One day Babaji Maharaj and his companions were out on nagar-sankirtan(kirtan on procession through the streets). Along the way they were taunted by some boys saying, “Hey Babajis! Where are all your Matajis?” Some of the Babas became angry and wished to chastise the boys, but Babaji Maharaj, feeling compassion for them, singled-out the lead mischief-maker and giving him a loving glance shouted, Jai Nitai!” The sankirtan party then went on its way.

Sri Ramdas Babaji Maharaj

Some years passed by and Babaji Maharaj was out on nagar-sankirtan when a fellow approached him. It was the same person who, as a young boy, had taunted Babaji Maharaj and his companions. This time he paid his respects  to Babaji Maharaj and told him how he had been very successful in life. He had now become a business owner and a family man with a significant amount of wealth. Babaji Maharaj silently blessed him and went on his way.

Again, after some years this man crossed paths with Babaji Maharaj. He had seen the kirtan party and approached them in great humility. This time the man was dishevelled and had long hair and a beard. He was covered in dirt, and was wearing old, worn-out rags as clothing. Babaji Maharaj didn’t recognize him, but feeling compassion for him he had a devotee take him to the ashram and clean him up and provide him with food and a room.

The post A moment’s association with a sadhu can bring all perfections appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.08.23 (VT): Following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and the heads of BJP-led areas, Vrindavan has been selected for a high-level meeting of the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS).

The meeting will take place from August 31st to September 3rd at Keshav Dham. Preparations are already underway, and a temporary meeting hall is being constructed.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and around 200 BJP officials and representatives from associated organizations will be present. Planning for the 2019 elections and other upcoming events will be discussed.

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Govardhan, 2017.08.23 (VT): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) will send a team to Govardhan the first week of September to inspect ongoing development work. In a hearing on Monday the NGT encouraged the work to be sped up and set the next hearing for September 19th.

The development work will be analysed according to seventeen specific guideliness decided by the NGT in 2015. Amongst these:

• All traffic on the parikrama marg should be stopped completely
• An alternate ring road is to be built, all homes must be connected to an STP via an official sewage system
• A solid waste management system must be put into place;
• Parking areas should be established within 200 meters of the parikrama marg, and
• The entire parikrama marg must be preserved as a no-construction zone.

Previously, the State Government had set the date of completion for the project for the end of 2018.

Upon hearing the list of points, Govardhan resident Lal Singh says with a twinkle in his eye, “Well, let me tell you: sewage still goes in the road and the fields, traffic still runs on parikrama marg all the time, except on big festivals, and nobody is coming around to pick up our garbage! I wonder what these government folks will have to say about it.”

“At least they have started making the ring road,” he added.

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Vrindavan, 2017.08.23 (VT): Radhashtami is on August 29th this year. The following is the miraculous story of Gulab Sakhi, a Muslim Brajwasi of Barsana, and how he attained the grace of Shri Radharani.

In Barsana there is a place called Piri Pokhar. As we walk from Piri Pokhar to Prem Sarovar, we see a small and old chabutra or platform in the adjoining forest. The platform is called Gulab Sakhi-ka-chabutra. Even today people bow down to it as they pass by.

Gulab Sakhi was a poor Muslim who lived in Barsana, the abode of Radharani, since his birth. Since childhood he had rolled in the holy dust of Barsana, breathed the air of Barsana charged with bhav and bhakti and enjoyed the company of the Brajwasis of Barsana.

He was very humble and simple at heart. Though illiterate, he was a good sarangi player. He played sarangi regularly at the time of kirtan in the temple of Radharani. He had a daughter that was seven or eight years old, whose name was Radha. She danced while he played sarangi in the temple. Her dance was enchanting.

Sriji Mandir, Barsana (P.C. Rajasthan Patrika)

For the service he rendered in the temple, he was paid a small salary of eight or ten rupees. But he would get Radharani’s prasad as well, which was enough for him and his daughter. He was happy and content. There was nothing else that he wanted.

He loved his daughter very much. He was so satisfied with his service to Radharani through his music and her dance at the temple, both morning and evening, that he felt as if he was living in the highest paradise. He never thought about how his daughter would get married one day and his paradise would come to an end.

But his daughter came of age and had to be married. The Goswamis of Barsana all loved his daugther. They often said “Gulab! Radha has come of age. Why don’t you see to her marriage?” The Goswamis decided to raise money for her marriage and asked him to look for a suitable boy. Radha was married. She went with her husband and Gulab was left alone.

Gulab was no more the old happy and cheerful Gulab. Cruel fate had cast its darkest shadow upon him. He not only lost his cheerfulness, but also his sleep and appetite. For three days and three nights he sat at the door of Radharani’s temple, weeping. He only wept and sighed and cried “Radha! Radha!” The Goswamis thought he would go mad. They tried to console him but in vain.

On the third day at midnight when he was lying at the door of the temple with his eyes closed, he heard the voice of his daughter. She said “Baba! I have come. Will you not play sarangi so I can dance?”

It is difficult to say whether Gulab was sleeping or awake, but he saw with his eyes closed that his daughter danced as he played sarangi. That night her dance was much more enchanting and the jingle of the ornaments she wore around her ankles was much more pleasing to the ear and captivating to the heart than usual. It was so because it was not really his daughter. Gulab realized this, because the transcendental jingle of the anklets of Radharani had opened his physical as well as spiritual eyes. He looked at Her with eyes wide open and wet with tears and said, “Lali!” As he wanted to say something more, moving towards Her with his heart full of affection, She ran towards the temple and he ran after Her.

After this Gulab was never seen anywhere. The Goswamis thought that he perhaps could not bear the separation from his daughter and had committed suicide. They constructed the chabutra, already mentioned, in his memory.

One day, when a Goswami, who was a pujari of Radharani’s temple, was returning home after performing aarti and putting Radharani to sleep, he heard someone from behind a cluster of trees in the adjoining forest, calling “Goswami Ji! Goswami Ji!”

He turned around and said, “Who is that?”

“Your Gulab,” came the reply, and Gulab came out of the forest.

Goswami was surprised to see him. He said, “Did you not die?” Gulab told him the whole story about Radharani’s appearance to him as his daughter and added, “She had kindly accepted me as Her sakhi. I have just come after playing sarangi for Her as She lay down to sleep. Here is Her prasadi paan.”

Radharani and her dasi (Artist Unknown)

Gulab gave the paan to Goswami Ji. He was surprised to see that it was the same paan that he just offered to Radharani. From this time on, Gulab became known as Gulab Sakhi.

The only thing Gulab did to win over Radha’s heart was that he wept at Her door and cried, “Radha! Radha!” But how could that melt Radha’s heart? Wasn’t She aware that he was crying for his daughter and not for Her?

It is difficult to answer this question. Radharani is all-merciful. When the ocean of Her mercy swells, it crosses all barriers of scriptural rules and regulations.

It may also be observed that Gulab was humble, pure in heart and free from all kinds of offenses. Radharani’s mercy flows more easily towards those who are pure in heart. He did not practice any jap or tap or any other sadhana. His life itself was a silent sadhana.

He could never think of giving up his service to Radharani, and he was completely surrendered to Her. Everything that belonged to him, including his daughter was, for him, a means for Radha’s service. After the departure of his daughter, he was crying for her not because of attachment for her as his daughter, but because she was to him an indispensable means for his service to Radharani. How could Radharani prevent Her mercy from flowing freely towards a surrendered soul like him?

From The Saints of Vraja by Dr. O.B.L Kapoor

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I have been back in Australia after a short ten days in Vrindavan. I was reflecting on my experience when I went to the Vrindavan Today website and found Jack Hawley’s piece ‘John Stratton Hawley :: Vrindavan, 40 years later.’ So I copied his title, with the caveat “almost” since I first set (physical) foot there in 1998.

The reason I have been involved for so long is simple: Vrindavan itself. Not Krishna, not Radha, not temples, not bhakti, not anything else. And here Vrindavan means Nature, the Divine Sports Stadium of Life where yugal-bhāv, here represented and manifested as Radha and Krishna, is permanently on show and for the taking if we will only look deep enough.

