Vrindavan, 2017.06.23 (VT): As the first monsoon clouds sprinkle Vrindavan with their soothing showers, Shri Radharaman Dev’s 475th summer mahotsav continues. Each morning is filled with special poojas and scriptural readings, and in the evenings, devotees soak in the extremely sweet, close-up darshans that Radharamanji gives from his nikunj (flower palace). These darshans are the highlight of everyone’s summer in Vrindavan.

By the inspiration of nitya lila pravisht Jagadguru Shri Purushottam Goswami Ji Maharaj, Radharamanji is enjoying some very special kunj (flower palaces) every day, each with a unique theme. Shri Shrivatsa Goswami Maharaj explains the significance of the beautiful kunjas offered on June 20th and 21st.

Shakti Kunj

Tuesday’s kunj was called Shakti Kunj. This kunj is made up of three archways, each of which represents a particular shakti or divine energy of Shri Krishna. The right side represents samvit shakti, the left side sandhini shakti and the center, hladini shakti embodied by Shri Radharani Herself. The kunja’s structure is created from intricately carved slices of banana tree trunks, with a broad latticework of fragrant flowers like jasmine and rose.

Sacchidanand Kunj

On Wednesday, another three-arched kunj was offered, but with much more intricate flower lattices featuring complex tesselations (special geometric patterns). This kunj, called Sacchidanand Kunj, symbolizes the pairing of sandhini with sat (being), samvit with chit (consciousness), and hladini with anand (bliss).

On the evening of the 22nd, Radharamanji enjoyed a very special Raag Seva by the renowned rasacharya Shri Fateh Krishna Swami Ji and bhagwatacharya Shri Harekrishna “Sharad” Ji. Both are long-time associates and musical geniuses in their own right.

Devotees drowned in the flood of their blissful music as they sang, “Shyamaju ko raaj hamaare maai”, “Hamari albeli Radhe, hamare albele Thakur”, “Moye chhail ne maari nazariyaa re”, “Dhan-dhan Radhika ke charan,” and other bhajans.

Shri Fateh Krishna Swami and Shri Harekrishna “Sharad” Ji

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.24 (VT): The sadhus of Vrindavan are outraged by an incident earlier this week in which the residents of an entire ashram were poisoned by their cook, who then looted the ashram.

Sadhus from all over Vrindavan met yesterday to discuss the incident. During the meeting, the sadhus demanded that police catch the suspect within twenty-four hours.

Malook Peethadhishwar Shripad Rajendra Dasji, addressing the gathering, said that the incident was extremely unfortunate. He urged the sadhus to take all precautions in the future. Ashrams should no longer accept unknown persons, and each ashram should install CCTV cameras if possible.

Mahant Phooldol Bihari Das Maharaj added that this is not the first time the sadhus have been the target of violence, and that the police should make arrangements for their protection.

The Suspect, Bharat Sharma (P.C. Amar Ujala)

In response, the CO of Police, Mr. Ajay Kumar, said that police will soon make a survey of all the ashrams in Vrindavan and create a list of all persons residing there. Meanwhile, the suspect in the case has been identified as one Bharat Sharma. A police team has been dispatched to capture him.

Mr. Kumar expressed certainty that the suspect would be apprehended quickly. He asked the sadhus to give police seven days’ time.

Shri Rampravesh Dasji, the mahant of the Varah Adyapeeth ashram where the poisoning incident occurred, revealed that he had eaten very litte on the day of the attack; only dal, nothing else. Still he became gravely ill and fell unconscious, along with twelve other residents of the ashram. They were admitted to Ramkrishna Mission hospital. Several of the sadhus remain in ICU.

The Mahant’s disciple, Pappu ji of Jaunai village said that the mahant had recently sold some land at Varah Ghat worth 1.5 crores. However, he had also purchased five bighas of land in Jaunai, worth two crores. These transactions may have drawn criminal elements to the ashram.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.24 (VT): This week the All-India Kashiraj Trust organized a grand ceremony at the President’s house in Delhi. The trust is dedicated to publishing the ancient scriptures of India. It is a matter of great pride for Braj that Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami Maharaj, Acharya of the Shri Radharaman Temple and a trustee of AIKT, played a vital role in the event.

The ceremony marked the release of a new annotated edition of the Garud Puran, created through the efforts of the king of Kashi, Shri Anant Narayan Singh, who is the chief editor and chairman of the trust. The book’s release was formally inaugurated by the President of India, the honorable Shri Pranab Mukherjee himself.

Dr. Anant Narayan Singh spoke about the trust’s various educational and cultural activities, highlighting the trust’s mission to publish new, high-quality editions of the Purans. These new editions will include English and Hindi translations with commentary by various prominent scholars.

Addressing the gathering, His Excellency the President emphasized the dire need for the publication, teaching and study of sacred scriptures like the Purans, and the positive impact such noble efforts can make on Indian culture as a whole. Acharya Shrivats Goswami Maharaj spoke in detail about the Garud Puran’s significance as an encyclopedia of Bharatiya culture.

Dr. Karn Singh, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, Dr. Ramkaran Sharma, Dr. Valmiki Singh, Dr. Janardan, Padmashri Dr. Gita Chandran and other scholars spoke about the cultural and intellectual influence of the Purans from the modern perspective.

Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami Maharaj presented His Excellency the President with a portrait of Shri Radharaman Lal and a package of His prasad. He invited the President to come to Vrindavan and attend the temple’s ongoing summer Nikunj Mahotsav.

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Jaipur, 2017.06.24 (PTI): Northern Western Railway (NWR) on Friday cancelled two trains and diverted two others due to blockade on Mathura-Alwar rail track by the Jat community seeking OBC reservation benefits.

Train-51973 Mathura-Jaipur departing from Mathura and train-51974 Jaipur to Mathura were cancelled, an NWR spokesperson said here.

While train-12035 Jaipur to Agra fort will terminate at Bandikui whereas train-51792 Bhiwani-Mathura will terminate at Alwa, he said.

Meanwhile, routes of train-19666 Udaipur-Khajurau and 12403 Allahabad-Jaipur were diverted, the spokesperson said.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.25 (Mahanambrata Brahmachari): Every human being is a chariot, and that chariot journeys ever on.  From morning to evening, from the first day of life till the last day, this “Ratha Yatra” moves on. But where are we going? Where will the journey end? — that we do not know. Our chariot never ceases, yet we know not where it goes.

Jagannath’s chariot dispels our ignorance, and shows us our real destination. Sri Gauranga revealed our path in a wonderful way, when he appeared in this world and came to Puri. Of Mahaprabhu’s 48 years of lila on earth, he spent the last 24 in Puri Dham.

Sri Gauranga and his companions traveled the chariot’s path together. Their state of mind as they traversed the path is a lesson for us. Accepting everyone as his own companion, Sri Gauranga brings Sri Jagannath Dev and his two shaktis from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan.

Kurukshetra is the land of war, Vrindavan the land of peace. We human beings spend the majority of our lives in Kurukshetra. But we don’t want to stay in this land of war; this place full of constant violence, hatred and revenge. Here there are only uprisings and downfalls, victories that end in losses.

