By the causeless mercy of Guru-pāda-padma and the rūpānuga Vaiṣṇavas we are present in Vṛndāvana-dhāma, under the shelter of Vṛndā-devī, in the time of kātyāyanī-vrata, trying to follow the desire of Śrīla Gurudeva.
Śrīla Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī composed Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū. He explains therein: The śruticari, upaniśadcari, vedacari and all sādhana-siddha ṛṣis and maharṣis took birth in Vraja-maṇḍala, in the homes of gopas and gopīs. They were now two or three years of age. In Vraja-maṇḍala, all have love for Nanda-nandana Kṛṣṇa. The parents go to Nanda-bhavana every day with some respectful presentation to offer for Kṛṣṇa. The mothers offer butter, fruits, laddus, sandesh, and other preparations. And they bring some of Kṛṣṇa’s remnants to their home and give to their cows, children and family. They know that any day the cows take Kṛṣṇa’s remnants, they will give a lot of milk. If a cow gives one litre generally, on the day she takes Kṛṣṇa’s remnants, she will give ten litres, and it will smell very nice and be extra thick and rich.
When their husbands or children take this Kṛṣṇa adharāmṛta, then they become cool, peaceful and very pleased. They all have Kṛṣṇa darśana lālasā. Daily they go to see Kṛṣṇa, and they take back Kṛṣṇa’s foot dust and adharāmṛta. They smear this vraja-raja on their bodies and in their household. Sometimes they put Kṛṣṇa’s footdust on a tree or creeper and the trees get new life and become full of flowers and fruits. If the Vrajavāsīs don’t go one day for Kṛṣṇa’s darśana, then they feel very sad and suffer in separation.
In the early morning all mothers and others go in a group to Nanda-bhavan, while singing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. They offer many preparations to Yaśodā Mātā. And they hide something extra and give it directly to Kṛṣṇa when He comes out. Kṛṣṇa is very greedy. He goes to the laps of all mothers and catches their shoulders and says, “Oh mother, what did you bring for Me? Where are you hiding it?” He checks this side and that, in front and back. When they give He is very happy and says, “You also taste this, it is very sweet.”
Kṛṣṇa performs these pastimes, when He sits in their lap and takes their gifts, they can never forget His love and affection. God himself, the Supreme Soul, Paramātmā, Parameśvara, Parabrahma, is now playing with all the mothers in Vraja-maṇḍala. How much they are lucky! They bring something back and give their kids; their kids eat, dance and play in bliss.
Every day in the early morning the kids hear their mothers sing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes while cooking. Sometimes the mothers cook sweet pakoḍas, mohan-bhoga, halavā, or fried foods, and they take these for Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs were very young kids. They would tell their mother, “I will also go.” “No, it is very far,” their mothers reply, “How can you walk there in the early morning? Stay here.”
But every day the mothers go. The gopīs now had desire to go. But their age was only two, two and a half or three. And their mothers said, “You can’t go. How can I carry you all the way?”
“I will walk.”
“No, it is a long journey.”
The Vrajavāsīs residences are all a little distance from Nandagāon. But every day the Vrajavāsīs come. They have no trouble. If they have nothing else to bring, they bring very clean and pure water. In the night, there is sometimes a lot of fog. The Vrajavāsīs put down a clean white cotton cloth on top of the grass. The complete night, the cloth soaks up the dew and fog. That water is very clean and nice. The Vrajavāsīs squeeze out the water and use it. If you cook with that water, you will understand the amazing taste of the food. Other water is not as good. When it rains, the Vrajavāsīs put cloth up to catch water and let it drain down into a big pot. Anyhow, the mothers daily collect water and put it at night in a clay pot. Then they cover the pot with a thin cloth and place flowers like rose, jasmine, rajanigandhā and gandharāja on top of the cloth, and then place another cloth on top, and all night the flower’s fragrance is absorbed by the water. In the morning the water is fragrant and healthy to drink and bathe with.
