Shivering from the cold, the young girls of Vraja emerged from the river, their bodies trembling as they tried to shield themselves with their hands. The chill had afflicted them, and they stood helpless at the water’s edge. There, before them, stood Lord Krishna, their beloved, smiling gently, their garments draped over his shoulder. He was pleased by their pure devotion and looked upon them with affection. With a playful yet compassionate tone, Krishna addressed the girls: “You have entered the water naked, keeping your vow, but this is an offense against the gods. To remove this fault, bow your heads with folded hands and offer your respects. Then, you may take your clothes and put them on.” Hearing these words from Acyuta, the girls quickly understood that bathing unclothed was a mistake in their ritual, a breach of their vow. Yet, recognizing that Krishna himself had ordained this, they saw it as the completion of their observance, blameless because it was carried out at his command. As they bowed before him in reverence, Krishna, the compassionate son of Devakī, was pleased by their humility. He returned their garments to them, moved by their sincerity. Though they had been teased and embarrassed, and even had their clothes taken, the girls harbored no resentment. Instead, they felt only joy in Krishna’s beloved company. Clad once more, their hearts still yearning for their beloved, the girls lingered, eyes cast down in modesty, unable to leave his presence. Perceiving their silent wish to touch his feet and fulfill the purpose of their vow, Krishna, known as Dāmodara, spoke kindly to them: “O virtuous ones, I know your intention to worship me. I approve, and your desire will be fulfilled. For those whose minds are fixed on me, desire does not become mere lust, just as roasted and boiled grains do not sprout.” He continued, “Now, return to Vraja, having perfected your vow. In the nights to come, you will enjoy with me, for your ritual was performed with the aim of worshiping me.” Thus instructed by the Lord, the maidens, their hearts full and their desires fulfilled, returned to Vraja. Though it was difficult to leave, they went, their minds absorbed in meditation on Krishna’s lotus feet. Afterward, Krishna, surrounded by his cowherd friends, left Vṛndāvana and, together with his elder brother Balarāma, led the cows to graze at a distance. As the midday sun blazed fiercely, Krishna noticed the trees spreading their branches to provide cool shade, like living umbrellas. He called out to his friends: “O Stokakṛṣṇa, O Aṃśu, Śrīdāma, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha, Varūthapa! Behold these great souls, the trees, who live only for the sake of others. They endure wind, rain, sun, and cold to protect us.” He praised the trees further, “Blessed indeed is their birth, for all creatures depend on them. Like the truly good, they never turn away those who seek their help. They fulfill desires with their leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrant resin, sap, ashes, and bones. This is the true fulfillment of birth among embodied beings: one should always act for the highest good, using one’s life, wealth, intelligence, and speech.” Passing through the low branches heavy with fresh shoots, fruits, flowers, and leaves, Krishna and his friends entered the midst of the Yamunā. There, they watered the cows with pure, cool, auspicious water and drank their fill, refreshed and content. In the groves of the riverbank, letting the cattle graze freely, Krishna and Balarāma approached, and, feeling hungry, the cowherd boys began to speak. They reflected upon the nature of life and death, saying, “Because of absorption in sense objects, a living being forgets his true self; and when death comes, it is a complete forgetting. Birth, though experienced as the self with all one’s being, is merely the acceptance of sense objects—like a dream or a fantasy. Just as one does not remember an old dream, so too, in a new birth, one sees oneself as new, not as before.” They mused further, “The senses, their objects, and the mind—these three arise in the substance of existence. The division between inner and outer is created by people, just as actions are called good or wicked. All beings are constantly coming into being and passing away, but because the force of time is so subtle and swift, it is not seen. Just as flames, streams, and the fruits of a tree appear and disappear, so too do the ages and stages of all beings.” They continued, “We call this lamp a flame, this water a stream, this person a man—but such speech is false, as is the notion of lasting life. Do not think a person is truly born from his own actions, nor that he truly dies; it is an illusion, just as fire seems to arise and cease with wood. The body passes through nine stages: conception, gestation, birth, childhood, boyhood, youth, maturity, old age, and death.” “These various bodies, higher and lower, are made of fantasy and assumed through association with qualities; sometimes we acquire them, sometimes we abandon them. The coming and going of the self are inferred from the relationship between father and son, but one who knows the true nature of things is not characterized by coming and going. Just as one who knows the seed and fruit of a tree understands its birth and destruction but remains distinct from the tree, so too is the witness distinct from the body.” They concluded, “When a person fails to distinguish the self from nature, bewildered by contact, he enters worldly existence. Through association with sattva, one attains the gods; through rajas, the demons and humans; through tamas, the state of spirits and animals. Driven by actions, one wanders among these. Observing others dance and sing, one imitates them; even the inactive are compelled to imitate the qualities of intellect. Just as trees seem to move when water flows, and the earth seems to spin when the eyes whirl, so too are perceptions distorted.” “Just as the mind’s imagination of sense objects is false, and dreams are unreal, so too is worldly existence for the self, O descendant of Dasarha. Even when the object does not exist, the cycle of worldly existence does not cease; for one who meditates on sense objects, misfortune arises in dreams just as in waking life.” Thus, in the company of Krishna, the cowherd boys reflected on the nature of existence, while the Lord himself, ever compassionate and wise, guided his friends and devotees through the mysteries of life, devotion, and the eternal self.