We want to leave this place. Without knowing it, we want to go to the land of love, where there is only love. There is no cruelty there, nor pettiness, pride, or selfishness.  There is only a pouring out of oneself; an offering of oneself for the happiness of others.

We have never known such a loving world, but we want to go there. In every way we long to go there. And most assuredly, that land exists. It is called Vrindavan. That perfect land is filled with glorious beauty and adorned with pure sweetness.

The chariot of each of our lives wants to go with Mahaprabhu and his companions, from this Kurukshetra to the land of love, Vrindavan. We want this, but we don’t realize that we want it.

Today, the day of the Ratha Yatra, we need to realize and contemplate this great truth. From Kurukshetra to Vrindavan: this is the day when, meditating on this fact and holding it within our hearts, we must pull the chariot of all our souls by the rope of mercy, to the eternal land of Vrindavan.

Puri’s other name is Sri Kshetra. The word “Sri” means Lakshmi.  Sri Kshetra is Lakshmi’s domain. But Vrindavan is Shri Vrindavaneshwari’s land. Radharani’s land. The forest of joy, the woodland of ras. Lakshmi has money and power, but there is no ras in it. Radharani has no money, but she has the forest. And in that forest is “shyamlata” (beauty of love or a tree found only in Braj), abundant bliss, sweetness and beauty. Nowadays, civilization is striving for Lakshmi only in the form of material wealth and power. Because of this, Saraswati is weeping. Radharani has turned her face away, and hidden her divine form in the secret bower.

Today on Ratha Yatra, we will vow to change this situation. Today, we shall not long for wealth or honour, but for heart and soul. We shall trade the battles of violence for the intoxication of love. Today, there will be not the cruelty of anger, but the embrace of affection. Chanting ‘Jai Jagannath! Jai Jagadbandhu!’ with a feeling of harmony and friendship towards all, making all our own, we shall long to merge in the nectar of immortality.”

-Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.26 (VT): Ratha Yatra was celebrated lovingly yesterday in Vrindavan. Devotees braved the sticky monsoon heat dressed in their finest, to sing and dance with their beloved Jagannath. Each temple celebrated the festival in its own unique way.

Vrindavan’s main Jagannath Temple is situated on Parikrama Marg, in the area known as Gyan Gudri, which is the place where Uddhav conversed with the gopis and was blessed by them. Gyan Gudri is the centre of the Ratha Yatra celebrations in Vrindavan. Chariots from many different temples, such as the Jagannath Temple at Vishram Vat, converge here and do parikrama of Gyan Gudri before returning home.

Jagannath’s chariots were decorated in traditional Brajwasi style, covered with garlands of fresh flowers. Young Brajwasi boys, sitting on top of the chariots, enthusiastically threw juicy mangoes into the crowd as they went. There were no loudspeakers, only sadhus doing kirtan with khol and kartal. The children, men and women along the chariot’s path were full of smiles, and many distributed cool water and sharbat (a traditional flavored drink) to keep the devotees feeling fresh and energetic. It seemed that the festival was celebrated exactly as it was for hundreds of years, with pure Brajwasi joy and simplicity.

But the highlight of the celebration was the small chariots pulled by the children of the Gyan Gudri neighborhood. The children took the Ratha Yatra very seriously, decorating their carts carefully with colorful wrapping paper and flowers, and placing their beloved deities of Jagannath or Gopalji inside. They took their small chariots on procession around Gyan Gudri, some ringing bells and banging gongs. Their cute minature Ratha Yatras drew quite the crowd, and devotees took turns pulling the children’s chariots.

Meanwhile, in his temple, Shri Banke Bihari Lal sat in a chariot made of silver and gold, while at Shri Radha-Damodar, Radha-Madanmohan and Radha-Gopinath temples, Jagannathji was placed in a small moving chariot and taken for a ride around the temple courtyard.

Ratha Yatra at Radha-Damodar (P.C. Damodar Goswami)

At the Shri Radharaman Temple, Radharamanji sat in a gorgeous silver chariot drawn by silver horses, driven by a man made of silver. After aarti, Shaligram Shila was seated in an adorable little silver rath and taken on procession around Radharamanji’s jagmohan (outer part of the altar) by his Goswamis.

In Radhakund, the Jagannath Temple took their Lords on procession around Radhakund Parikrama, continuing their centuries-old tradition. Meanwhile in Mathura, Shri Krishna Janmasthan’s Ratha Yatra was their 36th annual.

Shaligramji’s Chariot at Radharaman Temple

In front of the chariot went the Janmasthan’s flag and a group of young men on horseback. A Gaudiya Kirtan Mandali sang and played the traditional
instruments while devotees danced in jubilation. Mathura residents showered flowers from the rooftops and distributed prasad to the devotees along the way. Starting from the Janmasthan itself, the procession moved through Deeg Gate, Mandir Ramdas, Swami Ghat, Rajadhiraj Bazar, Chatta Bazar, Tilakdwar, Kotwali Marg, Bharatpur Gate and Daresi Road, before returning back to Janmasthan.

The Gaudiya Math on Agra Road also held a major Ratha Yatra celebration, taking Jagannath Ji on parade around Holi Gate, Vishram Ghat, Bengali Ghat, Arya Samaj Road and back to their ashram on Agra Road. Other temples in Mathura also observed the festival.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.26 (VT): The man who allegedly poisoned sadhus last week in order to loot their ashram has been apprehended.

Outraged by the poisoning incident, the sadhus of Vrindavan held a meeting during which they issued an ultimatum to police. The sadhus threatened to hold a massive protest if the suspect was not found within 24 hours. The police, in turn, requested a week to complete the search.

But by the end of the weekend, Police had already found their man. A phone stolen by “Bharat” was traced to a mobile phone salesman named Deepak. Then police found Bharat’s father Jagdish at a major ashram in Gokul.

Finally, the police team traced “Bharat” to Khari Khera in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, where he was arrested.

The poisoning incident occurred on 21st June, when thirteen sadhus of Varah Adyapeeth Ashram at Varah Ghat in Vrindavan collapsed and fell unconscious shortly after taking their midday meal. The sadhus were hospitalized and several were placed in ICU. After the mahant of the ashram came to, it was discovered that the ashram had been robbed and ashram’s new cook, “Bharat”, had absconded.

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Mathura, 2017.06.26 (VT): The Parikrama Marg’s beautification project has hit a snag after an explosive meeting on Saturday between the CDO and The Braj Foundation’s team.

The Braj Foundation was selected as the City Anchor of the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY). This gave them the responsibility of implementing key elements of the government’s project.

The CDO conducted a sudden inspection of the project on 20^th June during which she found several lapses in the project’s implementation. She subsequently pointed out the issues that were not done according to the DPR (Detailed Project Report) to the project manager of the The Braj Foundation. The CDO is the nodal officer of the City-Level Advisory and Monitoring Committee (CLAMC).

A meeting to discuss the lapses in the project was held at 11am on Friday morning. According to several sources, the architect of the NGO was supposed to attend the meeting. But instead, Mr. Raghav Mittal, the Research Director of The Braj Foundation, attended the meeting at the CDO’s office, along with a crew of officials from the NGO.

