Quantcast
Channel: Vrindavan Today | Your Daily Dose of Braja Dust
Viewing all 1720 articles
Browse latest View live

Gaushalas must become self sustainable: Bhuwalka

$
0
0

Vrindavan, 2016.06.13 (VT):  The Panchayati Gaushala, one of Vrindavan’s most important gaushalas, is set to bring about revolutionary changes in taking care of its cows, and gearing up to lead Vraja in developing a sustainable cow economy.

In an exclusive interview with Vrindavan Today, Shri Champa Lal Bhuwalka, the Joint Secretary of the Trust that runs the gaushala, highlighted the concept of sustainability of gaushalas and making them economically viable.

VT: How do you manage to sustain your Gaushala?

BhuwalkaC.L. Bhuwalka:  Since those who follow Sanatan Dharma consider the cows to be a goddess or holy mother, most Gaushalas including ours are run on the basis of a religious belief and a sense of compassion for mistreated cows. People have been donating to this cause for a long time. But with the changing times, many of the original donors have passed away, and the next generation is not so interested in continuing the traditions of donating to gaushalas. Thus all the gaushalas are facing challenges to keeping them afloat.

We seek donations for the charitable activity of gau seva. But the donations received by most gaushalas are not sufficient to feed all the cows.  But we have to feed our mothers even if we don’t get enough donations. We can’t complain that people are not donating.  Hence, we are working on a business model so that the gaushalas can survive of their own.

VT: What is your business model?

The first change we have brought to our gaushala is increasing the consumption of green fodder. Home grown green fodder is a healthy food for the cows and balances their diet. Sixty percent of the entire fodder consumed in the gaushala is green. Thus we save 50 percent comparing to the dry fodder.  Green fodder is economically viable.  But storing it for a long time is a problem. It has to be immediately consumed. We grow it in our own fields in purely organic way. It has tremendously improved the quality of the gaushala’s milk. We ensure the quality of milk is improved to keep the customers happy.

We can’t be always dependent on donations, as there is no certainty of getting them. We produce quality ghee in our gaushala, which is sold at Rs. 1200 per kg. People are buying it even it is costlier than other ghee available in the market.

We are making organic manure with the gobar which is sold to the farmers, and are working to utilize the cow urine to make phenyl and other products.

VT: What are you doing for cow protection?

The injured and wounded cows and bulls rescued from rustlers are brought to our gaushala. They are treated in our cow hospital and provided shelter. The cow keepers from the villages around Vrindavan bring their sick cows to our cow hospital, where they are treated by our experienced team of veterinary doctors. We also have cow ambulances that bring the injured cows to our hospital.

VT: Have you taken any steps for preserving the indigenous cows?

Yes, We have already started the process of separating the best indigenous calves to breed high genetic quality cows. Our indigenous deshi cows have curative properties that distinguish them from not only all other animals but among bovine species as well. Ayurveda is incomplete without the Indian cow and its five “nectars” or pancha gavya, i.e milk, buttermilk, ghee, cow urine and cow dung (gobar). The milk of the Indian cow is known for its medicinal properties and curd made of A2 milk with its healthy culture of beneficial bacteria helps in curing 72 types of diseases. We shall soon start producing A2 type milk in our gaushala.

VT:  What is your message to the society?

It is high time that we start thinking about ways of feeding the cows other than through seeking donations. Gaushalas have to be made self sustainable to protect the cows in long run. We need to protect and preserve local cows.

Cow keepers and owners should realize the importance of cow progeny in our routine life and economic improvement. Ignoring the protection and upkeep of cows is an insult to entire cow progeny.

The post Gaushalas must become self sustainable: Bhuwalka appeared first on Vrindavan Today.


Four rules Vaishnavas follow when doing Govardhan Parikrama

$
0
0

Muriya Purnima is not very far off. Though there are many festivals in Braj that attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, the Muriya Purnima, popularly known as Muria Puno Mela, is observed on Guru Purnima. This year it falls on July 19. This fair is held over a period of five days beginning with Ashada Navami (July 13). More than five million people do parikrama of Giriraj – Govardhan, bathe in Manasa Ganga and visit the temples and holy spots, especially Mukharavind and Danghati as a part of the annual ritual.

Muriya Purnima Parikrama was started by Sanatan Goswami. Muriya or muria refers to the shaving of heads that Vaishnavas and Brijvasis performed in mourning for Sanatan Goswami, who left the world on Guru Purnima day.


Govardhan, 2016.06.13 (Shri Group Blog):  Have you ever wondered why we circumambulate around Govardhan Giriraj, the King of Mountains? In Parikrama or circumambulation, we revolve around the Deity. This is symbolic of our devotion and that the Deity is the focal point of our mind, body and spirit. When we go around Shri Giriraj ji, it is symbolic of expressing that Govardhan has become the focus of our attention. We pray to him that we will be able to make him the centre of our existence and may he always remain so.

Some of the spiritual Gurus and saints give an emotional explanation too. When we love someone, we like to revolve around our beloved; we feel happy to be around him all the time. When we go around Govardhan Parvat, we demonstrate our love and devotion towards it.

Pilgrims and visitors find another reason to go around the Sacred Hill. All around Govardhan Parvat, you find several places associated with significant events in the life of child Krishna. As we walk through the Parikrama Marg, we get a chance to visit all these places too.

Well, whatever your reason to undertake Govardhan Parikrama is, there are four rules that Vaishnavs (followers of Vishnu) believe in:

mukhe bhagavan-nāma, hṛdi bhagavat-padam,
hastau agalitam phalam, nava-māsa-garbhavatīvat calanam|

With God’s Name in our mouths, Krishna’s feet in our hearts,
fresh fruit in our hands, and walking like a woman nine months pregnant.

During the Prarikrama, we take the God’s name and meditate on Krishna’s feet to focus our attention. We are told to carry fresh fruits as offerings to Shri Giriraj ji and to walk leisurely and slowly like a pregnant lady so that we can concentrate more fully on meditating on the Deity.

 

The post Four rules Vaishnavas follow when doing Govardhan Parikrama appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Braj Vrindavan Act Now at the Ujjain Kumbha Mela

$
0
0

Vrindavan, 2016.06.13 (VT): A delegation from Braj Vrindavan Act Now (BVAN) went to the Ujjain Kumbh with the express purpose of reminding the dharma acharyas from around India about the various problems facing the Yamuna and Vrindavan Dham. The group was led by B.A. Paramadwaiti Swami, Acharya of VRINDA International and spiritual guide of BVAN.

BVAN was invited to participate in the spiritual gathering by Pujya Swami Chidananda Saraswatiji (Muniji) who hosted the group while at the Kumbh. Several eminent spiritual leaders provided a platform at their camps for spiritual dialogues and discussions with devotees and participants from around the world.

Swami Paramadvaiti spoke primarily about the immediate need to look at the rapid disintegrating condition of India’s rivers and fertile land.

He also led the group out on sankirtan in the streets of Ujjain to promote his ideas. Several spiritual leaders converged on the banks of the Kshipra River along with chief minister Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan and took a pledge with thousands of people to protect our rivers and find sustainable solutions to improve the environment.

As usual, Paramadwaiti Maharaj and his disciples — mostly from Europe and South America — went with the intention of serving as a voluntary cleaning crew, just as they do in Vrindavan. They were greatly surprised to see hundreds of Home Guards keeping Ujjain neat and clean for the Kumbha Mela.

Muniji and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and other dignitaries with BVAN actors after performance.

Muniji and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and other dignitaries with BVAN actors after performance.

The BVAN group was given the opportunity to present their drama of the holy rivers, “Our Sacred Rivers,”  in many camps and many important people watched delightedly to see how Paramadwaiti Maharaj is training up young people from around the world to be concerned for the plight of the Yamuna and Ganga.

Said one happy participant, “In the end the whole audience danced with us to the Mahamantra and we got them to make a pledge to do their part to stop pollution!”

Said Paramadwaiti Maharaj, “I was especially impressed by the efforts to keep the Mela grounds clean. If only Vrindavan could have a platoon of home guards to look after everything to keep people conscious of how Vrindavan and Braj are a holy place (tirtha) and must be well protected and maintained.”

Ambika Devi Dasi was the coordinator of the program. BVAN on Facebook.

bvan_kumbha3

“All the killed trees” with Muniji and Prem Baba from Rishikesh during consciousness raising Nagar Pheri.

The post Braj Vrindavan Act Now at the Ujjain Kumbha Mela appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: The Story of Nagaji Bhat (Part I cont’d)

$
0
0

VARTA 1: The Story of Nagaji Bhat (Part 1 cont’d)

TEXT: After this Nagaji stayed with Sri Gusainji for three months, thinking to himself that he would wait until the auspicious time for his daughter’s wedding had run over before returning home. He reckoned that if he were to go home now he would be obliged to perform his daughter’s wedding, so he stayed back.

Bhavaprakasha: This is because Nagaji was attached to the Lord. Those who have such attachment are not so interested in their homes. In his Bhaktivardhini treatise [“How to increase devotion”] Sri Acharyaji has written

snehād rāga-vināśaḥ syād āsaktyā syād gṛhāruciḥ
[When one develops affection for the Lord one’s worldly desires are destroyed. When one is addicted to the Lord one develops distaste for the family home.]

Therefore Nagaji did not go home where he would have had to delve into worldly affairs.

TEXT: Some days after this the storekeeper lifted up the bamboo pole that Nagaji had left there and found it to be very heavy, so he took it to Sri Gusainji and told him how heavy it was. Sri Gusainji told him to split it into two pieces. When he did so the coins fell out. Sri Gusainji said that this must be Nagaji’s work. Understanding his purpose, he said that Nagaji Bhat was an accomplished Vaishnava and showered his blessings on him.

Meanwhile, the date of his daughter’s wedding in Godhra was drawing close. His wife had no money and therefore determined that she would have to marry her daughter with only a bangle, a palmful of water, and some sanctified vermilion powder.

Bhavaprakasha: Nagaji Bhat’s wife had been to Arail and been initiated by Sri Gusanji. Therefore she firmly adhered to devotional principles and was able to be very resilient in times of trouble. Nor did she worry about societal opinion.

In the Lord’s Lila this Bhatyaniji had been a Sakhi named Kanduki in Sri Yamunaji’s group. She would meet Padmavati [Nagaji] frequently. Therefore, from that time on her relationship with Nagaji was solid. Both of them shared the same mood, form and heart. That is how she perceived Nagaji’s intention and decided to perform her daughter’s wedding in this way.

TEXT: The local Vaishnavas heard about this plan. They approached the local zamindar and told him that Nagaji Bhat was not at home and that his wife intended to perform their daughter’s wedding with only one bangle, some tumeric, vermilion powder and a palmful of water. The zamindar said, “And why would Nagaji Bhata’s daughter’s wedding be conducted like this?”

After this he gathered together all the wedding paraphernalia that he had at his home and sent it to Nagaji’s wife. She then found a good home for her daughter to marry into and performed a nice wedding for her. A lot of money was put into the marriage. The local people provided a sufficient dowry for the bride as well as clothes and other gifts for her, and also fed many brahmins sumptuously.

A number of days later Nagaji Bhat took his leave of Sri Gusainji and came home. His wife told him all about his daughter’s wedding. Nagaji said that it had all been the Lord’s wish, and that it was good that worldly money had been used for a worldly purpose. The money that the Vaishnavas had given him was not to be used for a worldly purpose and so he had not wanted to use it for a wedding. When the Vaishnavas of Khambaich heard this they all began to praise Nagaji. In this way Nagaji became known as an accomplished Vaishnava and the recipient of Sri Gusainji’s grace.

Bhavaprakasha: The lesson of this tale is that wealth from Vaishnavas is never to be used for worldly purposes. Such use would have resulted in denial of the Lord. Obviously money has to be spent on worldly events like weddings, but the principle here is that one should consider the wedding or other duty as being related to the Lord’s seva and one should perform such acts only after submitting them to the Lord. They should never be done to earn worldly praise. If ever it becomes necessary to spend money in order to survive, then one should do so without becoming confused about seva and after understanding the principles involved, having first asked the Lord’s permission. Another way of looking at it is that when a devotee serves the Lord with full faith and no deviation then Sri Thakurji himself sorts out all their other affairs. This promise Sri Thakurji has given in the ninth chapter of the Srimad Bhagavadgita:-

ananyaś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate|
teṣām nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham||

[To those who exclusively worship me with devotion and are thus always linked to me, I provide whatever they require. (BG 9.22)]

Bhavaprakasha: Now Nagaji had realised the true Vaishnava form. Therefore Sri Gusainji was glad.

Vitthalnath_Gusaiji

Shri Vitthalnath or Gusainji, son of Vallabhacharya and founder of the seven gaddis of the Pushti Marg.


This serialized translation of the Braj Bhasha book, 252 Vaishnavan ki varta is being made available by Krishnaa Kinkari, who has been studying and practising in the Pushti Marg tradition for many years. Her website is here for those who would like to communicate with her or to purchase her books.

The post Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: The Story of Nagaji Bhat (Part I cont’d) appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Disappearance day of Naval Das, Mahant of Tatiya Sthan

$
0
0

Yesterday was the disappearance day festival of Tatiya Sthan previous Mahant, Sri Swami Naval Das Ju Maharaj, also known as ‘Sri Mukhiya Ji’.

Sri Naval Das ju Maharaj was honored with name ‘Mukhiya ji'(the leader) because he was great scholar of Samaj Gayan and always used to lead it with perfection while playing harmonium or tanpura.

All the Padas (divine poetry) for the festivals and service of Kunjbihari Lal, as well as the nikunj leelas, etc., from Maha Vaniju and the Vanis of Sri Swami Haridas and other great Rasikachrya after Swami Haridas ju were ever on his tongue.

Mukhiya ji was great rasik saint and all lovers of saints and devotees of Sri Radha Madhav Kunjbihari Lal loved him.

A big feast was organized at Tatiya Sthan for the all the saints and devotees from around Braj and Bharat, and even devotees from different part of world also could seen.

Samaj Gayan in Tatiya Sthan was held at 5:30 to commemorate the occasion of Mukhiya ji’s disappearance day.

Jay RadhaMadhav Jay Kunjbihari

(Haridas Sharanji)

The post Disappearance day of Naval Das, Mahant of Tatiya Sthan appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

National panels on Ramayana, Krishna circuits to meet tomorrow

$
0
0

New Delhi, 2016.06.14 (PTI): The first meeting of the recently-formed national committees on Ramayana and Krishna circuits will be held tomorrow, to deliberate upon various issues related to these circuits.

The meeting, to be held under the chairmanship of Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma may take up various issues, including fund allocation for development of various destinations under the circuits. The Centre has earmarked Rs 200 crore each for Ramayana and Krishna circuits, a source said.

It may also take up discussion on the route of the circuits and development of various destinations, including temples, along the way, he said.

The issue of construction of a Ramayana Museum at Ayodhya, which would portray the epic journey of Lord Rama, may also come up for discussion, the source said, adding the government is in the process of identifying land for the museum, which would be kept away from the disputed site.

He said Ayodhya would be the centre of the Ramayana Circuit which would be, on one hand, extended to Janakpur in Nepal, believed to be Sita’s birthplace, and to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka on the other hand.

Similarly, Mathura would be the centre of Krishna Circuit, which would pass through Haryana and Rajasthan to Dwarka in Gujarat on one hand and to West Bengal, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh on the other, he said.

Last month, the Tourism Ministry had formed two separate national committees for Ramayana and Krishna circuits to advise the government on developing these theme-based tourism circuits under ‘Swadesh Darshan Scheme’.

The national committee on Ramayana Circuit comprises five members, including Ram Avtar Sharma, who heads the Shri Ram Sanskritik Shodh Sansthan Nyas; spiritual guru Vijay Kaushal Ji Maharaj and Akhilesh Gumastha, who has penned ‘Ramayan, The hymns of Himalaya’.

Journalist Rahul Sinha and social activist Gopeshwar Tripathi are the other members of the committee.

The six-member national committee on Krishna circuit include Satya Prakash Mangal, who has taken interest in developing the Govardhan Hill off Mathura and Ramendera Singh of RSS-backed Vidya Bharti Sanskriti Shiksha Sansthan.

Other members include Satyanarayana Dasa of Jiva Institute of Vaishnava Studies, Krishan Dayal of Mathura-based charity Kalyanam Karoti, and Gopeshwar Nath Chatrurvedi, who worked on reducing pollution in Yamuna.

The post National panels on Ramayana, Krishna circuits to meet tomorrow appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Yamuna’s pathetic condition angers devotees on Ganga Dussehra

$
0
0

Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra, 2016.06.14 (IANS, Indian Express):  When lakhs of the devout took a dip in the Yamuna at ghats in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra on Ganga Dussehra on Tuesday, they had a “face to face interaction” (sakshaat darshan) of the Kali Nag (evil serpent) in the form of pollution that has reduced the river to a sewage canal.

Ganga Dussehra, symbolising the peaking of summer “and the birth of the holy Ganges as it descended from heavens this day” was celebrated in the Braj Mandal with gusto. The devout distributed lassi, sharbat, shikanji and milk rose at scores of places. The ghats had groups of people performing puja of the Yamuna, applying chandan and showering rose petals.

Mathura’s Vishram Ghat saw an unending queue of early morning bathers. But people in Agra were sorely disappointed as there are no traces of the ghats.

“It took a lot of courage on the part of the faithful to wade through dirt and squalor to reach a trickle midstream from Hathi Ghat. At the Balkeshwar Ghat, the crowd was bigger,” said Nandan Shrotriya a priest of the Shri Mathuradheesh temple.

On Ganga Dussehra it is customary for people to take a holy dip in the rivers and eat water melons, mangoes or litchis after Shiva’s puja. “Ganga Dussehra is also an indicator of the change of weather. Bhagirath is believed to have brought Ganga to earth on this day,” said Pandit Jugal Kishor.

As the day advanced, hundreds of kites were seen in the sky. “Kite-flying is a major event on Ganga Dussehra. Since it is considered an auspicious day, a lot of new shops and houses are opened on this day,” said Bankey Lal Maheshwari, a shopkeeper of Johri Bazar.

However because of the high pollution level people have not been able to enjoy taking a bath in the river. “A dip is out of question. It’s an invitation to infections,” said River Connect Campaign activist Ranjan Sharma, adding that the district authorities should have ensured additional release of water from barrages upstream of Agra.

“For pilgrims and the devout, the Yamuna’s water is such a put-off, what with its stink and foul smell filling the nostrils that those who do dare to take a dip return with a fear and guilt,” said Jagannath Poddar of Vrindavan.

Normally the government agencies release 1,000 cusecs of extra water for the Dussehra but this year this has not been done and the saints of the Braj area resent this, he added.

A fortnight ago activists of the River Connect Campaign had protested through a “sand bath” in Agra to demand the release of additional water in Yamuna for the festival but the authorities failed to respond.

“Without a minimum flow, particularly during the lean months, it is not possible to revive the river or to restore its past glory. Encroachments in the form of concrete structures on both sides are another major problem,” said river activist Jagannath Poddar.

“With better road connectivity, the number of pilgrim-tourists has increased many fold. On weekends lakhs turn up for a darshan of Bankey Bihari in Vrindavan and a parikrama of the holy Goverdhan hill. When these people go to the Yamuna, the reaction is sharp and negative. One hears only curses and abuses,” he added.

In Mathura, the polluted effluents from hundreds of sari-dyeing units into the river, has only compounded the problem, caused largely by the discharge of sewage and other pollutants as the river flows through the national capital.

Reduced to a pale, sickly nullah drain, the glory and grandeur of Yamuna that attracted the Mughals to build some of the finest monuments like the Taj and Etmauddaula along its banks will never return, lament the residents of Agra’s Yamuna Kinara road.

Those who take the road are often seen covering their noses to keep away the foul odour of the stinking mess.

But with Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister and Uma Bharti leading the Ganga cleaning campaign, hopes have once again been revived of some action at the government level to restore the Yamuna’s glory in the Braj area.

River Connect campaigners in Agra having "sand bath" last week to protest lack of water in Yamuna.

Against pollution: Devotees bathe with sand in protest against pollution of the Yamuna river on the eve of Ganga Dussehra festival at Vrindavan on Sunday.

 

The post Yamuna’s pathetic condition angers devotees on Ganga Dussehra appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

30 deaths per week on Yamuna Expressway: Speeding main cause

$
0
0

We have expressed alarm over traffic deaths in Mathura district and especially on the Yamuna Expressway a couple of times over the past year. Now the UP Traffic Dep’t has released figures showing the almost doubling of deaths on the Expressway in just the last two years. According to the spokesman for the Dep’t, the main reason is speeding. This will not be a great surprise to the residents of Vrindavan, one of the places to which these people are speeding towards.

Those of us who think of Vrindavan as a human sanctuary have long recognized that you cannot buy a ticket to enter Vrindavan. But one thing is certain, when the speeding culture invades Vrindavan, it ceases to be a human sanctuary. The speeding civilization does not know where it is going, but it wants to get there faster and it wants everyone else to get out of the way.

This is one of the reasons why we at Vrindavan Today support a severe curtailing of vehicular traffic in at least certain parts of the town, i.e, those where there is the most pedestrian traffic. But those who are speeding on motorcycles, abusing the use of horns, should be punished with fines. There is no reason that this aggressive behavior of drivers should be tolerated.

It has recently been reported that there will be an increased presence of traffic police in Vrindavan: Let them punish speeders, reckless drivers, double parkers, impatient honkers and other variations on general antisocial behavior when sitting behind a wheel with fines. Put up a few hoardings to warn everyone, local or outsider, that there will be no mercy to those who think that sitting on top of an internal combustion engine gives them some license to disturb the sacred atmosphere of Vrindavan Dham.

Make the laws and enforce them.


Noida, 2016.06.16 (TOI): The Uttar Pradesh traffic department on Tuesday released the comparative data of fatalities at Yamuna Expressway, which shows an overall 98% rise in deaths in 2014 and 2015. A total of 801 deaths were reported in 2014, which increased to 1585 in 2015, at the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway, built as a symbol of modern development.

The Expressway connects five districts – Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras and Agra. Aligarh has topped the fatalities in two years as per the traffic department’s data. The city has shown 365% increase in deaths in the last two years. The traffic department had recorded a total of 85 deaths in 2014, which increased to 396 in 2015.

This was followed by Agra which recorded 73% rise in deaths. Agra – The city of Taj – recorded a total of 211 deaths in 2014, which increased to 366 the following year.

Anil Agarwal, ADG Traffic, Uttar Pradesh, said that the Gautam Budh Nagar district recorded 67% rise in the deaths at the Yamuna Expressway. In 2014, Noida had recorded a total of 198 deaths which rose to 331 in 2015.

This was followed by Hathras. A total of 78 deaths were recorded in 2014 which rose to 134 in 2015. “This was an increase of 71%,” he said. Mathura had recorded the total deaths of 229 in 2014 which increased to 358 in 2015.

The traffic department also released separate data of top ten districts where more accidents and fatalities took place in 2015. The data shows that Kanpur topped the list with 655 deaths and 1085 injured in 1479 accidents. This was followed by Aligarh which recorded 609 fatalities and 639 injured in 759 accidents. Lucknow came third with 585 deaths and 874 injured in 1388 accidents.

Agarwal said that a total of 17666 deaths took place in the entire Uttar Pradesh in 2015. “The death figures at Yamuna Expressway stands 1585, which is around 9 % of the total. This show a dangerous trend,” he said. The traffic cop said that most accidents at the Expressway took place due to speeding of vehicles.
“We deploy enforcement officials at different places to ensure safety of road users. However, the commuters should restrain themselves from speeding,” he said.

The post 30 deaths per week on Yamuna Expressway: Speeding main cause appeared first on Vrindavan Today.


Vraja Vilasa: Shridama Sakha

$
0
0

I always take shelter of the feet of Hari’s best friend Shridama, who is the greatest object of Krishna’s love, who is the most expert of his friends, who is of blackish complexion, who is very proud of having the same qualities, age, dress and beauty as Sri Krishna and who becomes very unsteady when he is separated from his friend for even a moment.


kṛṣṇasyoccaiḥ praṇaya-vasatiḥ saṁpravīnaḥ sakhīnāṁ
śyāmāṅgas tat-sama-guṇa-vayo-veśa-saundarya-darpaḥ
snehād bandhoḥ kṣaṇam akalanāj jāyate yo’vadhūtaḥ
śrīdāmānaṁ hari-sahacaraṁ sarvadā taṁ prapadye

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: With the support of the Vedic scriptures, the Goswamis have taught the most intimate spiritual truth to the world, which is this: He who always sports in His evergreen pastimes in Vrindavan is the topmost embodiment of rasa; immersed in relishing the flavours of love with his companions, He is the summit of rasa. By hearing and chanting about the various wonderful and sweet exchanges of love between rasa-ghana-vigraha Shyamasundar (“the embodiment of condensed spiritual flavours”) and his companions in Vraja, this self-manifest transcendental rasa also becomes infused into the practising devotees. This is the teaching of the Goswamis, and it becomes accomplished by hearing and chanting this Vraja-vilāsa-stava.

In this verse Das Goswami describes the great love of Krishna’s best friend Shridama.

vayas tulyāḥ priya-sakhāḥ sakhyaṁ kevalam āśritāḥ;
śrīdāmā ca sudāmā ca dāmā ca vasudāmakaḥ
kiṅkiṇī-stoka-kṛṣṇāṁśu-bhadrasena-vilāsinaḥ;
puṇḍarīka-vīṭāṅkākṣa-kalaviṅkādayo’py amī
ramayanti priya-sakhāḥ kelibhir vividhaiḥ sadā;
niyuddha-daṇḍa-yuddhādi-kautukair api keśavam

Those who are equal to Krishna in age and have exclusive fraternal love for him are called priya-sakhās. Śrīdāmā, Sudāmā, Dāmā, Vasudāma, Kiṅkiṇī, Stoka-kṛṣṇa, Aṁśu, Bhadrasena, Vilāsī, Puṇḍarīka, Viṭaṅka and Kalaviṅka are among those priya-sakhās that constantly delight Sri Krishna with games like arm-wrestling and stick-fighting. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.3.36-38)

eṣu priya vayasyeṣu śrīdāmā pravaro mataḥ

The greatest of these priya sakhās is Shridama. (ibid. 3.3.40)

About Shridama’s physical appearance Srila Rupa Goswami has written:

vāsaḥ piṅgaṁ vibhrataṁ śṛṅga-pāṇiṁ
baddha-spardhaṁ sauhṛdān mādhavena
tāmroṣṇīṣaṁ śyāma-dhāmābhirāmaṁ
śrīdāmānaṁ dāma-bhājaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Shridama, who wears a tawny coloured (piṅga) dress, who holds a bugle-horn in his hand, who wears a copper-colored turban, whose complexion is blackish and very enchanting, who wears a garland of forest flowers around the neck and who lovingly exchanges challenges with Mādhava. (ibid. 41)

His friendship is also most extraordinary.

tvaṁ naḥ projjhva kaṭhora yāmuna taṭe kasmād akasmād gato
diṣṭyā dṛṣṭim ito’si hanta niviḍāśleṣaiḥ sakhīn prīṇaya
brūmaḥ satyam adarśane tava manāk kā dhenavaḥ ke vayaṁ
kiṁ goṣṭhaṁ kim abhīṣṭam ityacirataḥ sarvaṁ viparyasyati

O cruel one! Why did You abandon us so suddenly on the bank of the Yamuna? Fortunately we have now found You again ! Aho! Satisfy Your friends with a firm embrace! O Krishna! I tell You the truth – out of separation from You the cows, we ourselves, the goṣṭha and indeed all desirable objects become unattractive within a moment! (ibid. 42)

Therefore it is said in the verse: snehād bandhoḥ kṣaṇam akalanāj jāyate yo’vadhūtaḥ: “Out of love he feels very unsteady when he does not see his friend (Krishna) for even a moment.”

Rupa Goswamipada has described the great affection and exclusive dedication of Vraja’s friends for Krishna –

kṣaṇādarśanato dīnāḥ sadā saha vihāriṇaḥ;
tad-eka-jīvitāḥ proktā vayasyā vraja-vāsinaḥ.

The friends in Vraja are always enjoying with him and they are extremely upset when they are separated from him for even a moment, for Krishna is their very life.

“Shridama is the greatest object of Sri Krishna’s love.” (kṛṣṇasyoccaiḥ praṇaya-vasatiḥ). The advanced stage of prema called viśrambha turns into praṇaya:

viśrambhaḥ priya-janena saha svasyābheda mananam

Viśrambha means that the lover feels as if he is non-different from the beloved.

This means that the limbs like hands and feet of the beloved are felt as non-different from one’s own hands and feet. Praṇaya is the birthplace of sakhya-rasa and Shridama is the leader of the priya-sakhās, so he also holds the chief post in praṇaya. Thus Raghunath Das says:

tat sama guṇa vayo veśa saundarya darpaḥ

He is proud of having the same qualities, dress, age and beauty as Krishna.

rūpa-veṣa-guṇādyais tu samāḥ samyag ayantritāḥ;
viśrambha-sambhṛtātmāno vayasyās tasya kīrtitāḥ

Actually those who are equal to Sri Hari in form, qualities and dress do not have any feeling of hesitation and reverence like the servants, and because they have deep faith they are glorified as vayasyas (friends).(BRS 3.3.8)

Although this is said about all the friends of Krishna there is a special part about Shridama; the different servants know this. Thus Krishna’s friends told him when he lifted Govardhana hill –

unnidrasya yayus tavātra viratiṁ sapta kṣapās tiṣṭhato
hanta śānta ivāsi nikṣipa sakhe śrīdāmā pāṇau girim
ādhi vidhyati nas tvam arpaya kare kiṁ vā kṣaṇaṁ dakṣiṇe
doṣṇas te karavāma kāmam adhunā savyasya samvāhanam

O friend! You have spent seven nights standing here without sleeping. You must be getting tired now, so hand the mountain over to Shridama. We feel distressed when we see You suffering like this. Otherwise, just hold the mount with Your right hand for a while, and we will nicely massage Your left arm. (ibid 3.3.18)

The purport of the sakhās’ suggestion that Sri Krishna should now hand Girirāja to Shridama is that of all the sakhās Shridama is most equal to Sri Krishna.

In the śloka the pride of Shridama is mentioned; this is a sañcārī-bhāva (transitory emotion) of fraternal love. That which moves the course of ecstatic love is called a sañcārī-bhāva. Utsāha-rati (enthusiasm) is infused in the mood of friendship, and in games like wrestling the friends make Sri Krishna, who is dearer to them than millions of lives, happy.

kālindī-taṭa-bhuvi patra-śṛṅga-vaṁśī-
nikkvāṇair iha mukharī-kṛtāmbarāyām
visphurjjann aghadamanena yoddhu-kāmaḥ
śrīdāmā parikaram udbhaṭaṁ babandha

On the bank of the Yamuna the sky was filled with sounds of leaves, horns and flutes as Shridama showed his pride by tightly tying his scarf around his waist and preparing to fight Sri Krishna.

How this pride nourishes dual fights like wrestling can be best known from the book named Kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta:

(While playing ball Shridama spoke proudly to Krishna, so Krishna told him:) “Are Shridaman! What are you saying? Don’t you remember that the stories of my glories burst your ears and that I almost crushed your whole body with my bolt-like arms, wielding a rod? If you desire your own welfare, then you should run away as soon as you hear the words ‘arm fight’!”

Shridama said: “Shridama, who is famous as the abode of power, has been victorious, is victorious and will remain victorious.That can be seen from looking at Your shoulders (Shridama sat there after defeating Krishna in a game, see Śrīmad Bhāgavata 10.18.24), but You still diminish Your own glories by showing Your restlessness by Your angry and proud face? You’re so proud of killing all these demons, but for no reason, because the brahmins killed Putana with their mantras.And did You enter Aghasur’s belly alone, or what? Who will even count Bakasur? And if You say: ‘I lifted Govardhan hill,’ then I’ll say it went up in the air by itself, after being pleased by our Govardhana pūjā. You only had to stand under it, touching the bottom with Your hand! Why are You so proud?”

“O sakhīs!” Candana-kalā [who has been reporting Krishna’s activities to Radha] said, “In this way Krishna became very enthusiastic to fight with his friends, who worshiped his splendid rays with millions of hearts by sprinkling him with the nectar drops of their proud words. Being love personified, Krishna spent some time with two or three of these friends on the bank of the Yamuna.” (16.5-8)

Das Goswami said: “I take shelter at the lotus feet of this dear friend of Sri Krishna, named Shridama!”

śrī kṛṣṇera atiśaya priya-pātra yini
vayasya-gaṇa madhye yāre supravīṇa gaṇi
saundarya, guṇa veśa vayasa samāna;
sarvadā ānande yei kore abhimāna
kṣaṇakāla śrī govinda ho’le adarśana;
snehete adhika yini vyākulita hon
śrī govinda priya-sakhā śrīdāmā nāma yāra;
sarvadā tāhāre pāi ākāṅkṣā āmāra

“I pray that I may always attain Sri Govinda’s dear friend named Shridama, who is the object of Sri Krishna’s great love, who is counted as the leader of all of Krishna’s friends, who is always blissfully proud of the fact that he is equal to Krishna in beauty, qualities, dressing and age, and who is very much agitated by the pangs of loving unsteadiness when he does not see Sri Govinda for even a moment.”


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

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

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994
Source: Tarun Govinda Das, Flowing Nectar Stream blog.

The post Vraja Vilasa: Shridama Sakha appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: The Story of Nagaji Bhat (Part 2)

$
0
0

Nagaji was a landlord in Godhra. The local ruler (Hakim) called Nagaji and told him to go to Rajnagar where he should meet the Emperor and from him purchase an extension on the lease of his land. He gave Nagaji two hundred rupees to hand out to those who were instrumental in the deal if it became necessary. Nagaji took the two hundred rupees and set off from Godhra, taking one man with him. When he arrived there he dressed up and sat on a horse upon which he entered the market. When he came close to the place where there were three large gates, he saw some cloth which was being sold for a high price. He saw it and thought to himself that the cloth was so beautiful that it should definitely be sent to Sri Gusainji. He asked how much the cloth would be and was told it would cost two hundred rupees. He purchased the cloth then turned around and went back to his camp.

Bhavaprakasha : Here the principle revealed is that Sri Thakurji enjoys the finest items. Therefore if one sees an item of such high quality one should purchase it and offer it to the Lord. If it so happened that one does not have the financial means to buy the item then one must offer it with heart and mind to the Lord.

[This should be done in the same way that Kumbhandasji offered mangoes to the Lord, which showed how much love he had for Him. See Varta 83 in 84 Vaishnavan ki Varta.]