Vrindavan is both a physical reality and an abstraction. And the person who showed me how to watch and how to find this inner Vrindavan among the eternal natural and cultural world-as-Vrindavan: the well-known local Vrindavan ecologist, scholar, thinker and seer, Shrī Sewak Sharaṇ Jī.

The author with Shrī Sewak Sharaṇ during Holi and the Vrindavan Kumbh Melā, March 1998

I met Sewakjī when I came to Vrindavan as an environmentalist-devotee in February 1998. At that time he was the convenor of several environmental happenings, namely World Wide Fund for Nature–India’s Vrindavan Conservation Project and Friends of Vrindavan. I took an instant liking to this educated and cultivated man; his demeanour was soft, his English direct and understandable, and what he had to say and what he wished to impart profound: Vrindavan, Nature, is merely a means to arrive at and live the Source, the Centre, “That Which We Are,” as Neale Donald Walsh, author of Conversations with God, would put it. I acknowledged to him and myself that as a 22-year old pilgrim I wanted to learn from him. To use a wellworn cliché, here began one of the adventures of my lifetime, a journey which brought together many strands of my own physical, intellectual, emotional, and ecological search.

It was through six longer and shorter visits to Vrindavan between 2003-2008 that I worked intently with Sewakjī, on synthesizing several what could otherwise be considered disparate strands of sādhanā (spiritual practice). Where Sewakjī’s background is grounded primarily in the Rādhā-Vallabh sampradāya and mine, at least initially, in the Gauḍīya traditions as adopted and adapted in primarily the Australian chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), my attraction to and fascination with Sewakjī as an eco-guru and his eco-philosophy was founded more directly in non-denominational ecological grounds.

By the time I arrived in India, I was a graduate environmentalist. It is these bases upon which not only a formal guru-shiṣhya relationship developed, but one involving deep friendship, cross cultural exchange, language learning, and continued interpersonal interaction utilizing modern communication technologies across international boundaries.

As my senior in age and experience, I approached Sewakjī with respect and with an enquiring mind. Having been schooled in the formalities of the guru-shiṣhya relationship within ISKCON, though never having taken formal initiation, I understood the importance of the particular process of approaching a knowledgeable person who appeared to be well advanced on the path. Not only is it exciting to spend time with such an individual, because they can help you in your search, their presence makes you feel at peace, and want to engage in sādhanā which directs you towards concentricity, the state of being balanced with inner personal and outer world functioning.

The longer I stayed with Sewakjī, the more I realized Krishna had brought me to Vrindavan and then let me free there. Being concentric and equanimous with oneself— self consciousness, with one’s intimate others—other awareness, with nature—nature consciousness, and with society—societal consciousness, leaves religion, sects, and rituals behind. This modern day sage had created a natural and cultural haven in the very now-becoming-urbanized town where he was raised. And out of this dust came concrete and livable methods where one could lead a life we once described as ‘living with nature culturally’ without the superficial dogmas of religion and its parallel rituals.

The fact that I am writing about these events in 2017 is testament to the longevity and significance of this guru-shiṣhya union in both my working life as an academic linguist and in my perpetual striving for fulfilling the instruction Sewakjī set for me in May 2003: “It is my desire that you become a real ecologist for Vrindavan.” The how, why, when, and where of accomplishing this task is less about Vrindavan and the establishment of an illustrative guru-shiṣhya relationship and more about the persistent and dynamic striving for realization of the Nature-Divine-Humanity trilogy as a part of sādhanā-and-world based manifestations. What I wish to express should have relevance outside my own experiences as a sādhak (devotee) and hopefully be applicable beyond the physical confines of Sewakjī’s ashram known as Latā Bhavan on the Parikramā Mārg in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The author with Shrī Sewak Sharaṇ in April 2017

It became clear that the man who was formerly the manager of Vrindavan’s World Wide Fund for Nature– India chapter was not merely an ecologist who possessed some clear ideas about how the Vrindavan environment could be remediated; he had synthesized a theory describing relationships involving humans, nature, society, and the Divine which was yet to be written or compiled in any significant way.

Moreover, this amalgamated sādhanā practice, a process we later termed E-Sādhanā, of which the ‘E’ element has five elements—electronic sādhanā for the modern age, easy sādhanā, eco sādhanā, ego sādhanā, and everyone’s sādhanā—was yet to be tested or practiced by any shiṣhya, student, or disciple. What I was witnessing was a vast amount of philosophical, empirically scientific, as well as personal sādhanā-based research, which was waiting to be incorporated, practiced, and eventually written up and presented to the world. This labor of love fell on my shoulders.

I am incorporating the details of the Nash–Sharaṇ relationship and the theories we developed as a part of my current postdoctoral studies in linguistics.

“I wish to see you before I depart”

In January 2017 I received an email from a young female devotee who was going to see Sewakjī. I followed up with a phone call. Now 83 years of age, the Swamī requested me to come and see him one last time. He felt his time was limited and he wanted to see me before he left. I had to honour his request. Knowing how important such a trip was to me and not wanting me to live to regret it if I missed the opportunity, my wife Holly encouraged me to go on this pilgrimage, what would most likely be my final chance and concluding darshan with my esteemed and revered guru, co-researcher, and, most importantly, my dear friend Shri Sewakjī.

I dedicated 10 days to this venture, the maximum amount I could take out of my life with Holly and our daughter Olive. Coming to see him felt like visiting an aging father. I am sure there has been something paternal in our years-long interaction. There were tears when I arrived.

“Almost 20 years, Baba,” I said.

“Yes,” he said in a frail voice, “Vrindavan will never let you go.”

Although there had been countless energetic learning and teaching discourses between us relating to how he had synthesized a sādhanā process, which was both theoretically pleasing to me and practically applicable in my life, these 10 days passed in elegant calm. The days of vigorous breathing exercises—prāṇ dhyān—and intricate discussions intended to sow the ground of our working relationship were now well over. These were postdoctoral discussions both literally, because I am a postdoctoral researcher, and figuratively, because the groundwork of almost two decades has been well established.

We discussed pointed specifics like the philosophical application of the rasika poetry of the medieval Vrindavan saints Hit Hari Vansh Goswami and Hari Rām Vyās to the Vrindavan Ecological Concept (VEC), as Sewakjī had termed it, and not the generalities, which we had explored many times before.

The VEC was truly in my vision:

First, Vrindavan is a pilot model for the creation of human sanctuaries. These places can be anywhere provided the sanctity of the soil (Nature), soul (Divine), and society (Humanity) are maintained.

Second, concentricity, the state of balanced human–human and human–nature dealings, will lead to ecologically, culturally, and divinely conducive and amicable behaviour. Concentricity is divine environmentalism. And this is what Vrindavan came to teach, that Vrindavan = Nature + Divinity. That any place where we look to Nature with a Divine vision becomes Vrindavan,

The Human Sanctuary.

This is the attractive aesthetic spectacle Vrindavan offers the world. And this is what makes Vrindavan as a place of ecological study and the VEC as a synthesized philosophy of the Vrindavan environment different from other examples of religion and environment–conservation worldwide. And it was because of these vibrations in this actual geographical location in modern day India which attracted and encouraged Radha and Krishna to descend.

Vrindavan and its message is hallowed; what they have to teach is as applicable thousands of years ago as it is today. However, a germane questions arises: If Vrindavan: The Human Sanctuary can in principle be anywhere provided we are concentric and behave amicably and with reverence towards Nature, why do we need the actual Vrindavan, especially considering the sordid ecological and cultural state of the modern pilgrimage hub?

In some ways we don’t. Where Sewakjī conceded consistently over many years of discussions—“I have failed to conserve Vrindavan”—I disagree that he had failed; through him and in his small ashram a veritable phoenix of ecological and spiritual wisdom had risen up through piles and piles of sectarian and intellectual-emotional detritus and religious fundamentalism, not to mention ecological and cultural destruction. And as he continually said to me, “the fact that you came all the way from Australia to Vrindavan means there is blood in the stone.”

