This is a partial excerpt from the book The Embankment of Separation, chapter eight, by Gour Govinda Maharaja where he describes in charming language Krishna return to Vrindavana. In response to a question in the Questions And Answers section in this forum.
Log of wood.
Just at that time, Krishna’s chariot reached Vrajabhumi. As soon as Krishna arrived in Vraja, He jumped down from his chariot. Now Yogamaya is manifesting another lila. As if by providential arrangement, Krishna appeared there in Nidhuvana where Radharani is lying as if dead. Krishna ran there, and from His mouth the words are coming, radhe, radhe dehi pada pallava mudaram: “O Radhe! O Radhe! Please give Me your lotus feet. I want to put them on My head.” Krishna is shouting in that way. Such a wonderful lila has manifested. Krishna, feeling the acute pangs of separation from Radharani, became completely ecstatic. His hands and legs were pushed into the body. He became like a tortoise. This is the form of Jagannatha. And, with big dilated eyes, He is only gazin at Radharani, who is lying there in the kunja as if dead. Seeing Her condition, He lost His consciousness and fell to the ground. In that form He is feeling the acute pangs of separation from Radha. That is the form of Jagannatha, rädhä bhäva sindhure bhasamana, as if He is a log of wood floating in the ocean of rädhä-bhava.
At that time, the wind blew over the transcendental body of Krishna. When that wind touched the body of Radharani, who was about to die, it acted like a soothing balm. Radharani’s life returned immediately. Just then, in a very sweet voice, Srimati Lalita whispered in the ear of Radharani, “Krishna has come.” When She heard this, Radharani gradually opened Her eyes to see Her Pranavallabha, most beloved Krishna. This was the medicine by which She regained Her life and got up. Now She has forgotten everything. All the pangs of separation have completely gone.
But Krishna is still unconscious in this tortoise-like form. Seeing Krishna in this condition, Srimati Radhika gave direction to Her priya sakhi, Vishakha, “Please help Krishna.” And Vishakha knows what medicine she will apply. In a very sweet voice she started to chant the name, ‘Radhe, Radhe, Radhe,” in the ears of Krishna. Hearing this, Krishna regained His consciousness and opened His eyes. Now Krishna is looking at Radharani, and Radharani is looking at Syamasundara, Krishna. Eye-to-eye union. Then everyone forgot the past condition. Where is Dvaraka? Where is Krishna’s pang of separation? And where is Srimati Radharani’s viraha? All these things have now gone. This is the union of Radha and Krishna in Nidhuvana kunja.
Nidhuvana kunja is where niSa lila, the night pastimes of Radha and Krishna, take place. So the sakhis arranged a nice bed where Radha and Krishna spent the night together. Then brahma muhurta came, 4 a.m. One cuckoo bird produced a very sweet sound, cooh! Cooh! Indicating that now dawn has come. “Get up! Get up! Get up! Radha and Krishna, get up!
Now the Divine Couple are awake. Krishna is standing in His three-fold bending form, syamasundara-tri-bhanga. He is dressed in a yellow dhoti with a peacock feather in His hair. Krishna is playing on His flute, producing sweet sounds, and on His left side stands Radharani dressed in a blue sari. Lalita-sundari is offering païca pradipa ärati. Vishakha is singing nice kértana of the union of Radha and Krishna, yugala mahima kértana. Some other sakhis are playing mridanga, some karatälas, and others are playing mridanga, some karatälas, and others are playing the vina. Mangala ärati is going on; such beautiful, nectarean union after separation. Krishna is casting His glance onto Radharani. And through Her eyes, Radharani is drinking the sweet honey coming from the lotus like face of Krishna. Both of them are sitting on an effulgent jeweled throne, divyaratna simhasana.
In a very sweet voice, Krishna says “Radhe, where is viraha? Where is separation? There is no separation, Radhe. In tattva there is no separation at all. I am always with You in Vrajabhumi. This viraha is the topmost platform in prema, loving affairs. If there had not been viraha then this prema would have met an untimely death, akal mrityu. Therefore viraha deeps that prema alive.
Radhe, Your love for Me is like a very deep ocean. And in order to reach such an ocean, and drown in that deep ocean, I have assumed this form, Jagannatha. In this form I will stay eternally in Sri Ksetra.”
This Jagannatha-vigraha, rädhä viraha vidhura, Krishna feeling intense separation from Radha. In the form of a log of wood, He is floating in the ocean of rädhä bhäva which is in the heart of Radharani.
“And when I appear again as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, assuming Your sentiment and complexion, I will also stay in Jagannatha Puri Dhama.”
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna viraha vidhura, and Jagannatha is rädhä viraha Vidura. Two crying forms in Jahannatha Puri – Caitanya Mahaprabhu is in the mood of Radharani, crying for Krishna and Jagannatha is Krisna crying for Radha.
Then Krishna told Radha, My brother Balarama and My sister Subhadra helped Me to come to Vrajabhumi so that We could be united. Therefore I will also take them with Me in the forms they assumed upon coming to Brajabhumi. In these forms, we three shall stay eternally in Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri Dhama.”
Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra are three logs of wood, just floating in the ocean of rädhä prema; nothing else. This tattva.