In Vraja the cows go ahead of Krishna to remove the thorns from his path, who goes ahead of Radharani?

From Hiten P

Transcript

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Hare Krishna. Question from in Vrindavan, whenever Krishna goes into the forest, at that time, the cows go in front of him and they remove the thorns or crush the thorns so that his feet are protected.
So, when Radharani goes into the forest, who does that clearing of the forest of thorns for her? Answer? The spiritual world is a leela dham, the abode of pastimes. And everything in the spiritual world is meant to enhance the sweetness of the pastimes of the Lord. So, in Gopala Champu, which is a beautiful book written by Jiva Goswami, describing the pastimes of Lord Krishna, he mentions that when Krishna or his associates put their feet on a sharp rock, that rock becomes soft.
So, he says this is a special ritual of Govardhan, but it also applies to whatever is there in the spiritual world. So, even the thorns, they don’t prick because they all, they just give a sweet tickling sort of sensation which gives pleasure, not pain. So, everything in the spiritual world is meant to enhance the sweetness of the pastimes of the Lord.
And everything, actually there is no thing in the spiritual world. Everything is conscious in the spiritual world. So, it’s everyone.
So, they all participate in the Lord’s pastimes in the best possible way by increasing the sweetness of those pastimes. Now, in some times, in some pastimes, to enhance the sweetness, a thorn might play a part. When a thorn pierces, say, the feet of Krishna, and Krishna feels pain.
So, Radharani feels anxiety because of that. And that brings them closer. Similarly, when a thorn pierces the feet of Radharani, Krishna feels anxious.
And then, by that, they come closer to each other. So, the thorns are not there as intrusions, as intruders who come, interrupt the pastime. They are actually assistants in the pastime.
So, the gopis, however, at an individual level, feel anxiety. You know, Krishna is going in the forest barefoot. The pebbles, the stones, the sharp twigs and thorns, they may pierce Krishna’s feet.
And that thought pierces our heart. Now, this is the love of the gopis speaking. You see, Yashoda Mai feels that if Krishna doesn’t get his food on time, he may starve and he may die.
Krishna is not going to die. Similarly, Krishna’s body is not going to be pierced by thorns. So, but this is stated so that it is importantly understood that this is a way by which the rasa of the gopis is enhanced.
The way gopis feel intense love for Krishna when they see that Krishna is going alone in the forest. So, the purpose of the thorns is simply to enhance the intensity of the emotions and the sweetness of the pastimes. So, now, in the rasa between the cows and Krishna, when Krishna is not in the forest, he says, I will not wear footwear because unless the cows have footwear, how can I wear? I am their servant.
And the cows think oh, Krishna’s feet cannot get pierced. So, they go out in the forest as described in the Acharya’s description of the pastimes. And they go out in the forest and they, with their hard hooves, hit all over the Vrindavan, the ground.
And wherever there is anything sharp, they soften it so that the vraja-raja, the rest of Vrindavan becomes very soft, like a cosmetic powder. And that way, everywhere Krishna goes, his feet get a very smooth and sweet experience. And once this is done, that everything is made smooth, then that smoothness serves the purpose of everyone, not just Krishna.
That smoothness serves the purpose of Rajeshwar Damayi, of Dadar Gopas, and of the Gopis also. Now, generally, the Gopis don’t go out in the forest. Their services are more domestic.
Of course, when Krishna calls them for performing Rastila, they go out in the forest. And at that time, the whole of Vrindavan is charged with the supreme ecstasy of the unfolding of the Lord’s topmost pastime, the Sarvalila Manorama, as it is said, the topmost of all pastimes. And then, at that time, if there are any thorns, there’s no mention in the Bhagwatam of any thorns piercing the Gopis’ legs, because all of Vrindavan is contributing to the pastime, and this is a rash to the forest.
So, firstly, in Vrindavan, there are no thorns that interrupt the way there is interruption in this world. Whenever there are thorns, they simply enhance the pastime. And if in the pastime, thorns are going to interrupt, then the thorns don’t play any role over there.
They become soft, and they give only a pleasant ecstasy. And, as an expression of the love of the cows in Krishna, the cows ground all the thorny and sharp objects in Vrindavan to powder, so that there’s no affliction of any sort to Krishna. Therefore, when we are trying to understand the pastimes, we have to first keep the point of Rasa in mind, and understand that everything is meant for relishing.
And then, such questions will not trouble us so much, and they will not distract us from the focus of the pastime, which is to relish the sweetness of the reciprocation of love between the devotees and Krishna. Thank you.