“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

“Is this not the central issue preventing the widespread propagation of the bhakti culture? Is it not what is holding people back, with a kind of tap on the shoulder from what they consider to be their conscience? Is it not what detractors can most quickly point to, as a demerit, as a fault, as a reason for dismissing the entire presentation of sanatana-dharma?

“I am talking about worshiping the deity. The antagonists and the fools will say that we are worshiping false gods. Of course, none of the teachings are false. They relate to the individual, the identity of the individual, the factor of time, the reactions to good and bad work, and the presence of an overseer and a permitter. These are indisputable truths, fixtures throughout the time continuum. Only a miser would fail to acknowledge the source of the knowledge. To worship the person who teaches Arjuna, who sings Bhagavad-gita, is as natural as getting up in the morning and basking in the benevolence of the sun.”

उपद्रष्टानुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वर:
परमात्मेति चाप्युक्तो देहेऽस्मिन्पुरुष: पर:

upadraṣṭānumantā ca
bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ
paramātmeti cāpy ukto
dehe ’smin puruṣaḥ paraḥ

“Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer who is the Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 13.23)

“Beyond the naysayers, there are questions from the innocent, as well. A child will wonder what the parents are doing. They want to know if the parents can speak with God. Do they hear back from the object of worship? If so, then when can the child expect to acquire the same ability? They have some things they want to say. They want their own confidential talks. They want to hear God acknowledge their words.

“Do you see the problem? How do you validate worship that goes to a statue, a picture, or a painting? How do you develop love for something that is inanimate? I am not denying the reality of the representation. Krishna is real. Rama exists. Vishnu is the Supreme Lord. How do you develop love through only worship of the inanimate? Is this not a difficult obstacle to overcome?”

Do people not worship their pets? They might get offended if you characterize it that way, but the visuals prove the guilt. The owners are like the servants. They dutifully wake up early in the morning, well before they want to, in order to indulge the demands of the dog or cat. They take the dog outside, in the freezing cold, for a walk. They pick up what is left behind. They go out of their way to offer service, and for practically nothing in return. The dog cannot speak. It cannot show appreciation through a gift. It cannot do much of anything.

The same applies with children. What can the infant do except cry? This is their way of communicating distress. The parents know things are generally okay when there is an absence of distress. In other words, no crying. A child happily playing about, without a care in the world. They are occupied with the simplest toy. Their face lights up when their friends come over. They enjoy taking in the world around them, as their parents move them along in a stroller.

We have the historical example of the people of Gokula. Their central focus was Shri Krishna, who was the foster son of Nanda and Yashoda. The exact family relationship, as drawn on a chart or listed on a birth certificate, did not make much of a difference. Krishna was everything to everyone. He was the delight of Gokula. Since He gave pleasure to the people of that area, one of His many names is Gokulananda.

What exactly were the people going to hear back? Krishna was their object of worship, but He was not necessarily speaking to them. He was not communicating His satisfaction. He was not delivering timeless wisdom. He was not offering words of encouragement. Rather, the sense of duty was on the other side. The guardians took the impetus. They knew the relationship was going well if Krishna was safe. If Krishna was happy, then they were happy.

Conversely, if Krishna was in danger, then something was wrong. This was the indication for a change in location. After a series of inexplicable falls, with Krishna constantly at the center, the leaders of the community proposed moving to a better place. Also a mahavana, or great forest, they chose Vrindavana. The reasoning was that the fault, dosha, of earthly calamities would be absent. After all, how else to explain two large trees falling down, without the agitation of wind? How to make sense of a giant witch crashing to the ground? What about the cart that suddenly collapsed?

Krishna was their object of worship. Krishna did not necessarily reveal what was going on. Other children tried to explain to the elders that Krishna kicked the cart down. Krishna dropped the two trees using a mortar. Two heavenly beings emerged from the trees and started praying to Krishna. The elders could not accept this to be true. The children must be making up stories.

The people protected their object of worship by moving to a safer place. In the same way, devotees of the Supreme Lord understand their prayers are being heard, that God is pleased with them, when the devotion itself remains safe. When they have found steadiness. When their vow in dedication, dridha-vrata, continues without obstruction, then it must be that the object of worship wants the service to continue. He must be accepting the love, and He must be showing reciprocation through the continuation of that loving relationship.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

In Closing:

The devotional path walking,
Daily with deity talking.

And offerings to bring,
And glories to sing.

Validation in signs taking,
Steadiness in vow making.

That blessed and pleased is He,
Accepting that service from me.

Categories: moving to vrindavana, questions

Tags: dailyprompt, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion