The gopikas were anguished. "Where has Krsna disappeared?!" "And Radha too is missing! He has chosen to take Radharani alone with him!"
"Why has he done this to us?!" they cried. Vishakha suddenly understood. "It is my fault," she said guiltily. "I became proud that Krsna is dancing with us. I am the culprit."
"No Vishakha! It is me! I was proud that Lord Krsna had been waiting especially for me!" retorted Chandravali. And one by one, the gopikas began blaming themselves for what had happened. They started sobbing loudly, ashamed of their conduct.
Lalita calmed the others. "There is no use of weeping now, dear sakhis. Let us search for the Lord, for our sakhi Radha. Let us search for Radhamadhava!"
"Mrigayata Radhamadhavam! Muhuriha Nigamavane Dhavam! Mrigata Radhamadhavam!"
The gopikas were consoled and began searching for Radhakrsna. They came across many different trees associated with different leelas of Krsna.
"Behold, the Kadamba tree, from which Krsna jumped into the Yamuna to fight the serpent king Kaliya! How valiant he was, fighting that hundred-headed snake!"
"Look sakhis! The Bhandira Tree, where Krsna sits every day with his friends to eat!"
"Why, this leaves of this Aamra tree are so sweet smelling! Ah! Krsna comes to this tree during the mango season to eat fresh mangoes!"
"And look, in the distance are the Tala (palm) trees! It was in that grove that Balarama and Krsna killed the terrible demon Dhenukasura!!"
"And there lies Govardhana - which Krsna uprooted like a mushroom just to protect us from Lord Indra's fury!"
"What about this tree - the Nimba (neem) tree? Remember when we were roamng around, he started praising the virtues of this tree?"
"Oh Nyagrodha, Oh Bhandira, Oh Amra, Oh Nimba, oh Kadamba, please tell us! YOu must have seen Krsna as he passed by! Tell us his whereabouts!"
"Oh Ashoka! You remove people's Shoka (sorrow)! Remove our shoka too by teling us the whereabouts of Krsna! Oh Naga! Oh Punnaga! Oh Plaksha! It is under your shade that Krsna has performed so many leelas! Where is that Butter thief who has stolen our hearts!"
Oh Champaka tree! You must tell us the whereabouts of Radharani and Krsna! We are sorrowful without his company!"
Chandravali was weeping so badly that she could barely lift her head. She looked at the roots of the tree and was stunned! For in the ground were the impressions of two pairs of footprints, on pair pressed hard, as if the owner had been standing on his toes. The ground also was scattered with Champaka flowers. She frantically called her sakhis. "Gopikas! Look here! Radha's and Krsna's footprints! Krsna must have been decorating her hair with flowers!"
The gopikas were frantic. They started collecting all the flowers fallen on the ground. They put the mud of the footprints on their heads and started worshipping the ground. Chandravali was very desparate to find Krsna, and seeing Radha's footprints, her desparation turned to jealousy.
"Anaya Aradhito Nunam Bhagavan Harih Ishvarah!
Yat No Vihaya Govindo Prito Ayam Anayat Rahah!"
"Surely this gopika Radha must have done lots of Aradhana to Lord Hari, that even when he left us, he was happy with her and took her along!"
The others looked at her, surprised at her sudden tirade against Radha. But they didn't utter a word. They travelled a little more, following the pair of footprints, until Radha's footprints vanished. "He must have carried her in his arms over here!"
They travelled a little more distance when they came across a figure weeping on the ground, her face covered by her hair, decorated with Champaka flowers. The gopikas drew closer to the figure, who lifted her head to look at them. The gopikas gasped with shock. The anguished look in her eyes was never before seen. All their feelings of resentment flooded out of their minds. They were perplexed. For the gopika in front of them was Radha.
comment:
p_commentcount