Vrindavan: 2017.03.25 (VT): Holi season has just come to an end in Braj and the colored dust is settling down. Everyone is settling in to the oncoming hot season, which will scorch the earth until the rains start to come in June or July.

Keshav Sharanji serving prasad to Tatia Sthan Vaishnavas after Samaj at the Venu Gopal temple.

The “festival of colors” has started to make its way to the West and seems to be becoming an international festival of sorts. People are looking for ways to celebrate life and throwing colored powders and colored water on one another seems like a lot of fun to a lot of people…

One of the pioneers of the “festival of colors” in America is Keshav Sharan Goswami, a sevait of the Venubihari temple just across the stree from the Bankhandi Mahadeva temple. He has been living in the USA for many years and founded one of the most popular Hindu temples in the greater Boston area.

It is different from most of the Hindu temples in America in that it is unabashedly promoting the mood of Braja, following the teachings and ritual of the Nimbark Sampradaya.

The temple’s name is Sri Braj Mandir and its message is “Radha bhakti.”

Keshav Sharan Goswami comes from one of the older Vaishnava families of Vrindavan, but in some ways he also represents a “globalized Vrindavan.” He was born in the post-Prabhupada era, when Western devotees had become a reality in Vrindavan, and it had become possible for young Brijbasis to mix with young Americans for the first time. Now we are beginning to see how the the effect of globalization is working both ways.

Just as the globalized world enters Braj, Braj enters the globalized world.

How Keshav Sharan ended up in America is a long story. But when Radha and Venu Gopal want their Braj mood to travel afar, they find ways to get it done. If they cannot come to Braj, Braj must go to them.

When still a teenager, Keshav Sharan made friends with American devotees in Vrindavan. Partly as a result of this, he became concerned about the unrestrained development in Braj-Vrindavan and the dangers that it represented for its traditional culture and character. In order to help battle the excessive effects of increased tourism such as the destruction of the environment, an increase in litter and refuse as the town’s infrastructure struggles to keep up with the demands of modern development, he formed the Vrindavan Preservation Society. This society still exists and is the name under which Keshav Sharanji operates the Boston temple.

Many of the members of the Venu Gopal Goswami family are initiated by the mahants of the Tatia Sthan. Indeed, their forefathers were residents of Rajpur, the village where Haridas Swami is said to have been born. Though there is a dispute about whether Haridas Swami belonged to the Nimbark Sampradaya, the sadhus of the Tatia Sthan accept this connection and the recently departed Nimbarkacharya Radha Sarveshwar Sharan frequently went to Tatia Sthan where he was always treated with utmost reverence.

The Tatia Sthan is one of the archetypal ashrams of Braj-Vrindavan. Keshav Sharanji feels that this is the model on which development of Braj-Vrindavan should take place. For this purpose, the Vrindavan Preservation Society has purchase land in the vicinty of Jaith village in the hope of recreating a “tapovana” environment as a kind of “human sanctuary” where a spiritually-oriented village in a natural setting can be created.

In Boston, the community centered around the Sri Radha Bhakti center consist mostly of pravasi Indians, but the all-attractive character of Braja Bhakti’s festive mood enchants many Americans of other backgrounds as well. I asked him about his strategy in spreading Braj Bhava and Radha bhakti.

“Radha bhakti is a very high thing,” he said, “not something that can be easily communicated to people with only a rudimentary knowledge of the bases of Hinduism, like the Bhagavad Gita. So I mostly speak from the Gita as well as the Narada Bhakti Sutra. Sometimes I also speak from the Siddhanta-sukha portion of Mahavani. But we do kirtan of the Yugal Mantra and some other padas from the Nimbark tradition, and Radha Krishna is at the center of the temple and we have no other deities on the altar, so we are following the ekanta Nimbarki tradition.

Radha Venu Gopaljiu in Bankhandi Mahadev.

“There is so much variety in Hinduism,” he said. “It is famous as a tolerant religion. Holi is a celebration of diversity and our unity in diversity. We throw the colors of spring on each other in joyful celebration. In Sanskrit the words for color and red are closely related to the words for love and passion. Spring is the season of love, and so this throwing of colors is like an opening of the heart to love in the springtime.”

Boston Globe.

Patriot Ledger.

2009 A new Hindu temple opens in Holbrook

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Lucknow, 2017.03.24 (Indian Express): A makeover for five cities of Uttar Pradesh is on the cards. The project to transform Varanasi, Agra, Mathura, Ayodhya and Gorakhpur was among several projects discussed during a meeting between CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma in Delhi earlier this week.

While Adityanath assured Sharma of fast-tracking the projects that the Union minister had announced over the last two years but which could not take off, the duo also discussed plans to change the faces of five cities — including the constituencies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Varanasi) and the new CM (Gorakhpur) — ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said the first step would be to develop major tourist attractions and places of worship in these cities, followed by renovation of railway stations.

“We had a brief meeting to discuss what could be done to promote tourism in the state, but specific details will be worked out later,” Sharma said. An official from the Tourism Ministry said, “Our initial plan was to transform four major cities in UP on the lines of Amritsar…. As the new CM is from Gorakhpur, his constituency has been added to the list.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.03.25 (VT): The new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has been busy fulfilling his campaign promises during his first days in office.

On Wednesday, one illegal slaughterhouse and sixteen butcher shops in the holy town of Mathura were sealed by the government. The action was part of a statewide crackdown on unlicensed abattoirs. TTN reports that seven slaughterhouses in Meerut, and three in Aligarh, were also closed.

The UP Pollution Control Board estimates that only 45 slaughterhouses in the State are operating legally, and another 140 have been ordered to close. Furthermore, some have been listed on the books as having been shut down, while in actuality they are operational.

Amongst those who depend on the meat industry for their livelihood, many fear that the closures are a precursor to a complete ban on animal slaughter in the State. But the move is likely to be seen as a blessing amongst the animal-loving faithful in Mathura, the holy land where Shri Krishna herded His cows.

According to a recent TOI report, Yogi Adityanath ordered a blanket ban on cow smuggling in the State during his first cabinet meeting, wherein he also banned the use of chewing tobacco and paan masala on government property, after noticing spittle stains on the walls of the government annex.

In addition, 100 so-called “black sheep” policemen have been suspended since Adityanath’s ascent to the seat of CM.

Adityanath has also formed anti-Romeo squads to combat “Eve-teasing” (a local euphemism for sexual harassment). So far the response has been mixed. While many women are feeling safer, some officers have reportedly misused their responsibility. Police officers in Lucknow allegedly harassed a couple this week, arresting the man and lecturing the woman on morality.

Similarly, TNN reports that police in Agra questioned foreign tourists and young couples at the Taj Mahal, apparently interrogating them about their personal lives. The Archaeological Survey of India expressed dismay at the action, fearing it would repel tourists from visiting the Taj Mahal.

The CM has since cautioned the anti-Romeo squads not to harass couples.

(This article references reports by The Times of India/Times News Network, India Today and NDTV)

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Vrindavan, 2017.03.25 (VT): A grand ten-day long ‘Rath ka Mela’ or cart festival concluded on Saturday. Locally known as Rath ka Mela, it is actually the Brahmotsava celebration of Shri Rangji Mandir of Vrindavan.

The Brahmotsava is celebrated every year during March-April  in strict accordance with the shashtras (scriptures). Bhagwan Rangnath ji Maharaj is taken out in a procession to Bade Bagicha, the sprawling garden situated near the Katyayani Mandir.

Every day there were processions in the morning and evening. The Lord appeared on different vahans (carriers) each day for ten days. Every vahan of the Lord has its own significance. The Temple management, Vrindavan Municipality and the District Administration made elaborate arrangements for the event. Tight security was put in place for the festival, which attracts thousands of devotees from all the towns and the villages around Vrindavan. Special illumination, pandals and arches erected around the temple gave a new look to the street between the temple and ‘Bade Bagicha’.

According to folklore, Brahma, the creator of universe, first conducted this festival by worshipping Lord Vishnu, to thank him for providing protection to mankind. Since this festival was started by Brahma, it is known as Brahmotsava in different parts of the country.

Lord sitting on Paalki

The festival began on 16th March, and on the first day the Lord mounted on Shri Purna Kothi in the morning and on a simha (Lion) in the evening. On the second day the Lord gave darshan sitting on Surya Prabha in the morning and on Hamsa in the evening. Shri Garuda carried the Lord in the morning whereas Shri Hanuman ji carried him in the evening of the third day.

Rangnath ji mounting on Hanuman ji

Then it was the turn of Shri Sheshnag ji on the morning of the fourth day to take the Lord to His favorite garden. In the evening the Lord gave darshan climbing on a Kalpa Vriksha. The fifth day’s journey of the Lord began sitting on a palki or a palanquin and ended with riding ‘Simha Sardul’.

The Lord played Holi with his devotees on the afternoon of the sixth day as he came out sitting on Kaanch ka Viman. After playing Holi, the Lord again went to His favorite garden, Bade Bagicha, riding on an elephant.

The Grand Chariot or Rath came out on the seventh day. The Lord was seated on the Chariot early in the morning, and then the thousands of devotees pulled it to the Bade Bagicha. The senior priests walked before the chariot, whereas oher Brahmins walked behind the chariot chanting the Veda Mantras.

The Lord went to Bare Bagicha sitting on a horse – Ashwa Vahan – giving the darshan of Kalki Avatar. It was a busy day for the Lord on the ninth day, as he went out in the morning sitting on Palki Vahan, then He took the bath in the Pushkarini, meant to resemble the Yamuna, and again gave darshan sitting on the Chandra Prabha.

Aatishbaji (display of fire cracker work)

On the last day of the Brahmotsava the Lord gave darshan on Pushpa Viman in the late evening. Each day’s procession was related to one pastime of the Lord or  another.

A grand display of fireworks made the celebration even more cheerful. Firworks were organized during the chhoti Atishbazi, on the third day and badi Atishbaazi on the eighth day of the festival.

The rituals for the Brahmotsava were conducted according to the Vedic tradition by South Indian priests under the supervision of the temple’s Mahant, His Holiness Shri Govardhan Rangacharya ji Maharaj.

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Vrindavan, 2017.03.26 (VT): Soon Vrindavan will be connected with other important places of the country by railway. The much awaited gauge conversion work between Mathura and Vrindavan has been given a green signal. An amount of twenty crore rupees has also been sanctioned for this project.

Trains will be able to come directly to Vrindavan in coming years. Once completed, the upgraded railway track will provide a link between Vrindavan and other cities of the country. It will be easier for devotees coming to Vrindavan from Kolkata, Mumbai and other cities.

The Department of Railways may introduce new trains directly to the pilgrimage town of Vrindavan, which draws a big number of devotees every year.

As of now, people are largely dependent on three-wheeler auto rickshaws to commute from the nearest railway station in Mathura to Vrindavan. These autos are usually overloaded and several have overturned in the past. The work for upgrading the meter gauge to broad gauge will begin as soon as funds are release for the work.

There are also proposals for upgrading five railway stations between Mathura and Vrindavan. Under this project, four existing stations – Mathura, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, Masani and Vrindavan – would be upgraded and a new railway station would be developed somewhere at the entry point of Vrindavan.

The General Manager of the North Central Railway will visit Mathura for inspection on 27th March.

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Mathura/Vrindavan, 2017.03.22 (VT): An illegal slaughterhouse and twenty-eight odd meat shops were closed down in Mathura on Wednesday. The crackdown was launched after a high-level meeting chaired by Shri Chandrakant, the Divisional Commissioner of Agra.

The slaughterhouse was being operated very close to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi, the birthplace of Lord Krishna at Manohar Pura in Mathura. Sixteen meat shops on the Daresi Road were closed down, while twelve wooden kiosks were demolished at the machli fatak near the railway crossing.

The Vrindavan Police also raided illegal meat shops being operated near the CFC area, but they couldn’t find any meat, fish or egg in some of the shops which were known for selling non-vegetarian food. Some shopkeepers closed the shutters of their shops in fear of the raid. The large refrigerators kept at those shops were also checked, but no trace of meat was found. Perhaps the shopkeepers had prior information of the police raid. The raid was led by the City Magistrate.

The police have also raided illegal meat shops in other areas of Vraja.

Closure of illegal slaughterhouses was a major issue of the BJP in the recent assembly elections and was highlighted by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP president Amit Shah during their campaigning.

The Brajwasis and saints have been demanding a ban on the illegal sale of non-vegetarian food in Vrindavan, but till now, officials had turned a deaf ear towards their demands.

The stern measures by the new government have found support from devotees, activists and pilgrims who were running a campaign against illegal slaughterhouses in Braj, and sale of non-vegetarian food in Vrindavan.

The illegal slaughterhouses mostly deal with buffalo, though some are also known to kill cows and bullocks. Slaughtering of the cows has been legally banned in Uttar Pradesh since 1955, under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.

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Mathura, 2017.03.25 (PTI): Four holy cities of the Hindus – Ayodhya, Mathura, Varanasi and Gorakhpur – are set to enjoy a 24 X 7 power supply in the regime of the new Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Adityanath Yogi.

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This is the continuing serialization of 252 Vaishnavan ki varta, the lives of the saints following Vitthalnath, son of Vallabhacharya. It has been translated from the original Braj Bhasha by Krishnaa Kinkari Devi. This is the twelfth varta. See previous.

Varta 13

The story of a Brahmin who lived in Bengal and was a cloth trader.

*bhav-prakash*

He is a devotee with a tamasi disposition. In the Eternal Lila his name is Anandini (a gopi). She manifests from Ratikala and is a form of her divine loving sentiment. The Brahmin was born in a village in Bengal. He was married when he was 11 years old. His wife was not a Divine Soul, thus unrelated to the Divine Lila. His father died when he was about 25 years old. That was when he started to trade in cloth.

*Part 1*

One time the Bengali came to Mathura for business accompanied by a lot of business people. These businessmen used to go to Delhi where the king lived in order to sell cloth. The Bengali joined them in such business dealings. He was a capable Brahmin and he was able to support himself on the business he did in Mathura and so he resided there. In that group there were some Vaishnavas and they were going to Gokul to have the sight of Sri Gusainji. The Brahmin went with them. He had the sight of Sri Gusainji along with all the others. The Brahmin resolved to become Sri Gusainji’s disciple.

He supplicated Sri Gusainji , “O, Maharaj! Please accept me as your servant.”

Sri Gusainji made him bathe and then initiated him with the Name and Brahma Sambandha. Afterwards he went to Delhi to sell cloth. On completing the trading he returned to Bengal taking the earnings with him. An idea sprang up in his heart to use the wealth to buy the most special cloth and send it to Sri Gusainji to make a garment for him to wear. He obtained a length of cloth of the very best quality which cost 250 rupees. Then there was a tax of 15O rupees. Only then he was able to bring the cloth out of the town.

