Vrindavan, 2017.10.28 (VT): The government of Uttar Pradesh on Friday announced that Vrindavan and Barsana are now tirtha sthal – official pilgrimage sites. In a special meeting at the Vairagi Baba Ashram on Parikrama Marg, sants of Braj lauded the government’s move.

The announcement has been warmly welcomed by residents of the two towns, but it has also left many wondering what this really means for Vrindavan and Barsana.

While visiting nearby Agra on Thursday, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath threw some light on his team’s possible motivations. Religious tourism seems to be the main factor behind the move.

“We want to develop tourism in such a way that visitors to Agra also come to Mathura,” said Adityanath, “and that pilgrims to Mathura will also go to Agra.”

“Tirtha Sthal” declaration will preserve Braj culture

Although Mathura and Vrindavan were merged earlier this year to form “Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam”, the culture of Mathura is significantly different than Vrindavan’s. Vrindavan has been a Vaishnava stronghold for centuries; meat, eggs and alcohol are strictly banned within the city limits. However Vrindavan’s “forbidden” items can be legally bought and sold in Mathura.

When the government merged the two towns, residents of Vrindavan were extremely concerned that one rule of law would govern the new conglomerate city – in other words, that meat, alcohol and so forth would slowly creep into Vrindavan, destroying the unique ethos that had been so carefully cultivated for centuries.

Now that Vrindavan has been declared a tirtha sthal, alcohol, meat and so forth are unequivocally banned. The two cities being one, techinically the sale of meat and alcohol should be banned in Mathura as well, athough this is unlikely to happen.

Unfortunately the government has been the main culprit in proliferating wine shops across the holy land of Braj. In the case of Barsana, this declaration by the Yogi government protects Radharani’s hometown from the type of degradation visible around village wine shops throughout the region.

Possible effects of the “Tirtha Sthal” announcement on development

Although the number of pilgrims to Vrindavan, Barsana, and other areas of Braj Mandal have sharply increased over the past decade, the lack of development in these towns has prevented the tourism sector from reaching its full potential.

Declaring Vrindavan and Barsana as tirth sthal should allow the government to make better and faster progress on:

• Updating the roads and traffic system
• Increasing the amount of greenery in the city
• Setting up and renovating STPs
• Renovating kunds and eliminating water pollution
• Establishing parks and gardens
• Increasing bus and train connectivity to major cities
• Preserving Braj culture
• Creating picnic areas, tourist centers, shopping areas and so forth
• Restoring the heritage ghats on the Yamuna riverfront
• Creating affordable accommodations for pilgrims
• Offering activities for pilgrims to enjoy between temple hours
• Creating more employment opportunities for residents

The government has made many promises related to Vrindavan’s development over the years, and it seems only a small percentage of those ever came to fruition. However, Friday’s announcement had the whole town buzzing. People are experiencing a new sense of hope about Vrindavan’s situation. Only time will tell if the government will finally follow through.

The text of the government letter

The Government of Uttar Pradesh
Department of Religious Affairs
Sankhya – 1079/57-2017-3(20)2017
Lucknow:  27 October, 2017

Vrindavan in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh is famous around the world for being Bhagwan Shri Krishna’s birthplace and the krida-sthal of Shri Krishna and his elder brother Balram. Barsana is similarly famous for being Shri Radha’s birthplace and krida-sthali. Every day hundreds of thousands of devotees come to the aforementioned places to take darshan and obtain religious merit, considering these areas to be sacred. These places are glorified in the Purans and are also extremely important from the point of view of tourism.

Threfore,the place which was formerly known as Vrindavan Nagar Palika, in the district of Mathura, along with Barsana Nagar Panchayat, are hereby declared as a holy pilgrimage site (tirtha sthal).

Avnish Kumar Awasthi
Principal Secretary

Notice for the information of the following, to be followed up with the appropriate action:
The Chief Secretary of the Department of Urban Development, the Food and Drug Administration, the Excise Department, the General Administration, the Home Ministry and the State Government of Uttar Pradesh will kindly perform the needful actions on a deparmental level within the next three months.

Commissioner, Agra Mandal, Agra
District Magistrate, Mathura
Chief of Police, Mathura
Vice President, Vraj Tirth Vikas Parishad, Mathura
Nagar Nigam, Mathura

Avnish Kumar Awasthi
Principal Secretary

About the UP Department of Religious Affairs

The UP Department of Religious Affairs was created on December 19, 1985 for the execution of activities relating to the management of charitable or religioius institutions and temples. All the temples and religious places in the state come under the jurisdiction of the Department. Directly under the Principal Secretary, its objectives are to insure that basic public facilities such as road system, resting places, lighting systems, drinking water facility, food and refreshment, etc., are made available at religious places.

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Sri Krishna first grazed cows on Gopastami. Yesterday, locals and tourists celebrated Gopastami in all of the temples and traditional homes of Braj. ISKCON Vrindavan follows the tradition of dressing Radha Rani as a Gopa, which means that Gopastami is one of 2 days per year when Radha Rani gives charan darshan. The tradition of dressing Radha Rani as a Gopa comes from the lila where Subhala and Radha Rani exchange clothes so that Radha Rani can escape from her in-laws house to be with Krishna for the day. Another legend related to Gopastami is that it marks the anniversary of the first day when Krishna-Balaram were entrusted with the task of taking calves out for grazing. Gopastami is one of the most important festivals in Braj because this is the land where Sri Krishna chose to enjoy his childhood, in rural surroundings, with plentiful milk and butter. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Amar Ujala

Politicians’ Billboards torn down. In the lead up to local elections, hundreds of politicians’ billboards have been taken down by the municipality. Owing to a law against billboards in the lead up to elections, hundreds of boards and banners are being removed across the town. On Saturday, the municipal team removed 25 billboards, 35 banners and 150 small boards. The cleanup began in Mathura on Saturday. The cleanup teams are scheduled to begin clearing the boards from around Vrindavan today. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Amar Ujala

Woman collapses upon seeing her house demolished. Yesterday, Radhakund: A woman was taken to hospital after she collapsed during the demolition of houses on the Radhakund parikrama. The National Green Tribunal has ordered the demolition of all buildings in the area that do not have proper zoning permission. To date, around 200 houses and shops have been demolished in the Goverdhan-Radhakund area. Yesterday, Yogeshwar Ashram was among the buildings demolished. The Sadhus from the ashram came out in protest and criticised the administration, saying that it is wrong to say that there is no room for Thakurji in His own town. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Sulabh International

Rawal fails to become a model village. Under the Modi Government’s Swachh Bharat program, several villages were adopted and attempts were made to make them into ‘model villages’. Radha Rani’s own village, Rawal, was adopted by actress-turned-politician, Hema Malini. Malini visited the village herself to educate villagers and Sulabh International constructed 75 toilets in the village. There are 150 houses in the village so not everyone benefited from the scheme, and, it was discovered later that some households had received two toilets. In one case, the householders refused to use the toilet and converted it into a temple. As well as the difficulty in changing the villgers’ mindset about toilets, there are also practical reasons that the toilet installation has not stopped open defecation – for a large family, one toilet is simply not enough.  Recent estimates state that around 40% of villagers still go out to the fields to defecate. This is a shocking indication of the failure of the Model Village Program, as Rawal was supposed to have become a model village by 2016. Read more (Hindi)

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Vrindavan, 2017.10.28 (VT): A few days ago, foreign devotees living in Vrindavan were requested to make their suggestions known for the development of the Dham. Adityanath Yogi, the CM of Uttar Pradesh, and Mr. Mishra have both promised that the development of Braj will take place according to the will of the people of Braj and in keeping with the mission of Braj as a spiritual center or tirth. Now that the government has officially declared that Vrindavan is a tirth or holy site, let us examine that proposal.

Drawings and paintings from the past, such as this one from 1789, show that the river Yamuna used to flow right past Madan Mohan. Exactly what year the river changed course I do not know, but the current river flows about 500 meters or more to the north of the Madan Mohan temple.

Needless to say, the Madan Mohan temple is one of the grand attractions of Vrindavan. It is under the auspices of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), which is doing a creditable job of preserving this important heritage.

This is the marker for the Dwadashaditya Tila lookout point. Obviously, when this lookout was constructed, probably at the same time as the temple itself, there was a beautiful unobstructed view of the Yamuna River, as well as the fields and forests that grew on every side.

I wanted to take pictures from the lookout point was to show the “view” from Madan Mohan or Dwadashaditya Tila. This is the area that is currently under dispute. Numerous buildings have already been knocked down in this area, but several large buildings, like the Russki Dom in the upper left side of the featured image behind the parking lot have received stay orders and are not under the wrecking ball quite yet.

This is the current “view” from Madan Mohan. It is also part of the area that is currently under dispute. Numerous buildings have already been knocked down in this area, but several large buildings, like the Russki Dom in the upper left side of this image behind the parking lot have received stay orders and are not under the wrecking ball quite yet.

In the distance one can see the Yamuna. Now the view has been completely obliterated by these hideous parking lots and the unsightly and half-completed constructions.

The MVDA and Vrindavan municipality made some serious errors of judgment in allowing this area to be developed as a residential area, since it belongs to the Yamuna floodplain and therefore no construction is permitted there.

From the point of view of tourism, you really want to protect your views. There must be an unobstructed view of the Yamuna and beautiful gardens and orchards planted here for the pleasure of those doing parikrama and visiting the Madan Mohan temple.

The other thing, of course, is the Parikrama Marg itself, which on busy days like ekadashis or Gopashtami, sees an influx of pilgrims wanting to do Panchakosi Parikrama. Increased traffic on the Parikrama Marg, especially here with people headed in to Bihariji right ahead, makes the Parikrama walk a real difficulty.

Let the demolition work continue. Let’s find a solution for the Parikrama Marg that includes daily no-traffic times and no-traffic days when the crowds are greatest. In my view, every visitor to Vrindavan should be made to leave their vehicle outside the Parikrama Marg, including bus passengers and to walk to Bihariji and the other temples for darshan.

What is a visit to the holy place without some sacrifice or tapasya. In other days, visiting Vrindavan required taking days out of one’s life. Now one can breeze in for a drive, see Bihariji and go. The spiritual benefit of such actions is minimal.

If Braj is to be developed as a pilgrimage center rather than a purely tourist hub like Agra with the Taj, then some demands have to be made on the pilgrim, for the sake of the Dham itself, in order that its spiritual power is most effectively experienced. That is the magic of the Dham and that is where its real potential lies.

