(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 September 2012, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Lecture)
Mother Yasoda wants only the best for her son so she grows very special grass which is fed to very special cows who then produce very special milk. Then early in the morning, she calls for Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radharani, at that time, is staying with her in-laws in the village of Yavat, some two kilometers away from Nandagrama, a little further from Varsana where her parents, Vrsabhanu and Kirtida, are still living.
Srimati Radharani, from the house of her in-laws, is brought to the house of Yasoda in the morning. Although Jatila, her mother-in-law, is not so eager to let her go, she is forced to do so by her elders. The elders were saying, ‘How can you disobey the queen of Vrndavana?’ And mother Yasoda wants Srimati Radharani to cook for Krsna because Srimati Radharani had pleased Durvasa Muni once and she got the benediction that whatever she cooks will provide long life to whoever eats it plus it will taste like nectar! So mother Yasoda is very eager that Krsna will get a long life because like any mother, she is always worried. That is the nature of mothers, they always need something to worry about; something can possibly go wrong and mother Yasoda is not any different. So she is reciting all kinds of different mantras on the body of Krsna and in different ways, trying to protect him from all possible dangers and she wants him to have a long life. Therefore, she insists that Radharani has to cook for Krsna.
So early in the morning, Srimati Radharani leaves home, carried in a palanquin by various gopi servants, who are carrying her along the pathway, fanning her and transporting her to the house of Yasoda. Rohini has already started the fire early in the morning and started some preparations and is cooking away when Radharani arrives. Then Radharani begins to prepare so many of Krsna’s favourite preparations! She is very expert in making various sweet preps like kheer and rasagula for the pleasure of Krsna, who is very fond of such sweets. That is the nature of Krsna and Radharani is there every day.
Early in the morning, Krsna rises and the very first thing that Krsna does, even before bathing, is to milk the cows because the udders of the cows are full in the morning and they cannot wait so that must be done first.
Then when Krsna takes his bath, it is a festival because the gopis are assisting in the bathing as well as the cowherd boys. In that way, the spiritual world resembles the deity worship which we are performing here in this world. Behind the altar, there is a whole crew of devotees who are preparing things for the worship of Krsna. So in the same way, that is going on also. The dressing of Krsna is done by many in the spiritual world. Krsna is not dressing himself.