We need Vrindavan like a hole in the head—the noise, pollution, and lameness—yet we need nothing but Vrindavan. As Indic thought tells us: neti neti. I don’t believe there are any failings in Vrindavan, nor was Sewakjī unsuccessful in any way. The lessons are clear, and I have taken it upon myself to write, develop, and publish my own experiences and the theories, methods, and precepts I developed with Sewakjī.

As Vrindavan Today editor Jagadānanda dāsa imparted several times when we met, I am the person with the most complete access to Sewakjī’s theories and thoughts. In summary Jagadānanda said: “Your method and approach to ecology is bhakti. And bhakti is prema (love). Bhakti is then the culture of prema. You’re trying to serve Vrindavan (Nature) as the sacred ground (dhām) of Radha and Krishna’s union, the scene of their love story. Vrindavan is the Stadium, the Cosmic Playground of Radha and Krishna.”

Jagadānanda’s position concurs with that of Sewakjī and mine in that of the four compositional elements of devotee’s sādhanā, namely nām, rupa, līla, and dhām, dhām (place, physical environment, nature) is the most available, most present, and easiest component to approach.

And within dhām, the three-part sādhanā process of prakriti-chintan (meditative contemplation on Nature), prāṇ-chintan (meditative contemplation on life energy), and kāl-chintan (meditative contemplation on time as the motivating entity in Nature) is realised.

Vrindavan is Hotel California, man – you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I spoke with Jack Hawley by telephone on 30 March 2017 while he was in Vadodara. A strange turn of fate had it that he left Vrindavan 36 hours before I arrived. He believed I had come to Vrindavan this time to receive a gift; the opportunity to spend quality time with Sewak Sharaṇ, a mahāpurush and one of my best friends, in his twilight days.

As I looked around Latā Bhavan, the Above of Fauna, I saw that young and energetic yet seriously purposed 22-year old ecologist–devotee boy who had bumbled awkwardly into Vrindavan and Sewakjī’s presence. I knew one had to enter this place with an enquiring mind and heart. Hawley’s photograph of the Parikramā Mārg before it was sealed and when nature won out in a pre-developed Vrindavan and a pilgrimage centre where one could sense a divine presence in the quietude of sacred nature reminds me intensely of my initial 1998 pravesh (entering). The scent of those early days will remain with me, as will the memory of Sewak Sharaṇ Jī and his perennial teachings relating the trinity of soil, soul, and society or Nature, the Divine, and the Human.

As Hawley queries throughout his piece, what has changed in Vrindavan? My conclusion is: all and nothing: neti neti. The smells take me back 20 years as do the sounds. I can’t even remember what it was like when the Parikramā Mārg was the veritable edge of the town. How can I even imagine what it was like for Sewakjī and his now late wife when they began staying out here in 1980, with the scorpions and ants and no trees?

As regards change, I saw that monkeys had taken over in Latā Bhavan and that the surroundings were not as they were when I was a permanent resident. However, what is more important was that I realized that Sewakjī has enjoyed my company throughout the years as much as I have his. It felt lovely to be in his presence. I experienced a sense of peace and calm when I looked out over those trees; the years had passed, the sādhanā was done, I had changed. Vrindavan will never leave me and I will never leave Vrindavan. I now live Vrindavan whenever and wherever I am.

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Vrindavan, 2017.08.24 (VT): An elderly woman was killed by monkeys on Tuesday at her home in Gopi Baag, Vrindavan. Eighty-year-old Kanta Devi was hanging clothes to dry on the rooftop when a gang of monkeys attacked her.

When her attempt to fend off the monkeys was unsuccessful, she fell two storeys to the street below. Her family and neighbors rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her last rites were performed on the bank of the Shri Yamuna River.

Locals are concerned by the rising number of thefts, injuries and deaths caused by monkeys in Vrindavan. They say the Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam is responsible and that something must be done to allieviate the suffering of humans and monkeys alike.

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Vrindavan, 2017.08.24 (VT): Preparations for Radhashtami are in full swing in Barsana. Lakhs of pilgrims are expected this year; and every year, the crowds increase.

In the past, stampedes have caused the deaths of several pilgrims. Extra attention is being given to crowd control, and security this year will be the tightest yet.

Illegal constructions have been removed from all the main roads to facilitate traffic. Local business owners have been served legal notices against any further encroachment or disposal of garbage in public areas.

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Vrindavan, 2017.08.24 (VT): To promote the Swacch Bharat Mission in the villages of Braj, a free showing of Toilet: A Love Story was arranged for the heads of the village panchayats.

515 village leaders attended two free screenings at the Big Bazaar cinema hall in Mathura. Mathura’s District Magistrate Arvind Malappa Bangari, CDO Yashu Rastogi, and sanitation department personnel also attended the event.

Shot on location in Nandgaon and Barsana, the film garnered harsh criticism from locals during filming for allegedly showing the marriage between a girl from Barsana and a boy from Nandgaon – an alliance which is forbidden in traditional Braj culture. One holy man even called for the director’s tongue to be cut out.

Indeed, the film’s music video “Gori Tu Lath Maar” seems to have missed the point of Lathmar Holi, which is a Nandgaon-versus-Barsana affair with a fraternal mood, and is strictly not played between a husband and wife.

[This appears to be an odd case of cultural appropriation, however, not having seen the film in its entirety, VT Staff temporarily reserves its judgement.]

Since the screening, no further reports of complaints have surfaced in the district. It seems the panchayat chiefs focused solely on the Swacch Bharat message and were happy to see their beloved homeland on the big screen.

Toilet: A Love Story (Hindi: Toilet: Ek Prem Katha) is based on the true story of a Madhya Pradesh newlywed who left her husband’s home in protest when she learned the house had no toilet. The woman was later awarded $10,000 by Sulabh International for her bold decision in favor of public health.

The film, which stars Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar, hopes to influence viewers to take up the Swacch Bharat banner and help end open defecation in India.

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Mathura, 2017.08.25 (Aditya Devi, TNN): Hearing a petition seeking stay on developmental work carried out by the Mathura administration on the heritage ghats of Vrindavan, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a detailed report from the Jal Nigam on a proposed sewerage treatment plant (STP) near the Yamuna river for treating waste water from the Kosi drain.

The Mathura authorities were planning to building the STP near Yamuna as part of the river front development projects.

Akash Vashishtha, petitioner in the case, who is also a coordinator of Alliance for Culture and Environment (ACE), a forum working for the conservation of environment and natural heritage of Brij area, had challenged construction of an interceptor drain, which would run parallel to the expanded riverfront and transport sewage from the Kosi canal and 18 different drains running through Vrindavan before eventually dumping the same without any treatment into the river.

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Mathura, 2017.08.25 (Anuja Jaiswall, TNN): Authorities at a toll plaza on the Agra-Delhi National Highway 2 have filed a complaint against six police personnel of Mathura, including a circle officer, for allegedly manhandling their staff and looting Rs 40,000 in cash from them.

Assistant manager of the plaza OP Yadav said, “Six policemen, including the circle officer of Refinery circle Nitin Singh, came to the plaza on the intervening night of August 22 and 23 and looted the cash after assaulting the staff. CCTV footage of the incident has been submitted along with the complaint.”

According to Yadav, the incident occurred between 11.45pm and 1am.

The policemen arrived at the toll plaza in an SUV belonging to the circle officer (CO) and entered lane 13 meant for fast lane tag vehicles. He said since the vehicle did not have a fast lane tag, the barrier went down and blocked the vehicle’s exit.

“The CO and other policemen came out and started threatening the staff. An argument ensued, following which they manhandled the staff.”

CO Nitin Singh denied allegations and said that he was on patrol duty when three people approached him and complained that the toll staff was charging extra money. “We have already registered a case against 25 people including the manager on duty, Vinay Yadav and unidentified people under sections 147 (rioting) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty),” Singh said.

P.C. Dainik Jagran

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Vrindavan, 2017.08.26 (VT): Riots erupted in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab after the controversial spiritual leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted of rape on Friday.  Singh, also known as “Rockstar Baba” or “The Guru in Bling”, has about fifty million followers. He is currently being held in a Haryana prison.

