Introduction
When you walk the sacred soil of Vrindavan (Forest of Holy Basil), you are not merely walking on earth — you are stepping into eternity. Every stone whispers a divine secret, every breeze carries the scent of Krishna’s presence.
Little did I know that my long-awaited pilgrimage would become the night when the Lord Himself would fulfill His divine promise made to me years before — a promise I had once read in a book and buried deep within my heart.
The Morning of Sharad Purnima
We wanted to explore all the temples in Vrindavan and learned that a group of devotees from ISKCON would be doing the Parikrama — the sacred circumambulation of Vrindavan — by foot the next morning at 5:30 a.m.
We decided to join them.
As we began our walk, my Krsna Guruji narrated the divine pastimes of Lord Krishna at every stop — describing how each spot once echoed with the laughter, music, and miracles of Krishna’s time.
Even though the town now looked dilapidated and old, Guruji’s words brought it to life. I could see it — the Vrindavan that once was.
“Through Guru’s words, the unseen becomes visible — and the past becomes a living presence.”
The Yamuna and Her Love
We soon reached the Yamuna River. Guruji said softly,
“This is where Krishna spent most of His youth — playing the flute, dancing with Radha and the Gopis, blessing the cows, and granting liberation even to demons.”
He then narrated:
When Krishna was just a newborn, Vasudeva carried Him across the Yamuna River in the dead of night to protect Him from Kansa.
The rain poured fiercely, and the Yamuna swelled in devotion — she wanted to touch Krishna’s feet.
When Krishna’s tiny feet brushed her waters, Yamuna parted gracefully, allowing Him to cross.
Later, Yamuna herself desired to marry Krishna. After severe penance, her wish was fulfilled — she became Kalindi, His fourth wife among His eight principal consorts.
Guruji continued with another story — one that felt alive in that moment.
He said this was where Radha Rani and the Gopis once crossed the Yamuna to feed Sage Durvasa.
That morning, Radha Rani had discovered Krishna’s playful rendezvous with Chandravali the night before. When she saw Him reclining on a tree branch, playing His flute, she accused Him of lying to her.
Smiling, Krishna said,
“If I have lied, then the Yamuna shall not part for you.”
Radha stepped forward, and the river parted effortlessly — proving that even in divine love, truth has a mysterious way of revealing itself.
“In Vrindavan, even the river knows the language of devotion.”
A Glimpse of the Divine Feminine
As we continued along the Parikrama path, we came across a small field with a beautiful hamlet — a simple farmhouse surrounded by lush greenery.
In that field stood a young girl, radiantly beautiful, milking her cow. She stopped, lifted her gaze, and looked at my Guruji with such deep reverence and love that time itself seemed to pause.
Her face glowed with an otherworldly aura.
Guruji smiled and said,
“See who has come to meet us.”
I looked again, confused. To me, she appeared as any ordinary young woman.
I asked softly,
“Who has come?”
Guruji replied,
“Look closer. She is Radha Rani herself.”
I froze. My heart raced. My mind couldn’t grasp it — but my soul knew.
The air was charged with something divine. I stood there, motionless, as the world faded away.
That moment — her divine gaze, that inexplicable presence — is forever etched in my heart.
“Radha appears only where the heart is ready to recognize Her.”
The Blessing of Grace
It was then I realized — nothing we own, no desire we chase, can ever equal the experience of meeting God. And it was only because of my Krsna Guruji that I could receive such grace.
I felt like I was floating — speechless, overwhelmed, wrapped in bliss. Grace had found me.
Guruji explained gently,
“The divinities manifest in various forms — sometimes just for a few moments — to bless the devotee with their presence. But only when the Divine wills it can you recognize them. Not otherwise.”
At that moment, I understood the eternal truth:
“Guru is the doorway to God.”
I bowed in deep gratitude at my Guruji’s lotus feet.
The Divine Play Unfolds
Still dazed with bliss, we continued the Parikrama. Guruji narrated more divine stories of Krishna’s pastimes, though words can’t capture them all here.
Later, that evening we took a local tuk-tuk through Vrindavan’s narrow lanes, visiting temples like Radha Damodhar Mandir, Radha Mohan Mandir, and Radha Shyamsundar Mandir.
Then our driver led us to a place he hadn’t named. The night was dark, and we simply followed in silence, trusting his path.
As we entered the temple grounds, the full moon stood radiant before us, bathing everything in its ethereal glow.
With a quiet reverence, he said,
“This is the sacred garden known as Nidhivan — and today is Sharad Purnima.”
