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KB 1970-1-45 / Uddhava Visits Vrndavana

45 / Uddhava Visits Vrndavana

Nanda Maharaja returned to Vrndavana without Krsna and Balarama.

He was accompanied only by the cowherd boys and men. It was

certainly a very pathetic scene for the gopis, mother Yasoda,

Srimati Radharani and all the inhabitants and residents of

Vrndavana. Many devotees have tried to make adjustments to

Krsna's being away from Vrndavana because according to expert

opinion, Krsna, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead,

never goes even a step out of Vrndavana. He always remains

there. The explanation of expert devotees is that Krsna was

actually not absent from Vrndavana; He came back with Nanda

Maharaja as promised.

When He was going to Mathura on the chariot driven by

Akrura and the gopis were practically blocking the way, Krsna

assured them that He was coming back just after finishing His

business in Mathura. He told them not to be overwhelmed, and in

this way He pacified them. But when He did not come back

with Nanda Maharaja, it appeared that He either cheated them or

could not keep His promise. Expert devotees, however, have

decided that Krsna was neither a cheater nor a breaker of

promises. Krsna, in His original identity, returned with Nanda

Maharaja and stayed with the gopis and mother Yasoda in His

bhava expansion. Krsna and Balarama remained in Mathura, not in

Their original forms, but in Their expansions as Vasudeva and

Sankarsana. The real Krsna and Balarama were in Vrndavana in

Their bhava manifestation, whereas in Mathura They appeared in

the prabhava and vaibhava expansions. This is the expert

opinion of advanced devotees of Krsna. But

when Nanda Maharaja

was preparing to return to Vrndavana, there was discussion

among him, Krsna and Balarama as to how the boys

could live in separation from Nanda. The conclusion to separate

was reached by mutual agreement.

Vasudeva and Devaki happened to be Krsna and Balarama's

real parents. They wanted to keep Them now

because of the death of Kamsa. While Kamsa was alive, They

were kept under the protection of Nanda Maharaja in

Vrndavana. Now, naturally, the father and mother of Krsna and

Balarama wanted Them to remain with them, specifically for the

reformatory function of purification, the sacred thread

ceremony. They also wanted to give Them a proper education, for

this is the duty of the father. Another consideration was that

all the friends of Kamsa outside Mathura were planning to

attack Mathura. For that reason also Krsna's presence was

required. Krsna did not want Vrndavana to be disturbed by

enemies like Dantavakra and Jarasandha. If Krsna were to go to

Vrndavana, these enemies would not only attack Mathura, but

would go on to Vrndavana, and the peaceful inhabitants of

Vrndavana would be disturbed. Krsna therefore decided to remain

in Mathura, and Nanda Maharaja went back to Vrndavana. Although

the inhabitants of Vrndavana were feeling separation from Krsna,

Krsna was always present with them by His lila, or pastimes,

and this made them ecstatic.

Since Krsna had departed from Vrndavana to Mathura,

the inhabitants of Vrndavana, especially mother Yasoda, Nanda

Maharaja, Srimati Radharani, the gopis and the cowherd boys,

were simply thinking of Krsna at every step. They were thinking,

"Krsna was playing in this way. Krsna was blowing

His flute. Krsna was joking with us, and Krsna was

embracing us." This is called lila-smarana, and it is

the process of association with Krsna most recommended by great

devotees; even Lord Caitanya enjoyed lila-

smarana association with Krsna when He was at Puri. Those who

are in the most exalted position of devotional service and

ecstasy can live with Krsna always by remembering His pastimes.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur has given us a

transcendental literature entitled Krsna-bhavanamrta,

which is full with Krsna's pastimes. Devotees can

remain absorbed in Krsna-thought by reading such books. Any

book of Krsna-lila, even this book, Krsna, and our Teachings of

Lord Caitanya, is actually solace for devotees who are feeling

the separation of Krsna.

That Krsna and Balarama did not come to Vrndavana can be

adjusted as follows: They did not break Their promise to return

to Vrndavana, nor were They absent, but Their presence was

necessary in Mathura.