Singh has been found guilty raping two of his female followers. He is also under investigation for the murder of a journalist.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the “Baba in Bling”, convicted of rape (P.C. CNN)

At least 31 have died and over 250 have been injured this weekend by Singh’s enraged followers. Bombs, AK 47s, axes and other weapons have reportedly been confiscated from members of Singh’s organization Dera Sacha Sauda. At the time of this article’s publishing, the rioting continues with busses and train carriages being mobbed and burnt. There are fears that the violence could escalate with Singh’s sentencing on Monday.

The religious community of Vrindavan is shocked and outraged by such violence in the name of Sanatan Dharma. Several well-known holy men of Braj have issued public statements condemning the violence.

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Bhaskaranand says, “Baba Ram Rahim is not a sant (holy man); it is wrong to call him a sant. If the court has convicted him, then he and his followers should accept the conviction. The manner in which his followers are spreading violence in the name of religion is condemnable. The people who are doing these things have been misled. This kind of violence is being spread by Singh’s organization by duping naive people.”

Mahant Swami Gyan Prakash Puri of Jagannath Temple says that Baba Ram Rahim’s guilt [of rape] is the court’s business to decide. But he and his organization are certainly guilty for the way violence is being spread in his name. The police administration are also responsible [for preventing such violence].

Read More: Deadly clashes break out in India after controversial guru found guilty of rape

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Vrindavan, 2013.08.26 (VT): On Varah Jayanti, Friends of Vrindavan held its fifth annual Vedic Earth Day and Green Awards Ceremony at the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium at Vrindavan’s Ramkrishna Mission.

                                                                                                             Green Temple Award

A total of five “Vrindavan Green Awards” were distributed to a distinguished temple, school, campaigner, author and activist.

The program began with pooja to Varah Dev and a soul-stirring mangalacharan sung by Shri Damodar Sharma. Then Lord Varaha Himself blessed the ceremony with His traditional dance. Lord Narsingh Dev and Varaha Dev can be seen dancing and roaming on the streets of Shri Vrindavan during Narsingh Chaturdashi, but since 2014, Lord Varaha has blessed the Vrindavan Green Awards ceremony by performing the Varaha Nritya, adding a new chapter to this tradition.

Next, students of the Bhaktivedanta Gurukul gave a presentation of their excellent mridanga skills. A Rajasthani folk dance was presented by students of Samvid Gurukulam, followed by Vasanta Pallavi and Dasavatara Stotram beautifully depicted in the Odissi style by dancers from Venu Nad Kala Kendra.

                             Green School Award

The Guest of Honor, Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami inaugurated the awards portion of the ceremony by explaining the significance of Varah Jayanti in relation to Vrindavan. Varah Puran is the kshetra puran of Vrindavan, Maharaj said, and Varah Dev Himself appeared in Vrindavan. Without Varah Dev the earth on which this Bhu Vrindavan resides would not exist. Maharaj spoke powerfully against pollution and unintelligent methods of development, inspiring each member of the audience to make every effort to keep Vrindavan clean.

                                                                                               Green Author

In years past the prestigious Green Temple award was given to Tatiya Sthan, Meerabai Mandir and Rangji Mandir and Radha Gopinath Mandir. This year, ISKCON Vrindavan took home the Green Temple award for its environmentally-conscious services, including organic farming, conversion of prasadi flowers into compost, cow protection, marketing of non-dairy cow products like gomutra and govar, and more.

                                                                                  Green Campaign Award

The other awardees were as follows:
Green School Award: Samvid Gurukulam (Vatsalya Gram) for creating eco-friendly atmosphere in the school campus.
Green Campaign Award: Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Agra for its campaign to protect Soor Sarovar, Keetham Jheel and Yamuna
Green Author Award: Dr. Ashok Bansal for his work on Surdas
Green Activist Award: Shri Hemant Agarwal for his Public Interest Litigation in the National Green Tribunal for the cause of Yamuna.

                                                                                                      Green Activist Award

Shri Akash Vashishtha, Shri Damodar Sharma. Shri K.B. Pathak, Shri Raghav Bharadwaj,Shri Hemant Bharti, Shri Dhananjay Gautam and Shri Purushottam Sharma were also felicitated for their environmental activism, and Shri Sandeep Kumar and Shri Vijay Chauhan received honors for Green Policing.

The event was sponsored by Shri Anurag Goyal, in memory of his parents Late Girdhari Lal Agarwal and Smt. Sudha Agarwal.

The post Iskcon Vrindavan bags the Green Temple Award 2017 on Vedic Earth Day appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Mathura, 2017.08.28 (TOI) : Agra: In two tragic incidents, five teenagers were drowned in Yamuna river on Saturday morning in Agra and Mathura, after a sudden surge of water dragged them away.

The first incident occurred near Kailash Ghat under Sikandra police jurisdiction at around 8am, when four girls were taking a bath in the swollen river. Identified as Babita, Monica, Lalita and Poonam (all in age group of 12 to 15) the girls were from Jugsana village nearby.

Station officer of Sikandra, Rajesh Kumar Pandey said, “The girls had come for a bath, when they were dragged inside the river by a surge in the water current. None of the bodies have been found so far, although divers are searching for them.”

In another incident, three boys were dragged under by the current in the river at Mathura’s Baldeo area near Nagla Sarai village, when they had gone to take a dip. While local residents managed to rescue two of them, the third, identified as Satyender Kumar, 18, was swept away.

After the incident, the teenager’s family and local residents blocked the Yamuna Expressway for nearly an hour, demanding that the body be found. Divers were still searching the area at the time of filing of this report.
According to the police, the current in the river is very fast and it was becoming difficult for divers to continue the search.

The post Five teens, four of them girls, drown in Yamuna appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

May Sri Govinda Kuṇḍa, where Indra, the king of the gods, humbly clasped Sri Krishna’s lotus feet, afraid that he had committed an offense to him, where he had a blissful shower-festival arranged to crown Krishna as Govinda, the king of the cows, with the water of the celestial Gaṅgā through a Surabhi-cow, and that became manifest through those waters, become manifest before my eyes.

nīcaiḥ prauḍha-bhayāt svayaṁ surapatiḥ pādau vidhṛtyeha yaiḥ
svar-gaṇgā-salilaiś cakāra surabhi-dvārābhiṣekotsavam
govindasya navaṁ gavām adhipatā rājye sphuṭaṁ kautukāt
tair yat prādurabhūt sadā sphuratu tad govinda-kuṇḍaṁ dṛśoḥ

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Shripad Raghunath Das Goswami praises Sri Govinda Kund, a pond at the base of Sri Girirāja. During one of Sri Krishna’s special pastimes this eternally perfect Sri Govinda Kund advented itself. Out of mercy on Indra, the king of the gods, who out of ignorance got stuck in the mud of great offenses by accepting worship from Sri Nanda and the cowherders, the eternally perfect companions who are worshipable even for Vrajendranandana. Sri Krishna caused Sri Nanda and the cowherds to give up the Indra-pūjā and to commence the Govardhana pūjā. Stupefied by his own opulence, Indra became very upset that his worship had been stopped and he engaged the clouds used to destroy the universe to inundate Vraja. By showering Vraja Dham for seven days and nights with powerful torrents of rain and thunderbolts he tried to cause great harm and thus committed a great offense. Finally, on the advice of Lord Brahmā, he went to Vraja with mother Surabhi, offered humble prayers to Sri Krishna, who was sitting blissfully on Govardhana hill, and bathed him with the waters of the celestial Gaṅgā through mother Surabhi.

