Artwork from 
Mathura Meets Vrindavan

Comments are from the text by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

Bound By Love
Painting by Gokul Bihari Pattnaik

Those who are sankya-yogis engage in analytical discussion on Him. Those who are devotees offer prayers to the Supreme Lord Krishna. But mother Yasoda said, "He is my son. He is my son."

The Supreme Thief
Painting by Gokul Bihari Pattnaik

Out of mercy Lord Hari takes away everything. Hare means, "He who takes away, who steals everything". He even steals the mind and the heart. This is nice stealing, and it is very beautiful. He is known as 'cauragraganya', the best of all thieves, the supreme thief.

Expansions of Radha
Painting by Narayan Das

Just as Krishna expands Himself into His svamsa, personal expansions, similarly Radharani expands Herself. The laksmis in Vaikuntha, the mahisis, the sixteen thousand queens of Krishna in Dwarka, and the gopis in Vrajabhumi are all expansions of Radharani.

Distant Mathura
Painting by Narayan Das

When Krishna left Vrajabhumi and went to Mathura, all of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi, especially Radharani, felt acute pangs of the separation known as mathura-viraha. Krishna is their life. They think, "Our life is getting out! We cannot survive! We'll die, we'll die!" Especially the gopis' feelings of separation are most acute. They all came and lay down in the front of Akrura's chariot.

Fire of Separation
Painting by Gokul Bihari Pattnaik

Radharani kept silent for one or two moments and then said, "Oh! Death is not coming to Me! I want to die but death is not coming. There is a great obstruction to death. What is that obstruction? It is Krishna's words. He said, "I'll come back, I'll come back, I'll come back."

Krishna Never Leaves Vrindavan
Painting by Gokul Bihari Pattnaik

Radha could not understand that the real Krishna was there. Thinking it was a deity, and praising the skill of Viswakarma, She said, "He has made such a lifelike deity. And the deity is speaking with such a sweet voice." At the same time Radha is feeling pangs of separation from Krishna. Although She was in the presence of Her beloved, still separation was there. This is known as prema-vaicittya in Vrajabhumi.