The Mischief of the Yamuna Banks

"Again and again, that flute! There, there, can you hear it, friend? Can you hear the flute?"

"Why does he play it? Why?"

"Oh, silly girl, the whole of Vrindavan goes mad hearing this flute, and you are saying that! Tell me, do you not like this tune? Tell me honestly."

The other girl lowered her eyes and pressed her hands together.

"How can I speak of that pain, friend! Once that flute enters my ears, my mind and life become restless. My body wants to leave the house, and my soul wants to leave the body. I cannot bear it, I simply cannot. There are so many barriers, so many rules, and fear of elders at every step. How can I explain this pain to you!"

"Ah, foolish girl," her friend said softly, "do you think you will escape that pull just by sitting at home? No, no one can. I could not either. Better do one thing. Come with me once and see for yourself."

"Come? Where shall I go?"

"Where else? To the bank of the Yamuna, near Banshipat. That is where the flute plays day and night. I am just coming from there now. I was listening so deeply that I lost all sense of time. Suddenly I saw the sky turn red and the sun had set, so I had to..."

She stopped and looked closely at her friend.

"Won't you go? Won't you go even once?"

"You go. As for me..."

"Alright then, let us do one thing. Tomorrow we have worship. Tomorrow, come with me to offer worship. Then there will be no problem, and no one at home will say anything."

"Worship? What worship is there tomorrow?"

"Oh my, do you not know? From tomorrow our Katyayani vow begins. This vow will continue for a whole month. So tomorrow we will worship Mother Katyayani."

"Tell me, is everyone in Vrindavan doing this vow?"

"No, no, not everyone. This vow is only for unmarried girls. It seems you have not even heard of the resolve behind it."

"What resolve?"

"All the girls of Braj want Yashoda's son as their husband. With that prayer in their hearts, everyone has taken Mother Katyayani's vow this time. That is why tomorrow is Katyayani worship."

The shy girl looked up at once.

"Have you also taken this vow, friend?"

"Of course I have! What are you saying? Even in waking and in dreams, only one face appears before me. I do not see anyone else, and no one else enters my heart."

"I will do it too, I will do this vow too. This time I will also do it, friend. Tomorrow at dawn I will go with you to offer worship."

"You will come, won't you, friend?"

"Oh yes, I will come, I will. After finishing the Katyayani worship, I myself will take you to that banyan tree of the flute. Now I should go. But be ready at daybreak."

Shukadeva Goswami said, "Did you see, O King, the longing of the gopis! If only you had seen it once! It is because of this longing that even God himself remains bound by the sweetness of Braj. Vrindavan and the cowherd girls, beyond that they know nothing of the world. They have offered everything to him. Such love, such devotion, such longing was never seen in any other incarnation, O King. That is why there is no equal to Krishna's incarnation in any way. Truly, this time God himself came, not as a part or a ray, but as that very Supreme Person. So naturally, that sweetness must be there."

King Parikshit listened with wonder.

"I am amazed to hear this, Lord. A strong curiosity has risen in my mind."

"Speak, O King," said Shukadeva. "What do you wish to know?"

"All the gopis of Braj want Nanda's son as their husband. One friend is even urging another to observe that vow. Can anyone share her beloved with another like this, Acharyadev? How did the gopis do this, Lord?"

Shukadeva smiled gently.

"No, O King, they cannot. If one thinks only of oneself, no one can do this. But Vrindavan is a strange place. There, though each person has a separate body, the soul is one. No one thinks of herself as different from another, O King. One mind in countless bodies, and that mind is offered to Krishna. The gopis had gone beyond their separate selves. Thinking only of Krishna, they had forgotten even their own names, homes, and identities. They lived only filled with Krishna."

Parikshit bowed his head and asked, "I have heard from you that God himself brought the gopis from Goloka. Is that why they could forget themselves like this?"

"Yes, O King. Otherwise no human being can reach such a state."

"Did the gopis not know about their true source, Lord?"

"No, O King. Otherwise the divine play could not continue. But God is full of will. Understanding the taste of the gopis' hearts, once he showed them his supreme abode, Vaikuntha."

"How did they get to see Vaikuntha, Lord?"

"Do you wish to hear that first, O King? Very well, then I shall tell you."

That day Krishna was sitting on the bank of the Yamuna with the gopis. Leaning against the flute tree, he was playing the flute to himself. The gopis, in great joy, were making garlands of forest flowers and adorning him. They were placing a flower crown on his head. They were drawing a mark of white sandalwood on his forehead.

While adorning Madhava, Vishakha said, "We care for you so much and love you so much, yet you do not think of us at all, Madhava."