In the meantime, Uddhava, a cousin-brother of Krsna, came to

see Krsna from Dvaraka. He was the son of Vasudeva's brother

and was almost the same age as Krsna. His bodily features

resembled Krsna's almost exactly. After returning from

His teacher's home, Krsna was pleased to see Uddhava, who

happened to be His dearmost friend. He wanted to send him to

Vrndavana with a message to the residents to pacify their deep

feeling of separation.

As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, ye yatha mam prapadyante

: Krsna is very responsive. He

responds in proportion to the devotee's advancement in

devotional service. The gopis were thinking of Krsna

in separation twenty-four hours a day. Krsna was also always

thinking of the gopis, mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja and the

residents of Vrndavana, although He appeared to be away

from them. He could understand how they were transcendentally

aggrieved, and so He immediately wanted to send Uddhava to give

them a message of solace.

Uddhava is described as the most exalted personality in the

Vrsni dynasty, almost equal to Krsna. He was a great

friend, and on account of being the direct student of

Brhaspati, the teacher and priest of the heavenly planets, he

was very intelligent and sharp in decision. From the

intellectual standpoint, he was highly qualified. Krsna, being

a very loving friend of Uddhava, wanted to send him to

Vrndavana just to study the highly elevated ecstatic devotional

service practiced there. Even if one is highly elevated in

material education and is even the disciple of Brhaspati, he

still has to learn from the gopis and the residents of

Vrndavana how to love Krsna to the highest degree. Sending

Uddhava to Vrndavana with

a message to the residents of Vrndavana to pacify them was

Krsna's special favor to Uddhava.

Lord Krsna's name is Hari, which means one who

takes away all the distress from the surrendered souls. Lord

Caitanya states that there cannot be, at any time, a worship

as exalted as that realized by the gopis. Being very anxious

about the gopis' grief, Krsna talked with Uddhava and politely

requested him to go to Vrndavana. Shaking Uddhava's hand with

His own hands, He said, "My dear gentle friend Uddhava, please

go immediately to Vrndavana and try to pacify My father and

mother, Nanda Maharaja and Yasodadevi, and the gopis. They

are very much griefstricken, as if suffering from great

ailments. Go and give them a message. I hope their ailments

will be partially relieved. The gopis are always absorbed in

thoughts of Me. They have dedicated body, desire, life and soul

to Me. I am anxious not only for the gopis, but for anyone who

sacrifices society, friendship, love and personal comforts for

Me. It is My duty to protect such exalted devotees. The gopis

are the most dear. They are always thinking of Me in such a way

that they remain overwhelmed and almost dead in anxiety due to

separation from Me. They are keeping alive simply by thinking

that I am returning to them very soon."

Requested by Lord Krsna, Uddhava immediately left on his

chariot and carried the message to Gokula. He approached

Vrndavana at sunset, when the cows were returning home from the

pasturing ground. Uddhava and his chariot were covered by the

dust raised by the hooves of the cows. He saw bulls running

after cows for mating; other cows, with overladened milk bags,

were running after the calves to fill them with milk. Uddhava

saw that the entire land of Vrndavana was filled with white

cows and their calves. Cows were running here and there all

over Gokula, and he could hear the sound of milking. Every

residential house in Vrndavana was decorated for the worship of

the sun-god and the fire-god and for the reception of guests,

cows, brahmanas and demigods. Every home was illuminated with

light and incense arranged for sanctification. All over

Vrndavana there were nice flower garlands, flying birds and

the humming sound of the bees. The lakes

were filled with lotus flowers and with ducks and swans.

Uddhava entered the house of Nanda Maharaja and was received as

a representative of Vasudeva. Nanda Maharaja offered him a

place and sat down with him to ask about messages from

Krsna, Balarama and other family members in Mathura. He could

understand that Uddhava was a very confidential friend of

Krsna and therefore must have come with good messages. "My

dear Uddhava, how is my friend Vasudeva enjoying

life? He is now released from the prison of Kamsa, and he is

now with his friends and his children, Krsna and Balarama. So

he must be very happy. Tell me about him and his welfare. We

are also very happy that Kamsa, the most sinful demon, is now

killed. He was always envious of the family of the Yadus, his

friends and relatives. Now because of his sinful activities,

he is dead and gone, along with all his brothers.

