Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Uddhava was Lord Krishna’s dear most friends as well as being His cousin, having been born as the son of Devabhaga, who was Vasudeva’s brother. Uddhava possessed almost the exact same physical features and complexion as Krishna and the name ‘Uddhava’ means ‘festival of joyfulness’. Krishna chose Uddhava to carry His message to the gopis who were feeling acute separation from the Lord after He left Vrindavana for Mathura. While delivering Krishna’s message to the gopis, Uddhava spent a number of months staying in Vraja and spent a lot of time with the Vrajavasis discussing Krishna’s pastimes. This was much appreciated by the Vrajavasis as it helped sooth their painful feelings of separation from Krishna.
This beautiful spot on the banks of Kusuma-sarovara is said to be one of the favorite places where Uddhava used to sit while performing his bhajana. Uddhava was so moved by the pure devotion exhibited by the gopis that he desired to be born as grass in Vrindavana, so that when the gopis were passing by, they might trample upon him and in that way he could get the dust of their lotus feet upon his head. Uddhava took birth in the form of a grassy-creeper known as gulma-lata in this same Pushpavana forest surrounding Kusuma-sarovara. There is a temple here dedicated to Uddhava and some say that Vajranabha Maharaja established this temple and Deity of Uddhava. It is said that Uddhava eternally lives in three places, Badrinatha in the Himalayas, at Krishna’s capital city of Dwaraka, and here at Kusuma-sarovara.