Vrindavan is about spirituality and nature. Without the Yamuna and without an attempt to make the land as lush and green in the current environment as is possible, should be taken as essential elements in any concept of the Dham that is sustainable for the long term.

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I always take shelter of Dwadashaditya Tirtha, where Sri Krishna was blissfully, devotedly and lovingly warmed by the severe rays of the twelve suns after he became afflicted by cold (from entering the Kaliya lake) and where he shines, affectionately surrounded by men, women and bellowing cows.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises the Dwadashaditya Tirtha. When Sri Krishna came out of the Kaliya lake after having swum there for a long time, he felt very cold and began to shiver. He is udāra-carita, which means that he is always engaged in human-like pastimes. While subduing the Kaliya snake Krishna certainly displayed great prowess in front of the Brijbasis, but this prowess appeared as very sweet and relishable to them. This is the nature of the sweet conception.

Shrila Vishwanath Chakravartipada writes in his Rāga-vartma-candrikā (2.5):

īśvaro’yam ity anusandhāne’pi hṛt-kampa-janaka-sambhrama-gandhasyānudgamāt svīya-bhāvasyātisthairyam eva yad utpādayati tan mādhurya-jñānam. yathā prākṛtyā api mātuḥ putrasya pṛthvīśvaratve sati tat putra bhāvaḥ sphīta evābhavati.

“Even when one remembers that Krishna is God, but still does not have even the slightest feeling of heart-trembling reverence and is instead fixed in one’s own mood of love towards the Lord, thinking: “He is my son, he is my friend, he is my lover!”, then it is called mādhurya jñāna (a sweet conception). In the material world also, it is seen that a mother’s maternal affection for her son does not diminish when he becomes a king; it rather strengthens her maternal love and pride in her offspring.”

The Lord assumes a mood according to the way in which the devotee loves him, and hence he reveals his sweet pastimes according to the sweet conception the Vraja-devotees have of him.

yathā pūtanā-prāṇa-hāritve’pi stana-cūṣaṇa-lakṣaṇa-nara-bāla-līlatvam eva. mahā-kaṭhora-śakaṭa-sphoṭane’py atisukumāra-caraṇa-traimāsikyottāna-śāyi-bāla-līlatvam. mahā-dīrgha dāmāśakya-bandhatve’pi mātṛ-bhīti-vaiklavyam. brahma-baladevādi-mohane’pi sarvajñatve’pi vatsa-cāraṇa-līlatvam.

“Even while killing a powerful witch like Putana, Krishna acted just like a human child by sucking her breast. His act of kicking over a huge and dangerous cart and thus destroying it was accomplished with the tender feet of a three-month-old baby that was lying down. And even though during the dāma-bandhana-līlā, Mother Yashoda could find no means to bind him up because even the longest rope was always two fingers too short, Sri Krishna was still afraid of his mother. And although he bewildered Lord Brahmā and Baladeva during the Brahma-vimohana līlā and showed his omniscience, he still manifested his sweet pastimes of herding the calves at the same time.” (Rāga-vartma-candrikā 3)

Similarly, during the Kāliya-damana-līlā Krishna’s tender form engaged in a sweet dance while smashing the 100 hoods of the greatly poisonous snake Kaliya. When Krishna came out of the Kaliya lake after defeating the snake his whole body shivered with cold from being inside the water for so long. At that time, the twelve phases of the sun, i.e., its different manifestations in the different months, rose near the Kaliya lake with great loving devotion and most blissfully began to protect Sri Krishna from the cold with their hot rays. Hence this place is named after the twelve (dvādasa) forms of the Sungod (āditya).

In the Ādi Varāha Purāṇa it is written:

O Vasundhare! A person who bathes in Sūrya Tīrtha and sees Āditya there attains the sun and will be blessed with the topmost bliss. A person who bathes here on sundays and on Saṅkranti-days will be blessed with the fulfillment of all his desires. Of this there is no doubt.

In the Sūrya Purāṇa it is seen:

This Dwadashaditya Tirtha is most pure. Anyone who sees it is freed from all sins.

When Sri Krishna accepted the service of the twelve suns his mother, father and all other Brijbasis surrounded him, making a lot of noise, while at the same time the cows filled the air with their bellowing. Raghunath Das Goswami says: “I always seek the shelter of this Dwadashaditya Tirtha.”

Muraripu, who is glorified as being the Supreme Lord, actually performs very sweet pastimes. According to these most astonishing human-like pastimes his whole body shivered of the cold.

Here Govinda shines, surrounded by women, men and lowing cows, while the twelve suns serve his divine body with their heat, their bodies horripilating of ecstatic love.

I take shelter of the great holy place named Dwadashaditya Tirtha, where this pastime takes place and where the soil is marked by Krishna’s footprints. May I always remember this place, that I desire to see so much!”

Commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī), and was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) from Sri Krishna chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Amrita Tarangini.

TAGS: Ananta Das Pandit, Raghunath Das Goswami,Vraja Vilasa Stava

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Srila Prabhupada and Globalization

We have had the opportunity to celebrate over the last couple of years several significant dates in the memorializing Srila Prabhupada’s amazing career and that has provoked a lot of reflection in me over what changes have taken place in Vrindavan since 1975 when I first came here and did my first Parikrama.

The fact that we “foreigners” are even here today, all comes from Srila Prabhupada’s absolute conviction that bhakti and Vrindavan, the Vrindavan mood of prema-bhakti, are the highest value in human life, the parama-purushartha, and that this was not a religious faith meant to for a handful of Indians from Bengal or India, but a recipe for spiritual perfection that could uplift the entire world.

As Prabhupada taught his own disciples to say of him,

“We bow down to you, O servant of Saraswati Thakur, the preacher of Gauranga’s message and deliverer of the Western countries, which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.”

When Prabhupada came to the West, he found a cache of frustrated young people who were beginning to see the limitations of the much-touted Western civilization. Prabhupada liked to tell his disciples approvingly of Gandhi’s riposte to a reporter who asked him what he thought of Western civilization. Gandhi had the temerity, the sheer audacity, to say, “It would be a good idea.”

Prabhupada made no compromise with Western civilization. He made his disciples shave their heads and put on tilak and wear dhotis and saris to announce to Europe and the Americas that the mad rush for material comforts and enjoyments and the sacrifices that they required was destroying humanity itself. That was 50 years ago. And the intensity of the Kali Yuga, the advance of Western civilization, has increased at a pace that even we could not imagine.

Prabhupada at Radha Damodar in 1972.

When the first devotees came to Vrindavan with Prabhupada in the early 1970s, they sat with him at Radha Damodar by Rupa Goswami’s samadhi and heard the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu without fear of monkeys and perhaps even hearing a peacock calling from Seva Kunj. Yes there were pigs and urchins defecating in the streets, but the power of Vrindavan’s spiritual vibration penetrated because the obstacles to experience it were few. The distractions were not so many. It descended from the sun and it rose from the dust.

The pursuit of wealth and enjoyments comes in the guise of civilization, but every step towards the perfection of that civilization – which never comes, which cannot come because of the sheer impossibility of material life ever giving humanity the satisfaction it craves – results in another veil being spread over the true purpose of human life, which is to attain divine love for the Supreme Self, who teaches how that is done in Vrindavan. Who gives it by his eternal, undeparted presence here.

Prabhupada was ahead of the curve on globalization. He knew that India was hurtling towards Westernization, which is really just another word for globalization. The effect of the British Raj and then independence had slowly been changing the Indian ethos towards a more worldly one. There was a brief moment in which various cautious plans for industrialization were implemented, but in 1965, Nehru’s India was plodding along in the third way socialism, so how could Prabhupada know all that would happen to India when it finally stopped looking for a third way and decided to participate more fully in the world economy?

We see everywhere that globalization succeeds in doing is to destroy the protections around national culture. Religion, by its very nature, is the enemy of the consumerist lifestyle. This worldliness and other-worldliness are by their very nature diametrically opposed, and one sees the world according to the worldly view or one adopts the path inward, one looks within for the truth and recognizes the impermanence of all phenomena and lives life accordingly, as if the Self within were the sum total of all things.

India’s civilization is built around its religion. If you take away its religion, what is left of India’s culture? But for the secular world, economies are based on consumerism and that which is an enemy of the consumption society is an enemy of progress and increased GDP.

Prabhupada lured disaffected and alienated youth in America with an alternative. And that alternative was India: the India of the Bhagavatam, the India of the Mahabharata, the India of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Six Goswamis and Vrindavan Dham. That Vrindavan, that India, could still be perceived through the sultry and dusty days of the early 70s.

But today there is barely a nook in any of the three Vrindavans where the restless anxiety that accompanies the frantic search of consumers for money and excitement does not penetrate.

India as the Guru of the World

What Prabhupada achieved with his outreach to America was he confirmed the sense of India’s special place in the world and Hindu religious sense of identity. For a Hindu, the entirety of Bharatavarsha, from the Himalayas of the yogis to the southern tip where Rama crossed to Lanka, is sacred. That is not negotiable. It is almost the essence of Sanatan Dharma. To be from this land, to love it for its yogis, for its saints, for its gods and myths and rituals, is to be a Hindu.

We all like to be confirmed in our identity. That others from outside India could recognize the sacred nature of this land was a great confirmation of a strand of rhetoric that Hindus had been hearing since the time of Vivekananda – that India was capable of making a contribution to the world’s true purpose, which is to know the Self.

Recently in Vrindavan, UP CM Adityanath Yoga and other Hindu nationalist leaders like Mohan Bhagwat spoke again about India’s role as spiritual guru to the world. From the beginnings of the rise of Hindu national consciousness, there has been a strain of thought in India that strongly believes its spiritual heritage is its greatest gift to the world, its greatest contribution, and that this is a “good” that outdistances any of the material goods that modern civilization has to offer.

Now this is where things get interesting.

Globalization means not a one way street, and when things mix, they mix in ways that are sometimes quite unpredictable and strange.

I will explore this a little more in a future article. Part I is here.

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Mathura. 2017.10.29 (Outlook): The recent declaration of Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad and Barsana Nagar Panchayat here as ‘holy pilgrim sites’ by the Uttar Pradesh government has evoked a mixed reaction from local residents.

While residents of Barsana and Vrindaban are jubilant, those belonging to Gokul, Mathura, Goverdhan, Rawal, Nandgaon, Mahaban, Baldeo and other areas of the district are disappointed at being neglected by the government.

Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, trustee of Srikrishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, alleged that the state government committed a “blunder” in declaring only Vrindavan and Barsana as ‘pavitra tirth sthal’.

“It is against several holy books to say that Lord Krishna incarnated in Vrindavan and Radha Rani was born in Barsana,” he said in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Chaturvedi said Lord Krishna was born in a prison from the womb of Devaki in Mathura, while Radha Rani incarnated in Rawal, the village which has been adopted by actress-turned- politician and Mathura MP Hema Malini.

The religious leader urged the state government to correct the mistake, and also declare Mathura and Rawal as ‘tirth stal’.

Meanwhile, RLD district chief Kunvar Narendra Singh, said such a declaration was made to please two state cabinet ministers from Mathura.

The declaration was made at the eleventh hour as the State Election Commission announced civic polls in three phases from November 22.

“Vrindavan area in Mathura is the birth place of Lord Krishna and his elder brother Balaram, and is world famous. Barsana is Radha’s birthplace. Lakhs of tourists visit these places to pay obeisance. Keeping in mind their importance and in view of tourism, these are declared as holy pilgrimage places,” an official release had said.

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The Battle of Barsana. Yesterday was the anniversary of the ‘Battle of Barsana’. Yogendra Singh Chhunkar, who is researching the history and culture of Barsana, said that the Battle of Barsana was decided on 30 October 1773. The battle was between the forces of the Mughal ruler, Shah Alam II, and the Hindu rulers of Bharatpur. The Mughuls attacked with over 12,000 soldiers. The resisting forces were mixed, and, according to Chhunkar’s research, included a German commander and his troupe of 5000 soldiers. After winning the war, the Mughals looted and burnt Barsana. (Read more, Hindi)

P.C. Ghumakkar

Vrindavan’s Jaipur Temple to get revamp. Yesterday, Vrindavan’s famous Jaipur Temple was visited by Rajistan Minister for Religious Affairs, Rajkumar Renaivan. The minister told the press that several of Jaipur’s important temples are in need of renovation. He said that the Government plans to beautify these temples as a model and that Vrindavan’s Jaipur Temple will be included in the beautification project. The minister said that while the principles of sanatan dharma are spreading all over the world, India’s position as ‘world Guru’ is being challenged by the lack of interest that India’s youth are showing in traditional ways of life. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagran

Vehicles on Parikrama create huge traffic jam. On Gopashtami, vehicles were not stopped from entering the parikrama marg. This caused hour long traffic jams which the traffic police were helpless to control. Yesterday, on Akshay Navmi, there was a ‘walking traffic jam’ at bottlenecks and a slow moving human chain of devotees encircling the whole of the Mathura-Vrindavan parikrama route. Estimates of the number of devotees on parikrama vary from 5 lakh to over 9 lakh. Tourists’ cars and e-rickshaws movements were restricted and the day passed joyfully with no major incidents. Read more (Hindi)

Liquor shop licensing confusion. The lack of co-ordination between Government departments is creating chaos with liquor shops being closed down then re-opening again a few months later. Previously licences were not allowed in the Vrindavan town center, but, licenses were given for liquor shops to be run on the highway. A Supreme Court order in 2017 banned liquor outlets on highways connecting towns but these were allowed to run within municipal areas. Hindustan reports that when legally licensed outlets were shut down, the Excise Department lost crores of income, and now 46 new licences have been issued for highway liquor shops. Our only hope is that Vrindavan’s new status as a tirth sthal, will mean that the town’s authorities and residents will make greater efforts to live up to high standards. Read more (English)

P.C. Amar Ujala

Car stolen from Biharji colony. The trend of car theft in Vrindavan is increasing, with a Suzuki Swift stolen yesterday from in front of Raghuvir Ashram, Banke Bihari Colony. Laksman Das from Dehradun returned from taking Bihariji darshan to find that his car was gone. He asked around, but nobody gave any information, after which he dialled 100 for the police hotline and filed a report. Read more (Hindi)

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Getting dressed (Śṛṅgāra)

75 Escorted by Vrinda, Krishna and the gopis enter a golden mandir and in its eastern corridor, sit upon a golden vedi that is smothered in flower petals.

76 Then Vrinda collects the fruit from some amazing desire trees, which are caskets filled with clothes, ornaments, scents, kunkum and tilak that are meant for everyone’s śṛṅgāra.

77 Each basket is marked with the name of whom it is for. The manjaris take the baskets and using the materials in them began to dress Krishna and his gopa sundaris individually.

78 When the śṛṅgāra is complete, Krishna appears like an effulgent form of rasa, śṛṅgāra rasa personified), and Radha and her sakhis appear like the personifications of Rati (Cupid’s wife, the goddess of rati-krīḍā). Krishna thus resembles the moon, and Radha and her sakhis are like the moonrays, and just as the moon and its rays are one soul, yet with different bodies.

79 When in Krishna’s company, Radha and her sakhis anoint themselves with the shining oil of affection, their friendship resembles udvartana (scented powder), they bathe in the nectar of youth, and their effulgence is their dress of loveliness.

80 The sakhis’ great fortune is their tilak; their refined beauty is their perfume, and their aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas are their bodily ornaments.

81 These ornaments include: kilakiñcita, vivvoka, unmāda, autsukya and all of the other anubhāvas.

82 Although Radha and sakhis are thus fully decorated with these inner ornaments, still the manjaris expertly dress them externally with clothes and jewels so that their beauty is doubled.

The midnight repast (niśā-bhojana)

83 After the śṛṅgāra, Rupa Manjari brings sweets such us anaṅga-guṭikā, sīdhu-vilāsa and laddus made from milk. Then Vrinda serves an array of juicy, sliced forest fruits that have their seeds and skins removed.

84 Thus Krishna enjoys bhojan with Radha and the sakhis. Then he washes his hands and mouth and goes to take rest in the keli mandir.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: To enhance our meditation, we should remember that Govinda Sthali is an island in the Yamuna, shaped like a tortoise shell. The yoga-pith mandir is in the center, surrounded by four kunjas :

1. The madhu-pāna-līlā took place in Sitambuja Kunj (to the north).
2. The śṛṅgāra after jala-keli just happened in Nilambuja Kunj (in the east).
3. Bhojana-vilāsa is now unfolding in Arunambuja* Kunja (in the south).
4. And coming next is the śayana-līlā when Radha Govinda and the sakhis take rest in Hemambuja Kunj (on the western side).

The sweets that Rupa Manjari serves were made by Radha during the Aparahna Lila.

In Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Sriman Gaurahari continues relating his vision of Radha Krishna’s niśā-līlā in mañjarī-bhāva: “…and speaking of the trees and latas of Vrindavan, they are amazing, for they yield flowers and fruits twelve months a year.

Vrinda and her vana devis (who are like kunja dasis) pick these fruits, nicely slice them and arrange them on large plates, and bring them to the jeweled mandir (in Arunambuja Kunj), placing them on the bhojana-vedi, the platform where everyone will sit for the meal.

After the edibles are arranged, the asanas are placed around for sitting. There are many types of coconuts, bananas and mangoes, as well as pineapples, dates, tangerines, oranges, blackberries, santaras, grapes, nuts and dried fruit, watermelons, palm fruits, water fruits, keshoras, lotus-stems, bel fruit, pilu and pomegranates. Yet there are thousands of varieties of other exotic fruits, too; it is impossible to mention them all.

The sweets include ganga-jala, amrita keli, piyusha granthi, karpura keli, sarapuri, padma-cini and thickened kshira which were all brought from Radhika’s home. Krishna is delighted seeing the wonderful arrangement Thus he enjoys a forest picnic (vana-bhojana) with Radha and the sakhis. Then he retires with Radha to the shayana mandir. (CC Antya 18)

The post Govinda Lilamrita Raas : Dressing after the water sport and night picnic appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Bhishma on the bed of arrows.

Vrindavan, 2017.10.31 (VT): Today is Devotthan Ekadashi. During the four-month period of Chaturmasya, Bhagwan Vishnu is believed to remain “asleep” in yoga-nidra, and on Devotthan Ekadashi he again awakes. This day – which falls on the Kartik Shukla Ekadashi tithi – is also known as Prabodhini Ekadashi, Utthan Ekadashi, Vishnu-Prabodhini Ekadashi and Dev-Prabodhini Ekadashi.

For those who began their Niyam Seva vrat on ekadashi, Devotthan Ekadashi marks the end of the vrat. (Please note, for those who began Niyam Seva on Purnima, the vrat ends on Purnima). Chaturmasya vrat also ends on this day, and the Bhishma Panchaka vrat begins. Bhishma Panchaka refers to the five days when Bhishma Pitamaha laid on the bed of arrows and praised Lord Dwarkadheesh, before leaving his body by his own will.

During the time when Vishnu sleeps, ie. for the whole Chaturmasya, weddings and other auspicious life ceremonies are traditionally banned. Thus, Devotthan Ekadashi marks the lifting of the “ban” and a surge in the number of marriages in Vrindavan. Hundreds of couples are expected to tie the knot on this day, and the wedding rush will continue for some time, bringing smiles to the faces of businessmen everywhere.

Devotthan Ekadashi pooja at the Radharaman Temple (P.C. Anjana Aggarwal)

The marriage of Tulsi with Shaligram (tulsi-shaligram vivaha) is also performed on Devotthan Ekadashi.

Devotthan Ekadashi also marks the beginning of the sugarcane harvest, thus sugarcane makes a special appearance in the pooja rituals of the day in homes and temples throughout Braj.

At the Shri Radharaman Temple, Shri Radharaman Lal wears a special crown on Devotthan Ekadashi. In the evening, a kunj is created with sugarcane stalks, under which an offering of raw fruits and vegetables is made. Without any bells or gongs, soft prayers are recited to awaken Vishnu. After awakening him, bells and gongs are used during abhishek and the complete worship of shaligram shila is performed.

Thereafter, Shaligram Dev is placed on a small chariot and taken on parade (vijay yatra) around the outer altar. Ghee lamps are then offered to Radharamanji and from this day till the end of winter, He uses a blanket at night.

The post Niyam Seva ends and marriages begin on Devotthan Ekadashi appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

A repost from 2010, the events in this article revolve around a special kirtan that is performed each year on Devotthan Ekadashi.