"Please let us now know whether Krsna is remembering His

father and mother and His friends and companions in Vrndavana.

Does He like to remember His cows, His gopis, His Govardhana

Hill, His pasturing ground in Vrndavana? Or has He

forgotten all these now? Is there any possibility of His coming

back to His friends and relatives so that we can again see His

beautiful face with its raised nose and lotus-like eyes?

We remember how He saved us from the forest fire, how He saved

us from the great snake Kaliya in the Yamuna, how He saved

us from so many other demons, and we simply think how much

we are obliged to Him for giving us protection in so many

dangerous situations. My dear Uddhava, when we think of Krsna's

beautiful face and eyes and His different activities here in

Vrndavana, we become so overwhelmed that all our activities

cease. We simply think of Krsna, how He used to smile and

how He looked upon us. When we go to the banks of

the Yamuna and other lakes of Vrndavana or near Govardhana Hill

or the pasturing field, we see that the impressions of Krsna's

footprints are still on the surface of the earth. We remember

Him playing in those places, because He was constantly visiting

them. When His appearance within our minds becomes manifest, we

immediately become absorbed in thought of Him.

"We think, therefore, that Krsna and Balarama may be chief

demigods in heaven who have appeared before us like ordinary

boys in order to execute particular duties on earth. This was

also foretold by Gargamuni when making Krsna's horoscope.

If Krsna were not a great personality how could He have killed

Kamsa, who possessed the strength of 10,000 elephants?

Besides Kamsa, there were very strong wrestlers, as well as

the giant elephant, Kuvalayapida. All these

animals and demons were killed by Him just as a lion kills an

ordinary animal. How wonderful it is that Krsna took in one

hand the big, heavy bow made of three joined palm trees and

broke it very quickly. How wonderful it is that continually for

seven days He held up Govardhana Hill in one

hand. How wonderful it is that He has killed all the demons,

like Pralambasura, Dhenukasura, Aristasura, Trnavarta and

Bakasura. They were so strong that even the demigods in the

heavenly planets were afraid of them, but Krsna killed them as

easily as anything."

While describing the uncommon activities of Krsna before

Uddhava, Nanda Maharaja gradually became overwhelmed and could

not speak any more. As for mother Yasoda, she sat by the

side of her husband and heard the pastimes of Krsna without

speaking. She was simply crying incessantly, and milk was

pouring from her breasts. When Uddhava saw Maharaja Nanda and

Yasoda so extraordinarily overwhelmed with thoughts of Krsna,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and when he experienced

their extraordinary affection for Him, he also became

overwhelmed and began to speak as follows. "My dear mother

Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, you are most respectable among human

beings because no one but you can meditate in such

transcendental ecstasy."

Both Balarama and Krsna are the original

Personalities of Godhead from whom the cosmic manifestation

is emanating. They are chief among all personalities.

Both of Them are the effective cause of

this material creation. Material nature is conducted by the

purusa incarnations, who are all acting under Krsna and

Balarama. By Their partial representation They enter in the

hearts of all living entities. They are the source of all

knowledge and all forgetfulness also. This is confirmed

in the Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter: "I am present in

everyone's heart, and I cause one to remember and to forget. I

am the original compiler of the Vedanta, and I am the actual

knower of the Vedas." If, at the time of

death, a person can fix his pure mind upon Krsna even for a

moment, he becomes eligible to give up this material body

and appear in his original spiritual body,

just as the sun rises with all illumination. Passing from his

life in this way, he immediately enters into the spiritual

kingdom, Vaikuntha. This is the result of Krsna conscious

practice.

If we practice

Krsna consciousness in this present body while we are in a

healthy condition and in good mind, simply by chanting the holy

maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, we will have every possibility of

fixing our mind upon Krsna at the time of death. If that is

done, then our life becomes successful without any doubt.

Similarly, if we keep our mind always absorbed in fruitive

activities for material enjoyment, then naturally at the time

of death we shall think of such activities and again be forced

to enter into a material, conditioned body to suffer the

threefold miseries of material existence. Therefore, to remain

always absorbed in Krsna consciousness was the standard of the

inhabitants of Vrndavana, as exhibited by Maharaja Nanda,

Yasoda and the gopis. If we can simply follow their

footsteps, even to a minute proportion, our lives will surely

become successful, and we will enter into the spiritual

kingdom, Vaikuntha.

