After Delhi, we headed to Vrndavana, about 150 km to the southwest . Vrndavana is a city of 5000+ temples, and the sacred land where Lord Krishna (The original Godhead, according to Vedic texts) appeared 5000 yrs ago to perform his all-attractive superhuman earthly pastimes. It is said that in the original Vrndavana of the spiritual realm, which the earthly tract is a replica, ‘every word is a song and every step is a dance’. I had been there twice previously, and was enchanted by the sublime atmosphere as well as the blissful residents, both permeated by a deep sense of serene devotion.

Our schedule did not permit us to stay more than a few days, although we knew that we’d be back soon. We first nestled into the home of Gaura & Pancha, longtime residents whom had recently returned to manage an international temple project – Krishna-Balaram Mandir. The temple was in the heart of Vraj (short for Vrndavan), and is a magnificent spectacle of immense splendor & beauty. We would return later in the evening for the famous Aindra kirtans, lively and ecstatic devotional chants led by an eccentric mendicant who has dedicated life and soul to the musical chanting of the holy names. For now though, we went through the back roads of this ancient village town to see it ‘as it was’. We wandered through the dirt streets greeted by smiles, pranams (respects with folded hands) and cries of “Jai Shree Radhey!” Radha, Lord Krishna’s eternal feminine counterpart, is extremely beloved here in Vraj. Everywhere the residents go they glorify her as the one who captivates Shyama’s (Krishna who is blackish) heart by her profound love & beauty. We saw old sadhu’s (saintly men) dressed in traditional garb with japa beads, old widows with very little possessions yet the brightest smiles and even ‘medicine men’ (see pic) carrying their traditional herbs. However what won our hearts were the sacred cows of this blessed land. Everywhere they could be seen, peacefully wandering about. I was offering prayers and respects at one famous tree, know to be a ‘kalpa-vriksha’ tree (wish-fulfilling), when I turned and saw these 2 sweet young calves, grayish and brown with white, nestling up to Vishnu and me. It was as if they came out of nowhere, like representatives of Krishna & Balaram to bestow their kindness upon us. Super Sweet. (see pics) We visited a few other goshalas, (go means cow, shala means shelter), and saw the most gorgeous pure milk white cows – most notably Ganga & Yamuna, who were being cared for by an old friend of mine. The cow is very dear to Krishna, both for it’s gentle demeanor, and for the selfless gifts it bestows upon mankind in the form of milk, butter, yogurt ghee etc. Milk straight from the cow, as it’s meant to be, is perhaps the most nutritious food on the planet, for body (strengthening), mind (pacifying )and spirit (nourishing finer brain cells for spiritual understanding).

We then went to the ancient Radha Damodar temple to behold the divine deity forms and relish the sweetness of the worship therein. In that temple my spiritual preceptor, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (that’s a mouthful), lived for many years after retiring from household life. He stayed there in a tiny room as a humble renunciate, translating the volumnious ancient Vedic literatures into English for the benefit of the western world. In the courtyard of the open-air temple compound were the samadhi tombs of many great stalwart acaryas or teachers/philosophers of Vedic wisdom, such as Jiva Goswami and Rupa Goswami. These saints have been regarded by scholars as having the finest philosophical understanding of the subtleties of esoteric spiritual arts and sciences, all of which culminate in love of the highest order or prema. Srila Prabhupada would awaken in the early hours before 2 am and translate, while gazing out his small window to the courtyard where his preceptors lay, crying for their mercy. Such is the nature of devotion. You could def feel the thickness of that energy there.

Before going into the temple, I had to relieve myself, so my rickshaw driver showed me a suitable spot. I noticed a monkey scheming there to steal my eyeglasses (they are famous for that mischief). I attentively removed them from my face whilst being careful not to wet myself, so to speak. However when I exited the temple after an hour, as I was giving a few rupees to some local widows who were begging, that same monkey snatched my glasses like a trained pro lying in wait. The rickshaw walla then ran over to buy some food from a nearby vendor to bribe that rascal monkey. Thankfully the ruse worked and my glasses were retuned unchewed. From that point on I made sure I wore my eyeglass band. Whew!

Next day we left early in the morn for the town of Govardhana, famous for the mountain/hill of the same name which was lifted by Sri Krishna 5000 yrs before during a life-threatening massive thunderstorm. It’s a beautiful story, so google it if you are so inclined. We had breakfast with my old friend, Danudhara swami, a learned author and teacher. From NYC, he has lived for over 30 years in India, coming to west for a few months yearly during the hot season. This guy is a seasoned veteran – he was the tour guide for India (my partner) and I the first time we went to India ( the country), and for that we are forever grateful. Our first Astronauts of Antiquity record “AOA.1″ has a couple songs inspired by that trip, most notably “New Delhi Way”. Check it out. We then proceeded onto prarikrama, or walking around the Govardhana Hill, which bestows immense blessings and fulfills the cherished desires of the practitioner. We met many wonderfully colorful & exotic sadhus along the way (see pics). Our day ended with a visit to Radha Kund and Shyama Kund, revered by the Vaishnava (Hindu devotees) saints to be the holiest of places on the planet. This is the intimate bathing ghat where the Divine Couple, Radha & Krishna would meet during their manifest lila pastimes (listen to our song “Dance Until Dawn” from Rocket Science for Dummies” to catch a vibe). It is truly imbued with such a sublime presence permeated by the sweetness of divine love. Please please come to this place! It is not of this world, I assure you.

next post: village life in western Maharstra with my Hindu & Muslim yogi friends….

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