Nagaji then wrapped that cloth into a bamboo basket and assumed the form of a renunciate. He told his servant to remain in the camp and not go anywhere at all until he returned. He left Rajnagar for Gokul, travelling on day and night. He reached Gokul after some days and at that very moment Sri Gusainji was telling the Vaishnavas that his Nagaji would arrive soon. Nagaji arrived just as he made this announcement. He bowed low to Sri Gusainji. Sri Gusainji asked him why and how he had come there. Nagaji supplicated “O, Maharaj! It has been a long time since I have seen you so I came to have your Holy Sight.”

Sri Gusanji told him to go and bathe and then to bring a water jug into the seva area and to take prasad. Nagaji bathed, brought the water jug and also the cloth and entered. Nagaji thought to himself, “It would be very nice if my esteemed mother figure Srimati Rukminiji were to wear this cloth and sit together with her husband Sri Gusainji in their resting place. I would then have the sight of the couple. After that I can go back to Rajnagar.”

With this thought in mind he entered the inner area of the haveli and went to partake of prasad. Sri Rukminiji came there to serve the prasad to Nagaji with her own hands. Nagaji prostrated before her and requested her to wear the cloth and then sit next to Sri Gusainji so that he might be able to see the two of them together. Srimati Rukminiji said that if she were to wear the cloth Sri Gusianji would be annoyed with her for wearing such very high quality cloth.

Bhavaprakasha : Why? Because such best quality cloth should first always be offered to Sri Swaminiji. Rukminiji would not like to wear it before having offered it to Sri Swaminiji.

Seeing mother Rukminiji Bahuji’s stubborness on this point, Nagaji took an oath in Sri Gusainji’s name and implored her to wear the cloth. On his insistence she handed it to her personal servant.

Bhavaprakasha : This is the rule: One should not accept anything for oneself without having first offered it up to the Lord. This cloth was to be worn and so Rukmini Bauji had to give instructions to her personal servant.

That servant brought the cloth and put it down close to them. Nagaji sat to partake of prasad. Then he went to see Sri Gusainji who asked him how it was that he had come there. Nagaji said that it had been a long time since he had had his sight and had come there for that reason, and that by Sri Gusainji’s grace his wish had been fulfilled. “I will leave again tonight,” he said, “After you have retired for the night.”

Sri Gusainji then took his leave from all the Vaishnavas gathered there and went to take rest. Nagaji went to Sri Rukminiji and asked her to now accept the cloth and wear it which she did so on his insistence. She then went to sit next to Sri Gusainji in their resting place. Nagaji enjoyed the sight of the couple. Nagaji then bowed low to them both and withdrew from there to set off to Rajnagar.

Sri Gusainji asked Rukmini Bahuji who had brought this cloth. She replied that it had been Nagaji who had brought it. Sri Gusainji remarked that this cloth was really suitable exclusively for Sri Swaminiji and asked her why she had worn it. Perturbed by her husband’s words Rukminiji replied, “I did not want to wear it but Nagaji forced me to by taking an oath on your name. Only then did I wear it.”

Hearing this Sri Gusainji was content and kept quiet. Then he said, “My Nagaji is like that! However, he must have left by now.”

It was the middle of the night when Nagaji prostrated in front of Sri Gusainji’s door and then set off. It took him a few days to reach Rajnagar. There he met with the Emperor and managed to extend the Hakim of Godhra’s lease. Then he returned to Godhra. He had not had to spend any money for the sake of extending the lease, so the Hakim was very pleased when Nagaji gave it to him. He presented Nagaji with a very nice robe of honour which Nagaji wore to go home. In this way Nagaji was the recipient of Sri Gusainji’s grace.


This serialized translation of the Braj Bhasha book, 252 Vaishnavan ki varta is being made available by Krishnaa Kinkari, who has been studying and practising in the Pushti Marg tradition for many years. Her website is here for those who would like to communicate with her or to purchase her books.

The post Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: The Story of Nagaji Bhat (Part 2) appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

UP government planning development of Jawahar Bagh

$
0
0

Mathura, 2016.06.16 (Indian Express): Days after it wrested control of the Jawahar Bagh from the squatters following a violent clash, the state government has decided to turn some of the 270-acre land into an amusement park with all the civic amenities for the residents in Mathura.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had visited the city two days ago with sources in the government saying he floated the idea upon his return.

As per plans, the state’s Horticulture Department, which initially owned the land until a cult group took the property under its illegal control, will convert 100.22 acres of the total area into a park along the lines of Lucknow’s Ram Manohar Lohia and Janeshwar Mishra parks.

The government Wednesday contacted private architects who had helped with the design of the two parks in the capital city, sources said.

 


The post UP government planning development of Jawahar Bagh appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vraja Vilasa: Krishna’s priya-narma-sakha Subal

$
0
0

I offer my obeisances unto Subala, the embodiment of overwhelming love, who loves Krishna, the moon of Gokula, so much that even in dreams he won’t let go of his hand, afraid he will be separated from him, and whose heart is showered by the stream of Sri Radhika’s love.


VERSE 22

gāḍhānurāga-bharato virahasya bhītyā
svapne’pi gokula-vidhor na jahāti hastam
yo rādhikā-praṇaya-nirjhara-sikta-cetās
taṁ prema-vihvala-tanuṁ subalaṁ namāmi

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā : In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises Krishna’s priya-narma-sakhā Sri Subala. The priya narma sakhās are Krishna’s greatest friends in Vraja, and of them Subala is the chief.

priya narma vayasyās tu pūrvato’pyabhito varāḥ;
atyantika rahasyeṣu yuktā bhāva viśeṣiṇaḥ;
subalārjuna gandharvās te vasantojjvalādayaḥ.

“The priya narma sakhās are greater even than the suhṛt, sakhās and priya sakhās, because they have a special mood towards Krishna (an absorption of sakhī-bhāva) and are engaged in very intimate services (like secretly assisting Krishna’s sweethearts). Subala, Arjuna, Gandharva, Vasanta, Ujjvala and Madhumangal are some of Krishna’s priya narma-friends.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.3.43)

Their intimate friendship is depicted as follows:

rādhā-sandeśa-vṛndaṁ kathayati subalaḥ paśya kṛṣṇasya karṇe
śyāmā kandarpa-lekhaṁ nibhṛtam upaharatyujjvalaḥ pāṇi-padme
pālī tāmbūlam āsye vitarati caturaḥ kokilo mūrdhṇi-dhatte
tārā-dāmeti narma praṇayi sahacarās tanvi tanvanti sevām

One of Krishna’s dūtīs (girl-messenger) told another one: “Look, Subala is whispering news about Radha into Krishna’s ear, Ujjvala places Śyāmā’s love-letter into his lotushand in a secret place, Catura places a pān in his mouth from Pālī and Kokila places a garland made by Tārā on his head. In this way the priya narma sakhās remain engaged in Sri Krishna’s service!” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.3.44)

priya narma vayasyeṣu prabalau subalojjvalau

Subala and Ujjvala are the greatest of the priya narma sakhās.

Subala’s beauty is extraordinary –

tanu ruci vijita hiraṇyaṁ hari-dayitaṁ hāriṇam harid-vasanam
subalaṁ kuvalaya-nayanaṁ nayanandita bāndhavaṁ vande

I praise Hari’s dear friend Subala, whose bodily luster defeats gold, who wears a necklace and a green dhotī, whose eyes resemble blue lotus flowers and who delights his friends!

Das Goswami says: “…he who loves Krishna, the moon of Gokula, so much that even in dreams he won’t let go of his hand, afraid he will be separated from him.” A great lover cannot tolerate separation from the beloved. In sakhya bhāva the separation from the beloved is naturally felt very strongly.

For a śānta bhakta there is neither meeting nor separation. They know that the Lord, who is the Supreme Brahma, pervades the world warp and woof. Therefore their hearts are peaceful and still like the quiet ocean. The ocean of their hearts is not stirred by waves of meeting and separation. They are always satisfied by seeing the Lord in their hearts.

The dāsya-bhaktas (servant-devotees), however, cannot be satisfied simply by seeing the Lord within the heart; they are anxious to attain the service of his lotus feet. Therefore they experience meeting and separation. Still, under the influence of hesitation and reverence, they think that they cannot remove these feelings of separation by themselves without the grace of the Lord and so they look towards the Lord for his merciful glance and get some peace of mind back.

But the Lord’s friends in Vraja almost die of misery and lamentation when they don’t see Krishna for even a moment. Of them again Subala is called gāḍhānurāgī, which means that he is not only afraid to be separated from Krishna in the daytime when he is awake, but even in his dreams he cannot let go of his hand!

Sri Krishna is called Gokula-vidhu, or the moon of Gokula because like the moon he cools off the senses (go-kula) of Sri Subala, who is afflicted by feelings of separation from him.

When Sri Krishna sports with Sri Radha and other sweethearts the līlā-śakti arranges for him to be separated from his cowherdboyfriends for a while. But the priya narma sakhās like Subala, who have taken shelter of sakhī-bhāva, are not even separated from Sri Krishna when he unites with his sweethearts. Therefore Das Goswami says: yo rādhikā-praṇaya-nirjhara-sikta-cetāḥ: “Subala is always showered by the stream of Sri Radhika’s love.”

Sri Radharani loves Subala even more than her own life-airs, because he is her greatest assistant in meeting Sri Krishna. Sri Subala, who takes shelter of sakhī-bhāva in the ultimate stage, is blessed with the qualification to render many intimate services during Sri Radha and Krishna’s pastimes of meeting, by Srimati’s grace.

pratyāvartayati prasādya lalanāṁ krīḍā kali-prasthitāṁ
śayyāṁ kuñja-gṛhe karotyaghabhidaḥ kandarpa-līlocitām
svinnaṁ vījayati priyā hṛdi parisrastāṅgam uccair amuṁ
kva śrīmān adhikāritāṁ naḥ subalaḥ sevā vidhau vindati

Sri Rūpa Manjari addressed a girlfriend who was very devoted to Subala, saying: “Sakhi! For which services to Sri Krishna is Subala not eligible? When a quarrel arises between Sri Krishna and his beloveds in the course of their pastimes, Subala goes to Krishna’s sweethearts and pacifies them with different humble words, thus convincing them to return to him. He makes a wonderful playbed fit for erotic pastimes for Sri Krishna in the kuñja-cottages, and when Krishna becomes tired of lovemaking and falls exhausted on his beloved’s (Sri Radha’s) breasts, Subala picks up a fan and fans them.”

Another explanation we have already mentioned. the word praṇaya means that the beloved considers his own hands and feet to be nondifferent from those of the beloved. The līlā-śakti works so wonderfully that there is an amazing similarity between Subala’s face, hands and feet and the same limbs of Sri Radharani, so that Subala can wear Radha’s dress and stay in Jatila’s house, while Sri Radha can go out to meet Sri Krishna dressed like Subala without Jatila or Kutila noticing a thing. Because Subala renders such wonderful services, by which he saves virahinī Radha’s life, Sri Radha constantly showers him with the stream of her love. Das Goswami offers his obeisances to this Sri Subala, who is called prema-vihvala-tanu, “the embodiment of ecstatic love for Krishna.”

gāḍha anurāge yei viraha bhayete;
svapne-o govinda hasta nā pāre chāḍite
śrī rādhāra aphuranta praṇaya nirjhare;
citta abhiṣikta yāra śuddha kalevara
kṛṣṇa preṣṭha se subala sakhāya namaskāra

I offer my obeisances unto Krishna’s dear friend Subala, who, out of great loving fear, cannot let go of Govinda’s hand even in dreams, whose heart is constantly showered by the endless stream of Sri Radha’s love and whose pure transcendental body is filled with prema.


anantadas_thumb

800080;”>Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

800080;”>More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Vraja Vilasa: Krishna’s priya-narma-sakha Subal appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan: The Human Sanctuary

$
0
0

Joshua NashThe following essay by Joshua Nash was first published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies in 2015 (24(1): 55-66). Joshua Nash is a linguist and an environmentalist. His research intersects ethnography, the anthropology of religion, architecture, pilgrimage studies, and language documentation. He has conducted linguistic fieldwork on Norfolk Island, South Pacific and Kangaroo Island, South Australia, environmental and ethnographic fieldwork in Vrindavan, India, and architectural research in outback Australia. You can find out more about him here.