"My dear mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja," Uddhava continued, "

you have thus fixed your minds wholly and solely upon that

Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, in His

transcendental form, the cause of impersonal Brahman. The

Brahman effulgence is only the bodily ray of Narayana, and

because you are always absorbed in ecstatic thought of Krsna

and Balarama, what activity remains to be performed by

you? I have brought a message from Krsna to the effect that

He will soon come back to Vrndavana and satisfy you both

by His personal presence. Krsna promised that He would come

back to Vrndavana after finishing His business in Mathura. This

promise He will surely fulfill. I therefore request you both

, who are the best among all fortunates,

to be not aggrieved on account of Krsna's absence.

"You are already perceiving His presence twenty-four hours a

day, and yet He will come and see you very soon. Actually He

is present everywhere and in everyone's heart, just as fire is

present in wood. Since Krsna is the Supersoul, no one

is His enemy, no one is His friend, no one is

equal to Him, and no one is lower or higher than Him.

Actually He has no father, mother, brother or relative,

nor does He require society, friendship and love. He does not

have a material body; He never appears or takes birth

as an ordinary human being. He does not appear in higher or

lower species of life like ordinary living entities, who are

forced to take birth on account of their previous

activities. He appears by His internal potency just to give

protection to His devotee. He is never influenced by the modes

of material nature, but when He appears within this material

world, it seems that He acts like an ordinary living entity

under the spell of the modes of material nature. In fact,

He is the overseer of this material creation and is

not affected by the material modes of nature. He

creates, maintains and dissolves the whole cosmic manifestation.

We wrongly think of Krsna and Balarama as ordinary human

beings. We are like dizzy men who see the whole world

wheeling around them. The Personality of Godhead is no one's

son; He is actually everyone's father, mother and supreme

controller. There is no doubt of this. Whatever is

being experienced, whatever is already in existence,

whatever is not in existence, whatever will be in

existence in the future, whatever is the smallest and

whatever is the biggest have no separate existence outside the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is resting in Him,

but He is out of touch with everything manifested."

Nanda and Uddhava thus passed the whole night in discussing

Krsna. In the morning, the gopis prepared for morning aratrika

by lighting their lamps and sprinkling butter mixed with yogurt.

After finishing their mangala-aratrika, they engaged

themselves in churning butter from yogurt. While the gopis were

thus engaged, the lamps reflected on their ornaments became

still more illuminated. The churning rod, their

arms, their earrings, their bangles, their breasts --

everything moved, and the kunkuma powder gave their faces a

saffron luster comparable to the rising sun. While

churning, they also sang the glories of Krsna. The

two sound vibrations mixed together, ascended to the sky and

sanctified the whole atmosphere. After sunrise the gopis came

as usual to offer their respects to Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda,

but when they saw the golden chariot of Uddhava at the door,

they began to inquire among themselves. What was that chariot,

and to whom did it belong? Some of them inquired whether Akrura,

who had taken away Krsna, had again returned. They were not

very pleased with Akrura because, being engaged in the service

of Kamsa, he took Krsna away to the city of Mathura. All the

gopis conjectured that Akrura might have come again to fulfill

another cruel plan. But they thought, "We are now dead bodies

without our supreme master, Krsna. What further act can he

perpetrate on these dead bodies?" While they were talking in

this way, Uddhava finished his morning ablutions, prayers and

chanting and came before them.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-fifth Chapter

of Krsna, "Uddhava Visits Vrndavana."

 
 
KB 46: Uddhava Visits Vrndavana
 
CHAPTER FORTY–SIX
 
Uddhava Visits Vrndavana
 
Nanda Maharaja returned to Vrndavana without Krsna and Balarama.
 He was accompanied only by the cowherd boys and men. It was 
certainly a very pathetic scene for the gopis, Mother Yasoda, 
Srimati Radharani and all the other residents of 
Vrndavana. Many devotees have tried to make adjustments to 
Krsna's being away from Vrndavana because, according to expert 
opinion, Krsna, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
never goes even a step out of Vrndavana. He always remains 
there. The explanation of expert devotees is that Krsna was 
actually not absent from Vrndavana; He came back with Nanda 
Maharaja as promised.
 
