Krsna, the tax collector
A little later we will be visiting a very famous holy place of Barsana Säïkari-khora where the 0.0.33 is eternally taking place. When Krsna & gopas would come to this area of Barsana, Shrimati Radharani & sakhis & gopis they became very exited so they told Vrishabhänu maharaj that there is a Yajïa being performed by some Brahmans so we must bring yoghurt, ghee & butter as a service to them. Vrishabhänu maharaj was always eager for Shrimati Radharani to receive blessings of Brahmans, so they brought so much, and one of them holding pot on their head, on their arms. But their real goal was that, Krsna steal it; they would come to this place called Säïkari-khora which is two mountains just going net to each other, there is a very very thin passage way between those mountains only one person at a time can walk. So Krsna & his friends would be standing with sticks right at the entrance & tell them that we are the messengers of the kings & you must pay taxes; taxes for all these butter & yoghurt that you are transporting & the tax is that you must give us your butter & yoghurt. So the gopis they would say to Krsna that, actually you are saying pay tax for the flowers we pick, for the water we use but Shrimati Radharani is Vrindavaneshavari, she is the queen of Vrindavan therefore you should pay taxes to us for all the grass that your cows are eating every day. So a wonderful loving argument took place & ultimately lord Krsna & his friends would push the pots off the heads of the gopis & they would steal it. Raghunath das Goswami & the other acharyas have described this past times in various incredible details.
Radharani takes revenge
So one day Shrimati Radharani & her friends decided for the pleasure of Krsna, we will get even with them; in the spiritual there is also the concept of revenge. In this material world revenge is based on envy, hatred but in Vrindavan everything is based on pure unmotivated love for the pleasure of Krsna so when the gopas would be plating in that area about two or three hundred gopis surrounded them, tie their Shikha to the rocks, began to pour water on their heads & milk on their heads, so they were trapped, they wanted to get somehow or other be released but they would not release them. they said, unless you bow down to the feet of the queen of Vrindavan, Shrimati Radharani you will not be released; so Krsna came & bowed at the feet of Shrimati Radharani to show that love always conquers the object of love. And then he asked, how can I atone for what I have done? And she said, you tax us, so now you should let us tax you but as a female it is not proper for me to tax you, therefore you take my form & I will take your form. So Krsna & all the gopas became Radharani & gopis & Radharani & all the gopis they became Krsna & the gopas & they came here. And Krsna in the form of Radha & the gopas in the form of gopis they all had butter & yoghurt on their heads & Radharani in the form of Krsna & the gopis in the form of gopas had sticks & said , you cannot go through this place unless you pay taxes & then they knocked the butter off their heads & stole it off.
Begging for devotion
So in honour of this wonderful past time, in this temple it is very special, the deity of Krsna is actually worshiped Shrimati Radharani but he is in the form of Krsna & the deity of Shrimati Radharani here is Krsna. Unless we have very very deep & high realization we may be able to enjoy this past time but the realization can only come through very very surrendered humble service to guru & vaishnavas very very pure chanting of the holy names, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare. So this is the place of begging for charity & here we should beg through the charity of pure hearts, free of envy, lust, pride, greed, anger & illusion, we should beg at the lotus feet of vaishnavas & in the spirit of pure devotional service. Behind you is one of the places where Radha & Krsna performed Jhulan yatra or swing festival, & this monument was built by the great acharyas in honour of that. In order for all of us to have this very special darshan, we should not go inside because that will take very long as there are over thousand devotees; so we will make a circle & will come this way & go around that way.
Thank you very much.