This is the first of three parts.


Abstract: This critical essay explicates several key ideas associated with Vrindavan environmentalism and the hypothesizing of the holy pilgrimage town as a Human Sanctuary. The nature and rationale of environmental fieldwork spanning more than 17 years is outlined along with the foundation of the resultant philosophy which is labelled the Vrindavan Ecological Concept (VEC). Several connections between idealized scriptural depiction of the town of Vrindavan as the center of Vraj pilgrimage and actual modern environmental manifestations are made which lead to a posing of Vrindavan as place and ecological idea(l) as a reconciliation of past, current, and possible environmental futures. Self-introspection (sadhana) lies at the (human focused) center of this resolution and harmonization. [First published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Vrindavan is unusual, and faces special ecological problems. . . . it is also a specifically religious problem for the devotee of Krishna. . . . Pilgrims come to Vrindavan with the hope of seeing Krishna’s land, that is, having darshan of God in the form of his ponds and forests. . . . Devotees have cited the appearance of the region as causing despair. . . . The conflict between descriptions in ancient devotional texts and the reality of Vrindavan today is stark.1

Vrindavan is everywhere

To be granted “sanctuary” can be equated with being granted asylum. Philip Marfleet tells us about early sanctuary and how it relates to the nonsecular:

The Church had disseminated ideas about refuge across Europe, so that one of the most consistent features of religious observance throughout the medieval period was acceptance of the special status of cathedrals, abbeys, monasteries, shrines and local places of worship as sanctuaries . . . 2

Sanctuaries have been associated directly with the gods, with the sacred. Often they were specifically designated spaces in the inner area of temples or other places of worship, which contained manifested representations of deities and symbols—statues, paintings, engravings—and were used for rituals including offerings and sacrifices. The Greek sanctuary “was a sacred space located within or outside city walls or in the countryside near springs, rivers, caves, hilltops, woods (‘sacred groves’) and other natural phenomena.”3

I apply the idea of sanctuary as “sacred grove” to the trinity of Human-Nature-Divine as a conceivable and appreciable complex within scriptural and modern realizations of Vrindavan ecology. Specifically, I employ what is not yet a well-known catchphrase within academic and Vaishnava circles—Vrindavan: The Human Sanctuary—to explicate the basis of the Vrindavan Environmental Concept (VEC), a philosophical, practical, and sadhana focused directive I have been a part of since first traveling to Vrindavan as an environmentalist pilgrim in 1998.

RanchorPrime2

Ranchor Prime

Modern environmental concerns are not new to Vrindavan. Friends of Vrindavan (FoV), set up in 1996 by British devotee and writer Ranchor (Richard) Prime, the Word Wide Fund for Nature–India’s Vrindavan Conservation Project (WWF– India’s VCP), begun in 1991 as the Vrindavan Forest Revival Project, and many other environmental initiatives have existed and continue to exist for more than three decades. These directives comprise what I term the modern Vrindavan environmental movement, a loose descriptor for a conglomerate of Indian based and international people and bodies who do not necessarily agree on what Vrindavan conservation should entail. The position I take is based in my practical and personal involvement with local Vrindavan sadhak, ecologist, and teacher Shri Hitkinkar Sevak Sharan and our development of the VEC.4

Hitakinkar Shri Sewak Sharanji

Hitakinkar Shri Sewak Sharanji

I entered Vrindavan for the first time in early 1998 around the time WWF– India’s VCP was drawing to a close. At that time, Sevakji was the director of the project, after which he retired to his garden ashram (hermitage) at Lata Bhavan (“the Abode of Flora and Fauna”), also know as Tehriwala Bagicha on the Parikrama Marg, the circumambulation path around the town. The personal report I wrote which described my experiences as an outsider being a part of a once burgeoning project was one of the final documents ascribed to the work of WWF–India in Vrindavan.5

Although quite a naïve and unpolished piece of work, I eventually tended several of these nascent ideas in the fertile devotional, emotional, and spiritual soil of Lata Bhavan in subsequent years, primarily from 2003–2011. While the details of the relationship between Sevakji and myself, the sadhana practice we devised based on environmental principles, and the VEC philosophy are the subject of a forthcoming book, this shorter essay serves a briefer and more precise program: to summarize a philosophical core around which the basis of the following argument can stand: Vrindavan is a human sanctuary because Vrindavan — as a metaphor for nature, the world, jagat — is everywhere.

Vrindavan = Nature + Divinity

The external reason I travelled to the subcontinent was to work for WWF–India. The internal reason was associated with the seeking of adventure, language, culture, and eventually a way to reconcile my own personal conflict and internal journeying as a devotee and as an environmentalist as well. In this sense, my presentation is both a personal document and an objective documentary. I am both the sadhak and the writer. Although Sevakji at this time was the director of the VCP, a position, title, and job I believe he most likely was not overly interested in pursuing, by the late 1990s he was the most qualified candidate to continue the work WWF–India had begun on the Project in 1991.

By the time I arrived, Vrindavan had already had a steady influx of Western pilgrims, the majority arriving in the early 1970s, with some in the late 1960s, in connection with Bhaktivedanta Swami’s then rapidly expanding Krishna consciousness movement: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). There had by this time been serious interest, both Western and Indian, in protecting the town as a cultural and religious pilgrimage centre of significance, around which the environmental focus was paramount.

Vrindavan was posed on the world environmental stage as a pilot case study in religion and environment in 1986 when some 800 people gathered for the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy. My 1998 impressions are critical. I believe I caught a glimpse of a Vrindavan which is no longer, one of an unasphalted Parikrama Marg, a final moment before what seems to have become a hyper commercialization and commodification of Krishna consciousness and Vrindavan pilgrimage. The cogs of this system were moving forward by the late 1990s but the wheels were not yet in full motion. The fact that one could still find resting places of ecological significance and potential quietude during one’s pilgrimage around the town stands in glaring contrast to the mushrooming Delhi-esque suburbia that lines the now highway-like Parikrama Marg.

The preliminary thoughts relating to my work as an environmentalist and a devotee, and their connection to the state of the Vrindavan environment and to researching the history, philosophy, and ontology of Vrindavan perspectives on the environment led to my sadhana practice there and my deeper study of Vrindavan environmentalism. When I returned to Vrindavan in the heat of May 2003, by which time I was 27 years old, I was more equipped to appreciate the depth of experience that Sevakji possessed of both practical Vrindavan ecological understanding as well as its ontological and sadhana-based realities. I wanted to learn more, and I felt able to grapple with and note down the majority of the ideas he was presenting. For 14 days I sat, listened, and wrote by Sevakji’s blackboard and chalk slate, tools from another age that appeared to work just as well as any modern technology available at that time.

I questioned Sevakji on the intricacies of the eco-philosophy he had developed around his own sadhana practice, his nature worship as he called it. He and his wife, Shrimati Chitra Sharan, had embarked upon this spiritual journey learning directly from nature since the beginning of their stay at Lata Bhavan in the Atal Van area on the Parikrama Marg in Shri Vrindavan Dham. The garden, which began as a desolate landscape back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, became one of the last remaining natural hermitage ashrams in Vrindavan. My 2003 stay with Sevakji led to more than five years of intense association with Sevakji, his wife, and his garden ashram within the greater Vrindavan community, an association that is ongoing.


NOTES

1. Sullivan, B. (1998). “Theology and ecology at the birthplace of Krsna.” In Purifying the earthly body of God: Religion and ecology in Hindu India, Lance E. Nelson (ed.) New York: SUNY, pp. 253–254.

2. P. Marfleet (2011), Understanding ‘Sanctuary’: Faith and Traditions of Asylum, Journal of Refugee Studies 24(3), p. 440-441.

3. Ibid, p. 442.

4. I affectionately refer to Shri Hitkinkar Sevak Sharan Ji throughout as Sevakji.

5. This document was published in hard copy as J. Nash (1998). Vrindavan conservation – A perspective. New Delhi: WWF-India. It was available online at HYPERLINK “http://www. fov.org.uk/india/report.html” http://www.fov.org.uk/india/report.html until 2013 but is now offline. Digital copies are in possession of the author.

The post Vrindavan: The Human Sanctuary appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: Nagaji Bhat (Part 3)

$
0
0

Once, Sri Gusainji traveled to Dwaraka. On the way back he stopped at Dakor where he had the holy sight of Sri Ranachodji. There was a Sri Ramlakshman temple there and he stayed there. He was sitting outside the temple when Nagaji also arrived there, carrying mangoes. He put 200 mangoes in a basket, presented them to Sri Gusainji and then bowed low to him. Seeing the lovely mangoes Sri Gusainji instructed Nagaji to take them and offer them to Sri Ranachodlalji before returning with the prasad. He told Nagaji to most definitely have the holy sight of Sri Ranachodlalji. He also told him to have a ritual shave and bathe in the Gomati river before coming back.


Nagaji objected, “O Maharaj! What do I have to do with Ranchodlal? I am completely satisfied simply by having your sight. ” Hearing this Sri Gusainji said, “No, Nagaji, don’t say that. Go take the mangoes to the store there and after have the holy sight of Sri Ranachodlalji. I shall wait here until you return having done this. I will not leave here until you come back.”

Hearing these orders from Sri Gusainji, Nagaji Bhat set off to have Sri Ranachodlalji’s holy sight. He first went for the holy sight of Sri Ranachodlalji, then offered the mangoes to the temple godown, had a ritual shave, bathed in the Gomati River and then went back to take his leave of Sri Ranachodlalji. When he entered the temple he saw that Sri Gusainji was offering paan bidas to the Lord. Sri Ranachodlalaji was sharing them with Sri Gusainji. Nagaji was most blessed to witness this scene. He then took his leave and departed. He proceeded to the Sri Ramlakshamanji temple and bowed low to Sri Gusainji. He supplicated, “O Maharaj! You instructed me to go to see Sri Ranachodlalji. By doing so I am blessed with all sorts of happiness. I was able to see the Lord and you together in that one place; thus I am very very happy.

Sri Gusainji was pleased and said, “Sri Acharyaji started the worship of Sri Ranachodlalji at this place; therefore it has a special relationship to me.

Bhavaprakasha: Vaishnavas should only visit holy pilgrimage spots whilst keeping the awareness of their relationship to Sri Acharyaji. They should not go there out of an attraction to their importance and potency to grant merit. Visiting a holy place whilst contemplating its merits is anyāśraya, [disloyalty, taking shelter elsewhere.] Sri Acharyaji toured the earth three times in order to establish the worship of the Lord in all the holy places. Vaishnavas should therefore go to pilgrimage spots only to know their relationship to Sri Acharyaji. This is why Sri Gusainji told Nagaji to be shaved and then to bathe in the Gomati River. Sri Acharyaji established the worship of Sri Ranachodlalji, so Vaishnavas should definitely visit this place. For this very reason Sri Gusainji frequently visited Dwaraka because of the closeness of Sri Acharyaji to the town of Dwaraka.