When Krsna was starting for Mathura on the chariot driven by 
Akrura and the gopis were blocking the way, Krsna 
assured them that He was coming back just after finishing His 
business in Mathura. He told them not to be overwhelmed and in 
this way pacified them. But when He failed to come back 
with Nanda Maharaja, it appeared that He either cheated them or 
could not keep His promise. Expert devotees, however, have 
decided that Krsna was neither a cheater nor a breaker of 
promises. Krsna, in His original identity, returned with Nanda 
Maharaja and stayed with the gopis and Mother Yasoda in His 
bhava expansion. Krsna and Balarama remained in Mathura not in 
Their original forms but in Their expansions as Vasudeva and 
Sankarsana. The real Krsna and Balarama were in Vrndavana in 
Their bhava manifestation, whereas in Mathura They appeared in 
the prabhava and vaibhava expansions. This is the expert 
opinion of advanced devotees of Krsna. Externally, however, 
They were absent from Vrndavana. Therefore, when Nanda Maharaja 
was preparing to return to Vrndavana, there was some discussion 
between him and the boys concerning how they 
could live in separation. The conclusion to separate 
was reached by mutual agreement.
 
Vasudeva and Devaki, who happened to be the 
real parents of Krsna and Balarama, wanted to keep Them now 
because of the death of Kamsa. While Kamsa was alive, Krsna and 
Balarama were kept under the protection of Nanda Maharaja in 
Vrndavana. Now, naturally, the father and mother of Krsna and 
Balarama wanted Them to remain, specifically for the 
reformatory function of purification, the sacred thread 
ceremony. They also wanted to give Them a proper education, for 
this is the duty of the father. Another consideration was that 
all the friends of Kamsa outside Mathura were planning to 
attack Mathura. For that reason also Krsna's presence was 
required. Krsna did not want Vrndavana disturbed by 
enemies like Dantavakra and Jarasandha. If Krsna were to go to 
Vrndavana, these enemies would not only attack Mathura but 
would go on to Vrndavana, and the peaceful inhabitants of 
Vrndavana would be disturbed. Krsna therefore decided to remain 
in Mathura, and Nanda Maharaja went back to Vrndavana. Although 
the inhabitants of Vrndavana felt separation from Krsna,
 the resulting ecstasy (bhava) caused them to perceive that 
Krsna was always present with them by His lila, or pastimes
.
 
Since Krsna had departed from Vrndavana and gone to Mathura, 
the inhabitants of Vrndavana, especially Mother Yasoda, Nanda 
Maharaja, Srimati Radharani, the gopis and the cowherd boys, 
were simply thinking of Krsna at every step. They were thinking,
 "Here Krsna was playing in this way. Here Krsna was blowing 
His flute. Krsna was joking with us in this way, and Krsna was 
embracing us like this." This is called lila-smarana, and it is 
the process of association with Krsna most recommended by great 
devotees; even Lord Caitanya, when He was at Puri, enjoyed lila-
smarana association with Krsna. Those 
in the most exalted position of devotional service and 
ecstasy can live with Krsna always by remembering His pastimes. 
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given us a 
transcendental literary work entitled Krsna-bhavanamrta, 
which is full with Krsna's pastimes. Exalted devotees can 
remain absorbed in Krsna-thought by reading such books. Any 
book of krsna-lila, even this book, Krsna, or our Teachings of 
Lord Caitanya, is actually solace for devotees feeling 
separation from Krsna.
 
That Krsna and Balarama did not return to Vrndavana can be 
adjusted as follows: They did not break Their promise to return 
to Vrndavana, nor were They absent, but Their presence was 
necessary in Mathura.
 
In the meantime, Uddhava, a cousin-brother of Krsna's, came to 
see Krsna from Dvaraka. He was the son of Vasudeva's brother 
and was almost the same age as Krsna. His bodily features 
resembled Krsna's almost exactly. After Krsna returned from 
His teacher's home, He was pleased to see Uddhava, who 
happened to be His dearmost friend. Krsna wanted to send him to 
Vrndavana with a message to the residents to pacify their deep 
feelings of separation.
 
