Nava-vraja-mahimā — Volume One, Part Three

Śivarāma Swami

Nava-vraja-mahimā

Volume One

Part Three

Lāl Publishing

Somogyvámos

Also by Śivarāma Swami:

The Bhaktivedanta Purports

The Śikṣā-guru

Śikṣā Outside ISKCON?

Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana series:

Śuddha-bhakti-cintāmaṇi

Veṇu-gītā

Na Pāraye ‘Ham

Kṛṣṇa-saṅgati

Readers interested in the subject matter of this book are invited to visit the following websites:

www.sivaramaswami.com

www.srsbooks.com

Design and cover illustration: Akṛṣṇa Dāsa

Copyright © 2012 Śivarāma Swami

Copyright © 2012 Magyarországi Krisna-tudatú Hívők Közössége, Lál Kiadó

All rights reserved.

Quotations from the books, letters, conversations, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, along with a Sanskrit pronunciation guide, are

Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.

Used with permission.

www.krishna.com

ISBN 978-615-80553-1-4

Although I have written Nava-vraja-mahimā for the pleasure of all Vaiṣṇavas who either physically or mentally reside in Vṛndāvana, I dedicate this book to those whose hearts are devoted to Rādhā-Śyāmasundara and New Vraja-dhāma. It is my hope that they will pass their time in this way:

iha vatsān samacārayad

iha naḥ svāmī jagau vaṁsīm

iti sāsraṁ gadato me

yamunā-tīre dinaṁ yāyāt

Here our Lord herded the calves, and here He played the flute. I pray that I may pass my days shedding tears as I speak these words on the Yamunā’s shore. (Śrī Raghupati Upādhyāya)

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Auspicious Invocation

Introduction

The Truths of the Dhāma

CHAPTER ONE

The Beauty and Wonder of New Vraja-dhāma

CHAPTER TWO

Pastimes in Mathurā

CHAPTER THREE

Madhuvana, Tālavana, and Kumudavana

CHAPTER FOUR

Nandagrāma

APPENDIX 1

My Morning Prayers

APPENDIX 2

The History of Bhauma Vṛndāvana

APPENDIX 3

Pastime Places on Parikrama

APPENDIX 4

The Supremacy of Vṛndāvana-dhāma Over All Other Holy Places

APPENDIX 5

Refuting Entwistle’s Criticism of the Authenticity of Stone Markings in Vraja

APPENDIX 6

Uddhava Reads Kṛṣṇa’s Letters to the Gopīs

About the Author

Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide

Bibliography

The kingdom of Nandagrāma is far distant from the abodes of those devotees attached to regulated service to Lord Nārāyaṇa, but it is surely home to those situated in spontaneous love for Vraja’s prince.

CHAPTER FOUR

Nandagrāma

As devotees we must always seek the blessings of senior Vaiṣṇavas before setting out on parikrama. This rule holds true as much for pilgrims advanced in devotion as it does for beginners. [1]

Jāhnavā-devī took permission from Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī before visiting the holy places of Vraja. Following her example, I bowed to the elder residents of Kṛṣṇa Valley before continuing my parikrama.

As I approached Nandagrāma, I prayed to Śrīla Prabhupāda, to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, to Nandīśvara Mahādeva, to the king and queen of Nandagrāma, and to the gopas and gopīs who reside there.

May the son of Nanda Mahārāja, whose divine blackish form is the embodiment of beauty, and who is the beloved of a certain milkmaid who daily walks from afar to cook for Him, be pleased with me.

The ladies of Mathurā glorified Nandagrāma with these words: "Dear friend! Just imagine how fortunate is the land of Vṛndāvana, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself is present —

"Always decorated with flower garlands and engaged in tending cows along with His brother, Lord Balarāma. He is always accompanied by His cowherd boyfriends, and He plays His transcendental flute.

The residents of Vṛndāvana are fortunate to be able to constantly see the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, which are worshipped by great demigods like Lord Śiva and by the goddess of fortune. [2]

Let us meditate upon Kṛṣṇa’s eternal mother and father, for if we do, the rays of their loving attachment will illumine our hearts, wipe clean all nasty things, and create complete auspiciousness.

King Devamīḍha was a heroic king of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty who had two wives, a kṣatriya and a vaiśya, each of whom gave birth to a son — Sura and Parjanya respectively. Both were pure devotees of the Lord. [3]

Sura begot Vasudeva, whose wife was Devakī; Parjanya begot Nanda, whose wife was Yaśodā. Since the Supreme Lord was the son of both couples, they are eternally intertwined as friends and family.

