Re-connection to Vrindavan

"My dear friend, if you still have any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this material world, then don't look upon the form of Krishna, who is standing on the bank of Kesi-ghata. He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is playing upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather. And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky." (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 13)

Vrindavan, the holy land where Lord Krishna performs His pastimes is in the spiritual world and the material world. "When Krishna descends to the material world, this same Vrindavan descends just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vrindavan in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Vrindavan." (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi, Introduction). Devotees from all over the world come to Vrindavan to reside here, either forever or to leave their heart behind in Vrindavan as their bodies leave to go elsewhere. "The land of Vrindavan, the Lord's childhood playground, still remains today, and anyone who visits these places enjoys the same transcendental bliss, although the Lord is not physically visible to our imperfect eyes. Lord Caitanya recommended this land of the Lord as identical with the Lord and therefore worshipable by the devotees. This instruction is taken up especially by the followers of Lord Caitanya known as the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. And because the land is identical with the Lord, devotees like Uddhava and Vidura visited these places five thousand years ago in order to have direct contact with the Lord, visible or not visible, Thousands of devotees of the Lord are still wandering in these sacred places of Vrindavan, and all of them are preparing themselves to go back home, back to Godhead." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.2.27, Purport). For many people, we have lost our connection to the eternal Vrindavan and to our Lord and Re-ligion is a means by which we can establish Re-connection to Vrindavan.

Actually, any religion that can establish a re-connection of the soul with the super soul is the right religion for you. We are born into a religion according to our past karma, but many people change their religion or adopt methods prescribed in other religions to best suit their needs for a connection. All religions are not equal as each religion was established according to time, place, and circumstance and may or may not be complete knowledge. At a given time a prophet, guru, or messenger of God or God Himself came to establish the religion. Whatever was the understanding of the people, how evolved their souls were, at that given time appropriate knowledge was given to them, for them to re-connect with God. RE— a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, is used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition. The word religion comes from the Latin word “Re-Ligare”. “Ligare” means “to bind” or to “connect”.  Adding the “re” before “ligare” causes the word to mean “Re-Bind” or “Re-Connect.” Essentially re-turn, re-unite, re-bond, re-do, re-peat or come back and unite with God. The Vedanta has been told to be the oldest religion with “Ved” meaning knowledge and “Anta” meaning the end of knowledge. The Aryans and descendants are the most spiritually evolved beings who had this Vedic knowledge. According to the present time of Kali, the Lord personally has appeared again as Caitanya Mahaprabhu and has given us a simple method of re-connection through chanting of the holy names. This method given is the only one that can re-connect us to Vrindavan, no other re-ligion can do so.

So essentially re-connection is connection with God whom we have lost connection with and are trying again and again to connect to. Religion has become a bad word in that it reminds people of institutionalized methods of worship of God or a set of rules or a set of beliefs which in many cases has led to violence and other immoral behavior. One need not think of it in a negative sense but instead think of it as a means to learn how to reconnect with the divine. From time immemorial the spirit soul is wandering around in 8, 400,000 species of life as told by our scriptures. After many many births one gets a human birth which is a chance for him or her to develop this re-connection with God. No other species of life has that opportunity. God is all loving and that relationship is eternal. We have been covered up by our false ego and so we fail to realize that sacred relationship of the soul and super soul.

Those of us that live far away from the Vrindavan that has appeared in this world can understand the feeling of pain and separation more so than those who live there physically. Being there physically is the goal if one can do so as one gets sadhu-sanga, association of saints and Hari katha. Just seeing a saintly person can relieve one of all troubles of this material world, what to speak of his words. The holy land and its residents give their own blessings which cannot be compared to the material world that most of us live in. It is recommended in the scriptures that one should always reside in the holy land, and there is no reason to leave physically unless one is unable to or one has to tell others about it. One has to have the qualification as well to reside there physically. But mentally we can all attempt to do so. First of all, I have no qualification personally to live there. By Gurudev’s mercy, sometimes, I am there for a short while. But ironically when I’m there I think about other things in the world more so, and when I live far away I think of Vrindavan more. Regardless, we are all still far far away from the spiritual abode of Goloka Vrindavan. It is good to develop that mood of separation and understand that chanting of the holy names is the only way to stay forever connected to Vrindavan. That mood of separation was what Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed as the highest mood for a spiritual aspirant. The land of Vrindavan is Sri Balarama personified, who has appeared here to become the playground for Radha and Krishna to perform Their pastimes. So all three are present there Radha, Krishna and Balarama. In our chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra also all three are there present, Hare as Radha , Krishna and Rama as Balarama. When we chant, immediately our mind, which is faster than the speed of light, is in Vrindavan. This chanting is our re-connection to Vrindavan no matter where we live on the face of this earth. In this age of Kali, re-connection through chanting is the Re-ligion, which is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s gift to this world.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Chant and be Happy!