As stated in the Bhagavad-gita [4.11], ye yatha mam prapadyante 
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: Krsna is very responsive. He 
responds in proportion to the devotee's advancement in 
devotional service. Thus, as the gopis were thinking of Krsna 
in separation twenty-four hours a day, so Krsna was also always 
thinking of the gopis, Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja and the 
other residents of Vrndavana. Although He appeared to be away 
from them, He could understand how they were transcendentally 
aggrieved, and so He immediately wanted to send Uddhava to give 
them a message of solace.
 
Uddhava is described as the most exalted personality in the 
Vrsni dynasty, being almost equal to Krsna. He was a great 
friend of Krsna's, and being the direct student of 
Brhaspati, the teacher and priest of the heavenly planets, he 
was very intelligent and sharp in decision. Intellectually
, he was highly qualified. Krsna, being 
his very loving friend, wanted to send him to 
Vrndavana just to study the highly elevated ecstatic devotional 
service practiced there. Even if one is highly elevated in 
material education and is even the disciple of Brhaspati, he 
still has to learn from the gopis and the other residents of 
Vrndavana how to love Krsna to the highest degree. It was 
Krsna's special favor to Uddhava to send him to Vrndavana with 
a message for the residents there, which was 
meant to pacify them.
 
Lord Krsna is also named Hari, which means "one who 
takes away all distress from the surrendered souls." Lord 
Caitanya states that there cannot at any time be a worship 
as exalted as that realized by the gopis. Being very anxious 
about the gopis' grief, Krsna talked with Uddhava and politely 
requested him to go to Vrndavana. Shaking Uddhava's hand with 
His own hands, He said, "My dear gentle friend Uddhava, please 
go immediately to Vrndavana and try to pacify My father and 
mother, Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda-devi, and the gopis. They 
are grief-stricken, as if suffering from great 
ailments. Go and give them a message. I hope their ailments 
will be partially relieved. The gopis are always absorbed in 
thoughts of Me. They have dedicated body, desire, life and soul 
to Me. I am anxious not only for the gopis but for anyone who 
sacrifices society, friendship, love and personal comforts for 
Me. It is My duty to protect such exalted devotees. The gopis 
are the most dear. They always think of Me in such a way 
that they remain overwhelmed and almost dead in anxiety due to 
separation from Me. They are keeping alive simply by thinking 
that I am returning to them very soon."
 
Requested by Lord Krsna, Uddhava immediately left on his 
chariot and carried the message to Gokula. He approached 
Vrndavana at sunset, when the cows were returning home from the 
pasturing ground. Uddhava and his chariot were covered by the 
dust raised by the hooves of the cows. He saw bulls running 
after cows for mating; other cows, with overladen milk bags, 
were running after their calves to feed them with milk. Uddhava 
saw that the entire land of Vrndavana was filled with white 
cows and their calves, running here and there all 
over Gokula, and he could hear the sound of milking. Every 
residential house in Vrndavana was decorated for the worship of 
the sun-god and the fire-god and for the reception of guests, 
cows, brahmanas and demigods. Every home was sanctified by 
lights and incense. All over 
Vrndavana there were nice gardens filled with flowers and 
the sounds of humming bees and singing birds. The lakes 
were filled with lotus flowers and with ducks and swans.
 
Uddhava entered the house of Nanda Maharaja and was received as 
a representative of Vasudeva. Nanda Maharaja offered him a 
sitting place and sat down with him to ask about messages from 
Krsna, Balarama and other family members in Mathura. He could 
understand that Uddhava was a very confidential friend of Krsna'
s and therefore must have come with good messages. "My dear 
Uddhava," he said, "how is my friend Vasudeva enjoying life? He 
is now released from the prison of Kamsa, and he is now with 
his friends and his children, Krsna and Balarama. So he must be 
very happy. Tell me about him and his welfare. We are also very 
happy that Kamsa, the most sinful demon, has been killed. He 
was always envious of the family of the Yadus, his 
relatives. Now, because of his sinful activities, he is dead 
and gone, along with all his brothers.
 