Daily the mothers take this water and sweets, honey, juice, butter, and many things for Kṛṣṇa. When they come back they bring and give the mañjarīs and sakhīs some prasāda. The gopīs are very small children at that time. But they have relation with that mahā-prasāda, and hear Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, and they become very greedy for relation with Him.
One day, some of the baby girls sat and talked while their mothers were gone. They saw that their mothers had made a deity of Gopāla with clay. Now the gopīs played with that deity. While playing, they asked, “Are you my friend? Give an answer. You are Gopāla, Kṛṣṇa, Nanda-nandana, Yaśodā-nandana, I like you, why don’t you talk and play with us?”
Then they cry, “Oh, you don’t like us. How can we go near you?” They played with the deities for one month. The gopīs collected somecflowers, sweets, and food, and said, “Oh, I don’t feed you, therefore you don’t talk with me. You are hungry, therefore you are not talking.” Like babies naturally like to play with dolls as part of their nature. The gopīs said, “If you don’t take yourself, then I will feed you.” The gopīs took sweets and gave them in Gopāla’s mouth. Daily they played with Kṛṣṇa’s deity. One day they cried, “You’re not talking or playing with us. We like you, but you are not accepting us, then we are very disturbed.” Then they beat their chests and heads and cried out, “Gopāla doesn’t like us. My parents take you many things and you eat that, but you don’t take anything from us.”
They dressed and gave Him nice garland, sandalwood, scents, and many things they collect from outside. And in many groups they sit and worship Gopāla. They are playing, not worshipping. They don’t know paraphernalia or mantra, they only know, “You are Gopāla, Nanda-nandana.” Why? Past lives they had sukṛti—for millions of years they chanted this mantra and were munis, ṛṣis, khandarṣis. Now they had taken birth in Vraja-maṇḍala, and their natural inclination to serve was manifest there.
Many babies are born and take play guns and shoot them; many take stones and throw them; and many wrestle and fight. But the baby gopīs only chanted the names of Nanda-nandana and played with His Deity.
One day this Gopāla smiled and took their loveful food. At first they did not cook anything. Their mothers cooked and took for Kṛṣṇa, and anything that was extra in the room, they collected and gave to Kṛṣṇa, and then one day Kṛṣṇa ate from them. That day they were very happy—they embraced and kissed Kṛṣṇa, and talked with Him. Was this a dream, their imagination, or reality?
If anyone has love and affection with Kṛṣṇa and His deities, there are millions of examples how Kṛṣṇa appears there and accepts the offerings of His devotees.
After He accepted, the gopīs made a close relation with Him. Early every morning they first bathed, wore fresh cloth, and decorated themselves, putting kājala on their eyes and so forth; and when their parents had left home, and there was no one in the house, they made a nice seat with flowers and put the Deity of Gopāla there. All the gopīs in different groups and places arranged Deities of Gopāla and worshipped Him.
Like in the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa had Rādhā-ramaṇa, Sanātana Gosvāmī had Mādana-mohana, Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu had Govindadeva, and Madhu Paṇḍita had Gopinātha. There are also many other Deities of Kṛṣṇa, such as Rādhā-kānta, Rādhā-vallabha, Vṛndāvana-candra and Rādhā-Śyāmasundara. All the Vraja-devīs have their own worshipful deities and have a relationship with their beloved. They worship Him by offering foodstuffs, dresses; and they meet, talk, and have good relation with Him.
Now the sādhana-siddha gopīs played with their beloved Kṛṣṇa in His Deity form. One day, in the early morning, Kṛṣṇa was playing with the sakhās and He ran and ran and came there. He saw in many groups the gopīs were dancing, playing, offering and singing. Kṛṣṇa saw from a distance and was amazed. They were offering bhoga to Him. He thought, “Who are they? They have nice svarūpa, figure, and they are very happy, dancing and playing and worshipping, but who are they worshipping?
