Chapter 7

Chapter 7

One after the other, the Rain Festival and the Spring Festival passed peacefully. Radha remained anxious, wondering about Krishna and the events unfolding in His life. War was looming large over Aryavarta. Many kingdoms had already declared their allegiance to their chosen sides. Before plunging the land into an all-pervasive and destructive war, Krishna wanted to give peace one final chance. At the Pandavas' request, He agreed to go to Hastinapur as their messenger and convey their message to the Kauravas.

Krishna set out for Hastinapur in His chariot, determined to give peace a chance to prevail. The chariot moved steadily along the road, but a great turmoil stirred within His heart. He knew very well that peace had little place in the hearts of those who were bent on war, and that the annihilation of adharma might ultimately become inevitable. The need of the hour was to awaken and elevate the collective consciousness of Aryavarta.

Throughout His life, Krishna had faced one crisis after another, each rising like a wave and threatening to engulf everything in its path. Yet, never once had His countenance been clouded by sorrow. He had faced every challenge with wisdom, patience, and an unfaltering smile. But now, something felt different. For the first time, He sensed a void within His heart—a longing for solace, for the quiet presence of someone before whom He could lay down the burden of His thoughts.

If war became inevitable, an ethical conflict would arise. The choices before Him would not merely concern victory or defeat, but dharma itself. He needed guidance—not in matters of strategy or diplomacy, but in the deeper realm of spiritual wisdom.

Lost in these thoughts, Krishna gently whispered a word into the ears of His horses.

The horses suddenly changed their course.

The chariot turned away from the road leading to Hastinapur...

Where was Krishna going?

And whom did He seek at a moment when the entire Aryavarta was looking towards Him for guidance?

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The chariot gradually left the main road and entered a narrow path bordered by flowering trees. The rhythmic sound of the horses' hooves softened as the familiar sounds of the royal road faded into the distance.

The charioteer looked at Krishna in surprise.

“Prabhu, this is not the road to Hastinapur.”

Krishna smiled faintly.

“I know.”

“Then where are we going?”

Krishna remained silent for a moment. His eyes rested on the distant horizon, but His thoughts had travelled far beyond it.

“There is someone I wish to see.”

The charioteer waited, expecting Him to name a sage, a king, or perhaps one of His trusted companions.

But Krishna merely smiled.

“Someone before whom I need not be Krishna.”

The words left the charioteer speechless.

For the world, He was the strategist behind the coming war, the diplomat carrying the last message of peace, the protector of dharma, and the one upon whom kings and warriors depended for guidance.

But somewhere within that divine persona lived a heart that yearned for one place where He could simply be Himself.

The chariot continued through the quiet countryside.

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On that crisp Spring day, Radha saw colorful flowers wavering in the breeze like celestial smiles and tender buds waiting to unfold in the night. The trees, with their branches in full bloom, stood lined up like guards, as though they had assembled in advance to receive an unexpected visitor that day! Before bidding adieu, the Sun asked the blinking sky to watch over the maiden there.

There... there she sat beneath the Tamala tree on the riverside, nurturing a beautiful dream of witnessing the divine light enter her life, gently adjusting the veil over her head.

That veil seemed like a veil between the anguished wait and the delirious delight, a veil between the parched thirst and the fulfilling thought, a veil between longing and possession, a veil between the interlude and the union. When that veil was finally blown away, a new dawn would arrive in her life!

A frisson of excitement stirred within her heart, and an exotic gamut of exhilaration illuminated her beautiful face. The last veil..... thewail....of her past sorrow was slowly being blown away.

Radha had a premonition that something eventful was about to happen. All of a sudden, she was possessed by an overwhelming, nervous ecstasy. The trees along the riverbank swayed their heads, absorbing the cool breeze. The floral shrubs were in full bloom. It seemed as if every branch and bush was trying to convey a secret message to her. The nearby bamboo grove began singing a melodious evening raga, Abhogi. The stars blinked as if sending a message to her pulsating heart.

There was an inexplicable eagerness to meet someone.

Why was this happening today... all of a sudden?

She looked up at the sky. The moonlight seemed to grin merrily at her.

“There is a message... someone is coming for me... But how can I, this simple cowherd maiden, receive that divine light? Why are my eyes searching for Him in this sultry night?”

Her thoughts throbbed within her.

Darkness was slowly widening its territory. The entire nature seemed to resonate in unison:

'He is coming... He is coming... Look there! He is crossing all boundaries, trying to reach out to you!'

