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BY: SUN STAFF
Searching for Krsna Aug 17, 2011 — CANADA (SUN) — Reprise of a 2007 series on the Miracle Plays of Mathura. The Uddhav Lila of Swami Kunvar Pal - Part Two.
New Scene : Mathura
Krsna is sitting on the throne. There is an attendant nearby.
KRSNA:
Where is there happiness here like that of Braj? The banyan tree for flute playing that is on the Jamuna's bank - where is it? Where are the cowherd boys? Where is that caressing by mother, and father's affection? Where is there happiness like that of Braj? Attendant, go call Uddhav and bring him here!
ATTENDANT:
As you command.
The attendant goes, calls Uddhav, and brings him. Uddhav comes and gives salutation.
UDDHAV:
Victory to the Life of Braj-dwellers, the Lord of Life! He wipes out the sorrow of his own devotees. To such a Lord of Gods, the keeper of his vow, victory! The dear Prince appeared in order to manifest joy. Victory to the Moon of Braj, the Lord of Day! He removes pain and bestows happiness. Let all cry, 'Victory to the Lord of Mathura!' KRSNA: O, Brother Uddhav, have you come? UDDHAV: Yes, Merciful Lord, I have come. But, why are you so sad today? KRSNA: Brother, very keen recollection of Braj comes back to me today. UDDHAV: Yes, you should remember, because you were born in Braj and there played your childhood sports, stole butter from the gopis' house, and ate it. Why should memory not return to you? And it is written in the Sastra, 'Mother and motherland are dearer even than heaven.' Compared to motherland, the pleasure of heaven, and so forth, looks insignificant to all. KRSNA: Brother, today I was remembering vividly the time when I played with the sons of the cowherds and used to milk the cows at the cow pen. I remember these things with yearning. UDDHAV: Yes, O Treasury of Mercy, indeed you should remember. But in Braj there was no special pleasure for your memory to dwell on. There were cows for you to graze in Braj, and you made your breakfast of cold bread and butter. You had to wander from forest to forest in the sun, after the cows. Now, here you are king and sovereign, the overlord of Mathura, and even then, you are thinking so much of Braj! It passes my comprehension that you are casting aside the royal pleasures and thinking back on the karli thickets of Braj. If you had your mother Yasoda and father Nand there, here there are your mother Devaki and father Vasudev. The children of the cowherds were there; here, there are the children of the Yadavas. Now, what is so much the matter? KRSNA: No brother. At the time when I used to go a great distance, playing on and on, mother would call me, 'Oh, my jewel! Oh, my child! Come here a minute.' Then, brother, I would go to her, and she would brush and wipe my clothes that were full of dust. At that time, with what affection she used to brush and wipe me! And I would say, grasping her skirt, 'Give ma betel leaves to meat!' Then she would feed me betel leaves that were ever so nice. That affectionate conversation, that affection, I remember with great yearning. Brother, there is not even one pleasure here! Now do just as I say. UDDHAV: Speak, Lord. What you command, I shall do. KRSNA: O Uddhav, go to Braj! Without me, the gopis are pining. Take away their sorrow. O brother, you go to Braj. And those gopis are grief-stricken who are separated from me. Go there and preach to them. UDDHAV: Yes, O Merciful Lord, I am going to Braj. And what preaching shall I give to the gopis of Braj who are grief-stricken in your absence? KRSNA: Brother, By which women may obtain happiness, In order that they may forget me. Having become acquainted with the perfect Invisible Brahman. You tell them to forget Syamsundar and believe in Brahman. UDDHAV: As you command, Lord! Yet it is into the presence of the gopis of Braj that you are sending Uddhav! Let someone else be sent. What can those simple milkmaids of Braj understand of my philosophy of Brahman? KRSNA: No, brother. Please listen to the story of my inner anguish. Those girls of Braj are counting beads for my success. The flame of separation has arisen and consumed body and mind. Know that faith in me is in their hearts, and hope, And thirst for meeting me; go and bring them to themselves. Please give to her who is dear as life to me This letter of advice, written sincerely and according to the code of love. You are my wise companion; there is none more eminent than you. I am sending you for this reason. You will return a saint. Thus says Surdas. O brother, this is the letter. And you are my dearest friend; for this reason I am sending you. And along with this there is one more thing: After going there, you will undoubtedly become a holy man or a saint. And give this letter of mine to Radhika. And it is written in this letter, Taking up effective abstract contemplation. Burned and made pure in the fire of Brahman, you will go and meet Him soon. UDDHAV: As you command, Lord. KRSNA: O brother, say also: O Lalita, O Daughter of Vrishabhanu, What offense have I given you? You have turned me out of Braj: Is there any affliction left that is heavier? Make me your own, and grant me only this: As my cottage, the groves upon Jamuna's bank, Knowing me to be yours, O Treasury of Mercy, Let bygones be bygones. Now give support quickly. O brother, please convey my request to the revered Radha, Sri Radha, remove my distress! Who can have happiness, without your grace? By your grace I obtained the nectar of the ras; By your grace I performed the ras. Why have you turned me out of the Braj country? Please send a written message. Radha, I am indeed your slave - Shall remain your debtor forever. I am your debtor, O darling Daughter of Vrishabhanu. Let me see you; forgive my mistake. Brother, please give this message of mine, and please tell mother that we shall come in a few days. And I shall explain to you all those things of Braj that I remember and love: I will not forget the gunja seeds [1], a necklace of which I wore on my breast. Since the day when the cowherd boys' lunches were stopped - Since that day, I have not been getting food in the morning. They say I am of the Yadu family, but my love is for the family of Nand. I shall not forget my flute which was made of bamboo. Udho, please go to Braj. Brother, please tell mother I am her debtor. Brother, Whereby I can get the Braj woman's buttermilk in a buttermilk pot, and boiled rice? Mukti is a thing which I have given away to the ascetics: Now, what to give to mother? I hesitate because of this. How can one blot out what is set by fate? I keep pondering day and night on this. Uddhav, please go to Braj and make mother understand That he on whom the debts pile up, runs away to another country! Brother, the highest thing I have is salvation; to those with whom I am supremely pleased, I grant salvation. Putana came to kill me, but I gave salvation even to her who was about to kill me. Now mother brought me up, nourished, and reared me. What shall I give to her? There must be something special for mother. I have nothing greater than salvation. For this reason my immense debt to mother and father increased, and I was incapable of paying it off. So I left Braj and came to Mathura. UDDHAV: As you command, Lord. Have a little patience, sweet prince. I shall go to Braj and preach the philosophy of Brahman. They will give up house and home, go into the forest, and perform asceticisms. The women of Braj remember you keenly. They will forget you, O Banvari, and put ashes on their bodies. I take an oath by the feet of the Lord That I shall come back from Braj in two days. O King, I shall come back after making the Braj residents forget you. It is in vain that you have been feeling such anxiety. FOOTNOTES: [1] Ghunghci, Sanskrit gunja. Abrus precatorius, a bush bearing a small red seed with a black dot, used as a weight and in children's beads.
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