Then He came nearby and saw the gopīs gathered in many groups. He came closer to see who they were worshipping, and saw, “This is my deity! They are worshipping me!” But Kṛṣṇa knows everything; He is antaryāmī. He has all knowledge; He is not in ignorance. Still, today He was surprised, “How did they make my Deity! They decorated me and gave nice eye ointment and a crown made of flowers, and offered me laddus, and many other sweets and savouries. Now I understand why I am not hungry or thirsty when my mother tries to feed me. She gives me, but I can’t eat anything because they worship and feed me so much here; therefore I am not hungry.”
Today, Paramātmā Parameśvara was surprised. He saw that in each group there is another Gopāla, and the gopīs fed Him by hand and the Deity ate their offering, and then everything came in Kṛṣṇa’s mouth. Kṛṣṇa stood there and was surprised, “How is their love!”
With mantra this is not possible. This is called svārasikī-upāsanā. Mantra upāsanā is performed with mantras, and may be dry and formal. But svārasikī means sva-rasikī. Sva means one’s own, and rasa is desire, sweetness or love. This sweetness, rasa—Kṛṣṇa tastes and drinks. If you don’t have any transcendental love, rasa, then you will certainly have jaḍa-rasa. Then you will collect something and think, “When shall I meet my lover? Where is my lover waiting? I will give her this gift and she will be very happy.” This is jaḍa-rasa. If one crosses this mundane taste of māyā, then in the spiritual realm, all love Kṛṣṇa, and offer their love to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will accept whatever they offer. He promised.
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
Bhagavad-gītā 9.26
By love, if you offer Me anything, I will definitely accept it.
Today Kṛṣṇa watched the gopīs’ process, and was surprised, “Who taught them this?” Kṛṣṇa was there with the sakhās and said, “Look at this, how is their good etiquette! They are just baby kids, but they made a nice dress and are decorating deities of me!” Then many other sakhīs came and brought drinks they had made with honey and other ingredients. They gave these drinks to the lips of Kṛṣṇa Himself, forgetting who is Kṛṣṇa’s Deity and who is Kṛṣṇa Himself. They came and gave them directly in Kṛṣṇa’s mouth. He was surprised and took their offerings given with love. If you go to Maṅgala giri, in South India, there is a Nṛsiṁhadeva temple, where the Deity of Nṛsiṁhadeva that accepts the offerings of His devotees, especially drinks. If you offer a hundred litres of a drink like, lemon, guḍa and black pepper to him, then a Brahmin priest will come with a big conch, and he will give the drink to Nṛsiṁhadeva. Nṛsiṁhadeva drinks and drinks. He will take fifty or sixty litres and then his head will shake, as if to say, “No more, no more.” Then a sound will come, like yawning, and then some of the drink returns out of His mouth. Then the brahmin stops pouring. If you see, you will understand. The brahmins take what is left over and mix it with what came out of his mouth, and then they distribute it. The baby gopīs gave foodstuffs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa ate and thought, “I will take and give them back something. Should I take from my mouth and give them, or give something else.” Kṛṣṇa thought, “What is good?”dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam
Upadeśamṛta Verse 4
“Offering pure devotees items in accordance with their requirements, accepting remnant items given by pure devotees, revealing to devotees one’s confidential realisations concerning bhajana, inquiring from them about their confidential realisations, eating with great love the prasāda remnants given by devotees and lovingly feeding them prasāda – these are the six symptoms of loving association with devotees.”