The crescent of the waning moon emerged from its languorous slumber and began smiling at the world with its cool rays. Clouds still lingered in the sky, gazing at the moon with awe and envy.

The night itself seemed to be awaiting an event of epic proportions.

Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her frizzy black hair clung to her forehead. Suddenly, she stood there, wonderstruck!

Before her stood a charmingly dark, mesmerizing, enchanting divine light, surrounded by a wondrous aura, smiling at her.

“Krishna...”

It was a sweet cry that rose from the depths of her heart and resonated through her soul.

She was astonished, unable to take her eyes away from Him, as if she had been stranded in that moment. A song of prayer was slowly transforming into the poetry of desire.

Krishna looked at her with an indescribable tenderness.

“Radha... please allow me to be with you for a while. Forgive me for this long separation.”

He paused, his eyes lingering upon her face.

“I am back here, searching for myself... to immerse myself once again in your tender embrace. Radha, my duty is calling me. War is peeping over mankind, carrying the ominous promise of annihilation.”

His voice softened.

“On that destined day, a duty-bound human being marched towards Mathura, and I left behind the tender lover here, with you. But today, I have come searching for him again.”

He smiled faintly.

“I want to see that lover once again... who reflected in your eyes, Radha.”

She stood stranded between the seductive interplay of action and interaction. She wore her pride like a transparent veil, while the gentle zephyr played with her black tresses. All of a sudden, that veil of pride yielded to the intense yearning of timeless love. Like a lovelorn girl, she wanted to claim Him, to own Him for herself. But the moment her eyes fell upon the colorful floral garland adorning His neck, she stopped.

It reminded her of how He would send her garlands as gifts whenever He had lost Himself in another girl's love.

She looked into His serene eyes, searching for an answer.

Is it not pure love? Is it not complete surrender?

Her heart whispered, Yes... He is here for you. He has come to reclaim His divine self in your embrace.

But the earth can never embrace a cloud; it can only adorn the lightning that the cloud itself produces.

His smile touched her very being. His presence engulfed her whole self.

And still, she stood motionless before Him.

The passing breeze asked the flowing river,

“Why is Radha not accepting her Krishna into her arms?”

The river replied through its wading wavelets,

“She is absorbed in His mere presence. She has lost her veil of pride, recollecting those past stories that remain passionately entrenched in both their hearts.”

The brimming stream smiled faintly. The running river stirred the dormant currents of love, but the moon reflected upon its waves and reminded her of a painful truth....He was now the beloved of many queens.

“While I sat at the threshold of our love, waiting merely to have a glimpse of my Kanha, no one answered my longing wails. You were busy owning your queens,” she murmured in a fit of pique.

“No, Radha. I was searching for you...to find you in another form, to rediscover the part of myself that I had left with you. No one is more beautiful than you. No one is there to caress my head when I am in distress. Please, hug me with that assurance once again, Radha. No one dares to squeeze my cheeks the way you do whenever you are angry! I am here to bathe in your warmth. Please allow me to embrace you, just once, Radha.”

“Who are you?” she asked in mock anger.

“I am you!” He replied with zest.

Confused, she questioned Him again.

“Who am I?”

“Radha, together we are the definition of love. In separation, we are the images of sorrow. Am I not you, Radha? It would be difficult for me to define myself without mentioning your name, because you are the totality of me. I am but a tiny part of you.Together we are timeless”

Silence reigned between them for a while.

They both knew that this was the glorious moment of their lives...their moment of reckoning.

“Krishna, are you a charmer of life, or a judge of wisdom? The cause of desire and the effect of love are so evenly balanced in your mere presence upon this earth!”

With a shy smile, she questioned Him.

When it is time for two souls to meet, there is nothing on earth that can prevent that preordained moment.

She wanted to run into His arms, but before she could even realize her own thought, He was already at her feet.

She was startled and satisfied at the same time. Unable to conceal the bliss of their encounter, she let it overflow as an enigmatic smile upon her lips.

She wanted to lift His face and look into His eyes....the moment she had longed for through the ages. But her eyes filled with tears, and she could barely see His face. She reached out to touch His cheeks, but suddenly, she remembered the gift she had sent Him after His marriage to Rukmini.

A stiff thought pierced her heart:

Now He is not mine. He is a universal lover, with many queens.

She hesitated for a moment.

How the distance between them disappeared, neither could recall. But in that sacred moment, they seemed to have merged into a single being. His hands clasped around her waist, and with every tender touch, more tears slipped down her cheeks. Neither of them attempted to wipe them away.

