Hare Krsna,
Reading the festivities and activities in Gokula after Krsna’s birth gave me great bliss and joy. The description shows how a perfect Krsna-conscious society lives. For that matter, this also provides an exemplary template on what an ideal society should look like. The festivities in Gokula and the activities of the residents of Gokula showed what a great family atmosphere there is. There is tremendous joy among the Vrajavasis on hearing that Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja gave birth to a beautiful child Krsna. This is a society where there is no envy. Mother Rukmini was not jealous about the fact that all the center of attraction is Krsna, and not Balarama. She happily receives the women who were guests at the festival. This is a society where there is tremendous and unimaginable opulence just from cows, agriculture, and trade. Even Wall Street would faint in comparison to such opulence in Gokula. Who can imagine two million cows being given to charity, that to decorated with cloth and jewels? Who can imagine brahmanas being given in charity hills of grain, covered with jewels and with cloth decorated with golden embroidery? In Gokula the consciousness is so pure that no one thinks about withholding their wealth. Nanda Maharaja appears to be the most magnanimous. Gokula is an ideal society where there is no conflict between brahmanas and Vaisnavas. The brahmanas are given due respect and engaged in service according to their education and knowledge. This is a society where there is no blasphemy of demigods as we can see that Nanda Maharaja arranged for worship of the demigods and forefathers. This is a society where the whole village shows up to congratulate Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. No one sends a cheap $3.00 greeting card and makes excuses about not showing up in person. This is a society where people do not go to distant land to earn livelihood. Everyone can live self-sufficiently and happily in a village comfortably with cows, land and rivers.
From the description, I can see that there is great love among the residents. They share each other’s joys and distress (as we will see in upcoming chapters when the demons start causing trouble). There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. We can literally see that when the whole village comes to see Krsna.
The description of the festivities in Gokula turns our modern idea about prosperity upside down. We think only cities can give us economic gains and a good lifestyle. We think that only modern-day slavery in the form of jobs can give us sustenance. We think that cities are wealthy and villages are poor. We think cities have health, wealth and happiness and villages lack these things. How wrong we are! Gokula showed a village life is a perfect life in all respects. Be it wealth, health, happiness, purity, joy, love, kindness, help, service, God-consciousness, Gokula have it all.
I am sure this is the vision Srila Prabhupada had when he established ISKCON temples all over the world. He wanted devotees to live in the same spirit and mood as the residents of Gokula. What is even more perfect is that we can live with Krsna at the center. Nothing can get better than this! This is a perfect life. How I wish I could live in Gokula serving all the residents (including plants animals, etc.)!
“It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self independent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits, flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in handlooms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. Generally people are spoiling their lives for decorating the dead body and giving no attention at all to the spirit soul within. Our business is just the opposite, to give more time to the spiritual life and accept material necessities only as required. This makes life perfect. This is the Vedic way of life. We do not reject or accept anything until it is seen in the light of our Krsna Consciousness Movement. Anything favorable for Krsna consciousness we accept and anything unfavorable we reject, anukulasya sankalpah pratikulyam-vivarjanam.” (Srila Prabhupada letter to Tusta Krsna — Hyderabad 23 August, 1976)
I really liked Text 4: O King, by the passing of time, land and other material possessions are purified; by bathing, the body is purified; and by being cleansed, unclean things are purified. By purificatory ceremonies, birth is purified; by austerity, the senses are purified; and by worship and charity offered to the brāhmaṇas, material possessions are purified. By satisfaction, the mind is purified; and by self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul is purified.
In this age just by chanting Hare Krsna maha-mantra attentively and with devotion, we can attain all purification – purification of body, senses, mind, intelligence, and consciousness. What more? We can even attain love of Godhead by chanting the Holy Name.
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 