As the third son of Parjanya, Nanda was subordinate to his older brother Upananda, but the cowherds of Vraja unanimously accepted Nanda as their king due to his sterling qualities.

Nanda Mahārāja’s greatness was in his devotion to Lord Nārāyaṇa. Learned in scriptures and a strict follower of religious principles, he commanded the respect of all his subjects.

It is said that one can know a man by the company he keeps. Nandarāja’s friends and relatives were wise, learned, devoted to the Lord, and submissive to dharma, the brāhmaṇas, and their gurus.

Nanda Mahārāja is tall in stature. He has a protuberant belly, a kindly face, a complexion the colour of sandalwood, and a black-and-white beard that resembles a mix of rice and toasted sesame seeds.

He wears ornaments befitting royalty, always sporting a priceless diadem on the front of his colourful turban, sometimes dressing in red, at other times green. He is guardian to countless surabhi cows.

Handsome, magnanimous, and broad-minded, Nanda presides over his cows, subjects, and holdings like a fair, soothing moon. With the splendour (deva) of great wealth (vasu), he is also called Vasudeva.

Another intimate friend of Nanda Mahārāja is King Vṛṣabhānu, husband of Kīrtidā, the goddess of fame, and father of the empress that rules over all goddesses of fortune, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. [4]

Like Emperor Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Nanda was an eager patron of the arts. He handsomely rewarded the poets, singers, musicians, and dancers who came to entertain his sons, household, and subjects.

As father to the husband of the goddess of fortune, Nanda had untold wealth. His treasury was always full. He lived in opulence with the most beautiful wife and was the master of countless cows and bulls.

Rivers, lakes, desire trees, and hills like Govardhana blessed Mahārāja Nanda’s transcendental kingdom with abundance, nourished his surabhi cows, and fulfilled his desires and the desires of his subjects.

Nanda Mahārāja’s sons blossomed with all good qualities. At an auspicious time and with appropriate rituals, he appointed Kṛṣṇa as Vraja’s prince and heir apparent, and Balarāma as prime minister.

Nandarāja attained unrivalled happiness, for the Supreme Lord Himself, a youth of peerless beauty who is always full of love and who played flute melodies that mystified Nanda’s kingdom, was his son.

Let us meditate upon Nanda Mahārāja by repeating a great poet’s delightful assertion, śrutim apare smṛtim itare bhāratam anye bhajantu bhava-bhītāḥ / aham iha nandaṁ vande yasyālinde paraṁ brahma:

"Those who are afraid of material existence worship the Vedic literature. Some worship smṛti, the corollaries to the Vedic literature, and others worship the Mahābhārata.

"As far as I am concerned, I worship Kṛṣṇa’s father, Mahārāja Nanda, in whose courtyard the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth [paraṁ brahma], is playing." [5]

Nanda Mahārāja accepted the gopa Sumukha’s daughter, Yaśodā, as his wife. Yaśodā captivated her in-laws with her countless virtues, foremost of which was her devotion to Lord Nārāyaṇa. [6]

The marriage of Nanda and Yaśodā filled Gokula with inexplicable joy. Relatives and strangers alike could not help but constantly think and speak of Yaśodā’s flawless behaviour and radiant beauty.

Because Kṛṣṇa spent time in Yaśodā-devī’s womb, her beauty so resembles His that pure devotees feel the same delight at seeing her auspicious form and describing her glories as they do His.

Mother Yaśodā is transcendental maternal love personified, a desire tree that blessed the people of Vraja — and through them, the entire world — with the blazing sapphire of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person.

She fulfilled the import of her name by bestowing (dā) universal fame (yaśaḥ) upon the Vraja-vāsīs. And by dint of her pure love for Vasudeva’s wife, she also became known as Devakī. [7]

Mother Yaśodā is of medium height, neither short nor tall. Her hair is silky, long, and black, her complexion dark, and her garments like a rainbow. Amongst her close friends are Kīrtidā, Devakī, and Rohiṇī.

Mother Yaśodā has thousands of servants, but she personally attends to every detail of Kṛṣṇa’s care, ensuring that He always has the best of everything, never feels any discomfort, and is never in want.

