Śrī Kṛṣṇa Returns to Vraja after Drinking the Forest Fire and Relieves the Vraja Beauties’ Daylong Anguish of Separation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Returns to Vraja after Drinking the Forest Fire and Relieves the Vraja Beauties’ Daylong Anguish of Separation

Before even a moment had passed, Nīlasundara called out, "Brothers, open your eyes!" The boys raised their eyelids and looked. At once they all exclaimed in astonishment, "Why, this is the Bhāṇḍīra banyan! Where has the muñja forest gone? What became of the forest fire? How did we all come here from there without even knowing it? We were about to be burned, and the cows were crying out amid those terrible flames, yet no one was harmed at all. We have all arrived here safely. How extraordinary! Kannū has truly surpassed all bounds!"

Then they opened their eyes and found themselves brought back to Bhāṇḍīra. Seeing that they and the cows had been delivered, they were astonished.

At that moment all the friends opened their eyes and looked. They began to think they were continuing the game they had played before. Reaching that place, they gazed about in dazzling wonder; recognizing Mohana’s power, they were utterly amazed.

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When the cowherd boys opened their eyes, they found themselves standing beside the Bhāṇḍīra banyan. Filled with immense wonder, they began to ask, "Where were we, and where have we now arrived?"

There was now no fear left at all. The boys therefore gathered beneath that enormous banyan and began to deliberate: "How could this utterly wondrous and impossible event have occurred? At most, the power of mantras and rituals might have kept the forest fire from burning us, allowing us to remain in its midst and survive. But how have we come so far in a single moment without any effort, together with these countless herds of cows? Think about it. That fire was as dreadful as a cosmic conflagration. Merely seeing it compels one to admit that calming it and saving us all lay beyond the power of any ordinary knower of mantras. How deeply versed in sacred arts our Kannū must be! Everything that happened was done by our Kanhaiyā alone. We were protected only by the influence of His inconceivable supreme power, and protected so completely that, without even realizing it, we were removed from that perilous place and brought far away to this familiar, beautiful, level, and fear-free ground!" Innumerable thoughts and counterthoughts arose in the boys’ minds, until at last they reached a unanimous conclusion: "Look, our Kannū must be a god!"

Seeing Kṛṣṇa’s yogic power, manifested through Yoga-māyā, and seeing themselves delivered from the forest fire, they considered Him a god.

This is indeed Nanda’s son. Brothers, do not think Him human. Whatever great god there may be among the gods, we know that He is that very one.

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Seeing themselves freed from the fire, they were filled with deepest wonder. They accepted merciful Kṛṣṇa as the foremost of the gods, the giver of joy.

Hearing His friends’ words, Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra began to smile. Pointing with His right hand toward the sun, illuminator of the world, as it descended toward the western mountain, He said, "Brothers, look over there too! How worried Mother must be. Oh, we have been so delayed in the forest today. There is not even a moment to spare now. Come, drive the cows toward the cowherd settlement!"

With these words, Nīlasundara placed the flute upon His lips and began to fill it with melody. How intoxicating that sound was, even the insects, moths, and bees of Vraja knew. The very boys who a moment before had begun to regard Him as a god were all swept into the honeyed current of His flute. Their awareness of His inconceivable power and their conception of Him as divine vanished no one knew where. Hanging affectionately around Nīlasundara’s neck, they urged the cows toward the settlement and joined Him with melodies from their tuneful voices.

The union of the flute’s music and the waves of their song was wondrous indeed. On one side, the distinct name of every cow poured from the holes of Nīlasundara’s flute, and each cow moved toward the settlement in that same order. On the other, the cowherd boys’ song celebrated the destruction of Pralambāsura and the drinking of the forest fire, expressing abundant praise for Nīlasundara’s astonishing glory. Filled with those various moods, the boys danced onward, displaying gestures suited to each one. How long could it take them to reach the settlement, since there would now be no play along the way? There stood Vrajapura’s arched gateway just ahead, and Nīlasundara entered the settlement beside Śrī Balarāma:

At evening, Janārdana turned the cows homeward and, accompanied by Rāma, entered the cowherd settlement while sounding His flute and being praised by the cowherd boys.

When evening came, the cowherds gathered all the cows and calves. Carefully tending their entire wealth, they set out for home. Śyāma walked on joyfully, playing His lovely flute, while all the cowherd boys, filled with bliss, sang beside Him.

