Kesavadeva Takes Shelter of the Gopis

Keśava-deva is taking shelter of the sakhīs and mañjarīs and is Himself serving Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. By receiving this Deity, Vajranābha understood prayojana-tattva, the goal of all bhakti. He had wanted to understand the glories of the Vraja-devīs and especially the glories of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, so to fulfill this desire of Vajranābha’s, Keśava-deva came. Vajranābha enthusiastically took full shelter of Śrī Keśava-deva. Then Uddhava prayed:
asam aho caraṇa-reṇu-juṣaṁ ahaṃ syāṁ
vṛndāvane kim api guna latauṣadhīnaṁ
yā dustyajaṁ sva-janam ārya-pathaṁ ca hitvā
bhejur mukunda-padavīṁ śrutibhir vimṛgyām
[The gopīs of Vṛndāvana have given up the association of their husbands, sons, and other family members, who are very difficult to give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to serve the lotus feet of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, which one should search for by Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes, creepers, or herbs in Vṛndāvana, because the gopīs trample them and bless them with the dust of their lotus feet.]
“I want to become a blade of grass or a creeper in Vraja. But alas, this is not possible. No I don’t want this.”
“Then what do you want, Uddhava?” Kṛṣṇa asked.
“I want to be a servant of the servant of the servant of one of Your servants, the gopīs, and I want to serve in Vraja eternally. How? I want to be a particle of dust on the lotus feet of one gopī. I want to attain the lotus foot-dust of the Vraja-devīs.”
Keśava-deva Himself is rendering all forms of service to Vrajeśvari, Praneśvari, Kriyeśvari, the Goddess of all goddesses, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Keśava-deva is serving Her. From His service, Keśava-deva realized His Iṣṭadevī.
Receiving this very exalted Deity, Vajranābha prayed to Girirāja, “How can I serve this Keśava-deva? How can I make Him happy?”
Girirāja said, “Go to ādi-Guru Brahmā.”
“Where is Brahmā?” Vajranābha asked.
“Brahmā is present in Varsana, as the hill Brahmā-parvata.” Girirāja replied. “Brahmā is there always praying for the foot-dust of the Vrajadevīs. Brahmā says, “vande nanda vraja strīnāṁ pāda-reṇum abhikṣṇaśaḥ yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ punāti bhuvana-trayam. - I bow down to the dust of the feet of the gopīs who reside in Nanda Bābā’s Vraja. Oh, whatever these gopīs have sung about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes always has and always will purify the entire world.” Brahmā does kīrtana of the Vraja-devīs. Similarly, Śiva Ṭhākura, Bolanātha, is also present as the hill Nandiśvara-parvata in Nanda Gaon. His body has become this hill. There everything is being made ready for the Vraja-devīs. Śiva Ṭhākura stays there and eternally prepares for all the sweet pastimes that take place. Brahmā-jī is offering so many prayers and considers himself so fortunate to attain this foot-dust of the Vraja-devīs. Vajranābha, you go pray there also.”
Girirāja told to Vajranābha. “First of all go to the pond of Prema-sarovara, where prema is present in abundance. Go obtain this vraja-prema from there. Then you will know what Prema-sarovara really is.” Vajranābha came to Prema-sarovara and prayed, “How can I please Keśava-deva? How can I serve Govinda? How can I serve Baladeva Prabhu and Harideva?” From praying to Prema-sarovara he learned how to serve. He remembered Kṛṣṇa there.
Then he came to Govardhana, to Kusuma-sarovara, where Kṛṣṇa would decorate the Vraja-devīs with beautiful kusuma flowers. There Vajranābha learned this service of flower decoration. Next he learned how to sing and dance at Candra-sarovara nearby, where the fortunate moon, Candra, remained full in the sky throughout one entire night of Lord Brahmā during the springtime Vasanta rāsa-līlā. Later Vajranābha revealed the pastime place of Māna-sarovara – the place where, distressed in separation from Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī came after leaving the rāsa dance in a sulky mood (māna) and Her tears collected in this lake. In Vajranābha’s journey to Vraja, he manifested all these special pastime places: Candra-sarovara, Māna-sarovara, Prema-sarovara, and Kusuma-sarovara.