Their resonating hearts whispered to each other:

After ages, they got a chance to create new memories.

Her eyes resembled water-bearing clouds at that moment.

His touch was writing a new verse upon her heart.

She wanted to weave a garland from all their memories and place it at His feet.

Is it true? My Krishna is here for me?

It was almost unbelievable.

As though speaking to herself, she whispered,

“You are the reason for my existence, Krishna. Without you, I am lifeless. Without you, I am merely an illusion. Why didn't you inform me that you were coming? If I had known you were coming , I would have spread tender flowers along your path. If I had known of your arrival, I would have sprinkled moonbeams on both sides to soothe your heart. If I had known you were coming today, I would have arranged fresh butter for you to relish, just as I did earlier.

“Is it really you, my Krishna? Are you truly here? For me? For your Radha? To be claimed by her?”

“Yes, Radha.”

His voice carried the warmth of countless forgotten memories.

“As I promised you earlier, I am here to search for myself in your eyes, to lose myself once again in your presence. I came here to meet you, Radha. Only to meet you.

“On that day, I left all attachments behind and moved forward....to save my parents, to create a new society, to bring happiness and security to my people. I cannot re-establish those old ties and bind myself in more knots now.

“I am tired, Radha. So very tired. Let me rest my head on your lap for a while. That alone will give me the immense strength I need now. You are the only person who can bring peace to this distraught peacemaker.”

He closed his eyes in peace, while she gently ran her fingers through his curly hair. He felt an indescribable sense of comfort in that tender touch.

Slowly, he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. His embrace was warm, and within those divine, protective arms, she wanted to lose herself forever. The world around them seemed to melt away as they held each other, neither wanting that moment to end.

In that embrace, the world seemed to stop upon its axis.

There was no time, no space, no other thought.

Their minds were at peace.

Pure. Unselfish. Undemanding.

She lost her identity and felt nothing but the presence of Krishna. This was the moment she had waited for, prayed for, and longed for through the ages. She silently thanked God for granting her this eternal bliss.

The God resting on her lap with a smile!

The earth rejoiced and whispered to itself,

“A moment like this has to be cherished for a lifetime.”

She turned her face away to hide her tears and pointed towards the river.

“Look, Krishna... look at the Yamuna. Ask the river; it will narrate the stories of my sorrow to you.”

Her voice choked as she struggled to hold back her tears.

“I can feel your pain, Radha. I have heard all the stories you keep telling through your heartbeats. But one look from you has put all my hesitations to rest. You are the perfect solace for this endless wanderer."

“What shall I do, Krishna? The passion in your eyes, the purity of your soul, the deep connection between us, the overwhelming desire for this union... how can I explain it to you?"

“I cannot stay far from you, because you are a part of me. You are woven into my destiny.”

“Krishna, look! See how the entire Brindavan has transformed itself into a beautiful bride upon hearing your footsteps! How fortunate is this simple milkmaid, to have God resting within her arms!”

Radha cupped his face in her hands and gazed into His compassionate eyes.

“Radha, I am here to share my emotional turmoil with you. War is staring at the earth. The human race is mindlessly choosing the path towards its own destruction. What am I to do, Radha? Your Krishna has to lead this destruction from the front. The coming generations may blame me for it.”

His thoughtful eyes mirrored far more sorrow than His words could express.

After a pause, Krishna spoke again, his voice heavy with concern.

“Disrespecting a woman and avarice are indeed among the worst sins. I had to take a stand when the honor of a woman was at stake. Draupadi is not going to be a passive woman. She is fiery; she will never tolerate injustice. She is brilliant and possesses the qualities of purity and purification.

“Moreover, anyone who touches fire is bound to be burned. Fire is not as forgiving as God. Anyone who has tried to touch Draupadi...even in thought...will eventually be consumed by that fire.

“Desire is to fire what wind is: it extinguishes the small flame, but inflames the great. What am I to do, Radha? I have to decide the fate of these kingdoms with wisdom. I do not want destruction. I have never desired pain and loss for the human race.”

Radha listened silently for a while.

Then, with an assertive smile, she looked into His eyes.

“Krishna, how can you seek answers without stepping away from the bonds of this worldly existence? You think like a monk and dispense justice like a monarch.”

She paused, as though weighing the depth of her own words.

“Where a man reaches by renouncing the world, a woman reaches by embracing the world in its entirety.”

[2293+words]

Viswasruti2019-03-15 23:55:04