O Beloved! I dreamt I saw a place surrounded by a river. On its wide banks many people danced, just as we do here in Vrindavan on the bank of the Yamuna. They were playing musical instruments like the mridanga, like we do. And I saw a youth, the best of brahmins, with a golden body bright as lightning, drowning the world in a deluge of prema. (Srila Vishwanath Chakravartipad’s Svapnavilāsāmṛtam v. 1, stavāmṛta laharī)

priye! svapne dṛṣṭā saridinasutevātra pulinaṃ
yathā vṛndāraṇye naṭanapaṭavas-tatra bahavaḥ
mṛdaṅgādyaṃ vādyaṃ vividhamiha kaściddvijamaṇiḥ
sa vidyudgaurāṅgaḥ kṣipati jagatīṃ premajaladhau

प्रिये! स्वप्ने दृष्टा सरिदिनसुतेवात्र पुलिनं
यथा वृन्दारण्ये नटनपटवस्तत्र बहवः
मृदङ्गाद्यं वाद्यं विविधमिह कश्चिद्द्विजमणिः
स विद्युद्गौराङ्गः क्षिपति जगतीं प्रेमजलधौ

Where the trees grow with curving branches, making natural archways and alcoves to hide the Divine Couple’s late-night love games; where the Divine Couple come to take shelter after the Ras; where even now nobody goes after dark for fear of death or madness, because the Divine Couple are still here, still performing their lila, and the Forest will not permit any obstacle to their happiness; where Radha and Krishna come together in heart and mind and every limb. This is Nidhivan.

Radharani in Nidhivan (P.C. Dainik Bhaskar)

Here Sri Banke Bihari appeared to Swami Haridas, first as two swarups. But when the brilliance of Radharani’s complexion and her Love blinded him to Krishna’s presence, they merged to become a single form. Here a special murti of Srimatiji testifies to a certain secret lila, wherein She took on Krishna’s persona and dress, played his flute, and made him dance like a gopi in the Ras, along with her sakhis like Lalita and Visakha. This is Nidhivan.

Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj said, brajer nibhrta kunjer nibhrta kunja, nabadwip roope vekata. This is Nidhuvan, This is Nadiya. Radha and Krishna are always separated and never apart – only in this secret of secret Kunjas is this statement made true.

Swapnavilas Kirtan in Nidhivan

Perhaps it was for that very reason that every year on the last ekadashi of Kartik, Devotthan Ekadashi, Babaji Maharaj would come to Nidhivan to perform kirtan. Based on four songs by the ancient rasik padakartas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, the Svapnavilas Kirtan tells the story of Radharani’s unusual dream of one night. The kirtan begins as follows.

nidhubane duhu jane, chaudike sakhigane,
shutiyache rasera alase
chakite chandramukhi, uthilena swapna dekhi, re!
kandi kandi kahen badhu pashe…

“One morning Shri Radha and Krishna were sleeping in Nidhivan surrounded by their dear sakhis, when suddenly Radharani woke up crying. Radharani said to Krishna, “O my Beloved! Wake up! I have had the most amazing dream.

“‘I dreamt I saw a handsome youth with a body bright as gold. I have never seen anyone like him. In a battle of beauty, his gorgeous figure would conquer an army of kamdevs. He was full of sweetest joy, the prince of bliss.

Srila Narahari Sarkar Thakur’s deity of Sri Gauranga (P.C. Srikhanda Blogspot)

“’His tender golden body was ornamented with jewels of ecstasy like shivering and tears. The soft hairs of his body stood on end as he sang and danced in perfect madness. Seeing his incomparable form, the home of all loveliness and radiance, my eyes were soothed and my heart was spellbound.’

“Radharani anxiously cried, ‘O Beloved! Why does my mind yearn so much for this other boy? From the day I was born until today I have known nothing in waking, dreams or deep sleep but your beautiful body, dark as a raincloud, a deep well brimming with ras. Why now this strange reversal? In my life here in Vrindavan I have seen men and gods, sylvan sprites and even Narayan himself. Seeing them never satisfied my mind, but this Gauranga has stolen my heart!’

“As she spoke Radharani fell unconscious. Then that supreme romantic Shri Krishna embraced Radharani and kissed her again and again (as the poet Jagadananda watches in delight).”

Click below to hear the Swapnavilas Kirtan sung by Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj’s grand-disciple Shri Birbhadra Das Babaji (live recording from Nidhivan, Devotthan Ekadashi 2014):

Swapnavilas Kirtan and the Prostitute Nayantara

In Babaji Maharaj’s time, too, something happened here in Nidhivan which is worth recalling when we sit to relish this kirtan. This story is related in Sri Brajagopal Das Agrawal’s Hindi book on Babaji Maharaj’s life, Mere Dadu – Sri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj. It is also mentioned very briefly in The Life of Love, but Brajagopal Ji’s account is much more elaborate:

“It was around noontime during a solar eclipse in the year 1922. Babaji Maharaj had just returned from celebrating a Naam Yagya at the home of Munsif Ramchandra Babu in Raghunathpur. This time he came to bless the city of Bankura with Kirtan. The people danced joyfully with their arms in the air; the shopkeepers showered candy over the crowd; the women ululated and blew conchells. The kirtan passed through Bara Bazaar, Kiraniganj, Poddarpara… and soon they were near the red light district. When they heard the sound of the kirtan, the prostitutes came out to have a look.

Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj

“All of a sudden, a gorgeous young woman fell to the ground, grabbed onto Babaji Maharaj’s feet and started wailing. She said, ‘You are my Nitaichand! You have to save this fallen woman, or I will never let you go!’ Far from touching women or wealth, Babaji Maharaj was totally unacquainted with the faintest scent of worldly pleasures. Such a mahatyagi renunciant was he… yet now this voluptuous young prostitute had latched on to his feet. With much difficulty, his companions were able to pull her away.

“Being an extension of his beloved Lord Nityananda himself, Srila Babaji Maharaj’s compassion overflowed. Trembling, with hair standing on end and tears of ecstasy pouring from his eyes, Babaji Maharaj gave diksha to the prostitute, whose name was Nayantara. Then, saying, ‘Nitai, Nitai!’ he sent her on her way.

“But Nayanatara’s story does not end there. Come, let’s hear the rest of her tale. After getting the kripa of a capable guru in the form of Srila Babaji Maharaj, the very next day she left for Braj. Whatever she had, she gave away to the other women of her neighborhood. Upon arriving in Braj, she took bhek (a vow of renunciation) from Tota Madhavdas Babaji of Kusum Sarovar. He arranged for her to stay with an elderly Vaishnavi in Abhiram Kunj, and told his bhek disciple Bhavananda Baba to make arrangements for her Prasad.

“Bhavananda had tempered his body and mind through intense discipline and spiritual practice, but somehow Nayantara made him restless. He kept going to her to bring Prasad by the order of his bhek guru Sri Madhavadas Ji – but internally he kept on praying to his diksha guru Srila Babaji Maharaj, ‘Prabhu, please save me from this danger!’

“Babaji Maharaj in the form of antaryami (the Lord in the heart) heard his plea. It was Kartik. One night as Bhavananda was doing his japa, his heart became restless, and disturbing thoughts overwhelmed his mind. He decided at that moment, that before any impropriety could occur that night, he would go to Yamuna before sunrise and give up his life in her waters.

Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj

“As soon as he made that decision, a Vaishnava came and said, ‘Babaji Maharaj has just arrived in Vrindavan. He is sitting in the old mandir of Govindaji and doing kirtan. He’s calling for you. He wants you to come right now.’ Paying obeisance to Babaji Maharaj in his heart, Bhavananda followed that Vaishnava. Seeing Babaji Maharaj weeping in kirtan, body trembling and thrilling in bliss, and hearing his voice overflowing with nectar, Bhavananda’s mind became peaceful.

“As the sun rose, Babaji Maharaj finished the kirtan and got up. Bhavananda went to him and fell at his feet.

“Babaji Maharaj said, ‘Go to Nabadwip now. Haridas Das* is waiting for you.’ Upon reaching Nabadwip, Bhavananda lived and performed bhajan in a hut at Prachin Mayapur ghat.

“Ten or eleven years passed. It was 1933. Babaji Maharaj was in Vrindavan for the Ras Purnima festival. On Devotthan Ekadashi, he performed the Svapnavilas kirtan in Nidhivan. In the course of the kirtan, he described how Krishna told Radharani that he would appear in Nabadwip.

“In the words of Radharani, he sang, ‘You are going to leave Braj? We gopis will die without you.’

Babaji Maharaj spontaneously elaborated,

moraa kemone bancbo
tomaare virahe badhu kemone banchbo

Oh Beloved! How can I go on living, separated from you?

“Nayantara was in the audience. Hearing Radharani’s sorrowful words, she suddenly fell at Babaji Maharaj’s feet and entered the nityalila.

“Bhavananda heard the news, but nobody ever saw him again after that. Babaji Maharaj told my Gurudev Sri Gauranga Das Babaji, ‘When Bhavananda comes to Vrindavan, keep him with you.’ Bhavananda came to Vrindavan in his siddha deha, there is no doubt about that. Jaya jaya sri guru, prem kalapataru, adbhuta yahako prakash. ‘Glory, glory to Sri Guru, the wishing-tree of love, amazing is his presence in this world.’

“Babaji Maharaj was the very form of sweetness and compassion. He truly lived the example of ‘Hari in the form of Sri Guru’ by always keeping his eye on those who took refuge in him, protecting them and taking them across the ocean of material existence. Chota Haridas gave up his life and sang kirtan for Mahaprabhu in a divine form. It may be that Bhavananda, too, performed seva for Babaji Maharaj’s abhinnapran Sri Gauranga Das Babaji in his manjari svarup – who knows?”

*Haridas Das is a famous saint and servant of Gaudiya Vaishnava literature (Haribol Kutir, Nabadwip).

The post “This is Nidhivan” appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Gopal Guru advises: bathroom chanting is okay.  Today is the disappearance day of Gopal Guru (Makaradhvaja Pandit). It was celebrated at his ashram in the Bamshi Bat area of Vrindavan.

Makaradhvaja was a disciple of Vakreshwar Pandit. When he was just a boy, he saw someone holding his tongue to stop himself chanting while defecating. Makaradhvaja advised him that it is permitted to chant at all times, because the time for leaving the body can come at any moment. When he uttered these words, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recognized his qualification as a guru and gave him the title “Gopal Guru”.

