Koffee with Krishna

We hit the road at the top of the morning to make it to Agra at a good hour. Our stopover in Delhi ended up being a deadend because of our flight misshap.
We booked our whole trip through "HOLIDAY INDIA" and were p[leased with their overall customer service and accomodations. We were picked up at the buttcrack of dawn and made way toward our new city.

Agra is the city that houses the Taj Mahal. Luckily for us, the trip would be longer than expected given local portests. Upon our arrival, the government had enforced new lawas restricting some of the rights of the local farmers. As a rubuttle, thye blocked my major highways with their animals and refused to let people pass. In our case, all was not lost. We would just take the scenic route to get there. What a wise choice it was!
We were often greeted by lines of children just waiting to wave or just look at us through the window. Its refreshing to just see them happy and without a care in the world.

To break up the long distance, we came across a turnoff for Vrindaven [the birthplace of Krishna.] Vrindavan is considered to be a holy place by all traditions of Hinduism. The major tradition followed in the area is Vaisnavism, and it is a center of learning with many Vrindavan Ashrams operating. Its a center of Krishna worship and the area includes places like Govardhana and Gokul that are associated with Krishna. Many millions of bhaktas or devotees of Radha Krishna visit these places of pilgrimage every year and participate in a number of festivals that relate to the scenes from Krishna's life on Earth.

According to tradition and recorded evidence, Krishna was raised in the cowherding village of Gokul by his foster parents Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda. The Bhagavata Purana describes Krishna's early childhood pastimes in the Vrindavan forest where he, his brother Balarama, and his cowherd friends stole butter, engaged in childhood pranks and fought with demons. Along with these activities, Krishna is also described as meeting and dancing with the local girls. He loved the ladies ^_^
But our tour guide we hired upon arrival took us to different spots all over the city that were all associated with Hindu religion.
One of the weirdest parts was when he took us Krishna's parents house. The place was old [given the paint chipping and smell]. Surprisingly enough, one can look further into the passage ways and see plaques that read: MAY KRISHNA BLESS THE JOHNSON FAMILY IN THE USA. MAY KRISHNA BLESS SALLY IN THE UKRAINE.
Hmm. We were soon swept to the back and asked to kneel down. Now, at this point in my mind, I couldnt help but think that the guide was getting us to pay respects to Krishna and his bunch. Not a comfortable feeling. After a nudge and reassurance that we had to kneel so that they could show us what was behind the curtain. Of corse, it was figures of Krishna and his family. Treated as though it was an ancient relic, he explained that his mother was crying because she was so happy to see us. In addition, a donation made to them would be graciously acceptable if it settled well with our conscience.
Recalling some magic 8-ball quotes that I have recieved, I said- "Sorry, my conscience says no."

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