The moment I heard those words, I froze.
A rush of realization flooded me.
Two years earlier, when I had read Krishna Lila, Krishna had promised the Gopis to dance with them on Sharad Purnima — and I had felt that promise in my heart as His promise to me.
Now, standing under the same full moon, on the same sacred night, in Nidhivan — it was happening.
Tears streamed down my face as I stood motionless, my heart bursting with love and disbelief.
Krishna had kept His promise.
“A promise made in the heart is always fulfilled in divine time.”
The Ras Lila Remembered
Krishna, the eternal lover, had fulfilled His promise.
As I gazed at the radiant full moon over Nidhivan — the sacred forest of Vrindavan (holy Tulsi) — I felt His presence everywhere. The air shimmered with divine energy.
Krishna, the eternal lover, had fulfilled His promise to me.
It wasn’t a vision or imagination — it was real.
I bowed at the lotus feet of my Krsna Guruji, offering my silent gratitude. At that very moment, a beautiful cow appeared nearby, gracing us with her serene presence — as if Krishna Himself had manifested through her form.
I couldn’t speak. I stood there in silence, dissolved in divine bliss.
When I had made all the bookings months earlier, I had no idea that our visit would coincide exactly with Sharad Purnima. But that is how Krishna’s Leela works — a divine play that human logic can never comprehend.
That night, I understood what it meant to experience God’s love in real time — a love that fulfills promises across lifetimes.
“In Nidhivan, time stops — and Krishna keeps His word.”
The Final Miracle — Banke Bihari’s Call
I asked my Guruji,
“What next?”
He replied,
“We will go to the Banke Bihari Temple.”
I was thrilled — I had heard many stories about this temple, especially how Lord Krishna would disappear from the shrine if the doors were ever left open for too long.
That’s why the priests open the curtains only briefly for darshan before closing them again.
When we arrived, the crowd was enormous. The queue was so long it would have taken more than an hour to get in.
My Guruji said,
“Let’s leave. Don’t worry — before you leave Vrindavan tomorrow morning, Banke Bihari Himself will come to meet you.”
I found that strange and wondered silently — how could that be possible?
The Call Before Dawn
The next morning, we were to leave our hotel by 5:00 a.m.
I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and went for my bath. It was winter — the air cold, the world outside still dark.
As I bathed, I suddenly heard someone call out my name — loudly — three times.
Startled, I replied,
“I’m in the bathroom!”
But when I stepped out, there was no one. Guruji was still in his room.
And then, deep within, I knew.
The voice was His — Banke Bihari Himself had called me.
My Lord had come — just as Guruji had said.
I stood there, trembling in awe, tears welling up in my eyes. My heart overflowed with reverence and gratitude.
“When God calls your name, the soul never forgets the sound.”
The Doorway to God
When I met my Guruji at the reception, I fell prostrate at his lotus feet.
I was speechless — overwhelmed by the realization that because of his grace, I had met God in ways my mind could never fathom.
In that moment, one truth echoed within me:
The Guru is the doorway to God.
And when you surrender with love, the Lord Himself fulfills His promise — in His own divine way, in His own perfect time.
Closing Reflection
As I left Vrindavan that morning, my heart was silent but full — overflowing with divine gratitude.
The pilgrimage had not just been a journey through sacred places — it was a journey through the infinite love of Krishna Himself.
He had called me years before through a story.
He had fulfilled His promise under the same full moon.
And He had spoken my name in the quiet darkness of dawn.
That is how the Divine keeps His word — not through miracles of grandeur, but through the quiet, eternal language of Love.
Eternally indebted to my Krsna Guruji — the light through whom I saw God.
“Grace is not something you find — it’s what finds you when you surrender.”
Author’s Note
Written by Rajashree Rao, a spiritualist walking the path of love and devotion under the divine grace of her Master, Krsna Guruji. Her writings share moments where faith becomes experience and love turns into realization — reflections of how the True Master leads one to God.
(To know more about Krsna Guruji, click here.)
A Note from My Heart
I hope this story opened a small window of wonder in your heart.
Every moment with Krsna Guruji carries a hidden truth — a gentle reminder that when the heart is open, grace finds its way in.
If this story touched your soul, please like, share, and comment — your reflections mean a lot and help this light reach other seekers walking the same path of love and faith.
Stay connected for more timeless revelations of love, faith and divine experiences shared through the grace and wisdom of my Krsna Guruji.
“Under the grace of my Guru, every story becomes a revelation.”