This can be known through the following description in Śrīmad Bhāgavata:

After Sri Krishna had protected the Vrajavasis from the powerful hailstorms by lifting Govardhana hill, Surabhi and Indra came from the Go-loka (planet of cows) and took shelter of his lotus feet. Indra, who had become very embarrassed because he had disrespected Sri Krishna, considering him to be just an ordinary boy, approached the Lord in solitude and offered his obeisances unto him, touching the Lord’s lotus feet with his crown, which shone like the sun. Having seen Sri Krishna’s limitless power  and having heard about it from Lord Brahmā, Indra, whose pride of being the lord of the three worlds had been crushed, began to praise the Lord with folded hands. (10.27.1-3)

After Sri Indra had praised Sri Krishna with reverential prayers, the most merciful son of Sri Vraja-rāja smiled and said, with a voice as deep as the rumbling of the clouds:

O King of the gods! You had become greatly blinded with illusion due to your regal position, therefore I destroyed the sacrifice that was due to you in order to help you always to remember me. Those who are intoxicated by false pride over their wealth and lordship can not conceive of me as the ruler and chastiser of all. If I want to bestow my mercy on one of them I make him lose all his wealth. O Indra! Return to your abode! May all be well with you! You gods should all accept my sovereignty and remain on your posts without any false pride! (Śrīmad Bhāgavata 10.27.15-17)

After this mother Surabhi and her calves paid obeisances unto Sri Krishna’s lotus feet and offered beautiful praises to him. Then she showered Sri Krishna with water from the celestial Gaṅgā and a stream of her own milk and gave him the title of Govinda, the king of cows.

At that time Tumburu, Nārada, the Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Siddhas and Cāraṇas began to sing Sri Krishna’s spotless glories and the Apsarās began to dance in topmost ecstasy. The demigods began to shower flowers from the sky, the soil of the earth became muddled by the milk that oozed from the cows, streams of ghī and milk began to flow in the rivers, streams of honey began to trickle from the trees, wheat and barley sprang up from the earth and ripened without the aid of sowing or ploughing, and the earth became newly decorated by innumerable jewels and other gems that came from the mines in the mountains. From the water that showered Sri Krishna’s limbs this self-manifest Sri Govinda Kund advented itself.

Das Goswami says: “May that Govinda Kund become visible to my eyes!”

When Indra, the king of the gods, perceived Sri Govinda, who is full in six opulences, his glory became extremely insignificant. Fearfully he took shelter of Govinda’s lotus feet and rolled in their dust. Humbly he praised the Lord with folded hands and devotedly bathed the merciful Sri Govinda with Surabhi’s milk and the water from the celestial Gaṅgā. When will Sri Govinda Kund, the lake that advented itself from the water of this bathing-ceremony, become visible to my eyes, and when will I be blessed to bathe in its waters?

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

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

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

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

Credit: Iskcon Desire Tree

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Shri Lalita Sakhi

Barsana, 2017.08.28: The divine appearance day of Radharani’s beloved sakhi Lalita was celebrated in Unchagaon near Barsana on Sunday. Devotees gathered from all around Braj Mandal at the village’s main temple on top of the hill.

A beautiful abhishek was offered amidst the sounds of ringing bells. Devotees sang and danced in ecstasy in celebration of Shri Lalita ju’s appearance in this world. Shri Anuraag Baba of Barsana offered raag seva, and the Gurjar community presented folk dances unique to the region for the pleasure of the Divine Couple.

Shri Lalita Sakhi is the primary confidante of Shri Radha and Krishna in eternal Vrindavan. She is described as having a complexion like gorochana (a rare yellow pigment), and a dress like peacock feathers. She is a little bit older than Radharani and is extremely intelligent and beautiful. She is famous for her bold and loving temperament. She is especially expert at Maan Lila.

The Gaur-Govinda Archana Smarana Paddhati of Shri Dhyanchandra describes Shri Lalita Sakhi thus:

Her dhyan mantra is also given in the same text, quoting Sammohan Tantra:

Lalita Sakhi’s village, Unchagaon, is historically and spiritually very wealthy. In many ways it is untouched by outside influences, and it maintains an aura of peace and pristine beauty. On top of the hill lies the temple of Lalita Sakhi. At the bottom of the hill on one side is Deha Kund and the beautiful Deha Bihari Mandir, and on the other side of the temple lies an ancient temple of Dauji (Balram) and a beautiful grove with the samadhi of Shri Narayan Bhatt Goswami.

Lalita Sakhi’s appearance day is celebrated in Unchagaon every year.

The post Lalita Sakhi’s Appearance Day Celebrated in Unchagaon appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Bade Dauji – Abhishek

Vrindavan, 201708.27 (VT):  Balram Jayanti was celebrated with great fervor yesterday at the Bade Dauji Mandir in Vrindavan. Shri Krishna’s elder brother dressed handsomely and his servants offered him all his favorite foods amidst the joyful sounds of Harinaam sankirtan.

A special utsav aarti was offered by Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami of the Shri Radharaman Temple. Dauji’s mahabhishek was performed with 51 litres of milk, curd, honey and sacred herbs by eleven priests under the guidance of Shri Chhabeele Lal Goswami. The Vedic chanting of the priests echoed throughout the temple campus. Chappan bhog (56 types of food) was offered to the Lord and the prasadam was distributed amongst the devotees.

Bade Dauji – Chappan Bhog

Govind Dev, the five-thousand-year-old deity installed by Shri Krishna’s grandson Vajranabh, is the Prince of Vrindavan. But Govinda’s elder brother is Bade Dauji (Balram). The Deity of Bade Dauji used to reside in Shri Govind Dev Mandir, but during the Mughal invasion of Vrindavan, he was hidden away. Now he is worshipped in a temple not far from Vrindavan’s Nagar Palika.

Read More: Govind Dev’s Elder Brother, Bade Dauji

According to Goswami Deepak Acharya, the sevait of the temple, Bare Dauji’s deity was found in Goma Teela, the same place where the deities of Govinda Dev, Singhapaur Hanuman, Yogmaya and Bhairon Baba were found. Govinda Dev is now in Jaipur, Singhpaur Hanuman Temple is situated near the Govinda Dev Temple in Vrindavan, the deity of Yogmaya is still in the old Govinda Dev temple, and Bhairon Baba resides near Vrindavan’s Govind Kund.

Balram Jayanti is Bade Dauji Mandir’s largest festival, and devotees from all over Vrindavan came to celebrate the event. All the other Dauji temples around Braj also celebrated the birthday of their presiding deity of Lord Balaram.

P.C. Shri Krishna Prem Samsthan

Baldeo Chhat celebrations in other parts of Braj

The most famous of the Braj temples that celebrate Baldeo Chhat is the Dauji Temple in Dauji Gaon near Gokul. Crowds of devotees filled the temple premesis with joyful cries of “Nand ke anand bhayo, jai Dau Dayal ki!”

The divine abhishek of Shri Dauji Maharaj was held in the morning, followed by shringar aarti. Dauji Maharaj and Revati Mata wore radiant new clothes accompanied by silver and jeweled ornaments. After aarti, devotees immersed themselves in the traditional “yoghurt fight” (dadhi-kada or dadhikotsav), and fruit, sweets and clothes were tossed to the devotees as gifts.

In Hathras, Baldeo Chhath was celebrated with the Dauji Mela, while other Balram temples throughout Braj celebrated, each in their own unique way.

The post Baldeo Chhat, the appearance day of Shri Balram, celebrated at Bade Dauji Mandir, Vrindavan appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.08.14 (VT): Siddha Krishna Das Baba of Govardhan was one of the four famous siddha babas of 19th-century Braj. He spent most of his life by the banks of the Manasi Ganga, at Chakleshwar, where his samadhi is now. After receiving a direct vision of Shri Lalita Sakhi and Sanatan Goswami, by their infinite mercy the deep meanings of the scriptures manifested within his heart.

Siddha Krishna Das Baba helped many to dive deep in the ocean of Shri Radha and Krishna’s lilas, and he wrote many books about them. His most famous book is simply called Gutika (The Pill). The Gutika contains detailed descriptions of Shri Radha and Krishna’s daily lilas in the Gaudiya Vaishnav mood. It also describes the yearly festivals and other rare information about the eternal lila.

Siddha Krishna Das Baba’s full biography can be read here.
A Description of Shri Janmashtami Lila can be read here: Part 1, Part 2

Shri Radhashtami Lila
The Great Festival of Shri Radha’s Birthday
(On the eighth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Bhadra – Bhadra Shukla Ashtami)

Since bhadra shukla pratipad (the first day of the bright half of Bhadra) a band has been seated at the “Lion’s Gate” of Vrishabhanu Maharaj’s town, Barsana, making it look as beautiful as Nandgaon during Janmashtami.