Soon after Sri Gusainji, taking Nagaji with him, departed from that place and set up camp in a village named Gangasadi. He bathed and began to cook. Nagaji went out to a cactus forest. There were mango trees hidden within it. Nagaji brought four hundred mangoes and presented them to Sri Gusainji, who asked him why he had brought them to him and not to Sri Ranachodlalji and why he had concealed them from him. Nagaji replied, “O Maharaj, I have sold myself into your hands. It is you who introduced me to Sri Ranachodlalji. Only then did I know who he is. I have left everything simply to serve your feet. Therefore please accept these mangoes.”


Hearing Nagaji’s plea Sri Gusainji was very pleased. He took the mangoes into his hands and began to look at them. They were very beautiful fruits. Sri Gusainji said, “These mangoes are worthy of Sri Nathaji, how can I take them? Therefore take them to Sri Nathadwar [Jatipura] and offer them there to Sri Nathaji and after He has accepted them I will partake of them. ”

[Note: At this time Sri Nathaji was still residing in his temple in Jatipura on the Sri Govardhan Mountain. Thus it was known as Srijidwar or Nathadwar.]

Bhavaprakasha: All things of the very best quality should be offered first to the Beloved. Then only may one partake of them. This is the strict rule of this Path of Grace. Therefore Sri Gusainji refused to accept the mangoes for himself before offering them to Sri Nathaji. This is the way of true love.

When he heard this Nagaji immediately set out for Sri Nathdwar using a camel loaded with 200 mangoes on each side. He traveled both day and night. He arrived in Nathdwar on the fourth day and gave 200 mangoes to Ramdas who was the head priest. Nagaji asked him to quickly write a receipt. Ramdas said, “You have only just arrived. Please stay here for a few days more.” But Nagaji said that he had to get on his way, and that he would like to get the receipt straight away. Ramdas wrote a receipt for 200 mangoes.


Nagaji’s thought was that he should go and present the other mangoes to Sri Navanitpriyaji in Gokul, so that Sri Gusainji would not need to send him there again. Nagaji then went to Gokul and there presented 200 mangoes to Sri Giridharji. He bowed low to him and asked, “O, Maharaj! Please give me a receipt right now.”

Sri Giridharaji asked him to stay there for some more time, “You have just arrived so why leave now?” Nagaji replied that he had to get back to Sri Gusainji and that he needed the receipt straight away. Sri Giridharji wrote out the receipt for 200 mangoes. Nagaji prostrated before him and quickly set off. He traveled day and night and reached Sri Gusainji on the third day.

Then he loaded seven hundred mangoes onto a female camel and brought them back but he hid them from Sri Gusainji. When Sri Gusainji had taken his bath and entered into seva then Nagaji came into the seva to assist him. Nagaji fetched 200 beautiful mangoes, prepared hem and brought them there. He prepared juice from some of them and filled four bowls with it. Having prepared the other 100 he approached Sri Gusainji.

Sri Gusainji said, “O, Nagaji, I have already told you that these mangoes are fit for Sri Nathaji and Sri Navanitpriyaji and that I would not accept them before that. Nagaji then showed him the two receipt letters, one from Ramdas and one from Sri Giridharji. After reading these two letters Sri Gusainji was extremely pleased. He said to Nagaji, “Sri Nathaji has partaken, so has Sri Navanitpriyaji, and within their partaking I have also partaken. Why did you not just leave all the mangoes there? Why did you bring them here to me?”

Bhavaprakasha: The reason for his statement is that Sri Gusainji was at that time residing at a distance from Sri Navanitpriyaji and Sri Nathaji. Therefore he was experiencing pangs of separation from them. In the state of separation there remains a renunciation of all sensual functions. Thus he would only eat for the sake of body sustenance.

Hearing this Nagaji bowed low to Sri Gusainji and supplicated, “O Maharaj! You are the one who introduced me to both Sri Nathaji and Sri Navanitpriyaji. Therefore you alone are my all in all. When you partake then I shall be happy. I am the servant of your lotus feet.”

Bhavaprakasha : This is the correct attitude that should exist between the master and the servant. If Nagaji had spoken of himself as the direct servant of the Lord then he would have been putting himself at the same level as Sri Gusainj. Therefore he spoke of himself as the servant of Sri Gusainji’s lotus feet and said that he would only be happy when Sri Gusainji had partaken. This is the correct and worthy behaviour for a servant.

Hearing Sri Nagaji’s plea Sri Gusainji took the bowl of mango juice and the mangoes into the kitehen. He then offered them to Sri Thakurji and at the corrct lapse of time received the mangoes as prasad. After settling the Lord down comfortable he ate some of the prasadi mangoes.

Bhavaprakasha: Sri Gusainji’s nature is to fulfill the wishes of the devotees. Since it was Nagaji’s wish he ate some of the mangoes.


The post Legends of the Pushti Marg saints: Nagaji Bhat (Part 3) appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Human Sanctuary: The Vrindavan Environmental Concept

$
0
0

This is the second of a three part series. Go to Part One.


I now wish to chronicle the personal connection and involvement between Sevakji and myself. It is our cooperation and the combined sadhana-focused aspiration that was driven by an environmental integrity represented by Vrindavan. Sevakji’s own practice and work and my own pilgrimage-focused seeking and personal spiritual practice (sadhana) within India and elsewhere informs my presentation.

There are several conceptual foundations of the Vrindavan Environmental Concept (VEC). It is worth repeating an already published summation in order to inform my explication of modern environmental perspectives relevant to a more perennial conceiving of Vrindavan as an abstract model of idealized ecological thought and behavior:

1. Vrindavan is conceptualized both as the transcendental realm of Krishna and the physical environment. Both of these locations are very important ecologically, with the latter serving as a terrestrial representation of the former.

2. Religious and spiritual methods of understanding Krishna theology and its relationship to Vrindavan must involve ecological considerations.

3. The mismatch between scriptural depictions and the actual physical state of Vrindavan reflects a lack of balance in human priorities and human mismanagement.

4. Idealized stances including the idea that only the transcendental Vrindavan matters as opposed to managing and addressing the current ecological state of the terrestrial Vrindavan are not taken seriously.

5. Self-introspection (sadhana) and spiritual practice through service (seva) are integral to achieving a balanced personal state for the individual and hence a balanced ecological state with the natural and cultural world. Krishna’s personal example of self-balance and its resultant nature-world balance serves as a model of personal ecological awareness creation and environmentalism.

6. In Vrindavan, nature is inherently divine. Trees, plants and animals are our teachers, and we should become aware of their divinity and worship them.

7. Ontologically, the actual location of Vrindavan provides the understanding that any place or environment, when perceived with awareness of its inherent divinity, is Vrindavan. The raison d’être of Krishna’s incarnation as an environmentalist in Vrindavan is to teach and live this.7

Within the underlying philosophy of the VEC is the premise that nature—realized appreciably in the world as Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh—is holy and deific. The natural world of Vrindavan is an integral aspect of the posing of the four compositional elements of a devotee’s sadhana practice: nam, rupa, leela, and dham. It has been Sevakji’s position since his chintan (contemplation, meditation) about the inner meaning and role of the dham of Vrindavan began in his childhood, and which developed into more evolved philosophical and scriptural based thinking in the mid-late 1970s, that of the four elements of sadhana, dham (place, physical environment, nature) is the most available, most present, and easiest element to approach.

This stance is at odds with many of the more conventional forms of Krishna worship both in and beyond the devotional confines of modern Vrindavan, i.e., those schools that advocate chanting the holy names of Krishna (nam), worship of the deity of Krishna (rupa), and meditation on the pastimes (leela) of Krishna.

The VEC and Sevakji’s point of view is that nam-sadhana, rupa-sadhana, and leela sadhana are contained within a dham-sadhana—a self aware or what he termed a concentric dham-sadhana. When Sevakji began his environmental work in earnest in the 1970s, most Vrindavan temple traditions maintained, and still maintain today, nam-sadhana as the principal basis of leading a spiritual existence. The departure away from an explicitly focused nam-sadhana toward an inculcation of the role of dham sadhana in personal and group devotional life has several crucial implications.

First, modern environmentalism and environmental science are implied within sadhana-driven and ecologically aware spiritual practice. Second, through a reconciliation of “other-worldliness” and “this-worldliness,” the devotee’s preoccupation with “Krishna-loka” and “the spiritual world” rather than “the material world” or the “here-and-now” is appeased. The human is in the material/natural world; if the human is able to conceive, perceive, and realize nature as teacher, the source, and the representation of the Divine (Krishna) in the world and God made flesh, the trinity of Humanity-Nature-Divinity is achieved. This philosophical treatise can be typified as a mathematical equation:

Vrindavan = Nature + Divinity

That is, when/where the aspirant looks to nature with divine vision, that place becomes Vrindavan. And that place, which becomes Vrindavan, the place where there is consonance in the Humanity-Nature-Divinity trinity, becomes a Human Sanctuary, a place of sanctity, solace, and the sacred. This understanding, which came to Sevakji around the time I was first in Vrindavan, forms the fundament of the sadhana practice synthesizing a nature focused, dham-sadhana-centric process. We termed such sadhana hit-sadhana (compassionate devotional practice), with the hit element being derived from Sevakji’s family association with Hit Hari Vansh Goswami and the Radha-Vallabh Sampradaya.7

This individual and group sadhana is intended to take place in nature within what is hoped would involve vibrant environment-culture interaction. The significance of the natural and cultural environment of the terrestrial modern Vrindavan is both implicated and implied. Radha and Krishna’s land is not only our source of inspiration and vision; Vrindavan is our teacher and ecological and aesthetic sustainer.

Although everywhere is Vrindavan (provided the sadhak or pilgrim has the correct vision to make the Vrindavan = Nature + Divinity scenario a reality), the actual town’s physical environment and devotional culture have a vital role to play. If nothing else, according to scriptures from all of the prevalent temple traditions, Vrindavan should render the epitome of environmental awareness and thus divine awareness real. Those who have seen the modern state of the town would most likely agree that its physical environmental condition has little of the bucolic scriptural descriptions that we expect of Radha-Krishna’s cosmic stadium of delight, especially of the sort we hear in, for example, Hari Vansh Goswami’s Hit Chaurasi Pad:

1. Come, wise Radhika! For your sake Shyam has arranged a round dance, a store of joy, on the bank of the Yamuna:

2. groups of young girls dance in great eagerness at the music and merriment as the joyful flute, source of delight, is playing.

3 . In that most pleasing place near the Vamshi vata a soft breeze blows from the [sandal-clad] Malaya mountain, yielding all joys.

4. the forest is strongly fragrant with half-blown jasmine, and there is bright moonlight in the full-moon autumn night.

5. Cowherd girl, feast your eyes on Naravahana’s Lord, whose head-to-toe beauty removes the agony of desire;

6. lady! Experience this ocean of delight, rejoice with your arms joined around his neck. For Shyama’s sport in the fresh bower is worthy of the world’s praise!8

There is obviously a large chasm between an idealized Vrindavan and how the town appears today. Because I have not visited the town since July 2011, I am unable to comment on any subsequent changes to the physical, social, and religious environment since this time. Still, my position in this section is more philosophical than empirical, less actual and more abstracted and hopeful. Because of its place in the theological and cultural literature of northern India and particularly the Radha-Vallabh and Gaudiya temple traditions that are so prominent, one could proffer that Vrindavan should and would be held in the highest ecological esteem, a place where the sanctity of nature, humanity, and the Divine could be realized, lived, and experienced.

Although this equation does not exist in the way modern Vrindavan subsists to my eyes, this zero kelvin-cum-ground zero posing of Vrindavan does not offer much to thought experiments and actual pilot studies of religion and ecology. While the actual town of Vrindavan is being developed, sub-divided, and the last remaining tracts of nature are all but gone, Vrindavan consciousness or the essence of Vrindavan remains.

As sad as it may be that the present town is in such a degraded ecological state, lesson can definitely be learned: Vrindavan is not only a place in western Uttar Pradesh, India, but is, with the right self, other, and nature consciousness, everywhere.