He rolled up the cloth and hid it in a hollow bamboo tube and, using it as a walking stick, left the town. He took his wife with him.

*bhav-prakash*

Why? He wanted to have his wife initiated by Sri Gusainji.

*Part 1 continued*

The security men who stood at the town gates thought that he was just a Brahmin who was going along for his bath. He had taken the roll of cloth out of his house and gone on his way. He arrived in Gokul after some days and bowed to Sri Gusainji. He took the cloth out of the bamboo and placed it in front of Sri Gusainji. He was very pleased by it. He said, “This cloth would be very nice for Sri Nathji.”

*bhav-prakash*

Why? Because the Lord alone may enjoy things of the very highest quality. Therfore one should only offer Him the finest items. This is the duty of a good servant.

*Part 1 continued*

At that very moment he called the tailor and had him make a garment for Sri Nathji. It was ready on that very day.

Taking that garment with him Sri Gusainji set off early the next morning together with the husband and wife and they went to Sri Nathdwara (Jatipura). Sri Gusainji bathed, went up the mountain and entered Sri Nathji’s temple. He had His Holy Sight and then offered Him His lunchtime meal. After the time for the meal elapsed he accepted the offerings back as Prasad and then opened the doors of the temple. The Brahmin experienced great love as he had the Holy Sight of Sri Nathji.

On the next day Sri Gusainji offered the new garment to Sri Nathji. When the Bengali Brahmin Vaishnava had the Holy Sight of Sri Nathaji he was overjoyed. After completing Sri Nathaji’s Seva, Sri Gusainji came down from the mountain. The Brahmin bowed to Sri Gusainji over and over, considering his life purpose to have been fulfilled. He then requested Sri Gusainji, “O, Maharaj! Please initiate my wife.” Sri Gusainji explained to him that she was not a Divine Soul and therefore he would only give her the first, Name initiation. He did so.

Then the Brahmin began to think, “That very special cloth has been offered to Sri Nathji. I should now bring some more cloth of the same quality so that Sri Gusainji may also wear a garment made from it. Then my life will have been successful!

Thinking thus he took his leave of Sri Gusainji and went back to his homeland of Bengal. The couple took a few days to reach home.

Some days later the Brahmin announced to his wife , “Lets beg to survive. If any money comes from trading then we will save it.”

His wife objected, “We are surviving very nicely on the money you make from trading, so where did you get this idea from?”

He replied, “None of these folk give up their way of making a living, so why would we give up? Our best way to earn is to beg, so why would we leave this?” The Brahmin did not reveal his intention to her.

[Translator’s note: the normal way for Brahmins at that time was to receive alms from the community according to strict rules. He wanted to use the earnings from his trading to buy another roll of cloth]

*bhav-prakash*

Why? Because her mind was worldly. People of a worldly mindset do not understand Divine ways and so one should never reveal such matters to them because this will only lead to conflict. This is the principle here.

*Part 1 continued*

So the Brahmin began to live from begging. Soon enough money came in for the Brahmin to buy another roll of special cloth. He went and purchased the cloth and brought it to Gokul in the same way as before. He arrived after a few days and bowed low to Sri Gusainji. He presented the cloth to him.

Seeing it, Sri Gusainji announced, “One Vaishnava previously brought such a roll of cloth. It was offered to and accepted by Sri Nathaji.”

The Bengali Vaishnava bowed down to Sri Gusainji and said, “I was the one who had brought that roll of cloth.” Sri Gusainji was delighted with him. He began to hand the cloth over to his personal servant but the Bengali Brahmin interjected.

He bowed low and said, “O, Maharaj! That first cloth was accepted by Sri Nathji. Would you yourself now please accept this one? After seeing you wearing the cloth, I will return home.” Sri Gusainji replied, “Sri Thakurji can accept these excellent offerings over and over again. I don’t usually accept them. lt is only through the likes of you that such items as you have come here, otherwise who would be able to bring such special things? This roll of cloth is worthy of being offered in the temple.”

The Vaishnava again said, “ This is the Lord’s house. There is no shortage of anything here. But I would still like you to accept some garments made from this roll of cloth. When I have seen you wearing them I will return home. Sri Gusainji called the tailor and had many garments sewn for Sri Nathaji, After that he had something made for himself.

*bhav-prakash*

A servant should never enjoy any thing, especially something of the best quality, without first offering it to his Lord and Master. Otherwise it will be an obstacle in the devotional path.

*Part 1 continued*

The Bengali Vaishnava was very happy. The tailor sewed the garments and brought them there. Sri Gusainji dressed Sri Nathji in one of them and, after finishing the temple service and taking his Prasad and after a short rest, he wore the other one and came to sit in his Baithak.

The Vaishnava was overjoyed to see this. For as long as the Vaishnava stayed in Gokul, Sri Gusainji made a point of wearing it every day for a while. After quite some days the Vaishnava took his leave from Sri Gusainji and set off back to his own part of the country.

Sri Gusainji asked him before he left, “What business do you do in Bengal?”

He told Sri Gusainji everything about his life, and Sri Gusainji was pleased with his condition.

Then the Vaishnava addressed Sri Gusainji, “O, Maharaj! I had heard that you are known as the ‘the one who fulfills all his devotees’desires’. Now I have experienced this for myself. I have seen the truth in this name. If you give your permission, please may I now go home?”

Sri Gusainji was very happy and saw him off. The Brahmin reached his home in Bengal home after a few days. On the day he reached home it was the day he should have to worship his dead father. The previous day his wife had obtained some urad dal [white lentils] and some oil. She soaked the lentils and then ground them and prepared some little dumplings. The Brahmin arrived home at this time.

His wife saw him and said, “It is good that you have come home. Today is your father’s celebration day. I have prepared some dumplings.” She called him and told him to bathe and go to honour the day and to return soon.

The Brahmin asked his wife, “What exactly is to be done on this day?”

When she had finished the cooking, she told him it was all ready. The Brahmin offered it all to Sri Nathji. The dumplings were not enough so he asked her, “Do you have any sweets at home?” She replied that she had a little jaggery left. She brought it over to him.

The Brahmin sat and lost himself meditating on Sri Nathaji’s Form. He imagined Him wearing the new garments as he had seen just before he left. Sri Nathji’s Form was inside his heart and he said to Him, “O, Maharaj! My wife has made these preparations with a worldly mindset: However, please do accept them for Yourself.”

The Brahmin most lovingly placed them before Sri Nathji. Seeing the intensity of his love, Sri Nathaji came all the way from Sri Girirajji to Bengal and accepted the dumplings and the jaggery.

*bhav-prakash*

The question that arises here is why did he offer the shraddh* [death anniversary] preparations to Sri Nathji? This is opposed to the ways of the Path of Grace. Why did Sri Nathaji accept those offerings? The Brahmins wife had made the preparations from goods put aside for the Shraddha. However the Brahmin, in his mind, had not thought of the Shraddha day. On that day there was actually nothing else in the house. Therefore the Brahmin offered those preparations to Sri Nathji with a very pure heart. Seeing this love in his heart, Sri Nathji was pleased to accept the offerings. Sri Nathji is also known as, “The one who fulfils the devotees’ desires to please Him.” If one offers up anything to Sri Nathji with true and perfect love then He will certainly accept it. This is the principle here.

*Part 1 continued*

The Brahmin realized that Sri Nathji had come to his home. When He had enjoyed the offerings and was about to leave to go back to His temple He said, “I have partaken of your dumplings and jaggery and now I am going.” The Brahmin was so happy and felt that his life had been fulfilled.

