Srila Sanatana Gosvami had another vision of the Supreme Lord later in his life.
While staying at Chakratirtha near Sri Govardhana, Srila Sanatana Gosvami would regularly circumambulate Sri Govardhan hill. As he grew older, he became too weak to circumambulate on a daily basis without becoming excessively fatigued. One day, Lord Gopinatha Himself came in the form of a cowherd boy to fan him when he became too tired from walking. After refreshing Srila Sanatana Gosvami in this way, the boy climbed onto the hill and brought down a (shila) stone marked with Sri Krishna’s footprint. He gave the shila to Srila Sanatana Gosvami and said, “You have grown old. There is no longer any need for you to trouble yourself to this extent. I am giving you this shila from Govardhana. If you circumambulate this shila, you can consider yourself to have circumambulated Govardhana.”
Then He disappeared.
Srila Sanatana Gosvami was overwhelmed with pain and began to cry upon losing sight of the cowherd boy’s charming form.
(Bhakti-ratnākara 5.728-741)