God takes and then He gives something back also. This is the rule of love. Kṛṣṇa thought, “Their plate has many things, but if I give from there they won’t take. Better I give My direct remnants.” Kṛṣṇa is on one side, and on one side there is His deity, and the sakhās are nearby watching the fun. Kṛṣṇa took from the plate and gave to Śrīdāma, Sudāma, Dāma, Vasudāma, Kiṅkini, Labaṅga, Arjuna, Pippali, Madhumaṅgala, Bhadrasena, and the other sakhās with Him. They ate and could never forget the wonderful taste unavailable in even Vaikuṇṭha. The gopīs’ heartfelt love is very sweet and tasteful. That is called madhura-rasa. If you think the taste of honey or rasagullas are sweet, you have no understanding of the transcendental taste. Nothing in this world has even a shred of the sweetness of Vraja. If anyone offers something to God with love, God accepts that, and then this is called rasa. Kṛṣṇa is raso vai sah. He is waiting for that love. Kṛṣṇa took that love today and gave something back to the gopīs. Then they danced in joy. In millions of lives they had never tasted something so sweet and fragrant. Their love was natural and habitual. Since millions of years they had practiced to attain Kṛṣṇa. Now they took birth in Vraja-maṇḍala, in cowherd families, and their parents taught them from the beginning how to serve Kṛṣṇa. They were not naughty or restless. From the beginning, while in their mothers’ laps, they studied how to serve and they took Kṛṣṇa’s prasāda. Then their life was successful. Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī said, “I took birth near my mother. My mother carried me a thousand kilometres all the way to Jagannātha Purī. I saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu there as a child. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to me, “Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!” But I did not chant. Then Mahāprabhu said, “I gave this advice to people all over the world and they all followed, but this boy alone doesn’t follow!” Svarūpa Dāmodara said, “You gave this boy dīkṣā, he accepted this mantra as his dīkṣā, so how can he say it in front of all? You are his Guru and everything.” Then his mother put Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī near Mahāprabhu’s feet and he sucked on the toes of Mahāprabhu. Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī said, “From the day I sucked Mahāprabhu’s toes, that nectar came in my heart and I forgot everything. I only remembered Vraja-maṇḍala, the Vraja-devīs and vraja-līlā. I had a relation with that service and without that, I do not know anything more. This is my paraphernalia, service, duty, object, subject and everything. Without this, I can’t understand anything else. Now, Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī said, “That precious nectar cannot be found in millions of lives. I received that by the mercy of Śivānanda Sena and my mother.” Śivānanda Sena always served Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu is always very peaceful; never angry. But one day in the afternoon, on the way to Jagannātha Purī, it was late and prasādam had not been arranged yet, and Śivānanda Sena came back late from paying a toll, and upon seeing him, Nityānanda Prabhu kicked him in the chest. He had so much love and relation with Śivānanda Sena as Śivānanda Sena helped all jīvas. He would yearly escort all the devotees to Jagannātha Purī to see Mahāprabhu at the time of ratha-yātrā and cāturmāsya. One year a dog came. At the river crossing, the boatman said, “I can’t let the dog cross the river.” Then Śivānanda sena gave double to get the dog across. Daily he gave the dog prasādam. One day he came and the dog wasn’t there. He asked, “Where is the dog?” “No one gave it prasādam, then he disappeared.” someone said. When the party reached Jagannātha Purī and went to see Mahāprabhu, they saw the dog sitting in front of Mahāprabhu. Mahāprabhu was eating coconut pieces and would throw pieces of His prasāda, and say, “Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa bole.” Then the dog chanted and danced. Soon after, the dog left his body and attained the spiritual abode. The relation between God and His followers is very deep. Śivānanda Sena would serve anyone who had any desire for relation or service of Mahāprabhu or Nityānanda Prabhu. When Kavi Karṇapura Gosvāmī was a child, he sucked the toes of Mahāprabhu and then gained all transcendental knowledge. Then he composed beautiful prayers in Sanskrit. Then he wrote Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū and many other books describing kṛṣṇa-līlā. He drinks this rasa, therefore he has knowledge of it. We all drink mundane rasa, therefore we have mundane knowledge, no spiritual knowledge. This nectar comes only through Kṛṣṇa’s adharāmṛta. The followers of God, the associates of God, have this nectar and can distribute it. Hari-katha spoken by Sripada Premananda Prabhu; rendition by Rasik Mohan Das This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.