“My fortune is immense, that Sri Nathaji came to my home. Out of respect for Sri Gusainji’s Path, He accepted my offerings of dumplings and jaggery.” At that same time when Sri Nathji came to the Brahmins house, Sri Gusainji was up on Sri Giriraji offering Sri Nathji His lunch. However Sri Nathji had gone to the Brahmin’s house without Sri Gusainji knowing.

At the appropriate time, Sri Gusainji accepted back the lunchtime offerings as Prasad, performed the Rajbhog Arati*, came down from the Mountain, partook of the Prasad and went to rest. However he could not sleep. Then Sri Nathji, carrying a red cane in His hand, came to Sri Gusainji.

Sri Gusainji bowed down to His Lord and then took Him up onto His couch with him. He kissed His Face, rubbed His cheeks and asked, “O Baba, why are you out of sorts today?”

Sri Nathaji said, “I am hungry today.” Sri Gusainji said,

“Oh! But You just had lunch! Nevertheless, tell me what You would like and I will get it for You.”

Sri Nathji said, “You had already taken the offerings away when I came back. That is why I did not have my lunch.”

*bhav-prakash*

The inner meaning of this is that the Lord, in His Form as the Uplifter of the Devotee [Bhaktodharaka*], had not eaten the offerings. He had partaken of them in His ‘Sarvodharaka *[the Lord Who uplifts everyone] Form and thus was still hungry according to Sri Gusainji’s Loving Mood for Him.

*Part 1 continued*

Sri Gusainji was perturbed and asked Sri Nathji where He had been. Sri Nathji told him that he had been to the Bengali Brahmin’s house, the one who had offered the roll of very special cloth, to eat dumplings and jaggery. Sri Nathaji told him all about that Brahmin’s situation.

When Sri Gusainji heard all this his heart was filled with emotion. Sri Nathaji left Sri Gusainji and went back up into His temple.

Sri Gusanji made all the inner temple servants bathe and told them to get together and make more lunchtime offerings for Sri Nathaji. They did just that. Sri Gusainji also bathed, went up to the temple, sounded the conch and offered a plate of sweet balls. The main cook then informed Sri Gusainji that all the offerings were ready.

Sri Gusainji accepted the sweet balls back as Prasad and then offered all the rest of the lunch. After the appropriate time, Sri Gusainji cleared the offerings and put Sri Nathji to rest, then descended the mountain and came to sit in his Baithak where he wrote a letter to that Bengali Brahmin. He sent it off with two Brajwasis.

He wrote, “On that day, what was it that you offered to Sri Nathji? Please write back to me with your answer.”

The two Brajwasis soon reached that Vaishnava’s home in Bengal. He was overjoyed to see them. They put Sri Guainji’s letter in his hand in which he had recounted all the events of that day. The Brahmin was filled with overwhelming love and put the letter onto his head, bowed down to it and then became even more happy after reading it.

He settled in the two Brajwasis comfortably, cooked, offered and fed them with Prasad. In the evening the Vaishnava wrote his response. In it he supplicated Sri Gusainji over and over and wrote about everything that had happened on that day.

He wrote, “O, Maharaj! It was my very great fortune that Sri Nathji, with respect for your Path, granted my wish. There were only a few dumplings!” Then he sent the letter with the two Brajwasis after showing them every hospitality. It took them a few days to get back from Bengal to Gokul and deliver the Brahmin’s letter to Sri Gusainji.

Sri Gusainji gracefully read the letter. He felt very happy. He then went to Chacha Harivamsji and told him the whole story. He also experienced overwhelming love in his heart when he read it.

Thus concludes Varta 13, the story of the Bengali Brahmin who was a recipient of Sri Gusainji’s great grace and an accomplished Vaishnava, although, in reality, there is no end to his story.

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Agra, 2017.03.27 (Hemendra Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times) Motivated by Uttarakhand high court orders declaring rivers Ganga and Yamuna living entities, an environmentalist in Agra has asked the Agra police to register a case against those “guilty of attempt to murder” the Yamuna.

Brij Khandelwal, environmental activist, has blamed officials of various departments, including Agra district magistrate, Agra divisional commissioner and general manager of Agra Jal Sansthan, for “attempting to kill the river by slow poison”.

The unfiltered water of dirty drains, besides the sewer, continues to flow into Yamuna despite crores received for sewage treatment from state and central governments, Khandelwal said in his letter to Agra SSP.

“Using this amount, the river could have been otherwise saved, but despite having a sewage treatment plant, such untreated water is added to the river,” he said, urging the SSP to file an FIR in this regard.

“The level of dissolved oxygen has drastically fallen and is an outcome of the negligence of these officials… which has caused huge damage to river Yamuna resulting in loss of aquatic life,” Khandelwal, who is also the founder of the River Connect Campaign, said.

‘For years together, efforts are on for construction of Agra Barrage to save Yamuna but due to lack of efforts by these erring officials, the scheme could not be completed and the river thus lacks the required water level,” he said.

Khandelwal also drew attention to the rampant encroachment on the river banks, and blamed the Agra Development Authority for the negligence.

The post Environmentalist seeks FIR for ‘attempt to murder’ Yamuna river, now a living entity appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Mathura, 2017.03.29 (PTI): The UP board’s Class 10 English examination has been cancelled at two centres in Mathura district due to “mass cheating”, a senior official said.

District Inspector of Schools, IP Singh Solanki, said action has also been taken against invigilators in these centres and their principals have been asked to submit a report on the action taken against the teachers there.

“Since mass copying was detected during the English paper of Class 10 in Vachvan Behari Intercollege and Sardar Patel Intercollege in the district, the examinations held in these centres have been cancelled,” Solanki said.

So far 61 students were caught cheating in various examinations, he said, adding that 8 centre superintendents and 12 teachers found “incapable” of controlling cheating have been replaced.

The official said 16 centres have been debarred while an FIR against 7 has been registered. The number of dropouts this year is over 13,000, an all-time record for the district, he said.

A total of 7,802 examinees in high school and 5,708 in the intermediate level of the UP board have dropped out this year, Solanki said.

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Here Sri Radhika was jubilantly showered as the Queen of Vrindavan by Sri Paurṇamāsī, who  had heard Lord Brahmā’s order in the sky, with the waters of sacred rivers like Mānasa Gaṅgā and with the assistance of goddesses like Sāvitrī. May this Unmatta Radha-sthali (Umrao) shower me with happiness.

VERSE 61:

sārdhaṁ mānasa jāhnavī mukha nadī vargaiḥ saraṅgotkaraiḥ
sāvitryādi surīkulaiśca nitarām ākāśa vāṇyā vidhoḥ
vṛndāraṇya vareṇya rājya viṣaye śrī paurṇamāsī mudā
rādhāṁ yatra siṣeca siñcatu sukhaṁ sonmatta rādhā sthalī

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā:  In this verse Das Goswami describes Unmatta Radha-sthalī, the place where Sri Radharani was anointed as the Queen of Vrindavan.

The Goswamis joyously described this pastime of Sri Radharani being showered as the Queen of Vrindavan. In his Dāna Keli Kaumudī and in his Stavamālā‘s “Radhaṣṭaka” and “Premendu Sudhā-satra”, Śrīla Rūpa Goswamipād has mentioned Srimati as the Queen of Vrindavan. Śrīla Dās Goswamicaraṇ has described Radha’s abhiṣek in this verse as well as in his Muktā Caritra and Vilāpa Kusumāñjali.