Krishna looked at her in surprise.

"What are you saying, Vishakha? I do not think of you?"

"No, surely that cannot be your true feeling."

Another gopi added, "Vishakha is right, Krishna. You do not care for us at all."

Krishna laughed softly.

"This is a serious complaint! Very well then, what should I do so that you will remove this charge against me? Tell me, and I shall do it."

"You really will? Alright then, we will not let you off so easily, Madhava. Do something for us that you have never done for anyone else."

"Very well," Krishna said. "Come then, come with me. All of you, dive once into this Yamuna. Come, come."

In a moment, everything changed.

The gopis looked around in astonishment.

"Where have we come, Krishna? Where is this? Such a wonderful place! We have never seen such a beautiful place before, Madhava. Have we come to heaven?"

Krishna answered, "Heaven is a very small thing, Vishakha. The place where you stand has no equal anywhere in the three worlds. You have come to the supreme immortal abode. This is Vaikuntha. No seeker, not even the gods themselves, can come here."

The gopis folded their hands.

"We are blessed, we are fulfilled. The desire of our many births has been fulfilled, Keshava. O Janardana, O Supreme Lord, O Narayana, all our wishes have been fulfilled. But we do not wish to see this Lord of Vaikuntha. We want to rejoice with our own Lord of Braj."

Krishna smiled with deep affection.

"So be it. Come, I will take you back to Braj."

Shukadeva said, "Ah, what fortune! What people cannot gain even in many births, the cowherd girls of Vrindavan received so easily."

Parikshit said with feeling, "Those who are parts of the Supreme Brahman are themselves like Brahman. Vrindavan itself is Vaikuntha, Lord. Where else shall I look for Vaikuntha?"

"Yes, O King," Shukadeva replied. "In this age of Kali, Vrindavan itself is the abode of Vaikuntha. The King of divine love still performs his play there with his cowherd boys and girls."

"My mind, life, and soul are all restless to hear of that play. O Lord, tell me about that Katyayani vow. What did the gopis do, desiring the King of divine love as their husband? I am eager to hear it, O sage."

Shukadeva said, "I have already told you about the Katyayani vow, O King. The unmarried girls of Braj observe that vow. Not a single maiden was left out. The rule of the vow was this: every day they had to wake up before sunrise. After worshipping Mother Katyayani, they had to eat simple sacred food only once a day. They had to keep the main purpose of the vow alive in their hearts all day. They had to pray to the Mother."

Parikshit asked, "Why were the girls of Braj observing this vow? Did Krishna know it, revered one?"

"Of course he knew! He knows everything. He is the knower of all hearts. And these girls of Braj are parts of him. If he does not know their hearts, then who will? Sometimes Lord of Braj Krishna sits by the flute tree, sometimes under a kadamba tree, and plays the flute, grazes the cows, plays with his friends, or sits quietly alone. Whatever he was doing, the gopis of Braj saw only him, thought only of him, fed him, dressed him, and adorned him. There was no one in their lives except Krishna."

"Did Krishna love them just as much, O sage?"

"What can I say of the Lord, O King! He loves them more than his own self. Thinking of them, he becomes restless and eager. If they do not come, he grows uneasy. And even if they come and then go back, he again raises a tune on his flute, so that hearing it the gopis will come running. Truly, the Lord knows that no one has the power to stay at home after hearing that flute."

While observing the Katyayani vow, the gopis had to practice austerity. They did not eat properly. So that they would not grow weak, Shyamsundar himself served them with his own hands.

Thinking of this, the gopis spoke among themselves.

"Do you know, friend, what happened yesterday? I had fainted from hunger. When I regained my senses, I saw Madhava himself sitting with my head in his lap. Little by little he was pouring Yamuna water into my mouth. Ah, friend, it was not water, it was like nectar."

Another said, "Shall I tell you what happened to me, friend? Yesterday, while taking the offering basket to the temple in the harsh sun, I felt dizzy. Do you know what I saw? Madhava came along with me, holding the basket in one hand and my hand in the other, and took me to the temple."

A third one sighed deeply.

"Wherever I go, I see only Madhava all along the way. Even by looking and looking, the desire of my heart is not satisfied. My eyes never have enough."

"You have spoken truly, friend," another said. "Before that face, all the beauty of the whole world grows pale."

"Ah, it is because of the pull of that face that I cannot stay at home, friend. Society, family, relatives, all have drifted away, friend, all have drifted away. I have no taste for food, no wish to sleep. I keep thinking only of when I will see Madhava again."

One of them grew pale and whispered, "I feel very afraid, you know."

