Pilgrimage in Holy India

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Hare Krishna

 

 

Pilgrimage in Holy India

 

India is land of many hundreds and thousands of places of pilgrimage

distributed all over the country. Places of pilgrimage yield a

special advantage for a devotee in quickly advancing his spiritual

life …Lord Krishna lives everywhere but still it is very easy to

approach Him in holy places of pilgrimage because these places are

inhabited by great sages…Lord Krishna says that He lives wherever

His devotees are chanting the glories of His transcendental

activities.

 

 

 

Simhacalam

 

 

The Simhacalam temple is dedicated to Lord Narsimhadeva , in the

south of Andhra Pradesh ... Many pilgrims visit this place

throughout the year especially on Candana Yatra . Candana Yatra is

the day the Lord gives darshan that is, when His form is visible to

devotees. Otherwise He appears like a Siva –Linga covered with

sandalwood pulp (candana). Throughout the year people come and take

darshan of Him like this, in His nitya rupa, the constant form that

you see, the form covered in Candana. The nija rupa, His actual form

is revealed only on the Candana Yatra, when the priests breaks the

candana covering and then again put the candana back. Thousands of

pilgrims come on this day to see the Lord in this form.

 

 

The history of the Deity

 

Simha means " lion " and calam means " hill " . So this is lion's hill,

the hill of Lord Narsimhadeva .. The Diety here, Varaha Narsimha

Swami is popularly known in Sanskrit as Simhadrinatha " The Lord of

the Lion hill " .

 

Beneath the layer of sandalwood pulp that covers him all but one day

a year, the deity stands 2-1/2 feet high in a threefold bending

posture with two hands, the head of a boar and the tail of a lion on

a human torso..This unique form is mentioned in Sthala Mahatmya or

Sthala Purana an old Sanskrit work describing the history of the

place.

 

The Sthala Purana of Simhacalam recounts the history of the great

devotee Prahlada Maharaja and his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu.

Hiranayakasipu's brother, Hiranyaksa had been liked by Lord in the

form of Varaha, the divine boar. But Prahlada as a young child

became a devotee of the Lord and was protected by the Lord when his

father ordered that he should be tortured or killed. This

information we can find in Srimad Bhagavatam but Sthala Purana has

more to say.

 

As a last resort, Hiranayakashipu told his servants to hurl Prahlada

into the sea and place a huge mountain over him . The servants chose

to do this at Simhacalam. But before they could finish, Narayana

rescued Prahlada by jumpimg over the hill and lifting him from the

sea. Simhacalam, therefore is place where the Lord rescued Prahlad.

 

At Prahlad request the Lord assumed the form of the Varaha-Narsimha

Deity, so that Prahlada could see both aspects of the Lord – the

one by which He had already killed Hiranyaksa and one which He would

soon kill Hiranyakasipu . After the death of Hiranyankasipu,

Prahlada built a temple around the Deity. But after thousands of

years, at the end of the ancient age, Satya-Yuga, the temple was

neglected and the earth slowly gathered around the Deity. But at the

beginning of another Yuga the Deity was rediscovered by Pururava,

the king of the lunar dynasty. Riding with his wife, Urvasi, in an

aerial chariot over the hills of the south, Pururava was drawn by a

mysterious power to Simhachalam. There he discovered the Deity and

cleared away the earth around Him. Pururava then heard a voice from

the sky which told him to cover the Deity with sandal paste,

worship the Lord in this form, and expose Him only once a year, on

the day of Candana yatra. Following this instruction, Pururava

covered the Deity with an amount of sandal pulp equal to the earth

he had removed, worshiped the Deity, and rebuilt the temple which

has flourished ever since.

 

Candana yatra takes place on Aksaya-trtiya, the third day of the

first half of the month of Vasakha ( April – May ) … On this day

early in the morning the Deity is divested of His sandalwood

covering and devotees have the opportunity to see His underlying

form. The Deity is ceremonially bathed and in the evening again

covered with sandalwood..

 

 

Nathdwara –Srinathaji

 

Nathdwara is in the Indian state of Rajasthan . Nathdwara is a town

that lives around its Deity. Rajasthani villagers are deeply

devoted to Lord Srinathaji . The self manifested Deity of

Srinathaji appeared, it is said, from a big rock on Govardhana Hill

in Vrndavana. He appears as bas-relief , the front of His form

emerging from the stone.

 

Nathdwara was built in 17th century for the Deity of Lord Srinathaji

after He was brought from the town of Jatipur, at the foot of

Govardhana Hill in Vrndavana . Devotees had to fled to Rajasthan

with the Deity to protect Him from the destructive ruler Aurangzeb.