The meeting is said to have turned sour when Mittal allegedly blamed the CDO for all problems with the work, after which a verbal fight ensued. When the situation got out of hand, the CDO called the police and Mr. Mittal was taken to the police station. He was later released.

The CDO alleges that Mittal became irate, and insisted that the CDO should not have any objection to The Braj Foundation’s work, since the organization has been working in Braj for so many years. Mittal, on the other hand, says the CDO became offended because he called her a public servant.

A case has been filed by the CDO against Mittal, accusing him of indecency and preventing a public servant from discharging her duty. The matter is currently under investigation.

The SHO Sadar, Shri Subodh Kumar, told the media that he went to the CDO’s office at Rajeev Bhawan on Saturday, with the purpose of taking the CDO’s statement on the matter. But he found that the CDO had gone on leave. However, he managed to talk to her on the phone.

Nabha Karoli Ghat, the latest project under HRIDAY

The SHO further said that he will take the statement of the CDO on Tuesday, and that CCTV footage will be obtained from her office. The CDO’s office staff will also be interviewed.

Now the Research Director of the Braj Foundation has written a letter to the Superintendant of Police, requesting to file a case against the CDO. The President of the Braj Foundation Mr. Vineet Narain has made requests for a probe from the Chief Secretary, to the DGP all the way up to the Chief Minister.

The letter contains a number of complaints about the CDO. Conversely, the CLAMC is allegedly fed up with the Braj Foundation for what it sees as a dictatorial attitude and an attempt to force the government offices to do its bidding. The NGO has also been accused of making unilateral changes to the Heritage plan without asking permission from or even informing the appropriate departments.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.27 (VT): Last week the sadhus of an ashram in Vrindavan were poisoned by their new cook, Bharat Sharma, so that he could rob the ashram. It was recently discovered that the poison he used was bhang, a drug made from the buds and leaves of the cannabis plant.

Bharat added the bhang to a pot of moong dal with spinach. Excessive boiling apparantly increased the intensity of the drug, so that it became like poison. Due to the awful taste, the sadhus only ate a little of the dal, which may have saved their lives. Even so, they all fell unconscious and were later admitted to the hospital. Several were placed in ICU.

According to police reports, Bharat made off with four lakh rupees in cash, as well as lakhs worth of gold and silver goods. However, upon his arrest, Bharat was found with only 10,000 rupees and a few silver dishes. He claims to have thrown the rest in the Chambal river.

Meanwhile, Bharat Sharma has been implicated in another robbery which occurred at Kishori Niwas on 16 September, 2014, in which more than 10 lakh in cash, about 250 grams of gold and 281 silver coins were stolen.

Source: Amar Ujala

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Agra, 2017.06.26 (Aditya Devi, TNN): Mathura police arrested three persons on Monday for their alleged involvement in robbing a CNG pump manager of Rs 25 lakh on June 12. The accused include a history-sheeter Rohtas.

The other two criminals were identified as Chakleshwar and Naresh. All three are residents of Mathura.

Based on a tip-off, a joint team of Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) personnel and Chatta police raided Taroli village on Sunday evening and arrested the three criminals.

The team also recovered three country-made pistols, 12 live cartridges, one motorcycle, one kg of the sedative Alprazolam and Rs 8,200 in cash from their possession, said SP (rural) Aditya Shukla on Monday.

Chatta police in Mathura and Kama police station in Bharatpur had announced a reward of Rs 5,000 each on Rohtas. There are around 17 cases against him.

Police said that the accused confessed to their role in the June 12 incident during interrogation apart from several other cases of robbery. Two of their aides, Guddu and Siya, are on the run.

On June 12, the manager was on his way to a bank in his car to deposit cash when the four bike-borne robbers intercepted him and snatched his bag at gunpoint. The accused snatched the bags along with his car keys before fleeing the spot.

Read more:

Robbed at gunpoint on the way to the bank

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.27 (VT): A new International Airport will be built in Jewar, a town just 1 hour and 45 minutes North of Vrindavan via the Yamuna Expressway. The permission for the project was granted by the government on June 24th.

Located approximately halfway between New Delhi and Vrindavan, the new airport will provide greater convenience for devotees traveling to Braj from around India and abroad. The airport is expected to give a big boost to tourism and economic growth in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra.

Designed to reduce the burden of Indira Gandhi International Airport’s air traffic, the new facility will be the second international airport serving the NCR. The first phase of the airport is expected to be operational by 2022.

The airport, which will be named Noida International Airport, will also get a high-speed connection to the New Delhi metro system.

For those travelling to the new airport by train from Mathura, the nearest train station to Jewar is about 25 kilometers away in Palwal. It is hoped that Indian Railways will add direct connectivity to Jewar once the airport is operational.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.08 (VT with reference to Hindustan Samwad): A piece of Vrindavan’s history was destroyed this week, right under the noses of the police at Addha Police Chowki on Mathura Road.

The stone bearing an inscription from the British Period banning hunting in Braj

A stone inscription dated March 1866 details an order made by Mathura’s then-commanding officer, Colonel M.H. Seymour. It is one of only two stone inscriptions from that period in Vrindavan.

The order, written in English, Hindi and Urdu, bans hunting in Vrindavan, Mathura, Gokul and surrounding areas on both sides of the Yamuna’s bank. It also warns that violators of this rule would be severely punished.

The inscription bans the use of guns, bows and arrows in Vrindavan, and officially recognizes Braj as the sacred land of the Hindus.

The way the 150-year-old stone inscription was neglected, carelessly destroyed, and thrown in a garbage pile is an unfortunate symptom of apathy towards preserving Vrindavan’s cultural treasures. The unique inscription on this piece of stone proved that Shri Vrindavan Dham commanded the respect of even the British Raj, who took concrete steps to protect the spiritual sentiments of the Brajwasis.

The five-inch-thick stone tablet was embedded in a three-foot-wide wall of kakaiya bricks (small, very old bricks) beside the police station. The police use the area where the inscription was located to store confiscated vehicles. Several citizens of Vrindavan had previously expressed concern that the stone could be hit by one of the vehicles. This may be what actually occurred, although the cause of the damage remains unconfirmed.

After the stone was broken, it simply sat there in pieces for several days before being thrown in the garbage pile. The police department did not take any notice of it whatsoever. They neither tried to salvage the pieces, nor did they notify the Mathura museum or the Archaeology Department.

The stone in pieces, lying in the garbage heap (P.C. Hindustan Samwad)

Addha Police Chowki in-charge Mr. Indrajeet Singh said, “I have no idea about any British stone inscription. I never even saw it.”

The Assistant Director of the State Museum in Mathura, Mr. SP Singh said, “A stone inscription from the British period has no significance. If the stone had been 250 or 300 years old, then it would have been worth something. Still, we will look into the matter on Tuesday.”

These are the statements of officials who should be the first to protect Vrindavan’s treasures. Every day the disease of ignorance and apathy strips away pieces of our precious heritage. The Yamuna River is being stolen by the states and towns upstream, while concrete roads have hidden away the sparkling diamond-dust of Braj Raj.

