"Rama and Krishna are the efficient and the material cause of the
Universe -- Purusha and Pradhana. They pervade all beings and guide the
workings of individual natures. Krishna would fulfil the promise he made
to you on the wrestling ground and come back to Vraja ere long. Do not
grieve O great ones. You shall see Krishna by your side: He is within
the heart of all beings, as fire is inside all fuel, To him nothing is
agreeable or disagreeable, nothing high or low. He has no father, no
wife, no sons, no one near or distant, no body, no birth, no Karma. For
the protection of Sadhus he manifests himself in different births at his
own pleasure. Though void of all Gunas, he seeks them at pleasure for
the purpose of creation. As a stationary body appears to be moving, so
Atma appears to be working, though Chitta is the worker. Krishna is not
your son only. But he is of all the sons, the self, father, mother and
Isvara. Nothing exists in reality but Krishna."
Excited were the effusions of the Gopis, on seeing Uddhava. (They may be
interesting to the general reader but to the student the message
delivered by Uddhava is the only necessary portion at this stage of the
story. The reader is therefore referred to other translations for those
highly poetical effusions.)
Uddhava informed the Gopis that he was the secret messenger of Krishna.
He then delivered the following message from Bhagavan: -- "You have no
separation from me, for I am all-pervading. As the five elements earth,
water, air, fire and ether enter into the composition of all beings, so
I underlie Manas, Prana, the Bhutas and the Indriyas, as also the Gunas
themselves. I create, preserve and destroy self in self by self. By my
Maya, I become the Bhutas, the Indriyas and the Gunas. But Atma is pure,
it is all consciousness (Jnana), separate, unconnected with the Gunas.
It is only by the mental states of wakefulness, dream and dreamless
sleep that egoistic perceptions are caused in Atma. (The objects of
perception in one state appear to be unreal in another state.) The
objects of dream perception appear to be unreal to the awakened man. The
mind (being the common factor in all the three states) perceives these
(unreal) objects of the senses and it underlies the senses themselves.
Sleeplessly therefore control the mind. This is the final reach of the
Vedas, of Yoga, and of Sankhya, of relinquishment, of Tapas, of the
control of senses, and of Truth itself. This is the ocean into which all
rivers fall.
"That I, though pleasing to your eyes, remain away from you is because I
want you constantly to meditate on me, for such meditation will attract
your mind more towards me. The mind of women does not dwell so much upon
the lover, near at hand, dearest though he be, as it dwells upon a
distant lover, being full of him.
"By devoting your whole mind to me, free from all other thoughts, and by
constantly meditating on me you shall forthwith attain me. Even those
girls that remained at Vraja and could not join the Rasa attained me by
meditating on My powers." The words of Uddhava only reminded the Gopis
of the doings of Krishna. They loudly took his name. They were full of
Krishna and would not forget him. But they knew from His message that He
was Atma and their pain of separation was gone.
Uddhava remained for several days at Vraja, reminding all of Sri
Krishna. When he left Vraja he wished that he could be one of the
creepers or herbs in Vrindavana, that had been rendered sacred by the
dust of the Gopis' feet. (With that wish let us take leave of the
Vrindavana Lila of Bhagavan Sri Krishna.)