It is this point of view that led to the reconciliation of what is apparently a large contradiction in theological and manifested precepts: if Krishna, the Divine, is “all powerful,” “all knowing,” and is actually Bhagavan, the possessor of all opulences and powers, why would He let His earthly abode, which is so important when considered a part of the nam-rupa-leela-dham rubric of ecological awareness and consciousness, fall into such a denuded state?

The answer that has arisen out of many years of experimentation appears quite simple but has a deep purport: because Vrindavan is actually not only a geographical place but is everywhere as long as we humans and seekers are able to see or have the drishti (vision) to see and experience Vrindavan. And this revelation comes from looking at and perceiving nature with a divine vision and through being introverted and personally reflective. In brief, through living a life full of chintan.

 

Lata Bhavan (Atal Chungi)


This essay was first published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies in 2015 (24(1): 55-66). This is the second of a three part series. Go to Part One.

The post Human Sanctuary: The Vrindavan Environmental Concept appeared first on Vrindavan Today.


BVHA statement on Yamuna Ghat development project

$
0
0

Vrindavan, 2016.06.18 (VT): This is the text of the letter sent by members of the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance to register a protest against the design and layout of the Yamuna River Front Development Project in Vrindavan.

To,

  1. The Principal Secretary, Department of Irrigation, Govt. of U.P., Lucknow
  2. The Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh
  3. The Divisional Commissioner, Agra
  4. District Magistrate, Mathura
  5. The Vice Chairman, Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority, Mathura

Dear Sir,

With this letter we would like to bring your kind attention to the River Front Development Project that is currently being executed on the Yamuna River in Vrindavan. After visiting the site of work and receiving information from reliable sources about the design and layout of the project, we are very much concerned about the future of the Yamuna Ghats and the river flood plain.

We have met several administrative officers including two District Magistrates (i.e., Shri Rajesh Kumar, on 20th May, 2016, who has now been transferred after the Jawawar Bag, and the present District Magistrate Shri Nikhil Chandra Shukla, on 8th June), to procure a copy of the Detailed Project Report.

We have also met the Chief Development Officer; the Vice Chairman of the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority and other officials in earlier occasions to understand the components of the project. Unfortunately, none of them could provide us any satisfactory information about the project nor made the copy of the DPR available.

We have been told by the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department of Mathura that a new ghat of 15 meters will be built beyond Keshi Ghat, which is the only ghat where the Yamuna has touched any of the ghats in recent times.

keshighatThe proposed new ghats can never match the beautiful architectural patterns, pillars, arches, jharokhas, of the ancient ghats. Building new ghats as the extension of the old ghats will further distance the Yamuna from Keshi Ghat and other ghats. This appears to be blatant violation of the rules made for the rivers.

Jugal_Kishor-Temple (Braj Discovery)Moreover, Keshi Ghat is known for its panoramic view of unmatched architecture, which is situated right next to the ASI protected monument of Jugal Kishore temple, within 100 meter aerial distance of the monument.

The ancient ghats were built where the Yamuna touched the land of Vrindavan. The ghats were named after the pastimes of Lord Krishna, thus the faith of the devotees are linked with these Ghats. Keshi Ghat was built resembling the pastime of killing the Keshi Demon, the clothes of Gopis were stolen at Cheer Ghat, Krishna became a bumblebee at Bhramar Ghat and so on.

With less water flowing in the river Yamuna due to the construction of barrages upstream, the garbage, debris and rubble were thrown onto the Yamuna flood plain, which eventually piled up to to a height of 20 ft, in many cases burying the ancient ghats. The illegal dumping was later paved over to build a road for motorable purposes.

There are only a few ghats left nearby which the Yamuna flows during the monsoon season. We would like to see a sufficient flow of water maintained so that the river remains close to the original ghats all round the year. The Yamuna could be brought back to at least some of its old ghats with only a little effort. The proposal of filling the river bed with soil will lead to disastrous consequences in future.

In some places like Imlitala, Shringar Bat, Ranapat Ghat, etc., the Yamuna flows right up to the illegal road built between the ghats and the Yamuna. Here, the Yamuna bank is being filled with sand and soil up to the road level. We were informed that trees will be planted there. We encourage the forestation, but filling up the Yamuna bank further to the road up to 10 -15 feet height will not allow the Yamuna to come back to its ghats or even to the so-called road.

The construction of the new ghats beyond the Parikrama Marg on the river bank will legitimize the illegal encroachment on the Yamuna Flood Plain.

We have come to know from the reliable sources and local media that a parallel drain will be dug beside the river, which will be released three four kilometers away in the forests, without any treatment. There is no provision of building a sewage treatment plant (STP) in the project. Consequently, the ground water will be polluted, and it may pollute the river again.

Allowing the project to continue without environmental impact and social impact assessment will result in irreversible damage to the ecology and heritage of Vrindavan. Historically, the Yamuna river system as a whole provided ecosystem services such as natural flood water control, ground water recharging, habitats for different flora and fauna, promoting biodiversity, and ameliorating adverse climatic conditions. Years of encroachment and dumping effectively sanctioned by urban planning and urban governance decisions made by the local governments, further threaten this interconnected water lever system.

Apparently, the project being executed on the bank of Yamuna is disastrous for the environment, culture and heritage of Vrindavan. We fear that a well intended project of the government may end up on the line of the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor Project which brought down the Mayawati Government in 2003.

Kindly arrange to provide us a copy of the DPR and ensure transparency in the project by taking suggestions from all stakeholders.

Shrivatsa Goswami, Gopeshwarnath Chaturvedi and Madhumangal Shukla

Shrivatsa Goswami, Gopeshwarnath Chaturvedi and Madhumangal Shukla

Thanking you,
With regards,
Yours faithfully,

Madhumangal Shukla, Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi
(Members of the Braj-Vrindavan Heritage Alliance)

Also see: BVHA will institute legal challenge against Gov’t Yamuna riverfront project.

 

The post BVHA statement on Yamuna Ghat development project appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan temples fill with the fragrance of Mogra on Nirjala Ekadashi

$
0
0

Vrindavan, 2016.06.16 (VT): The Nirjala Ekadashi observed amid various religious celebrations in Vrindavan. The sanctum sanctorum, walls, pillars of the temples were heavily decorated with mogra flowers, which abound in the season. The beautiful scent and the snow white artistry in the flower decorations create an ethereal atmosphere and fill every heart with sublime joy. The premises of the different temples were filled with the fragrance of mogra, bela, juhi, champa and other flowers.

Thakur Banke Bihari gave darshan to his devotees from inside the ‘Pushp Nikunj’, or flower grove. The devotees were mesmerized by the darshan of Thakur Radha Ballabh on Nauka Vihar, riding a boat full of mangoes. Hundreds of devotees gathered in the Radha Raman Temple to have a glimpse of their adored Radha Raman Lal decorated with flowers.  The fountains in front of the deities were sending a thin spray of water into the air to give the deities and the devotees relief from the scorching heat.

The devotees kept fast with complete faith and celebrated the fasting by donating fruits, water pitchers, hand fans, clothes etc.  The ‘Panchkosi’ Parikrama began early in the morning, where devotees were chanting, dancing and performing the Parikrama. The Saptadevalaya Temples also attracted large crowds from early in the morning. Water and cold drinks were being distributed from the temples and every square of the temple town.

Nirjala Ekadashi is also known as Pandava Bhima Ekadashi, or Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi. The name is derived from Bhima, the second and strongest of the five Pandava brothers. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana narrates the story behind the Nirjala Ekadashi vrata. Bhima, a lover of food, wanted to observe all ekadashi fasts, but could not control his hunger. He approached the sage Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata and grandfather of the Pandavas for solution. The sage advised him to observe Nirjala Ekadashi, one day in the year fasting absolutely. Bhima attained the virtue of all 24 ekadashis, by observing Nirjala Ekadashi.

The post Vrindavan temples fill with the fragrance of Mogra on Nirjala Ekadashi appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Court intervenes in appointing the members in the temple’s managing committee

$
0
0

The post Court intervenes in appointing the members in the temple’s managing committee appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

The Human Sanctuary : Vrindavan consciousness and chintan

$
0
0

 

The practice of chintan requires a return to the symbolic representation and peacefulness of nature in human life. Chintan is a type of return, a sojourn into transcendence, to the Other, through the realization of the inherent divinity and immanence of nature and of the human condition in relation to the rest of existence. This vision is common to both Indian and Western “deep” environmental perspectives and is similar to the philosophy of deep ecology.9

Chintan develops an emotional thread related to a self and self with other focus within spiritual practice and awareness creation. Four aspects of the interrelationship between atma-chintan (contemplation on self) and prakriti-chintan (contemplation on nature) are:

  1. Self awareness
  2. Other awareness
  3. Nature awareness
  4. Societal (external) awareness.

These four are a summary in English of the four awarenesses or consciousnesses, which Sevakji and I developed in Lata Bhavan. From a scriptural perspective, these four levels of awareness can be labelled

  1. Krishna consciousness,
  2. Radha (or love) consciousness,
  3. Vrindavan consciousness, and
  4. Vraj consciousness

The relationship intersecting scriptural injunctions, Vrindavan conservation, and the practice of chintan gives insight into natural environmental change in the town and elsewhere and individual and group based reasons for this breakdown between the human, nature, and self. Based on his and his wife’s initial research in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, which was refined during my lengthy stays in Sevakji’s ashram in the 2000s, the need for a resolution and synthesis involving these four levels of our existence became obvious.

Our claim is that awareness of nature and our placement within ecology as not only custodians but integral chintan creatures pervades all of our dealings in life. And this is embodied in Krishna’s living and practical role as a transcendent environmentalist.

Vrindavan consciousness or Nature awareness is the state where we realize our connectivity, dependence, and role in the natural and cultural world and within the greater cosmic setup. In this domain it was Radha and Krishna as the dual cosmic entity and contradiction—yugal bhava—who expressed these blissful events in the sacred and secluded groves of the resplendent forest of Vrindavan. In seclusion, Radha and Krishna and their playmates enjoyed the forest splendor—van-vaibhava—and abundance of nature so much so that nature would be pleased and would continue to give. In fact, the more in consonance with nature Radha, Krishna, and their friends were, the more nature would give, more than they could ever receive. Their example shows us how we can live in consonance with ourselves, with our intimate partner, and close friends and thus enjoy the bounty of enjoyment in life that is only offered in and by living in close proximity to nature.

It is with an amalgamation of Vrindavan consciousness and Vraj consciousness or societal awareness, the awareness that we are living our lives in human society surrounded by customs, accepted behaviors, and norms that Radha and Krishna’s example really makes its impact as a yardstick for natural and societally balanced human behavior. That is, concentric behavior.

When we know ourselves, can group intimately with our partner and close friends, be natural and at peace with nature, then and only then can we lead a life that is balanced with the outer human world that is by nature generally egocentric. This is dubbed Vraj consciousness because it is in Krishna’s worldly pastimes in Vraj, the surrounding areas around Vrindavan, that he came into His own revealing his inner strength and self-mastery of the evolved being that He was. This is the culmination of these four aspects of cosmic worship as presented by modern environmental ideals in Vrindavan.

In this template the focus is on the human, the spectator in the game of life in the natural and bucolic setting consisting of the five elements of nature plus time in Indian cosmology—prithvi, jal, vayu, tej, akaash, kaal—the spectators being a societally yet self-aware onlooker being conscious of the cosmic drama as a play of spirit—Brahman—the Divine Center.

Is the actual Vrindavan necessary?

The focus of this polemical piece has been on an explication of the specific environmental case study of Lata Bhavan as it relates to greater environmental concerns in Vrindavan. I have argued that the ideals practiced and realized in Shri Sevak Sharan Ji’s ashram Lata Bhavan have not only an applicability to the greater Vrindavan environment but to ecological projects worldwide.