The loss of this stone inscription is a wakeup call for all of us to start taking responsibility for protecting our beloved Vrindavan Dham.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.28 (VT): The thirteen-day festival surrounding Mudiya Puno (Guru Purnima) has begun in Govardhan. A procession with Harinaam Sankirtan marked the beginning of the grand event.

The shobha yatra began at Chakleshwar’s Shyamsundar Ashram and performed parikrama of Mansi Ganga. Shrimad Bhagwat Katha, Bhakt Maal Katha and 24-hour sankirtan were begun on the same day and will continue thoroughout the festival.

P.C. Amar Ujala

The Shrimad Bhagwat Katha is being performed by Shri Mridul Kant Shastri. During katha he explained that although Guru Purnima is celebrated everywhere as a day when the Guru is worshipped, in Govardhan the day is specially dedicated to honoring Sripad Sanatan Goswami ji Maharaj.

Shri Sanatan Goswami ji Maharaj’s bhajan kutir is in Chakleshwar, just in front of Shri Chakleshwar Mahadev.

Over a million people from all over India and abroad are expected to participate in Govardhan Parikrama on the main day of the festival, which falls on Sunday, July 9th this year.

Source: Amar Ujala

Read more:

Sanatan Goswami’s love for Madan Mohan, and a special announcement for “Mudiya Puno”

Sanatan Goswami’s Love for the Brajwasis

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.28 (VT): New information has surfaced about the events leading up to the June 23rd meeting, after which the CDO filed a criminal complaint against the reasearch director of The Braj Foundation.

Prior to the meeting, the Assistant Comissioner of the Nagar Nigam Mr. Brajesh Kumar informed the CDO that since January 2017, only 16 percent of The Braj Foundation’s work under the HRIDAY project had been finished. He also questioned the quality of the work that had been done.

Last week during an inspection, the CDO identified some faults in the NGO’s work on the parikrama marg. After that, the Assistant Comissioner wrote a letter asking for an explanation from the Additional Civil Engineer. In the letter, he demands answers as to why the government offices had not been informed that The Braj Foundation’s work was not going smoothly. He also questioned why the contractors were not pushed to work faster.

Earlier allegations that The Braj Foundation had made unauthorized changes to the DPR have proven to be true.

Additionally, on June 5, Additional Superintendant of Police Siddharth Varma wrote to the CDO saying that before the beautification work in the street in front of Shri Krishna Janmasthan can take place, the electric wires need to be re-routed below ground, and before Potra Kund can be rennovated the boundary wall must be extended up to the railway crossing’s barrier for security’s sake. These issues were allegedly discussed in a meeting with the CDO and the Braj Foundation on June 8th.

Following the explosive July 23rd meeting, the President of the Braj Foundation complained to the Chief Minister about CDO. Mr. Narain proposed that the CDO is trying to defame the Braj Foundation. He continued to say that when the beautification work was going on at Shri Krishna Janmasthan, in the name of security, the CDO stopped the work for no reason.

Regarding the events of 23rd June, Vineet Narain said that Mr. Mittal, The Braj Foundation’s Research Director, did not misbehave with the CDO, and that the CCTV camera footage from her office will reveal the truth.

While the CDO has filed a criminal case against Mittal, Mittal has written a letter of complaint to the police about the CDO.

A meeting was held recently at the office of Mathura DM Arvind Malappa Bangari. The DM, the CDO, Senior Police Superintendant Vinod Kumar Mishra and The Braj Foundation’s Raghav Mittal, Gaurav Gola and Commandant Janardan Pant were present.

In the meeting, both sides reportedly discussed their respective concerns, and made the collective decision to continue collaborating on the HRIDAY project. The District Magistrate has offered to mediate should any problems arise.

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P.C. Hindustan News

Vrindavan, 2017.06.29 (VT with reference to Hindustan News): Yesterday’s news about the broken stone tablet created quite a stir. The Vrindavan Research Institute (VRI) came forward yesterday with an offer to preserve the stone, which is inscribed with an British order from 1866 that bans hunting in Braj.

The Director of VRI, Mr. Satishchandra Dikshit showed up at the Addha Police Chowki yesterday with a team from the Institute. He spoke with the station in-charge Indrajeet Singh and explained the depth of the stone’s importance in Vrindavan’s history.

Police were overwhelmed when they learned of the stone’s significance. Together the police and the VRI team picked up the pieces of the stone and placed them carefully in the store room of the police station.

P.C. Hindustan News

Mr. Dikshit explained that government permission will be needed before VRI can take posession of the stone and display it in their museum, which is located in the Raman Reti area of Vrindavan. The government is currently being notified of the stone’s importance and its current state.

VRI scholar Dr. Rajesh Sharma said that the stone’s inscription proves that the British government in Mathura understood and gave honor to Braj culture. They banned hunting not only for locals but for their own people as well.

Immense gratitude is due to the Vrindavan Research Institute and to Hindustan News for taking interest in this issue and breaking the story on Wednesday.

Read more:

How a piece of Vrindavan’s history ended up in the garbage pile; a story of ignorance, apathy and neglect

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.29 (VT with reference to DJ): The streets surrounding CFC Chaurah, one of the busiest intersections in Vrindavan, have become filled with salvaged metal and construction scrap. Salvage workers are using the footpath to showcase their wares.

The problem is, the presence of the scrap metal has made the road even more narrow than it already was. Not only do cars find it difficult to pass through, even people walking on foot get stuck. Sometimes even busses and tractors try to fit through.

The scrap problem stretches from Mathura gate to Kishorpura, where the area is almost constantly jammed with traffic. But neither the government nor the police is ready to act against this blatant encroachment.

Fistfights have broken out on multiple occasions when local residents asked the salvage workers to remove their scrap from the road.

Mr. Rasik, a shopkeeper at CFC Chaurah, said “The people who work with salvaged metal in this neighborhood are quite rowdy. If we try speaking to them about this issue, there is bound to be an incident.”

Locals are requesting the government and police to take responsibility and rectify the situation as soon as possible.

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.29 (VT): Today is the disappearance day of Sri Jagdish Das Babaji.

Jagdish Das Babaji lived at Kaliyadaha, not far from the temple of Shri Radha-Madanmohan Ju. He was born in a respected Brahmin family from Barddhaman in Bengal, and grew up to become a famous doctor. But he left all that behind to live in Vrindavan and dedicate his life to Radha and Krishna as a renounced monk.

His Gurudev was Siddha Bhagavan Das Babaji of Ambika Kalna. He also got the blessings of many great souls in Vrindavan. One of those great souls was Sri Premanand Goswami of Shringar Vat, a descendant of Shri Nityananda Prabhu.

The Magic of Braj Raj

One day Baba was feeling a heavy lack of inspiration in his bhajan. That day when he visited Shringar Vat, Premanand Goswami noticed Baba’s sadness. He told him to roll in the dust of Vrindavan, which he did immediately. At that moment the joy of Radha and Krishna’s love returned to his heart.

