Around eight in the morning, we left the Delhi airport and left towards Mathura en route East of Kailash, where Yugal goes to bind photocopied texts, the commentaries of Sri Ananta Das Babaji. As it's going to be a long way ahead of us, we drop by in a small snack store to get something to eat before hitting the road. Malati sleeps most of the way, wiped out by the journey. For some reason I feel completely fresh despite not having slept properly for two days.

Around mid-way we stop at the famous place where everybody always stops to drink something on the way. Our driver goes for a meal, and seems to not be in a rush. It must have been over half an hour that we sat there. We spot a cute little rabbit running around the place. Yugal relates how someone had come to our Baba, complaining about the jala-keli painting, painted on the wall of the ashram at Brajananda Ghera, Radha Kund, by Vrindavan Das. The objection was, "How can you paint rabbits there? There are no rabbits in Krishna-lila!" Baba directed this person to study Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti's Krishna-bhavanamritam where such a description was to be found. The relevant passage is found in the 12th chapter amidst a description of the environment surrounding Radha-kunda:



The Sanskrit-word for rabbit is zazada. Let no-one claim that there are no hares in Krishna-lila! Incidentally, the verse above also mentions buffalos, which I remember is another among those "contested" animals that some have said are not present in Krishna-lila. I wouldn't have my Vraja without buffalos.

Before going to Radha-kunda, we drive to Mathura to take care of some practical stuff. Yugal knows the place inside out, he is the local information office. He has plans on putting together practical guides to help devotees find all they need without wasting time wandering through all different bazaars. We get my Reliance wireless internet connection set up and purchase varieties of household stuff for our room. Better to get it done with while we have a car and we're on the road, then we won't need to worry about it once we settle down.

We drive from Mathura to Radha-kunda through the Govardhan road and take quick darshan of Giriraja on the way. Amazing as it is, although we have been away for eighteen months, our absence seems like mere minutes, and the eighteen months shrinks to an insignificant nothingness.



The feet of Murari seem to have the potency to bend both space and time, and my earlier question on whether bending time is possible seems to have been answered.

Reaching Radha-kunda shortly before sunset, we unload our luggage and take bath after one and half days of travel. Gaura Dham colony is pleasantly peaceful and lush with trees and bushes, birds chirping loudly all day long. Radharani seems to have heard my complaints about the lack of nature at Radha-kunda, giving us a residence with closer semblance to the realm she lives in. Our thakurjis are happy to first of all get out of the bag they've been in for a good while, and of course to finally reach Vraja-dhama.