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Keeping the herd of cows before Him, the destroyer of Vraja’s afflictions proceeded home. He played sweet melody after sweet melody upon the flute while the company of boys sang His glorious fame.

Who can know the condition of Vrajapura’s residents, especially its beautiful cowherd women? A forest fire had broken out there in the muñja woodland, but here, in every home of Vraja, the lovely garden in each cowherd beauty’s heart, filled with the flowers and fresh shoots of sacred emotion, was fiercely blazing in the flames of separation. To those passionate women of the village, a single moment without seeing Nīlasundara seemed an interval of hundreds of thousands of ages, and their very life-airs began to burn. Had their unbroken remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra not repeatedly created the illusion of directly meeting Him, it would be difficult to decide whether they could truly have remained alive until evening after He entered the forest.

Thus, when they saw the moon of Vrajendra’s son’s face, an incomparable ocean of supreme bliss surged within the cowherd women’s hearts. How overwhelmed with emotion they became might perhaps be seen by someone blessed with inconceivable good fortune, but even the goddess of speech could not portray the least portion of it. There is no doubt that the same nectarean experience within their innermost hearts melted and glimmered faintly through the veil of these words as its reflection:

The Lord’s lotus face bore honeylike beads of perspiration, with pollenlike dust from the cows clinging to it. The bee of each woman’s mind sported there, drinking with love’s swelling rapture.

The gopīs experienced supreme bliss upon seeing Govinda, for without Him a single moment had seemed like a hundred ages to them.

Nīlasundara was enfolded in His mother’s arms, and she led Him toward the inner apartments. The beautiful cowherd women, however, could no longer go before Nīlasundara and accompany Him as they once had. A strange veil of modest reserve descended upon their minds and eyes. Thus they could not follow Him today either. Moving as though mechanically, they all returned to their respective homes. Yet what did that matter? Nīlasundara remained present before them, and they became wholly absorbed in contemplation:

Is He lustrous like smooth collyrium softened by nectar, beauty, and sweetness? Is He an indranīla sapphire, or does His radiance possess the lovely hue of a blue lotus?

Or is He a fresh tamāla tree, enchanting like a mass of clouds? His radiance bears the splendor of emerald, and He is an ocean of nectarean grace.

He is dressed in yellow garments and adorned with a garland of forest flowers. His limbs are ornamented with many jewels, and He is the source of the nectar of every kind of play.

His long, curling hair is fragrant with many perfumes. Decorated with garlands of varied flowers, the brilliance of His crest is captivating.

His splendid forehead is beautified with sandalwood, tilaka, and curling locks. The playful movement of His raised brows steals the hearts of loving women.

His lovely, roving eyes shine like blue lotuses tinged red at their edges. The beautiful tip of His fine nose has the graceful curve of Garuḍa’s beak.

His enchanting pair of ears shines with jeweled earrings. Their many gems are reflected upon His cheeks and make them radiant.

His exquisitely graceful lotus face radiates the splendor of millions of moons. His chin, made delightful by many kinds of smiles, shines brilliantly.

His graceful neck is adorned with a necklace of pearls. Standing charmingly in a threefold-bending posture, the gentle curve of His neck enchants the three worlds.

His graceful chest is ever eager to delight the beautiful cowherd women. It is adorned with the jeweled Kaustubha and a pearl necklace flashing like lightning.

His two arms extend to His knees and are adorned with armlets and bracelets. His lotus hands, red as red lotuses, are beautifully marked with many signs.

They are beautified by the marks of a mace, conch, barleycorn, parasol, half-moon, and elephant goad, and they shine with a banner, lotus, sacrificial post, plough, water pot, and fish.

His abdomen is exceedingly sweet and beautiful, a playground of grace. His back and sides are delightful as nectar and ever eager for loving play with the cowherd women.

The rounded curve of His hips resembles a lotus brimming with nectar and is eager to bewilder Kandarpa. His two thighs are like lovely plantain trunks and enchant the women.

His two knees are graceful, charming, and supremely radiant. His lotus feet are exceedingly sweet and adorned with jeweled anklets.

The soles of His feet glow like hibiscus flowers and are beautified with many signs. They shine with the marks of a discus, half-moon, octagon, triangle, and barleycorn.

They bear the signs of the sky, parasol, water pot, conch, cow’s hoofprint, and svastika, and are adorned with an elephant goad, lotus, bow, and jambu fruit.

His toes glow with a rosy hue and are perfectly crowned by moonlike nails. His glorious lotus feet are oceans of the bliss of manifold love.