"Afraid of what? Why has your face become so pale?"

"What if one day I open my eyes and cannot see Madhava anymore? What if one day he leaves us and goes far away, somewhere far away? What will we do then, Sukhi? What will we live for? Everything will be over for us."

"Do not speak such words, Sukhi. Do not say that."

At that very moment a beloved voice called out to them.

"Madhava!"

Then Krishna himself came near and said, "Why, what is it, friends? What has happened to you? Has the sun fallen on your moon-like faces? Your faces have all grown dark!"

The gopis turned at once.

"Madhava, you are here? Is there no cowherding for you today? You have no flute in your mouth today! Why are you walking about so quietly?"

Krishna made a playful face.

"Just look at that! I came in such a hurry that I forgot to bring the flute."

"Oh dear, what is the hurry, Madhava? What has happened to you?"

"Nothing has happened to me. Nothing at all has happened. What could happen to me?"

Then, with mischief in his eyes, he said, "Something will happen to you all."

"Why to us? Nothing has happened to us."

"Oh my, the blessed moment is passing! Will you not bathe? Do you not know that bathing in the Yamuna at this sacred time brings merit?"

One gopi smiled and answered, "Seeing you itself gives us merit, Keshava. Do you not know that?"

"Ah, but will you let such a blessed time slip away? Does anyone do such a foolish thing? Go, go, go, bathe in the Yamuna. Call the other friends too. Where are the girls of Braj? Where have they all gone? Lalita, Vishakha, where are you all?"

"Here, here, we have all come. You called us, and we..."

"Good, good, listen, friends. Today is a sacred nectar-like hour. If you bathe in the Yamuna at this time, you gain full merit and everlasting heaven. Go, go, go, and finish your bath while the holy hour remains. I came only to tell you this."

"Really, really! Truly we did not know. Now I must go, before the calves wander off somewhere else. I am going, going, let me go and see."

As he turned, Krishna called back, "Oh, do not forget. Please do not forget what I said."

The girls became excited at once.

"Come, come, the day is passing. Let us go to the Yamuna."

"To the Yamuna, to the Yamuna. Today we will bathe to our hearts' content."

"Yes, today we will bathe to our full joy. We will use up all the water of the Yamuna."

"You are right, friend. Look how the waves are rising in the water, look!"

"Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?"

"Come, Lalita, come quickly. Who knows when this sacred time may pass. Come, come, let us dive in first."

Then one of them laughed.

"Oh my, Vishakha, seeing your wisdom will finish me! Are you going to bathe wearing all your clothes and ornaments too? Will the Yamuna not carry everything away? Then will you save your clothes, or will you bathe?"

Vishakha clapped her hand to her forehead.

"That is true! Another moment and all the joy of bathing would have been spoiled. How can one play in the water with so many clothes on? No one is at this ghat. Come, come, let us leave our clothes and ornaments here and step into the water."

"Yes, yes, yes, let us do that. Come, come, leave them here. Now into the Yamuna water..."

They stepped into the river.

"How cold the water is, truly! As soon as I entered it, my whole body felt soothed."

"Ah, truly, what you said is right! I have never enjoyed a bath like this before. Good that Keshava told us about this sacred hour. Do you know what kind of holy time this is today?"

"No, and what is the use of knowing? Since Madhava said it, it must surely be a blessed day. Come, come, come, let us dive, dive in."

Thinking of Krishna, the girls of Braj began to dive one after another. Their bath was a wonderful sight. Laughing loudly among themselves, they splashed water on one another. Lost in laughter, water-play, and happy noise, they did not notice what was happening on the bank of the Yamuna.

Parikshit asked with concern, "Did some danger appear again on the bank of the Yamuna, Acharyadev? Did some demon or monster come again?"

Shukadeva answered, "No, O King, nothing of that sort happened, yet the danger was not small. The moment the girls of Braj entered the Yamuna to bathe, Krishna himself appeared there. Picking up all their clothes and things from where they lay on the bank, he climbed up a kadamba tree."

"What!" the king cried out.

"Then, after bathing and playing in the water for a long time, the girls of Braj came near the bank and began looking for their clothes. But the bank was empty. Nothing of anyone's was lying there. The gopis looked at one another in surprise."

"What has happened? All our clothes and things were right here. Where have they gone? Why can we not see them? We left them here before entering the water. Now not even one cloth is here. What is this?"

"Oh my, who took them? There is not even a living creature nearby."

"Did someone steal the clothes?"

"Oh my, who would steal those? What is there in them to steal? Besides, I have never heard of theft in Braj."

"No, no, this is not the work of a thief. Then surely it is the work of some demon. It has stolen all our things. Now it will take us too."