 

According to Caitanya caritamrtra , the Diety of Srinathaji is none

other than Gopala Deity who appeared in the dream of Madhavendra

Puri. In the dream the Deity told Madhavendra Puri to find Him on

Govardhana Hill and establish Him in a temple. Please pull me out

of this forest make a beautiful temple for Me and hold a great

festival. Commanded by the Lord, Madhavendra Puri inspired the local

villagers to rediscover the Deity. Srinathaji is Lord Krishna in His

pastime lifting Govardhan Hill.

 

The mood of doing service for the Deity is a wonderful feature of

Nathdwara. People take up the brooms to sweep the temple and near by

areas. There are places were you can help chop vegetables, place

to make garlands, places to churn milk and so on .

 

Another important part of seva is giving things to the Lord. People

buy milk, flowers, vegetables and fruits and bring them into the

temple to offer to the Lord. People also give lots of money. The

temple of Srinathaji is said to be the second richest in India after

Tirupati.

 

People also give ghee and grains. Most of the prasadam is cooked in

pure ghee. The give ghee in cans of 10, 20 or 100 kgs. sometimes a

whole train car full of ghee arrives in Nathdwara from anonymous

donors simply marked as From Srinathaji to Srinathaji.

 

The temple has literal well of ghee. Ghee are poured into the well

and pipeline extends from the well to the Deity's kitchen – tap of

ghee.

 

The temple has many storerooms that pilgrims can see. One room for

keeping the Lord's clothing and jewels another for flowers. There is

a tailoring room where clothes are sewn for the Lord. Another room

holds gold and silver pots. There is a rose room, where rose water

and rose scents are prepared. Another for books. There is room for

vegetables , a room for milk, cream and butter and a room for misri

( rock sugar ) and so on … Then there is a room where the

ingredients are assembled before they are offered .

 

 

Karauli - Town of Natural Devotion

 

 

Karauli is a small town in the harsh, hilly terrain of eastern

Rajasthan , is the home of Sri Madana Mohana the Deity of Krsna

worshiped by Srila Sanatana Goswami . Lord Caitnaya sent Sanatana to

Vrndavana to find places of Krishna's pastimes. Santana Goswami knew

that Lord Krishna great grandson, King Vajranabha had installed

many Deities of Krishna in Vrndavana including one named Madana

Mohana. Sanatana was eager to find the Deity and after he had looked

for the Deity for a long time without success, his mind was

disturbed. Being a highly advanced devotee of Krishna he did not

like to sleep. He would chant Hare Krishna day and night. Sometime

he would doze a little while chanting. Once, in a dream, he was

sitting next to he saw sitting next to him a beautiful effulgent

child with a peacock feather on His head and a flute in His hand.

The child said, " O Baba, I am staying in the house of Damodara

Chobe in Mathura. He calls Me Madanya. Come to his house and meet Me

there.

 

The next day, Santana went to the house of Damodara Chobe and asked

for the alms. When Damodara's wife went away from the door, Sanatana

sneaked into the courtyard and there he saw the Deity. He called

out . I have gotten the Lord of my life, and he wept with

happiness. After receiving the alms he left, intent of getting

Madana Mohana from the house.

 

Krishna appeared to Santana and advised him to return to the house

of Damadara Chobe and his wife to give medical treatment to their

sixth child. And when they offer you a gift in exchange for your

service, the Lord said " you should accept nothing but Me, Damodara

Deity " .

 

That night while Damodara was away his sixth son fell seriously ill.

Damodara's wife was anxious for her child and for some reason

unknown to her – she was also anxious for the Deity. She passed the

night without sleep. In the morning she found Sanatana Goswami

chanting outside her door. Since it was common in those days for

saintly person to know about curing diseases, she happily brought

him inside and asked him to help her son. Santana agreed, and a few

days of treatment the boy recovered. Damodara's wife offered

Sanatana a gift. " I only want your Deity " he said. Looking at the

old man she thought he could never lift the Deity. She said " All

right, if you can carry away the Deity you can take Him. Santana

joyfully lifted the Deity as if He were a small child. Sanatana felt

the heavy stone Deity to be almost weightless.

