A prayer by David Bruce Hughes

O my Lord, let me worship You. Let me please and satisfy You, who satisfies the desires of everyone, in my heart. Let me offer You Your own Vrndavan pastimes in my own heart, and in this way capture You who never leaves Vrndavan. This is my most cherished desire.

I will conquer the best and most desirable territory in the land of my heart, the fertile plain in the very center on the banks of the pure sacred river of eternal life. Through unshakable determination, careful discrimination and sound policy I will extend the boundaries of this kingdom far beyond the horizon in every direction. Having conquered and secured this territory from all challengers, I will then uproot all thorny weeds and unproductive trees. I will plow the land and turn the soil in a clockwise spiral pattern as far as the eye can see.

I will then engage expert agriculturalists in planting juicy grasses and many varieties of fruit trees, berries, vegetables and flowering bushes, medicinal herbs and other useful and productive plants, especially tulasi, in every direction of this very large plowed field. I will also build many lakes, wells, irrigation canals, parks, roads lined with shade trees, groves and grottos. Millions of variegated cows will wander through the fields, relishing the tasty grasses and other natural products. Even the weather will become regulated, and it will be clear and warm every day and rain only late at night.

In the center of the kingdom of my heart, on the banks of the sacred river of life, I will establish an altar of sacrifice. There I will engage many learned, gentle and qualified brahmana priests in constant performance of Vedic yajna. All day and night they will chant the Vedic hymns, especially Your Holy Names, and offer sacrifices of gold, grains, ghee and other milk products into the sacred fire along according to authorized Vedic ritualistic procedures. They will also perform spontaneous Sankirtan yajna very loudly and enthusiastically in every direction. All this is just to establish a pure and sacred atmosphere for Your worship.

A stone’s throw to the north of this altar of sacrifice, I will build You a beautiful white marble temple. It will be circular, with twelve tall and shapely columns holding up a hemispherical roof. Three steps will lead from the ground to the floor of the gopuram. Three more will lead up to Your throne. The only wall will be on the northern quarter, signifying that You are forever free from death. On the roof I will place a pure silver chakra, signifying Your absolute power and proprietorship over the kingdom of my heart. And in the center of the temple I will place a beautiful golden throne, with cushions as soft as clouds, and as white as milk.

I will construct many residential quarters, community kitchens, bathing places, cowsheds and agricultural buildings. I will also construct two beautiful palaces, one for You and Your family and one for Srimati Radharani and Her family.

When everything is ready, I will pray for You to appear by loud, constant chanting of Your Holy Name. I will not desist from this chanting until You appear and take possession of Your throne, Your kingdom and myself, Your eternal servant. When you appear along with Your blessed consort Radha, I will cry many tears of profound joy. Millions of conches will sound, and millions of beautiful, pure white camaras will fan Your transcendental body. My whole body will erupt in shivering ecstasy, and my voice will falter many times while attempting to offer You prayers.

Deliriously chanting Your Holy Name, falling on the ground, crying and laughing, I will attempt to welcome you with offerings of pure water, incense, delicious food, fine scented oils, bright silk cloths, gems, gold, tender tulasi buds and peacock feathers. Finally I will offer You my entire kingdom, which was always really Yours. Smiling, You accept all these offerings graciously and then put them aside. Then out of Your unlimited kindness You embrace me, and having attained the pinnacle of great joy, I fall to the ground unconscious.

When I regain external consciousness, You are seated on Your throne. I bring all the brahmanas and cows to welcome You to Your home, and offer You many fine articles and authorized Vedic prayers. A great transcendental festival spontaneously arises, with waves upon waves of ecstatic chanting, dancing and feasting. Inspired by unlimited transcendental bliss, the finest musicians play and the best dancers dance tirelessly for Your pleasure. This great festival goes on for many days, until You are properly welcomed into Your kingdom.

After Your welcome festival is completed to Your satisfaction, Your regular worship begins. In the late evening You escort beautiful Radha to a forest bower lined with fragrant flowering vines. Surrounded by Your intimate friends the gopis, You and Radha engage in confidential pastimes of conjugal love.

In the early morning the cuckoos and other birds awaken You, and the gopis display their deep affection with their sweet songs. Then You return to Your temple, where all Your servants welcome You with melodious songs of praise. You and Radha repair to Your palace quarters, and Your servants bathe and dress You in fine Brijbasi-style clothes. With Your fine yellow silk dhoti and turban, broad belt ornamented with sparking jewelry, and Your flute and buffalo horn, You look like a rakish, colorful dancing actor. Your mild smile gives all Your cowherd boy friends great pleasure. After an opulent breakfast cooked by Radharani, You take the cows to pasture, along with Balaram, promising the sad-eyed gopis that You will soon return.

In the forest with Your cowherd friends and cows, You celebrate a festival of boyhood games and sports. Although You are the best and strongest of all, out of love You sometimes allow Your friends to conquer You in wrestling and other games. Your cows and calves sport playfully in the forest, and relish the delicious fresh grasses. Near noon, You sit down with Your friends and enjoy a delicious feast cooked by Your devotees.

A secret message arrives from Radharani, and on some pretext You leave Your friends to meet Her in a secluded location. You and Radharani perform many sporting pastimes of conjugal love, bathing in the crystal-clear springs, exploring grottos and mountain caves, and enjoying love-sports in the perennial springtime of Your perfect kingdom.

After enjoying with Radharani to Your full satisfaction, You return to Your cows and cowherd friends and take rest. Laying Your handsome head on the lap of one of Your friends, You relax peacefully while Balaram massages Your feet.

After You have rested to Your full satisfaction, You return home with all the boys, calves and cows. Your esteemed parents welcome You and embrace You will full affection. After bathing and dressing, You partake a delicious meal in their company, and then along with Your entire family You hear excerpts from the Vedic scriptures melodiously recited by cultured and educated brahmanas.

Finally You go to Your nicely decorated and scented bedroom, where Mother Yasoda tucks You in for the night. Thinking You are fast asleep, she leaves You to rest, chanting Your Holy Name sweetly. As soon as she is gone, You stealthily escape to meet the gopis in the forest for more of Your unmatched loving pastimes. Dancing, singing and playing musical instruments, You and Your gopi friends vibrate a concert of pure love that fills my heart to overflowing with prema, like a great river in the rainy season.

Let these pastimes remain enacted in my heart daily for all eternity! These pastimes are so opulent and extensive that even if I had thousands of mouths, it would be impossible for me to describe them properly. I do not care where I am or what is happening, just let me always see Your wonderful daily pastimes in my heart of hearts. Feeling great hope and bliss, I, the servant of Your servants, present this heartfelt prayer at Your lotus feet.