VMA 1.12 : The Upanishads take birth as cows in Braj
Care for Cows Vrindavan brahmānandam avāpya tīvra-tapasā samyak prasādyeśvaraṁ gorūpāḥ sakalā ihopaniṣadaḥ kṛṣṇe ramante vraje | vṛndāraṇya-tṛṇaṁ tu divya-rasadaṁ nityaṁ carantyo’niśaṁ rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādāmbujottama-rasā svādena pūrṇāḥ sthitāḥ || Even after attaining the bliss of oneness with Brahman, the Upanishads continued to perform great austerities to perfectly please the Supreme Lord so that they could take birth as cows in Vrindavan. Now they take pleasure here in the pastures, grazing on the juicy grasses of the Vrindavan forest, feeling total satisfaction at relishing the taste of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna’s divine lotus feet. (1.12) Commentary Lord Brahma and Uddhava both prayed to take birth even as shrubs or blades of grass so that they could receive the dust of Krishna and his associates’ feet. In the Veṇugīta, the gopis say that the birds are great sages, either chanting Vedic hymns in glorification of the Lord or keeping silence as they relish the sounds of th...