I will say something about Vrajagopála [Vraja Krśńa] in the light of bhaktitattva [the cult of devotion]. Now what is bhaktitattva and how shall we relate Vrajagopála to it?

When people experience joy or move in the flow of joy, that spirit of joyful movement is called vraja. And what is gopála? There are so many tánmátrika [inferential] expressions, and the apparent controller of all these inferential expressions is the human mind. Suppose you hear something: it is an expression related to the sound tanmátra; suppose you touch something – touch is another tanmátra; you see something or you think something – these are all tanmátras. The apparent controller of all these inferential expressions is your mind. But there is another entity hidden behind your mind, not in front of your mind, but behind your mind. For instance, when you watch a puppet show, you feel delighted to see how the puppets move their hands and feet, but you do not see the person who manages the beautiful show by pulling the strings from behind. Similarly, we notice the inferential expressions of microcosms – we come to know how one person sings melodious songs, how another dances beautiful rhythmic dances, how another delivers wonderful discourses, etc. But we cannot see the entity who pulls the strings from behind and runs the show. And the funniest thing is this: the speaker, the singer, the dancer thinks that he or she is the agent, the doer, and takes the entire credit for the performance. People do not care to think of the entity that pulls the strings from behind, or if they are even more foolish, they think that others see them alone, not the entity who pulls the strings from behind, so the credit should come to them. There are people who think in this way. However, you move and dance under His control. He makes you dance from behind.

Man gariiber kii doś áche!
Tumi bájikarer meye shyámá,
Yeman nácáo temni náce.

[How could one fault this poor mind? You are the magician’s daughter, I dance as You make me dance.]

The perspective or background against which all the inferential expressions, as well as the expressions of sensory and motor organs, are perceived, is termed go in Sanskrit. And the entity that controls that go from behind is called gopála. So who is “Vrajagopála”? Vrajagopála is that Entity who takes people forward through joy, amidst various expressions of bliss. He is Vraja Krśńa.

He attracts people from a great distance to Himself and He draws them near amidst great joy. The microcosm advances towards Parama Puruśa dancing and laughing all the way. This is the style of Vrajagopála, this is the essential characteristic of Vrajagopála. While drawing unit entities towards Himself He adopts various blissful spiritual forms. Sometimes He deeply loves His devotees; sometimes He lightly scolds His devotees and then deeply loves them; sometimes He provokes interest and excites curiosity in their minds; and sometimes He infuses fear complexes in their minds. He saturates the devotees’ minds with different rasas [flows] and brings them nearer to Himself – that is, He attracts jiivas not through one rasa but through many rasas, because this universe is a flow of endless vibrations, and each vibration is being transformed into perpetually new forms. The troughs and crests of two vibrations may be similar but never identical, and for that reason no two entities are identical.

Vrajagopála, who has been guiding jiivas amidst ánandam, is the Supreme Desideratum, the summum bonum of human life. There is nothing to know or realize except Vraja Krśńa. People try to express various ideas, but while trying to express their ideas regarding Vrajagopála they feel their utter incompetence. Great minds have observed, Tulá vá upamá Krśńasya násti [“Krśńa has no comparison, no parallel”]. Many rśis [sages] tried to liken Him to other entities but utterly failed. When they got tired out, they said, “There is no other entity with whom we can compare Him. His love for jiivas is unmatched. His bháva is unparalleled. His intuition is incomparable; the depth of His knowledge has no parallel; His far-sightedness is also unparalleled. There is nothing which can be likened to Him. Oh yes, there is one thing which can be compared with Him and that is Krśńa. Krśńa alone is His own comparison.”

Our proposed topic of discussion is bhaktitattva. What is the cult of devotion? Each and every object in this universe is attracted to other objects. There is a mutual relationship between a very large star, a planet, or a satellite, and a small meteor or even a stone. One attracts the other and because of this mutual attraction, balance is maintained in the universe. If anyone in a weak moment thinks, “I am a useless entity, my existence is meaningless” – if a tiny ant thinks that its existence is of no value or if a hundred-year-old person thinks that his or her physical existence is of no value whatsoever and that as such it matters little whether he or she survives or passes away, then that person is thoroughly mistaken. Everyone’s physical existence is equally valuable. The main question is how one’s existence can be best utilized. There is nothing in this universe which is totally valueless.

There is mutual attraction everywhere. A tiny ant attracts a large entity, and the large entity attracts the tiny ant. When in a sentimental flow of devotion a person thinks, “I am attracting the vast universe, including Parama Puruśa, and I am also being attracted,” this conscious feeling of mutual attraction is termed bhakti in psychological parlance. Whether literate or illiterate, young or old, one endowed with this element of devotion is said to have had a successful career, for the highest fulfilment of microcosmic existence lies in the very capacity of attracting the Great. The greatest Entity is attracting you with a mighty force. You are also attracting the greatest Entity with your limited force – you are not inferior to anyone.

You know the story of the Rámáyańa. During construction of a bridge, the big monkeys carried large stones while the small squirrels brought only tiny grains of sand. Is there any difference between the carrying of tiny grains of sand by the squirrels on the one hand and the carrying of a whole mountain by Hanumán on the other? Both are equally valuable. You may be a small entity like a squirrel, but your existence is in no way insignificant, because you have got a consummate sentimental attraction. This is a nice explanation of the cult of devotion – the best psychological explanation of devotion.

Now, my Vrajagopála attracts the whole universe in various ways through His inscrutable gestures, His smiles and the music of His flute – that is, through the charming sweetness of sound, touch, taste, smell and form. If someone really loves Him, he or she is bound to say, “Ah, how nicely He speaks, how sweet is His language.” If anyone comes in actual contact with Him, he or she says, “How soft is His body, I have never experienced such softness.” If anyone appreciates His physical handsomeness, he or she says, “I have never seen such incomparable physical charm; how sweet is His smile.” If anyone ever appreciates His blissful nature, he or she says, “How blissful all His expressions are, it’s difficult to say which expression is most charming.” And smell? The universe is full of His scent. That’s why I say that there is no second entity that is so beautiful, so pleasingly soft as my Vrajagopála. No other entity charms us, permeates our being so consummately, as my Vrajagopála. Hence if any Entity really deserves my wholehearted love and devotion, it is my Vrajagopála. No other entity can aspire to this most exalted position.