HH Radhanath Swami
This very beautiful place in the Govardhan Parikrama is so very holy, so very sacred that our prayojana acharya Srila Radhunath Das Goswami wrote an entire book about Dan Nivartan Kund. So many people as they do the Govardhan Prarikrama they pass by and not even recognize the holy place. I will speak what I said because now you can hear.
Pastimes of Dan Nivartan Kund
Our prayojana acharya Srila Radhunath Das Goswami wrote an entire book about Dan Nivartan Kund. Therein in very brief summary Vasudev arranged for Bhaguri Muni to perform a yagya for the protection of Krishna and Balarama. The yagya was taken place at Govind Kund. Sukhshmadi the pet parrot of Srimati Radha Rani informed her of the most auspicious ceremony. So Srimati Radha Rani along with her very close associates was bringing pots of ghee and other such milk products for the purpose of the yagya. At least that was their excuse; in actuality whatever they did was always to make Krishna’s beautiful pastimes more and more pleasing. Krishna’s parrot informed him that Srimati Radha Rani was on her way to Govind Kund. So here Krishna again in the role of a toll collector blocked the path of his friends. That being appointed by Kandarpa, Krishna is Madan Mohan the supreme Kandarpa. Being appointed by Kandarpa, I have come to extract the taxes you owe. So many times you pass this way with the goods of milk products..the ghee, the butter, yoghurt and all of these days you have not paid any taxes to the king. Today you must pay the tax. A beautiful debate took place between Radha Rani and her friends and Krishna and his friends. And Ultimately Krishna told one his friends to calculate exactly how much the gopis owed. Krishna told that each gopi must give five handfuls of diamonds for the milk products they have in the pots and Srimati Radha Rani must pay special taxes for every beautiful limb of her body. And he went into great deep detail of exactly what the payment was for each particular beautiful aspect of Srimati Radha Rani. So Radha Rani just went..ignore Krishna and tried to pass and then there was a beautiful discussion. The entire book is about this discussion. Raghunath Das Gosvami describes Nandi Mukhi one of the very principle gopis of Vrindavan arrived at the scene. What is this quarrel? Please tell me..Can I help? And she heard about everything. She was absolutely amazed. Such a wonderful astonishing pastime of love is taking place here in Govardhan. She said actually they have to get to this yagya so let them leave and I promise you tomorrow they will return at the same time, same place to pay the toll. So Krishna releases them. Next day 100’s of gopis came early, they were hiding and when Krishna and gopas those were only a few they came thinking that would perform their lila. As soon as they arrived the gopis surrounded them. And Lalita gopi told Krishna that Radha Rani is Vrindavaneshwari and your cows have been eating the grass of Vrindavan. And you and your cowherd boys have been trampling the grass of Vrindavan for so many days so you owe tolls. Krishna said I have nothing. So the gopis told him than you should submit yourself at the lotus feet of Vrindavaneshwari Sri Radha Rani. And Krishna in this place Dan Nivartan Kund. Krishna begged forgiveness to Radha Rani for all the tax type pastimes for which he harrased her and bowed down accepting her to be Vrindavaneshwari.
Teaching of Rupa and Raghunath Das Goswami – Pure Devotional service is so high and deep
This beautiful story reveals the heart of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Raghunath das Goswami is teaching us the power of Bhakti. People think that to have wealth, to have influence to have reputation is something great. And people who understand that’s really a miserable condition. Krishna tells in Gita that the pleasures of the mind and senses in this world are sources of misery.
ye hi saḿsparśa-jā bhogā
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
A wise person does not delight in these petty pleasures of mind and senses. Even if you can conquer the universe like Ravana or Hiranyakasipu there can be no real peace or satisfaction. Therefore people take to the yogic process to try to attain peace. Yama, Niyam, Asana, Pranayam, Dharna, Dhyana, Samadhi. Various process of gradual development until we finally come to the platform of complete engrossment, complete exclusive concentration on Brahman beyond material modes of nature. And others take to the process of gyan to achieve mukti or liberation from material desires and attachments. But Rupa and Raghunath they taught us something billion of times higher.
anyabhilasita–sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama.
That pure devotional service is so high and so deep.
In order to achieve we have to completely give up all desire for karma that means for gross and subtle material enjoyment. We have to give up all desires for mystic powers and yogic perfections. We even have to give up all desires for impersonal liberation mukti. If you desire mukti which Haridas Thakur claimed to be an only insignificant by product of bhakti? If you desire that mukti than bhakti is unattainable. Pure devotional service is not contaminated by anything other than the favorable execution of service for the pleasure of Krishna.
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
Therefore one can only achieve the kingdom of God through devotion, bhakti. And this is very important because the material world there are so many agents of maya promising us happiness or relief from distress through various material arrangements and 98% at the least of the entire world’s populations is engrossed in following that path. And then there are so many yogis and sadhus and swamis and gurus and other types of religionists who are teaching us through asanas through dhyana through various other techniques how to live more peacefully. How to live in this world and be at peace with yourself and be at peace with others and realize the great feeling of peace within yourself. But from the point of view of pure devotional service that is if we follow them we will be cheated. If we have any inclination to what they are teaching, we will be cheated. And there are those who teach us to renounce everything, become sanyasis, study the Veda literatures very scrutinizingly perform your mediation and your worship of the deity and you will attain liberation. In India the vast majority of the people on path of some spiritual process this is what they are following, either astanga yoga or karma kanda or gyan kanda. But Rupa Goswami teaches
anyabhilasita–sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu- silanam bhaktir uttama
The whole Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu is more or less a purport to that verse. That we have to give up all desires for anything except favorable devotional service that would please Krishna. Anything else is a contamination. It’s a disturbance. Because nothing else will attract Krishna the all attractive who is bhakt vatsal. When he shows his affection to us by our sincere efforts to engage in the nine process of devotional service than by his grace the love of our heart awakens.
Surrendering to Srimati Radha Rani
Srimati Radha Rani is the proprietor of the divine love. Devotional service is her energy. When we engage sincerely in devotional service we are actually coming, Krishna explains we are …
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
When we surrender to Krishna we are liberated from the material energy. We come under the control of the spiritual energy. And Srimati Radha Rani is the controller of the hladini sakthi of Krishna’s spiritual energy, the energy of love and that is what Vrindavan is about ..surrendering our hearts at the lotus feet of Srimati Radha Rani by following the path of bhakti.
Raghunath Das Goswami has established so beautifully by revealing one of the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krishna here at Dan Nivartan Kund the sweet lila is taking place eternally which manifest to world the supreme glory of Srimati Radha’s love. So lets us all strive at the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant to take shelter of her love by practicing devotional service as our exclusive goal and purpose in life. We come to Vrindavan to beg for that. That we may exclusively dedicate our body mind words and life for the loving service of the Lord. Let that be our prayer here at Dan Nivartan Kund. And let that be our prayer during our circumbulation of Govardhan hill as we are chanting the holy names
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”
Srila Prabhupad Ki Jai, Sri Radha Gopinatha Ki Jai, Sri Raghunath Das Goswami Ki Jai,
Gaur Prema Nande Hari Hari Bol.
Someone can go down and pour the charanamrita, the sacred waters, may be someone can do for everyone. Thankyou very very much.