After Premanand Goswami passed away, Baba would roll in the dust of Vrindavan in front of Goswami ji’s samadhi (tomb) if he felt disturbed at heart.

Sri Jagdish Das Babaji Maharaj

Baba’s Brother Visits from Bengal

Once Baba’s brother came from Bengal to visit him. Upon hearing the news that his brother’s wife had died, Baba said, “Oh, that’s wonderful! Now the bondage of family life is broken for you! You can come to Vrindavan and do bhajan.”

After his brother left, Baba realized his mistake. “I must have hurt my brother very badly,” Baba thought. “I should have comforted him instead.”

Baba had no idea where his brother was staying in Vrindavan, and he did not have his address in Bengal either. So Baba made the journey to Hathras train station three days in a row, hoping to meet his brother there. But unfortunately his brother never came.

Baba then wrote a letter to a friend in Barddhaman, asking him to find his brother and ask forgiveness on his behalf.

At last Baba received a reply from his brother that he was not hurt, but that he would not be visiting anymore, because he felt he had distracted Baba from his bhajan. He did not wish to disturb him further.

An Unusual Feast

Every year on the disappearance day of his Gurudev, Baba used to make a mini festival by offering just a few malpowas (sweet pancakes) and distributing pieces of them as prasad. 

Then one year, a devotee gave Baba forty rupees to hold a small feast on the occasion. Baba personally went to the market an bought 20 rupees worth of gur (jaggery) for making malpowas.

When Baba returned home, he left the bags of gur in his hut and went to wash his feet by the well. But he forgot to latch the door. When he came back, he found that a gang of monkeys had torn open the bags and were having a grand time feasting on the gur. Baba laughed began to recite the prem dhwani (prayers before a feast).

That evening the devotee who had sponsored the “feast” came to see Baba. Baba told him, “So many Vaishnavs were served today by your mercy!” But there was no sign that a feast had occurred.

When that devotee asked for prasad, Baba said, “I bought twenty rupees worth of gur and the sacred monkeys of Vrindavan blessed me with their presence. They had a grand festival in my hut and left. Their remnants are still there on the floor, you may take some prasad from there. And here is the rest of your money; please use it to serve the Vaishnavs once more.”

The Devotee who Ate Fish

If anyone ever criticized another person or talked about their faults, Baba used to stop them and tell this story.

“Once a devotee said to Shri Bhagavan Das Babaji Mahashay, ‘So-and-so comes here and he talks like some big devotee. But he has not even given up eating fish!’

“Babaji Mahashay asked him, ‘Have you ever eaten fish?’

“‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘But I don’t eat it anymore.’

“’Just like that, he will also quit eating fish one day,’ replied Babaji Mahashay.

“Shri Bhagavan Das Babaji Mahashay did not approve of this kind of talk. He taught that devotee, ‘It’s not ok to find fault with somebody for doing something you used to do yourself. The soul progresses little by little. Do not look upon anyone’s faults.’”

Kaliyadaha where Baba lived

Baba’s Soft Heart

Baba was always careful to avoid offending anyone. He never used to attend any kirtans or spiritual discources, because he worried he might find fault with the kirtaniyas or the speakers.

Many sadhus prefer to remain absorbed in their own private worship and not to speak with anyone, but Jagdish Das Babaji was not like that.  He felt that if someone came to him for advice, it was because Mahaprabhu had sent him, and it was his duty to answer their questions and offer advice. Baba also never hosted any discourses at his place, because he was concerned that if any visitors came during the program, they might not get a chance to meet him and ask their questions.

Whenever a group of devotees came to speak with Baba, Baba would usually ask the questions and answer them himself. He preferred to offer his answers first, and let others express their thoughts afterwards. Otherwise, Baba might have to contradict someone’s opinion, and he preferred not to do so, fearing someone might feel hurt.

Once someone asked Baba, “How can I attain prem? Please instruct me.”

“Would you be able to live here in Vrindavan?” asked Baba.

“No Baba, I wouldn’t be able to do it,” replied the devotee.

“Then take two rupees and buy Srila Narottam Das Thakur Mahashay’s Prarthana and Prem Bhakti Chandrika.  Read them all the time and worship according to their teachings. Then you will attain prem.”

Baba used to say, “Shri Gauranga, who came to this world to distribute prem and the Holy Name, mercifully gave us this teaching:

তৃণাদপি সুনীচেন তরোরিব সহিষ্ণুনা
অমানিনা মানদেন কীর্তনিযঃ সদা হরিঃ

तृणादपि सुनीचेन तरोरिव सहिष्णुना
अमानिना मानदेन कीर्तनीयः सदा हरिः

trinadapi sunichena taroriva sahishnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

One who is humbler than a blade of grass and as tolerant as a tree, who does not expect respect for himself or herself, but who always gives respect to others, can chant Harinaam endlessly.

“As long as you are unable to embody the heart of this verse, you will not attain prem. And however much you are able to follow it, that much closer you will get to prem. The day you perfect your following of this instruction, that day you will attain prem, and you receive the supreme blessing of Sri Krishna’s darshan.”

On June 30th, 1915 AD (ashadh shukla shashti of Bangabda 1322) Sri Jagadish Baba left this world at Kaliyadaha, at about 100 years of age.

The post The Tender Heart of Sri Jagdish Das Babaji appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

I lovingly serve the vines of Vrindavan, whose blossoms are picked Shri Radha and Krishna and their sweetly smiling girlfriends, and who smile through their flowers when they see the sweet loving quarrels of the Divine Couple.

VERSE 70:

gāndharvā muravairiṇaḥ praṇayiṇaḥ puṣpāṇi saṁcinvato
svairaṁ smera sakhī-kulena vṛtayoḥ īṣat smitena dvayoḥ
dṛṣṭvā keli kaliṁ tayoḥ nava navaṁ hāsyena puṣpa cchalaiḥ
kāmaṁ yā vilasanti tāḥ kila latāḥ sevyāḥ paraṁ premabhiḥ

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises the climbing vines of Sri Vrindavan, which are just as glorious as Sri Vrindavan’s trees. Sri Prabodhananda Saraswati has written in Vrindavan Mahimamritam (5.57):

etā vallī-vitataya uru sneha viklinna cittāḥ śrīmad vṛndāvana bhuvi mahābhūtayor mātṛ-bhūtāḥ
āśrīyante Hari Hari bahir vastu buddhiṁ vidhūya yair dhīmadbhiḥ satatam iha va’mūtra vā te kṛtārthāḥ

“The intelligent person who gives up all material conceptions of the vines of Vrindavan and takes shelter, is blessed in this world and the next. These vines seem to melt with affection because of their loving, motherly nature.”