"Please let us know whether Krsna now remembers His 
father and mother and His friends and companions in Vrndavana. 
Does He like to remember His cows, His gopis, His Govardhana 
Hill, His pasturing grounds in Vrndavana? Or has He now 
forgotten all these? Is there any possibility of His coming 
back to His friends and relatives so we can again see His 
beautiful face, with its raised nose and lotuslike eyes? 
We remember how He saved us from the forest fire, how He saved 
us from the great snake Kaliya in the Yamuna, and how He saved 
us from so many other demons, and we simply think of how much 
we are obliged to Him for giving us protection in many 
dangerous situations. My dear Uddhava, when we think of Krsna's 
beautiful face and eyes and His different activities here in 
Vrndavana, we become so overwhelmed that all our activities 
cease. We simply think of Krsna -- how He used to smile and 
how He looked upon us with grace. When we go to the banks of 
the Yamuna or the lakes of Vrndavana or near Govardhana Hill 
or the pasturing fields, we see that the impressions of Krsna's 
footprints are still on the surface of the earth. We remember 
Him playing in those places, because He was constantly visiting 
them. When His appearance within our minds becomes manifest, we 
immediately become absorbed in thought of Him.
 
"We think, therefore, that Krsna and Balarama may be chief 
demigods in heaven who have appeared before us like ordinary 
boys to execute particular duties on earth. This was 
foretold by Garga Muni when making Krsna's horoscope. 
If Krsna were not a great personality, how could He have killed 
Kamsa, who possessed the strength of ten thousand elephants? 
Besides Kamsa, there were the very strong wrestlers, as well as 
the giant elephant Kuvalayapida. Krsna killed all these 
animals and demons just as a lion kills an 
ordinary animal. How wonderful it is that Krsna took in one 
hand the big, heavy bow made of three joined palm trees and 
broke it very quickly! How wonderful it is that for 
seven days continuously He held up Govardhana Hill with one 
hand! How wonderful it is that He has killed all the demons 
like Pralambasura, Dhenukasura, Aristasura, Trnavarta and 
Bakasura! They were so strong that even the demigods in the 
heavenly planets were afraid of them, but Krsna killed them as 
easily as anything."
 
While describing the uncommon activities of Krsna before 
Uddhava, Nanda Maharaja gradually became overwhelmed and could 
no longer speak. As for Mother Yasoda, she sat by the 
side of her husband and heard the pastimes of Krsna without 
speaking. She simply cried incessantly, and milk poured
 from her breasts. When Uddhava saw Maharaja Nanda and 
Yasoda so extraordinarily overwhelmed with thoughts of Krsna, 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and when he experienced 
their extraordinary affection for Him, he also became 
overwhelmed and spoke as follows: "My dear Mother 
Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, you are most respectable among human 
beings because no one but you can meditate in such 
transcendental ecstasy."
 
Uddhava continued: "Balarama and Krsna are the original 
Personalities of Godhead, from whom the cosmic manifestation 
emanates. They are chief among all personalities. 
Each of Them is both the material and the efficient cause of 
this material creation. Material nature is conducted by the 
purusa incarnations, who all act under Krsna and 
Balarama. By Their partial representation They enter the 
hearts of all living entities. They are the source of all 
knowledge and all forgetfulness also." This is confirmed by 
Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter: "I am present in 
everyone's heart, and I cause one to remember and forget. I 
am the original compiler of the Vedanta, and I am the actual 
knower of the Vedas." Uddhava continued: "If at the time of 
death a person can fix his pure mind upon Krsna even for a 
moment, after giving up his material body 
he becomes eligible to appear in his original, spiritual body, 
just as the sun rises with all illumination. Passing from his 
life in this way, he immediately enters into the spiritual 
kingdom, Vaikuntha."
 