Another story relating to Makaradhvaja Pandit is that after he was given the title, Gopal Guru, Abhiram Thakur decided to come to Puri to test him. Thakur had the reputation of being fearsome and it was said that if a deity was not genuine, the head would smash into pieces when the Thakur came close. Gopal Guru was scared, so he jumped into Mahaprabhu’s lap. Mahaprabhu gave him a blessing, putting his foot on the boy’s head. This gave Gopal Guru the power to withstand the Thakur’s glance and left a permanent mark on his forehead. This is the reason for the unique tilak that is worn by his descendants in Vakreshwar Pandit’s disciplic line. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. You Tube

More women to become Patanjali Yoga Gurus. In the latest initiative from Baba Ramdev, women will be trained to become yoga gurus. From 1^st November, a 25-day course will be held at the Patanjali Yoga Center at the Veda Mandir in the Mathura suburb of Masani.  The course will be held from 3-5 pm and will cover areas such as Vedic culture, home remedies, use of herbs and moral education. Men are welcome to attend the course; however, it will focus primarily on the health benefits of yoga for women. The camp is free and certification will be given at the end. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagran

Kamsa Vadh Mela Parade. Last night, a huge parade with deities, dancing and an effigy of Kamsa made its way through the streets of Mathura. The parade is the last in a series of cultural programs which were part of the 4-day ‘Kamsa Vadh Mela’ (killing of Kamsa celebratory fair). During the parade, the effigy of Kamsa was beaten with sticks by dozens of people, after which fireworks lit up the sky, in celebration of the victory of good over evil. Read more (English)

Photo: VRI

500 year old records of pilgrimages. Vrindavan Research Institute (VRI) has in its collections the records of pilgrims kept by the Dham’s tirtha purohits going back 500 years. These include the names of poor and rich people, even kings, who made the pilgrimage to Vrindavan. Whenever kings visited, they put their seals on the documents, thereby verifying the time periods of the signatures of other pilgrims that were collected. The documents record the amount of donation that each pilgrim gave, details about their dress and even poetry that the pilgrims penned down. The records show that as many as 10 generations of the same family made the pilgrimage by horse and cart, through dense forests, in order to reach the temples in which their ancestors had worshiped.  Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagran

Ganga Canal encroaches on Braj’s farmland. A canal which is being dug to bring Ganga water to Agra is encroaching on Braj’s farm land. Farmers say that they say they are not being properly compensated for the land. There are already several canals bringing water from the Ganga river into Uttar Pradesh. Farmers have pointed out the irony of the Government running tree plantation campaigns and, at the same time, building a canal through farmland; which is causing destruction and damage to hundreds of trees. Read more (Hindi)

The post Today’s Digest: Gopal Guru advises: bathroom chanting is okay. appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

The Shayana Līlā

85-87 The keli mandir is open on all four sides so that the Yamuna’s cool breezes can enter. Its jewels shine like millions of suns, and the bejeweled bedstead in the center renders it the abode of Krishna’s kāma-keli. The soft bed is covered by a swan-white sheet and smothered with fragrant flower petals; there are many gorgeous pillows in various shapes and sizes placed all around. Aguru incense keeps the room nicely scented. There Krishna goes to rest with his preyasī śiromaṇi, Radha.

88 On the bed’s north and south are two raised seats where Lalita and Vishakha sit to supply Radha Govinda’s tambul. And after they chew the pan, Premamaya and Premamayi affectionately offer their remnants to the sakhis.

89 Sri Rupa and Sri Rati Manjari sit at the foot of the bed to massage Radha and Krishna’s charana kamala. Other fortunate manjaris fan with chamara whisks.

90 Then Lalita, Vishakha and the other sakhis leave the vilāsa-mandira to take rest in their own kalpataru nikunjas.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: These kunjas have been decorated by Vrinda and her vana devis, Krishna will soon expand into many prakāśa-mūrtis to sleep beside each sakhi.

91 Seeing Radha Govinda’s eyes close, Sri Rupa and the other sevā dāsīs happily go to take rest on a vedi just outside the keli mandir.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: The manjaris sleep close to Sri Yugala Kishor; if the need to perform any more late night seva arises, they are within reach of Srimati’s call. Sriman Mahaprabhu’s mañjarī-bhāva-sphūrti thus concludes,

Radha and Krishna went to the shayan mandir to take rest. Someone began fanning with a whisk, others massaged their feet, and someone prepared tambul and offered it to them. Then as Radha Krishna fell asleep, the manjaris left to take rest. To see all this made me very happy. (CC Antya 18)

The Conclusion

In concluding his narration of Sri Govinda’s aṣṭa-kālīya-līlā, Srila Kaviraj Goswami says,

92 The divine nectar fruit of Krishna’s pastimes, which Nanda and Yashoda had nourished and protected through the līlās of vātsalya-rasa, which was expanded by the those līlās of sakhya-rasa by Krishna’s friends, and which was humbly served by the bhaktas, is relished the most by Sri Radhika and her sakhis in their madhura-rasa-sambhoga-līlā.Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8, also affirms:

There are many ways to attain Krishna, and some methods are better than others. But everyone thinks that their acquired rasa is the best. Nevertheless, from an objective point of view, there definitely are different grades of perfection. (CC 2.8.82-83)

So when comparing śānta, dāsya, sakhya and vātsalya and madhura rasas, each has an added quality that is lacking in the former. Madhura rasa is the most complete because the qualities of all the other rasas are contained within it. So madhura-prema fully subjugates Krishna as he himself states in the Bhāgavata. (CC 2.8.85-86, 88)

Whoever engages in my devotional service attains immortality, i.e., liberation or eternal felicity. You are especially blessed on account of the deep love you have for me, by which you will surely attain me. That is most auspicious, for your love attracts me forcibly and makes me come quickly to your sides.” (SB 10.82.45) (CC 2.8.89)

93 Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj says, “In Vrindavan Radha and Krishna enjoy limitless madhura pastimes, which unfold in ever new ways at every moment. Thus I, being low and fallen, could only present a glimpse of them in this book.”

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: Blessed with humility and divine anubhava, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj frankly admits that it is impossible to fully describe Radha Krishna’s pastimes. Govinda-līlāmṛta’s narration only briefly touches on the events of a particular given Sunday. So what happens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or in any other day of the week, month, or year, isn’t mentioned here. Besides, there are unlimited other nitya Vraja associates who present many other versions. So, as readers, we should never try to say that Krishna’s līlā can only be like this, or like that. Rather, it would be humble and wise to admit that anything can happen within Krishna’s aprākṛta-nitya-līlā, for they are limitless.

94 I have followed the direction in Sri Rupa Goswami’s Smaraṇa-maṅgala to elaborate on Radha Krishna’s niśānta, prātaḥ, pūrvāhna, madhyāhna, aparāhna, sāyaṁ, pradośa and niśā-līlās. The rāgānugā sādhakas should perform mānasī sevā of these līlās while mentally conceiving their spiritual bodies which are fit for serving in the līlā.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: Here is the gist of rāgānugā sādhana in a nutshell. One should perform Radha Krishna’s aṣṭa-kāla-mānasī sevā thinking of oneself as a mañjarī assistant of Srimati Radharani. Caitanya-caritāmṛta clearly states:

Think of your mentally conceived siddha-deha and perform mānasī sevā therein. Thus by following in the sakhis’ (and manjaris’) footsteps you will attain Radha Krishna’s lotus feet. (CC 2.8.228)

This is the conclusion of Govinda-līlāmṛta, which reminds us of the opening verse of Rupa Goswami’s Smaraṇa-maṅgala, found at the beginning of Krishnadas’s book:

The loving service of the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani’s lover, Krishna, dearer to her than life himself, is incomprehensible and unattainable by Brahma, Shiva, Ananta or even Lakshmi Devi, what to speak of other demigods and goddesses. Only those devotees who are completely attached to the pastimes of the Lord in Vrindavan with great eagerness are eligible to enter into its mysteries.

95 Just as a bee collects madhu from a flower, I am a honey-bee at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunath Das Goswami. I have collected Govinda-līlāmṛta’s madhu from them.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: Sri Vishwanath Chakravarti concludes his Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta with similar prayers:

My heart takes shelter of Vraja-kananeshwar and Vraja-kananeshwari’s two confidantes, Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatan. Thus following their rāgānugā sādhana path that is verified in the ancient śāstras such as Bṛhad-gautamīya-tantra and Krama-dīpikā, I perform Bhagavat-sevā in my sādhaka body.

My heart worships Vraja kananeshwara and Vraja kananeshwari’s sanātana-rūpa (eternal form). And when they unite, their keli-rūpa-kalpa-vṛkṣa (desire tree of vilāsa-keli) satiates my desires! Thus taking shelter of the sakhis and manjaris, by whose mercy these pastimes unfold, I serve in their footsteps in an internally conceived siddha-deha. (Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta 20.53)

These prayers bring to mind Sri Rupa Goswami’s instruction showing how to perform rāgānugā-sādhana :

The Phala śruti: The Benediction

96 Vrindavan Chandra’s nectar pastimes with Radhika are unattainable for Brahma and other devatās. But for those who always relish Govinda-līlāmṛta with great thirst certainly Krishna, the friend of the lily-like gopis, will fulfill their ambition to award the nitya-sevā that they covet.

Rasa-taraṅginī Tīkā: Let our faith rest in this promise as we go on relishing Govinda-līlāmṛta.

97 As a result of Sri Rupa Goswami’s mature seva aroused by drinking the madhu at Sri Chaitanya’s lotus feet, the request of Sri Raghunath Das, the association of Sri Jiva and the benediction of Sri Raghunath Bhatta, Govinda-līlāmṛta’s twenty-third chapter, entitled rajanī-vilāsa, ends.

The post Govinda Lilamrita : Taking rest and conclusion appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

A moment from the chhappan bhog program, P.C. Dainik Jagran

Vrindavan, 2017.10.31 (VT): Over a week ago, the Annakut festival was celebrated throughout Braj. During this festival mountains of food are offered to Shri Krishna in the form of Govardhan Hill.

It seems that Govardhan Maharaj never tires of tasting new delicacies, as many temples are continuing to offer huge amounts of food as a kind of extended “Annakut” until Kartik Purnima.

One such “extended” Annakut festival was celebrated recently at the Shri Radha-Madhav temple, also known as Jaipur Mandir. The festival, which was organized by the government of Rajasthan, featured an offering of 56 different types of food (chhappan bhog). In the evening a bhajan sandhya was held, with songs depicting Shri Radha and Krishna’s lila. 

A true jewel of Vrindavan, the Jaipur Mandir is under the care of the Rajasthan Devasthan Vibhag. Located on the Mathura Road, the grand sandstone temple was built by the king of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II. Jaipur Mandir recently celebrated its 100^th anniversary.

The RDV plans to develop the temple grounds, including increased greenery and offering Rajasthani cultural items for purchase. The department has also expressed hope that the temple may one day be named a World Heritage Site.

Some other places run in whole or in part by the Rajasthan Devasthan Vibhag in Braj include:

1. Shri Ajab Manohar Lal Temple (Bikaner Mandir). Chhipi Gali, Vrindavan.
2. Karauli Kunj, Vrindavan
3. Bheem Kunj, Vrindavan: This temple was built by the rulers of Kota. Bheem Singh was the disciple of Shri Hit Jugal Dasji Maharaj. The Kunj is situated on the banks of the Yamuna, and the Deity’s name is Radhakanta.
4. Kushal Bihari temple in Barsana. This is a major temple on the hill near the Shriji temple, built by the kings of Jaipur.
5. Madan Mohan. Built by Udaipur rulers. Swami Ghat, Mathura.
6. Chatur Shiromani temple. Built by rulers of the Jaipur Riyasat.
7. Radha-Gokulananda, Vrindavan, the responsibility for which was given to the recently departed Sri Purushottam Goswami of Jai Singh Ghera.
8. Bharatpur temple, build by Shri Badan Singh Ji. Keshi Ghat, Vrindavan.
9. Bihariji, Govardhan.
10. Lakshman temple, built by Bharatpur kings. Govardhan
11. Jugal Kishor temple, Barsana.
12. Kishori Shyam temple (Bharatpur temple) in Radha Kund. Also built by Bharatpur rulers.
13. Kunj Parvati Ji, Vrindavan.
14. Rupa Kishor temple, Bankhandi, Vrindavan.

The post A “mountain of food” for Shri Radha-Madhav Ju at Jaipur Mandir appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Mathura, 2017.10.30 (VT): The recent declaration of Vrindavan Nagar Palika Parishad and Barsana Nagar Panchayat here as ‘holy pilgrim sites’ by the Uttar Pradesh government has been warmly welcomed by most of the local people, but for many residents of Braj, the announcement was not far reaching enough.

Residents of Barsana and Vrindaban are happy, but those in other of the significant holy places related to Krishna in Braj, such as Gokul, Mathura, Goverdhan, Rawal, Nandgaon, Mahaban and Baldeo feel as though they are being neglected. This is resulting in a call in some areas to expand the tirth concept to include the entirety of 84-kos Braj.

Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, trustee of Srikrishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan wrote an open letter to the Chief Minister in which he welcomes the declaration but laments that there were many mistakes in the letter from the Religious Affairs Department.

Chaturvedi wrote:

We are very pleased that the State Government’s Religious Affairs Department has announced in a declaration dated 27.10.2017 that Vrindavan and Barsana in the Mathura district are important locations from both a historical and a tourism perspective. Therefore those areas that were formerly under the Vrindavan municipal government and those that are part of the Barsana Panchayat are being declared as holy places of pilgrimage. For this we congratulate you.

However we are astonished to also see that in the announcement it was said that Vrindavan is Krishna’s birthplace and Barsana is that of Radharani, when these are the places where Radha and Krishna grew up, but not where they were born. This is casting into doubt the authority of holy scriptures like the Srimad Bhagavatam, which clearly state this.

It is widely known that Krishna’s birthplace was in Mathura, where he appeared in Devaki’s womb in the prison of King Kamsa, and that of Radharani in Rawal village in Mahavan.

It would have been proper to include Krishna’s birthplace in Mathura, the land that gives liberation, and Radharani’s birthplace of Rawal along with Vrindavan and Barsana as such holy pilgrimage sites.

Even though the intention of the Government may be to include the entire area within the 84-kos parikrama circumference to ultimately be declared a holy place of pilgrimage, they are doing so in a clumsy fashion. It would have made more sense to start from the birthplace of Lord Krishna and his pleasure potency, Srimati Radharani.

We therefore request the Religious Affairs Dep’t to correct their official announcement in accordance with the position of the scriptures and to include Mathura and Rawal as official holy pilgrimage sites so that they can also be protected and developed in accordance with their religious and spiritual significance.

Signed, Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi,
member, Managing Committee,
Sri Krishna Janma Sthan Seva Samiti.

Others in the political realm such as Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) district chief Kunvar Narendra Singh, said such a declaration was made to please two state cabinet ministers from Mathura. He said that the declaration was made at the eleventh hour to influence the upcoming municipal elections. The State Election Commission announced civic polls in three phases from November 22.

The opposition parties consider these efforts on the part of the BJP government to be blatant attempts at polarizing the religious populations of the accusing Adityanath Yogi of pursuing a “hard core Hindutva agenda.”

According to Jagannath Poddar, Vrindavan environmental and heritage activist, “We are not opposed to the idea of expanding the pavitra tirth sthal concept to include more of Braj. In fact, in the scriptures such as the Bhagavatam, Vrindavan is often used as a name for the entirety of the Braj area, which is Krishna’s lila sthali.”

He raised practical problems that would have to be faced: “It is hard to see how it would be practically possible to enforce restrictions on liquor and meat sales in the whole of Braj, or in a large city like Mathura, where there is a large Muslim and secular population that would put up a lot of resistance.”

Government estimates state that approximately 30 millions visitors come to Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana every year. About half of these visit Vrindavan and 6 million come to Barsana. Of these, about 60,000 were from foreign countries.

The post Expand the Tirth Sthal concept to include all 84-kos Braj : Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Tulsi’s wedding gift: past life sins forgiven. Yesterday, on Devottan Ekadasi,  thousands of people in Braj and across India, performed marriage ceremonies for Tulsi Devi and Shaligram Bhagvan.  Vrindavan is perhaps the only place name that refers to Vrinda Devi, who is incarnated as the sacred Tulsi plant. The last Ekadasi in Kartik marks the festival known as ‘Tulsi Pooja’ or ‘Tulsi Vivaha’. In this festival, Tulsi is dressed in red cloth (bridal costume) and offered arati. Doing Tulsi Parikrama 108 times on this day is especially beneficial. Tulsi Maharani kindly absolves us of the ramifications of our sins, which slow down our spiritual progress.

Vrinda Devi’s Parade, Kosi. P.C. Jagran

It is inspiring to see that even the smallest houses and jopedis in Braj have carefully cultivated Tulsi plants. In the houses of Braj where Shaligram Bhagvan resides, a marriage ceremony is held to commemorate Vrinda Devi’s purity and Vishnu’s great love for her. It is said that those who perform Tulsi’s marriage ceremony on this day are absolved of the ramifications of sins, even those sins committed in previous lives.

Bazaar Theft: Thakurji stolen. Gidhoh village, Nandagao: A thief has stolen priceless, ancient, Radha-Krishna deities from a temple in Gahvarvan, hoping to get some material reward. The thief also stole the Ladoo Gopal deity, temple bells and aarti plates. When Mahant Balikdas Maharaj checked the temple at 11.30pm last night, he found the door open. The four main deities were gone, items were scattered around the temple and important temple documents were missing. Maharaj filed a complaint with the police, and a search for the thief is underway. Unfortunately, deity theft is quite common in the area. One temple celebrates an annual festival on the day when Sri Maan Bihari Lal returned after being discovered at the Bengal border.  Read more (Hindi)

Lord Dwarkadish. P.C. Tripadvisor

Thakhurji ready for winter. Now that Kartik is at an end, arrangements are being made in temples around Braj for the winter season. In Barsana’s Radha Rani Temple, Radha Rani has stopped wearing flower garlands. Instead, she will wear silk necklaces. Temple timings have also changed. At Sri Radharani Temple, Barsana, Mangala Aarti is now being held at 6 am, Adargar Aarti at 8.00 am, Rajbhog Aarti at 1:30 pm, Upadhyay Aarti at 4 pm, Sandya Aarti at 6:30 pm and Shayan Aarti at 8pm. Read more (Hindi) Mathura’s Dwarkadish Temple will now open in the evenings from 3.30pm to 6.30pm, morning timing remains as 6.30am to 10.30am. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagra

Officer nabbed for eating kids’ food money. Mathura, Tuesday: Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Neeraj Kumar, has been arrested for demanding a Rs10,000 bribe for releasing funds that were designated for kids’ nutritional supplements. Mithilesh Vikas Mandal, who is in charge of the Kolahar village Anganwadi (Government kindergarten) asked the officer to release the funding, but got the reply that she would have to pay Rs10,000 back to the officer. Mithilesh complained to the Agra division of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Anti-corruption Bureau inspector, Bhaiya Lal, met with the DM, who deployed additional personnel. The Anti corruption team advised Mithilesh’s husband, Vijender Singh to hand over Rs10, 000 to the CDPO Kumar and, when he took the bribe, they entered the premises and caught him red handed. Read more (Hindi)

The post Today’s Digest: Tulsi’s wedding gift – past life sins forgiven. appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.11.01 (VT): As Kartik draws to an end, devotees are savoring these last lamplit nights while eagerly awaiting the arrival of the full moon of Kartik Purnima.

Kartik Purnima is cherished by devotees for several reasons. It is the night of Shri Radha and Krishna’s Maha Raas. It is also the night when, only five centuries ago, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu entered Vrindavan.

Mahaprabhu’s Vrindavan Yatra

sharat kaal aaila prabhur chalite hoilo mati
ramananda-swaroop sange nibhrite jukati
mor sahaay karo jadi tumi duijon
tabe aami jaai dekhi shri vrindavan

When Autumn came, Shri Chaitanya called his closest companions Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Ray and said to them, “If both of you will help me, only then will I get to see Shri Vrindavan Dham. Please give me your permission to leave for Vrindavan.”

Shriman Mahaprabhu’s chitrapat in the procession (P.C. Dhananjay Goswami)

Mahaprabhu always yearned to go to Vrindavan, but something always came in the way. Even after becoming a sannyasi, his mother Shachi Devi requested him to stay in Puri instead of Vrindavan, because it was nearer to her home in Bengal. He never got the chance to go to the place where his heart yearned to be. Now the time had finally come. Taking the blessings of his dearmost friends, Mahaprabhu started off on foot from Puri to the holy homeland of Shri Krishna.

Dancing and singing the holy name as he went, he crossed Eastern and Northern India. As he passed through the thick forests of Jharkhand, he granted sacred love (prem) to the birds and wild animals there. All the animals started chanting “Krishna! Krishna!” when they saw him. Even the deer and the lions kissed each other in the ecstasy of love.

