Krishna Nectar Lila 56 – “KRISHNA’S PLAYFUL FRIENDS”

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

After His birthday festival Krishna and His boyfriends spent the days in the forests herding the cows.

While walking they rolled clusters of kunda flowers into balls, which looked sesame seed laddus, and bombard each other’s bodies with infallible aim. The boys enjoyed this sport very much. Sometimes they threw the balls high into the sky as if to tantalize the svarga-devis (demigoddesses). At other times they threw them horizontally, as if making earrings for the deities of the directions.

Running along with His companions, the son of the king of Vrndavana absorbed Himself in playing and did not even stop for a moment’s rest. To catch a ball thrown high above His head, Krishna looked up, held His tilted turban with His left hand, and caught the ball perfectly in His right hand. Whenever Krishna threw a ball high in the sky, He gracefully raised His right hand, and squinted His eyes to reduce the glare of the sun.

With His curly hair flying about, Gopala played for hours on end with His friends. His face and body covered in perspiration, Krishna looked like the autumnal full moon studded with pearls. When the game ended Krishna took shelter of some shady trees to relieve His fatigue. One friend spread his cloth on the ground as a bed, one friend fanned Krishna with leaves, and another massaged His feet.

In this way the cowherd boys humbly served Krishna. The boyfriends of the Lord, who had performed heaps of pious activities, expressed varieties of blissful rasas as they passed their days herding cows with Krishna, the Supreme Soul of all. 

Excerpt: Sri Kavi Karnapura’s Ananda Vrindavana Campu ki jai!

Krishna Nectar Lilas ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

All parts of Krishna Nectar Lilas can be found here.