On the order of Sri Rūpa Goswamipād, Śrīla Jiva Goswamipād has written a matchless treatise named Mādhava Mahotsava, a great poem (mahā-kāvya) in which Sri Radharani’s abhiṣeka is elaborately and expertly described. Because they were supported by scriptural and Purānic statements as vṛndāvanādhipatyaṁ ca dattaṁ tasyai prasīdatā (“Krishna, being pleased with Radha, gave her sovereignty over Vrindavan”, Padma Purāṇa) and rādhā vṛndāvane vane (“In Vrindavan Radha is the Queen”, Matsya Purāṇa) the Goswamis were absorbed in describing Srimati’s abhiṣeka festival.

In the scripture Mādhava Mahotsava it is described as follows: “By Sri Krishna’s wish Sri Vṛndā-devī showered nectar in the form of an ethereal voice, which addressed Paurnamasi Devi: “O Queen of yogīs Paurṇamāsi! Swiftly shower this Candra-lakṣmī Sri Radha, who arose from an ocean of matchless qualities and who is seated on a jewel-studded throne which is decorated with the great beauty of gold, in the universally-praised land of Vrindavan!

“This abhiṣeka of Sri Radha will bring matchless beauty to Sri Vrindavan, Gokul and the whole world. Therefore, O Paurṇamāsi! Let Yashoda and other cowherd women bring Sri Radha to the king of meadows, Vrindavan, in front of her girlfriends, that are all reflections of her divine form, and let them arrange for the adhivās [auspicious ceremony preceding the main ceremony, Ed.]. Tomorrow, on Madhu Pūrṇimā [the full moon of Caitra, or April], Sri Radha will certainly undergo this auspicious shower! Today all the adhivās preparations, like perfumes and so forth, must be completed for Sri Radha, who is the reservoir of all the most excellent attributes!”

This ethereal order was announced throughout Braj. Everyone thought it was the god Brahmā himself who had made this proclamation, which granted auspiciousness to Braj and the whole world.

After this, the whole of Braj-maṇḍala reacted with an upsurge of wonderful ecstasy. With a great festival Sri Radha’s wonderful royal abhiṣek was accomplished. The coronation took place on Madhu Pūrṇimā under the guidance of Paurṇamāsī. Yamuna, Mānasa Gaṅgā and other holy waters arrived in personified forms, and Sāvitrī, Indrāṇī, Rudrāṇī and other leading goddesses jubilantly came there as human ladies to attend the abhiṣek of Sri Radha, bringing different presents with them. In front of Sri Krishna, all the Brajwasis, and all the goddesses, Paurnamasi Devi performed Sri Radha’s abhiṣek in a great public gathering.

The place where Sri Radha’s abhiṣek took place is named ‘Unmatta Radha-sthalī’.

Sri Jiva Goswami has written the book Mādhava Mahotsava in nine ullāsas (jubilant chapters). In the ninth and final ullās, Sri Jiva Goswamicaraṇ describes how Sri Radha ascends the throne in front of everybody, including Sri Krishna, and accepts sovereignty over the kingdom. He has called this chapter Unmada-rādhika, which means that the most bashful Sri Radha accepted this coronation in the ecstasy of loving intoxication. For this reason the place is called unmatta rādhā-sthalī. It is for this reason that the exact location in Braj-maṇḍal that this rājyābhiṣeka took place is called Umrāo. There is a Bengali blessing given to princes on their coronation, amīra umrāo, “Rise up and prosper.” So the village was named Umrāo.

paurṇamāsī yogīśvarī, vṛndāraṇye adhiśvarī,
śrī rādhāya koilā abhiṣeke
dhanya sei rādhā-sthalī, vandī āmi kutūholī,
avanata koriyā mastake

“Blessed is this Radha-sthalī, where Paurṇamāsī, the Queen of the yogīs, bathed Sri Radha and anointed her as the Queen of Vrindavan! I bow my head down and praise this place enthusiastically!”

kṛṣṇa vidhu alakṣite, ājñā kore asākṣāte,
deva vāṇī boli yāre śuni
harṣa bhare paurṇamāsī, saṅge sab vrajavāsī,
śrī rādhāre sarva śreṣṭha māni

“Moon-like Krishna gave this order in an unseen way, and everyone who heard it took it to be a divine voice. Filled with joy, Paurṇamāsī, along with the people of Braj, considered Sri Radha to be the greatest of all.”

premonmatta koribāre, unmatta rādhā-sthalī vare,
devī-gaṇera nṛtyera vibhaṅga
mānasa gaṅgāra jale, nānā raṅge kutūhole,
samārpilā abhiṣeka raṅga

“The goddesses danced with beautiful gestures to fill Unmatta Radha-sthalī with ecstatic love and Mānasa Gaṅgā blissfully offered her water for this abhiṣek pastime.”

sei rase mora mana, abhiṣikta anukṣaṇa,
hoiyā rahuka tāra vare.
ei prārthanā kori āmi, nahi mui anya kāmī,
kṛpā koro rādhāsthalī vare

“May I receive the blessing that my mind will be showered by this rasa at every moment. This is my prayer, and I do not desire any other boon. O Radhasthali, be merciful to me!”

For some pictures of Umrao as it looks nowadays, See here.

Amazing to see this nice wetland. As with everything else in India, I tend to worry about its preservation, but at least for the present it appears to be thriving.

The post Vraja Vilasa: May Unmatta Radha-sthali (Umrao) shower me with happiness appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.04.01 (VT): The print edition of Amar Ujala on March 31 reported that the Vrindavan traffic police are reconsidering the frequently raised proposal of keeping vehicles from outside the city outside the city on weekends.

When this was previously tested in January of 2016, the effect on traffic problems in the town was dramatic. Protests by the Tirth Purohits, temple priests and other businessmen resulted in the experiment having a very short life.

However, since the problem of increasing traffic is becoming more acute day by day, the plan is being revived. Cars from outside Vrindavan will be stopped at the entry points to the town and told to park there, i.e., the Dhanuka parking near Mayawati’s hospital and the multileveled parking lot in Rukmani Vihar. Shuttle vehicles will then take pilgrims and tourists to their destinations in town.

No date has yet been set for reinstating the plan.

According to one person interviewed, a big source of the problem is that on weekends, devotees who have easy access to Vrindavan by car wish to get a quick darshan of Bihariji before continuing on their way to Delhi or Agra. want to be able to drive as close as possible to the temple and then leave as quickly as possible. Since these visitors take the Parikrama Marg up to Madan Mohan, they cause a great deal of traffic disturbance.

Needless to say, these visitors are not contributing a great deal economically, if that is a consideration. But spiritually also, one must question the benefits of such a cheap and easy darshan of the Lord.

The Banke Bihari Merchants Association has also been trying to stop e-rickshaws in the Banke Bihari neighborhood. It is true that Banke Bihari Road and the Dussayat Road are often jammed by e-rickshaws turning around or dropping and picking up passengers. This is not even to mention the commotion that goes on at Vidyapeeth corner.

Ideally, in our view, Vrindavan should be recognized as a place where people walk as much as possible. We have for all intents and purposes destroyed the Parikrama culture by opening the Parikrama Marg to automobiles and other vehicles. It may be impossible to completely stop all traffic on the Parikrama Marg, but at least certain parts of it should be made into the most ideal and natural environment that is possible for the benefit of the devotees doing the parikrama.

