome, just as before and they were surprised to see me back in their midst. Their experience had been that many Indian devotees had come and gone, promising to return soon, but hardly any had actually returned. Thus they were surprised and pleased to see me. By the causeless mercy of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, my return to the devotees became possible.

Although it may appear that my joining ISKCON disrupted my family’s life and caused a disturbance in my small village, these negative effects were only temporary. In the years since I joined ISKCON, I and many other devotees have often visited Aravade and taught the principles of Krsna consciousness, and now my family and my whole village embrace ISKCON as a genuine religious movement. There are seven full-time devotees from there, my sister has enrolled her son into the ISKCON gurukula school in Vrndavana, and whenever I see my father he asks me for tilaka and proudly decorates his forehead with it. Also, my family and many other families in Aravade regularly chant Hare Krsna on beads. All in all, my whole village loves the Hare Krsna movement, and there is no disruption of any kind.