KRISHNA...The supreme personality of Godhead...and his place Mathura...a holy land...!!
I visited Mathura....during ..18-19th of March 2008...I could collect loads of belief and so much to think about..and a lifetime will be less, I guess...I brought a very strange spiritual feel from the place....
Yup I say...Radhey-Krishna....they are still there...evrywhere..in every tree every, pond, every street of Mathura, Barsana, Goverdhan, Gokul everywhere...for me it seems every child is a reincarnation of Lord Krishna there...donno but somehow I could sense I might be having the most strange feel being at the place what others may couldn't’t have....
Never deny the fact I relate myself somehow to the era of magical deeds of the Krishna Lord. The era of cows bells, fields, mountains, mighty Yamuna and vrindavan, Raasleela, makhan chori and all that..donno but I fell something inside my head...scorching me to have tears in ma eyes finding myself at that place and remembering how great time it was...
Jai Shree Radhey Krishna..!!
I reached Mathura on 18th March morning and was put up at the place of one of my very close friend Nikhil..I took my mom with me as she also wanted to be there...
The most awaited journey started at 11 O’ clock in the first half of the day...me, mom, nadita (Nikhil's sis) and my her mom started the sacred journey from Vrindavan..the place of Rasleela played by Lord Krishna...
So many pilgrimages were there bare footed performing “Parikrama” of Vrindavan....
Their feet and rhythm was telling too many stories of faith.
“Radhey-Radhey Shyam Mila De”.....The only vocals I could sense in the atmosphere...
How true..want to get something from the Boss go and please his better half first...
Jai Shree Radhey-Krishna...!!
We then moved to ISCON temple...the grand and beautiful...built and devoted in worship of Lord Krishna by “International Society of Krishna Consciousness” ....a society for a holy cause...May God Bless them always...Once we were in front of the idols of Radhey-Krishna....couldn't’t really believe that the hypnotism still working since, I guess the day these were incarnated...as if they are about to say “Tathastu” for every wish I had up at the top of my head...Soon the Aarti was started and I was lost deep inside the Aarti sung by the Foreigner saints, came here from different corners of the world and devoted to devote their life in “Krishna-Bhakti”..
So true.....”God has no religion” .....
Before coming here I used to wonder how come a person can leave his family all his relations his land country home everything and come all the way to another country and devote himself to such an act..worship can be done being at home too..but they are here, where they don’t really have any connection with rest of world...And here came the moment when I realized..the charisma the power of Lord Krishna is such that..these are nothing to leave behind...one can offer everything of his part in the feet of God...
Even I got a place where from I never wanted to come out back again in this world...
Amazing, strange..but True..!!!The next we visited Shri Banke Bihari Mandir is one of the most famous temples in Vrindavan. And to our luck it was the day of Holi at Bankey Bihari Temple.
While walking through the streets of Vrindavan to Bankey Bihari temple, I was wondering how these streets and places have been changed...These are the places where actually Lord Krishna were there...and I could see him through my inner eyes at every possible corner standing and offering his blessings to all the devotees...with his hands filled with colours..and as colourful smile as it always been known...
The story behind it is quite fascinating as well.According to the legend, this temple was initially found by Swami Haridas ji at Haridaspur, near Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Later he moved to Nidhivan (in Vrindavan), to practice music and meditation.
One day his disciples entered Kunj (where Haridas ji use to meditate), but instead of seeing anything, they were blinded by an intense bright light. Hearing this Swami ji went to the Kunj and prayed to the lord to appear in front of his disciples. And thus, Lord Krishan and Godess Radha appeared in front of them.
The beauty of the couple was so enchanting that people present there, forgot to even blink their eyes! Upon seeing this, Swami Haridas ji requested the divine couple to take a single form and also requested them that he wanted his beloved lord to be always in front of his eyes. Granting him both his wishes, Lord Krishna and Radha turned themselves into one single black wooden idol, the same one that is present in the temple today.
The charm and beauty of Shri Banke Bihari ji is the only reason why the ‘darshan’ in the temple is never continuous but is broken by curtain drawn on him regularly. It is also believed that if one stares long enough into the eyes of the statue, the person would lose his self consciousness!As we went inside the temple again it was time for me to lose my senses and visit a different world. There were just thick clowds of Gulal everywhere inside the varndah of the temple and pilgrimages were offering there worship and colours to Bankey Bihari...
The bells were ringing and it was arti time again...well I was there but wasn’t there..I was travelling through some other world...I never wanted to come out of that place..
But we got to come out as there were heavy rush of awaiting pilgrimages outside..
I couldn’t stop myself and took out my cell and started masseging about the strange feeling I was having at the moment visiting these place...sent looong massages to my couple of nearest friends...sharing what I felt inside. Yes.....I met Lord Krishna There.. He was....yes he was in front of me...!!
