Cry for Krishna

“Sri Uddhava is described in this verse as buddhi-sattamah, “the most intelligent,” and thus he could expertly pacify the residents of Vrindavana, who were feeling such intense separation from Lord Krishna. Then, upon his return to Mathura, Uddhava would describe to all the members of the Vrsni dynasty the extraordinary pure love he had seen in Vrindavana. Indeed, the love the cowherd men and gopis felt for Krishna was far beyond anything the Lord’s other devotees had ever experienced, and by hearing about that love all the Lord’s devotees would increase their faith and devotion.” (SB 10.46.1)

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains how one can place valuable gold within a fire to ascertain its purity. In the same way, he says, Krishna placed His most beloved devotees, the residents of Vrindavana, in the fire of separation from Him, just to reveal the purity of their love. From the day Krishna left Vrindavana, Mother Yasoda could only see His beautiful face, and she cried constantly despite being consoled by friends and family. When Uddhava came, she was so overwhelmed by love that she couldn’t even interact with him. These were the unique manifestations of love in separation that Krishna wanted Uddhava to witness. Interestingly, Krishna Himself came to this world to experience those same emotions.

Krishna is known as rasaraja, the king of all relationships. As the fierce Nrsinghadeva, He savoured the mood of servitude that His devotees embody. As Lord Ramachandra, He experienced the brotherly love of Laksman and marital joy with Sita. As Lord Krishna, He relished intimate friendship with the cowherd boys, and unwedded paramour love with the cowherd girls. Although Krishna delighted in these relationships, a curiosity still remained. Krishna had not yet experienced the spiritual emotion that His devotees feel in their relationship with Him. It is said that Srimati Radharani, the most celebrated devotee, feels pleasure which is ten million times greater than the Lord’s! Thus, Sri Chaitanya, the manifestation of Krishna in Kali-yuga, descended to:

• Delight in the position of Srimati Radharani

• Understand the sweetness of Krishna’s qualities

• Experience the happiness of a pure devotee

As the ‘maintainer’ of the universe, Visvambhara (Sri Chaitanya) taught the world what life’s priority really is. Though maintenance of the body is essential, one should not forget the necessity of the soul: to reawaken pure love of God (prayojana). The great teacher Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura summarises the four main precepts that Sri Chaitanya came to teach:

1) The Goal: Pure Love of God

The essence of each spirit soul is to seek love and express love. We spend our lives looking for those persons and objects in which we can repose the loving sentiment, but we’re often left frustrated and dissatisfied. When we develop our love for Krishna, however, we not only feel deep fulfillment and satisfaction, but we connect with others on a much deeper and satisfying level as well. By loving Krishna we become a conduit of love for others.

2) The Object of Love: Sri Krishna (who resides in Vrindavana)

In Sanskrit, God is known as ‘Bhagavan,’ or the possessor of all opulences. Jiva Goswami explains that God is more intimately known as Krishna, and Bhagavan stands for bhajaniya guna visistha: “One whose qualities are so enchanting that nobody can resist worshipping Him.” Only Sri Krishna manifests the glories of God in full. Krishna, whose eternal playground is Vrindavana, performs exquisite pastimes of love there, and never takes one step out of that sacred land. Even when it appears that He has left, He remains there in a concealed form.

3) The Example of Love: Gopis of Vrindavana

Amongst Vrindavana’s residents, the love of the gopis is particularly special since they sacrificed everything to be with Krishna. They left their family members, disregarded social customs, rejected the path of chastity and underwent all tribulations to be with Him. They were unconcerned with people’s opinions, and held nothing back, exhibiting affection without constraint. After meeting with the gopis, Krishna apparently left Vrindavana, throwing the cowherd maidens into an intense love in separation known as vipralambha-bhava. Their feelings of transcendental madness are considered the highest expressions of the soul in connection with God.

4) The Guidebook for Developing Love: Srimad-Bhagavatam

Though such ecstatic emotions seem far and distant for the conditioned soul, the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the priceless guidebook to help us reawaken that love. It describes the incredible feelings of the most celebrated devotees in creation, but also narrates historical incidents and didactic passages which help one progress to such pure devotion. Thus, the light of Srimad-Bhagavatam is an incredible blend of inspiration and instruction for the lost souls in this dark age of Kali-yuga.