There's no place like Vrindavan⛰️

Thought For the Day

The Ultimate Self Realization Course

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There's No Place Like Vrindavan

8 March 2025

When Krishna descended to this material world to deliver the suffering souls back to their original home in the spiritual world. He did not come alone. He descended here along with a replica of Goloka Vrindavan and brought so many of His associates here. That place where His abode replica was. manifested in still present and is known as Sri Vrindavan Dhama. It is situated on the bank of the River Yamuna 95 miles southeast of New Delhi. For thousands of years great saints and sages has resided here to fully absorb themselves in the mellows of Krishna consciousness. To be able to spend time here is the greatest blessing that one achieve in millions and billions of lifetimes. In his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter One, Text 28 Srila Prabhupada writes:

"Ii is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vṛndāvana (vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati). At present, the place known as Vṛndāvana, in the district of Mathurā, continues its position as a transcendental place, and certainly anyone who goes there becomes transcendentally purified."

Therefore the title for today's Thought for the Day is fully in accordance with the revealed scriptures. We are very much relishing being back in this holiest of all holy places, Sri Vrindavana Dhama.

Five hundred years ago the six Goswami's were residing here in Vrindavan. They were certainly most qualified to see Krishna face to face. But the mood they preferred was the mood of the gopis, feeling intense love and anguish being separated from Krishna always hankering to see him. This is described perfectly by Śrīnīvās Ācārya in the Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8:

he rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ
śrī-govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ
ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī jīva-gopālakau

"I offer my respectful obeisances to the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vṛndāvana, shouting, 'Queen of Vṛndāvana, Rādhārāṇī! O Lalitā! O son of Nanda Mahārāja! Where are you all now? Are you just on the hill of Govardhana, or are you under the trees on the bank of the Yamunā? Where are you?' These were their moods in executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness." (Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8)

In a lecture on Rādhāṣṭamī on- August 29, 1971 in London Srila explained about this above verse.

The Gosvāmīs, they also, when they were in Vṛndāvana, they never said that "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." Although they were the most perfect, they never said that "I have seen Kṛṣṇa." Their prayers were like this: he rādhe! vraja-devike! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ. He rādhe, Rādhārāṇī, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca. Rādhārāṇī does not remain alone. He [She] remains always with His [Her] friends, vraja-devī, Lalitā or Viśākha and other damsels of Vṛndāvana.
So the Gosvāmīns are praying, in their mature stage, when they were living at Vṛndāvana, they were praying in this way, he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ: "Where, Rādhārāṇī, where You are? Where are Your associates? Where You are, Nanda-suno, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa? Where you are, all?" They were searching after.
They never said, "I have seen Kṛṣṇa dancing with the gopīs. Last night I saw." [laughter] This is sahajiyā. This is not mature devotee. This is called... They are called sahajiyā. They take everything very cheap—Kṛṣṇa very cheap, Rādhārāṇī very cheap—as if they can see every night.
No. The Gosvāmīs do not teach us like that. They're searching after.
he rādhe! vraja-devike! ca lalite! he nanda-suno! kutaḥ
śrī-govardhana-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ
"Are you there under the Govardhana Hill or on the banks of the Yamunā?" Kālindī-vanye kutaḥ. Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau. Their business was crying like this, "Where You are? Where You are, Rādhārāṇī? Where you are, Lalitā, Viśākha, the associates of Rādhārāṇī?
Where You are, Kṛṣṇa? Are You near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of the Yamunā?" Ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure. So throughout the whole tract of Vṛndāvana they were crying and searching after them, khedair mahā-vihvalau, as if madman. Khedair mahā-vihvalau. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.
So we have to follow the footprints of the Gosvāmīs, how to search out Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, Vṛndāvana, or within your heart. That is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's bhajana: feeling of separation, vipralambha, vipralambha-sevā.
Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, feeling the separation of Kṛṣṇa, He was falling down on the sea. He was coming out of His rest room, or His bedroom, and going out at dead of night. Nobody knew where He has gone. So that was His searching.
This process of devotional service is taught by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not that very easily, "We have seen Kṛṣṇa or seen Rādhārāṇī in rāsa-līlā." No, not like that. Feel the separation. The more you feel separation from Kṛṣṇa, you should understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa artificially. Be advanced in separation feeling, and then it will be perfect. That is the teachings of Lord Caitanya.

So let us always follow Srila Prabhupada's guidance learning how to feel separation from Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Transcendental Correspondence

What is the hidden meaning behind Lord Krishna stealing butter?

S.D.

Answer

My Dear S.D.

Please accept my blessings.

Krishna does not have to steal because He owns everything. But to enjoy a special kind of pleasure He takes the role of being a naughty kid who is repeatedly chastised by His mother Yasoda for stealing butter. A nice example in this connection is this true story:

Once a very important gentleman had an appointment to meet Prime Minister Gladstone, who managed the entire British empire. That gentleman was waiting, waiting, waiting in the room next to prime minister’s office far beyond the time for his appointment. He was still not able to meet Prime Minister Gladstone. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he peeked through the door into the prime minster’s office to see what he was doing. The prime minister was down on his hands and knees crawling all over his office with his grandson on his back. He was finding more pleasure in playing like a horse for his grandson than in the being the prime minister of the mighty British empire.

In the same way Lord Sri Krishna derives a special pleasure playing the role of being the chastised naughty son of mother Yasoda, that far exceeds the pleasure He tastes by being the Lord of all existence.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in a cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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My Spiritual Journey in a Nutshell

As an American youth I was taught to believe in the. "American dream": Study hard, get a good education and a good job to get a good wife some good kids in a good house to enjoy a good life. But when I got to college I realized that this was not enough. I wanted to know what is the meaning of life, but no one could tell me. So I took to the path of self-realization and was blessed in 1968 with the Hare Krishna mantra and the worship of Radha and Krishna. (I did not know about ISKCON.) This inspired me to drop out of college and renounce the world to become a holy beggar in India. But on the way to India I realized that to renounce everything I had to ultimately renounce renunciation itself and accept something transcendental Thus I embraced the mission of delivering the world from chaos. For this purpose I adopted the life a singer/songwriter who in 1969 became recognized and very much appreciated. In 1971, seeking spiritual perfection, I followed the example of Lord Jesus Christ and prayed to God how I could become His perfect servant. Then God revealed to me path of pure Krishna bhakti as taught by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. On the most auspicious day of 12 August 1971 he accepted me as his disciple. Now on his order and under his most expert guidance I have fully devoted my life for awakening pure love of God within my heart and for making the entire world Krishna conscious.

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