Lament of the cowherdesses - part 6

Uddhava’s mission

Krishna and his cousin Uddhava belonged to the race of the Yadavas or the Vrishnis. Being the sons of brothers they bore a striking resemblance to each other. Uddhava, an amsha of Brihaspathi, was a dear friend and devotee of Krishna.

After his stint at the gurukula, Krishna requested Uddhava to visit Vrindavan. He said, “Father Nanda, mother Yashoda and all the cowherds and cowherdesses will be pleased to see you (because of their resemblance). The poor gopis who gave up all worldly pleasures just to be with me, have been spending their days thinking only of me. I worry about their well-being. Can you please convey the message that ‘your Krishna will come’ to them?”

Uddhava set out as Krishna’s messenger. As he entered Vrindavan he was greeted by cattle returning home, lusty bulls pursuing cows, ambling cows with full udders, frisky calves… and their sweet mooing. Accompanying this was the sound of churning of curd and the wistful singing of the gopis swathed in white, as if to match the colour of the cows.

Nanda mistaking Uddhava for Krishna embraced him warmly. Uddhava spent the night with Nanda and Yashoda, both of whom recollecting the pastimes of Krishna, were lost in reverie. Uddhava exclaimed that there was none as fortunate as them. He pacified them by conveying Krishna’s message that he would soon be back. The night passed and at the crack of dawn, the gopis busied themselves with their routine, all the while singing about Krishna.

The sight of a chariot parked in front of Nanda’s house irked the cowherds. They muttered angrily to their wives, “Has Akrura come again? What else does he want from us? Has he not troubled us enough?”

As they spoke these words they sighted Uddhava.

The Paradox

The gopis surrounded Uddhava and said, “We know that you are here to provide solace to Nanda and Yashoda, for it is true that even an exalted saint finds it difficult to forget the affection he feels for his parents. We also know that Krishna does not care for anyone else except those two. The interest that a man shows in women is as fleeting as the bee’s interest in the flowers it visits. (This is part of Bramhara geethe) “We know all about your Krishna”… they exclaimed indignantly… “He who swallowed the waters of the ocean as a fish, he who hid as a tortoise under the sinking mountain, he who killed the father at the behest of his child, and then killed his own mother at the behest of his father, then killed generations of warriors at the mere wail of his mother, he who hid behind trees to kill a vaanara, he who killed the one trying to suckle him, and now he has killed his own mother’s sibling…” “We want to forget him and his treachery, but the marks of his nails on our breasts are constant reminders and cause us perpetual longing”, they lamented.

Once their initial indignation wore off, the gopis, on an emotional roller coaster, begged Uddhava to lead them to Krishna. They began to sweetly enquire about their beloved Krishna, his life in Mathura, whether he remembered those he had left behind… They declared that they were mere bees who wanted to flit around the lotus feet of Krishna. They expressed their worry that Krishna would no longer be interested in them, unsophisticated village belles, since he now belonged to the royal family…They despaired that unlike Pingala* they could not find peace in not waiting for their beloved…

*Mentioned in Prakruthiya paata part 6

Uddhava’s quiet pride in his closeness and devotion to Krishna was shaken. Graciously he exclaimed*, “O gopis… how blessed are you…you have gained the lord’s affections, which even learned sages perform years of penance, numerous sacrifices and severe austerities to attain. The feet of the lord which are the objects of worship of devotees, exalted beings, Rudra, Bramha and Lakshmi have been placed on your breasts…

*called Gopi-sthuthi

The passion you feel for Krishna reiterates the saying, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’…

I can only marvel at the purity and depth of your love for Krishna. I am truly humbled. No one in the world is as fortunate as you are!”

Full of affection for the gopis, Uddhava reassured them that Krishna had not forgotten them at all but was constantly thinking of them and their welfare. He conveyed Krishna’s message that the separation did more good than they realised for now he was forever in their thoughts!

Thus, a mortified Uddhava returned to Mathura, mystified by the ways of the lord and his inexplicable closeness to the simple cowherdesses of Vrindavan.