In a temple of jewels in Vrndavana

October 8, 2003

KRSNA IS OUR OBJECT OF LOVE

“In a temple of jewels in Vrndavana, underneath a desire tree, Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.” So, this is a description of Vrndavana. Vana means forest, and vrnda means Tulasi. Mostly there are Tulasi plants and other trees also, but all the trees are living desire trees, spiritual. They’re all spiritual beings who have become trees by their voluntary desire to serve Krsna by supplying fruits and flowers. They want that service. Everyone has got his particular propensity. So someone is serving as the land there, someone is serving as the throne, someone is serving as the supplying agent of fruits and flowers, and someone is engaged in His service as the gopis. The cows, calves, everything—they are not made of material things. They are all expansions of Krsna's pleasure potency.

Krsna, you know, in His abode is just like a sixteen-year-old boy, and His main pastime is to take the cows in the pasturing ground with His friends and play with them. This is Krsna's day’s business. So Sukadeva Goswami has written a very nice verse describing these boys who are playing with Krsna as having accumulated heaps of pious activities, that now they have got the opportunity of playing with Krsna, the Supreme Absolute Truth, face to face just like ordinary boys play. And Krsna is very fond of playing with His young boyfriends. There are so many cowherd boys, nobody can count. There are an unlimited number of cows, unlimited number of boyfriends, everything unlimited.

Now each of these cowherds boys carries a cane in his hand, and each has got a flute, a lotus flower, and a horn. They are very nicely dressed, full with ornaments. Just like Krsna is dressed, similarly, His cowherd boys are also dressed. When you go to the spiritual world you’ll not be able to understand who is Krsna and who is not Krsna. Everyone is like Krsna. Similarly, in the Vaikuntha planets everyone is like Vishnu. The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Krsna and Vishnu—there is no difference—because it is the absolute world. The impersonalists cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. The only difference is Krsna's personality and the others’ personalities, who are conscious that “Krsna is our object of love.” That’s it. The center is Krsna. In this way the individual boys and girls and Krsna are enjoying spiritual bliss. (Lectures by Srila Prabhupada April 9,1975 & Jan. 4,1967)

O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Maharaja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vrndavana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision."

Dear Krsna, the fragrance of the mellows of Your pastimes is spread throughout the forests of the glorious land of Vrndavana, which is surrounded by the sweetness of the district of Mathura. In the congenial atmosphere of that wonderful land, You may enjoy Your pastimes, with Your flute dancing on Your lips, and surrounded by us, the gopis, whose hearts are always enchanted by unpredictable ecstatic emotions. (The gopis CC Adi-lila 4.155, Madya-lila 1.84)

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare