Vrndavan Parikrama Summary

Transcription

1 Vrndavan Parikrama Summary It was during the Gaura Purnima celebrations in early 2001 at Terra Haute, Indiana, when Srila Romapada Swami announced his intent to lead a group of devotees for a parikrama of the holy Vrndavan dham. We still vividly remember our excited discussions in the prasadam hall when this news quickly spread amongst us. Some of us had already been to Vrndavan, some of us had only heard of the place and its potency, and some of us just knew of the place by its name. Srila Romapada Swami very quickly began making arrangements knowing very well that it would be very difficult to find accommodations at Vrndavan, especially during the month of Kartika, when thousands of devotees throng the Holy Dhama for parikrama. Within a week of his announcement, he asked all the devotees to confirm their participation so that reservations could be made well ahead of time. Although some of us were new to Krsna Consciousness and were not chanting 16 rounds yet, Srila Romapada Swami was very merciful by happily welcoming everyone to join him and his disciples on the tour. Srila Romapada Swami very compassionately asked us (Prema-tarangini dd and Hema) to write a brief summary of the Vrndavan parikrama mainly for the benefit of those devotees who could not take part in it. We feel very unqualified and hesitant to write about the Holy Dhama of Sri Vrndavan but we are trying to do it as a service to Srila Romapada Swami and our God brothers and God sisters. We seek the blessings of our dear Guru Maharaj and all our God brothers and God sisters to empower us to do this service properly for your pleasure. We hope that reading this will give you all at least a glimpse of what others experienced while participating in the Vrndavan parikrama. Though we tried to keep the descriptions brief, some of them are very detailed because we could not leave out the nectarean pastimes at some places, which really give the flavor and mood of Vrndavan. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt and deep gratitude to our Guru Maharaj for making this very wonderful and transcendental experience possible for many of us. For those of us who were there, we could see how Srila Romapada Swami made every little arrangement (from prasadam to living arrangements to medical, social and emotional support and so on...) personally for the comfort of all the devotees. Thank You Guru Maharaj! All glories to Your Divine Grace! Srila Romapada Swami ki... Jai!! November 15, 2001 (Govardhana Puja day) We (Murari Caitanya Prabhu, Saci Kumar Prabhu, Nachiketa Prabhu, Prema-tarangini dd and Hema) reached Vrndavan around 4 p.m. on the auspicious day of Govardhana Puja. As soon as we passed through the Bhaktivedanta Swami gate, the entrance to Vrndavan named in the honor of Srila Prabhupada, we realized that our dream of circumambulating the holy dham with Srila Romapada Swami was becoming a reality. Rakesh Prabhu, Hari-lila Prabhu, and mother Sri Madhurika received us very warmly at Dhanuka ashram and lead us to our rooms. We quickly unpacked and refreshed ourselves for Gaura arati at the Krsna Balarama Temple. There were about a thousand devotees singing ecstatically in chorus for the Gaura arati. What can one say about the deities! Exquisitely gorgeous! Suddenly we were transported to a completely different world. Many of the devotees couldn't seem to control their tears of joy at the sight of Gaura Nitai, Krsna Balarama, and Radha Shyamasundara. 1

2 Deities at Krsna Balarama Mandir (ISKCON Vrndavan) Gaura Nitai Krsna Balarama Radha Shyamasundara Damodara arati was to begin soon after Gaura arati. On our right was a diorama depicting the Damodara-lila - Mother Yasoda about to tie Krsna to the wooden grinding mortar. The ambiance was elevated to a spiritual dimension when all the electric lights were put off. The temple room was glittering with hundreds of ghee lamps that devotees were offering to the deities while Indradyumna Maharaj and Prahlad Prabhu softly began singing the Damodarastakam prayers. After the arati was over, we met other devotees, God brothers, and God sisters who had also come from great distances to participate the parikrama that Srila Romapada Swami was conducting. Somehow, it was very different and special meeting devotees in Vrndavan! We planned on resting early so we could be prepared for the next day. But, falling asleep was not at all easy as the anticipation for experiencing the next ten days was making our hearts pound faster with excitement and happiness. 16th November 2001: The much-awaited Vrndavan parikrama started on November 16th with Govardhana parikrama. Being very excited about the parikrama, most of us rose early and participated in mangala arati. The temple bell was ringing loudly as we were entering the temple. We saw Gopal Krsna Maharaj performing arati to Krsna Balarama deities and on noticing this, we thought - where is Srila Romapada Swami? And within a moment we saw him, completely immersed in devotion, and absorbed while standing in front of Radha Shyamasundara deities. The experience of mangala arati at Vrndavan is indescribable! The deities with the decorations looked so real. Watching the spiritual master living the verse of Sri Radhika Madhavayor apara--- --, and hearing thousands of devotees crying out the name of the Lord and singing Vibhavari sesa with great feeling made the whole atmosphere feel like as if we were in Goloka Vrndavan. Life would be so perfect if all of us could constantly assist the spiritual master in glorifying the Lord and His mission. These thoughts and feelings not only cleansed our hearts but also gave us a ray of hope that Goloka will be attainable one day. With these thoughts in our mind, some of us went to Srila Prabhupada's samadhi to chant. Some of us chanted in the courtyard of the temple and yet others went back to our rooms to chant. Most of the devotees were so immersed in chanting that many of them did not even realize that it was time to assemble at the main entrance to Krsna Balarama temple as requested by Srila Romapada Swami the previous day. 2

3 There were about 50 of us all assembled together - it felt like a family reunion just to see all God brothers and God sisters with our dearmost spiritual father Srila Romapada Swami. For some of the devotees, it was their first visit to India and they could not actually believe that it was all happening - they shed many tears while they were deeply appreciating the mercy of Guru and Krsna. Krsna Balarama mandir While all of us were paying obeisances and greeting each other, Srila Romapada Swami reminded us that it was time to get into the bus. So, all of us embarked the bus one by one. Srila Romapada Swami was sitting in the front seat and greeting each and every single devotee as they were entering the bus and made everyone feel very welcome to the dham. We were all excited about doing the Govardhana parikrama but there was also a degree of fear while anticipating the 22kms long walk. H.H. B.V.Madhava Swami (previously known as Mahamantra prabhu) is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a very learned sanyasi who has been in Vrndavan for many years. He accompanied us and guided us through the Govardhana parikrama. On our Gaudiya Vaisnava calendar, this was the actual Govardhan Puja day; the previous day's public celebration was held on the day the local Vrajavasis honored Govardhan Puja. During the drive, most of us were chanting and preparing our consciousness to do the parikrama. We parked the bus a little distance away from Kusuma sarovar. As soon as we got off the bus, Srila Romapada Swami paid obeisances to the dhama and to Govardhana hill and requested all of us also to do so. After we paid obeisances, Srila Romapada Swami started walking and all the prabhus with electronic gadgets (video cameras cameras, tape recorders) were trying to get hooked up while trying to also keep up with the pace of Srila Romapada Swami. While we were walking towards Kusuma Sarovar we saw Radhanath Maharaj's group with nearly one thousand devotees in about 20 buses pass by. There was also another group doing Govardhana Parikrama that day, led by Deena Bandhu Prabhu. On reaching Kusuma sarovar, we paid obeisances and sat on the bank while Madhava Maharaj narrated the significance of Kusuma sarovar. 3

4 Kusuma Sarovar- In Vraja-riti Cintamani, Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur mentions the significance of Kusuma Sarovar. Kusuma Sarovar is also known as Sumana Kunda. Kusuma means 'flower' and Sarovar means 'lake'. So it is a lake of flowers. These flowers are not manifested now (Aprakat). Previously, this tirtha was filled with lotus flowers and around this lake were gardens of so many flowers. Daily, many gopis used to come here and collect flowers and make them into garlands for Krsna. Kusuma Sarovar is known as the beautiful face of Govardhana Hill. All the lotus flowers in this lake are destined to become gopis in their next lives. Even Narada Muni manifested himself as a gopi by taking bath once in this lake. Lord Krsna Himself affirms this. Just across the road from Kusuma Sarovar is Naradavan. Narada Muni had composed the Narada Bhakti Sutra here. According to the authority of Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Ashtavakra Muni gave up his body on the bank of Kusuma Sarovar. King Jawahar Singh erected the present structure of Kusuma Sarovar in the later part of 18th century after his father's death in Kusuma Sarovar is 460 square feet with platforms running 60 feet into the water. On the upper level there are 3 towers. The principal one in the middle is in the honor of Suratmal and the other two are in honor of his wives, Hansia and Kishori. To one side of Kusuma Sarovar is a place called Uddhava Baithak. The entire forested area surrounding this Sarovar is Uddhava manifested in the form of grass or creeper called Gurmalata. Parikshit Maharaj came here with Vajranabha and Krsna's queens and was instructed in the essence of Srimad Bhagavatam by Uddhava. Just behind the Sarovar is Uddhava Kunda. The deity of Uddhava was established 5000 years ago by Vajranabha. It is said that Uddhava resides in 3 places: Badrika Ashram, Dwaraka, and here in Govardhana. Here he is in the form of Gurmalata creepers performing Bhajana and praying for the dust of the lotus feet of Krsna's associates. One who visits here, offers his respects to Uddhava, and reads Srimad Bhagavatam here will enter Krsna's eternal abode. We then offered our obeisances at the temple of Kusuma Sarovar and continued our parikrama. Now we will attempt to briefly write about all the places that we visited, while doing the parikrama. 4

5 Parikrama marg Krsna's Lotus feet imprints on Govardhana Sila - Govardhana Hill is shaped in the form of a peacock and right here is the neck where the Govardhana Silas are just becoming manifested. Once when Krsna observed from a distance as Radharani was being decorated by her gopi friends, He was in so much ecstasy that with the heat of His body, the rock under His feet melted and an imprint of His foot and His cowherd stick were imbedded in the rock. Madhava Maharaj's voice was literally choking with joy while describing the Lotus Feet imprints of Krsna. Place where Radharani was worshipped by gopis- 5

6 We then saw a Govardhana Sila which was half purple signifying Krsna and half yellow signifying Radharani. Shyama van Is a dark black forest. Here the Shanka chuda lila happened. Here there are wild cows, langoor monkeys (hanuman monkeys), and dancing peacocks. Manasi Ganga- It is advised that one should bathe in the Manasi Ganga and then take darshan of Haridev deity before starting Govardhana Parikrama. 6

7 After Krsna had killed the Vatsasura demon who took the form of a calf, His friends told Him that He would have to take a bath in the Ganges for purification. Not wanting to travel such a long distance away, Krsna by His meditation (manas means 'mind') brought the Ganges here and bathed. The gopis would come here with their milk products for selling them. The Lord had many boating pastimes with Sri Radhika here. We saw many locals performing arati of Manasi Ganga and chanting mantras. Madhava Maharaj was explaining that on the day of Diwali, thousands of devotees come and offer ghee lamps into the water. We then sprinkled a few drops of this holy water over our head after paying obeisances. At Manasi Ganga, there is a temple of Mukharavinda- A Govardhana Sila with the imprint of a peacock feather is worshipped here. Pancha tirtha kunda - here 5 holy rivers unite together. Haridev temple - This is a very ancient temple with architecture that dates back to several hundred years. We sang Srila Prabhupada's pranam mantra and did kirtan for sometime. 7

8 The original deity is at Kanpur near Rajdhani. The Lord here is the pratibhu manifestation of the original. The great grandson of Krsna named Vajranabha established 4 principle deities in Vraja, along with many other deities. These 4 deities include: Haridev, Govindaji, Kesav, (Mathura) and Dhauji (Lord Balarama). Commonly Govardhana parikrama starts by taking bath at Manasi Ganga and then visiting Haridev temple. Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally visited Haridev temple when He performed Govardhana Parikrama. We then walked through the narrow lanes of Vrndavan amidst all the shops, traffic of all kinds (cars, scooters, rickshaws, buffalo carts), and an ocean of people. Dhan gati & Dhan nivratan kund- Dhan means 'money' or 'charity' and Nivrata means 'return'. Dhan gati a narrow passage where Krsna taxed the gopis coming from Radha Kunda towards Govinda Kunda to sell their pots of ghee, butter, milk etc. Nandimukhi, a disciple of Paurnamasi and sister of Madhumangal, is the negotiator in this lila who requests Krsna to let the gopis go saying that the ghee was meant for yajna and that they would pay the taxes the next day. Therefore, Krsna lets them go. Next day Krsna and Subala reach there on time and the gopis tie Krsna and Subala with their sikha and make them bow at Radharani's Lotus Feet. Aniyora- This is the first village after Govardhana on the parikrama trail. It is here that all the gopis and gopas enjoyed many wonderful pastimes with Krsna. The Annakuta ceremony was celebrated here. We then had breakfast in Aniyora near Govinda Kunda. It was a wonderful experience just sitting in the dust of Vraja dham, eating hot kitchri in the simplest way on leaf plates, and washing hands in Govinda Kunda. Srila Romapada Swami was also sitting with all of us on the dust of Vraja. For those of us who are used to seeing him in cities, it was a very sweet experience to see him very comfortably seated just like a Vraja vasi amidst the cows surrounding us and enjoying his meal. Govinda Kunda- Govinda Kunda was created from the abhishekh waters of Krsna done by Indra. One who takes bath in this kunda attains love for Govinda. This water was used to bathe the Gopal deity of Madhavendra Puri. Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here in Here Srila Romapada Swami talked about the mood of approaching Vrndavan and circumambulating Govardhana Hill. He explained the following: Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally performed Govardhana parikrama. Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, students of Jiva Goswami- Narottama Das Thakura and Srinivas Acarya also performed Govardhana Parikrama. The path that we have been following is literally following in the footsteps of these great acaryas. 8

9 When Krsna completed the pastimes, in order to give benediction to all devotees who felt great separation from Him, He left behind 3 things to increase and inspire our love and devotion for Him - the dust of Vrndavan, Govardhana Hill, and the river Yamuna. Just by performing Govardhana parikrama in a proper mood, we can reach up to the stage of love of Godhead. It is very important to maintain a deeply reverential mood in order to fully benefit from the parikrama. Simply performing the austerity is not enough. There are immense potencies in all these places and therefore let us offer our heart and mind to Govinda and focus our conversations only on glorifications of dham, chant Hare Krsna and keep our minds absorbed in the nectar of these transcendental places. After the lecture, some of us collected the water and dust from Govinda Kunda. Personally, I (PTdd) found myself more motivated, focused and in a prayerful mood after Srila Romapada Swami's address on the mood while circumambulating Govardhana. We then saw imprints of Lord Balarama's crown in a particular sila of Govardhana. Apsara Kunda- If one takes bath in this kunda, one can easily solve all the mysteries in Krsna consciousness and he receives the same benefit as performing hundreds of Rajasuya sacrifices and Ashwamedha yajnas. Narasimhadev's temple- This was located close to the Apsara Kunda. Here by the grace of the pujari we all could have darshan of Narasimhadev ripping the abdomen of Hiranyakashipu. This part is usually covered by the dress of Narasimhadev but the pujari lifted the dress for us. Raghava Pandit's cave- Raghava Pandit would chant here in a very deep cave so that no one would disturb him. Srila Romapada Swami chanting near Raghava Pandit s cave Srila Romapada Swami gave time to chant Gayatri mantra while the others chanted Hare Krsna. Yet others, were trying to take pictures of Srila Romapada Swami while he was chanting and noticing our struggles to catch him in a nice pose, he graciously posed for us. Footprint of Iravati (Lord Indra s elephant) 9

10 Surabhi Kunda- Surabhi was an aunt of Indra. At Brahma s request, she took form of a cow to express sympathy. Lord Krsna protected Surabhi cows during the devastating rain of Indra. She appeared here along with Indra to thank Krsna for saving the cows and cowherd men of Vraja. She said, We would like to accept You as our Indra and would like to bathe You. We will not accept mundane Indras anymore. So, she bathed Krsna with milk. Surabhi introduced Indra (who was ashamed of himself) to Krsna. First, Krsna did not even look at him but later He forgave him. Govardhana Parikrama The next stretch was a long one (several miles!) but Srila Romapada Swami is such a tireless transcendentalist! One could not see any tiredness in him physically or mentally. While many of us were huffing and puffing, Srila Romapada Swami was still walking with the same pace with which he had started the parikrama. We heard one mataji describe how the rocks on Govardhana turned into pillows with the touch of Krsna s soft tender Lotus Feet. She guessed that a pure devotee, immersed in the nectar of these transcendental places, must not feel any pain but actually feel ecstasy to walk so swiftly and tirelessly. One devotee said, Those who are walking next to Srila Romapada Swami are also walking very briskly due to his mercy. We are finding it difficult to walk because we are far away from Maharaj. 10

11 So, what happened was some of us never caught up with Srila Romapada Swami and we lost the group. However, Srila Romapada Swami did not forget us he sent 2 prabhus looking for us but they lost the group too because we were so far behind!!! So, the rest of us continued parikrama on the parikrama marg and finally met Srila Romapada Swami and the group at the last stop Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda. One could only imagine how Srila Romapada Swami laughed at us when we joined the group!!! Govardhana Hill Cows and Govardhana Cakaleswara -This Siva Linga was installed by Krsna s great grandson, Vajranabha. Sanatana Goswami used to perform his bhajana next to this temple and a small bhajana kutir is there to mark the spot. Because of the mosquitoes, Sanatana was thinking of moving from the area but Lord Siva came to him disguised as a brahmana and told him that the mosquitoes would no longer disturb him. Locals claim that even to this day the place is mostly free from mosquitoes. Sanatana Goswami s Bhajana Kutir The parikrama ended at Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda. 11

12 We then boarded our bus and returned to Krsna Balarama mandir. Though a very tiring experience for many of us, we surely did feel a lot of spiritual upliftment and it will definitely remain a memorable experience for the rest of our lives. Many devotees said that they could not believe they actually walked the entire 28kms barefoot! All of us agreed that it was only due to Srila Romapada Swami s mercy and empowerment that we could complete this parikrama. All glories to Srila Romapada Swami!!! 17 th November 2001: Once again we started early in the morning at 6:45am and left for Raval the birthplace of Radharani. Raval unlike Vrndavan is very quiet and serene. We crossed over the Yamuna River to get there. H.G. Deena Bandhu Prabhu, a very senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has been in Vrndavan for over 20 years and is undoubtedly a Vrajavasi. He accompanied us to Raval and played the role of a bridge between the local Vrajavasis and us. When the bus stopped in front of the Ladli Lal temple the first thought that crossed our minds was this place is very unlike Vrndavan. It was very quiet and serene. The temple was on the second floor. Some locals were sitting on the steps and we could hear children playing in the background. As one climbs the steps and enters the temple one finds an open courtyard. Across the courtyard is a small temple room of Ladli Lal. The white washed outer walls and the yellow inner walls, the bright sunshine, and the crisp air were an ideal setting for the narration of the following pastime of Radharani s appearance. Temple at Raval Deities of Sri Sri Ladli Lal These are the really sweet deities of Radha Krsna in their childhood forms. 12

13 We sang the Sri Radhika Stava (Radhe Jaya Jaya Madhava Dayite----) led by H.G. Deena Bandhu prabhu. Then Deena Bandhu prabhu narrated some pastimes- There was a prince named Sucandra who was betrothed to princess Kalavati. After getting married, they went to the forest for performing years of penances under austere conditions. They had a desire to serve Lakshmidevi as their daughter. Brahma blessed them that in their next life the consort of Krsna will be born as their daughter. In the next life, they were born as Kirtida and Vrsabhanu. They first had a son named Sridam. Later, one day, Vrsabhanu saw a golden Lotus flower floating on the Yamuna. A beautiful golden baby girl lay within the corolla of the flower. Vrsabhanu could not reach that lotus flower. Suddenly Brahma appeared, reminded Vrsabhanu of the benediction, and handed the girl over to him. The little baby was so beautiful, soft, and delicate with red palms and lotus feet. Everything about Her was perfect except that Her eyes were sealed shut and She made no sound, thus appearing as a blind, deaf and dumb girl. Now we shall see why Radharani presented Herself this way. One day, in Goloka, Krsna told Radharani that on earth Dvapara Yuga was about to end and that they needed to go there. Radharani said, "How can I go to such a nasty place?" Krsna replied, "Don't worry, Yamuna, Govardhana, etc. have already gone there. This Vrndavan is completely non different from Goloka." Radharani said, "Unless I see the moon like face of Krsna I do not care about seeing the rest." Narada Muni knew that the Hladini Shakti of Krsna would soon take birth somewhere in Vrndavan. In search of Her, Narada Muni knocked on the door of Vrsabhanu. Vrsabhanu welcomed Narada Muni very nicely. Vrsabhanu was overjoyed to see Narada Muni and said that his place was now blessed. Narada Muni then asked Vrsabhanu if he had any children. Vrsabhanu said that he had one son. Narada Muni could not believe that Vrsabhanu had only one son. Then, Vrsabhanu very hesitantly said that he also has a daughter who is blind and therefore was hesitant to show Her. Narada Muni then tells Vrsabhanu about the remedy of curing Her blindness. Narada Muni says that Vrsabhanu has to make a huge elaborate feast and invite Nanda and Yasoda, dedicated to seeking the Lord's blessings for the blindness of the young girl to go away. Therefore, Vrsabhanu immediately starts preparing for the feast. In the meantime, Narada Muni began offering wonderful prayers to Radhika. Radharani asks, "What is your desire Narada Muni?" Then Narada Muni says that he has a desire to see Radharani's kishori-rupa (13-14 year old form). Radharani was very pleased and manifested this childhood form. Narada Muni upon seeing this completely swoons in transcendental bliss. Everyone starts cooking, making preparations, and Nanda Maharaj, and Yasoda come. Yasoda and Kirtida sit down to glorify Krsna! Radharani was decorated very beautifully with sandalwood paste and scents etc- this fragrance enters the nostril of Krsna. Krsna's fragrance enters Radharani's 13

14 nostril and immediately Radharani understands that Krsna is there. When Radharani looks even from the corner of Her eye Krsna is completely satisfied and ecstatic. Then, Radharani opens Her beautiful eyes and there is such a sweet exchange of love between Radha and Krsna. The way Deena Prabhu describes is that - if someone puts their finger in between the two of them and licks it, then they can actually taste the sweet nectar that Radha and Krsna are experiencing. The real appearance of Radharani is when Radha and Krsna come together. Therefore, in ISKCON we celebrate the appearance of Radharani at noon. We tried to narrate the pastime to the best of our ability based on our notes and memory but we know we could not do justice because it is really not the same without Deena Bandhu Prabhu's purity, absorption in the pastime and his animated, comical presentation. Srila Romapada Swami was very considerate and thoughtful of the devotees who could not speak English and requested one of us to translate for them. Srila Romapada Swami spoke about our addressing Srimate Radharani in a very confidential way when we chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra: There are many mantras that Caitanya Mahaprabhu could have selected to inaugurate the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord as the yuga-dharma, but He gave us the Mahamantra particularly. The form of addressing Radha, as we find here in Vrndavan, is 'Radhe' but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us this specific name Hare. Another name for Krsna is Hari, which means 'He who takes away'. Hara, or in the vocative 'Hare', indicates a similar feature of Radha, the Lord's pleasure potency, who 'steals the mind of Krsna'. Krsna's mind is completely attracted by Radharani! We are instructed to chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra as a prayer to Radharani, whose wonderful qualities and all-attractive form capture the mind of Krsna, She who mercifully engages us in Krsna's service. We who have no qualification can engage in Krsna's service by the sheer mercy of Radharani. She captures our hearts by His service, while by the same divine person the mind of Krsna is captured. She is the best of all of the Lord's loving servitors. Thus, she is both Hara, and Radha. And when we chant the Mahamantra, we call 'Hare'. This is such a confidential way to address Srimate Radharani! Our task is quite simple. We just have to chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra with great faith. We should pray to Radharani in great humility, and call upon the Hare Krsna Mahamantra for our purification. Radha steals Krsna's mind, and She absorbs our minds in His service. After that, Srila Romapada Swami spoke about the importance of adhering to instructions of spiritual master by giving a brief overview one part of Brhat Bhagavatamrta. Brhat Bhagavatamrta describes one Mathura brahmana was given a 10-syllable mantra by Kamakya Devi, a goddess who he was worshiping, twice in his dreams. The brahmana, by very faithfully adhering to chanting of the Madan Gopal mantra given by Kamakya devi, attained spiritual elevation. The brahmana did not 14

15 understand the meaning or even the purpose of the Madan Gopal mantra; his knowledge was not well developed, in fact he had no knowledge regarding the mantra at all. Yet, he had great faith in Kamakya Devi, and therefore he lost all material desires due to his diligent chanting, and step-by-step was carried by the Lord's mercy to the position of becoming an eternal resident of Goloka Vrndavan! After hearing the above narrations, one could appreciate a pervasive prayerful and faithful mood manifest in everyone's eyes as they felt themselves experiencing the mercy of Radharani. We then had breakfast consisting of puffed rice, laddu, bananas, and apple in the courtyard of this temple. We then left for Gokul. Gokul- Grinding mortar to which Damodara(Krsna) was tied Gokul was the place where Damodar Lila took place. Here we saw the very same grinding mortar to which Krsna was bound by ropes during the Damodar Lila. Where now a huge tamarind tree is there, there were two Arjuna trees. Yama means twins, thus Yamala Arjuna trees. These were the same species of tree that Krsna broke during the Damodar Lila. We sang Damodarastaka since we were there just 2 days after the actual day of Damodar Lila (Diwali day). It certainly was extraordinary, singing the Damodarastaka at the place where the Damodar Lila took place! While Deena Bandhu Prabhu was singing the Damodarastaka prayers, a crazy baba came right in front of his face, started shouting and screaming and dancing but Deena Bandhu Prabhu was completely unaffected and continued singing with great absorption. Srila Romapada Swami also completely ignored the baba like he was non-existent. The rest of us were either giggling or scared but we were admiring Srila Romapada Swami and Deena Bandhu Prabhu s quality of dhira. Chintaharan Ghat When the bus stopped at our next destination, Chinta Haran Ghat, we were still talking excitingly about the crazy baba. However, we were stopped in our tracks when we saw the beauty of the place. River Yamuna was flowing and there were these huge shady trees (whose names we don t know) under which there was this small temple and a rustic hut. We made ourselves comfortable under the shade of the trees in front of the hut. We could hear all kinds of birds chirping and it was all very musical. It was the perfect place to hear Krsna Katha. 15

16 Chinta means worry, Haran means remove. This is the place where all worries are removed. Krsna manifested His childlike form here after showing the universe in His mouth to mother Yashoda. This relieved all her worries. Here, Deena Bandhu Prabhu made the most extraordinary, entertaining, animated, and absorptive presentation of the whole Damodar Lila. Each and every single devotee appreciated this presentation. Deena Bandhu Prabhu Radha Damodar Lila- At the end of Kartik month is Kartik Purnima. It is the best time for Rasa dance. So once, Radharani was waiting on end for Krsna to do rasa lila but Shyamasundara was not showing up. Finally, Shyamasundara appeared on scene. Radharani then, ties up Krsna with a golden belt and demands for an explanation for being late. Then Krsna responds by saying, Today was Kartik Purnima and Mother Yashoda had a big feast for Me and therefore I am late. Then Radharani unties the knot. This is Radha Damodar Lila. Srila Romapada Swami later spoke about how the love of devotees attracts Krsna: In all other forms of yoga, a lot depends on the efforts that one makes but position of bhakti has an incomparable other dimension. One of the special features of bhakti that does not exist in any other system of yoga is the reciprocation that the Supreme Lord extends to the devotee. The descending mercy of Krsna directly reciprocates with quality of love of a devotee. To receive the descending mercy of Krsna a devotee must possess the quality of humility within him. The quality of humility is exhibited when, despite one's qualifications, a devotee feels unqualified and thus feels absolutely dependent on Krsna, e.g.: Draupadi when being disrobed had absolute surrender and helpless dependence on Krsna. The feature of Radharani s love is so inconceivably powerful that even Krsna, The Knower of all things; perfect understander of everything is also attracted to it. Therefore, Krsna wanted to experience this love by assuming the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Even the Supreme cannot experience this love by any other way other than by assuming the role of abode of that love. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is mahavadanyaya most munificent - because He is freely distributing that love to the most unqualified persons. His causelessly merciful nature increases His own pleasure as Krsna and Radharani combined, in addition to increasing the happiness of all who receive His mercy. Srila Romapada Swami then requested all of us to offer prayers to somehow attain that humble state of mind. Upon a special request from Srila Romapada Swami, Deena Bandhu Prabhu then mimicked the chirps of various birds in Vrndavan like parrots, peacocks, dhogila, kokila, doves, myena etc. 16

17 We then went to Brahmanda ghat where Mother Yashoda sees the Universe in Krsna s mouth. Srila Romapada Swami and a number of devotees bathed in the Yamuna here. This was the end of the second day of parikrama and we returned to Krsna Balarama mandir. 18 th November 2001: On this day, the day before disappearance day of Srila Prabhupada, the murti of Srila Prabhupada on the temple room vyasasana is traditionally taken on an annual parikrama of Vrndavan on the same palanquin upon which he took his final parikrama in Vrndavan. We did not join this parikrama due to limited number of days to experience all of Vrndavan, but the mood appreciating Srila Prabhupada in Vrndavan could definitely be felt by all. We visited some of the local temples, samadhis, etc. that day. We walked first to the goshala along the parikrama marg, while kirtan was lead by Sanjay Prabhu. Goshala: 17

18 This land was acquired by ISKCON in 1970 s. They have 272 cows all together. Go seva is a constant vigilant service. Cows are like living deities. The reciprocation one gets by serving cows is tremendous because it is pleasing to Krsna. We should always keep in contact with Go Seva because it is in the mode of goodness. From sattvic guna, we can rise to suddha sattva. Srila Prabhupada wanted citadels for preaching in the city and in the country, he wanted simple living and high thinking. One time Lakshmi was begging the cows for shelter. The cows gave shelter to Her in the cow dung and urine. Cow dung is a very good fertilizer and it can be used for gobar gas, heating etc. If cows are happy in society, all things material and spiritual are automatically achieved. Without cows, we cannot have brahminical culture. We then walked over the Vrndavan Parikrama marg and reached Kaliya Ghat. Kaliya Ghat: One time Yamuna flowed right past this ghat. At that time there was a Kadamba tree on the bank of Yamuna. Vraja vasis claim that Krsna jumped from this very tree into the Yamuna. Here Srila Romapada Swami narrated the whole Kaliya pastime: In Satya Yuga, Garuda paid a visit here knowing that Krsna's pastimes would take place here. On the root of the Kadamba tree Garuda placed some nectar so that this tree would have a long life to assist Krsna's pastimes. When river Yamuna was flowing some parts of it formed a lake. Saubhari muni was meditating under water in this lake. Garuda was very hungry and picked up some fish from this lake. Saubhari muni who was sympathetic towards the fish, cursed Garuda that he will not be able to come to this place again, or he would instantly be fatally harmed. Garuda cannot be affected by any curse because he is the carrier of Visnu but he voluntarily accepted the curse. The natural prey for Garuda is fish and snakes. The son of Kayadu, Kaliya, had the form of a serpent and was a victim of quality of envy. He did not want to make sacrifice to Garuda. Kaliya 18

19 fed and resided here in order not to get captured by Garuda. As time passed, Kaliya became very dangerous because of his envy, which turned into poison. There was so much poison that all vegetation all around had died! Even the fumes were so poisonous that the birds flying over the lake would fall into the lake dead! Kaliya lived here from Satya Yuga until Dvapara Yuga. One morning when Krsna along with the cowherd boys going out, the cows came here to Yamuna at Kaliya Ghat. It was Balarama's appearance day and He stayed at home. As soon the cowherd boys came here, upon drinking from the Kaliya Lake, they fell down and appeared dead. Srila Romapada Swami explains that they cannot actually die because they have spiritual bodies. Soon, Krsna reached here and saw all the boys dead by yogamaya potency and for a moment, He lost all composure. By His glance, He revived all the cowherd boys. Krsna was very angry and He tied up His belt, rolled up His sleeves, flapped His arms, jumped on the Kadamba tree, and dived into Yamuna. Big waves were formed in water splashed everywhere. Kaliya heard this and got very angry and flames came out from his mouth. He saw Krsna and tried in many ways to bite Krsna. Krsna allowed Kaliya to wind around Him as coils. In the meanwhile, one observer went to Nandagram to report this whole event. The vatsalya rasa of Nanda and Yasoda was evoked and mother Yasoda said, "How horrible! My dear son Krsna!" They both came running to the bank of Yamuna and saw Krsna wrapped in coils for several hours. Nanda and Yasoda thought that it is better to give up their own life. Balarama stopped them with His powerful arms. The love of the residents of Vrndavan further increased by seeing Krsna in this dangerous condition. As the anxiety grew, Krsna broke away from the coils and started dancing over the hoods of Kaliya. Krsna was showing His dancing skills, which are unparalleled! How Kaliya experienced the touch of Krsna's feet upon his heads discloses the purport of 'Ye yatha mam prapadyante...': Kaliya felt the same Lotus Feet of Krsna, which are seen by devotees as goal of life, as the object of meditationi of the yogis, and by gopis as the softest object anywhere, as thunderbolts. It took a very long time for Kaliya to surrender because of his deep envy. The heads of Kaliya were repeatedly smashed beyond recognition, and gradually as his envious nature decreased, he understood Krsna and surrendered to Krsna. Then the Nagapatnis came forward and offered wonderful prayers glorifying Krsna. They requested Krsna to forgive their husband and praised Krsna for showing His special mercy to Kaliya. Krsna replied: "I actually should have killed Kaliya but because of your kind prayers I have forgiven him. Garuda will not harm him anymore because the impression of My Lotus Feet is on Kaliya's head. But Kaliya will have to leave Yamuna." Kaliya felt so humbled that he left to South East Asia. Krsna helps devotees traversing on the path of bhakti. He relieves us of all obstacles. Envy is one of the big 6 obstacles (lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, madness). The nicest way of removing envy is by nicely following sadhana bhakti, serving the vaisnavas and surrendering to Nama prabhu. This lila portrays a less gentle form of Krsna's relieving one of envy. Another lesson is the nature of Krsna's soft heartedness towards devotees. If a devotee approaches Krsna on behalf of a less fortunate person (e.g.: wives of Kaliya) then Krsna intercedes even if that person is not qualified. Due to that, spiritual protection is offered. Kaliya offended Garuda due to his envy, and just see how he had to suffer until rescued by Krsna. Saubhari muni also had to experience a reaction for his offense to a devotee, Garuda- he fell down to material attractions, entered household life, and got married to 50 wives! So, we should be very careful about offending devotees of the Lord! Srila Romapada Swami then requested all of us to offer prayers to this Kadamba tree and Krsna, to remove envy from our hearts, praying for mood of service to others, which displaces enviousness. We then offered our obeisances to the deity of Kaliya Krsna, circumambulated the temple, and continued. Samadhi mandir of Prabhodananda Saraswati: 19

20 He was a renunciant all his life. His first contact with Caitanya Mahaprabhu was when Caitanya Mahaprabhu spent 4 months of the caturmasya in Sri Rangam (South India). Since then, he became greatly inspired by Caitanya Mahaprabhu and later on, he came here to reside in Vrndavan next to Kaliya Ghat. Prabhodananda Saraswati spent a lot of his time performing bhajana. He is particularly known in Gaudiya Sampradaya for his wonderful poetic and very exhilarating glorification of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namely Caitanya Candramrta. Srila Romapada Swami recited English translations of the Sanskrit verses composed by Prabhodananda Saraswati glorifying Vrndavan dham. While describing one of the verses Srila Romapada Swami explained, how Prabhodananda compared Krsna to a monsoon cloud and Radharani to a flash of lightning. One could sense Srila Romapada Swami's humble mood when he said, "I personally very much relish his writings which are very esoteric in a sense that I don't have the refinement to fully appreciate. But the ecstasy that Prabhodananda Saraswati felt comes through so clearly in his writings and that is very very relishable." Prabhodananda Saraswati is particularly known for his poetic and exhilarating glorifications of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namely Caitanya Candramrta. The exaltations and glorifications are extraordinarily wonderful. He was a great scholar deeply attached to Radha and Krsna and he wanted to share this with others. Then Srila Romapada Swami requested all of us to pray so that a drop of attachment that Prabhodananda Saraswati felt for Lord Caitanya, Radharani and Krsna, and Vrndavan, so that the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu may also enter our hearts. Madan Mohan Temple and Sanatana Goswami's Bhajana Kutir: Sanatana Goswami's bhajana kutir is next to Sri Madan Mohan Temple. Before Sanatana Goswami resided atop this hill where both the temple and his Bhajan kutir are found, many wonderful pastimes took place. On this hill, we can see the structure of Madan Mohan temple from a very long distance because it is in a prominent geographical place. Before this temple was built, this hill was called Dvadasa Aditya Tila. When Krsna finished the pastime of subduing the Kaliya serpent, Krsna's body was very cold and so He came up to this hill to become warm because of its exposure to the sun. At this place, the 12 sons of Aditi all manifested as suns and warmed Krsna. Traditionally, before the Madan Mohan mandir was built, this place was called Dvadasa Aditya Tila. 20

21 Madan Mohan Mandir Advaita Acarya made his residence nearby here even before Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Santana Goswami came. There is a place not far from this hill called Advaita Vat, where he would perform bhajana. There, he discovered the deity called Madan Gopal / Madan Mohan. Advaita Acarya personally worshipped the deity but when it was time to return to Navadvipa, in preparation for Mahaprabhu's appearance, he entrusted the worship of this deity to a brahmana named Purusottama Chaubey who eventually made his residence in Mathura. Sanatana Goswami made this hill his place of residence when he came to Vrndavan. Sanatana Goswami used to maintain himself by madhukari (going door-to-door accepting whatever alms were received). Once Purusottama Chaubey had a dream in which the deity appeared and told him that there is a sadhu residing in Vrndavan and that He would like to be worshipped by him. Arrangements were then made for Sanatana Goswami's visit to Purusottama Chaubey's home. Sanatana Goswami on reaching there was shocked to see the standard of deity worship and he chastised Purusottama Chaubey for it. When Sanatana returned to his bhajan kutir, he felt heavy in heart about what he said and therefore he went back the next day to apologize. In the meantime, Purusottama Chaubey had a dream again, where the deity asked to be worshipped by Sanatana Goswami. Purusottama Chaubey told Sanatana Goswami of this dream and asked him to take the deity to his home. Sanatana Goswami said, "I do not have a home and I won't be able to make proper offerings." One narration of the story says that the deity began to speak at that point. The deity said "I will accept whatever you have, even just dry chapattis, it does not matter." So, Sanatana Goswami took the deity and put him in a hanging basket, which was Madan Mohan altar. One day a merchant was traveling from Delhi to Agra with a boatload of salt. He invested most of his wealth in this salt. The boat got stuck in Yamuna on a sand bar near Sanatana Goswami's Bhajana kutir. Then a young cowherd boy came to visit him and informed him that there is a sadhu up here who is so saintly that if one gets his blessings all problems are solved. Sanatana Goswami then gave his blessings and inspired devotion in him. The merchant then contributed all his wealth to Sanatana Goswami after selling his salt. Santana Goswami said that he has no need for wealth as a renunciant but the merchant can build a temple for the Madan Mohan deity. This merchant, Ramdas Kapoor built the temple of Madan Mohan in Some years later King Aurangazeb broke the upper stories of the temple as his wife did not like to see the cakras of the temple from her window in Mathura. After a temple is defaced, the deity cannot reside there and therefore the Madanmohan deity was brought to the bottom of the hill. During military invasion, the deity was moved to Jaipur along with Radha Govinda. After some time the princess of Jaipur married the princess of Karoli and the deity was moved to Karoli as the princess was attached to the deity. The original deity is currently worshipped at Karoli. The 21

22 Madan Mohan deity resides over sambandha jnana and our Vaisnava Acaryas say that the deity's thighs down to the feet most resemble the actual form of Krsna. There is a well next to the Bhajana kutir, which was arranged by Krsna Himself for Sanatana Goswami, which has very sweet, natural drinking water. Feeling very inspired by the fact that Krsna personally arranged this well to be manifest for Sanatana Goswami's use, many of us drank water from it. The water of this well was indeed very sweet and cold but, probably because there is not the purity in thought, some of us suffered very bad gastroenteritis after that!! Till today, Srila Romapada Swami teases us about this during home programs in Chicago. We then visited the Radha Madan Mohan temple and offered our obeisances. Samadhi of Sanatana Goswami: Here Srila Romapada Swami spoke about how Sanatana Goswami met Caitanya Mahaprabhu and described his various contributions. Sanatana Goswami in spite of belonging to a very aristocratic brahmana family, was very humble. Caitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated through his disciple Sanatana Goswami that even a worldly person could come to the ultimate stage of spiritual perfection by the descending mercy of the Lord. Sanatana Goswami performed various austerities. At the ripe age of eighty, he decided that he would circumambulate Govardhana hill everyday. Lord Krsna could not bear to see his devotee perform such austerities. He, therefore, gifted Sanatana Goswami a Govardhana Sila and asked him to circumambulate it four times instead. Krsna said this would be equivalent to circumambulating the hill once. Additionally, Srila Romapada Swami beautifully narrated two pastimes from Bhakti Ratnakara. He talked about the pastime in which Rupa Goswami had unknowingly offended an old brahmana while he was in trance. 22

23 Srila Romapada Swami said that one should be very careful in the matter of vaisnava aparadh. We should be careful in two regards- not to hurt other vaisnavas by our words, nor by our interactions with them. In this material world regardless of how transparent one is in his behavior, his actions may always be interpreted as offensive. Secondly, we should be very humble and very forgiving in matters of some unintentional or very insignificant mistakes that others may make. We should be very free and willing to give our forgiveness completely and unconditionally. Many devotees were deeply touched by this place. One could palpably feel the spiritual vibration and purity. Feeling very inspired, many of us chanted a few rounds here. We then, went back to Krsna Balarama mandir by rickshaws to take our lunch prasadam. In the afternoon, we visited the local temples in Vrndavan. Everyone took cycle rickshaws. Srila Romapada Swami and Murari Caitanya Prabhu in a rickshaw Radha Govinda Temple: Radha Govinda Vajranabha, the great grandson of Krsna, originally constructed a temple and installed the deities of Radha Govinda. Today the original deities are in Jaipur. They were transferred there to save them from being destroyed during Aurangzeb's raid on the temple. In the temple, Srila Romapada Swami explained that the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are called Rupanugas. Prabhupada writes in Nectar of Devotion that 'anuga' means 'follower'. Since Lord Caitanya personally instructed Rupa Goswami in the science of devotional service, we follow his teachings and hence we are Rupanugas. Amongst the prolific writings of Rupa Goswami, there are two texts that are very famous and are found in Caitanya Caritamrta - Vidagdha Madhava 23

24 and Lalita Madhava. One passage within Vidagdha Madhava describes the appearance of Srimati Radharani. One can understand that Krsna and Radha appear once in each day of Brahma. This allows them to exhibit different lilas. This lila begins with a dialogue between two women, one of them being Nandimukhi. They are talking about Radharani, Candravali, and other gopis. Nandimukhi explains how Radharani and Candravali were born as daughters of Vrsabhanu and Candrabhanu respectively. Before their birth they were transferred to the womb of the wife of the Vindhya Hills, near the Himalayas. The narrator in Vidagdha Madhava explains that once Agastya Muni visited Vindhya Hills, so naturally Vindhya paid obeisances to him. Agastya Muni instructed Vindhya not to rise up till he gave the permission to do so. Thus, the Vindhya Mountains are shorter than the Himalayan Mountains. To counteract this diminished position with respect to Himalaya, Vindya's desire was to have a son-in-law who would exceed the son-in-law of the Himalaya Mountains in all respects. The daughter of Himalayas is Parvati and her husband is Lord Shiva. Following this desire, a transcendental arrangement was made. While still in the womb of the wives of Vrsabhanu and Candrabhanu, the children were transferred to the womb of the wife of Vindhya. In one of her divine appearances, Radharani took birth as the daughter of Vindhya Hills. Nandimukhi continues explaining that Putana kidnapped these girls and flew away. Putana's objective was to kill all the infant boys in Gokul by sucking their blood and to kidnap all the girls. She had kidnapped the girls and was taking them away when the following happened. Vindhya arranged with brahmanas to curse whoever who had kidnapped the girls. When Putana became aware of the curse, she dropped the girls near the homes of Vrsabhanu and Candrabhanu. This is how Srimati Radharani became daughter of Kirtida and Vrsabhanu. Radha Gopinath Temple: Radha Gopinath This temple's architecture is very similar in its beauty to our Krsna Balarama temple in Vrndavan. These deities were originally installed by Vajranabha and were later worshipped by Madhu Pandit. Paramananda Bhattacarya rediscovered them at Vamsi-vat. To the left of the main deities is the deity of Ananga Manjari (sister of Srimati Radharani). Ananga Manjari in Caitanya lila is Jahnava Mata (wife of Nityananda Prabhu). When Jahnava Mata came to Vrndavan, she worshipped Radha-Gopinath personally. Radha Gopinath are the presiding deities of Prayojana jnan i.e., the conclusion or the fulfillment of rendering of loving service to Krsna in the form of prema, the highest form of love, that the gopis have for Krsna. Therefore, Krsna is called Gopinath - the lord of the gopis. Radha Raman and Radha Gokulananda Temples: 24

25 Radha Raman Radha Gokulananda Radha Raman Temple is a very special temple. To appreciate Radha Raman mandir we can appreciate the acarya who worshipped these deities Gopala Bhatta Goswami. His first meeting with Lord Caitanya was during the Lord's visit to Sri Rangam. A strong relationship between Sri Caitanya and Gopala Bhatta grew during the four months that Sri Caitanya was in Sri Rangam. He later came to Vrndavan, took shelter of Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis, and assisted them in spreading the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Srila Romapada Swami spoke elaborately about Gopala Bhatta Goswami's scholarship and philosophical prowess combined with extreme humility. He was so humble that he did not want any credit for his being instrumental in Jiva Goswami's compilation of the Sandarbhas nor Sanatana Goswami's compilation of Hari Bhakti Vilas--although Gopal Bhatta Goswami was the actual source of both manuscripts! Our group then moved to Radha Gokulananda temple as there was no place for all of us to sit down and hear the sweet pastimes of the Goswamis at the Radha Raman temple. Srila Romapada Swami narrated more pastimes at the Radha Gokulananda temple. There are three sets of deities on the altar. Radha-Gokulananda deities are in the center of the altar (worshipped by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur); Radha Vinoda (worshipped by Lokanath Goswami); Sri Govardhana Sila (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally worshipped and later gave to Raghunatha Dasa Goswami); Radha Vijaya Govinda (worshipped by Srila Baladev Vidyabhusana), and finally a deity of Lord Caitanya (worshipped by Narottama Dasa Thakur). Srila Romapada Swami glorified the extensive contributions of these exalted vaisnavas. However, the narration was interrupted due to the loud evening kirtan that began in the temple. We moved into the courtyard that contained the samadhis of these vaisnavas. Srila Romapada Swami explained that these vaisnavas are present at these samadhis even today. He reminded us to constantly be in a prayerful mood and ask for a drop of the ocean of descending mercy from these acaryas. 19th November 2001: Srila Prabhupada's disappearance day festival- This auspicious day was full of mixed emotions for all present in the Krsna Balarama Temple quadrangle. Devotees, especially disciples of Srila Prabhupada, were reminiscing their memories of the times they had either heard of, spoke with, seen, or just been around him. Most, if not all, of his disciples gathered here in Vrndavan to pay their respects and express their deep gratitude to their divine spiritual master for saving their lives and molding them for a meaningful service to Lord Caitanya's mission. For us, it was a purifying experience to see so many wonderful Vaishnavas gathered there. The list includes Romapada Maharaj, Radhanatha Maharaj, Indradyumna Maharaj, Lokanath Maharaj, Gopala Krsna Goswami Maharaj, Brahmananda Prabhu, Daivi Sakti Mataji, and many other very senior prabhus and matajis - all who had dedicated their lives unconditionally to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. 25

26 The day began with ecstatic Gurvastaka prayers to Srila Prabhupada. Later in the morning, Srila Prabhupada's deity was seated under the tree in the temple courtyard and all devotees sang their hearts out glorifying this ever-well wisher of ours. Brahmananda Prabhu called on his god brothers and god sisters to offer their respects to Srila Prabhupada. Although each disciple's offering expressed how Srila Prabhupada had reciprocated with them individually, there was a common thread that tied all the offerings - their unalloyed, unconditional affection and gratitude to their spiritual master. Specifically, Pranada dd expressed how she had prayed to Srila Prabhupada to let her know she could serve him. She explained that Prabhupada appeared in her dream and asked her to ensure his samadhi was cleaned. She took this instruction to heart and diligently set forth to collect enough donations to take up this project. Yet another mataji, in her offering to Srila Prabhupada, said that it is not enough to have a ticket in hand to enter Vrndavan, but guru's and the Divine Couple's mercy are essential and the only qualification one could have. Indradyumna Maharaj glorified his god brothers for their attachment to Srila Prabhupada's instructions and for executing his orders so wonderfully. He specifically mentioned the contributions of Radhanatha Maharaj, who has attracted hundreds of people to Krsna Consciousness through his joyful and melodious kirtans and deeply philosophical yet practical lectures. Lokanath Maharaj, he said, was fulfilling the prediction of Lord Caitanya that the holy names would be chanted in every village and town so much so that Srila Prabhupada must truly be proud of this worthy son. Next, he glorified Gopala Krsna Maharaj for doing everything in a grand scale - something that Srila Prabhupada always believed in. Finally, he described Deena Bandhu Prabhu as the perfect example of a traveling mendicant who constantly narrates the pastimes of Vraja with his heart and soul. When Srila Romapada Swami spoke, he delivered a moving report to Srila Prabhupada from 'Ground Zero', NYC, where he had just been before coming to Vrndavan. Srila Romapada Swami described how the events of Sept 11 tore the residents of NYC from their complacency, and placed them facing the facts of life: the frailty of false shelters, and the crying need to have genuine shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Srila Romapada Swami described in detail the efforts that were made to provide spiritual direction for the shocked NY city residents, and in particular he described a transforming kirtan experience which took place at Union Sq. Park in NY, just prior to his coming to India. Srila Romapada Swami praised Srila Prabhupada for providing us with Krsna's genuine shelter, and prayed to Srila Prabhupada that he kindly empower us to extend this same shelter others, especially at this time when persons are so open to receiving it, and genuinely needing shelter of a permanent nature. The festivities continued with a very sumptuous prasadam feast that was painstakingly prepared in honor of Srila Prabhupada. How can such a feast be complete without Kachoris and Gulab Jamuns! 20th November 2001: Once again all the devotees met at the entrance of Krsna Balarama mandir at 7:00 a.m. but the bus was late by almost an hour. Srila Romapada Swami was trying to make alternative arrangements to ensure we were on schedule. While we were waiting for the bus to arrive, we discovered a tea stall across from the temple gate. Some of us treated ourselves to a hot cup of ginger tea (one of the best!) to soothe our hoarse throats. I (Hema) was in a dilemma whether I should give company to my husband and my Godsister Prema-tarangini mataji as both of them were suffering the after effects of drinking water from Sanatana Goswami's well. As I was still preoccupied with this thought, Maharaj came by and asked about their well- being. He wanted to make sure they were receiving proper medication. His concerned gesture touched all our hearts! Finally, the bus arrived at 7:40am. We boarded the bus as quickly as we could and left for Mansarovar. We reached Mansarovar in time for breakfast prasadam. Iravati mataji had prepared such nice khitchri for Srila Romapada Swami that Dhanistha mataji and I were very keen on getting the recipe from her. During the entire 26

27 breakfast, we were only discussing about the kitchri. I was appreciating how the potency in Krsna's prasadam (even something as simple as kitchri) brought about nice association amongst us. Mansarovar- At Mansarovar there was a bus full of tourists and this surprised Deena Bandhu Prabhu as very few people visit this place. Fortunately, they left by the time we finished our breakfast prasadam. We sat in front of the sarovar with sun rising on the horizon. There was slight nip in the air but when Srila Romapada Swami and Deena Bandhu began speaking about the Man-lila, the atmosphere warmed up. Manlila Here, Deena Bandhu Prabhu narrated the following pastimes- Once, Shyamasundara was late and Radharani knew that He was with some other woman as His clothes were all messy. She became very angry and tears ofanger and sorrow (man) began to flow. It is said that this lake (Sarovar) was formed by those tears. Therefore, this lake is called Mansarovar. Another pastime is that once Lord Siva wanted to enter the Rasa lila dance. But, the gatekeepers turned him away as no male person is allowed to enter the rasa lila. So, he approached Vrndadevi who suggested that he take bath in Mansarovar. By doing so he not only got a gopi body but also a gopi mind. Thus, Lord Siva was allowed to enter the rasa lila festival. Srila Romapada Swami said that similar man pastimes are still going on even today. He then narrated another pastime about the coronation of Radharani as the queen of Vrndavan. This is a narration by Jiva Goswami. The scene opens with Radharani in a kunda with her gopi friends stringing flowers where She and Krsna would meet. Srila Romapada Swami explained how Radharani was stringing the flowers. When She held the flower close to her face to run the needle through, the flowers took Her golden color. As She pulled them down on the string, they took the red color of Her palms and finally regained their original color when She picked the next flower to string. Paurnamasi sends Nandimukhi to check the welfare of Radharani. Paurnamasi makes a prediction that very soon there will be a grand ceremony where Radharani will be crowned the Queen of Vrndavan and there will a meeting of Radharani and Krsna. Meanwhile Krsna is waiting for Radharani. In His anticipation of meeting Radharani, He mistook a gopi to be Radharani. He began to praise her, but the gopi, who actually was Candravali, realized that Krsna was praising Radharani. This angered her and she began to walk away without saying even a word. Although Krsna's heart was fully given to Radharani, yet He considered all the gopis as devotees who were surrendered to Him and felt He should pacify them. Padma scolded Krsna for offending Candravali. She asked that Candravali be crowned queen of Vrndavan. Krsna stood in disbelief. Padma told Krsna that a gopi whose name begins with Candra 27

28 should be crowned queen. Krsna understood that to be Candrakanti (or Radharani) as He was absorbed in Her thoughts and so He agreed. This news spread fast and Radharani was upset. She drops the garland She is making and runs home. Paurnamasi, Lalita, and Visakha go to console Radharani. They overhear Her talking to herself, "What's wrong with me? Krsna is so loving and kind and yet I show so much anger and say harsh words." Paurnamasi explains the real story and this brightens up Radharani and her friends. They start preparing for Her abhishek and coronation. Bandiravan Bhandiravan Bandhira-Vata means a banyan tree. Under this tree is a painting of Radha-Krsna wearing garlands. Once Nandababa was herding his cows and he brought Krsna with him. The sky became overcast with black clouds. Nandababa did not want to leave either Krsna or the cows unattended. Just then, he saw Radharani wandering about. He asked Her to take Krsna home. They walked hand in hand towards home. As they came under this Bandhira-Vata, they became teenagers (Kishore-Kishori) all of a sudden. All the sakhis and gandharvas manifested. At the same time, Lord Brahma was coming back from Pushkar after performing a yajna and saw all of this happening. He was given a benediction that he would be able to give Her away in marriage to Krsna. All the gopis were chanting the vivaha mantras (marriage hymns). After their marriage, they began to stroll in the forests and enjoyed many pastimes. Slowly they regained Their original forms and went back to Vrndavan before the rains started. Srila Romapada Swami talked about Caitanya Mahaprabhu's visit to Sri Rangam and His stay at Vyenkata Bhatta's place. During His stay, they would have many discussions. Caitanya Mahaprabhu posed one question, "Why did Lakshmi leave the side of Narayana and come to join the Rasa Dance with Krsna?" Vyenkata Bhatta answered, "It was not because She lacked chastity; Krsna and Vishnu are non-different." Caitanya Mahaprabhu posed a second question, "Why was she not allowed to participate in the Dance even after She performed so many austerities?" Vyenkata Bhatta could not reply and asked Caitanya Mahaprabhu to answer. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Entrance into the confidential pastimes is only due to the mercy of Vraja residents. She had Her pride due to Her confidential service." It is said that even today Lakshmi is performing penances on earth so She can enter the rasa dance one day. One of the devotee families who was taking part in the parikrama but traveling in car reached Bandiravan before us. They made inquiries from the locals about our group. When they came to know that Deena Bandhu Prabhu was coming, they made arrangements for prasadam for him and his group. They had not anticipated Deena Bandhu Prabhu to be accompanied by 40 devotees! They immediately went back to their kitchens and made fresh prasadam, which was ready by the time we finished hearing the nectarean pastimes at Bandiravan. This is the Vaisnava way of welcoming guests! 21st November 2001: 28

29 We went to Mathura-the original birthplace of Krsna, which is about 45 minutes drive from the Krsna Balarama Mandir. Original birthplace of Krsna : This is situated in north of Potra kunda (where Devaki used to bathe after each child was killed by Kamsa). Our acaryas and vraja vasis claim that this is the original birthplace of Krsna and not where the prison is currently located in the Janmasthan Mandir. Here there are deities of Vasudev, Devaki and Baby Krsna. Janmasthan Mandir : Radha Kesav Dev are the main deities in this temple. During His travels and stay in Vrndavan Lord Caitanya also saw Them. The deities, which are currently worshipped, are not the original deities. There is a strict security vigil in this temple complex. The Government of India has posted a notice that no electronic items are allowed within the temple premises. Most of us were surprised to face a heavily armed police patrol at the entrance. Entry into this temple is through metal detectors. Some of the Indian devotees explained the reasons behind this security. The history of India indicates that the Moghul emperors had plundered many temples in India and had constructed mosques there. Rama janma bhoomi (place of Lord Rama's appearance) and Krsna janma bhoomi (place of Lord Krsna's appearance) are two such places where huge mosques stand adjacent to these temples. Some Hindu fundamentalists tore down the mosque in Ayodhya in 1993, which led to serious political and social consequences and unrest. The security around this temple is to ensure no such situation arises here. The temple façade is inscribed with a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, which describes that the only path for self-realization in Kali Yuga is through sankirtana. As Deena Bandhu Prabhu was reading the verse and a lucid translation aloud, Srila Romapada Swami exclaimed, "That's Prabhupada!" We were awestruck how Srila Romapada Swami immediately recognized Srila Prabhupada's transcendental words and appeared pleased to see them on the façade for every visitor to read and meditate upon. Madhuvan: In this forest, many honey-like sweet pastimes took place. In Satya Yuga, Dhruv Maharaj performed austerities here. In Dvapara Yuga, Krsna and Balarama used to come here and the trees would ooze honey in Their presence. In Treta Yuga, Shatrughna came here and in Kali Yuga, Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here. Dhauji s temple: 29

30 This is the very very sweet deity of Balarama. His left hand holds His Varuni pot and His eyes look very intoxicated. Dhauji is black in color because He wanted to be in the mood of Krsna. Here HG Deena Bandhu Prabhu engaged all of us in singing an ecstatic local Vrajavasi song about Dhauji. Shatrughna temple: HG Deena Bandhu Prabhu narrated the following pastime: One of Lord Brahma's sons was Vashistha muni who was the kingly priest of Surya Vamsa. After sometime, he realized that this was not such a nice service. So, he went back to Lord Brahma to request some other service. Brahma said, "There is no one else to do this service and besides if you do this service, one day the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear as Lord Ramachandra and you will be his purohit". Seeing Vashishta muni's obedience, Lord Brahma asked him to request for any benediction. Because Brahma could understand the heart of Vashishta muni, he switched Dvapara Yuga with Treta Yuga so that Lord Rama could appear early. There are many connections between Madhuvan with both Rama Lila and Krsna Lila. Then Srila Romapada Swami narrated the following pastime: This pastime takes place after Rama defeats Ravana and He returns to Ayodhya. Lord Rama wanted to be accessible to all the citizens of the country. There was one demon named Lavanasura who was a fierce and terrible personality with a huge body who could devour many bodies at a time. He would destroy many sacrifices of sages and terrify them in many ways. Many kings were defeated and all kings were afraid. Therefore, one day the sages headed by Chavana muni (descendents of Bhrgu muni) came all the way from 30

31 Madhuvan to Lord Rama with a plea to protect them. Lavana is the son of king of asuras named Madhu. Madhu was actually very kind and compassionate to brahmanas, very exalted, made personal friendships with devas and therefore asuras and suras were at peace. He was so pleasing to demigods that on one occasion, Lord Siva personally came, gave darshan, and gave him an expansion of his own trident for self-protection. Madhu built a palace and named the place as Madhupuri (now Mathura). Madhu had a son named Lavana who had the opposite qualities of his father. Lavana was so evil that even as a child he would beat play mates, kill them, and eat them. Madhu handed everything over to his son including his trident and drowned himself in the ocean because of shame. The sages further described Lavana. There was a king named Mandatta who was a descendent in the dynasty of Iksvaku. Mandatta had dominated the whole planet and he became so proud that he wanted to rule heaven also. So he challenged Indra-either to turn over the kingdom to him or fight with him in battle. Indra said, "If you defeat all personalities on earth, then I will give you my kingdom." Lavanasura defeated Mandatta's army with the trident. Hearing all this, Lord Rama promised He would protect the sages and the kingdom of Madhupuri. Bharat volunteered to fight against Lavanasura. Shatrughna said, "Bharat always did so much for Rama. Therefore let me fight with Lavanasura." Then all brothers agreed that Shatrughna could go. Shatrughna then apologized for violating the etiquette of speaking against the wish of his elder brother Bharat. Rama then gave Shatrughna a deity of Varaha, which manifested from Lord Kapila's mind. When Lord Rama defeated Ravana, this deity was taken to Ayodhya. Shatrughna was then coronated as the king of Madhupuri. Shatrughna then left with a huge army to fight with Lavanasura. Rama warned Shatrughna to find a way to fight with Lavana without his holding the invincible trident. Shatrughna stood before the gate where Lavana resided and positioned himself alone. As Lavana returned home after hunting animals for eating each day, Shatrughna challenged him to fight. Lavana was very happy to accept the challenge because it was his dessert time. Lavana uprooted many trees and threw them on Shatrughna, and a big battle ensued. Later Shatrughna removed the special arrow (used for killing Madhu and Kaitava, given as a gift by Lord Visnu) that Rama gave him. As Shatrughna strung his bow the whole universe started to tremble. He struck Lavana right in the heart taking out his life air. Shatrughna then ruled Madhupuri for the duration Rama's Lila. Lord Nityananda also came here before Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited. The deity of Lord Varaha is still in Mathura in an alley across Dwarakadesha Mandhir. Dhruv Tila: Temple of Dhruv and Narayana Here HG Deena Bandhu prabhu narrated the following pastime: 31

32 In the very beginning of Satya Yuga there was a king named Uttanapada who had two wives named Sunithi and Suruci. The younger wife Suruci was more pretty and therefore the king was more attached. One day, Dhruva, the son of the older wife Sunithi was trying to climb the lap of Uttanapada. Suruci objected to this. Dhruva started crying and went to his mother. Sunithi said, "Only the Lord can help you." Dhruva asked, "Where is this Lord?" Sunithi replied, "I don't know but maybe in the forest because all the sages meditate there." Therefore, Dhruva went to forest to obtain from the Lord a kingdom greater than his great-grandfather, Lord Brahma. Dhruva was used to many comforts, so everybody in the palace tried to convince him to stay back. As he was going out the palace he was also stopped by Narada Muni but Dhruva simply said, "If can't tell me how to find the Lord then please keep quiet." Finally, Narada Muni suggested Dhruva to go to Madhuvan. Though Dhruva was only 5 years old at that time, he performed many austerities. In the first month, he was taking only berries and wild leaves. Then he took only water every three days. After one month, he thought this is too much sense gratification and therefore he took only air every six days. Then he stopped breathing and stood on one leg. By performance of these austerities, he was becoming more and more realized. When he stopped breathing, the whole universe stopped breathing and therefore everyone went to Lord Brahma for help. Then, Visnu appeared before Dhruva and He touched him with His conchshell. Initially, Dhruva was speechless but later he offered many prayers and said that he was fully satisfied and he did not want anything. Visnu said that he must ask for something. Dhruva in response said, "I came for broken pieces of glass, but I found a rare jewel and I am completely satisfied." Dhruva then went back to the palace as a pure devotee. Suruci realized her mistake and welcomed him back. Even though Dhruva said that he was fully satisfied, because Visnu was so kind, He gave Dhruva a Vaikuntha planet to preside over. Dhruv Tila was a place where he performed the penances. Srila Romapada Swami then described the two qualifications needed to obtain pure devotion, which are very rare. Two qualifications that are required to obtain devotion are great determination and unique humility. (Narada describes this to Gopa Kumar in Brhat Bhagavatamrtam). Initially Dhruva was exhibiting great determination and not humility. The Lord tested Dhruva to see if he wants to accept an alternative. When Krsna hears sincere prayers, He wants to test our sincerity. One of the ways that Krsna tests our sincerity is by offering an alternative other than Krsna. This is what Narada offered to Dhruva when he said, "Go back to the palace. You are only a little boy." Narada after seeing the determination of Dhruva, gave him the mantra - 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya' and asked to him to go to Madhuvan. Because of the faith of Dhruva in his spiritual master, the Lord was attracted. Prema must accompany humility regardless of one's capability; one must feel dependent on the Mercy of the Lord. Abject humility was what finally qualified Dhruva. In Nectar of Devotion, there are five items important for devotional service. Rupa Goswami describes that even a little attachment to one of them can bring one to spontaneous attachment to the Lord. Srila Romapada Swami then said three things: "Impressions of this visit must enter our heart. Pastimes of the Lord must enter deep into our heart. Offer prayers to all these personalities." Talavan: This place is real Vraja dham! As soon as one says "Radhe Shyam" the residents bring prasadam and welcome the Vaisnavas. As we were walking, Deena Bandhu Prabhu held out his chadar begging for prasadam. This practice of begging prasadam and eating only what one gets is called Madhukari. The Vrajavasis came out from their homes and dropped all their food in the chadar. They are so giving! They have so little, but they are so eager to share their meager possessions with other Vaisnavas. We realized that they were completely happy and content in their simple way of life, unlike many of us who think that increasing material conveniences would some how assist us in our Krsna Consciousness. 32

33 Currently, only two large Tal trees are left in Talavan. Tal fruits come in rainy season and are like mangoes - with stringy pulp on the inside. Deena Bandhu Prabhu showing off the chapattis he got by madhukari Talavan has very narrow streets and therefore the bus could not drop us right till the temple. So we all started walking towards the temple while doing kirtan. Then, all of a sudden, the kirtan stopped and utter chaos broke out. The prabhus in the front were screaming and asking the matajis to move. No one knew what was happening but soon the matajis saw a huge buffalo charging towards them. Most of us moved away but poor Krsna Lila mataji fell into the gutter, Sanjay Prabhu ran frantically to get out of the way but fell on Krsna Shakti mataji and the buffalo finally hit Hema mataji. While we were all so excited, Srila Romapada Swami very gracefully moved to the side and was watching all the fun very calmly with his beautiful smile (You all know the smile we are talking about!). Later, he was concerned about everyone's welfare and inquired in detail about our well-being. Deities of Krsna, Dhauji and Revati Dhauji is holding varuni pot and musal (not club. Musal is used to beat rice and get the husk out). Deena Bandhu Prabhu talked about the significance of Talavan- Krsna, Balarama, and Their cowherd boys were playing near Talavana (forest of Tal trees). Dhenukasura and his associates on behalf of King Kamsa guarded this forest. The boys wanted to feast on the Tal fruits, but 33

34 Dhenukasura and his associates came to attack them. Balarama held Dhenukasura's hind legs and swung him up in the air. This took the life air out of the demon. Dhenukasura was a demon in the line of Bali Maharaja. In his previous life, his name was Sahasik. He and an apsara, Trilottama had disturbed Durvasa Muni's meditation because of their activities. Durvasa Muni considered this behavior similar to that of an ass and cursed Sahasik to become one. Krsna had given His word to Bali Maharaj that He would not kill any of His descendants. So, Dhenukasura met his end at Balarama's hands. Srila Romapada Swami explained the philosophical purport as follows: Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that each demon killed in Krsna's pastimes represents an obstacle that we face in our devotional service. Krsna helps us by removing these obstacles. Balarama personally dismissed the two demons, Dhenukasura and Pralambhasura. These two signify certain obstacles in the path of bhakti and it requires special efforts on the part of the bhaktas to overcome these obstacles. Srila Romapada Swami quoted Srila Prabhupada who often mentioned that we are very similar to the ass Dhenukasura. We work very hard during the daytime and in the evening we come home to enjoy the female company only to be kicked on the face. This is the way of maya. So Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur describes that Dhenukasura represent the burden we carry due to our fruitive mentality. The 'I-will-accomplish-my-goals' mentality has been pounded into our heads. The notion that enjoyment is the fruit of our very intense endeavor has been deeply ingrained in our consciousness. How can we progress in our spiritual consciousness if we carry this burden all the time? This mentality must be destroyed. We may experience some moment of relief while doing kirtana or Govardhana parikrama. Both Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati said that we should be conscious of this tendency and throw that tendency far away because it comes back very quickly. When we very diligently and faithfully make such efforts, Lord Balarama, the original spiritual master, crowns such efforts with success. Through the instructions we receive, we gain strength and empowerment that allow us to throw this load-bearing demon Dhenukasura far away leaving us with our original Krsna Consciousness. 22 nd November 2001: Although we had completed Govardhana parikrama, we returned on this day to Radha Kunda for a detailed parikrama of the holy places there. There are many temples all around Radha Kunda where the deities are pratibhu deities, or expansions of the deities within the temples in Vrndavan. Sri Gopala Manipura Mandir: 34

35 This beautiful sandstone temple is managed by ISKCON, Manipur branch. There is a nice story concerning the deity of Lord Gopal. This deity was originally worshipped in the house of a brahmana, which was located behind Govardhana hill. About 100 years ago the king of Manipur, Maharaj Churachand had a dream in which the deity of Gopal appeared and told the king that He was feeling very cold, as He is only a little baby. He ordered the king to build a temple in front of Radha Kunda in such a place that He could gaze at Radha Kunda as well as get sunshine. So, the king built a nice temple for Lord Gopal located in the exact spot where the first rays of the rising sun appear at Radha Kunda. Srila Romapada Swami then spoke about the glories of Radha Kunda: Amongst all the sacred places, the most sacred is Mathura Mandala. In Mathura Mandala, twelve forests are most sacred, and within the forests of Vrndavan, Govardhana is the most sacred. Within Govardhana, the most sacred place is Radha Kunda. Why is Radha Kunda so sacred? Radha Kunda is non different from Radharani who is the dearmost to Krsna. Many many conjugal lilas took place here. After the cowherd boys had lunch, Krsna would come here and have very confidential pastimes with Radharani and Gopis. There is a very wonderful story of the formation of Radha Kunda. After Krsna killed Aristasura demon, He had lunch and then broke away from cowherd boys to meet the Gopis. That day the Radha protested because Krsna killed a bull, which they considered to be a sinful act. Radha said that Krsna has to atone for His sin of killing a bull by bathing in all of the sacred rivers in the entire universe, before she would allow Krsna to come near her. Krsna then stomped with the heel of his left foot and made a big depression in the earth. Then He summonsed all the personified sacred rivers to fill the hole. Then Krsna took a bath in this Kunda, which is today known as Shyama Kunda. Then, Krsna said to Radharani, "I have fulfilled your desires but actually what you said is not true because it is not a sin to kill a demon. Therefore you must also atone for false accusing me of such a wrongdoing." Quickly all the Gopis broke their bangles and used the broken bangles to dig Radha's Kunda. Krsna then said, "We can dig a canal between Shyama Kunda and Your Kunda to fill it, because it will be difficult for You to fill it any other way." Radharani and Gopis immediately opposed Krsna's idea as they considered Shyama Kunda to be contaminated by Krsna's having deposited his sins there. Then, all the sacred rivers pleaded Radharani to allow them to fill the Kunda. Radharani and Gopis took bath in her Kunda, which is now called as Radha Kunda. 35

36 Why is Radha Kunda so special? Because the incomparable love of Radharani is deposited in Radha Kunda. In other words, Radha Kunda is the liquid form of Radharani's love for Krsna, which is the most elevated and exalted thing in the whole creation. Many personalities came here, and made it their residence and entered deeply into the mood of love between Radha and Krsna. The lake that we see today was dug by Raghunath Das Goswami. He put stones all around and made it deeper. Sri Sri Radha Kanta Mandir: This temple is situated opposite to Gopal Manipur Mandir. Besides the pratibhu deities of Radha Kanta there is pushpa samadi and murti of Vakresvara Pandit who was a close associate of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Vakresvara Pandit is Tungavidya Sakhi in Krsna's pastimes. This temple is situated at the very spot next to Radha Kunda where Tungavidya's Kunja in the Aprakata Lila. Vakresvara Pandit is well known for ecstatic dancing and singing - once he danced for 72 hours at a stretch! Sri Sri Radha Kanta along with Lalita Sakhi (left) and Lord Caitanya (extreme left) Radha Shyamsunder, Jagannath, and Govardhana Sila established by Shyamananda Pandit: 36

37 B.V. Madhava Maharaj narrated the following pastime: Shyamananda Pandit was a disciple of Hrdaya Caitanya in Bengal. Shyamananda Pandit came to Vrndavan and took instructions from Jiva Goswami. He used to do service of sweeping Nidivan. One day while cleaning the kunja at Nidhivan, he found a broken bangle. By touching it, he became transcendentally affected. In the meantime, Radharani realized that one of Her bangles was missing. Lalita Sakhi was sent by Radharani to find the bangle. Lalita came to this kunja and asked Shyamananda Pandit who was known as Dukhi Krsna das at that time, if he saw the bangle. Dukhi Krsna das was completely stunned with the wonder of her voice and beauty. Dukhi Krsna das then said, " I found something. Are you the owner?" Lalita said, " No, I am the friend of the owner." Dukhi Krsna das said, " Bring the owner." Lalitha informed Radharani and Dukhi Krsna das came to know of the owner. He then gave the bangle to Lalita Sakhi. Lalita Sakhi said, "The owner wants to give you something." Lalita then took Dukhi Krsna das and dunked him in a Kunda after which he became a gopi. Meanwhile Radharani took the bangle and turned it into the shape of 'U', took some red lac from Her foot and put it on the forehead of this gopi. Radharani said, "From today your name is not Dukhi Krsna das, it is Shyamnanda." Radharani also had given him some betel nut that She was chewing which was in his mouth. After that his name became Shyamananda Pandit and this news came to Hrdaya Caitanya who became anxious that Dukhi Krsna das's name changed. He called some brahmanas to investigate. Dukhi Krsna das fell at the feet of Hrdaya Caitanya who tried to remove the tilak but it would not come out. That day Hrdaya Caitanya had a dream where Radharani said, "I gave him the name and tilak." Next day Hrdaya Caitanya embraced Shyamananda Pandit and felt very fortunate to have such a disciple. 37

38 Shyamananda finds a bangle Shyamanada gets Tilak Srila Romapada Swami then spoke- Dukhi Krsna das got his name because he was always sad from his childhood. Dukhi means sad. One day he was by the bank of Ganga and was crying and crying and crying because of feeling great separation from Krsna. His given name was Krsna das, and people started calling him Dukhi Krsna das from that day onwards. What attracted Radharani to appear personally before Shyamananda Pandit? Jiva Goswami gave him the menial service of cleaning the kunja. Shyamananda Pandit was from a prominent family, yet because of his taking a humble position, he attracted the personal attention of Srimate Radharani, who appeared before him. Sitting place of Srinivasa Acaraya: During the time when Jiva Goswami was in Vrndavan, he had three main students - Narottama Das Thakura, Shyamananda Pandit, and Srinivasa Acaraya. These three became primary prominent acarayas in succession immediately after the six Goswamis. They were initiated by the different spiritual masters but they all accepted Jiva Goswami as their Siksa guru. The first traveling Sankirtana Party was inaugurated by these 3 acaryas. Srinivasa Acarya was particularly known for his composition of vaisnava songs. He sat by Radha Kunda and performed his bhajana. Radha Gopinath mandir- One day when Paramananda Acarya was transplanting a vamsi lata tree from one position to the other, he found the Radha Gopinath deity. This temple was built with grand architecture. On the altar are, Radha Gopinath along with Ananga manjari on left. Deity of Radha Gopinath presides over Prayojana Jnana. Ma Jahnava worshipped Radha Gopinath when she came to Vrndavan. In Vrndavan Lila Ma Jahnava is Ananga Manjari, the sister of Radharani. Ma Jahnava was once pulled in by the Gopinath deity after the evening Gaura arathi and she disappeared behind the curtain. The deity to the right of Radha Gopinath became accepted as Ananga Manjari. We went back to Sri Gopala Manipura Mandir's terrace to eat breakfast. We paid our obeisances to H. H. Mahanidhi Maharaj who was observing austerities during the month of Kartika. As we sat down to have our breakfast, an eager group of monkeys wanted to join us. While the prasadam was being served, our able watch guards (Bhayahari Prabhu, Saci Kumar Prabhu, and Saibya Mataji) threatened the monkeys with sticks. They had to keep constant watch to ensure the monkeys do not sneak in and steal the food. Ma Jahnava Baitak - This was the sitting place of Ma Jahnava, the consort of Lord Nityananda, who visited Radha Kunda in 1582, spending 4 days here in her tour of Vrndavan. At that time, Raghunataha Dasa Goswami was in a very pitiable condition due to intense feelings of separation from Radha and Krsna. Srila Jiva Goswami requested Ma Jahnava to got to Radha Kunda and give her darsana to Raghunatha das Goswami, as this would inspire him to go on living. 38

39 Ma Jahnava Baitak seen from across Radha Kunda Ma Jahnava s sitting place Teen Goswami samadhi: 3 Goswami s entered samadhi on the same day during their stay at Radha Kunda but in different years. Raghunath Bhatta Goswami, Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami and Raghunath Das Goswami. Raghunath Bhatta Goswami- He was known for recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam. He was very attached to SB and was a great relisher of it. He would sing every verse in 3 different melodies. He could go on explaining these verses for days together. He came to Vrndavan after associating with Tapan Misra who was a devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Here he was accepted as one of the 6 Goswamis. Raghunath dasa Goswami- He is known for his renunciation. His renunciation of accepting prasadam intensified in stages. Srila Prabhupada said that his body was very skinny and he was trembling but he had the strength of a fully strong person based on his spiritual strength. It is not possible to imitate his renunciation but we can take inspiration from his spirit that the capacity of renunciation is found in his deep attachment to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Romapada Swami then requested all of us to pray with great humility that these 3 vaisnavas' treasure of love for Krsna and deep attachment for Caitanya Mahaprabhu can somehow enter our heart also. Let the 39

40 service that each of us has be decorated in some way so that it can used for glorification of Radha, Krsna, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami's Bhajana Kutir: This is where he wrote Caitanya Caritamrta. He was over 90 years old when he wrote Caitanya Caritamrta. He wrote based on Raghunath das Goswami's and Murari Gupta's diary. Krsnadas Kaviraj Goswami writing Caitanya Caritamrta Raghunath Das Goswami s bhajana kutir: Raghunath Das Goswami spent 48 years on the banks of Radha Kunda performing his bhajana and worshipping Govardhan Hill. He chanted on his beads 64 rounds everyday, offered 1000 obeisances to Lord Krsna and 2000 obeisances to Vaisnavas. He also bathed at least 3 times a day in the sacred waters of Radha Kunda. Once when Raghunath Das Goswami was sitting on the banks of Shyama Kunda performing his bhajana, 2 tigers came but he did not notice them. Lord Krsna suddenly appeared there and stood at some distance just to make sure that no harm came to Raghunath. Sanantana Goswami saw this and later admonished Raghunath Das 40

41 Goswami for his negligence and asked, what kind of bhajana he was doing that the Supreme Lord has to come and protect him from wild animals. Another day he was sitting in the sunshine on the banks of Radha Kunda lamenting in separation from Radharani. The sun later became unbearably hot and Radharani, who could not bear the scene, personally came there and held Her sari in such a way as to give him shade. Bearing the full force of sun, Radharani also started perspiring profusely. It so happened that Sanatana Goswami once again witnessed this and admonished Raghunath again for taking service from Radharani. Raghunath Das Goswami then started crying like a child while madly rolling back and forth on the ground. Sanatana Goswami suggested that Raghunath build a kutir and perform his bhajana inside. (The painting above depicts these two pastimes.) Viswanath Cakravarti Thakura s bhajana kutir: It is situated right next to bhajana kutir of Raghunath Das Goswami. Viswanath Cakravarti Thakur came to Radha Kunda 75 yrs after disappearance of Raghunath das Goswami. He wrote over 40 important books. Just near to Viswanath Cakravarti Thakura's bhajana kutir at Manasa Pavana ghat, one can see a pilu bush, which is a green-leafed creeper. Visvanath Chakravarti disclosed that he had regular conversations with that soul, who was a brahmana residing at Varanasi in the former life. Because of his intense desire to serve Radha and Krsna, he was blessed to take birth as this pilu bush on the banks of Shyama Kunda. This was revealed to Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur who then used to discuss Radha Krsna Lila with this brahmana devotee in the form of this pilu bush. It is also said that when Krsna planted His pearl garden near the Yamuna, it was pilu bushes that grew and provided Krsna with so many wonderful pearls. Panca Pandava Ghat: Tree believed to be Arjuna 41 Dead tree trunk believed to be Bhima

42 Formerly, standing here on the banks of Shyama Kunda were five trees inhabited by the five Pandavas who had taken the bodies of trees in order to meditate here. Currently there is only one tree, which is alive and believed by local sadhus to be Pandava Arjuna. Locals say that this tree does not change and always appears the same. Another tree believed to have been the Pandava Bhima stands in front of the bhajana kutir of Viswanath Cakrvarti. This tree died about 10 years ago and now only the trunk remains. Tongue of Govardan Hill (Jihbya Mandir): Jihbya in Bengali means tongue and in this small temple can be seen the tongue of Govardhana. After Raghunath Das Goswami had excavated Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda (considered eyes of Govardhana Hill) he decided to dig a separate well so that local residents would not have to use the sacred waters of Radha Kunda for washing or cleaning. During the course of digging the workers struck a rock, which immediately started to bleed profusely. The workers informed Raghunath Das Goswami who asked them to stop work, as some offense may have been committed. That night Raghunath Das Goswami had a dream in which Govardhana appeared and informed him that the rock that started to bleed was the Lord's own tongue. Lord Govardhana then asked Raghunath Das Goswami to remove the rock of Govardhana from the well and worship it daily with the Tulasi leaves and water from Radha Kunda. One who circumambulates this tongue of Govardhana 7 times receives the same benefit as circumambulating the whole of Govardhana Hill. Radha Govinda Temple: These are the Pratibhu deities of Sri Sri Radha Govinda. Rupa Goswami established the original deity of Govinda in Vrndavan. This is one of the oldest and most popular temples in Radha Kunda. Bhakti Vinod Thakura Bhajana Kutir: 42

43 Pushpa samadhis of Bhaktivinod Thakur and Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur This is the bhajana kutir of Bhakti Vinod Thakura and Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura. Situated in this kutira is also the pushpa samadhi of both of them. In another room can be seen the bed, wooden shoes and walking stick used by Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati. Lalita Kunda: It is said that each of the Ashta Sakhis have their Kundas situated around Radha Kunda but normally only Lalita Kunda is visible. Lalita is the foremost of the Ashta Sakhis because of her proximity to Radharani. She is known for her contradictory nature, pride, hot temper, as well as her unswerving love for Radha and Krsna. Before approaching Radharani one must seek the blessings of Lalita Devi for it is she, if pleased, who allows us access to Radharani. Bhajana Kutir of Jiva Goswami: 43

44 This is opposite to Lalita Kunda where Jiva Goswami stayed and performed his bhajana while living at Radha Kunda. Under the expert guidance of Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, he compiled 400,000 sanskrit verses delineating the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is known as India's greatest philosopher of all times. He systematized the distribution of books of Goswamis. There is a small shrine of Radha Damodara in the bhajana Kutir. Malaya Hari Kunda: A very wonderful pastime took place on the banks of this beautiful lake, which was narrated by B.V.Madhava Maharaj. Once on the occasion of Diwali Radharani and Gopis came and sat here and began to string pearl necklaces for decorating their cows. On hearing about this, Krsna also came there and asked the Gopis for a few pearls in order to decorate His favorite cows, Harina and Hasini. The Gopis ignored Krsna though Krsna asked repeatedly. Finally, Lalita told Krsna that she could find only one broken pearl and this was the perfect pearl to decorate His cows. Krsna then told Lalita that He would grow His own pearls. Krsna asked mother Yasoda to give Him some pearls so He could plant them in a garden. Mother Yasoda laughed at Krsna request and informed Him that pearls don't grow on trees but come from oysters in the sea. Krsna continued to demand and finally He got some pearls and planted them near the bank of the river Yamuna. Krsna then sent His friend Madhu Mangala to beg some milk from the Gopis for watering the pearl garden but the Gopis just laughed. Then Krsna got some milk from Yasoda and watered His pearl garden. Within a few days, small green shoots began to appear and when Krsna told the Gopis about it, they simply laughed at Him, saying that they were only shoots of thorn bushes. After a few more days, the shoots became creepers covered with beautiful multi-colored pearls that emitted sweet aroma throughout the land of Vrndavan. Krsna then teased the Gopis saying that His pearls are much bigger and brighter. The Gopis then wanted some of Krsna's beautiful pearls but Krsna refused. The Gopis then decided to grow their own garden. They collected all the pearls from their houses and the ones decorating their bodies and planted them all in a garden. They watered the pearl garden with milk, ghee, and butter three times a day thinking that they would grow much better pearls than Krsna. Unfortunately, no pearls grew and only thorn bushes appeared. Krsna and His cowherd boyfriends laughed at the Gopis and to tease the Gopis began to decorate all the cows and buffalos, goats, sheep and even monkeys with pearl necklaces. Because the Gopis could not produce any pearls in their garden, they became full of anxiety thinking that the elders would punish them for taking all the pearls. The Gopis then sent Candramukhi and Kanchanalata with large quantity of gold to purchase pearls from Krsna. However, Krsna refused and informed them that each Gopi should come individually to barter for the pearls. 44

45 All the Gopis decided to go to Krsna except Radharani who hid nearby. Krsna gave only the smallest pearl to Visakha for Radharani and told her that if she did not pay immediately, she would be arrested and locked up. Krsna's friend Subala, who was acting as mediator, requested Krsna to give a fair price for the pearls, and opening the box showed all the beautiful pearls to the gopis. The gopis then started to haggle with Krsna over the price of the pearls and not being able to reach any agreement, left with Radharani for Radha Kunda. Then in great ecstasy, Krsna began to string all the pearls into beautiful necklaces with His own hands. He then selected the most exquisite of all the necklaces and placed it into a golden box. On the top of the box, He engraved the name of Radharani. Krsna prepared similar boxes for all the gopis and sent them as gifts. Radharani was overjoyed to receive the fabulous gift of pearls and immediately sent Krsna some delicious preparations of foodstuffs that She had personally cooked, along with betel nuts and scented garlands. The gopis then returned to their homes in great happiness wearing the wonderful necklaces of exquisite pearls. All the elders were greatly surprised to see them return home adorned with so many fabulous and costly pearls. 23 rd November 2001: This was the day that Srila Romapada Swami performed initiations at Vrndavan and many of the initiation candidates were very nervous that morning and seeking support from the initiated devotees. For the rest of the devotees it was just like any other day. That day Pundarik Prabhu accompanied us and guided us through the Varsana parikrama, as Deena Bandhu Prabhu was busy with meetings. Sanket: Pundarik Prabhu explained that Sanket is a small village between Nandagram and Varsana. Radha and Krsna used to make their plans for the day every morning at Sanket. Yoga Maya headed this meeting. The female child of Mother Devaki was Yoga Maya but when she was presented to Kamsa, she became Maha Maya. If one approaches this created region as an aspect of material enjoyment, we will be seeing Maha Maya. If we approach with Krsna Consciousness, we see the feature of Yoga Maya, which helps us to understand the potency of Krsna. Yoga Maya potency not only allows entrance into understanding of Krsna but also gives entrance into pastimes of Krsna. Sanket is the abode of Yoga Maya potency. It was also a favorite place for great acaryas to engage in bhajana by meditating on this potency of Krsna. Prema Sarovar: Pastime at Prema Sarovar- One time when Radha and Krsna were together, a small madhu (bumble bee) came and started buzzing around Radharani's Lotus Feet. Radharani requested Krsna to remove the bee. Krsna instructed Madhumangal to take care of the bee. Madhumangal then said, "Madhu is now gone and will never return again." Since one of Krsna's names is Madhusudana, Radharani thought that Krsna left and She lost Her consciousness. Her emotion was so strong that She could not even realize that Krsna was by Her side and She 45

46 shed many tears. Krsna also began crying upon seeing Radharani's mood. Their tears of love for one another created this lake called Prema Sarovar. This type of love is Prema Vicitya (one of the moods of Vipralambha- separation). This mood was predominantly seen in Dwaraka pastimes. Feelings of separation are very much recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu for developing love for Krsna. Pilli Pookur: Srila Romapada Swami described a wonderful pastime that happened at Pilli Pookur, a place very near to Varsana. Durvasa Muni gave a benediction to Radharani that She would have unequaled cooking abilities, whatever She cooks would taste like ambrosia, and whoever ate Her cooking would be strong and healthy and never succumb to diseases. Since Mother Yasoda had only one focus in life, that is, to see the happiness of Krsna, she requested Kirtida that her daughter should come and cook for Krsna. Radharani would come daily to cook for Krsna. Though Radha and Krsna were very young, mother Yasoda began meditating on how wonderful it would be to get Radharani married to Krsna. Envisioning Radharani as her daughter-in-law, she painted turmeric paste on Her hands according to the custom. On her return to Varsana, Radharani washed Her hands in this Kunda so her parents would not know what had transpired. This is why the Kunda is said to be yellow. Some residents of Varsana saw this and reported to Vrsabhanu and Kirtida who were very delighted with the news and to show their acceptance they made a very elaborate offering of precious jewels to Yasoda and Nanda Maharaj. Yosada and Nanda Maharaj understood the acceptance but they were feeling unable to reciprocate with the gifts. Krsna overheard this discussion and then took all the precious jewels and planted them in the fields. When Nanda Maharaj and Yasoda saw that there were no jewels, they became doubly anxious. When anything was missing in Nandagram people knew who the thief was-krsna! So, Nanda Maharaj asked Krsna if He took the jewels. Krsna smiled and said that He planted them. Nanda Maharaj then went with Krsna to where the jewels planted. Little plants were there which started growing fast with different jewels. Nanda Maharaj was very astonished but happy that they could now reciprocate with Vrsabhanu and Kirtida. One more requirement for marriage was to get the blessing of Paurnamasi. She silently became alarmed, because if They were married the parakiya rasa would be destroyed. Therefore she told Nanda Maharaj that the horoscopes did not match. Therefore, she advised that the marriage should be called off at least for now. Sankari kor- Lord Brahma the first created being in the Universe prayed to Lord Krsna that he could assist Him during His Lila within the material world. Krsna instructed him to take the form of a hill in Vraja. This hill is in Varsana and has four peaks representing Brahma's four heads. The four peaks are Vilas Ghar, Man Ghar, Dhaan Ghar and Bhanu Ghar. Sankari kor is the narrow passageway that marks the division between Vilas Ghar and Bhanu Ghar. Narrow passage way 46

47 Some locals wanted us to pay tax to pass through this narrow passage way. They said we must pay our way through to enter Radharani's town, Varsana. Surrounding the hill with four peaks are the towns of Varsana and Citra. Along the path between the two villages is a very narrow passage way. Radharani and gopis use to travel through this area carrying pots of yogurt and milk but Krsna along with His cowherd friends would stop the gopis and tax them before allowing them to pass. Krsna would sometimes break Radharani's milk pots when She refused to pay the tax. The stones here still bear the marks of the broken pots! There are many pastimes of extracting taxes from Radharani, which are called Dana-Keli-Lila. Priya Kunda- There is a sitting place of Madhumangal here called Madhumangal asana. Pundarik Prabhu narrated a very wonderful pastime thet took place here. Krsna was naturally drawn here as Radharani was staying here. Cowherd boys bothered the gopis many times. So they thought of retaliating with them by guarding the homes. So one as the cowherd boys sneaked into a house, one gopi who sees them locks the door from outside. Krsna was very sharp and heard the door lock. Krsna immediately said quick, out the window. So all the cowherd boys started exiting from the window but Madhumangal who had a big belly got stuck in the window. The gopis then tied him up. Krsna arrives at the scene and says, What is this? You have tied up a Brahmana! You are making a very big offense. Krsna convinces the gopis to let Madhumangal go and asks them to repent for this serious offense. Gopis said, No, no! We are sorry, we were just playing like that. Krsna said the only way for them to satisfy Madhumangal is by feeding him 100,000 laddus. So the gopis sit him down at this asana and feed him. After Madhumangal was completely satisfied, he raised his right hand to give blessings to gopis. The gopis say, No we don t need anything. Madhumangal insisted that he has to do this, as it is the duty of a Brahmana to bless those who serve him. The gopis requested Madhumangal to give the blessing that all their activities would be pleasing to Krsna. Srila Romapada Swami then said that this is a very nice prayer for us also. He asked all of us to pray that all our activities also be pleasing to Krsna. Morkutir: Mor means peacock. We can see Morkutir from Priya Kunda. One time Radharani was looking at the beautiful peacocks dancing. Understanding the mind of Radha, Krsna took the form of a peacock and danced for Her. Radharani then said, "You dance well but the peacocks dance much better." Eventually Radharani also took the form of a peacock and They both danced together. One elderly blind brahmana lived up this hill and made it his Bhajana to meditate on this pastime for years and years. Radharani appeared within his mind and told him, "You may have my darshan performing this pastime, but you will have to paint this pastime for others to see." Though he was blind, he somehow gathered some minerals, shaped the brushes and painted. This painting is still up in the Mandir on top of Maan Ghar. Srila Romapada Swami then described some Manlila pastimes of Radharani: 47

48 A very important part of Krsna s pastimes with Radharani involves intensification of affection that Krsna has for Radharani. One of the ways for increasing Vipralambha bhava in Krsna is Radharani s flaming anger. In such situations, Krsna would take the position of a subordinate to His own devotee. When, Durvasa Muni came to Svetadvipa, he petitioned Lord Visnu to save him from the Sudarshan cakra. Lord Visnu said, I cannot save you because I am subordinate to the will of my devotee. Only if My devotee indicates that Sudarshan cakra should give you relief, then it is possible. This is an important dimension of exchanges of love between living entity and Supreme Lord. So, what to speak of pastimes between Radha and Krsna! In Madhav Mahotsav, the main theme is description of abhishekh and crowning of Radharani as queen of Vrndavan. To intensify the affection between Radha and Krsna, Radharani performs manlila. Pastime:One day Krsna was complementing Radharani for Her singing abilites. He told Her that it even defeated His ability to play the flute. Krsna then asks Radharani to give Him singing lessons. Radharani being very flatterd with Krsna s words agrees to give singing lessons. Krsna would deliberately sing everything wrong because He did not want the lessons with Radharani to get over. So, Radharani would correct Him and sing very sweetly. Krsna would again sing everything wrong. After this went on a few times, Radharani understood that Krsna was playing a prank and She became very angry, stormed away and performed manlila at the mandir in Maan Ghar. Another pastime: One day, Radharani was observing that while Krsna was enjoying with many gopis and Her that it was within Krsna s heart that actually He wanted to be alone with Her. So, She exhibited Her manlila (jealous, anger) and left the place. Naturally, Krsna persuaded Her and then they had their private lila. Pundarik prabhu the narrated yet another pastime: As Radha and Krsna were sitting together, Krsna was telling Radharani how beautiful She is. Radharani encouraged Krsna to describe Her beauty. Krsna compared Radharani s face to a full moon. Radharani got angry and said, You are comparing My face to the to full moon which has so many spots. She runs away in anger from there immediately. Then, Radharani comes back disguised as Krsna. Krsna asks Radharani, Who are you? Radharani says, I am Krsna. Krsna was already disturbed because Radharani was angry with Him and now somebody was impersonating Him. Radharani then said, If you are Krsna, where is Radharani? Krsna is always with Radharani. You must be an imposter. Krsna said, No, no. She is right here. I will call Her. So, Krsna started playing the flute to call Radharani but nothing happened as Radharani was already in front of Him. Radharani the challenged Krsna again and called Him an imposter. Then, Krsna played the flute so sweetly that Radharani became agitated. From this, Krsna understood that Radharani was standing in front of Him. Main temple of Varsana: Varsana 48 Srila Romapada Swami as a Gopi

49 Atop the first peak is the Ladli Lal Mandir also known as Shriji Mandir. The deity in this temple was installed by Vajranabha, Krsna's great-grandson. Krsna used to come dressed as a gopi here to meet Radharani. The Pujari put the veil on Srila Romapada Swami since he had come for Radharani's darshan. November 24 th 2001: Vrnda Kunda: One could easily tell this place is close to Deena Bandhu Prabhu's heart. He is personally involved in overseeing the construction of a new ISKCON temple for Vrndadevi. This new temple would be right on the west bank of Vrnda Kunda. Deena Bandhu Prabhu explained that the temple would be situated such that the very first rays of the morning sun will enter the sanctum sanctorum. Baba Madhava Das, an elderly sadhu formerly living at Vrnda kund, donated this property to ISKCON when he was diagnosed with cancer. He had mentioned to Deena Bandhu Prabhu that his donation to ISKCON was based solely on his appreciation of Srila Prabhupada and the trust that ISKCON would continue to care for Vrndadevi in the same way he had for all the years. Location of Vrndakund- Vrndavan Cakravarti Thakur describes that the crown jewel of Vrndavan is the unlimitedly expanding beauty of Nandisvara Parvat, the mountain peak upon which rests the palace of Nanda Maharaja. It is the self same form of Nandisvara Mahadev. Nandagaon, as it is know by the local Vrajavasis, is the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Deena Bandhu Prabhu was engrossed in reciting the Nadisvarastaka, a composition by Vrndavan Cakravarti Thakur. On the western side of Nandeswara Parvat, Vrndadevi eternally resides here and organizes all the pastimes of Radha and Krsna for the whole day along with Paurnamasi and her grand-daugther Nandimukhi. Vrndadevi's expansion is Tulasi Maharani. Even if we make 56 preparations, the Lord does not even look at it unless Tulasi is there. In her left hand, she holds the parrot Daksha. This parrot has 100,000 disciples who go all over the Vraja, come back, and inform Vrndadevi. Vrndadevi always knows everything that is going on in Vrndavan. Behind is Gupta Kunda where Radha and Krsna used to meet after the morning pastimes (the Manohar laddu pastime is one of the morning pastimes). The atmosphere here is so peaceful that devotees often come here to absorb themselves in transcendental writing or reading the nectarean pastimes of the Divine Couple. 49

50 Nandagram: When Nanda Maharaj and cowherd men decided to move from Gokula because of the disturbances caused by the demons, they moved from place to place, eventually returning to this prior residence and ancestral home. On top of the hill called Nandeswar parvat (considered to be incarnation of Lord Siva) is a large temple with deities of Krsna, Balarama, Yasoda, Nanda Maharaj, Radharani, Sridam and Madhumangal. When Lord Caitanya visited here, the deities were kept in a cave but later the temple was constructed and the deities were moved inside. Here both Krsna and Balarama are black because- 1) Demons would not recognize who Krsna is 2) They were almost like twins as they were only 8 days apart. 3) They were dressed alike by Yasoda so that they would not fight There was kirtan going on and the local matajis were dancing in the traditional way. Damayanti mataji joined in with the dancing and she was so natural that one would think she danced like that always. She is such an enthusiastic devotee! There were many paintings on the ceiling of this temple depicting the pastimes of Krsna. Srila Romapada Swami was so kind that he personally called devotees and showed the paintings that he was very much appreciating. He is so compassionate and always wanting to share!! Nandisvara Temple: This Siva linga was installed by Vajranabha. Deena Bandhu Prabhu narrated the pastime of this place. Lord Siva once came to the door of Nanda and Yasoda's house asking to see Baby Krsna. When mother Yasoda saw his gruesome appearance (Lord Siva decorated with ashes bones and snakes), she refused him entrance. After unsuccessfully trying in various ways to persuade mother Yasoda, Lord Siva went to a nearby forest and began to meditate on Krsna. Back at the house, child Krsna started to cry and no one could stop Him. Mother Yasoda was worried and called all the elderly gopis for help. Finally, she realized that she might be receiving the reaction for not for receiving the guest properly. She sent everyone looking for the tantric yogi who had come earlier, and after a short time, they returned with Lord Siva. As soon as Lord Siva came before Him, child Krsna stopped crying. Mother Yasoda under the influences of Yoga Maya was considering Krsna an ordinary boy and Lord Siva a tantric yogi. Out of gratitude she said to Lord Siva, "My son has finally stopped crying because of your presence. What can I do for you?" Lord Siva replied that his only request was to be allowed to always see the beautiful child Krsna and eat the remnants of His food. Today, the priests at the Nandagram temple offer Krsna's remnants to the Nandisvara Linga at the entrance to the temple. Sanatana Goswami Bhajana Kutir: This place is located at the bottom of the Nandagram hill on the banks of Pavana Sarovar. Srila Romapada Swami narrated a pastime and then spoke about the mood that Sanatana Goswami carried- One time Rupa Goswami was performing his sadhana at Ter Kadambha. One young village girl approached Rupa Goswami with a pot of sweet rice and she asked Rupa Goswami to make sure that Sanatana Goswami gets this sweet rice. Sanatana Goswami had never tasted sweet rice like this before and therefore understood that it was not an ordinary cowherd girl. When Rupa Goswami described the girl, Sanatana Goswami understood that it was Radharani. Sanatana Goswami became angry because he had accepted service from Radharani; nonetheless, he continued to eat sweet rice mixed with tears of anger and ecstasy! Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami would become so absorbed in chanting that a stage of spiritual ecstasy would awaken in their hearts and Krsna would appear and perform loving pastimes in their heart. It was by this method that Rupa and Sanatana Goswami understood all the intimate pastimes of Radha and Krsna. Everything that we read in Krsna Consciousness is based on Rupa and Sanatana Goswami's revelations, directly empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 50

51 Pavana Sarovar/Nanda Sarovar: Nanda Maharaj had excavated this lake. Radha and Krsna would have many water pastimes here. An especially important feature of Pavana Sarovar is that Srimate Radharani would come here to cook for Krsna every morning. There was a very very sweet well here. In Yavat, Radharani was so much in the fire of separation that whatever She used to touch would turn into ash and dust. But, here in Nandagram, even in the middle of 50 ovens, She never felt hot and not even a bead of sweat broke on Her forehead. One day, Krsna noticed that Yasoda was making different kinds of food and asked her, "Why are you making all this, Maiyya?" Yasoda said, "Because Nanda Baba is going to Prayag." Krsna asked Nanda maharaj where Prayag was. Nanda Maharaj replies, "This is the place where the 3 rivers meet- Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati." Krsna said, "Today is a very bad day to travel. Tomorrow is Akshaya Trtiya and therefore travel tomorrow as it is auspicious." Then Nanda Maharaj comes to bathe in Pavana sarovar where he noticed a big gray creature rolling on ground and taking bath in Pavana Sarovar. Nanda Maharaj asked who he was. He said that he was Prayag. He further said, "I came to roll in the dust of Vraja and become Pavan (purified) on Akshaya Tritiya day. All year long everyone takes bath and deposits sin at Prayag but now I have come to get purified." Nanda Maharaj, after hearing this did not go to Prayag. Akincana Krsnadas Babaji Maharaj samadhi - This is located on the bank of Pavana Sarovar. Akincana Krsnadas was always chanting all day. He was very dear to Srila Prabhupada. Once Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur gave an ad in Calcutta newspaper, "If anyone can chant one hundred thousand names a day, they will get free food and shelter." No one came forward who was at all capable of this feat, which Akincana Krsnadas Babaji maintained daily. All he would do throughout the day was chant and laugh in joy. Then, we all bathed in Pavana Sarovar. Though in a material sense Pavana Sarovar was dirty and smelly, the power of Vrndavan made us all bathe in it. Many devotees said, "I never thought I would bathe in a place like this." Surely, the dham and association of devotees can make us do seemingly impossible things just for our purification! November 25 th 2001: This being the second last day in Vrndavan, everyone was sad just to think about the fact that they would have to leave Vrndavan in one more day. We visited Yavat and Ter Kadamba on this day. 51