On tritiya (the third day of the bright half of Bhadra) is the birthday of Tungavidya Sakhi. That night, the Raas Lila and Shyayan Lila (taking rest) are held in her kunj. These same lilas take place on ashtami (the eighth day) in the kunjs of Shri Radha and Vishakha Sakhi, on Navami (the ninth day) in the kunj of Champaklata, on ekadashi in the kunj of Indulekha, on Purnima (the full moon night) in the kunjs of Rangadevi and Sudevi and on ashwin shukla tritiya (the third bright lunar day in Ashwin) in the kunj of Chitra Sakhi.

Shri Krishna comes to stay in Barsana

Two days before Radhashtami on shashti (the sixth day of the bright half of Bhadra), Radha’s father Vrishabhanu sends an invitation to Krishna’s father, Nand Maharaj, at Nandishwar Parvat, the hill in Nandgaon upon which Nand’s palace is situated. Through this invitation he requests Nand Baba to come and celebrate Shri Radha’s birthday. Shridam, Radha’s elder brother, and Rishikanya deliver the inivitation.

The next day, after performing their morning routine, Nanda Maharaj and his entire entourage, including darling Shri Krishna, come to Vrishabhanupur (Barsana). They travel on foot, in bullock-carts and in palanquins. Their procession is accompanied by musical instruments, and hearing the sound, Vrishabhanu Baba and his brothers, along with Radha’s mother Kirtida and her sisters-in-law, come out to greet them.

They show the guests their quarters and take a meal with them. Radha and other prominent gopis (yutheshwaris) cook rice, vegetables, puris, ksheera and many other delicious dishes, and the pujari offers everything to Vrishabhanu Baba’s deity of Narayan. After the pujari puts the deity to rest, Shridam arranges for the prasad to be served in the courtyard of the palace. Radha starts quarreling with those gopis (the yutheshwaris) about who should serve first. Making a show of anger Shyama sakhi says says to Radha: “It’s Your father’s festival! What’s it to us? You can serve first or not, whatever you like!”

Hearing this loving quarrel, Kirtida Maiya decides to make lines for serving, and assigns every sakhi to serve her own line of guests.

After eating, chewing paan (betel leaf wraps – a digestive) and washing their mouths, everyone lies down in his or her own guest room. On the pretext of picking flowers, Radha then goes to Vilas Kund, which is situated west of Barsana, where she secretly meets Shri Krishna. After a brief meeting, they return to their own rooms. Then Radha cooks something and takes it along for her usual noontime meeting with Krishna at Shri Radhakund.

Radha’s Abhishek on Radhashtami

On the morning of Radhashtami, after completing their morning routine, everyone assembles to witness Radha’s abhishek (bathing ceremony). Radha wears thin, white clothes along with all her usual ornaments for the abhishek. The musicians start playing their instruments like the veena, upanga, pakhawaj, mridang, dundubhi, bheri and dholak, and the maidservants enter, bringing all the paraphernalia for the bathing ceremony with them.

Paurnamasi Devi chants the mantras and Gargi, the daughter of sage Garg, starts the abhishek. First she pours mahaushadhi-water – water that contains many auspicious herbs – over Radha’s delightful limbs, then panca-gavya – five products of the cow, namely milk, yoghurt, ghee, govar and go mutra – then a hundred jugs of clear water, and finally she bathes her with water from a conch shell and a sahasradhara (an apparatus that creates a shower-like effect).

The maidservants dry Radha off with soft white towels and anoint her with fragrant oils and chatuḥ-sama (a blend of sandalwood paste, vermilion, camphor and musk). Then they take Her to Her shringaar vedi (a dais where she will be dressed and ornamented). There they dress her in her usual splendid blue sari and decorate her with shimmering ornaments, the sixteen shringars and twelve abharans.

Gargi worships Radha holding auspicious durva grass and wheat in her hand, and Paurnamasi offers her blessings. After a maidservant has offered aarti to Radha, mother Yashoda blesses her and presents her with a new jeweled necklace, clothes and ornaments. She also gives similar presents to the yutheshwaris. Then Radha gives ornamented cows away in charity. Father Vrishabhanu also gives thousands of cows and calves. Radha then bows to her superiors.

Shri Radha cooks an ambrosial feast

After this, Shri Krishna and his friends have a snack and Radha and her girlfriends, along with the yutheshwaris, also eat. Radha then takes off her ornaments and cooks Her own birthday feast together with Rohini Mata – sweet rice, savouries, rice and vegetables. Hundreds of Brahmins are cooking another feast for all the villagers outside.

Compassionate Yashoda Maiya says to her friend Kirtida: “Sakhi! Your heart is so hard! You make Radha, who is as tender as a raintree flower, cook so much! You don’t have any love or affection! Just see how hot she feels doing this hard labour on her own birthday!”

Mother Kirtida replies: “Because Radha got the blessing that whatever she cooks would be more delicious than divine ambrosia, my husband wanted Nanda Maharaj and his entire family to savour this nectar. That’s why Radha is cooking on this special occasion! O Queen of Braj! Just see how wonderful her preparations are!”

Rohini then shows Yashoda all the preparations Radha has cooked. Radha bows to Yashoda Maiya’s lotus feet and Yashoda blesses her, saying: “O Radhe! Your preparations please my eyes with their form and my nose with their fragrance!”

Then Lalita and Shyamala come and offer their obeisances to mother Yashoda’s lotus feet and she then also affectionately praises and blesses them. Rohini Mata then says: “O Krishna-Janani, mother of Krishna! Radha is like yellow topaz and Shri Krishna is a sapphire! They are just like a pair of necklaces for the Braj Lakshmi (Braj Bhoomi conceived as a goddess)!” Radha’s nose twitches slightly in shyness when she hears this. When Lalita and the other sakhis see this they are filled with bliss.

Yashoda then orders some maidservants to prepare the offering for the deity Narayan and to fan Radha and remove her fatigue. After the offering, the pujari offers the bhog and puts the deities to rest. (Meanwhile outside hundreds of Brahmins have also completed their enormous cooking work).

“Yoghurt fight” and water sports at Bhanu Khor

Then everyone changes clothes and, like on Krishna Janmashtami in Pavan Sarovar, they proceed to Bhanukhor, the pond that lies east of Barsana, to play Dadhi-kada, a game of throwing butter, yoghurt and other dairy products at each other, and splash each other with water from different corners of the Khor – one ghat (bathing place) is reserved for men, one for women, one for girls and one for boys.

Bhanu Khor (Vrishabhanu Kund) – P.C. Braj Discovery

After this, Vrishnabhanu Maharaj and Kirtida Maharani and present all the ladies and gentlemen present with gifts of clothes and ornaments. Vrishabhanu Maharaj first sumptuously feeds all the Brahmins and then all the other people, in a large courtyard. They all eat in supreme ecstasy, and after flushing their mouths, they chew paan and take rest in their individual abodes.

In the inner chambers of the palace, Kirtida and mother Yashoda also feed all the ladies, after which they too take rest in their individual quarters. Then Vrishabhanu Maharaj generously gives away clothes, ornaments and dakshina (monetary donations). Then everyone takes rest in their own rooms.

After resting a little, Radha goes to pick flowers with her girlfriends on the bank of Vilas Kund to the west of Barsana. As they depart, the sakhis give a signal to Shri Krishna through the window. Shri Krishna then joins them at Vilas Kund, performs his romantic pastimes with Radha there, performs yogpeeth lila and then everyone returns to their own bedrooms to rest a while.

After this, Radha’s pastimes of cooking offerings for the sun god (Surya Dev) and going on abhisaar are the same as on saptami. At night they dance the Raas and recline in the kunj of Vishakha Sakhi, because it is also her birthday on this day.

Translated by Advaita Das
Lightly edited for this publication by Vrindavan Today

The post How Shri Radha celebrates her birthday in Eternal Vrindavan – from Siddha Krishna Das Baba’s Gutika appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Shri Vrindavan, 2017.08.28 (VT): The following Braj Bhasha songs were taken, along with their translations, from Krishnaa Kinkari Devi’s beautiful compilation Dhanya Dhanya Vrishabhanu Dulhari. The songs are by various poets, but they all sing in one voice, in praise of Shri Radha.