"Yes, yes, that could be. Come, come, let us go back into the Yamuna. If we stay in Mother Yamuna's lap, no one can harm us. We are safe in the Yamuna. Come, come, let us hide in the water."

"No, no, how can that be? How long can we sit in the water like this? What is the use of such impossible thoughts? Besides, where Krishna and Balaram are, no demon can ever remain there."

"Then what shall we do now? Where shall we look for our clothes? We cannot go home like this."

Suddenly one of them pointed upward.

"Vishakha, look there! All our clothes are hanging from that tree branch."

"That is true! But how did they get there? Who took them?"

From above came a sweet, teasing voice.

"I did, I did. I brought them. All your clothes are with me now."

The gopis looked up and saw Krishna on the kadamba tree.

"What is this, Madhava! What have you done? This is wrong, shame, shame! Why have you stolen our clothes and ornaments? Give them back, return them."

Krishna answered, "The wrong was done by you. So that the result of that wrong might not touch you, I kept these with me. Come, come, each of you come and take your clothes from me."

"This is very unfair of you, Madhava. We are partners in all your endless mischief. We accept all your pranks. Everything about you seems sweet and beautiful to us. But what you are doing now is not right at all. If Mother Yashoda hears of this, she will be very angry. We will go and complain to her."

"Very well, go then, go complain against me to Mother."

"In this condition that is impossible, and you know it very well, Krishna. We beg you, please return our clothes."

"Did I say I would not? I said, come and take them. You did wrong, I saved you, and now you say it is my fault! Well now, what fine justice!"

The gopis stared at him.

"We did wrong? Very well then, tell us, what wrong did we do? What have we done?"

"You insulted Varunadev."

"Varunadev? Do you know what will happen if he becomes angry?"

"What! When did we insult him?"

Krishna replied, "Do you not know? To bathe naked in a river, sea, or any open body of water is to insult Varunadev. That is what you have done. So I took your clothes and kept them safe. Otherwise Varunadev would have grown angry."

At once the gopis became serious.

"No, no, we did not know that. Truly we did not do it knowingly."

"I know that you did not do it knowingly. That is why you have been saved this time. But admit your mistake and ask his forgiveness. Come out of the water. Fold your hands and bow to Varunadev. Pray to him. Then you will get your clothes."

Then all the girls of Braj came out of the water onto the bank. Giving up their shame, they covered themselves with their hands across their chests and bowed to Varunadev. With lowered heads they also asked his forgiveness. Then Krishna returned their clothes to them one by one.

Shukadeva said, "This part of Govinda's Vrindavan play is famous as the stealing of the clothes, O King."

Shukadeva looked at Parikshit and said, "What is this! I see clouds of worry on your face. Has some question risen in your mind, Parikshit? Whatever question you have, tell me without fear. I will answer everything."

Parikshit bowed deeply.

"You are the knower of hearts, Lord. There is nothing I can hide from you. But I cannot at all connect God with this stealing of clothes. Forgive me, O sage. But hearing this story, it seems to me like the act of some lustful man. How could Lord Hari himself do such a thing? If anyone did this in my kingdom, I would punish him, Lord. I am a very unfortunate man of poor understanding. I am deeply troubled by doubt regarding my own Lord. Save me, save me, Lord. Bring my mind back to the right path."

Shukadeva's face was full of compassion.

"It is not your fault, O King. Not your fault at all. Anyone in your place would have such a question on hearing this. It is natural. But do you know the real truth, O King? The one about whom you are thinking this way is the Supreme Soul himself. He exists beyond the three qualities of nature. No impurity can touch him. But those who judge are ordinary people. Their understanding is stained by the unrest of the senses. With such a mind, how can one grasp the Lord of eternal truth, consciousness, and bliss, O Parikshit? Yet you are a supreme devotee of the Lord. Your faith in him is steady. Therefore I shall reveal this mystery to you."

Parikshit folded his hands.

"Your causeless grace, Lord, your causeless grace. Such kindness even toward one as unworthy as I am. I am blessed, O Lord."

"You do not seek heaven, nor do you seek merit. You seek liberation, Parikshit. Therefore there is nothing I must hide from you. Sri Hari's own grace rests upon you. You are blessed by his touch. So the doubts in your mind must be destroyed. That is why I have come. Listen, Parikshit."

"Please command me, Lord."

Shukadeva said, "You have heard that the gopis had completely taken shelter in Sri Hari. There was nothing left in them apart from him. Their mind, life, honor, sin, and merit, all were he. They themselves were filled with Krishna. Their bodies were pure and sattvic. In such bodies there could be no rajasic or tamasic impurity. Otherwise they could never enjoy divine union with the Lord of eternal truth and bliss."