Although the empirical and practical research has focused entirely on an examination of Sevakji’s ashram and the role it plays as a case study of human-nature-divine interaction, the implications of this work extend well beyond the geography of this property, the town boundaries of Vrindavan, and even India. As long as the equation of Vrindavan = Nature + Divinity is adhered to, and that the sanctity of nature is maintained in any particular environment, that place can have the same spiritual vibration and environmental reverence as that which is required in the VEC of Vrindavan and elsewhere. With the awareness, clarity of purpose, and realizing the natural environment and its manifestations in and of culture are imbued with sanctity and divinity, the lessons of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan are applicable and attainable anywhere. So Vrindavan can be anywhere and everywhere can be Vrindavan providing the awareness and intent of human cultures are such that nature is held in the highest esteem.

What then for the actual pilgrimage town of Vrindavan? While this place of pilgrimage will undoubtedly continue to house pilgrims and the many devotional groups that converge year after year, my experience leads me to the position that I do not believe the state of the environment will improve substantially in the coming decades. Based on my observations of more than 17 years since first visiting Vrindavan, I have not seen many of the initiatives dedicated to improving the physical state of the environment lead to much success.

By success I mean that the town could be considered in a clean and ordered state with the management of the physical environment, e.g., garbage collection, planning, infrastructure, housing, and retail development, in a well kept, maintained, and dependable state. The conditions of and surrounding the main temple compounds and ashrams are less than ecologically ideal and are commonly in a disordered and dirty state.

From a purely physical point of view, Vrindavan is one of the most putrid and filthy places I have ever visited. Because it is the temples that are the principal pilgrimage and commercial drawcards, much of the environmental and conservation focus has been on the Parikrama Marg and the temple areas themselves. In brief, the town is not the most natural setting for an idyllic, modern playground of what-where RadhaKrishna leela could or may take place in.

As a former long-term resident of Vrindavan, I have in many ways “given up” ever seeing a palpable re-representation or enactment of the stories and narrations present in the scriptural injunctions and emblematic presentations of the pastimes of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna into actualized happenings in the town. Because of this experience cum-subjectively claimed fact, I believe that the tenets of the Vrindavan ecological concept should now travel well beyond the confines of the gheras (temple compounds) and the shastras (scriptures) of the medieval town and become the potential basis upon which further studies into religion and ecology can progress and persist.

This is the proselytizing associated with a sectarianized posing of Vrindavan environmentalism onto what I hope would be taken as a God-less and institution-less environmentalism. The actual Vrindavan is necessary, but only if seen with the right eyes and ears, an evolved pashyanti-vak.

It is not my claim nor was it my task to proffer that if everyone followed or practiced some or several of the practical sadhana-based aspects that have arisen out of experiments in Vrindavan that the town itself would necessarily become a template for what can be considered “holistic life science,” a label Sevakji and I used in describing our take on Vrindavan environmentalism in the early-mid 2000s. My claim has been that the sadhana practice and theory of environmentalism which have come out of many years of chintan and contemplation in Vrindavan are replicable and can be extrapolated.

Vrindavan environmentalism offers an occasion where science, religion, ecology, and human possibilities merge in a proposed idealized way, a manifestation of possibilities where the trinity of soil, soul, and society is maintained, upheld, and even worshipped.

I telephoned Shri Hitkinkar Sevak Sharan Ji on 5 January 2015. It was more than a year since we had spoken. His voice was frail, a little listless, though he did perk up on discussing matters relating to Vrindavan and the environment, his life’s work. In Hindi and an altered and slow variety of English I questioned how he was, how his garden—Lata Bhavan—was, and whether anyone was looking after him. He told me he was mainly bedridden, the garden was not in a healthy state, and that there were people coming and going but no one staying. He said, “Thakurji mere paas hai” (“my deity—Paryavaran Bihari, the ‘environmental Krishna’—is here with me”). Sevakji’s wife died in October 2011, a few months after I last visited Vrindavan in July 2011. As I had said to him several times before, I gave my word to Sevakji that our research about the Vrindavan environment would not be lost; I will publish it. This essay is part of my chronicling of our work. I invite other scholars and interested devotees of all denominations into a dialogue based on the ecological lessons practiced and learned in Vrindavan.

NOTE:

  1. For more details on the philosophy of deep ecology see Warwick Fox. Approaching Deep Ecology: A Response to Richard Sylvan’s Critique of Deep Ecology. Centre for Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, 1986, and Arne Næss. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle: Outline of an Ecosophy (translated by D. Rothenberg). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

 

This essay by Joshua Nash was first published in the Journal of Vaishnava Studies in 2015 (24(1): 55-66). This is the third of a three-part series. Part One, Part Two.

The post The Human Sanctuary : Vrindavan consciousness and chintan appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vraja Vilasa :: All the cowherd friends, the sakhas

$
0
0

I take shelter of Sri Krishna’s friends, who herd the cows that have strayed here and there, who play and joke with Krishna hand in hand, who have washed off the great mud of awe and reverence with the water from the ocean of their pure fraternal love, who are decorated with all the gopa apparel like flutes, horns and reeds, and who have offered their lives, hearts and wealth to Sri Krishna’s lotus feet.


VERSE 23:

kṛtvaikatra gavāṁ kulāni paritaḥ kṛṣṇena sārddhaṁ mudā
hastāhasti vinoda narma kathanaiḥ khelanti mitrotkarāḥ
premāmbhodhi vidhauta gaurava mahā-paṅkās tad aṅkārcitās
tat pādārpita citta jīvita kalā ye tān prapadyāmahe

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Sripada Das Goswami praises all of Sri Krishna’s friends, that have taken shelter of Vraja’s pure fraternal love, and with whom he accomplishes his sweet and wonderful goṣṭha-vihāra (pasturing-pastimes), immersed in laughter and joking:

nija sama sakhā saṅge godhana cāraṇa raṅge;
vṛndāvane svacchanda vihāra

He plays on an equal level with his friends, tending the cows and enjoying freely in Vrindavan. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta)

With their wonderfully sweet love they delight Sri Krishna.

kecid eṣu sthirā jātyā mantrivat tam upāsate;
taṁ hāsayanti capalāḥ kecid vaihāsikopamāḥ
kecid ārjava-sāreṇa saralāḥ śīlayanti tam;
vāmā vakrima-cakreṇa kecid vismāyayanty amuṁ
kecit pragalbhāḥ kurvanti vitaṇḍām amunā samam;
saumyāḥ sunṛtayā vācā dhanyā dhinvanti taṁ pare
evaṁ vividhayā sarve prakṛtyā madhurā amī;
pavitra maitrī vaicitrī cārutām upacinvate

Some friends are naturally steady, and they give wise counsel to Sri Krishna; some are very naughty and lighthearted and laugh while making Krishna laugh. Others are very innocent and delight Krishna with their sincere behaviour; there are others who astonish him with their crooked nature, some boldly challenge him to debate, and some gentle and blessed friends show him their love by speaking sweet words. In this way all these friends expertly serve Krishna according to their different sweet natures, which are born from their pure fraternal love. (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.3.53-56)

In this verse Das Goswami praises the cowherd boyfriends and describes their sweet activities, remembering the time that Sri Krishna returns home with the herd of cows in the late afternoon (uttara-goṣṭha). The cowherd boys leave the cows to graze in Sri Vrindavan’s extensive pasturing fields and themselves become absorbed in playing with Sri Krishna. Then the time for the uttara goṣṭha approaches, and by addressing Shridama Sri Krishna tells his friends:

pāla jaḍa koro śrīdāmā, sāna deo śiṅgāya
saghane viṣama khāi, nāma kore māy
āji māṭhe āmādera vilamba dekhiyā
heno bujhi kānde māya patha pāne cāiyā
beli avasāna hoilo colo yāi ghare
māye nā dekhiyā prāṇa kemon jāni kore
balarāma dāsa kohe śuni kānāira bola
sakala rākhāla mājhe paḍe utarola

“O Shridama! Collect the herd by blowing your horn! My mother is repeatedly calling me in great anxiety. I understand that my mother is weeping and looking out for me over the forest path, seeing that we are returning late from the meadows! Time is up, come on, let’s go home! How can I remain alive without seeing my mother?” Balarāma dāsa says: “Hearing Kānāi’s words all the cowherd boys made a great tumult.” (Pada Kalpataru)

Hearing Sri Krishna’s words, the cowherd boys collected the cows that were wandering here and there in the woods. Breathing deeply in and out because of the hard work, these friends play all kinds of delightful games, holding hands with Krishna, or they show great ecstasy while massaging his hands and head towards home, taking their cows along, playing and making many funny jokes.

When Krishna returns home from the meadows the greatest gods like Brahmā and Śiva daily appear before him, offer all kinds of reverential prayers and praises unto him, and return to their own abodes. While the gods offer these praises to Krishna the cowherd boys stand by and listen, and when the gods have left they come before Krishna and imitate their gestures and words, joking about them and making Krishna laugh.

These friends, who have taken shelter of feelings of pure fraternal love, think to themselves: “How well do these gods know our friend? When they see Sri Krishna killing a demon or so they mistakenly think him to be the Supreme Lord and praise him as such. But only we know the secrets about him. As a result of Vrajarāja Sri Nanda’s worship of Lord Nārāyaṇa our friend Sri Krishna has been empowered by Lord Nārāyaṇa, so that he was able to kill all those demons. Because the gods are not aware of this secret they call our friend Īśvara (God)! If our friend was really God, then why would he snatch food already eaten by us (ucchiṣṭa) from our hands? And how could he be defeated by us in play?”

Those friends, that have taken shelter of pure fraternal love, thus make Krishna laugh with their joking imitations of the gods’ prayers. Thus Das Goswami says: premāmbhodhi vidhauta gaurava mahā paṅkāḥ — “The great mud of their awe and reverence has been washed off by the ocean of pure fraternal love.”

They have given their wealth, minds, hearts and everything to Sri Krishna’s lotus feet. What to speak of wakefulness, even in dreams they do not know anything else but Sri Krishna. When he lies on his mother’s lap at night they call out Kānāi! Kānāi! and he wakes up with a startle. Das Goswami desires the shelter of the lotus feet of these friends of Sri Krishna, who are so sweetly decorated with clothes and ornaments like horns and reeds for their duty of herding the cows.

vikṣipta gābhīgaṇe ekatra koriyā;
govindera saṅge yārā ānande mātiyā
hastāhasti kori yārā govinda sahite;
hāsya parihāse khele kautuka vākyete
kṛṣṇera parama mitra khyāti sarva kāle;
abhimāna mahāpaṅka premāmbhodhi jale
prakṣālana koriyāche yādera śuddha mana;
gocāraṇa veśa yādera aṅgera bhūṣaṇa
yārā nija mana, prāṇa, saravasa dhana;
śrī govinda pāda padme koreche arpaṇa
sei kṛṣṇa sahacare śrī vṛndāvane;
bhajanā koribo āmi āra koto dine

“How many days still before I can worship Sri Krishna’s friends in Vrindavan, who collect their scattered cows, who are mad of ecstasy to be in Govinda’s association, who hold hands with him, who joke and play with him, speaking funny words, who are always famous as Krishna’s greatest friends, whose pure minds have washed the great mud of awe and reverence off with water from the ocean of pure love, who are dressed and ornamented like cowherd boys and who have offered their minds, life-airs and wealth to the lotus feet of Sri Govinda?”

 


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

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

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994
Source: Tarun Govinda Das, Flowing Nectar Stream blog.

The post Vraja Vilasa :: All the cowherd friends, the sakhas appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Viewing all 1720 articles
Browse latest View live


Latest Images