Vedasri Siddamsetty

About 5000 years ago, Lord Vishnu one of the Trimurti, the Preserver of the worlds came into the world in his 8th avatar since the beginning of the world as we know it as Krishna. Born in Mathura, raised in Gokul and Vrindavan, finally as the king of Dwaraka, he was an influential figure of the mightiest epic Mahabharata and the instructor of the Bhagavad Gita, translated as the word of the Lord. Krishna as a God, is affable with hugely plenty of affable qualities. The mischief of baby Krishna, the love of adolescent Krishna, the wisdom of the adult Krishna is found in the very many stories of his life. All of what He instructs in the Gita is said to be a manual for the living. And on his journey we went this March, touching upon the cities of his birth and upbringing amongst cowherds. The simplicity of his life and his love for being playful is so keenly felt when we hear and feel his life stories.

A short drive away from Agra, Vrindavan is home to some major Krishna temples, the most visited one being the Prem Mandir, a beautiful Hindu temple in white marble that holds the deity but also in the compound stories of his life carved out in real scale dimensions. As the legend goes, Krishna was spotted with the universe in his mouth as his foster mother Yashoda opened his mouth to see if he was hurt by an evil woman Putana who was trying to kill him. In other tales, Krishna is said to have lifted the Govardhan mountain (an entire mountain) on his little figure to save the villagers from incessant rains. While the Lord appeared to Arjuna who lost all hope to fight, he also keenly says in the Gita a lesson for positive being, whatever happened, happened for the good, what is happening is happening for the good and whatever will happen will also happen for the good. That being the basic premise of the Gita, he instructs people to do their work, or duty with absolutely no attachment to the result, to work independently of the result. Thereby putting to rest all claims of goals and of manifestations that plague the world at the moment. Well doing what needs to be done, with no expectation is indeed a lofty aim to live with!

If Vrindavan today is filled with wisdom, it is also known as the City of Widows, for it is said that Lord Krishna married 16000 women, in his way of bringing them all into his fold, however today widows who may not have anyone to turn to, literally turn to the Lord reaching Vrindavan. The religious significance of Indian cities are reaching their zenith as the world turns to spirituality. As the rickshaw pulls into the gates of the Prem Mandir the area is dotted with people ready to imprint on our cheeks the chant of Radhe Radhe! Falling in the Braj region, this phrase is used as a greeting referring to the Lord’s consort or love, Radha. This phrase is more than a greeting or a chant; it’s an embodiment of unconditional love and devotion. In saying “Radhe Radhe,” we invoke the spirit of Radha’s unwavering devotion to Lord Krishna, symbolising our own longing for spiritual connection and divine love. It’s a reminder of the pure, selfless love that lies at the heart of spiritual practice. Radha is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Mūlaprakriti, the Supreme goddess, who is the feminine counterpart and internal potency (hladini shakti) of Krishna. Radha accompanies Krishna in all his incarnations. 

After soaking in the divinity of Vrindavan we made our way to the city of birth of Lord Krishna, the city of Mathura, the prison where Devaki delivered Krishna, where his father Vasudev carried baby Krishna across the Yamuna, that parted and made way for Vasudev, and where Krishna’s evil Uncle Kamsa proclaimed to kill him upon hearing a future call. The prison and the temple attached to it is holy as an important site to the worshippers of Lord Krishna. In the temply in Mathura, Radha the consort of Lord Krishna is seen with her hands in a blessing gesture, this idol is said to be one of its kind, for nowhere else is Radha seen holding this stance. The temple is always open and the bhajan of “Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare” is chanted in a never ending loop. The calmness and tranquility that this chant brings is truly real.

Finally after soaking in the free-spiritedness of Mathura, where Holi is played in all its glory, fun and playfulness we headed to the lovable town of Gokul. With its narrow lanes, cows, cowherds and the river of Yamuna, Gokul is vastly likeable. As the guide guided us through the narrow lanes of the city taking up to the house that was Yashoda and Nanda Gopal’s, where baby Krishna was left by Vasudev to prevent his Uncle Kamsa from finding him, we were told that Gokul mein hain toh hasna padega, meaning where you are in Gokul you have to laugh, crying is reserved for Kashi or Varanasi which is the city of Death. Thereby laughing, making up lift our hands over our heads to bring on the belly laughter, he had us in splits over lively chutkule or phrases like, Gokul ke ladki aur Gokul ke gai, karm phute toh aur kahi jayeth, meaning the girls and the cows of Gokul are married in Gokul or stay in Gokul respectively, unless their fate is doomed!

A boat ride through across the section of the Yamuna that flows through Gokul we see the ghats on the river bank where Krishna was upto mischief teasing the girls or simply sitting on a tree and playing his flute delightedly. In this section of the river too Lord Krishna came out victoriously dancing on the hood of the river monster having tamed it. The vibe of Gokul is truly surreal, and the house of Krishna with all its mirrors seemingly a folklore, for how could the buildings stay put for over 5000 years. As spun as the tales may be, they make for a reality that we wish to comfort ourselves with. Krishna is a very popular God, resonating with many Hindus all over the world, having his idol in one’s home is said to bestow love and prosperity to the household. Having Krishna in our hearts keeps one close to the heart, many Hindus greet each other with Jai Shri Krishna, remembering the Lord all day with each action, while others say Radhe Radhe allowing the word and the wish of their favourite God to flow through them, themselves being just the instruments of action.

The depth of spiritual tourism in India is absolutely fantastic, as I hear our Prime Minister speaking of the next greatest export of India, after Indigo, jewels and IT comes spirituality! I believe spirituality is the greatest treasure of our land and if goaded by religion and all the stories that it entails, spirituality may just become more easily understood to those who may find talking to the universe a tad bit abstract. The journey through the lands that we read or were told so much about, makes the place alive and the story thrive in our own minds. The principles remain love and compassion if not simply to love, to do all actions with feelings of love and playfulness, to talk to the Lord (we Hindus are said to have 33 million to choose from) freely and uninhibitedly, to cherish the tales and stories that are only told to make us connected to the divinity that resides in all of us, and to be reminded of the unconditional aspect of love as we say and hear Radhe Radhe!