Shri Radha’s Incomparable Qualities

श्री स्वामिनीजू के अनुपम गुण
Shri Swaminiju ke Anupam Gun

राग पूर्वी

मेरे तू जिय में बसत नवल प्रिय प्राण प्यारी
तेरेई दरस परस राग रंग उपजत, मान न कीजै हौ हौ री
तू ही जीवन तू ही प्राण तू ही सकल गुण निधान
तो समान और नाहिन मोको हितकारी
व्यास की स्वामिनी तेरी ही माया ते पायो नाम बिहारी

raag purvi

mere tu jiya me basat naval priya praan pyaari
tere-i daras paras raag rang upajat, maan na keejai hau hau ri
tu hi jeevan tu hi praan, tu hi sakal gun nidhaan
to samaan aur naahin moko hitkaari
vyaas ki swamini teri hi maya te
payo naam bihari

Shri Krishna says: O my Beloved, more dear to me than the breath of life, source of ever-fresh love! You alone live in my heart of hearts. Your sight and your touch are what inspire my affection, my melodies, my colour, my style. Please, I beg you, do not turn away from me. You are my life, my power, the ocean of good qualities. There is no one who fulfills me like you do. It is through your power alone that I am known as Bihari.

The Sweetness of Her Smile

मुस्कान माधुरी
Muskaan Madhuri

जोरि-जोरि-जोरि दृग मोरि-मोरि-मोरि मुख
चोरि-चोरि-चोरि चित्त चखानि चितै गई
झुकि झुकि झाँकनि झरोखा झाँकि झाँकि जात
ताकि-ताकि तीछन से तीर तन दै गई
सुमति प्रबीन मुख चन्द्र सौ उदोत होत
मृदु मुसकान में चकोर चित्त लै गई
लुकि लुकि लोचन सकोचन सों हेरि हेरि
लगी सी लगाय कैं लपेट मन ले गई

jori-jori-jori drig mori-mori-mori mukh
chori-chori-chori chitt chakhaani chitai gayi
jhuki jhuki jhankani jharokhaa jhaanki jhaanki jaat
taaki-taaki teechan se teer tan dai gayi
sumati praveen mukh chandra sau udot hot
mridu musakaan me chakor chitt le gayi
luki luki lochan sakochan so heri heri
lagi si lagaay ke lapet man le gayi

Her eyelids are nearly closed and her face is slightly turned away, but still his heart and mind are stolen by this vision of her. He tries so hard to catch her glance her through the carved shutters of the window where she sits, and at last he sees her shy eyes as they look down at him. Each of these glances sends a sharp arrow through his being. She is pure of heart and extremely skilled, and her face shines more brilliantly than the moon. And when she smiles, she steals the innermost heart of Shri Krishna, who is like the chakor bird staring unblinkingly at the moon. She hides her glances in her modest manner, but they still catch him and wrap up his mind in her fascination.

मृदु मुसकान निहारि कें, धीर धरत है कौन
नारायण कै तन तजै, कै बौरा कौ मौन

mridu muskaan nihaari ke, dheer dharat hai kaun
narayan kai tan tajai, kai bauraa kau maun

The poet Narayan Swami says:

No one can return to normal after seeing Shri Radha’s sweet smile. They will either just give up the ghost or become crazed or mute.

प्यारी जू की मुसकनि बीजुरी सी काँधि जात
प्यारैजू के उरते न रेखा सी टरति है
भरि भरि आवै नैंन कैसें हू न पावैं चैन
बान की सी अनि हिये खरक्यो करति है
लाड़ली बेली अलबेली खनि माधुरी की
सहज सुभाडन में सरवस हरति है
हितध्रुव नए नए छबि की तरंग देखें
रीझि सीस चन्द्रिका पगन को ढरति है

pyari ju ki musakani bijuri si kaandhi jaat
pyareju ke urte na rekhaa si tarati hai
bhari bhari aave nain kaise hu na paave chain
baan ki si ani hiye kharkyon karati hai
ladli beli albeli khani madhuri ki
sahaj subhadan mein sarvas harati hai
hit dhruv naye naye chhabi ki tarang dekhen
rijhi sees chandrika pagan ko dharati hai

My darling Shri Radha’s smile shines like lightning and binds her tightly to her Beloved’s heart. When Shri Krishna sees her smile, his eyes fill with tears and he must try hard not to lose consciousness. Her smile is like a sharp-tipped arrow that pierces his heart. This fair maiden is graceful like a climbing vine and a treasure-trove of pure sweetness. Her very nature steals everything from him! The poet Hit Dhruva Das says, “Seeing these ever-fresh waves of her loveliness, the crown on his head is ever pleased to bow at her lotus feet.”

Her Captivating Eyes

किशोरी जू के नैना अती मतवारे
Kishori Ju Ke Naina Ati Matware

राग नट

राधे तेरे नैन किधौं बटपारे
तिहि देखे बन के मृग मोहे मानुस कौन बिचारै
अंजन है पिय को मन मोह्यौ खंजन मीन लजारै
चितवन दृष्टि बाण भरि मारत घूमत ज्याँ मतवारे
गिरधर रूप दियौ सब लोको कहिये तिन्हें कहारे
सूरदास प्रभु दरशन कारन नाचत ज्यों मतवारे

raag nat

radhe tere nain kidhau batpaare
tihi dekhe ban ke mrig mohe, maanus kaun bichare
anjan hai piya ko man mohyau khanjan meen lajaare
chitvan drishti baan bhari maarat, ghoomat jyaa matwaare
girdhar roop diyo sab loko kahiye tinhe kahare
soor das prabhu darashan kaaran naachat jyo matwaare

O Shri Radhe! Are these your eyes or highway robbers? Seeing them, the big-eyed does of the forest are enchanted, what to speak of mere humans? Shri Krishna’s heart is completely absorbed in the black kohl adorning them. The wagtail birds and the all the fishes feel shy before your eyes.* You slay all those on whom you cast your arrow-like glances. Seeing your eyes, your Beloved spins like one intoxicated. Shri Krishna has offered up to you all his incomparable beauty. The poet Surdasji says, “In order to catch a glance from you, he dances like a madman!”

*Beautiful eyes are often compared to fish, wagtail birds (khanjan pakshi) or a doe’s eyes.

नैक नैन की कोर मोर मोहन बस कीने
राधे तेरे रूप की पटतर को दीने
कमल कोस अलि ज्यों चले तारे रंग भीने
जय श्री भट्ट तनक अंजन छुये लालन लवलीने

nek nain ki kor mor mohan bas keene
radhe tere roop ki pattar ko deene
kamal kos ali jyon chale taare rang bheene
jay shri bhatt tanak anjan chuye laalan lavaleene

Shri Krishna says: “O Radhe! Just one glance from the corner of your eyes has enchanted me completely, though I myself am the enchanter of the whole world! No one can ever describe your beauty. Drops of nectar from the lotus tempt the bee, who loses himself in the taste, and gets trapped within the petals when they close. In the same way I am lost in you.” The poet Shri Bhatt says, “By the mere touch of a drop of your eyeliner, Shri Krishna has gone mad with love.”

राग नायकी

कजर बिन कारी तेरी अखियाँ
फुलेल बिन चिकुर चिकने अधर राते बिन पान
मंजन बिन जोत दसन आछै आभूषण बिन कैसी नीकी लागे तू सुजान
बिन सुगन्ध तो तन सुगन्धमय, कला पढ़े बिन रति की खान
प्रभु कल्याण गिरधरन लाल के तू जीवन प्राण

kajar bin kaari teri akhiyaa
phulel bin chikur chikne adhar raate bin paan
manjan bin jot dasan aache, aabhushan bin kaisi niki laage tu sujaan
bin sugandh to tan sugandhmay, kalaa padhe bin rati ki khaan
prabhu kalyaan girdharan laal ke tu jeevan praan

O my beloved Radha, your eyes are so dusky even without applying kohl, and your skin is soft without oils. Your lips are red without the paan leaf and your teeth are bright without polishing. You are gorgeous without any ornamentation and you need no perfume to be fragrant. You know all the arts of love without having to study their scriptures. The poet Kalyan Das says, “You are the very life-breath of my Lord, the Uplifter of Govardhan Hill.”