Actually, Vrindavan is meant for a spiritual experience. And I have no doubt that Vrindavan’s spiritual power far exceeds anything the Kali Yuga can throw at it. But for those who are “selling” Vrindavan, it should be known where its real power of attraction lies. It lies in the very real potential for spiritual experience, if one can be open to it by visiting temples and through seeing and hearing sadhus of all kinds. There is no point in talking about spiritual experience if the atmosphere is too polluted with the rajo-guna.

The more Vrindavan resembles the ideal Vrindavan — with green spaces, a crystal clear Yamuna, gardens, beautiful temples in traditional and modern architectural styles — the better it is for Vrindavan’s true purpose to be realized. And of course, a sane and healthy, a sustainable economic development will follow.

In the current atmosphere, it is almost impossible to imagine a return to the sattva-guna in India. In Vrindavan we sit in one of the most vital corridors of Indian economic development, within the easy reach of Delhi, a giant pole of energy in this nation. Vrindavan sits in that political and economic zone as its spiritual center. It has to resist that tourbillon of rajas and tamas and radiate as much sattva as it can.

It might mean a reduction in the number of visitors, but we should consider the “product” that is being sold: It is relief from the anxiety and pointlessness of material existence. If we can “sell” that, then imagine the benefits that not only India but the entire world could reap.

So let us conceive of Vrindavan in a way that lets people get here by car, but once here, experience Vrindavan as Vrindavan itself wants it to be experienced. As much of the old town as possible should be closed to vehicle traffic and strict controls should be placed on motorcycle drivers who speed.

The post Let’s try the “no entry” rule on weekends again, shall we? appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami

Vrindavan, 31st March 2017 (VT): A conference was organized on the eve of Yamuna Chhath, the appearance day of Yamuna Devi. Several eminent scholars and activists participated in the seminar organized at the Bhramar Ghat hall in Jai Singh Ghera.

It was resolved that the devotees consider Yamuna as their Holy Mother. Now she is ailing and in need of care. The participants in the conference agreed to pursue the goals of a clean and uninterrupted flow of the Yamuna. Participants also unanimously demanded that Yamuna water be released from the Hathini Kund barrage in Haryana and the court-ordained flow to be maintained.

Dr. Chandra Prakash Sharma

While addressing the conference, His Holiness Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami ji held agyan (ignorance), alasya (indifference) and pakhanda (hypocrisy) to be the three enemies of Yamuna. Goswami ji said, “Science, politics and economics –everything has failed to restore the ailing Yamuna. Her health can only be restored by serving her with devotion. The entire Yamuna issue should be addressed comprehensivelym including the quality of its water, eco-system, embankments, river basin management etc.”

“Among the queens of Shri Krishna, Yamuna is the only queen who remained with the Lord everywhere in Vrindavan, Mathura and Dwarka,” added Goswami ji.

Dr. Chandra Prakash Sharma said, “Yamuna water was used for bathing deities and for cooking in the temple till recent times. The water from Yamuna used to be ceremoniously brought to the temples every day. But the water has become too polluted to allow for this tradition to be maintained.”

Shri Tamal Krishna Das recalled, “Everyday a troupe from Rangji Mandir used to bring Yamuna water ceremoniously. They filled copper pots which were then carried on the head by a temple worker, under the shelter of a large umbrella made of white cloth and red border on it. The procession was accompanied by musicians. But this has now become the story of past.”

Shri Akash Vashishth

Shri Sanjay Ballabh Goutam said, “The government must draft a permanent policy for Yamuna, its eco-system, embankments and the flood plain areas. The beautiful ghats of Yamuna are buried under debris in Vrindavan due to the negligence of the government and the greed of the residents.”

“After one month of excavation, we were able to manifest a magnificent Vihar Ghat,” said Shri Goutam.

Environmental activist Akash Vashishth said, “The course of Yamuna has been deliberately changed, which is an environmental hazard. None of the sewerage treatment plants of the town are functioning. More than eighteen drains are falling in Yamuna directly.”

Shri Braj Khandelwal

Chairing the conference, eminent journalist Shri Braj Khandelwal stressed the need of the recognition of Yamuna as heritage entity. He said, “A minimal uninterrupted flow of water round the year should be maintained in Yamuna. The order of the National Green Tribunal to release 10 cumecs liter of water should be implemented.

Several other speakers including Shri Tara Chand Goswami, Ram Narayan Brajwasi, Raghav Bharadwaj, Dr. Rakesh Haripriya etc. addressed the conference. The vote of thanks was given by Jagannath Poddar, the Director of Friends of Vrindavan.

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Vrindavan, 2017.04.02 (AU, DJ): On Saturday, the Mathura District Magistrate Nitin Bansal sent all associate DMs (ADM, SDM) to conduct a surprise inspection of the major towns and municipal bodies of the district. He himself inspected the municipality of Mathura. The other officers also looked at some government offices including the Collectorate and district hospitals. Deputy Collector Garima Singh conducted the inspection of Vrindavan.

The dirtiest place was found to be Vrindavan, with Raya coming in second. The DM threatened the Executive Officers of these areas with cutting salaries of cleaning staff and cleaning workers associated with these areas until a proper explanation is given.

DM Nitin Bansal

After the inspection on Saturday, all the SDMs gave their report related to their area to the DM. The District Magistrate said that the most dirt in the district was observed in the Vrindavan Municipality. It was said that the Parikrama Marg is also very dirty, with piles of garbage scattered everywhere. Even the potholes are full of litter. The areas around Banke Bihari, the ISKCON temple and other important public areas were all found not to meet satisfactory standards of cleanliness.

This is a worrisome situation for Vrindavan, which is increasingly becoming a center of attraction for devotees. The DM has sent notice to the EO demanding a report and explanation for the situation within three days.

ADM Finance and Revenue Rakshidra Kumar inspected the so-called “Hundred Bed” Hospital. He found that the doctor on duty was absent from the Emergency Ward. He expressed anger over the dirt in the hospital. Chief Medical Officer Dr. R.K. Nayyar found numerous defects in District Women’s Hospital: plaster was crumbling with the walls, grills and windows were broken and there was lack of cleanliness in the hospital premises. Drains are not being cleaned in the district hospital.

According to the SDM reports, cleaning standards are not being met in Kosikalan, nor in the Nagar Panchayats of Mahavan, Baldev, and Saunkh. DM has issued notices to all the EO for explanation. In addition, he also ordered the cutting of one day’s salary for regional cleaning workers and managers

MP Hemamalini has also raised concerns about the garbage situation in Vrindavan with the administrative officers many times.

Editorial Comment

These small garbage cans that have been put in some neighborhoods are a bad idea for several reasons. First of all, they are inadequate and people don’t use them. Second, they are open and monkeys easily access the contents and throw them every which way in their search for food. And finally they are not regularly emptied and maintained by the municipal workers.

Here at Vrindavan Today we have spoken many times about the cleanliness problem. Swachch Bharat is a noble endeavor that no one in India can refuse to support. There have been improvements in several areas in Vrindavan and some of the less frequented streets look a lot better than they did.

However, there seems to be, even with all the noise and publicity, a lack of seriousness about the issue in the general populace. Spending money on foolish schemes like these garbage cans in the Vrindavan municipality will be a complete waste unless the people are educated and motivated to themselves clean up their act.