But although he learned about the services of Vraja, Vajranābha still had the desire to know how he could serve eternally. He prayed to Śiva Ṭhākura, who then manifested his form as Cakleśvara Mahādeva in Govardhana, Kāmeśvara Mahādeva in Kāmyavana, and Bhūteśvara Mahādeva in Mathurā. Mathurā was also where Keśava-deva manifested for Vajranābha. Really Keśava-deva is there in His form as Bāla-Gopāla. Some say the Deity of Keśava-deva is four-handed, but when Śrīla Gurudeva would go to the Keśava-deva temple, then he saw that He was indeed the du-bhuja (two-handed) Muralī-dhārī, who is none other than the darling son, Nanda-nandana who is always absorbed in Rādhā-bhāva. During Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s visit to Vraja-maṇḍala He danced at the temple of Keśava-deva in Mathurā. He prayed “He Nātha, He Ramaṇa, He Bhuvana eka-bandhu, He Kṛṣṇa, He Chapala, He Karuṇā eka-sindhu,” Mahāprabhu prayed with this prayer to Keśava-deva. And Mahāprabhu also met with the disciple of Madhavendra Purī there called Sanoria Vipra, and He made everyone drown in Kṛṣṇa-prema.
So Vajranābha’s Deity of Keśava-deva resides in Mathurā; Govinda-deva is present in Vṛndāvana where Vajranābha first established Him. Harideva stays in Govardhana, and Baladeva is present in Dāujī. Vajranābha manifested these four Deities in Vraja-maṅḍala, as well as four sarovaras where we can learn how to serve Kṛṣṇa and the Vraja-devīs: Prema-sarovara, Māna-sarovara, Candra-sarovara, and Kusuma-sarovara. Vajranābha satisfied these Deities of Kṛṣṇa by offering them candana and prema-seva. He learned the process of vraja-seva. He also gave the four deities of Mahādeva –Bhūteśvara Mahādeva, Gopeśvara Mahādeva, Cakalśvara Mahādeva, and Kāmeśvara Mahādeva – to help the jīvas gain entrance into Vraja. Training in this service to the Vraja-devīs is the speciality of Keśava-vrata. Girirāja Govardhana gave this prema from his own heart. He is the greatest giver of all. Girirāja gives this vraja-raja, dust of Vraja. Out of his causeless mercy Girirāja Govardhana gave this tattva-vicāra.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu wrote Keśavāṣṭakam in his collection of prayers known as Stava-mala. When you study the śāstras you will see that Keśava is the avatārī – He is the source of all incarnations. Keśava! dhṛta-daśa-vidha-rūpa – Keśava is the source of all the ten incarnations, and 24 incarnations, guna-avatāras, manvavatars, and līlā-avatāras. Any avatāra has Keśava as the root source, avatārī.
Keśava came to Vraja and is residing in Sṛṅgāra-vaṭa. He is staying near Viśākhā-devī. Viśākhā-devī is the guru of Vraja. Keśava deva Himself took shelter of Viśākhā-devī and He is following this Keśava-vrata on the banks of the Yamunā, learning how to serve in Vraja. He saw that as long as one is not one-pointedly surrendered to the Vraja-devīs, you cannot learn this most confidential knowledge.
Keśava then reflected, “But I am not one-pointedly surrendered.”
Viśākhā-devī also confirmed, “No, You are not one-pointedly surrendered.”
“All of you are one-pointedly surrendered, but I cannot be because I am bound by the love of so many bhaktas. I must fulfill the heart’s desires of so many devotees, who have all surrendered unto Me. My love is spread and divided among many.”