56. worship
was once again nearly complete, lacking only the temple in the center of the com-
pound. This remained in the hands of the Rajasthan government, which is not per-
mitted to sell temples.
At this time, Maharaj-ji decided to organize an astayama lila—the eternal lila—
eight successive daily performances depicting twenty-four hours in the life of
Radha and Krishna, three hours at a time. Throughout the summer both the site and
the event were prepared. Work was begun to excavate the ghats and restore the ex-
isting structures. Meanwhile Maharaj-ji wrote scripts and devotional songs for the
lila, based on the sixteenth-century Sanskrit text of the Govinda-lilamrtam, which
in twenty-three chapters describes the divine day in detail. Maharaj-ji’s family and
followers created sumptuous costumes in brilliantly colored silks and gold cloth,
stage hangings of rich velvets, settings of forest groves and bowers, thrones of red,
peacock blue, and gold fabrics, and lighting to highlight the dramas being enacted
on the stage. In September, rehearsals began for the troupe of boys and men who
play all the parts.
His devotees believe that Krishna still lives in Vrindaban and the land around it,
and that he and Radha play there still. Before the lila could begin, it was necessary
to invoke these eternal performers, to bring the space and the time to life. Beginning
on the morning of October 31, for twenty-four hours, a relay team ofsadhusrecited
the mahatnanlra: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare, Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare,” marking out time and space with the
name of the divinity. (Hare is the vocative of Hara, which means “one who steals
the heart” of Krishna—that is to say, Radha. “Hare Krishna” thus means “Radha
Krishna.” Rama comes from the Sanskrit too, meaning “to dally, go around with,
keep company with” Radha, so “Hare Rama” again invokes the names of Radha and
Krishna.)
In addition, the 350 chapters of theBhagavata Parana—the basic sacred text for
devotees of Krishna—were read in one day by fourteen scholars, each one reading
25 chapters. The sound of the chanting transformed time and place. Within this set-
ting, Maharaj-ji performedpuja(worship) at Krishna’s ghat, which was also the
place where the bhramara had appeared to Uddhava and Radha. Then he led the
way to Radha’s ghat, a place of particularly intense feeling for Maharaj-ji, since he
had twice had a vision of Radha there. There he performed puja a second time. That
evening, Krishna was evoked again in the performance hall by the great dancer
Birju Maharaj, whose choreography for the occasion was based on the text of the
Govindalilamrtam.
The next day was devoted to intense preparation, particularly blessings by vari-