Once Yamuna was asked how she was able to leave Vrindavan, as it was originally her intention to stay there throughout her life. She answered that she came to realize that Vrindavan is in your heart, and quoted the following story:
Yamuna: Once Srila Prabhupada came for a short time to New Delhi, and afterwards Tejas, Guru das, Shyamasundara and I brought him to the Delhi airport. His plane was delayed, and we were sitting in a little group waiting when we heard this click-clack, click-clack, click-clack coming from a young girl with high-heeled shoes, black stockings and a mini-dress.
Shyamasundara said to Prabhupada, “We’re not in Vrindavan anymore, Srila Prabhupada.” Prabhupada looked at him and said, “Yes, we are in Vrindavan. This is not Vrindavan?”
That made me see things in a different light. I began to think, “Yes, I may physically leave Vrindavan, but Vrindavan is also in the heart.” We can take Vrindavan into the heart, and when we leave the dhama, we can bring its atmosphere with us wherever we go. It gave me a little hope.
So Vrindavan is also there within our hearts, within our consciousness, provided we make ourselves the receptacle. Everything is about making ourselves a fit receptacle. Srila Prabhupada is the representative of the mercy of Krishna and our entire disciplic succession. He is the cent percent emblem of religiosity.
He had a perfect understanding of how to distribute love of Godhead according to the mentality of the recipients Krishna sent to him. He once said, “I favor none of my disciples. Whoever makes himself a fit receptacle to hear the message receives that mercy.
Just like the rays of moonshine are very much beneficial, but if you hide behind the rocks and the caves, how do you expect to get the mercy rays of the moon?” I was reflecting after leaving Vrindavan how Srila Prabhupada revealed the holy dhama to us.
First, he revealed it by showing it to us personally—by being the pure living example of what the dhama is; secondly, he showed it to us by his inconceivable mercy through the Holy Names; and thirdly, by teaching us to appreciate the Vaishnavas and seeing Vrindavan in the hearts of the devotees.
That was three ways he allowed us to see and experience Vrindavan.
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