We Are Moving To Vrindavana

By krishnasmercy on January 30, 2026 • ( 0 )

“It is not proper to remain in this place. Let us go to another great forest, as here we have seen numerous calamities which are causes of ruin. The destruction of Putana and the reversal of the cart, and similarly the falling of the trees without the intervention of the wind. Therefore, let us without delay depart from Gokula to Vrindavana, where the earthly calamities will not overpower us.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.22-24)

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स्थानेनेह न नः कार्यं व्रजामो ऽन्यन् महावनम्
उत्पाता बहवो ह्य् अत्र दृश्यन्ते नाशहेतवः

पूतनाया विनाशश् च शकटस्य विपर्ययः
विना वातादिदोषेण द्रुमयोः पतनं तथा

वृन्दावनम् इतः स्थानात् तस्माद् गच्छाम मा चिरम्
यावद् भौममहोत्पातदोषो नाभिभवेद् व्रजम्

sthāneneha na naḥ kāryaṃ vrajāmo ‘nyan mahāvanam
utpātā bahavo hy atra dṛśyante nāśahetavaḥ

pūtanāyā vināśaś ca śakaṭasya viparyayaḥ
vinā vātādidoṣeṇa drumayoḥ patanaṃ tathā

vṛndāvanam itaḥ sthānāt tasmād gacchāma mā ciram
yāvad bhaumamahotpātadoṣo nābhibhaved vrajam

“Have you ever given thought as to why Shri Krishna appeared in Gokula and Vrindavana? It is the simplest of the simple. It is the humblest of the humble. The people living there were not known for scholarly achievement. They had practically no achievements, if you think about it. There is the concept of ‘flyover country’ in America. It is a nice way of saying that a place is insignificant. You would only notice it if you were travelling across it. Otherwise, you would have no reason to go there.

“Why would Krishna want to visit such a place? Why would He want to stay in such a place? Today, they say that Krishna never actually leaves Vrindavana. He is always there. He can accomplish this through His omnipresence, which has been fixed since time immemorial. He can be in more than one place at one time. This has to be true, otherwise our prayers are meaningless. They would fall on deaf ears. The operator on the other side would get overwhelmed. All of our phone calls would reach a busy signal.

“I think you get my drift. But returning to the original question, if God is so great, why wouldn’t He choose a place that was thriving in the material sense? The most opulent kingdom, for instance. I get it that we have such pastimes in the underwater city of Dvaraka, but the worship of Krishna in the Vaishnava tradition tends to focus on the childhood years. A young Damodara tied to a mortar, for instance. A mischievous child stealing butter. A youth sporting in the beautiful forests, under the light of the brightest moon of the year. Do you see what I am saying?”

To begin, the choice is up to Him. He decides when and where to appear. He has advance notice of the circumstances. He might even give prior notice to important figures, like the benefactors residing in the heavenly region. There are important events about to take place, and the Supreme Lord will be at the center of them.

“As stated in the beginning of Shrimad-Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrida: the transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was transmitted to Lord Brahma through the heart. Here also, in the same way, only Brahma could understand the message transmitted by Lord Vishnu, and he broadcast it to the demigods for their immediate action. The message was: the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth very soon along with His supreme powerful potencies, and as long as He remains on the earth planet to execute His mission of annihilating the demons and establishing the devotees, the demigods should also remain there to assist Him.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 1)

Not that we are God or will ever become God, but we can make the attempt to relate. From our own lives, have we ever gone on a retreat? Have we ever intentionally shifted places, from one of hustle and bustle to one of peace and calm? Why would we want peace and calm? Why do these retreats most often feature quiet surroundings? Why are there so many trees in the background? Why do they put the word “picturesque” in their brochures?

The elderly cowherd men of Gokula describe Vrindavana as mahavana. It is a great forest. They are looking to move to such an area. They are already in Gokula. They are otherwise happy there, as Krishna is always with them. The problem is that things keep falling down. There is no visible fault, or dosha. For instance, they cannot blame the recent crashing of two trees on the wind. There was no violent wind to speak of. The aftermath shows a young Krishna tied to a mortar, but there is no way that Krishna could be responsible. It is not like He was carrying an axe.

Besides, there were related falls. There was the handcart that suddenly collapsed. Then there was that giant witch who crashed to the ground. The similarity is that Krishna was around. He seemed to be at the center of the danger. Perhaps Gokula was plagued with bad spirits. Better to move to a more peaceful place.

Indeed, from our personal experience we see that the cities are filled with noise. One siren after another. Constant construction. We might retreat to the suburbs, in desperate search for quiet, but then buildings are always being torn down. There are new ones being built. The noise produced by the leaf-blower is constant. Even when we are looking for peace, we cannot find it.

Vrindavana and such areas are generally free of distraction. There is a corresponding object of meditation. The people can better focus on Shri Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is their topmost priority. The animals of the community take part in the worship. Even the trees are known to bend down with their branches, in a subtle offering of obeisance.

“Krishna saw all the trees, overloaded with fruits and fresh twigs, coming down to touch the ground as if welcoming Him by touching His lotus feet. He was very pleased by the behavior of the trees, fruits and flowers, and He began to smile realizing their desires.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 15)

If you were the Supreme Lord, would you not be eager to visit such a place? Why would you want to go anywhere else, in fact? Everyone else has their many distractions, such that they can pass an entire lifetime not questioning their existence, their identity, their destined fate of death, and the reason for their suffering in the first place. The people of Vrindavana can pass the same time blissfully engaged in serving Krishna, in one way or another.