Sri Radha considers these vines to be her own:

yā rādhāyā varatanu naṭetyukti mātreṇa nṛtyed gāyetyuktvā madhukara rutair vijña-gānaṁ tanoti
krandetyuktvā visṛjati madhūtphullitā syāddhaseti proktāśliṣya drumam iti girā sasvaje ghṛṣṭa-gucchā
(Vrindavan Mahimamritam 5.37)

“As soon as Sri Radha says: “O beautiful vines! Dance!” they dance, when she says: “Sing!” the bees in their flowers will hum an intoxicating song. When she says: “Weep!”, the vines shed tears of honey, and when she says: “Laugh!” they make their flowers blossom. And when she says: “Embrace the trees!” the vines jubilantly wrap their tendrils around them.” In this way the vines of Braj serve Radha’s love for Shri Krishna by giving her so much romantic inspiration.

navīna kalikodgatiṁ kusuma hāsa-saṁśobhinīṁ nava stavaka maṇḍitāṁ nava maranda dhārāṁ latām
tamāla-taru-saṅgatāṁ samavalokya vṛndāvane patiṣṇum ati vihvalām adhṛta kāpi me svāminīm
(Vrindavan Mahimāmṛtam 2.84)

“Seeing a fresh vine embracing a tamāl-tree in Vrindavan, dotted with fresh flowerbuds and smiling with beautiful blossoms, decorated with soft tendrils and emiting a stream of fresh honey, my mistress faints and one of her sakhis holds her up.”

Shri Raghunath Das Goswami remembers a special honey-sweet pastime as he praises the vines of Vrindavan in this verse.

One day Raghunath Das Goswami was absorbed in bhajan on the bank of Sri Radhakuṇḍa, when he had a transcendental vision: Shri Radha and her sakhis are picking flowers in a garden near the bank of Sri Radhakund. Suddenly Shri Krishna appears, dressed as a gardener.

mādhavas tāṁ tadālokayan rādhikāṁ ballabī-vargataḥ sad guṇenādhikām
keyam udbādhate mad vanaṁ rāgatas tūrṇam ityullapan phulladhīrāgataḥ(Stavamālā)

Seeing the crown jewel of young gopis Sri Radha picking flowers, Krishna said: “Who are you, making a mess of my garden?” and quickly came up to her. Radha covered her whole body with her veil and retreated a little as she smiled. She continued picking flowers as she said:

sadātra cinumaḥ prasūnamajane vayaṁ hi niratāḥ surābhibhajane
na ko’pi kurute niṣedha vacanaṁ kim adya tanuṣe pragalbha vacanam
prasīda kusumaṁ vicitya sarasā prayāmi sarasīruhākṣa tarasā
kriyādya mahatī mamāsti bhavane vilambam adhikaṁ tanuṣva na vane
(Stavamālā)

“We come every day to this solitary forest to pick flowers for our worship of the gods, and no one has stopped us this until now! Why are you speaking so harshly to us today? Please forgive us, o lotus-eyed boy! We don’t know how to speak such bold words as you do! I have many duties to perform at home, so I have to return home quickly after picking these flowers. Let me go without delay!” Hearing this, Sri Krishna replied:

niyuktaḥ kṣitīndreṇa tenāsmi kāmaṁ vanaṁ pālayāmi krameṇābhirāmam
janaḥ śirṇam apyuddhared yo dalārddhaṁ harāmyambaraṁ tasya vittena sārdham
parijñātam adya prasūnālim etāṁ lunīṣe tvam evaṁ prabālaiḥ sametām
dhṛtāsau mayā kāñcana śreṇi gauri praviṣṭāsi gehaṁ kathaṁ puṣpa cauri
(Stavamālā)

“I have been engaged by king Cupid in protecting this lovely garden for a very long time. If someone even takes a brown dried-up leaf from any tree in this garden, I take away all of his or her garments and ornaments as a fine. O golden beauty! O flower thief! Today I have caught you picking the flowers and fresh leaves of Cupid’s garden. How can I let you go?”

In this way the Divine Couple are have so much fun along with their sakhis. As the vines witness these sweet playful quarrels, they smile through their flowers. Raghunath Das Goswami says: “I lovingly serve these vines of Vrindavan, which always relish the sweet pastimes of the Divine Pair!”

supraṇayī rādhā-kṛṣṇa krīḍāmoda raṅge; mṛdu hāsya mukhī priya sakhīdera saṅge
svacchande hāsimākhā madhura ānane; nirata hoile yādera kusuma cayane
prema raṅgī yugalera niyata nūtana; keli kalaha līlā koriyā darśana
puṣpa vikāśera chale hāsyera vilāsa; manohara rūpe yārā koriche prakāśa
se sakala latikā e vrajera mājhāre; ekānta sevana yogya prīti sahakāre

“I lovingly serve the vines of Vrindavan, who smile enchantingly in the form of their flowers, and who love to see the sweet playful quarrels of the Divine Couple when they come to pluck their flowers in the company of their softly-smiling sakhis.”

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994
Source: Tarun Govinda Das, Flowing Nectar Stream blog.
(Slightly altered by the editor for Vrindavan Today)

The commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj, is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī).

It was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

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

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Vrindavan, 2017.06.30 (VT): Rajarshi Banamali Raibahadur’s deities of Sri Radhavinod (better known as “Jamai Vinod”) reside in Tarash Mandir near Ramkrishna Mission hospital in Vrindavan.

Appearance of Radhavinod

Radhavinod ju was found in the river Padma in modern-day Bangladesh by a man named Vancharam. Vancharam was the manager of the Tarash estate. That day as he was taking his morning bath, he heard a voice saying, “Take me out of the water and bring me home!”

Vancharam looked around to see if perhaps a child had fallen into the water. Then suddenly, he felt a hand tugging at his leg. He reached down and grabbed the hand, and pulled out the deity of Radhavinod. He took the deity home and began to serve him with great care and love.

Unexpected Guests

But Radhavinod was very demanding. Whenever he wanted something, he would come to Vancharam, or someone else, in a dream.

On one occasion, the naughty Radhavinod came in a wealthy devotee’s dream and asked him for a hookah. The devotee brought a very expensive silver hookah. Vancharam started offering the hookah every day after Radhavinod’s meals.

On another occasion, some guests came to Vancharam’s house at night while Vancharam and his wife were sleeping. Not wanting to disturb his sleep, Radhavinod took the form of a little boy and began to entertain the guests himself.

He told the guests, “My father is sleeping right now… but I can wake him up if you want!”

“No, no!” replied the guests, “Please don’t disturb him. We will cook for ourselves.”

Radhavinod went to the market to buy groceries for his guests. But he didn’t have any money. The shopkeeper was very reluctant to give this little boy groceries on credit, so Radhavinod gave him his golden bangles. “Hold on to these until my father pays you tomorrow,” said Radhavinod.

The next day Vancharam asked his guests with surprise, “When did you come? Who let you in?”

They replied, “We came late last night but your son let us in. What a good boy he is! He made all the arrangements for our supper.”

Vancharam was speechless. His suspicions were confirmed when the shopkeeper came to his house next day with Radhavinod’s bangles, asking for the payment.

Shri Radhavinod Ju (P.C. Priyavrat Sharma)

A Love Affair with the Raja’s Daughter

Around this time the head of Tarash estate, Raja Banwari Lal, started coming for darshan of Vancharam’s now-famous deity. He also brought his wife and his daughter, Radha.

