hand they see Krishna and Balarama every day, face to face, they soon forget everything about their material suffering. Whenever Krishna and Balarama come out through the streets, dressed beautifully, smiling, and with a lively look, the locals feel filled with an ecstasy of love simply for seeing Mukunda (one of the many Names of Krishna, God) by their side. The name of Mukunda means the One who can grant absolute liberation and bliss. The presence of Krishna acts like a liquor of youth and life, so that not only the young people, but even the old men of Mathura, seeing Him every day, recharge themselves with energy and youthful power.

Vrindavana is the land of rivers, forests and cows. Here the sound of the flute of the Lord is heard, and Krishna and his older brother, Sri Balarama, enjoy the atmosphere in the company of the pure beings who live there. The footprints of Krishna still mark the land of Vrindavana, which is full of opulence and all good fortune. There, no shortage, no material need is felt. Everything is pure beauty. Krishna is called "Mukunda" because it is enough to be constantly in contact with his Person, or to see him in full consciousness, to free himself from all material anguish and to be immediately blessed with all spiritual bliss. To see Krishna, the devotees feel infinitely enlivened as if they wake up from a dream, and come back to life. Suppose a man lying, unconscious, his senses and the different parts of his body are completely inert. But that he regains consciousness, and again his senses, at the same moment, come into action. In the same way the devotees of the Lord, to receive him, it is for them as to regain consciousness, they revive. Sri Krishna embraces each of them, and in contact with the Supreme Lord, all are immediately freed from all material defilement: so they smile, invaded by spiritual bliss. To contemplate the face of Lord Krishna, each of them finds himself filled with absolute satisfaction.

The forests along the river Yamuna stretched out in magnificent gardens filled with fruit trees, mango trees, jackfruits, apple trees, guavas, orange trees, palm trees, vines, berries ..., and all kinds of plants and fragrant flowers. As these forests were on the edge of the river, the branches of the trees naturally carried many waterfowl as well as peacocks. All the trees, birds and animals of these forests were in fact virtuous beings who had chosen to be born in this spiritual kingdom of Vrindavana for the sole purpose of contributing to the pleasure of the Lord and the young herdsmen, his eternal companions.

These shepherds were actually great sages and great spiritualists in their previous lives. After a great number of virtuous lives, they obtained the company of the Lord and could play with Him as if they were his equals. These young shepherds never cared to know who was truly Krishna. They were just playing with Him, their most intimate and adorable friend. They conceived so much love for Him that, in the evening, they did not think until the next morning, when they could meet the Lord again and go through the forests with the flocks. The region of Vrindavana, theater of the childhood games of the Lord, still exists today, and whoever visits these places finds there the same spiritual happiness that formerly, even if the Lord is no longer visible to our imperfect eyes. Lord Chaitanya taught that this region is identical to the