A few days before Sita, one of our cows, passed away, the vet came to see her. As usual, she was very friendly as we all stood around and discussed her situation. But the moment a rope was produced to tie her, she took off. We tried in all kinds of ways to catch her, but she was just too smart and determined and in the end went off to hide in the woods, ignoring our calls and carrot temptations.

She was afraid of the rope. Yes, animals have feelings just like us, because, just like us, beyond the outer body covering there is the soul. Where there is life, there is consciousness. And where there is consciousness – that's the presence of the soul.

But what she didn't have was discrimination – the ability to understand that the rope was going to do her some good, that we were here to help. That takes some trust. In our lives, we are often tested in the same way. When Krishna holds out His hand and says – walk with Me, trust Me, give Me your love, give up all other shelter and surrender everything to Me, I will protect you, do not fear – we hold back. We hesitate. We give ourselves cautiously.

How can we more deeply trust the reality of Krishna's hand in our lives? As we gradually uncover ourselves to our true spiritual nature, we naturally begin to let the ropes of Krishna's loving invitation bind us. As we hold out our hand and heart to Krishna, we loosen the ropes of false ego that tie us to fear, anxiety, and lamentation in this world.

This is journey and goal of one who practices Bhakti Yoga – to live life loving Krishna and feel His loving care all the time.