Divine Ecstasy

Once there lived a little girl, about six years old, in Vrindavan. She used to pick flowers everyday, and make garlands out of them, then sold them in the market. One day, the priest of the Krishna Temple was mesmerized by the beauty of the wreathes, and asked her to make ten garlands, for putting them around the neck of Krishna. The girl was very happy, knowing the fate of her works. She made eleven, instead of ten garlands, and gave it to the priest for daily prayers. She thought that he would put ten from his side, and the eleventh one from her side. The priest didn’t count the numbers, and put them together over the idol. The girl watched the sculpture from a far place, and gradually fell in True love with Krishna. Gently, she got a desire for putting the wreath around Krishna‘s neck, on her own. But, there were instructions that only the priest could perform the customs and rituals in the main temple. The practice of giving eleven garlands to the priest went on for about an year.
One day, she became very restless, and felt that if didn’t offer garlands to Krishna on her own, she would die. She went at the site from where she used to gaze at Krishna, and was lost in love. Hundreds of people were present in the premises of the temple. While gazing at Krishna, suddenly, all the people disappeared, and no one was seen. Krishna arose from His stance, as while playing His flute, and went to the girl. He whispered with a mild tone, in her ears, and asked her come to the temple that night as He would go to her house with her, and there she could put the most magnificent garland around his neck. The girl was stupefied by such an event, and thought it to be her mere figment of imagination. The voice told her that he had to return to the temple, as he couldn’t make the mind barren for longer time. The girl asked Krishna about how she could open the five huge gates, locked with heavy locks. Krishna assured her, asked her to push the door for opening them and convinced her to come to the temple, at sharp timings of 10 p.m., when the priests left the premises. The girl was very happy, and excited.
She reached at the temple at sharp 10 p.m.. Stealthily, she walked with little steps towards the grand gates of the main temple room, and pushed the it with her little finger. The door opened, and sneaked in with her little feet, and found deep darkness. She thought of lighting a lamp, for illuminating the course mildly. Krishna shushed her and warned her, for not lighting the lamp, as a single ray could create suspicions in the priest’s mind, and he would come running to investigate. Krishna told her to walk back to her home, as He would follow her. She did the same. She walked clandestinely, and Krishna followed her with the clandestine gait. They reached her house, her parents were sound asleep, snoring and unaware of anything. She took Krishna to her bed, and He sat on it. Krishna asked her to bring the garland, she had braided for Him. She brought the most magnificent one for Krishna and put it around His neck. Nothing existed within her except ecstasy. Then Krishna asked her to drop Him before 4 a.m. to the temple, as the priest would start bellowing the theft, in the main city center. If caught, then he would punish her, for the crime. Then, He asked her to bring some water. With it, she washed Krishna‘s feet, and couldn’t cease her emotions, and showers of tears started shedding from her eyes; she washed the feet with her tears. But, time slipped by, and she was left unaware of anything, except the Divine exultation. The clock stricked 4, and as the priest rang the grand bell, and lifted his chin, after offering his respects to the Lord, howling spread like wildfire. All the priests responsible for the management of the temple crowded, and were unable find a way of finding the idol. As the sun grew over head gradually, they saw two pairs of tiny footprints forming a long trail. They followed the indentations, and reached to the her. They banged the door, and forced her parents to return the idol. The girl hid the sculpture under her mattress, and told the priests that she hadn’t brought the idol of Krishna, but Krishna came by Himself to her. The priests wereastounded by such an answer. The girl narrated the incident, with deep honesty. The priests were forced to believe in her devotion to the Lord. Even the weight of the idol, also indicated the notion that she was not a thief. Only a Divine force could escape the security of the grand doors of the temple, without unlocking them, and reach to the house of a girl, under the magnetic effect of love for the Lord. The priests requested her to return the idol, and ordered her to run away to a far-away destination, without uttering a word to someone. The priests lifted the figure of Krishna and carried it to the temple, for re-establishing ‘It’ back. As the girl was ordered to desert the place, Krishna couldn’t stop Himself, and ran behind the girl. The priests and the people were stupefied by such an occurrence. The priests followed the girl, and fell at her feet, asked her the way for overcoming the problem, of Krishna hovering about in the town. She smiled, and returned to the temple, with Krishna following her behind. At the entry-door, she asked the priest to take the idol of Krishna around the city, in a chariot, as all His devotees could pay their love and respects to their “Beloved”. From that day onwards, every year, a grand tableau is arranged, with the idol over a chariot moving round in the city, for all His devotees could accomplish their desires. He agreed. The idol fastened Himself to the alter, in His posture while playing the flute, and appeared lifeless again.
Every night, the restlessness of His beloved couldn’t chain Him behind the temple closets. He went to the girl’s house on His own, as He was aware of the route by then. One of the priests, was very old and noble by heart. He saw, everyday, Krishna ran towards the little girl, never visited him, despite performing all the religious rites, with precision. He used to watch it with tender eyes everyday, with a yearning heart.
One night, he followed Krishna to the girl’s house, peeping from a slit on the window pane, in the girl’s room. He saw Krishna and the Girl. Krishna was giving her a deep blessing, for she could see Krishna in her hearts, and whenever she would call for Krishna, He would come, and visit her. He was telling her not to yearn for the the Form, from that day, and see Him within her heart. The wandering idol could bring trouble to the old priest. The girl could see Krishna in her heart; even the priest could see the same; received the blessings as well. From that day, Krishna stopped coming in the form of idol. The priest realized that his way of looking for Lord was wrong; the Formless Energy manifests in the Form, condensed by Love. The priest started preaching people the path to take refuge under the umbrella of Formless.
MORAL: The Form is worth pondering over, but the Formless is within us, waiting to embrace us. Love and Bhava condenses the Formless into Form, and He can anything to shower His infinite grace unto us.