Children joyfully leap in and out of the Yamuna river, while sadhus offer various prayers. Adults snap selfies, dogs bark at each other, monkeys sit on the few remaining trees, and cows roam, attempting to steal grass unnoticed by the locals selling it. People on boats chant kirtan whilst beggars spread their hands, seeking donations from the tourists. While waiting for customers, a shopkeeper reads aloud from a large bright red Ramayana book.
Pilgrims circumambulate the town, while policemen struggle to navigate the traffic. Nearby temple guards sit on a grey dusty plastic chair near the main road, observing the scene and chanting holy names and counting the mantras on a digital counter.
Yes! I’m back in Vṛndāvana!
Although full of various activities and a variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds, both material and spiritual, somehow Vṛndāvana radiates with peace.
It is a town of saints. Everyone here, including the animals, is a devotee.
While it’s inspiring to witness the devotion of sadhus, pilgrims and locals, it’s important to dedicate time to our own sadhana and service whilst being here. By investing in our sadhana, particularly through listening and chanting about Lord Krishna, we’ll gain spiritual strength that protects us from wrongdoing while in the holy place, and it will inspire us to further dedicate ourselves to the spiritual practice.
Near the ashram where I stay, I discovered a tranquil forest with beautiful footpaths, small ponds and plenty of bushy green trees providing shade during the hot midday sun. Surprisingly, there aren’t any monkeys here, only cows, a few peacocks and a variety of birds in shades of green, blue, red, yellow, and grey.
This is where I practise my sadhana and pray for the blessings of returning to this sacred place again and again.
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 22.159:”Actually the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are very dear to Kṛṣṇa. If one wants to engage in spontaneous loving service, he must follow an inhabitant of Vṛndāvana and constantly engage in devotional service within the mind.
Ananta Gopal Das
08.12.2025
Bhakti Wisdom 