Chapter 14: Have You Seen My Krishna

Have You Seen My Krishna?

Radha wandered through the spring garden, searching for Krishna. Every tree and flowering bush seemed eager to hide Him, delighting in teasing His beloved.

She stopped before a jasmine bush and asked softly,

"Have you seen my Krishna,....the one who enchants every young heart with the melody of His flute?"

The jasmine bush blushed beneath its blossoms and replied,

"How would I know? I have been busy teaching my buds how to bloom, so they may become a fragrant garland around Krishna's neck. I am preparing myself for the joy of resting upon His chest."

Smiling through her impatience, Radha hurried to the tall Vakula tree.

"You are so tall," she pleaded. "You can see far beyond the horizon. Tell me, have you seen my Krishna anywhere?"

The Vakula tree turned rosy, its tender leaves glowing with delight. Leaning close like a fragrant breeze, it whispered into her ear,

"Listen, dear girl... I have not yet recovered from His affectionate embrace. What a mischievous boy He is! He hugged me with such joy and kissed my trunk before saying, 'I am going to meet my Radha today.'"

Hope filled Radha's heart as she walked to the banks of the Yamuna. Sitting beside the gently flowing river, she folded her hands and asked,

"O Mother Yamuna, you nourish all of nature. Please tell me, where is my Krishna?"

The river trembled in soft ripples before answering,

"What shall I tell you, Radha? As He passed this way, He paused to admire His smiling reflection upon my waters while adjusting the peacock feather in His crown. One smile from that enchanting youth stole my heart. Since then, I have flowed on endlessly, unable to calm the joyous vibrations He awakened within me."

Radha remained on the riverbank, her wide eyes still searching for Krishna while her thoughts drifted toward Him.

Who filled my world with such beautiful colors that my heart learned the meaning of joy?

Who suddenly gave wings to my thoughts, allowing them to soar like a free bird across the endless sky, scattering love upon the horizon?

"My sleepless eyes finally lowered in shy surrender when Your gentle touch reached me in my dreams, Krishna."

"You alone have the privilege of filling the canvas of my world with the colors of love and tenderness. Tell me, who has gifted these eyes with such sweet shyness that they have forgotten sleep? Who is the reason for the blush upon my cheeks?"

"The delight I feel at the first rays of dawn belongs to You now. My smile beneath the moonlit sky belongs to You as well. Everything that is mine has become Yours, Krishna."

"Now I see Your love shimmering in the colors of the rainbow. Come, paint those colors across my dreams, Krishna, that I may behold You in every radiant hue."

"Suddenly I realize, Krishna, there is little difference between the blue clouds and the peacock feather. One is devotion, the other adoration. One is the heart, the other the soul. They are inseparable—just as You and I are."

And so Radha remained beneath the tree on the banks of the Yamuna, silently painting Krishna's image upon the canvas of her heart.