राधे तेरे नैन कटारे
उत घायल घूमत ललितादिक इत ससकत हैं कुँज बिहारी
मुसिकन नौन डारी जिन हा हा निठुर हाथ तेरे जू कहारी
जय श्री वंशी मीन गहैं पावत ऐसौ न्याव जहाँरी

radhe tere nain kataare
ut ghaayal ghumat lalitaadik it saskat hai kunj bihari
musikan naun daari jin ha ha nithur haath tere ju kahari
jay shri vanshi meen gahe paavat esau nyaav jahaari

O Sri Radhe! Your loving eyes are sharp as daggers. On one side Sri Lalitaju and the other sakhis wander as if wounded, and on the other side Shri Krishna, who usually plays carefree in the forest bowers of Vrindavan, is trembling. Please don’t smile, my Love, and thus rub salt in our wounds. How cruel you are! “Is it fair,” says Shri Krishna, “that your eyes have caught me like a fish?”

तेरे नैन मेरे नैन, मेरे नैन तेरे नैन
और ठौर चलिवे को दीठ के न पग है
तेरी प्रीति मेरी प्रीति, मेरी प्रीति तेरी प्रीति
प्रीत की प्रतीत दोउ बोरि बैरी लग है
तेरे प्रान मेरे प्रान, मेरे प्रान तेरे प्रान
नागरिया एक प्रान जाने सब जग है
तेरौ मन मेरौ मन, मेरौ मन तेरौ मन
ठगिवे को मेरो मन तेरो मन ठग है

tere nain mere nain, mere nain tere nain
aur thaur chalive ko deeth ke na pag hai
teri priti mere priti, mere priti teri priti
prit ki pratit dou bori bairi lag hai
tere pran mere pran, mere pran tere pran
nagariya ek pran jane sab jag hai
tero man mero man, mero man tero man
thagive ko mero man, tero man thag hai!

Shri Radha says to Shri Krishna: “Your eyes are my eyes, and my eyes are your eyes, but my eyes cannot wander away from yours. Your love is my love and my love is your love. Both of us are lost in this upsurge of love. Your breath is my breath, and my breath is your breath; everyone knows we are one soul. Your heart is my heart and my heart is your heart. But your heart is the robber that stole away mine!”

तेरे नैन सावन की कारी अंधियारी घटा
ता ऊपर मेरे नैन घटा घनघोर है
तेरे नैन कलि में कल्प वृक्ष प्रगटे आय
ता ऊपर मेरे नैन बिच बिच मोर है
तेरे नैन उडगति सी ऊंची उतंग भरै
ता ऊपर मेरे नैन पक्षी चकोर हैं
तेरे नैन मेरे नैन मेरे नैन तेरे नैन
मेरे नैन चोरीवे को तेरे नैन चोर है

tere nain savan ki kaari andhiyaari ghataa
ta upar mere nain ghataa ghanghor hai
tere nain kali mein kalp vriksh pragate aay
taa upar mere nain bich bich mor hai
tere nain udgati si unchi utang bhare
ta upar mere nain pakshi chakor hai
tere nain mere nain, mere nain tere nain
mere nain chorive ko tere nain chor hai!

Shri Krishna says to Shri Radha: “Your eyes are like the dark rain-filled clounds of Shravan, but mine are the thunderclouds embracing them. Your eyes are a wish-fulfilling tree that blesses the age of Kali, but my eyes are the peacocks who sit in that tree. Your eyes are like the bright moon above, but mine are the chakor bird who longs only for the touch of their light. Your eyes are my eyes and my eyes are your eyes. But your eyes are the theives that stole away mine!”

Translated by Krishnaa Kinkari
Lightly edited for this publication for Vrindavan Today

The post Shri Radha’s Incomparable Qualities appeared first on Vrindavan Today.

Vrindavan, 2017.08.30 (VT): All of Braj resounded with shouts of “Jai Jai Shri Radhe!” as devotees celebrated the birthday of Krishna’s beloved Shri Radha yesterday.

Radhashtami celebrations in Barsana

Crowds of devotees at Shriji Mandir, Barsana (P.C. Hindustan Samwad)

In Radharani’s home town of Barsana, devotees climbed the 250-odd stairs to the top of Brahmachal Parvat where the temple of Shri Radha lies. They stayed awake all night singing kirtan, and waiting for the first glimpse of Her beautiful lotus face.

The entire parikrama marg was decorated with pink “Christmas lights”, giving the night a special, feminine glow. Bhajan Sandhyas featuring famous local singers like Chitra-Vichitra were a huge draw. Prasad distribution remained active throughout the night, offering nourishment to the devotees in the form of puri-sabji, halua, kadhi-chawal, and khichdi, not to mention the special prasad of arvee pakodas.

Abhishek was held at mangla aarti time. After having darshan of Shri Radharani, many devotees formed kirtan parties and went out on procession through the streets. From Daan Garh to Gahvar Ban, through Chiksauli and Sankari Khor, Barsana’s parikrama marg was filled with devotees singing the holy name.

In the evening after 5pm, Shri Radharani came out of the temple with Shri Lalju (Krishna) on a palanquin. Upon arriving in the temple courtyard they took their seats in a beautiful marble chhatri (gazebo) in the centre. Devotees in vatsalya bhav felt as if Kirtida maiya had come out to receive her guests, and to give them a glimpse of her newborn baby girl. Prasad was distributed and the Divine Couple returned back to the temple.

Radhashtami celebrations in Raval

Abhishek at Shri Radha-Damodar Mandir in Vrindavan (P.C. Radha Raman Arora)

The tiny village of Raval near Gokul is known as Radha Janmabhumi, the birthplace of Shri Radharani. The festivities began early in the morning with mangla aarti at 5am and abhishek at 5:30. Kirtan continued throughout the day as devotees from all over Braj and neighboring states flocked to the temple for darshan. Devotees from as far away as Maharashtra and Punjab attended the festival. Guru Sharananand Ji Maharaj and other prominent saints were also present. The festival continues today with badhaai gaayan (hymns of congratulations on baby Radha’s birth.)

In nearby Mathura, Shri Keshav Dev Ju wore Radharani vesh. In the morning abhishek was offered followed by a special aarti, badhaai gaayan and prasad distribution. Bhuteshwar Mahadev also wore a special gopi vesh and chappan bhog was offered.

Radhashtami celebrations in Radhakund

In Radhakund, Shri Radha-Gopinath Ju were offered panchamrit abhishek in the presence of Radhakund’s spiritual dignitaries like Shri Vaishnav Pad Das Babaji and others. Abhishek was also offered at Shri Radha-Govind Dev Temple, Shri Radha-Damodar Temple, and many other temples in Radhakund, both ancient and new. After the abhishek, the Lord and Lady of Radhakund enjoyed phool banglas, chhapan bhog and badhai gaayan.

Radhashtami celebrations in Vrindavan

Dadhi-kada celebration in Radhavallabh Mandir, Vrindavan (P.C. Shri Radhavallabh Mandir)

Every one of the thousands of temples in Vrindavan celebrated Radhashtami in its own unique way. Throughout the morning, abhishek was offered, badhaai was sung, and prasad distributed. At the Shri Radhavallabh Temple and other temples, the dadhi-kada celebration or “yoghurt fight” was held in the afternoon.

Abhishek was held at different times at the various temples from manglaa aarti time in the early morning until after 12 noon. Devotees blissfully went from temple to temple like eager bees to attend the different functions. In some temples, Radharani’s abhishek was done behind a curtain, while in others like the ancient Radha-Damodar, Radha-Madanmohan and Radha-Shyamsundar temples, Radharani was bathed in view of the devotees.

At Tatiya Sthan, the festivities continued all day long with a special emphasis on samaj gayan, an ancient, sacred vocal tradition of Braj. Processions went out from Radhavallabh Temple and Banke Bihari Temple, while special programs at Nidhivan continued into the night.

Shayan Aarti on Radhashtami at Shri Radharaman Temple, Vrindavan

The post Radhashtami 2017: Braj celebrates the birth of Krishna’s Beloved appeared first on Vrindavan Today.