Chapter 11: An Abstract Pattern of Love in Dewdrops.

An Abstract Pattern of Love in Dewdrops.

Night entered like the spell of an enchantress; Radha was observing the clear sky bright with the winter moon, sailing untroubled through the blinking starry sky!

She was sitting amidst her bosom friends narrating about her Krishna's beauty to them afresh tonight! She received a messenger that evening with the information of Raj Mata Satyavathi's visit to Nandgoan next morning to meet Kanha's Maa Yashoda and friend Radha. The entire Gokul is inquisitively waiting for that royal visitor!

"Can you guess who is my Krishna is??--Radha was in trance, asking the surrounding maidens with half-closed eyes; she herself answered next,--

"He is the vision of our eyes, the smile of our lips, the beat of our hearts, and he is the God of our prayers. He is the brightness of our lives!"

The surrounding maidens were watching her luminous eyes, which made all stars diminish; her magical voice was entrancing their hearts as well! They were addicted to listening to Krishna's Mohana Vamsi [ the captivating tunes of the flute] till now; now they are looking forward to listening to Radha's enraptured feelings, her disclosures of their love, her description of tantalizing nights she spent with Krishna on the riverbank under the moonlight! In between, they will ask some questions to remind her of their presence there; she, as usual, in her trance, sometimes talks with them enthusiastically, sometimes slips into her penance for Him!

" Vandana ...did you hear that call? My Krishna is calling me in this stillness of night! Please listen to his intoxicating voice, which is swaying with the floral fragrances; that voice must be bathed in the honey of love, traversing through the winter breeze, touching the threshold of my love, moving through the quivering heart. Listen to that musical tone, my friends! My Krishna is calling me; I have to go now, but where to go? Where can I search for Him in this Universe? " Tears of despondency slowly cascaded down her cheeks, leaving her so weak! Once that first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream! A heap of garlands surrounded her; all were fresh as if trying to calm her down, and that fragrance spread all over that place!

All of a sudden, she chortled gleefully! The maidens questioned her,' Are you mad Radha? He is marrying one after the other and sending you a garland every time to tease you, to increase your desolation; still, you are laughing?!'

"No friends, try to understand his quest, Vaishnavi! He is searching for his Radha in every girl who loves him and marries him. His sending a fresh garland to me whenever he marries means he is still searching for me and did not get me! That's why, with respect, he is trying to adorn me with a garland! Do you know when he sent the first garland when he married Rukmini? He sent a garland of yellow marigolds, which signifies friendship and happiness, which he has seen in her; he sent a rose garland symbolically when he married Satyabhama, explaining her beauty, passion, and courage! His every sentiment was expressed in one form or the other through these tender buds and blooms! It is a game between us"- a flash of a smile on her lips, a spark of love in those yearning glances!

"For me, love is an infinite stillness, a state of rootedness! For my Krishna, it's a never-ending quest! I can live in this stillness of love; he will take the world unto eternity with him in search of that love!"-

It was painful to see her like this for all the maidens there. Neela embraced her and let the torrent of her tears soak through her pallu; she could feel her clench her fists, not knowing whether to be mad at her or to give up hope altogether! She could hear her silently screaming, suffocating with each breath she took, trying hard to hold on to her pride. She caressed Radha's head in an attempt to calm the silent war within her mind!

Radha was swiftly moving towards the bank of the river Yamuna, into her memories!

The night walked beside her.

So did Krishna.

Though unseen!

The dew drops under her feet were silently writing the past stories of love on the heart of the earth to preserve those for future generations!----- To be continued...

Viswasruti2020-11-04 13:20:52