Parikshit asked, "How could there be any tamasic impurity in the bodies of the gopis, Lord?"

"That shame you speak of, that is the greatest impurity. Everything else in them had already gone. Only that covering of shame still hid their true being. Sri Bhagavan broke that last covering. If they had not given up shame, then through it pride, ego, fear, and many other impurities would have entered, O King. Even while living on earth, the gopis, like the divine Shyam, were themselves spiritual and pure. Why would he allow any stain to touch them? Do you understand now, O King? Have your doubts been answered?"

Parikshit said, "I have one more question, Acharyadev."

"Speak, Parikshit."

"You spoke of the anger of Varunadev. I did not understand its meaning. Why should Varunadev become angry if one bathes in an open body of water, Lord?"

"He will not become angry if one bathes openly. He will become angry if one bathes naked in an open river, sea, pond, or other body of water. That is equal to insulting him."

"Why, Lord? What is the reason behind it? Please tell me."

Shukadeva replied, "From the Eternal Person our civilization was born. And where does that Supreme Person dwell, Parikshit? In water. Narayana himself rests happily upon the waters, does he not? How do you go into a temple, O King? With clean clothes, a clean mind, and a pure sight. Then should there not be pure conduct toward that seat of the Supreme Soul as well, Parikshit? A naked body in a public body of water may awaken body-consciousness and desire in the minds of others. Then the water becomes polluted. Impurity spreads in the human mind as well. And by the touch of that impurity, society too becomes stained. Do you now understand the reason for Varunadev's anger, O King?"

Parikshit bowed again.

"I understand, Lord. I understand. Now at last all the veils have been lifted from my sight. All impurity has left my mind. You have shown me the right way."

"Your own inner training has shown you the right path, O King," said Shukadeva. "I am only an instrument. You are a devotee. Therefore Narayana himself has made your mind spotless. Bow to the Lord, O King. Bow. It is his grace. You are sitting to hear Krishna's story, O King. You are sitting to hear of the Supreme Soul himself. Krishna's divine play is not the play of some ordinary incarnation. Sri Bhagavan himself descended in the form of Krishna. He is beyond all qualities, beyond illusion, beyond all conditioning, all impurity, all mental waves. How then could lust, anger, or delusion enter him?"

Parikshit asked, "If he is as clear as water, then why does he still seem like a human being, Lord?"

"Do you know the true reason, O King? If color is mixed into water, the water appears colored. That color is our mind. The impurity is really in our own mind. If we look at him through such a mind, then we will think that he too has impurity. So be careful, O King. Do not seek lust in Krishna's play. Rather raise yourself above impurity and try to become free from body-consciousness. Otherwise you will never taste the nectar of that divine play."

"I understand, Lord. Unless one brings oneself into a state of complete purity and clarity, one cannot understand his play. From now on I will try to do just that. Lord, please bless me."

Shukadeva said, "Will my blessing help you understand the Supreme Soul Krishna, Parikshit? No, it will not. For I do not have that power. I too lie at his feet and beg for a drop of his grace. Seek the blessing of the one whose grace alone matters, O King. Otherwise all is useless."

Parikshit looked up.

"Who is that, Lord?"

"She is Radharani," Shukadeva said, his voice growing softer. "Sri Hari's hladini, the queen of his heart. Now I will speak of her, O King."

"Why is she called hladini, Lord? Who is she truly?"

Shukadeva became grave.

"That is a very difficult question, O King. It cannot be answered in words. You must realize the answer within. Just as the Supreme Soul cannot truly be explained, so too his hladini, his spiritual power, is beyond explanation. The Shyamsundar of Vrindavan himself sits at the feet of his Radharani, holds her lotus feet in his own hands, and bows his head before her in surrender. So Radharani cannot be understood by the mind alone. She must be felt in the heart. Yet, like Shyam, she too has human-like divine play, certainly! It is through their joined play that the sweetness of Vrindavan has been formed. Without one, the other is incomplete."

Parikshit's whole body trembled. Tears flowed from his eyes.

"Please tell me about that hladini, Lord. My body thrills. Tears are flowing from my eyes for no reason. I do not even know where such joy was hidden within me."

Shukadeva said, "This question is not yours alone. Even Brahma himself once asked this question, O King. Hari himself could not answer it in words. He only showed a form. Now I will tell you that story. Unless you hear it, the doors of your heart will not open, Parikshit."

"Please tell me, Lord, tell me. I can no longer keep my patience."