Jai Shree Bankey Bihari Laal ki..!!!
The next stop was Goverdhana for us..We actually wanted to visit Janmbhumi of the Lord but couldn’t as soon we were supposed to start the Parikarma of Mighty Goverdhana Parvat...Govardhana Hill has a Parikrama of about fourteen miles (23 km). People from all over India visit Vraja in order to perform Govardhana Parikrama.There is no time limit for performing Govardhana parikrama, for those who perform the dandavata Parikrama it may take weeks and sometimes even months to complete. The dandavata parikrama is performed by standing in one spot, offering obeisances like a stick (danda) by lying flat on the ground. One then places a stone where the fingertips touch the ground in order to mark the spot. Standing up, one moves to the stone marker and again offers obeisances like A group of ladies performing parikrama a stick, again marking the spot where the fingertips touch the ground, thus repeating the same process again and again all the way around Govardhana Hill. Some sadhus perform 108 dandavata Parikrama by offering 108 obeisances in one spot before moving to the next. This can take a number of months to complete and one has to sleep wherever one is and accept alms from pilgrims passing by.Well, i could complete the Parikaram by the grace of the God without any obstacle. Then visited to worship Lord Goverdhana as a ritual of completing the Parikrama.
On the way during parikrama, we visited the beautiful site of Kusum Sarovar. Kusum Sarovar is actually a 450 feet long tank that belongs to the era of Lord Krishna.
Kusum Sarovar is 60 feet deep and has numerous flights of stairs from all sides.
The thing that makes Kusum Sarovar a place worth visit is the peace and serenity that it offers.
The place is marked by groves of tress, mostly Kadamb. Interestingly, Kadamb was the favorite tree of Lord Krishna. It is said that Kusum Sarovar is the place where Gopis or milkmaids used to pick flowers for lord Krishna.
There are so many temples nearby to this place. You can always hear ringing bells all arround.
Kusum Sarovar is just half an hour walk from another famous tank named Radha Kund. Radhakund is a large lake, where Shri Krishna killed Arista - the bull demon.
On the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Kartik usually in October or November, the event of the death of this bull demon by Lord Krishna is commemorated with a large fair. This place is the most crowded in the months of March to October. There are actually two lakes in Radhakund with a village surrounding the lakes. Mythology says Lord Krishna himself bathed here for self-purification. Between Goverdhan and Radhakund, there is a memorial of Raja Suraj Mal Bharatpur. In front of the cenotaph is an artificial lake with a large garden behind.
In Hindu tradition, Radhakund it is said to be the holiest of holy spots in the universe. Mythology has it that when Lord Krsna slayed a mighty asura (demon) in the form of a bull, his consort Radha tersely told Krishna to wash off his sins by taking dips in various holy rivers. Krishna laughed it off and struck the ground with his foot whereupon the mighty rivers emerged, welled up and formed a kunda (little water body). Subsequently the Lord bathed in the water to please Radha. The kund came to be called "Shyaama kunda".
Indignant that Krishna used his powers for this, she and her girl attendants dug out a kunda with their bangles and filled it with water from 'Mansi ganga', another holy kunda of Brajadhaam.
That particular kunda is today's 'Radhakunda' where people come from far and wide to take a dip. Since Radhaji is considered the most holy, chaste, pure, pious and greatest of all divinities, radhakunda has got its significance and spiritual grandeur by being made personally by Radharani. Jai Shree Radhey Krishna..!!Next we were off to the north of Goverdhan, to the place known as BARSANA, the birth place of Radha ji.
Barsana originally known as Brahmasaran lies on a slope of ridge. The four prominent peaks of the hill are regarded as amblematic of the four-faced divinity and are crowned by a group temple is honor of "Lali Ji" a local title of Radha meaning 'the beloved'.
On the way to top of the ridge we visisted the house of grandparents of Radha ji..
The place wasnt just a construction to watch...but it was something to really think about the existance and era of Radha ji..She actually spend her time here..These steps must have been touched by Radha ji's feet in past...amazing and true...I was amazed to be there..and stunned once again...
At the top f ridge there we visisted Lali ji's temple. Again a beautiful holy place to visit.
Jai Radhe..!!
Standing at the top of the ridge from the Lali Ji's temple when I took a glimpse of the modern Barsana it was hard to belie what actually happend here times ago and how this place turned out to be now.. a modern town...Yet having a the foot prints of our Lords...
Well this was a short trip and I could visit only a few places from the list. I wanted to visit Gokul & Nandgaon as well but due to shortage of time I couldn't. But yes, very soon I am planning for my next visit to this amazing place..Thanks to my Guide sis Nadita for her untiring guidance throughout the trip..May Shree Radhey-Krishna bless her always...Thanks Nikhil..Hope we'll go together next time!!
Jai Shree Radhey Krishna !! Bless us !!