52 Yavat (the residence of Radharani s so-called husband Abhimanyu, his mother Jatila, and his sister Kutila)- This is one of the most important places in Vraja as it embodies the Parakiya Bhava. The deities of Radha- Radha Kanta are very beautiful. Deena Bandhu Prabhu explained that Radharani's deity here is so beautiful that Krsna's eyes are literally "popping out" when He looks at Her. Many pastimes took place here in Yavat, which Deena Bandhu Prabhu and Srila Romapada Swami narrated to the group on the temple rooftop. Jatila, Kutila and Krsna Jatila (meaning "knotted and twisted") and Kutila (meaning "crooked minded") always came in the way of Krsna and Radharani. They complained about Krsna to Abhimanyu. Their unique characteristics heighten the taste of Krsna's pastimes with Radharani. Once, Abhimanyu was visiting Nanda Maharaj's place. Mother Yasoda was packing a big box of jewelry, clothing, and other expensive gifts. When Krsna came to know that the box was being packed for Radharani, He picked the most opportune moment and hid Himself in the box. He then asked His cowherd boyfriends to lock the box. Mother Yasoda, while giving the box to Abhimanyu expressed her gratitude toward Radharani for cooking for Krsna everyday. She asked Abhimanyu to convey to Radharani that She should enjoy the contents of the box to Her full satisfaction. Upon receiving this box, Radharani and Her gopi friends opened it and found Krsna in it. She "followed the instructions" of Her elders and enjoyed the contents to Her full satisfaction. Yet another pastime - During the month of Magha, Radharani usually bathed in the Yamuna. Kutila became suspicious of her sister-in-law. She wanted to know what Krsna was up to. Therefore, she acted innocent and asked the residents of Nandagram about Him. They mentioned that Krsna was observing a special austerity during the month of Magha that required Him to bathe in the Yamuna during the early hours of the day. To confirm her suspicion, she went to the banks of Yamuna. Tulasi Manjari who was standing guard at the banks, spotted Kutila and rushed to inform the couple. Krsna assured her that He would dress up as Abhimanyu and stop Kutila right away. On seeing Abhimanyu (Krsna in disguise), Kutila scolded him for being neglectful about his wife. Abhimanyu instructed Kutila to collect as much proof she could against Radharani and Krsna while he goes to Kamsa to complain about Krsna. As evidence, she picks up Radharani's pearl necklace that was entwined with Krsna's garland that lay on a bed at the banks. Later during the day, Abhimanyu (Krsna still in disguise) arrives home and says he would keep watch on his wife and that Jatila and Kutila should keep watch for Krsna. They were to throw a lump of dung, stuffed with stones, on Krsna the moment they spotted him near the house. When Abhimanyu (the real one) tries to get into the house, both Jatila and Kutila pound him with their "missiles". Abhimanyu thinks that his mother and sister are possessed by a demon, and runs for an exorcist. 52

53 On yet another occasion, Jatila became upset about Radharani's relationship with Krsna and banned Radharani from cooking for Krsna. Radharani became pale with disappointment and did not know what to do. One day She and Dhanistha came up with a plan. Dhanistha ran to Jatila and Kutila saying that a snake had bitten Radharani and that She had fallen unconscious in the courtyard. Jatila ran to the courtyard yelling at her servants to call for a doctor to save her daughter-in-law. Radharani refused to be treated by any male doctor as She had been accused enough. Gargi, the niece of Garga Muni, arrived at the scene. She said that her cousin, Vrajavali, could help revive Radharani. Only after much coaxing, Vrajavali arrived at the palace to treat Radharani. She explained that the treatment entailed her to transfer the remnants of chewed beetle nuts from her mouth to Radharani's while chanting some powerful mantras. There seemed to be no symptom of life in Radharani even after trying this out. Vrajavali now tried massaging Radharani's feet slowly progressing toward Her heart. She announced that the poison had reached Her heart and this was a very critical condition. She would need three hours with Radharani to chant the mantras and not be disturbed by anyone. Vrajavali was none other than Krsna, disguised as the brahmani cousin of Gargi! For three hours, they were undisturbed and enjoyed each other's company. At the end of the third hour, Vrajavali pretended she was having a conversation with the snake that had apparently bitten Radharani. (Here Deena Bandhu Prabhu imitated the hissing of a snake and he pronounced the 's' as "sh" in words like Kailash, Lord Siva, and master). The snake said, "I have come from Kailash and my master Lord Shiva is very upset with Jatila because she is not allowing Radharani to cook for Krsna and fulfill Durvasa Muni's benediction. [Durvasa Muni is a partial expansion of Lord Siva.]" When Vrajavali asked the snake why it bit Radharani and not Jatila, it explained that the attack on Radharani would pain Jatila more than an attack on herself. The snake warned that the next time around it would attack both Radharani and Abhimanyu. Hearing this, Jatila begged forgiveness, promising to not forbid Radha to cook for Krsna, "Just spare my daughter's life! The 'snake' agreed to withdraw the effects of the poison, and restored Radha's life. Overjoyed, Jatila asked Vrajavali to stay back for the night, as it was not safe for her to go back home at that hour of the night. She personally arranged for two beds on the rooftop for Radharani and Vrajavali! Srila Romapada Swami then spoke - During the lila of Lord Brahma stealing the cows and cowherd boys, Krsna had manifested Himself as the cows and cowherd boys. In the bhauma ('related to earth') sense of time a whole year had passed. During this time, Krsna proposed to His father, Nanda Maharaj, that it was an auspicious time for all cowherd boys to be married to the cowherd girls. Thus in one sense, all the gopis including Radharani, were married to Krsna. However, each gopi thought she was getting married to a cowherd boy. Abhimanyu has a special position in relation to Krsna. Abhimanyu is the personification of Krsna's shadow. By the arrangement of Yoga Maya potency, intimacy between Abhimanyu and Radharani never took place. Abhimanyu never even touched Radha. We were scheduled to visit Ter Kadamba and proceed to Pavana Sarovar. We had the option of taking the bus, but Srila Romapada Swami suggested we walk the same trail Radharani used to take everyday from Yavat to Nandagram. We were very inspired by the thought of tracing the same path. Some of us were concerned this may be a long walk. We were yet recovering from the Govardhan parikrama. But the dust was soft and it made the walk rather easy and enjoyable. At one point, Srila Romapada Swami was far ahead of the rest of us when a buffalo came charging, as had happened on a previous day. All eyes turned toward Krsna-lila mataji, Hema mataji and Krsna sakti mataji to make sure that the buffalo was not going to come near them. Srila Romapada Swami stopped in his tracks, carefully inspecting the scene, ensuring that all of us were safe. Ter Kadamba - is situated between Nandagram and Yavat. Radharani used to come on the same path everyday as we traversed on from Yavat to Nandagram. Rupa Goswami's Bhajana Kutir- 53

54 Sometimes Rupa Goswami gives hints in his writings about his whereabouts, while engaged in his writing. He said that he finished Nectar of Devotionunder the Kadamba tree at Ter Kadamba. Here there is painting of Radharani as a little girl bringing sweet rice. Before there was a Pujari named Krsna Gopal who left his body in March Krsna Gopal once told Deena Bandhu Prabhu about the previous pujari named Bhagavat Das who lived till 84 years. He used to make Kadamba garlands for Krsna's deity everyday. One day when he was 84 years old, he thought that he did bhajana all his life but he did not get any realization. Therefore, he decided to go to Varsana to get Radharani's mercy. While he was on his way, 2 boys asked him, "Who will make the garlands now?" Bhagavat das said, "Someone will make, I am going to Varsana to get Radharani's mercy." The 2 boys asked that question a few times and Bhagavat Das gave the same answer. Finally, the 2 boys asked, "Who will make the garlands for us?" Baba then turned back and saw Krsna and Balarama. Baba fell down exhibiting great symptoms of ecstasy. Then a small boy came from behind to rescue him- Baba told him the story and left his body right there. Srila Romapada Swami then spoke - I first started living in an ISKCON temple in summer of Srila Prabhupada had just published Nectar of Devotion. Regular program at temple at that time was Mangala arathi, japa, tulsi puja etc. When NOD was published, Srila Prabhupada said that there should be a 3rd class everyday based on NOD. "Just as a lawyer knows his law books inside and out, devotees must understand NOD, as it is our guide in devotional service" Prabhupada had said. Caitanya Mahaprabhu chose Rupa Goswami to establish and broadcast His teachings within this world. Caitanya Mahapraabhu gave immense potency and mercy to Rupa Goswami, in so doing requested him to liberally give His mercy to others. Caitanya Mahaprabhu would regularly recite a sloka that indicated His internal mood of deep separation from Krsna. Upon recitation of that verse, He would deeply enter the mood of Radharani's feelings for Krsna. <Similarly, just by hearing the songs that we have been repeatedly singing while in Vrndavan, when we are feeling separation from Vrndavan, we can access the same feelings we did while in Vrndavan! > Rupa Goswami composed a sequel sloka, which perfectly complimented the inner meaning of the verse that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was reciting. Rupa Goswami put this verse on the thatched roof of his residence and went to take bath. Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the verse and could understand that it was Rupa Goswami who wrote it because of his beautiful pearl-like handwriting. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also understood that Rupa Goswami understood His mind. Later, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was discussing this incident with Svarupa Damodar and asked him, "How did Rupa understand My mind?" Svarupa Damodar said, "It must be that You have given Your mercy to Rupa Goswami. There is no other possible explanation." Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirmed, "Yes, I have given My mercy." All writings of Rupa Goswami were based on full understanding and realization. In Yavat, Radharani was experiencing intense separation, Caitanya Mahaprabhu experienced intense separation and also Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis exhibited separation while performing their devotional service. We never hear Goswamis saying, "I saw Krsna today." Rather they are always experiencing the mood of separation. Srila Prabhupada said, "Even if they had such realization, they would conceal in general public." We should very very deeply try to absorb ourselves in trying to understand teachings of Rupa Goswami. Kadamba tree- Krsna used to climb this tree and play His flute for the cows to come back. Krsna had jeweled beads and He used to count the names of leaders of the cowherd on each bead as they returned home. Krsna had 4 main groups of cows- black (Shyamali, Krsangi, Kalindi...), yellow (Gowri, Pitambhari, Pingali...), white (Davali, Chandini...) and red (Aruni, Kumkumi, Saraswati...). Sometimes, some cows would not return so that they could hear Krsna calling out their names with His very sweet voice. Deena Bandhu Prabhu explained the potency in Rupa Goswami's writing. When Rupa Goswami would write about the separation between Radha and Krsna, the trees would dry up, flowers would wilt and creepers would lose their life - because they too could not bear the separation of the Divine Couple. But when he would write about their meeting, everything around would come alive! Flowers would bloom and trees would blossom expressing their happiness. 54

55 All through the parikrama, Srila Romapada Swami was continuously reminding us to maintain a prayerful mood whenever glorify the Lord by chanting His names and pastimes. While many of the adults were struggling to maintain this mood, it seemed so spontaneous and natural to the devotee children. We observed Jaya Gopala Prabhu's son, Hamsaduta, narrating these pastimes to his brother, Dhruva, and to Acarya Prabhu's son. They were describing to each other how much they would like to roll in the holy dust of Vrndavan. It showed us how these children have natural attraction to and attachment for Krsna's name, form, pastimes, and the holy dham. November 26 th 2001: The last day of our overall Vrndavan trip was scheduled for circumambulating Vrndavan dham. We were told it is an 8 km walk around the city of Vrndavan. This parikrama marg (road) starts right next to the Krsna Balarama Temple. We felt extremely fortunate for having an opportunity to circumambulate Vrndavan and that too on an Ekadasi in the month of Kartik and to top it all with Srila Romapada Swami! Srila Romapada Swami led the group to the starting point and paid his obeisances to the holy dust of Vraja, teaching us by example the mood we were to be in during this walk. He urged us to maintain a prayerful mood and focus our thoughts on introspecting the glories of Lord Caitanya and his followers, especially the Goswamis. He added that we should in utter humility, beg for a drop of the descending mercy, and pray that the holy dham take a permanent place in our hearts. This would, he said, help us become instruments in spreading the glories of this sanctified place regardless of where we are in the world and will help us carry Vrndavan within us at all times. He asked us to pray that we use the drop of this descending mercy in our preaching in different parts of the world, from where we have come, so every soul we meet can benefit. Needless to say, this set the tone not for the end of our parikrama but for the beginning of a new perspective on life thereon. It is very easy to get distracted in Vrndavan if one pays attention and too much value to the apparent dirtiness and litter scattered around. This is not an ordinary place, but to the material eyes, it does appear like any other normal run-of-the-mill village in India. Then how are we to be in the prayerful mood when we see this around us? Srila Romapada Swami removed the doubts from our minds by saying that whatever we see is due to our material conceptions, which covers the spiritual potency of the holy dham from our vision. It is just like a thin layer of oil spread out upon water. If we maintain our humility and prayerful mood while keeping our mind fixed on Krsna, it would be very easy to see beyond the layer of material covering. This gave us the strength to not commit any offenses against the dham and to assimilate what it had to offer us. We were not the only ones on the parikrama path. That day being the last Ekadasi of Kartik month, hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims were out on the parikrama path, walking along and calling out, "Jaya Sri Radhe! Hare Krsna!" We too were chanting the Maha Mantra and walking together, silently conscious of the divinity of the soft dust under our feet, appreciating all the imposing temples of Sri Radha-Krsna, understanding how unqualified yet fortunate we were to be in this holy land, and glorifying what Srila Prabhupada has exposed us to. We made several stops during the parikrama of which the first was at Krsna Balarama tree. Krsna Balarama tree: 55

56 Two trees, one black in color signifying Krsna and the other white in color signifying Balarama, grew together but the trees have a common trunk and roots. Before, there were no buildings between Krsna Balarama mandir and this tree. Krsna Balarama mandir is located near the town of Vrndavan in a sandy area known as Ramana reti. Krsna and Balarama would come to this area to tend Their cows and play. Kesi Ghat Imlitala: This was our next stop. 56

57 Imli means tamarind. This tamarind tree dates back as far as Lord Krsna's time, 5000 years ago. Krsna was once waiting at Imlitala for his rendezvous with Radha. While waiting, He was so immersed in Her thoughts that He turned golden in color - just like Radha. When She arrived at the scene, She could not recognize Him at all. She inquired from Krsna as to who He was. Krsna regained His shyama color and explained to Radha what had transpired. He said He wanted to relish these feelings more and more. As we all know, He came back as Lord Caitanya just for this purpose. In Caitanya lila, Lord Caitanya also used to sit at Imlitala to perform His chanting. On one such occasion, He was so engrossed in the holy names that He turned black - just like Krsna! Some of His associates who came there could not recognize Him and wondered what was happening. Once when Krsna was sitting under this tree, Radharani stepped on a tamarind fruit and cut Her foot. She then cursed that in Vrndavan, tamarind fruits would fall before they ripen. Till today the tamarind fruits in Vrndavan do not ripen. The presiding deities of this temple are the beautiful Nitai Gaurasundara. Radha Damodara Temple- Radha Damodar History of temple: Srila Romapada Swami explained that this is one of the most important temples in Vrndavan. Srila Rupa Goswami personally carved the deities of Sri Radha-Damodara. Later, he gave them to Srila Jiva Goswami to worship. The actual deities were transferred to Jaipur during Aurangzeb's rampage on the Vaishnava temples. The current deities are pratibhu deities and are considered non-different from the original deities. The temple is significant because this was the venue for Srila Rupa Goswami and the other Goswamis, who were residing close by, to sit together all day and discuss the pastimes of the divine couple. Srila Prabhupada s Quarters: Srila Prabhupada was given two rooms in the temple, which are to the left of the altar. One room consisted of his study and resting place while the other was his kitchen and dining place. Srila Romapada Swami explained that the seeds for the Krsna Consciousness movement were sown here i.e., the movement first began here. Srila Prabhupada translated and wrote commentary on the first 3 volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam here in this narrow room. He stayed here for almost 6 years often traveling to Delhi for preaching, printing, and distributing Back to Godhead magazine. 57