Radha loved Radhavinod, and Radhavinod loved her too. He used to flirt with Radha and pinch her to tease her. Radha saw this naughtiness clearly but her mother and father could not perceive it.

One night Radhavinod said to Vancharam in a dream, “Let me go and live with the Raja. I am pleased with your seva, but now I want to accept his seva. Don’t be sad, for you will soon realize me.”

Thus Radhavinod went to live with the Raja, and Radha served Radhavinod with all her heart. She decided what he would wear each day and what he would eat, and prepared flower ornaments for her Beloved.  Her expertise in seva seemed impossible for such a young girl.

Radhavinod was very pleased with her, and showed it by teasing her even more than before. One day while Radha was offering Binod Ji a garland, he grabbed the corner of her saree and said, “You must marry me.”  She told her mother what Radhavinod had done, but of course she didn’t believe her.

Radhavinod becomes “Jamai Vinod”

Soon after Radha became very ill. Radhavinod appeared to Radha’s mother in a dream and told her, “Radha will not remain in this world much longer.  I can no longer live without her direct seva, so I will take her home as my bride. Make a murti of Radharani from the dried-up devadaru tree in the courtyard. Your daughter will also merge with that deity and thus attain me. When the murti is ready, you must peform our wedding.”

When Radha’s mother told Raja Banwari Lal about the dream, they both wept. But their tears were of a mixture of joy and sorrow, because they had faith that their daughter would soon attain Radhavinod’s lotus feet, and that both of them would live in their house as a married couple, in the form of the deities.

The devdaru tree was cut down and work on the murti started immediately. As soon as the murti was ready, Radha left her body.

Arrangements for her funeral and her marriage in the form of the murti were made simultaneously. After the wedding ceremony, Radhavinod became known as “Jamai Vinod” (Vinod, the son-in-law).

Banamali Raibahadur meets his Beloved

When Raja Banwari Lal died, his adopted son Banamali took over his position as head of the estate.

“Rajarshi” Banamali Raibahadur

Banamali Raibahadur was a British-educated barrister (lawyer). His family was very aristocratic, and during the British Raj they had British guards to protect their more than 52 bighas (32 acres) of property. Banamali Rai was a great advocate of women’s rights including a widow’s right to marry. He was friends with Raja Rammohan Roy.

But at that time, Banamali was a member of the bramho-samaj. Because he did not have much faith in deities, he neglected Radhavinod altogether. He hired a pujari to continue the worship as a matter of mere routine.

Banamali meets Jagadbandhu

Then an amazing thing happened to Banamali. One day he was travelling down the highway towards Pabana on the back of an elephant, surrounded by attendants and royal guards armed with guns. Suddenly Prabhu Jagadbandhu came with a huge kirtan party. Hundreds of devotees sang with khol and kartal, with Jagadbandhu dancing at the head of the procession.

Banamali could not tear his ears and eyes away from the sound of the Holy Name and the beauty of the saint’s dancing. It was something totally new for him and it was completely irresistible. He did not know why he jumped down from the elephant, kicked off his royal slippers and started dancing in the midst of the kirtan.

Banamali danced and danced until the kirtan party reached its destination. There he bowed low before Jagadbandhu Prabhu, and requested him to come to visit his royal villa. Jagadbandhu accepted the invitation came and showered his blessings upon Banamali. He stayed in the palace for a number of days explaining Bhakti yoga to him and instilling love for the Divine Couple in his heart.

The Fight for the Hookah

After that, Banamali Ray became enthusiastic about Radhavinod’s seva. But he stopped the hookah offering, for he felt it was against the scriptures.

But Radhabinod made his own arrangements. During this period, a siddha-mahatma named Sri Krishnasundara Ray used to live with Banamali. He was completely absorbed, meditating on Radha and Krishna day and night while externally he would smoke a hookah mechanically, out of mere habit. Whenever Krishnasundar Ray lost external consciousness, which was quite often, Radhavinod would steal the hookah from his hand and smoke.

But after Krishnasundara Ray left the material realm, Radhavinod began to lament the loss of his hookah seva. He came in the pujari’s dream and said,

“Give me back my hookah! I used to smoke secretly with Ray Prabhu. But now that he is gone I have not smoked for four days!”

When Banamali Rai was informed of the dream, he made arrangements for the hookah seva to be restored. But in his heart he doubted whether Radhavinod ju really smoked.

A Divine Sound

Shri Jagadbandhu Maharaj

Dr. OBL Kapoor writes in The Saints of Vraj, “Once Jagadbandhu Prabhu was staying in Banamali Ray’s palace in a room adjacent to the temple of Radhavinod. After rajbhog he called Banamali Ray and said, “Today let us enjoy the hookah-smoking lila of Lilamay (the playful Lord). He took Banamali Ray with him and sat in the verandah of the temple.

“After some time he said, ‘See, Vinod Ji is smoking. Listen to the hubble-bubble of the hookah.’ Simultaneously, Jagadbandhu granted Banamali spiritual ears to hear the sound of the hookah. As he was listening to the sound, he went into bhav-samadhi and tears began to trickle from his eyes.”

In 1897, Banamali Raibahadur went to Vrindavan and received diksha at the lotus feet of Prabhupad Sri Radhika Nath Gosvami, a direct descendent of Sri Advaita Prabhu. After that he began to serve Radhavinod directly. He became so absorbed in seva that he had little time for anything else. So he entrusted his estate to a manager and moved to Vrindavan permanently.

In Braj, Banamali constructed two buildings; Tarash Mandir in Vrindavan, and Rajbari in Radhakund. He and Radhavinod divided their time between both places.

The Legacy of Banamali Raibahadur

Banamali Raibahadur was at the centre of the Vaishnav community in Braj.

Many mahatmas graced his house with their presence, and he always made arrangements for Hari Katha, kirtan and other religious festivals. His estate included a large amount of land, part of which was later given to Ramkrishna Mission to build their famous hospital in Vrindavan.

Banamali Raibahadur directed all the resources of his estate towards the service of the Vaishnavs. He built a charitable hospital and a school for teaching the bhakti scriptures, which provided free room and board for its students. He also started a press which printed Srimad Bhagavatam with eight commentaries and other bhakti literature, all of which he distributed free of cost amongst the sadhus.

He received the blessings of all the siddha-mahatmas of his day, but some particularly showered their mercy on him. They were Sri Radhikanath Goswami, Jagadbandhu Prabhu, Sri Radharaman Charan Das Babajii Maharaj, Sri Vijaykrishna Gosvami, Sri Gaurakishor Shiromani, Sri Ramhari Das Babaji, Sri Krishnasundar Ray, Sri Harisundar Bhaumik Bhuiyan, Sri Jagadish Das Babaji and Sri Ramakrishna Das Pandit Baba.

With the blessings of these mahatmas, Banamali Raibahadur easily attained the lotus feet and eternal loving seva of Sri Radhvinod in Eternal Vrindavan.