 

Santana had no place temple so he decided to place Madana Mohana on

the bank of the Yamuna River near the place where Krishna had

subdued the serpent Kaliya. Santana built a small hut on the hill

and after making a throne out of earth he established Madana Mohana

there. Because Santana was a mendicant, he couldn't offer opulent

food to the Deity. He would get the wheat flour by begging and

prepare bati . He was offering to the Lord without salt. Madana

Mohana suggested to Santana in a dream, I am a little tired of

taking this bati. Can't you atleast give Me some salt? Santana

replied how can I provide you nice dishes I am just a old man ..The

next day a ship full of salt aground in the Yamuna River near the

place where Sanatana was worshipping Madana Mohana . He advised the

owner to worship Mohana for help. After the merchant did so, a voice

from the sky declared, " Go and see that your ship is again

floating " . The merchant made a good profit selling the salt and in

1580 – 81 he built a beautiful temple for Madana Mohana. For more

than 150 years the Madana Mohana was worshipped in Vrndavana until

Aurangzeb began destroying temples there. In 1948, on the request

of King, Jai Singh of Jaipur, the Deities of Madana Mohana,

Govindadeva and Gopinatha were brought from Vrndavana to Jaipur for

Their safety.

 

Later, Madana Mohana appeared in a dream to the King of Karauli,

Maharaja Gopal Singh " Take me to Karauli " Madana Mohana ordered.

Maharaja Jai was doubtful about Gopal Singh's story so gave a

condition . " You can take Madana Mohana if you can choose Him . I

will put you in a room with the three Deities Govinda, Gopinatha and

Madana Mohana . If you can tell which Deity is Madana Mohana you can

take Him. At night Gopal Singh was brought to the room where the

Deities were kept. He walked straight to the Madana Mohana and

grasped His Lotus feet. With all honor and affection King Jai Singh

then offered Madana Mohana to Gopal Singh who brought the Deity to

Karauli .

 

 

The temple of Madana Mohana in Karauli has a tradition of stories

connected with the Deity. Here are a few Madana Mohana's leela.

 

Missing Dish

 

A Muslim devotee named Tazkan regularly came to the Madana Mohana

temple to see the Deity, offer him food and take prasadam. When some

Hindus came to know that a Muslim was going into their temple, they

objected , and Tazkan was prohibited from entering. Feeling greatly

disappointed, Tazkan stayed at home and stopped eating and drinking.

Madana Mohana wasn't very happy with this. So, disguised as a guard,

He went to Tazkan's house with a silver dish full of prasadam .

Seeing the guard " Tazkan told Him " how can I take Madana Mohana's

prasadam without first having taken His darshan. Madana Mohana

replied, Please get up, have darshan and then take the prasadam.

When Tazkan realized that Madana Mohana himself was standing before

him, he asked for the pardon. The Lord disappeared and Tazkan took

prasadam. That night, temple priest had a dream in which Madana

Mohana told him that Tazkan should be allowed into the temple to

have darshan. The priest told this to other priest. In the meantime

the priest serving the Deity noticed that one of the Deity's silver

dish is missing. After much turmoil over the missing dish, Tazkan

came with the dish and said that a guard from the temple had left it

at his house. This convinced that Madana Mohana had indeed spoken to

the head priest in a dream and from then Tazkan was allowed to have

darshan of his beloved Madana Mohana..

 

The Milk Women

 

This incident took place about 125 years ago. In the village of

Bhugda, in the Karauli district, lived a family of Gurjas

(cowherds) who supplied milk for the service of Madana Mohana. One

of the women of this family used to come to see Madana Mohana and

honor His prasadam.. Madana Mohana was pleased with her devotional

attitude. One day Madana Mohana went to the village of Bhugda. The

gujari woman was lying on her bed chanting Madana Mohana's name when

suddenly she saw Madana Mohana Himself standing before her.

Surprised, she got up touched His feet and then she spread a simple

blue sheet on her cot and asked Madana Mohana to sit there. Madana

Mohana took off His yellow outer dress, lay down on the cot and went

to sleep while the women massaged His feet. But after some time she

felt tired and she also went to sleep. When Madana Mohana awoke, He

thought, Oh it's almost time for Mangala arati. I would better get

back to the temple quickly. " Because He was rushing, He took the

blue cloth of the gujari women and left behing his yellow garment.

When the priest woke Madana Mohana for Mangala arti they were

surprised. " Where is His yellow cloth? Where has He got this simple

blue cloth ? We didn't put Him to sleep like that . "

When the gujari women came for darshan that morning, she returned

the Deity's yellow garment. She told the priests that Madana Mohana

had gone to her house and left it there and had taken her blue cloth.

 

 

 

I thought of sharing this information with my group members to give

information about Lord's leela for spiritual realization from the

book " Pilgrimage in Holy India " written by Shree H.H. Bhakti

Vilasa Swami . This book gives a valuable information about the

temple of our Holy India . For detailed information I suggest that

you must read this book.

 

 

Hare Krishna

 

 

Padma