Hare Krishna dear devotees,

We, Gaudiya Vaishanavas, are supposed to follow the mood of Vrajavasis. Among the Vrajavasis the mood and service of gopis is considered the highest. During the day  gopis were always busy in one main activity – churning butter. How can we follow this practice in the modern age of Kali-yuga?

We can very easily follow gopis by churning the verses of bhakti scriptures, especially Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. If we sincerely try to churn these verses with love and devotion then by the mercy of Supreme Lord we may be rewarded with very soft and delicious butter.

Let us pick a well-known verse from Bhagavad Gita,

tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva
jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin

Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.

(BG 11.33)

Now let us pray to Srila Prabhupada and try churning every single line of the above translation and see what kind of butter comes out it.

Therefore get up : Krishna says, My bhakti means action. Bhakti-yoga doesn’t entail sitting idle but acting for Krishna. That’s why my eternal associate whom I have sent to guide you and  whom you lovingly call Srila Prabhupada, translated bhakti as devotional service and NOT simply devotion.

Prepare to fight and win glory: Krishna says, if you are My devotee then be prepared to serve my plan – to give a chance to all the conditioned souls to come back to Me, back to Godhead. Apply to join My army (associate with My devotees). Admission is very easy and with a little strength (faith) you can join in. All new recruits begin with training, which begins immediately- by starting to practice Krishna consciousness. Discipline is mandatory-  follow all the rules and regulations of Krishna consciousness diligently.

Training is not just physical but also mental, intellectual and beyond it. All very useful in a war- chant sincerely, start reading the scriptures carefully and attentively  which I, and My devotees, have left for you. Contemplate on them and apply them in your life.

There are scheduled and surprise tests- be ready to show your sincerity when you face challenges in life.

Having passed the tests (with some bruises and good lessons learnt), you will   be invited to formally join one unit of My army- take shelter of a bonafide       guru in a vaishnava sampradaya.

You are now a formal lieutenant in My army – become initiated. After being     appointed formally in My prestigious Army you will receive additional facilities and perks – gradually the essence of all scriptures will start getting revealed in your heart.

In the meantime do not sit idle but start preaching, simply repeat whatever     you have read, do not add or subtract anything, for a soldier to survive in army (or in a war) discipline is critical.

Gradually you shall acquire weapons (realisations) which will make you   stronger day by day (increased faith). Being empowered with these unique   weapons (realisations) and strength (faith) you will win glory.

Conquer your enemies: There are different sets of enemies- external as well as internal.

External enemy is maya – forgetfulness of my eternal relationship with Krishna.

Internal : Internal enemies are very dangerous. These are Kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha  (attachment), mada (pride) and matsarya (jealousy)

Final frontier: Win over five kind of material attachments : ignorance, false ego, attachment to the material world, envy and absorption in material consciousness.

And enjoy a flourishing kingdom:  There is only one kingdom which flourishes eternally- Vaikuntha. It is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. In comparison the material world is temporary and full of miseries.

They are already put to death by My arrangement: Those who do not take shelter of My devotees remain forever in the cycle of birth and death. Their consciousness remains shrunk- to a level of 1/10,000 part of the tip of the top of a hair!

O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight: Each and every one of My dear devotee can become an instrument in My hand and enjoy My association. For this you do not even have to wait to leave this body and enter Vaikuntha (or Goloka Vrindavan) but you will be able to see My presence in everything around you and you will be able to hear My instructions from within. With gradual promotion you will also get the privilege to drink Somarasa – feel nectar in the heart while reading bhakti scriptures.

The objective of life is not simply a subject of debate or speculation. The ultimate aim of life is to realize that supreme object, the Personality of Godhead. Buddhi-yoga, or Krishna consciousness, means to become absorbed in serving the Supreme Lord and His name, qualities, form, pastimes, etc. In other words, it means becoming an instrument for His satisfaction. We have to become infused with His spiritual potency; thus strengthened, we then have to make the propagation of His transcendental glories our prime duty in life. By means of such Potent missionary activities, innumerable jévas can experience endless spiritual joy.

(Renunciation through wisdom, chapter 5)

I hope and pray that you liked the taste of little butter we tried to churn. In case of any complaints or suggestions, please mail me at giriraj108@outlook.com

Your servant,

Giriraj dasa