Kṛṣṇa-saṅgati - Meetings with Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa enters Dvārakā, his devotees express an emotion which is common to all those who love him, separation:

yarhy ambujākṣāpasasāra bho bhavān
kurūn madhūn vātha suhṛd-didṛkṣayā
tatrābda-koṭi-pratimaḥ kṣaṇo bhaved
raviṁ vinākṣṇor iva nas tavācyuta

O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to Mathurā, Vṛndāvana or Hastināpura to meet Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your absence seems like millions of years. O infallible one, at that time our eyes become useless, as if bereft of the sun. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.11.9)

Kṛṣṇa-saṅgāti is the third volume of the Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana Series and focuses in on this element of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; his regular comings and goings from Vṛndāvana, union and separation. As he closed in on 16 years of age, Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana with his Uncle Akrūra, but upon seeing the utter distress of his associates, he promised to return before long, a vow that sustained their lives. But over the past 5,000 years, many have accused the Lord of not fulfilling his promise, and thus the ācāryas go to great lengths to show how the darling of Vraja indeed kept his word. In the form of many mesmerising pastimes expertly intertwined with rich philosophy, Kṛṣṇa-saṅgāti gives a unique insight into Kṛṣṇa’s movements, as well as the depth of the Lord’s emotions when he is away from his most beloved associates.