Guest guest Posted December 23, 2002 Report Share Posted December 23, 2002 Does anyone know about Gunja mala? meaning? etc etc It is said that Lord Caitanya gave Raghunatha Dasa His personal Govardhana sila nad His gunja mala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2002 Report Share Posted December 24, 2002 Prabhu, I worship (for the past 20 years) a Giriraj Govardhana stone (sila), and beside Giriraj we have a string of red and black seeds of Gunja Mala. The Gunja Mala is a representation of Sri Radha. Just simply to think that this form of the Deity is our Deity of Radha-Krishna is all we need to know. Giriraj likes to eat sweets so we offer him sweets whenever we can, as well as prashadam. It isn't necessary to imagine what form of pastimes the Deity is enjoying, just simply serve them prashadam - this is my Guru Maharaj's instruction. Murali Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raga Posted December 24, 2002 Report Share Posted December 24, 2002 Raghunatha Das saw the gunja-mala as representing Mahaprabhu's offering him to the service of the lotus feet of Radharani. (gunja-mala dila diya radhika-carane) Sri Krishna is often portrayed as wearing a garland of gunja-berries. In the second act of Vidagdha Madhava, there is a beautiful verse relating how Srimati is steeped in thoughts of separation and how a mere sight of gunja-berries makes Her shed tears, crying and roaming about madly, burning in a fire of separation. In general, gunja-mala is an uddipana-vibhava, a stimulus for prema. Specifically in regards to the worship of Giriraja, we follow the bhava-vision of Raghunatha Das who saw the gunja-mala symbolizing servitude to the lotus feet of Sri Radha. In such a mood we are to serve Giridhari, with a preference to Radha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2002 Report Share Posted December 24, 2002 Please accept my humble obeisances. Thanks to both of you for your wonderful responses to my question. Please forgive my ignorance but is the gunja mala to set next to Giriraja as of Srimati Radharani. Mala indicates necklace - correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raga Posted December 24, 2002 Report Share Posted December 24, 2002 Yes, mala means a necklace or a garland. is the gunja mala to set next to Giriraja as of Srimati Radharani. I am sorry but I don't quite understand the sentence. At any rate, I believe the answer would be yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhav Posted December 28, 2002 Report Share Posted December 28, 2002 My thoughts about it are: Gujna plant or bush grows in vrindavan and other places. Gopis might be giving gunja seed mala to Krishna. so this tradition continues. It reminds vrindvan and the pastimes of Krishna. Jai Sri Krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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