From early morning till late night Yaśodā oversees the cultivation of special gardens, the cooking of special meals, the milking of special cows, the sewing of special clothes, the crafting of special ornaments.

In short, because Kṛṣṇa is Yaśodā-devī’s life and soul, because He is dearer to her than millions of her own lives, she offers to Him only those things unique, perfect, and to His taste.

And He, the master of countless universes and demigods, is most satisfied while lying in her lap, drinking the liquid nectar of her loving affection for Him, her celestial breast milk.

Mother Yaśodā’s exalted status attracts the goddess of fortune, who, unseen to Yaśodā, bows down to her lotus feet, offering her respectful obeisances and heartfelt words of praise.

Let us meditate on this embodiment of motherly affection by reciting Śrī Rūpa’s prayer, aṅkaga-paṅkajanābhāṁ navya-ghanābhāṁ vicitra-ruci-sicayām / viracita-jagat-pramodāṁ muhur yaśodāṁ namayāmi:

I offer my respectful obeisances to the delight of the world, Mother Yaśodā, of fresh rain cloud complexion, clothed in wonderfully beautiful garments, and holding lotus-naveled Kṛṣṇa on her lap. [8]

Rohiṇī, Balarāma’s mother, is like Yaśodā’s shadow. Filled with a constantly rising (ārohiṇī) flood of transcendental bliss, Rohiṇī dearly loves her son. But she loves Kṛṣṇa a million times more.

Let us pray to the parents of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to bless us with a particle of affection for their transcendental sons. Just a particle of that affection will infinitely enrich our spiritually impoverished lives.

* * * *

Having touched the shore of the unlimited ocean of the ambrosial attributes of Vraja’s king and queen, let us now sample a drop of Nandagrāma’s unlimited secrets, secrets inaccessible even to mystics and sages.

The lotus of Kṛṣṇa’s adolescent pastimes (kaiśora-līlā) spreads its thousand petals across Vraja. At the magnificent palace of Nanda Mahārāja atop Nandīśvara Hill, the whorl of that lotus is fixed.

The opulent and expansive realm of Vaikuṇṭha is nestled within one garden of Nanda’s kingdom. Is it any wonder, then, that the greatest of Brahmā’s creations can rest on the edge of Nandarāja’s footstool?

The kingdom of Nandagrāma is far distant from the abodes of those devotees attached to regulated service to Lord Nārāyaṇa, but it is surely home to those situated in spontaneous love for Vraja’s prince.

The desire to perfect spontaneous devotion is nourished by remembering the Vraja-vāsīs and by meditating upon Nandagrāma as it is described by our ācāryas, who are steeped in the ways of Vraja.

The forests of Nanda Mahārāja’s kingdom are filled with deer, peacocks, and other animals and birds that live together in harmony as part of the greater family of their magnanimous king.

The rivers, streams, and lakes are opulent with dancing waves that toss vibrant lotuses and lilies here and there, just as Kṛṣṇa and His friends throw balls while playing upon their shores.

Of the many physical features of Nanda’s kingdom, Govardhana Hill stands supreme. It increases (vardhana) the pleasure of the cows (go), and in turn the opulence of the cowherd men.

Not only does Govardhana Hill serve the cows with its fresh grass, pure water, and medicinal herbs, but it also fulfils the needs of the Vraja-vāsīs with its fruits, flowers, and precious jewels.

Other pasturing grounds, like a bright jade necklace, surround the forest-green neck of Nandīśvara Hill, visible from Mahārāja Vṛṣabhānu’s palace and standing proudly against the turquoise sky. [9]

Nanda Mahārāja’s capital, with its wealth of palaces, houses, barns, and gates, rests atop sacred Nandīśvara Hill, which is a form of Lord Śiva descended to earth in order to relish Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes of youth.

Long ago, Lord Śiva desired to be present when Śrī Kṛṣṇa displayed His pastimes on earth. The Lord of Kailāsa then performed long, arduous penances, his mind fixed firmly on that goal.

Pleased, Kṛṣṇa appeared before His dear devotee and enquired about the purpose of his austerities. That foremost of demigods requested that he be allowed to appear as a mountain in Bhauma Vṛndāvana.

Kṛṣṇa asked why he wanted to be a mountain, and Lord Śiva replied, "You will appear in Vraja along with Your eternal associates. I desire to have the dust of the gopīs’ feet on my body."