Police need to be conscious of littering, especially in front of tea stalls and other shops, which routinely scatter cups and wrappers everywhere. Shopkeepers who do not keep their area clean should be fined. Local citizen groups need to be formed to maintain local standards. An investment needs to be made in programs that support collective consciousness of the problem and also give practical methods of solving them, and punishment for those who do not maintain the standards. The problem is a societal one, which cannot be thrust on the cleaning workers alone.

Swachch Bharat is an important movement in India. It is a question of national pride. For Hindus, India is a holy land, filled with many places of pilgrimage that remind its people of the spiritual purpose of life. These sacred places, like Vrindavan, need to reflect the piety and devotion of the Hindu population. Otherwise, it brings Hinduism itself into disrepute. Jai Radhe.

These dumpsters have been place everywhere on the Parikrama Marg. They are unsightly and often extremely filthy, damaged and placed on the road in an unaesthetic fashion. They too are easy prey for street animals and irregularly maintained. The image here is actually a fairly _good_ situation. Many are much worse.

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N.Delhi, 2017.04.02 (VT): Lawyer and politician Prashant Bhushan‘s comments on Twitter making fun of new UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s anti-Romeo squads, comparing Lord Krishna to an “Eve teaser,” did not amuse those who believe in Lord Krishna. Indeed, some leaders of Adityanath’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are threatening to start legal proceedings saying that this is a provocation that it “insults a Deity” and “hurts people’s religious sentiments.”

Tajinder Bagga, a spokesman for the BJP in Delhi accused Bhushan of “intentionally and deliberately” posting “derogatory remarks ….for the purpose of insulting and outraging the religious sentiments of Hindu community.”

Prashant Bhushan

Sri Bhushan’s tweet read: “Romeo loved just one lady,while Krishna was a legendary Eve teaser. Would Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes Anti-Krishna squads?”

During his campaign, the incendiary Adityanath not only promised to set up anti-Romeo squads, but also stated that if “anyone is found teasing girls, they would be hanged publicly.”

A mere two days after being sworn in, Adityanath made good on his promise. He intends these ‘anti-Romeo’ squads to be present in public spaces and educational institutes to prevent ‘eve-teasing’ and ensuring women’s safety.

On day one after the announcement, 22 such squads, including policewomen, fanned out in Noida, on the outskirts of Delhi. They have continued to patrol since, but there have been allegations of moral policing and unwanted harassment of men by these squads.

Prashant Bhushan later offered a number of tweets in his own defense afterwards:

My tweet on the Romeo brigades is being distorted. My position is: By the logic of Romeo Brigade, even Lord Krishna would look like an eve teaser. We have grown up with legends of young Krishna teasing the Gopis. The logic of the Romeo squad would criminalise this. Didn’t intend to hunt sentiments. Though I am not religious, my mother was. I grew up listening to the folklore of lord Krishna in childhood. This is a painting of Radha-Krishna in our home. [edited]

The initiative has generally been popular. As one commentator answered Mr. Bhushan, “Has your daughter been eve teased, groped, kissed, or been the subject of lewd and sexist remarks? Can you tolerate that? May be you can otherwise you wont compare Krishna with present-day ‘Romeos’.”

There have been cases where the police have overplayed their hand, but the Yogi Adityanath government has issued clear directions to police and administration to ensure that youngsters are not troubled unnecessarily in the name of curbing eve-teasing and action is taken against self-proclaimed “anti-Romeo” squads who indulge in moral policing. In the meantime, there have been several legal reactions to the steps taken by the Yogi government.

The post Ignorant Twitter remark about Krishna as an “Eve-teaser” creates reaction appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Radha Kund, 2017.03.04 (Vishakha Dasi for VT): Last week we made a trip to the famous Sheetla Mata mandir in Gurgaon. The goddess is the kuldevi (family goddess) of the Radharaman Temple’s Goswamis, and her connection to Vrindavan goes back almost five hundred years.

Our little group was hosted by Ramavatar Garg, a long-time devotee of Radharamanji and member of the Sheetla Mata temple’s trustee board. He made sure we got a close-up, VIP darshan.

Ramavatarji (left) with Ashishji and Karishmaji

I am not aware of any written accounts of the deity’s origins. However, the oral history of the Radharaman Temple portrays Sheetla Mata as Radharamanji’s younger sister.

Originally, the very old deities of Vrindavan like Govind Dev, Gopinath and Madanmohan stood alone, without their consort. But, after the establishment of the Gaudiya Sampradaya, the wife of Nityananda Prabhu, Jahnava Mata, brought deities of Radha from Bengal to Braj. She brought Radha deities to pair with Govind Dev, Gopinath and Madanmohan amongst others.

The story goes that Jahnava Mata also brought a beautiful deity of Radha for Radharamanji. The temple’s founder, Shri Gopal Bhatt Goswami, did not wish to establish a separate deity of Radha in the temple. He felt that Radharaman was Radha and Raman (Krishna) in a single form. But he could not say no to Jahnava Mata.

And so the new deity of Radha was established by Radharamanji’s side in a grand ceremony.

The next morning, when the Goswamis came to awaken the divine couple, they were shocked to find that the Radha deity had vanished. A search was made throughout the temple premises. At last, the deity was found in some dark corner of the property.

Confused, but also relieved to have found the deity, the Goswamis took her back to the altar and placed next to Radharamanji again.

But the strange happenings continued. Every day the new deity of Radha would disappear, and after much effort, she would again be found in some lonely corner of the temple compound. The Goswamis were baffled and asked Shri Gopal Bhatt Goswami for guidance.

Radharamanji

Shri Gopal Bhatt Goswami prayed to Radharamanji and asked him to reveal the reason why the deity kept disappearing.

Radharamanji then appeared to Gopal Bhatt Goswami in a vision and said, “This deity is not Radha. She is my sister, Yogmaya. Every night you put me in bed with her, and ask me to perform my lilas, and every night I am forced to throw her out of my room!”

The Goswamis then arranged for the deity to be taken out of Vrindavan to Gurgaon, where she became known as Sheetla Mata.

The Sheetla Mata temple is extremely popular. Ramavatarji estimated that almost ten lakh (one million) people visited last weekend, as the Navaratri festivities continue. Throughout the month of Chaitra, devotees throng the temple, many coming the night before to do jagran and have her darshan the next morning.

The people of Gurgaon have their own local legends about the goddess’ origin. They call her “Kripi” – the wife of Sage Drona who used to serve sick and suffering children. It is believed that if a child gets measles or chicken pox, the goddess will cure them. Couples take her darshan with the hope that she will bless them with a child.

But for the devotees of Radharamanji, she is our Brajwasi Devi and always will be.

The temple’s main entrance

The altar

VIP darshan area

The temple grounds are very clean and full of trees.

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Vrindavan, 2017.03.31 (VT): A four-day Clean Ganga Drive (Ganga Swachhtaa Pakhwada) was celebrated from 28th March to 31st March, 2017 jointly by the Centre for Environmental Education and Friends of Vrindavan.

The awareness campaign was initially planned for the cities situated on the bank of the Ganga. But the twin cities of Mathura-Vrindavan, situated on the bank of  the Yamuna, were included due to their great religious significance.

A painting competition on Yamuna pollution was organized at Prem Mahavidyalaya, Keshi Ghat, on 28th March. Students from several schools of Vrindavan participated in the competition. Samvid Gurukulam was awarded for the best painting.

Ganga Chaupal, a community meeting, was organized on the next day at Gopinath Bhavan on the bank of Yamuna. Several Brajwasis, saints and Yamuna bhakts participated in the chaupal to express their anguish on the pollution of the Yamuna.

