After Uddhava had indulged in a sumptuous feast, reclined luxuriously on a plush bed, and had his weariness eased with a soothing foot massage, Nand began conversing with him.

"Batao vats, Vasudev kushal toh hai na ? Apne parivaar ke saath soh sukh se toh rehte hai na ? Krishna ko hum vismaran toh nahi ho gaye ? Use apni maiya, sakha aur hiteshi yaad hai ? Woh Vrindavan ki galiya, kunj aur Govardhan ko bhul toh nahi gaya na ? Use Braj mei lautne ka man toh karta hoga na ? Jaha usne aur Balram ne Baal leelaye ki, jaha unn dono ne Pralamb, Arishta, Keshi, Vyomasur, Kaliya, Aghasur, Trinavart, Putana, Shakatasur jaise dushto ka daman kiya ?" Nand asked.

Remembering Krishna again and again, Nanda, his mind completely attached to the Lord, felt extreme anxiety and fell silent, overcome by the strength of his love. Tears welled up in Yashoda's eyes, and her chest tightened with a flood of emotions, as she remembered the activities of her dear son.

Uddhav, witnessing this display of pure devotion, was struck by the intensity of their love. For a moment, Uddhav stared at Nand and Yashoda in awe, taking in the raw emotion that filled the room. He felt privileged to witness such profound devotion and was humbled by the love that Nand and Yashoda held for Krishna.

"Isme koi sandeh nahi ki aap dono sabhi manushyo mei sabse saubhagyavaan aur adarniya hai jinhone Narayan ke prati aisi bhakti-bhaav praapt ki hai. Bhagwaan iss dharti par adharmiyo ke naash hetu, aur sajjano ke uddhar hetu janme hai. Unke prati aisa sadridh vatsalyabhaav.... Fir aap mahatmao ke liye kaunsa karm shesh reh jata hai ?" Uddhav joyfully replied.

He assured the lamenting parents, "Aap dono ko mai ashwast karta hu ki Krishna aapke paas laut ke awashya aayenge. Unhone Mathura jaane se pehle Vraj ko jo vachan diya tha, woh awashya purn hoga. Yu toh woh paramatma hai, jiske koi Mata Pita nahi, sambandhi nahi, jinhe na koi priya hai na apriya, na koi ucch hai na neech, kintu fir bhi apne bhakto ko anand dene woh awashya aaye hai iss sansaar mei."

While Uddhav continued speaking with Nanda, the night passes in a blur. The sun rises and so do women of the cowherd village from bed and, lighting lamps, they worshiped their household deities. Then they began churning the yogurt into butter.

As they pulled on the churning ropes with their bangled arms, the women of Vraja shone with the splendor of their jewels, which reflected the lamps’ light. Their hips, breasts and necklaces moved about, and their faces, anointed with reddish kumkum, glowed radiantly with the luster of their earrings reflecting from their cheeks.

As the ladies of Vraja loudly sang the glories of Krishna, their songs blended with the sound of their churning, ascended to the sky and dissipated all inauspiciousness in every direction.

When the godly sun had risen fully, the people of Vraja noticed the golden chariot in front of Nand.

"Yeh kiska rath hai ?" The men whispered amongst themselves.

The anguished Gopis said, "Awashya yeh Akrur ka rath hoga, jo Kamsa ka aadesh purn karne ke liye humare Krishna ko le gaye."

"Toh ab kya humare tan ki bali denge woh apne swami hetu ?" Other women said.

As the ladies were speaking in this way, Uddhav appeared, having finished his early-morning duties. The young women of Vraja became astonished upon seeing him, who had long arms, whose eyes resembled a newly grown lotus, who wore a yellow garment and a lotus garland, and whose lotus-like face glowed with brightly polished earrings.

"Yeh kaun hai ?"

"Inhone toh Krishna ke vastra aur abhushan pehene hai !"

"Yeh roopvaan kaha se aya hai aur kiske aadesh se aya hai ?"

Saying this, the gopis eagerly crowded around Uddhav. Bowing their heads in humility, the gopis duly honored Uddhava with their shy, smiling glances and pleasing words.

"Aap kaun hai, Mahatma ?" One of them asked.

He replied, "Mai Devabhaag ka putra hu. Brihaspati ka shishya. Uddhav."

"Devabhaag ? Kya aap Mathura se aaye hai ?" Another gopi asked.

Uddhav smiled, "Ji. Mai Mathura se apne isht Krishna ka sandesh leke aya hu."

The Gopis' faces lit up with joy as they realized that their Lord had not forgotten them. Tears of happiness welled up in their eyes.

Among the Gopis, Vishakha stepped forward, "Suniye, kripa karke Krishna ka jo sandesh hai woh aap hume kunj mei sunaaye."

"Kunj mei ? Yaha kyu nahi Devi ?" Uddhav asked confused.

Vishakha smiled sadly, "Kunj mei hi Krishna humare saath leela karte the... Hum sabhi ki swamini bhi virah mei wahi hai. Kripa kijiye hum sabhi par."

"Yadi aisa hai, toh thik hai." Uddhav agreed.

With swift steps, they guided Uddhav to the lush kunj, the forest where they often met with Krishna. In the serene surroundings of the forest, Uddhav was mesmerized by the beauty of nature and the devotion of the Gopis.

As they reached a secluded spot, he saw a group of Gopis surrounding a figure lying on the ground bathed in divine light. Her long, flowing hair cascaded around her like a halo. Her garments were disheveled, hanging loosely off her shoulders, revealing glimpses of her delicate skin beneath. She clutched the broken flute tightly to her chest, her grip unwavering and filled with longing.

"Radha ? O Radha ?" The friends tried shaking her, but she seemed lost in a trance.

Looking up at the blue sky, with tears falling continuously from lotus like eyes, Radha kept muttering, "Krishna... Krishna... Krishna..."

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A/N

Saaj chhutyo, Sringaar chhutyo
Aang odhaniya nahi odhat Radha
Bhookh chhuti auru pyaas chhuti
Par basuriya nahi chhodat Radha

— Maya Govind