MESSAGES AND MESSENGERS

 In Krishna's Vraj lila, messengers are very important. There are cowherd boy messengers, manjaris messengers, bird messengers, animal messengers, inanimate object messengers....

Amongst the gopas, the cetas or cetakas, are very expert at arranging rendez-vous and such secret missions which inevitably includes messages often given in the form of riddles. Bhangura and Bhringara are two such bold and witty friends of Krishna.

Krishna's flute is an expert messenger also, calling only specific gopis. Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur describes in SB the power of that flute and Jiva Goswami says how others could not hear the flute song if not intended for them. Powerful and specific messenger! 

The special power of the flute: others could not hear it, but it attracted the gopīs.
Jiva Goswami, SB 10.29.4 purport 

There are the Apta duti gopi messengers headed by Vira and Vrnda. There are many parrot messengers and even an old she-monkey named Kakkhati who loves to carry an urgent message to the Divine couple lovingly trapped in mutual embrace in the love bower as dawn approaches. She screams, almost daily: "The sun is rising. looking like and old ascetic with red jatas, Jatila". She never fails to frighten Radha who hears the name of her mother in law within the urgent message. Today an unusual messenger, a swan messenger is on my mind, Hamsaduta.

One day, Radha and her friends, the sakhis were walking on the bank of the Yamuna river. All of them were immersed in the mood of separation from Krishna who had gone to Mathura on family duty. Akrura had come to Vrndavan and cruelly stole the life of Vraj, on the order of king Kamsa. He heartlessly took Krishna and Balaram to Mathura, grateful for the opportunity of association and fully confident of the prowess of the lads. Kamsa's intention was to kill them or at least kill Krishna, the eight son of Devaki, but things went quite differently. Krishna killed the mad elephant Kuvalyapida who was meant to trample Him in lieu of due grand reception. They defeated the wrestlers Mustika and Canura who were like mountains compared to the boys. Krishna even wrestled to death His uncle Kamsa, a celebrated warrior. When Akrura had taken the boys away, the Vrajbhasis reasoned that They would return in a few days after visiting family members. This was a survival strategy as they couldn't bear the pain of impending extended separation. This is how Nanda, Yasoda and others maintained their lives, always expecting Krishna would be back today or tomorrow. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and years while Radha forcibly held on to her life airs. "I will return" Krishna said. What if she gave up her life and He arrived looking for her?

 

  "Once, when Srimati Radharani was feeling much affliction  because of her separation from Krishna, She went to the bank of the Yamuna with some of Her friends. There, Radharani saw a cottage wherein She and Krishna had experienced many loving pleasures, and by remembering those incidents, She immediately became overcome with dizziness. She fell in the dust, Her limbs motionless, barely breathing."

After placing semi conscious Radha on a bed of lotus petals, Lalita went to fetch some water.

On the Yamuna's shore she saw a graceful and sweetly warbling white swan.

"He may be able to bring a message to Krishna."

Who can blame such a girl? Being consumed by the agony of her own separation combined with that of seeing the suffering of Radha, who can blame her for talking to a swan? In her transcendental madness, he appeared as the ideal candidate, ideal messenger.

"Fly over the path where the passionately crying gopis followed their lover as He went on Akrura's chariot, and you will become the greatest of swans, paramahamsa. O king of swans, please stay for a moment on this kadamba tree full of new leaves, the tree Lord Hari climbed when, to flood us with waves of secret love, He suddenly stole our garments. See the rasa-lila place, a place where dancing broke the jasmine vines, a place dark with musk fallen from the vine forms of the splendid and playful gopis, a place where a certain person crowned with peacock feathers, dressed in garments splendid as gold, His limbs dark as a tamala tree, filling all directions with glorious handsomeness, flooding the world with waves of bliss, and His mouth kissing a simple flute, made wonderful music, it will put joy in your heart.

Be careful not to place your eyes on Lord Hari's amorous festival jasmine vine cottage. When, by seeing it, you become so filled with bliss, you may forget your mission, then all the gopis will perish."

What is the message?

Not so fast.

When you see Mathuranath Krishna, do not speak right away. He may be surrounded by city damsels and fine pleasures of the city. Wait until he is in nature, where he can feel the sun and wind, where He can smell the jasmine flowers, hear the "kuhus" of the cuckoos... Then you remind him of us, simple and lovesick Vraja gopikas who have become less than half persons in His absence. We cannot live without Him. Tell Him how, tortured on every side by the flames of the forest fire of separation and gravely wounded by the hunter Kamadeva, the deer of my friend's life will leave the withered forest of Her body today or tomorrow. Remind Him of Radha's unlimited and unflinching love.

Acknowledge His wonder. Describe how he is the origin of the Dasavatar, be His friend.

"O king of birds, the waves of your words broken with symptoms of love, and your face wet with tears from your eyes, tell all this to Him. As you wait for the nectar of Lord Govinda's reply, gaze on Him with your eyes."

"Please bring Nanda's son on the pathway of our eyes. Please do this kindness for the gopis,

who are worshiped in all the worlds. O king of swans, don't doubt that you can fly to Mathura in nine or twelve hours."

"O swan lover who enjoys playing in the lakes and who has the power to separate milk and
water, You are very wise. Why delay your journey to Mathura?

Click here for all nectarian Hamsaduta verses.

More next time, as I slowly and happily take one step at a time towards Radha and Krishna's Love and pray for the mercy of the vaisnavas without whose mercy I am lost.

Begging to remain the servant of your servants.