Vraja Mandal Parikrama. Final Part.

[Guest guest]

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Day 28. Brahmandghat.

Today was spent the day in Brahmandghat, hearing about the glories of Gokul.

 

HH Lokanath Swami:

"We are now in the forest of Mahavan where Krsna mostly performed his

pastimes in vatsalya rasa. These pastimes are very sweet. Lila Madhuri.

Such sweet, sweet pastimes, meant to attract the conditioned soul and

encourage him to desire to return to Krsna. One of the last pastimes to be

performed here was the Damodara lila. We know that it is after this lila

that the residents of Gokul decide to go to Vrndavan.

 

"It is not possible to enter into these pastimes because we are full of lust

and greed. We were hearing the other day that even Laxmi devi had to

perform austerities in order to be allowed to enter the rasa lila. So, what

to speak of us?! But by hearing these sweet pastimes, we can become free

from lust and greed. We hope and pray that these bad qualities will be

reduced and that love and devotion to Krsna will manifest in our hearts.

 

"One day Mother Yashoda decided to churn the butter herself. She had been

hearing so many complaints, that Krsna was stealing butter from the other

gopis. So, she was thinking, "Let me make such nice butter, that Krsna will

not want to take butter elsewhere."

 

"As she churned, she thought of her son's childhood pastimes. Her thoughts

manifested into song. She joyfully and without care sang about Krsna's

pastimes. In former times, this was normal practice, to sing about the Lord

as you worked. Sitting on the bank of the Ganjes, approx. 150 years after

the performance of these pastimes, Sukadeva Goswami is relating this story

to Pariksit. The acaryas have revealed that the milk in Mother Yashoda's

breast was thinking, "Oh, Yashoda is making butter and Krsna's stomach will

be full from this butter. He will not want to drink us!" They were

lamenting in this way.

 

"As Mother Yashoda works away, she perspires. The bangles on her wrists

jangle and her earrings swing to and fro. The movement of the churning rod

produces a swooshing sound. In this way, her singing is accompanied by the

rhythmical sounds of her ornaments and the churning rod.

 

"The flowers of the malati tree which decorate her hair, fall from her head.

These flowers were thinking that they were not fit to be on the head of

Mother Yashoda but rather at the feet of such a great personality.

 

"When Krsna awoke He was upset to see His mother working and neglecting Him.

He reached over to stop the churning by holding the rod and stopping it from

moving. Yashoda was happy to see that her young son was intelligent enough

to see that by stopping the rod, He could stop the churning. She was also

satisfied to see that He was strong enough to stop the rod. In her mind she

was thinking that her son was growing and developing nicely.

 

"She stopped her work and fed Krsna with great affection with her breast

milk, looking down at His beautiful smiling face, as she did so. One of the

reasons He was smiling was because He had succeeded in stopping His

mother's work and getting what He wanted-her full attention.

 

"Mother Yahoda had to put Krsna down and rush to the kitchen to save the

milk from boiling over. The milk in the kitchen pot had been thinking,

"Krsna will be satisfied by drinking Mother Yashoda's breast milk. He will

not want me. What is the use of my life, when I cannot be used in Krsna's

service?" The milk wanted to jump from the pot and into the fire.

 

"Again, upset at being neglected, Krsna picked up a stone and broke the pot

of butter. He gently broke it so that His mother would not hear a great

crash. He then quickly and quietly leaves the scene on His tip-toes.......

.....these are the sweet pastimes of the Lord"

 

Day 29. Brahmandghat to Raval.

 

Ukhal. This is the place where mother Yashoda tied Krsna to the grinding

mortar, for stealing butter and yoghurt. She not only wanted to punish

Krsna, but the mortar also because the Lord would often use it to stand on

in order to get at the butter.

 

Mahavan (Gokul). Where Lord spent His early childhood. Lord Balarama took

birth here from Rohini and Vasudeva carried Lord Krsna here, across the

Yamuna, from Mathura.

 

Raval. The birthplace of Srimati Radharani. Once king Vrshabhanu went to

the Yamuna river to take bath. He saw a golden lotus flower in the middle

of the river. Within the flower was baby Radharani.

In the evening, the resident young girls of this village, visit the temple

here, where we are staying, and sing songs glorifying Radharani.

 

Last day. Raval to Mathura.

 

Traditionally, the Vraja Mandal Parikrama begins and ends with a bath in the

river Yamuna at Vishram ghat, Mathura. The devotees joyfully splashed about

in the cool water's of the Yamuna and were greeted by HH Gopal Krsna

Goswami.

 

After the bath, devotees were garlanded and chandan applied to their

foreheads. Then we headed back to ISKCON's Krsna Balaram mandir, Vrndavan

where we were served a sumptuous feast. Everyone agreed that the prasadam

on Parikram this year was exceptionally good. The devotees from the Mayapur

kitchen had come especially to do this service.

 

HH Lokanath Swami:

"The challenge for everyone now, after undertaking the purifying experience

of this parikrama, is how to stay pure. We should not follow the example of

the elephant who takes bath and then goes and throws dust on himself. Our

consciousness has been elevated and we should try and keep it high by

continuing with our careful hearing and chanting and enthusiastically

engaging in the sankirtan movement."

 

HH Gopal Krsna Goswami:

"This one month in the dhama has charged your spiritual batteries. Now, use

this charge for the next 11 months and then come back again for recharging

next kartika. Everyone should try and go out for the upcoming Prabhupada

marathon."

 

Vraja Mandal Parikrama organizers:

 

HG Bhadra Prabhu

HG Radha Raman Prabhu

HG Murli Mohan Prabhu

HG Braja Bhuma Prabhu

HG Rama Das Prabhu

HG Radha Dyuti Prabh (Kitchen Manager)

 

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Your servant,

Ekanath dasa