Mahaprabhu first saw Mathura and wandered the twelve forests of Braj, before finally coming to Vrindavan on Kartik Purnima. That night, immersed in the ecstasy of Radha’s love, he searched for Shri Krishn all over Vrindavan.

Kartik Purnima and Amiya Nimai

Vintage photo of Amiya Nimai

Even more recently, Kartik Purnima was the day when the Amiya Nimai deity came to Vrindavan. The gorgeous deity of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first came under the care of the great acharya of the Shri Radharaman Temple, Sarvabhaum Madhusudan Goswami. The sage entrusted the service of Amiya Nimai to his disciple, Radha Govinda Goswami, who lived in Kolkata.

Radha Govinda Goswami served Amiya Nimai as the living form of Shri Chaitanya. He was a talented musician and used to sing for him every day. One day whilst he was singing to Amiya Nimai from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, his heart suddenly stopped and he left for the eternal Abode.

The devotees were griefstricken at Radha-Govinda Goswami’s passing, but they were even more distressed when the police sealed off the temple with Amiya Nimai inside.

Radha-Govinda Goswami had no sucessor, thus it was unclear what should be done with his property when he passed away. The devotees had to offer bhog to Amiya Nimai on the doorstep of the temple and perform his seva through meditation.

Click here to read more about Amiya Nimai Mahaprabhu

Sarvabhaum Madhusudan Goswami of Shri Radharaman Temple

At last, the authorities found letters that proved that Shri Radha-Govinda Goswami had wanted Amiya Nimai to be sent to Vrindavan, to his guru’s son Shri Krishna Chaitanya Goswami.

And so, on the last day of Kartik in 1926AD, a group of mahatmas including Shri Krishna Chaitanya Goswami, Shri Ramdas Babaji of Pathbari Ashram, and others brought Amiya Nimai from Kolkata to Hathras by train. From Hathras, he was transported to Vrindavan by truck.

When Amiya Nimai reached Vrindavan, it was like Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had come again, just as he had done in his prakat lila. It was November 26, 1926, when he arrived and was seated in Radharamanji’s Raas Mandal, just in front of the Shri Radharaman Temple. Four or five years later, Amiya Nimai moved to a small room in the garden of the Shahji Mandir.

Amiya Nimai’s current temple in Gopinath Bazar was completed in 1956. After Shri Krishna Chaitanya Goswami left this world, his son Shri Vishwambhar Goswami looked after Amiya Nimai with the greatest care. His sons Shri Padmanabh Goswami and Padmalochan Goswami continue the seva to this day.

The Kartik Purnima Procession

Since that day in 1926 when Amiya Nimai came to Vrindavan, Shri Ramdas Babaji and his followers have led a very special kirtan through the streets of Vrindavan. The kirtan depicts how Shri Chaitanya felt as he wandered through the sacred forest for the first and only time in his life.

At around 4pm on Kartik Purnima, the kirtan begins at the Amiya Nimai temple. Next to Amiya Nimai on the outer part of the altar, a chitrapat (portrait) of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sits upon a decorated palanquin, waiting to be taken out by the devotees.

Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj (chitrapat swaroop) with Shri Chandan Goswami (left) Shri Shrivas Goswami (right) and Shri Ambrish ji (centre)

Shri Ramdas Babaji left this world in 1953, but he still comes to perform the kirtan in the form of a chitrapat, which is carefully tied around the neck of one of devotees of his lineage. The chitrapat of the saint is worshipped year-round, from morning to night, as if the saint himself is still present. He is awakened in the morning, “bathed”, dressed and taken out for darshans. He is fed prasad and his adharamrit is honored. And he is present at all the major festivals of the lineage, like this one. In this way the love of Ramdas Babaji’s disciples has kept his presence very much alive over the last sixty-odd years.

As the Kirtan begins, the devotees gather around in a circle in front of Amiya Nimai. Ramdas Babaji in the form of the chitrapat stands in the center. The Vaishnava who is holding the picture will act as Babaji Maharaj’s own body throughout the procession. As the kirtan reaches its first crescendo, he lifts his arms and begins to dance. Then the other Vaishnavas start to sing and dance as well, circling around around Babaji Maharaj.

Devotees of Tinkudi Baba’s ashram waiting to receive Mahaprabhu (P.C. Dhananjay Goswami)

Soon the whole kirtan party pours out of the Amiya Nimai temple’s front doors. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s chitrapat is then taken out on the shoulders of devotees and seated upon a chariot.

The procession moves through the streets of Vrindavan, passing by the same places Mahaprabhu visited during his Vrindavan yatra. It moves through Gopinath Bazar, past Radha-Gopinath, Radharaman, Radha-Gokulananda, the Yamuna riverbank, Dheer Sameer, Gopeshwar Mahadev, Lala Babu Temple, Mathura Road, Nagar Palika, Seva Kunj, Radha-Damodar, Radha-Shyamsundar, Loi Bazar and Nidhivan before returning to the Amiya Nimai temple. The kirtan usually ends around one o’clock in the morning.

The Kartik Purnima kirtan reveals the deep moods of Mahaprabhu as he visits each place, searching, yearning and intensely hoping to find Shri Krishna at every turn. The priests of the temples along the way come out to offer Mahaprabhu aarti and bhog. Many temples stay open late in order to welcome the Lord and offer him worship.

The “Amader Pran Goraray” Kirtan

The kirtan that is sung during the Kartik Purnima procession is commonly known as “Amader Pran Goraray”, after the words that are repeated constantly in the kirtan’s chorus. In Bengali, the proper title of the kirtan is Shri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhur Shri Vrindavan Bhraman Lila or Shri Gauranger Brajalila. It can be found in the collection Shri Ramdas Babaji’s kirtans entitled Shri Guru’s Gracious Gift (Shri Guru Kripar Daan) Volume 2, page 524.

(Mahaprabhu’s nickname “Gora” is short for Govinda-Radhe – in other words, it means Mahaprabhu is Radha and Krishn in one form).

Some Highlights from the Kirtan

The kirtan is quite long, but some of its main highlights are featured here. It begins by tenderly calling out to Mahaprabhu according to his relationships with his devotees:

amader sitanather ananidhi, pran goraray
The treasure who was brought by Advaitacharya, our beloved Gora Ray

amader pran shachi dulaliya, pran goraray
Sachi Mata’s darling son, our beloved Gora Ray

amader gadadadharer pranbadhua, pran goraray
Our Gadadhar’s Sweetheart, our beloved Gora Ray

amader srivas anganer natua, pran goraray
Who dances in Srivas’ garden, our beloved Gora Ray

amader – prabhu nitai pagal-koraa
The one who drives our Nitai mad

o amader pran goraray
O our beloved Gora Ray

maati radhabhaave aaj brojo bane biharay, go
Intoxicated in Radha’s love, he wanders through the forest of Vrindavan

O amader pran goraray
O our beloved Gora Ray!

ogo amader, amader, amader go – pran goraray
O our, our, our very own darling Goraray

amader shri rupa hrit ketana, pran goraray
The home of Shri Roop Goswami’s heart, our beloved Gora Ray

amader shri sanataner gati, pran goraray
Shri Sanatan Goswami‘s only goal, our beloved Gora Ray

amader gopal bhatter poraan, pran goraray
Shri Gopal Bhatt Goswami‘s breath of life, our beloved Gora Ray

amader das raghunather sadhaner dhan, pran goraray
The Treasure of Shri Raghunath Das Goswami’s sadhana, our beloved Gora Ray

amader raghunath bhatter poraan, praan goraray
Shri Raghunath Bhatt Goswami’s breath of life, our beloved Gora Ray

amader shri loknather hridbihari, pran goraray
The One who plays in Shri Loknath Goswami’s heart, our beloved Gora Ray

amader shri jiva jivana-dhana, pran goraray
The treasure of Shri Jeev Goswami’s life, our beloved Gora Ray

amader swaroop-ramraayer chitachora, pran goraray
The thief of Shri Swaroop Damodar and Ramananda Ray’s hearts, our beloved Gora Ray

o amader pran gora ray
mati radhabhave aaj braja vane viharay, go
o amader, pran goraray

O our beloved Gora Ray
Intoxicated in Radha’s love, he wanders through the forest of Vrindavan
O our beloved Gora Ray

Devotees of Ram Das Khalsa in Seva Kunj Gali waiting to receive Mahaprabhu (P.C. Dhananjay Goswami)

He searches for Shri Krishna through the the streets of Vrindavan….

hem-danda bahu tuli, bole sada hari hari go,
sthavar-jangam gora premete matay go,
pran goraray

Lifting his golden arms he chants “Hari Hari” without stopping. Our beloved Gora Ray drives even the the plants and animals mad with love.

And on the banks of Shri Yamuna River…

kalindir shyam neer, dekhi prabhu nahe sthir go,
kalindira kalo jale nipatita hoy, go!
pran goraray

The dark water of the Shri Yamuna River reminds him of Shri Krishna. Seeing that color drives him mad with love; he faints and falls in!

bole – kothay amar kaloshona
bolo bolo o yamuna, kothay amar kaloshona

He says, “Please tell me, o Yamuna Maharani… where can I find my dark Beloved?”

Seeing the divine forest for the first time…

dekhi madhur vrindavan, premete ghurnita man go,
vaner madhuri dekhi rodan karay, go
pran goraray

Gazing upon sweet Vrindavan, his heart is trembling. The beauty of the forest makes him weep!

pulakashru poorna gaay, bhavaveshe chali jaay go,
hemadanda baahu tuli hari boli dhaay go
pran goraray!

His body is completely bathed in tears and the soft hairs of his body are standing on end. Chanting, “Hari Hari” in utter rapture he lifts his golden arms and starts to run.

At Dheer Sameer…

vanshivata-dhirsamire praveshiya dhire dhire go
bole kaho kaho krishna kotha vanshi bajay go

Crossing through Dheer Sameer, he approaches Vanshivat with timid steps. He yearns, “Where is my beloved Krishna, playing upon his flute?”

At Gopeshwar Mahadev…

gopishwar nikate asi, karajode gorashashi go,
katore prarthana kari kata ki kahay go

Coming before Gopeshwar Mahadev, he folds his hands and prays to him with words of deep longing.

