Lord’s pastimes at Sringarvat
Just here in Sringarvat in tenth canto of Srimad Bhagvatam our acharyas teach us that the Summum Bonum of all spiritual realization is revealed in the five chapters of Krsna’s rasa lila. It is a very exalted topic that can only be understood after deep devotion, total surrender to the order of spiritual master & pure chanting of the holy names. We find if pages of Srimad Bhagvatam that Krsna wanted to reveal the supreme power of Shrimati Radharani’s love; he left the assembly of hundreds & thousands of Gopis to be with her alone. The Vraja gopis were searching for Krsna by looking upon his footprint, they discovered that there was this one supreme most worshipable of the lord; he had picked flowers & with those flower he sat down to decorate Shrimati Radharani’s hair with his own hands. The very place where Krsna decorated the hairs of Shrimati Radharani is Sringarvat, that is also the place where lord Nityänanda Prabhu resided when he was living in Vrindavan therefore it is called Nityänanda vat as well. Sri Nityänanda Prabhu at the age of twelve years old left his home with a Sanyaasi to travel for twenty years throughout India to the various places. Nityänanda Prabhu travelled twenty years to all the holy places, in northern, southern, eastern & western India from Badrikashrama to Rameshwari, from Jagannath Puri to Dwarka. After his tour hr came to Vrindavan, here he lived waiting for the news that, his worshipable lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu has begun the Hari naam sankirtan movement. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in his Lila of Nimäi Pandit, he did not disclose his true identity or his real mission. While living in Vrindavan waiting for Mahaprabhu’s signal Nityänanda Prabhu was just like a cowherd boy, he would throughout day play with other cowherd boys, herd cows he was so absorbed in his Lila of lord Balaräm ji that he didn’t even consider eating or drinking or sleeping. He resided at Nityänanda Vat which is just behind us & when within the core of his heat he understood that his lord has returned from Gaya & establish the Sankirtan movement; he left Vrindavan & went directly to Sri Navadweep Dhaam.
Kadamba trees at Radhagopinath Mandir
The place where we are now under the shade of this holy Kadamba tree is called 0.5.32. Kadamba tree is one of the most favourite trees of Krsna because it represents Shrimati Radharani, very light in complexion & its flowers are round with an effulgent golden complexion. In fact at Radhagopinath temple we planted four Kadamba trees & soon the flowers will grow to help us remember Sri Vrindavan Dhaam in separation. I was fearful of planting Kadamba tree because I was thinking, how can we take these small trees out of Vrindavan & plant it in Bombay; so we planted two Bengali Kadamba trees that we got from Nasik. But then some very pure hearted genuine Vrajavasis from Barñaëa came to visit out temple & I showed then those trees & I said these Kadamba trees have very big leaves; Vrindavan Kadamba trees have smaller leaves. I said we did not want to take a tree out of Vrindavan & bring it to Bombay & that Vrajaväsé family, in their home they have twenty four hour kirtan for the past twenty five years; very very good Vrajavasis. They spoke with great conviction, they said Radhagopinath temple is Vrindavan, they said, if you plant Kadamba tree here from Vrindavan you are not taking out of Vrindavan; this is Vrindavan. So with their blessings we brought two Kadamba trees & a Tamal tree & planted at Radhagopinath temple. After some time the flowers will grow & they will be offered to the lotus feet of Sri Radhagopinath.
This is called Chir Ghat the, we will see a wonderful deity of lord Krsna stealing gopis clothes. During Krsna’s rasa Lila sometimes gopis would be bathing & Krsna would steal their clothes & bring them to the top of the tree & make them come out of their water. Giving up all of their private identities they would accept the clothes back from his lotus hand. There is another Chir ghat long way down along the Yamuna that is the place where during the month of Hemanta the gopis worshiped Kätyäyané & that story is described in Srimad Bhagvatam where Krsna stole their clothes. We will be going there with Radhashamasundar’s mercy the day after tomorrow, it is the place where devotees rarely go because it is long dusty road & some walking is required. Tomorrow we are going to Barñaëa, we will spend the entire day there material the next day we will going to the place where Krsna liberated the great demon Aghasur, 0.9.42 & then we will go to place where Brahma stole the calves & the gopas & where he surrendered unto Krsna’s lotus feet & we will go to Chir ghat where Krsna stole gopis clothes & we may also go to Nanda ghat where Nanda maharaj was captured by the servants of Varuëa. The next day after that we are going to Raval the birth place of Shrimati Radharani, then to Brahmäëòa ghat where Krsna showed the universal creation within his mouth to Yashoda Mayi & we will go to Gokul Mahavan where Krsna lived for the first three & half years early lilas & performed many lilas; killed Putana, Çakaöäsura, Trinavarta & so many that where he also stole the butter & was tied to the wooden grinding mortar. The next day after that we will be going to 0.11.00 the place where Shrimati Lakshmi Devi is forever sitting performing tapasya trying to gain qualification to enter into Vrindavan lila. Then we will go to Bandiravan which is a place of so many transcendental past times of Sri Krsna. the next day on 16th we will by the mercy of Sri Giriraj Govardhana perform parikramä & after that next day morning we will go to Sri Radha kund & then return for parikramä of Vrindavan. On the 18th we will go to Nandagam & places in that area with Krsna-Balaräm’s mercy & on 19th is Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day which we will celebrate at his Samadhi Mandir at Krsna- Balaräm Mandir. Thank you very much
