Tenth Canto Chapter Forty-six

In this chapter, Uddhava visiting Brindavan is covered.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Uddhava, the best among the Yadavas, was the direct disciple of Guru Brihaspati. He was the best among the most intelligent persons. He was the dearest friend of Srikrishna and also His advisor.

Srikrishna is the Lord who dispels the grief and sins of those who surrender to Him. Uddhava was His dearest friend and devotee. One morning, Krishna held Uddhava’s hand in His and said,

‘O Uddhava, merely by seeing you one’s grief is dispelled. Please go to Brindavan and give joy to our parents. Please convey my message to them and relieve them from this grief caused due to separation from me.

Dear Uddhava, the minds of the Gopikas is totally fixed in me. To them, I am their very life. They even abandoned the relatives who were related to their bodies only to obtain Me. To them I was their lover, their dearest and their Self. They obtained me with such feelings. I will sustain that person who abandons his prescribed dharmas as well as the comforts pertaining to this world and the next, solely for obtaining Me’.”

This is the true meaning of Self-surrender. Under no circumstances can a person abandon the obligatory duties that have been assigned to him/her. Abandoning the comforts of this world and the next is a crucial pre-requisite to reach God. Even happiness is dharma and hence should be discarded. Abandoning one’s dharma does not imply that the prescribed/ obligatory duties should be abandoned. For instance, even breathing is dharma. Will anyone stop breathing merely because it is said that all dharmas are to be abandoned? Eating, nourishing the body to ensure life sustains, cleaning the body are actions relating to the body. Giving happiness to the relatives and dependants is also a mandated duty and comprise a section of one’s own dharma (swadharma).

When the person is asked to discard his dharma, understand that the Scriptures imply that he must discard those other duties that he has accepted for himself/ herself and not the obligatory duties that are mandated for his stage of life by the scriptures. Not understanding this, people say, ‘I have given up all my duties. I have abandoned my husband/ children’. This is incorrect. Looking after them is a bounded duty which you have no right to discard. What you should discard are the unwanted feelings and emotions that run in your mind eternally.

“I will sustain that person who, desirous of seeking My grace, abandons his dharmas (duties) and the comforts both of this world and the next.

O Uddhava, due to separation from me, the Gopikas will be grieving profusely’.”

Krishna was implying. ‘If I had to inform them that I would remain forever in Mathura, their grief would have worsened. Hence, I deliberately bid bye to them without giving them any hint of my future plans’.

Krishna continued, “Night and day they must be weeping for me. As they have not heard from me for so long they must be getting anxious. Remembering me time and again, they must be experiencing unbearable agony. The Gopikas have attained oneness (abheda) with me. Since I have promised to return, somehow or the other they would be holding on to their lives with difficulty’.”

The innocent cowherd women had believed that Krishna would live in the city for a few days and then return back to them. They had no inclination of His future plans. They were living in the hope that Krishna would return to them one day.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Uddhava understood the message that Krishna was trying to convey to the Gopikas. He realized that Krishna was also agonizing knowing that the Gopikas were agonizing for Him. He could understand the depth of pain experienced by the Lord and knew that the Lord wanted to give them solace.

Instantly he offered obeisance to Krishna and then mounting his chariot set off for Nanda’s Gokula.

By Sunset, the handsome Uddhava arrived at Gokula. His swift horses carried the chariot at the speed of wind enabling him to complete the distance, which normally took three days, in a matter of few hours.

Uddhava’s chariot was completely covered by the dust raised due to the cattle that were returning home after grazing”.

The millions of cows that were returning home caused the dust to rise as high as the skies.

“The bulls that were in the herd were mooing and fighting one another seeking the cows. The cows that were burdened by their heavily filled udders were chasing their calves”.

Just as a man chases his wife, the bulls were chasing the cows and fighting off other bulls in the process. The cows whose udders had become heavy, were chasing their calves. The situation was truly a feast to the eyes of the onlooker. The cows and the calves were dancing merrily excited that they were nearing home. The net result of all these activities caused the dust to be raised to the skies. The thick layer of dust made it difficult to see humans or objects in the vicinity.

“The calves that were hopping merrily were the ornaments that decorated Gokula. The entire hamlet reverberated with the sounds of flute and with the sounds of milking the cows’.”

Krishna had taught all the boys to play the flute. Hence the air was filled with the melodious sounds from all directions.

“The elegantly dressed and well ornamented Gopikas who were loudly singing the glories of Balarama and Krishna were enhancing the beauty of the hamlet and of the cowherds. The tears in their eyes had a mix of happiness and sorrow’.”

The most important point to remember here is that even in their grief due to separation from Krishna, these Gopikas did not abandon even one of the daily duties. Cooking, cleaning the house, and milking the cows were going on as normal.

“The houses of the cowherds in Gokula, were shining resplendently as they were decorated with incense sticks and other paraphernalia used for the daily worship to the sacred fires, the Sun-god, the unexpected guests, cows, Vedic Brahmins, the fore-fathers, and the Devatas. There was an atmosphere of happiness and tranquillity all around”.

Krishna Narayana