(This story is based on the accounts presented in The Saints of Vraj by Dr. OBL Kapoor, Gaudiya Vaishnav Jeevan by Shri Haridas Das Babaji and an interview with Udayan Sharma of Tarash Estate)

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Vrindavan, 2017.07.01 (VT): Smt. Ramaa Bandhopadhyay was a female saint of the Gaudiya Sampraday. She was a direct disciple of Shri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj. A learned scholar and professor, she travelled throughout India giving discourses on bhakti-yoga. She also wrote a number of books including a commentary on Chapter 14 of the Shrimad Bhagwatam, the Brahma Stuti.

In this portion of the commentary, Prof. Bandhyopadhyay dicusses the following verse of the Brahma Stuti:

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṃ bhavadīya-vārtām |
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṃ tanu-vāg-manobhir
ye prāyaśo ‘jita jito’py asi tais tri-lokyām ||SB 10.14.3||

Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are spoken by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer You, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone in the three worlds.

Commentary: “There are some who, without stuggling in gyan-marg, remain in the same order of life in which they were called, spending all their time hearing with great humility descriptions of Your excellences from Your great devotees. All their actions–speech, thought and their every breath is saturated with devotional fervor for You. You, who are unconquerable by anything in the three worlds are certainly conquered by them.”

Hearing the glories of Krishna’s devotee is more helpful to the jeev (soul) than glorification of Krishna Himself. This is the reason that Brahmaji is using the term “bhavadeeya.”  Brahma has also has used another term, “san-mukaritaam,” which means the glories of Krishna and His devotee should be san-mukaritaam, or in other words one should hear the glories of Krishna and His devotees from the lips of of a Vaishnav. The effect of hearing Hari-katha from a non-Vaisnava will not be the same. For example we drink milk to attain bodily strength, but if the tongue of a snake contacts that same milk, that milk will become like poison.

Here one can raise the question why it is required to hear the Hari-katha from the mouth of a Vaishnav? A real Vaishnav will just speak from shastra, and I can just read the shastras myself.  What is the necessity to listen to the same thing from the mouth of a Vaishnav? This is an improper conclusion. It is true that the Vaishnav would be speaking from shastra, but he would not only be speaking the words from shastra-–as saints follow the words of the scriptures for their own sadhan and bhajan, they actually experience shastra. They directly realize what they are speaking and thus when they mix their own bhajan-realization with the words from the sastra while delivering Hari-katha, their speech becomes extremely powerful and has much more of an impact upon the listener.

With the help of a mundane example this may become clearer. Beneath a banyan tree one can find numerous small banyan fruits, which contain small seeds within. Though all the required ingredients to germinate the seeds like soil, water, air and light are available beneath the banyan tree, we do not see the appearance of new banyan saplings growing beneath the tree. Rather we can find that the saplings of the banyan trees are appearing on the edge of roofs, near houses, on top of walls, etc. The saplings are found to grow where the normal required ingredients for germination are largely absent. How is this possible that they are growing in places where the main ingredient, soil is absent? The reason is that when the fruits of the banyan tree are consumed by birds, these seeds  become mixed with the saliva of the birds. When they are digested they are  transformed and they are transferred to those remote locations in the  stool of those birds. Thus those otherwise dormant seeds grow wonderfully even without the presence of soil which would normally be necessary for sucessful germination. The new saplings are even sometimes seen growing on stone.

Similarily, great Vaishnavs practice the teachings of the words of the sastras in their devotional lives. They digest those words in their hearts and mind and a transformation occurs through their bhajan. When the words of the shastra and bhajan realization are combined and presented in the form of speech eminating from the lotus-lips of a Vaishnav, the power of Bhakti Maharani is manifested and even a greatly fallen person is delivered from ignorance at once by hearing such katha.

Bhagavan Sri Kapil Dev has said that Hari-katha from the mouth of great saints acts like a medicine in the mind and heart of the jiva. It cures the disease and weakness of the mind and ears. An example of a disease of the ears is interest or ruchi in hearing mundane talks about wealth and property. Blaspheming others and having interest in hearing about ones own “glories” is another example. With such weaknesss of the ears one is not able to listen to Hari-katha for any length of time. Just as in the case of a weak patient who is unable to walk for a long period of time, he requires periodic rests during his walks. Likewise, if one is unable to listen to Hari-katha for a long period of time that is a sign of having a weakness of one’s ear.

By hearing Hari-katha from the lips of a Vaishnav, the disease of the ear will be cured. At that time one’s ears will not be interested in hearing talks about mundane wealth or material enjoyment. One can understand that their disease is cured if they could go on listenting to Hari-katha indefinitely. We have been speaking of the ears, but the same is true for the mind as well. The disease of the mind is enjoying thoughts of materialistic topics, and the symptom of its weakness is to be unable to think of Krishna. Hearing the glories of Krishna from the mouth of a Vaisnava will cure one’s mental diseases and strengthen the mind as well. That is why Brahmaji is telling, “san-mukaritaam” – hearing the excellences of Krishna and His devotees from the mouth of saints is understod as the easiest way to sustain their life.

Brahmaji has talked about hearing  Hari-katha, but in which way should one hear  Hari-katha? Is it dependent on the person who is about to hear Hari Katha? Is that person independent? In other words can he listen to Hari-katha according to his own will? Brahmaji is going to answer that now.

No! The person who wants to hear Hari-katha is not independent. The Goddess of Hari-katha is the controller of this and she is supremely independent. Thus the master of language,  the speaker of the Veda,  Brahma has used the term “shruti-gataam”. Hari-katha is supremely independent. If Hari-katha mercifully enters into the ears of devotee then he can hear it, otherwise not. Now a question may arise. How is this possible? If I sit near the Vaishnava while he is delivering Hari-katha, why can I not have access to this? Great saints are telling us, in spite of sitting in a place where Hari-katha is taking place, unless and until one receives the mercy of Hari-katha Devi he will still not be able to actually hear it. He would feel sleepy or his mind would wander and think about something else. Eventually the Hari-katha will be finished and he will not be able to taste even a single drop of it.

Then what is the remedy? The solution is that before coming to hear Hari-katha one should pray to Bhakti Maharani. “O! Hey! Goddess of Harikathai! O Bhakti Maharani! Please be merciful to me! Please manifest your presence in my ears!”  This is the significance of the usage of term “shruti-gataam.”

In order to attain Hari-katha one should associate with Vaishnavs. Hari-katha is only available near the Vaishnav. Everyone has their own taste. Wealthy people relish talks about money, and the Vaishnav only talks about Krishna. One can find rotten meat where dogs live, while in a lion’s den one can expect to find elephant pearl, “gajamuktaa”, as after killing elephants lions will keep the elephant pearl in their own den. So, as one would find rotten talks of wealth near rich people, precious Hari-katha is only found near the Vaishnav.

vaishnav sangete man, aanandita anukshan,
sadaa hoy krishna parasanga
deen narottama kaande, hiyaa dhairya naahi baandhe
mor dashaa keno hoilo bhanga
(17 Prarthana)

“Oh mind! In the association of the Vaishnavs you can constantly and blissfully discuss topics of Krishna! The fallen Narottam weeps: Alas! my heart has become impatient (because I am deprived of such association)! Why have I ended up in this condition?”

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