It was a big day on the 30th of March as hundreds of people marched to Vishram Ghat in Mathura for cleaning the heritage ghats along the Yamuna there. Government officials, personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force, students, activists and priests joined the padyatra as a part of an awareness campaign for a pollution-free Yamuna. Hundreds of hands picked up brooms, spades and other cleaning tools and cleaned the bank of Yamuna.

A signature campaign was also organized during the shram daan, where people wrote their signatures on a large sign featuring an environmental message. A cultural programme also followed the event at Vishram Ghat.

On the last day of the campaign, a conference was organized on the subject of the Yamuna River at Bhramar Ghat, which was attended by a number of scholars, activists and Yamuna lovers. The conference demanded that Yamuna be declared a National Heritage Site.

Shri Jeetendra Patel, Programme Officer of the Centre for Environment Education said, “As a part of the Namami Gange initiative, a mass movement “Ganga Swacchata Pakhwada” was planned by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, part of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, for a fortnight between 16th March to 31st March 2017.”

“The programme envisaged to invite everyone to come together and contribute towards keeping river Ganga and its tributaries clean. The pakhwada campaign aimed at creating awareness and a sense of ownership among citizens regarding cleanliness and sanitation and to develop a sense of pride for the cities on the banks of the river Ganga, and the importance of keeping the river clean,” added Shri Patel.

Rosy Agrawal from the Ministry of Water Resources said, “Ganga and Yamuna are part of our national heritage for all of us, and they need to be conserved with the participation of all concerned. This can be achieved though a good education and communication strategy.”

These signs advertising the Ganges Cleaning Fortnight were put up around Mathura and Vrindavan (March 16-31). “Together we will make the Yamuna ghats clean and free from polythene and other waste.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.04.03 (PTI, AU, DJ) Numerous protests were held throughout Braj yesterday after lawyer-politician Prashant Bhushan’s comments comparing Krishna to a sexual molester or Eve-teaser. Effigies were burnt at various sites in Mathura and Vrindavan after his controversial statement.

The demonstrators also made a complaint to the police for filing a criminal case against Bhushan, Swaraj Abhiyan leader and Supreme Court lawyer.

Bhushan had stoked a controversy by making the comparison of Lord Krishna to so-called Eve-teasers while criticizing the UP government’s effort to clamp down on public sexual harassment, which many feel has reached epidemic proportions in India. The Indian press has inappropriately nicknamed the efforts instigated by newly elected Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath Yogi as an “anti-Romeo” drive. There is a big difference between “Romeos” and sexual harassers and abusers.

Other groups protesting in Vrindavan were the Vrindavan Lawyers Forum, Dharma Raksha Sangha (which held a “ninda-sabha” in protest), the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the Garib Ekta Dal, the Tirth Purohit Panda Sabha, and the Brahman Sabha.

Effigies of the lawyer-politician were burnt at several places in Vrindavan, principally the Nagar Palika crossing near the police station, amidst the chanting of slogans. “We all want him to be arrested as he has tried to spoil the environment with his objectionable tweet on Lord Krishna,” said Fuldol Bihari Baba Maharaj, a leading representative of the sant community.

Leading religious and political activist Sadhvi Ritambhara condemned Prashant Bhushan’s comments as a “featherbrained” attack on Hindu culture. She said, “Small-minded people like him make such kinds of controversial statements from time to time in order to undermine India’s national unity. They will be unsuccessful and we should not pay them much attention.”

In Mathura at the Mandi Samiti Chauraha, social activist Tarachand Goswami led a group in burning Mr. Bhushan in effigy. Volunteers for the BJP and its youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, did the same at another protest at the Ghiya Mandi in Mathura.

BJP leader Om Prakash Sharma led the protest at the Govardhan police station where a group chanted slogans. They claimed that Prakash Bhushan’s statements were an outrage to Hindu religious sentiments, which is a punishable offense included in India’s hate-speech laws, and demanded action.

Sants in Radha Kund also made statements of displeasure at the incident and burned the image of Bhushan. The Sevait at the Sant Nivas, Raghuvir Das Baba said, “Krishna is the Supreme Brahman. It is unforgivable to make such statements about him.”

Another Sant from the Giriraj Sant Seva Ashram said that people who speak like this cannot be considered true Indians. Baba Laldas Tyagi said that millions of people have been offended by the remarks.

Two FIR applications in Vrindaban and one in Goverdhan have been given to police by local Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leaders who participated in the effigy-burning, police said.

Fuldol Bihari Baba and others filing FIR at the Vrindavan police station.

“Romeo loved just one lady, while Krishna was a legendary Eve teaser. Would (UP CM Yogi) Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes Anti-Krishna squads?” Bhushan had tweeted.

Although Indian law doesn’t use the term eve teasing, various sections of the Indian Penal Code criminalize making a girl or woman the target of obscene gestures, remarks, songs or recitation.

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Mathura, 2017.04.03 (Hindustan Times) After the Modi kurta, now the Yogi kurta is all the rage. Following the BJP’s emphatic victory in the UP state elections last month, new CM Yogi Adityanath has become a new hero for Hindu nationalists, and part of that is following him in his sartorial style.

At the Udyog Kendra Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Dham in Nagla Chandrabhan area of Farah town in Mathura district, women trainees are stitching more and more Yogi kurtas these days to meet the soaring demand.

“A saffron Yogi kurta is the latest craze and the women trainees and employees of ‘Udyog Kendra are now stitching more of these cotton kurtas for the summer ahead,” said Padamji, director of Deen Dayal Dham in Farah.

“Earlier, the Modi Kurta was much in demand and now it is Yogi kurta. It is the people’s choice, Padamji told Hindustan Times on phone on Saturday.

Deen Dayal Dham is the birth place of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya who was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh and was one of the founder members of Jan Sangh.

Pandit Deendayal, Son of Braj

The Udyog Kendra in the Dham imparts training to women from nearby rural areas in sewing and knitting. Clothes prepared here are sold at an outlet here as well as during various events organised on no profit no loss basis, according to Padamji.

Piyush Srivastava, the division in charge of Hindu Yuva Vahini endorsed the trend, saying youth HYV workers were looking for tailors having expertise in stitching kurta like the one worn by new UP chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath, the founder patron of Hindu Yuva Vahini.

“Saffron kurta with round collar is in vogue among workers of BJP and other allied branches. The youths associated with HYV are also following the trend, although they wear the kurta with jeans, unlike the chief minister who pairs it with a ‘dhoti’ as he is a seer,” said Piyush.

Owner of a tailoring shop in Agra said, “There have been customers who inquired about Yogi kurta but they were be looking for a modified and longer version which could be paired with jeans.”

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Mathura, 2017.04.03 (PTI): District authorities in Mathura on Monday issued a show cause notice to a government doctor for allegedly skipping duty without permission, officials said.

The action was taken after a surprise check at Vrindaban hospital yesterday by the Additional District Magistrate.

“Dr Pramod was supposed to remain on emergency duty but he was absent for over one hour,” ADM Ravindra Kumar said, adding a show cause notice has been issued to the erring doctor.

Mr Kumar said while the bedsheets at the 100-bedded hospital were found dirty, the wards were also unclean and emanating a foul smell.

“Irregularity has been detected in the distribution of medicines as well,” he said.

“Medicines, despite being distributed, the daily consumption register for the same was not being maintained,” Mr Kumar added.

According to the ADM, a seven-day ultimatum has been served on hospital superintendent Dr S K Majumdar for fixing the shortcomings.

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