Gopeshwar Mahadev (P.C. Vrindavan Experience)

On the Yamuna Riverbank…

yamuna puline jaiya, pode murachita hoiya go
premaveshe raje podi godagodi jaay go

Arriving on the riverbank of Shri Yamunaji, he faints away. In a trance of love, he rolls back and forth on the holy sands.

anandashru bahi jaay, gangar pravaah praay go,
sthavar jangam gora premete bhasay go

The flow of his tears is like a second Ganga river. All the animals and plants of the forest are swimming in that flood of love.

dhenugan vane chare, dekhiya ananda-bhare go
dhali pode bhumitale unamata praay go
prabhur shri anga dekhi gabhigan bedaye aasi go
vatsalyete gabhigan shrianga chatoy go

Seeing the cows grazing in the pasturelands, Mahaprabhu is filled with bliss! Suddenly he falls to the ground unconscious like one intoxicated. Filled with a mother’s love, all the cows crowd around him and lick his body.

gabhiganer priti here anande avasha hoye go
gabhiganer kantha dhari rodana karay go

Mahaprabhu is so moved by the cows’ pure love that he puts his arms around them and weeps.

gauranga harike dekhe mayura mayuri sukhe go
urdhva-pucce naci naci prabhuke beday go

The peacocks see him and come running. They happily open their tails and dance all around him.

At the site of the Raas…

rasasthali darzan kore, preme mUracita hoye go
cetana paiya punah godagodi jay go
kaampe anga thara thara, bhave ruddha kanthasvara go
pashupakshi kande dekhi pashana galay go

When Mahaprabhu sees the place of the Raas Lila, he faints again, and again he rolls in the dust. His body shakes, his voice trembles. All the animals and birds of the forest cry to see him, and the stones begin to melt.

dala hate shuka-shari, prabhu haste pade udi go
radhakrishna shlok padi prabhuke shunay go
se bol shuniya kane, ananda-vismaya-mane go
se donhar pane chaiya kata ki bolay go

A parrot and a mynah bird fly down from the trees and sit on Mahaprabhu’s hand. They sweetly chant verses about Shri Radha and Krishna’s lila for Mahaprabhu to enjoy. Mahaprabhu is surprised and filled with joy to hear them talk. He gazes at them lovingly and speaks to them with love.

vrikshalata-adi kari, bhavonmatta gaur hari go
madhudhara-chale tara rodana karay go

All the blessed trees and creepers of Vrindavan are enchanted to see Him. They start to cry tears in the form of their sap.

ta’sabar priti he’re ati-ananda-antare go
prati-vrkshalata prabhu alingan karay go

Overwhelmed by their love, Mahaprabhu is overjoyed. He tries to hug every tree and every vine.

harin asiya sukhe, phen piye prabhu-mukhe, go
netrajala pakshigan sukhe asi khay, go

When Mahaprabhu faints, the deer come to lick the foam from his mouth, and the birds fly down to sip the nectar of his teardrops.

At Imlitala…

amali-talate asi basilen gora shashi go,
shriyamunar shobha dekhi mahasukhoday go
krishnalilay puratan, amlivriksha manoram go
eta bali vriksha dhari alingan karay go

Arriving at Imli Tala, Shri Gauranga sits down. He feels so happy to gaze at Shri Yamuna. He hugs the ancient Imli tree, thinking it must have been present during Krishna’s Lila all those years ago.

At Nidhivan…

nidhuvana nirakhiya purvalila smariya go
bhavera aveshe gora ullasita hoy go

Seeing dear Nidhivan, he remembers his previous Lila there and becomes absorbed in bliss.

ativa-ananda-chite, bhrame raas-rajanite go,
haye raas-rase unamata anande nacay go
pran goraray

With greatest joy, he roams on this night – the night of the Raas! Intoxicated with the sweetness of the Raas, he begins to dance.

sthavara-jangam sange, nace gora premtarange go
ras-rajanite shobha kotigun baday, go

On waves of love, he dances with the plants and animals of Vrindavan. The blessed night of the Raas looks all the more beautiful then.

o amader pran goraray
O our Pran Gora Ray

Shri Amiya Nimai

The post Kartik Purnima Kirtan – “Amader Pran Goraray” appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.11.02 (VT): The founder-CEO and managing director of the BrahMos missile project, Dr. A.S. Pillai, visited GLA University in Mathura on Wednesday. The BrahMos project is a joint venture between the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

During his speech at GLA, Pillai said that India’s Universities should become centres of of innovation. If less emphasis is placed on general studies and students are given full research-based training, the institutes of higher education in this country will become a powerful source of new discovery. Industry would then be linked with the university system, and students would get the chance to use the latest technology in their research.

“When this happens,” said Pillai, “our Universities will reach their highest potential, and only then the country will move forward. We cannot allow India to lag behind any other country.”

Pillai currently serves as an Honorary or Visiting professor at several revered institutions including IIT Delhi, the Indian Space Research Organization and the Indian Institute of Science. He was invited to speak as the Chief Guest for GLA’s convocation ceremony.

“History has proved that only those who are ready to make the impossible possible find the means to break through all kinds of obstacles,” said Pillai. “Whether it is science, art, sports, medicine or technology, they cross all boundaries and create new history in their field. They change the world.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.11.02 (VT): The Vice President of the Braj Tirth Vikash Parishad Shri Shailjakant Mishra inspected the ancient temple of Vanshivat on Wedesday. The temple is on the Parishad’s list of holy places slated for renovation and development.

The word vat means a banyan tree and vanshi is a type of flute. Thus Vanshivat is the sacred tree where Shri Krishna played his flute to call the gopis for the Maha Raas, which is described in ancient scriptures like Shrimad Bhagavatam.  The name Vanshivat also applies to the area around the tree and the temple there. Vanshivat is located in the Dheer Sameer neighborhood of Vrindavan, near the ancient temple of Gopeshwar Mahadev.

Allaying the fears of locals, Mishra ensured that no new construction would occur on the premises and that the ancient architecture would not be tampered with. Beautification would be done in a thoughtful way, he said, in order to attract more visitors to the temple.

Upon the request of the temple’s mahant, Shri Siyaram Dasji, Mishra instructed the SDM to remove all illegal encroachments on the property. Any garbage will be cleaned and polythene will be banned from the temple premesis.

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Gaur Kishor Das Babaji: A Guru who didn’t want disciples. Today is the disappearance day of Gaur Kishor Das Babaji. GKD Babaji is included in the parampara of several sampradayas, but he never wanted recognition. In fact, he was so involved in his own chanting that he would lock himself in the bathroom when people came to see him, so that he could continue chanting without being disturbed. While he was not insensible to the smell coming from the toilet, he felt it was better than the perfume of materialistic persons.

P.C. Desire Tree

GKD Babaji was born in 1838. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to bhajan and lived by eating only remnants, for thirty years. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Maharaj was a disciple of GKD Babaji. BSST Maharaj used to say that GKD Babaji was the greatest scholar of Srimad Bhagavatam, but Babaji was not a scholar. Babaji was the embodiment of simplicity and unpretentiousness. These lines from Babaji’s bhajan, ‘Kothaya Go Premamayi Radhe Radhe’, show his mood:

“Raghunatha dasa wears simple cloth which appears to be dirty because he is always rolling on the earth crying out, ‘Radhe! Radhe!’. Calling out, ‘Radhe! Radhe!’ his eyes are bursting with a flood of tears. He wanders throughout the lanes of Vrindavan crying out, ‘Radhe! Radhe!'” (Original Bengali translated by KK Songs)

GKD Babaji recommended that, while chanting, it is useful to write the letters of the mahamantra and concentrate on their shape. GKD Babaji did not invent a new process – the method of writing while chanting was shown by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself. It is mentioned in Chaitanya Bhagwat 1.6.6. that Mahaprabhu would write the letters of the mahamantra day and night. GKD Babaji left his body on this day in 1915. Today, temples all around Vrindavan are holding feasts and kirtan in his honour. Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagran

A Reinvigorating ‘Patotsav’ Festival at Anand Dham. On Wednesday, devotees filled the Anand Dham temple on Parikrama Marg for a ‘Patotsav’ festival. There are different opinions in regards to the purpose of Patotsav festivals. Some say that its purpose is to reinvigorate the divinity within Thakurji, which becomes more distant due to:

1. Any laxity by the pujari in offering devotional worship.
2.  The sheer volume and weight of the requests and desires heaped at the lotus feet of the deity by devotees overwhelmed by maya.

Other’s believe that Paramatma’s divinity never dissipates and that it is only our bhava, our devotional love, that ebbs. Yesterday, at the Anand Dham patotsav program, Acharya Gopanand Ban Maharaj presided over the festivities and Bhaktivedant Tirtha Madhusudan Maharaj spoke about Thakurji’s glories. In the evening, keeping the words of their Maharaj in mind, the assembled devotees did Vrindavan parikrama together.  Read more (Hindi)

P.C. Jagran

Hema wants Mathura Station to look like a temple. Yesterday, MP Hema Malini visited Mathura railway station and said that it needs to be refurbished, with murals of Radha Krishna lilas and a replica of Goverdhan at the entrance. Hema’s suggestions echo the words of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who visited the station a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, residents of Malini’s adopted village, Rawal, are complaining that not much has changed. Many are still living in shacks that they constructed themselves, without even any mortar between the bricks. Read more (Hindi)

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Vrindavan, 2017.11.03 (VT): Last month we published an announcement that the Govardhan parikrama marg would be permanently closed to traffic, starting immediately. This heavy order had reportedly come from the DM himself, in compliance with a 2015 order by the NGT.

Devotees were pleased to hear the news, but also found it hard to believe.

Closing the Govardhan Parikrama to cars is a necessary step – heavy vehicles speeding alongside thousands of pedestrians who are walking, and sometimes bowing, around the holy mountain is a recipe for disaster. But in addition to closing the parikrama marg to vehicles, the NGT’s order also states that a parallel ring road must be created around Govardhan to facilitate traffic. That road is still incomplete, which led locals to question how the government could possibly enforce the ban.

When Vrindavan Today’s correspondant traveled to Govardhan recently to cover the Govardhan Pooja festival, the traffic on the Govardhan Parikrama marg was almost impassible. Busses, cars, tractors and so forth freely plied the holy route – except on the day of Govardhan Pooja itself when the road traditionally remains closed.

So what happened to the ban?

Speaking to Vrindavan Today, a local resident of Govardhan, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, “One day they made an announcement with loudspeakers that the Govardhan Parikrama marg was permanently closed to all vehicle traffic. The next day, the police vehicles were driving about. On the third day, VIPs were allowed to drive on the Parikrama Marg. And the day after that, they just let everybody in.”

One may wonder why such announcements are made in the first place. Please share your thoughts about this issue in the comments.

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