"Ah, how enchanting is our beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa! His complexion is as smooth and lustrous as finely ground collyrium. Yet what quality does collyrium possess besides smoothness? Only collyrium that is cool as nectar, succulent, intoxicating, life-giving, graceful, and sweet could serve as a likeness for Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion. But where would it possess radiance? Yes, an indranīla sapphire could supply that deficiency. Yet though the sapphire shines, it is exceedingly hard, so how could it equal Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion? A blue lotus may perhaps approach the softness of His limbs to some degree. Or He may be compared to a fresh tamāla tree. Considering their rich moisture, we may also compare His beautiful limbs to a bank of clouds. The rays of splendor streaming from His body make an emerald’s brilliance seem contemptible. Yet every quality in these comparisons is bounded and finite. The beloved of our lives is an immeasurable ocean of sweetness and grace.

"A yellow garment glimmers upon His beautiful limbs, and a many-colored garland of forest flowers sways across His chest. Gem-studded ornaments beautify every limb. He is the incomparable source of the nectar of every kind of play. His long, curling locks diffuse many fragrances, and His mass of hair is decorated with various flower garlands. Oh, how captivating these make the brilliance of His crest! A line of sandalwood paste beautifully adorns His shining forehead, a lovely tilaka of gorocanā rests at its center, and rows of curls hang on either side. With the playful movement of His raised brows, He steals the hearts of us passionate women. His lovely, roving eyes bear the hue of blue lotuses at their centers and red lotuses at their edges. A pearl hangs at the tip of His pointed nose, which curves like Garuḍa’s beak, greatly increasing His beauty. His two ears are naturally charming, and the many-jeweled, makara-shaped earrings make them lovelier still. Their reflections fall upon His mirrorlike cheeks and cause those cheeks to shine all the more.

"His graceful lotus face scatters the radiance of millions upon millions of moons. His chin appears exceedingly sweet and brilliant with the beauty of many kinds of smiles. A pearl necklace adorns His throat. Ah, how full of grace that throat is! Standing in a threefold-bending posture, He enchants the three worlds. How sweet and captivating is the turn of His neck! His chest seems the very source of grace and is forever eager to bestow supreme bliss upon us women of Vraja. The finest jewel, the Kaustubha, and a pearl necklace sparkling like lightning double its beauty. Armlets and bracelets adorn His two arms, which extend to His knees. His palms, red as red lotuses, are beautified with various signs. How charming are the marks of the mace, conch, barleycorn, parasol, half-moon, elephant goad, banner, lotus, sacrificial post, plough, water pot, and fish!

"His abdomen is supremely captivating, and beauty sports upon it day and night. His back and sides are as sweet as nectar. They remain forever eager to enjoy divine, spiritual pastimes with us women of Vraja. The rounded curve of His hips is intoxicating like a lotus filled with nectar. Kandarpa himself is bewildered upon seeing it. His two thighs surpass the beauty of lovely plantain trunks, and the minds of us Vraja beauties are enchanted at their sight. How graceful, charming, and radiant His two knees are! His lotus feet too are supremely delightful and adorned with gem-studded anklets. Their soles, red as hibiscus flowers, are beautified with many signs. How captivating are the marks of the discus, half-moon, octagon, triangle, barleycorn, sky, parasol, water pot, conch, cow’s hoofprint, svastika, elephant goad, lotus, bow, and jambu fruits! The nails upon the rosy toes of His feet resemble moons. Their splendor is incomparable. These lotus feet are oceans of extraordinary love and bliss."

The full surging forth of these village beauties’ contemplative mood is still somewhat delayed. First, in the rainy season, a river of divine nectar will spread forth, and they will immerse themselves in it. Then, through autumn, the dewy season, winter, spring, and summer, their feelings will successively be ornamented by the corresponding stimulants of each season, and the beautiful cowherd women will assume many forms of emotion-filled adornment. The rainy season will unfold once again, and at its close autumnal splendor will decorate Vrajapura. Through these seasons, the cowherd women will again be consecrated in sacred emotion and adorned in dress and ornaments worthy of self-surrender to Nīlasundara.

Only after so many days, approximately fifteen months from now, will the occasion finally arise. Their feeling will then stream unrestrained from the depths of their hearts into outward expression. In that powerful current, even the embankment of concern for public opinion will break, and they will cry out freely:

My heart has chosen Nandalāla. What can anyone do to me? I have embraced His lotus feet. Let whatever is destined to happen, happen.