Pleased with Lord Śiva’s reply, Kṛṣṇa blessed the master of Nandī to appear in Vraja as the mountain upon which Nanda Mahārāja would build his capital and the gopīs would constantly walk. [10]

A tall, fortified wall encloses the entire city of Nandagrāma. A wide, spring-fed moat encircles the full length of the base of that wall, the top of which is covered with lush flowering gardens.

Grand gates with gold frames and jewel-studded doors give access to the city through its fortification, protected by well-armed soldiers wearing gold helmets and ornaments set with gems.

Within the walls are green pastures that completely surround the base of Nandīśvara Hill and shelter the cows’ gorgeous residences, too numerous to count and made from gems too valuable to assess.

On the other side of the cow barns is a smaller wall that keeps the cows out of the city. Beyond that lie gardens, wells, lakes, markets, lanes, and crossings, all as charming as their counterparts in heaven.

Thriving vegetable patches, fruit orchards, and flower gardens offer their yields to the residents of Nandagrāma for food, articles of worship, and decorations for homes, streets, and gateways.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa says that high stone aqueducts efficiently deliver water to every house and garden throughout the city of Nandagrāma via a complex system of bamboo pipes. [11]

The opulence and beauty of the cowherds’ homes defy imagination. Their standard of living excels that of demigods, for the cowherd men give equal worship to the cows, brāhmaṇas, and the Supreme Lord.

Nanda Mahārāja’s subjects live in houses made of valuable stones like gold and lapis, set with diamonds and precious gems, their doorways and roofs decorated with festoons, garlands, and colourful flags.

Deities of Lord Nārāyaṇa are constantly being worshipped in every home. The sacred mantras and hymns to the Lord’s incarnations that the brāhmaṇas utter give life to Nandagrāma’s festive atmosphere.

At the summit of Nandīśvara Hill is Nanda Mahārāja’s own palace, boasting massive but elegant pillars, walls, windows, and roofs made from inlaid lapis, coral, and emerald and handsome with many flags.

On all four sides of Nanda Mahārāja’s palace stand the palaces of his loyal brothers. A quadrangular wall decorated with gems, banners, and flags surrounds the entire royal compound. [12]

Outside the northern gate a raised platform surrounds a coral tree (mandāra). There the six seasons — spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, fall, and winter — reside eternally and concurrently. [13]

Inside the northern gate, an effulgent lake, filled with the nectar of love for Kṛṣṇa and scented with the pollen of fully blooming lotuses, resounds with the calls of waterfowl and the splashing of playful fish.

Nandagrāma is the eternal home of the cosmic mastermind, whose smallest creation — the atom — baffles scientists; one can just imagine how difficult it is to grasp the structure of Nanda Mahārāja’s palace.

The palace is so expertly constructed that it puts Viśvakarmā’s best works to shame. Although an edifice, Nanda Mahārāja’s home is itself beyond the touch of the illusory energy. [14]

At the centre of the palace is a courtyard with countless columns, each of different precious stones such as ruby, sapphire, and coral, and corniced with gold in different colours, like yellow, green, or red.

In the centre of the courtyard sits a stage that spontaneously attracts the mind and senses, its sides and awning decorated with beautiful silk draperies, strands of pearls, and flower garlands.

Facing the stage on the south wall of the courtyard, appearing like the resting place of the goddess of diversions, is a slightly raised platform beneath a domed silk arch that shimmers in the breeze.

In the evenings Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma sit upon that platform with Their parents and close friends, enjoying the performances of assorted dancers, artists, bards, and trained animals.

It is said that only the residents of Nanda’s palace can navigate its fifty enclosures and surrounding living quarters. Amongst the many rooms is Rohiṇī-devī’s kitchen, to the south of the main courtyard.

West of the kitchen, through a large silver door brilliant with the effulgence of moonstones, is the all-opulent chamber of Baladeva. Its most prominent feature is a golden bed covered by blue draperies.

North of that — with solid gold doors, windows in every wall, a silk-canopied bed at its centre, and clay pots, cāmaras, and ribbon-festoons to make it more auspicious — is Kṛṣṇa’s bedroom.

The living quarters and bedchambers of Nandarāja’s immediate family can be found in all directions. So can service areas, temple rooms, and the halls in which the king holds court and gives counsel.

The public has access to these halls, so they are set off from the other lodgings with large gates made of gold and jewels, gates beside which royal guards stand watch throughout the day and night.

This great palace of the king abounds with gardens and forests containing every kind of plant found