 
This is the result of Krsna conscious practice. If we practice 
Krsna consciousness in this present body while in a 
healthy condition and in good mind, simply by chanting the holy 
maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, we will have every possibility of 
fixing the mind upon Krsna at the time of death. If we do 
this, then our lives become successful without any doubt. 
But if we keep our minds always absorbed in fruitive 
activities for material enjoyment, then naturally at the time 
of death we shall think of such activities and again be forced 
to enter material, conditioned bodies to suffer the 
threefold miseries of material existence. Therefore, to remain 
always absorbed in Krsna consciousness was the standard of the 
inhabitants of Vrndavana, as exhibited by Maharaja Nanda, 
Yasoda and the gopis. If we can simply follow in their 
footsteps, even to a minute proportion, our lives will surely 
become successful, and we shall enter the spiritual 
kingdom, Vaikuntha.
 
"My dear Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja," Uddhava continued, "
you have thus fixed your minds wholly and solely upon that 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, whose 
transcendental form is the cause of impersonal Brahman. The 
Brahman effulgence is only the bodily rays of Narayana, and 
because you are always absorbed in ecstatic thought of Krsna 
and Balarama, what pious activity remains for you to 
perform? I have brought a message from Krsna that 
He will very soon come back to Vrndavana and satisfy you 
by His personal presence. Krsna promised that He would come 
back to Vrndavana after finishing His business in Mathura. This 
promise He will surely fulfill. I therefore request the two of 
you, who are the best among all who are fortunate, not 
to be aggrieved on account of Krsna's absence.
 
"You are already perceiving His presence twenty-four hours a 
day, yet He will come and see you very soon. Actually, He 
is present everywhere and in everyone's heart, just as fire is 
present in wood. Since Krsna is the Supersoul, He regards 
everyone equally: He sees no one as His enemy, no one as
 His friend, and no one as lower or higher than Him. 
He actually has no father, mother, brother or relative,
 nor does He require society, friendship and love. He does not 
have a material body like us; He never appears or takes birth 
like an ordinary human being. He does not appear in higher or 
lower species of life like ordinary living entities, who are 
forced to take birth on account of their previous fruitive 
activities. He appears by His internal potency just to give 
protection to His devotees. He is never influenced by the modes 
of material nature, but when He appears within this material 
world He seems to act like an ordinary living entity 
under the spell of the modes of material nature. But in fact 
He is the overseer of this material creation, and while 
remaining unaffected by the material modes of nature, He 
creates, maintains and dissolves the whole cosmic manifestation.
 We wrongly look upon Krsna and Balarama as ordinary human 
beings, just as whirling men see the whole world 
whirling around them. The Personality of Godhead is no one's 
son; He is actually everyone's father, mother and supreme 
controller. There is no doubt of this. Whatever is already 
being experienced, whatever is not being experienced, 
whatever already exists, does not exist or 
will exist in the future, whatever is the smallest and 
whatever is the biggest have no existence outside the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything rests in Him,
 but He is untouched by everything manifested."
 
Nanda and Uddhava thus passed the whole night discussing 
Krsna. In the morning, the gopis prepared for morning arati 
by lighting their lamps and sprinkling butter mixed with yogurt.
 After finishing their mangala-arati, they engaged 
themselves in churning butter from yogurt. While the gopis were 
thus engaged, the lamps reflected on their ornaments made 
the ornaments still brighter. Their churning rods, their 
arms, their earrings, their bangles, their breasts -- 
everything moved, and kunkuma powder gave their faces a 
saffron luster comparable to the rising sun. While making 
sounds by churning, they also sang the glories of Krsna. The 
two sound vibrations mixed together, ascended to the sky and 
sanctified the whole atmosphere.
 
After sunrise the gopis came as usual to offer their respects 
to Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda, but when they saw the golden 
chariot of Uddhava at the door, they began to inquire among 
themselves: What was that chariot, and to whom did it belong? 
Some of them inquired whether Akrura, who had taken away Krsna, 
had returned. They were not very much pleased with Akrura 
because, being engaged in the service of Kamsa, he had taken 
lotus-eyed Krsna away to the city of Mathura. All the gopis 
conjectured that Akrura might have come again to fulfill 
another cruel plan. But they thought, "We are now dead bodies 
without our supreme master, Krsna. What further act can Akrura 
perpetrate against these dead bodies?" While they were talking 
in this way, Uddhava finished his morning ablutions, prayers 
and chanting and came before them.
 
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-sixth Chapter 
of Krsna, "Uddhava Visits Vrndavana."
 