࿗ Prana Sakha Das ࿗

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

I bring offerings…

Which sari has she worn tonight?

She is there, pale in the grove

Her gaze is gentle and soft tonight.

Her sakhis stayed at home,

She chose to sit alone tonight.

These desire trees she used to climb with Him,

Whisper to her soul tonight.

Holding a flower, she remembers His feet

As she meekly calls His name tonight.

She murmurs a tune beneath her breath,

Remembering his flute tonight.

Her lip trembles, golden tears fall from her lotus eyes,

Her face is stained with kohl tonight.

Her heart is painful and her hair has become tangled

As she remembers the dark and lovely boy tonight.

O Radha, shaken in the grove, O gopi of my heart,

Please do not cry tonight.

Prana Sakha has become Prana Sakhi,

Let me be yours tonight.

Forget that butter-eaten boy for once!

I say to you, tonight.

She loved animals.

Every morning, as soon as the sun painted the sky pink and gold, she would slip away from her attendants and run into the palace gardens. The animals seemed to know her heart. Wherever she went, they followed.

A pair of snowy white swans glided behind her on the palace lake. They would stretch their long necks toward her whenever she sat by the water’s edge. Radharani would laugh and gently feed them lotus petals.

In the royal stables lived a young elephant calf given to King Vrishabhanu by a neighboring ruler. The elephant adored Radharani. Whenever he heard her voice, he would flap his ears and hurry toward her as fast as his little legs could carry him.

“Slow down!” her mother, Kirtida, would call.

But Radharani only giggled as the calf wrapped his tiny trunk around her arm.

There were peacocks too, dozens of them. Their brilliant blue necks shimmered in the sunlight, and whenever Radharani sang, they would spread their jeweled tails and dance around her.

The palace servants often wondered about it.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” one would whisper.

“No,” another would reply. “It’s as if every creature loves her.”

One spring morning, King Vrishabhanu found his daughter sitting beneath a flowering kadamba tree. Around her rested a remarkable gathering: peacocks, deer, rabbits, parrots, doves, swans, and even the elephant calf, all sitting peacefully together.

The king smiled.

“My little Radha,” he said, “you truly have a kingdom of your own.”

Radharani looked up.

“They are my friends,” she answered simply.

Her father knelt beside her.

“Would you like more animals in the palace gardens?”

Most children would have shouted with excitement.

Instead, Radharani asked, “Will they be happy here?”

The king blinked in surprise.

“Of course.”

“Then yes,” she said with a bright smile.

And so, because she was a princess and her parents loved her dearly, beautiful animals came from many places. Graceful gazelles wandered the gardens. Bright parrots nested in fruit trees. White doves perched on palace balconies. Gentle cows grazed in sunny meadows nearby.

Yet Radharani never treated them as possessions. She knew their favorite foods. She remembered their names. If a bird was injured, she sat beside it until it healed. If a calf was frightened during a storm, she would stroke its head and sing softly until it fell asleep.

The older she grew, the more people noticed something wonderful: the animals became calmer whenever she was near. Quarreling birds stopped fighting. Nervous deer approached her without fear. Even wild creatures seemed gentle in her presence.

Sometimes, in the quiet evenings, Radharani would sit among all her animal friends as the golden light of sunset filled the gardens. The peacocks would settle nearby, the swans would drift across the lake, and the elephant calf would lie beside her like a giant puppy.

Looking at them, she felt a happiness deeper than words.

For Radharani’s heart was overflowing with compassion. Every creature, no matter how small, felt safe in her presence.

And though the people of Vraja saw only a kind princess who loved animals, the animals knew a secret… that the gentle little girl sitting among them was the eternal queen of all love.

Hi to this blog again. Getting back to my Gaudiya roots after hanging out with Maa for a while. Been spending some time with Gaura-Kanta. Today I made this carnation garland for Him. Hope He enjoys it…

Later next month I’m going to the biggest Hare Krishna temple in the US, New Vrindaban in West Virginia. It’s also known as Srila Prabhupad’s palace of gold. It’s a huge temple with a ton of scenic land, a goshala, vegetarian restaurant, and ashram. I have some feelings about ISKCON which I won’t get into here but… despite that, I’m super excited to see the temple. It’s called New Vrindavan for a reason… environments like this are most suitable for devotional service. I think I’m most excited to see the Narasimha deity, as I’ve never seen one in person. And to stock up on things from the gift shop, and eat some yummy prasad… and be with my best friend. I’ll definitely post pictures here when I go =)

That’s all for now. Take care and chant lots of rounds.

NITAI GAURA! RADHE SHYAMA! JAYA KRISHNA BALARAMA!

Oscillations - Silver Apples

Radhe Shyama

A few days ago now was Gaura Purnima, the birthday of our beautiful Lord. But it was also a special Purnima. It was the same time as the Lunar Eclipse, which was the exact alignment on Chaitanya’s original appearance day 540 years ago. It was so special.

I went to Kirtan and we worshipped Gaura-Kanta on the altar. He was beautifully decorated with fragrant flowers and offered plentiful bhog. We gave him aarti and the atmosphere was serene.

I am truly lucky to have experienced this auspicious day.

Jai Nimai 💛🪷 My beautiful Golden Lord.