New Vrndavana Parikrama
20th August 2019
West Virginia

Yes okay you remembered being on the banks of Radha Kunda, Radha Kunda ki jai! Some Radha Kunda water has also been put into this Radha Kunda (shouts of Haribol). This makes the Kunda non-different and so this New Vrndavana Radha Kunda is non-different from Vrndavana Radha Kunda.

On the banks of Radha Kunda there is a temple of Radha Gopinath in Vrndavana and at least three temples, Radha Madana Mohan, Radha Govinda and Radha Gopinath are in Vrndavana and these are the three temples in Radha Kunda. Kamavan is also where these three temples are over there. So because of the threat of the Muslims they were taking the deities for the sake of protection from place to place.

So from Vrndavana to Radha Kunda the deities were there for some time and from there they were bought to Kamavan and from there they were brought to Jaipur and along with the three deities there was also Vrinda Devi. Vrinda Devi ki jai! Although the devotees managed to bring the deities of Radha Madana Mohan, Radha Govinda and Radha Gopinath to Rajasthan in Jaipur, Karauli was where Radha Madan Mohan were taken, but they could not get Vrinda Devi to leave Vrndavan.

So the original deity of Vrinda Devi remained in Kamavan, Vrndavana and she did not leave. So Bahulastami is as Maharaja mentioned a few times, the occurrence on the night of Radha Kunda appearance. Right at midnight was meant to be a dance night and so they (the Gopi’s) assembled at nine thirty PM every night.

One of the astakaliya Lila, one kal or ratri, night begins around ten thirty PM and goes on around three thirty AM. This is the extended period and so the kal during the day and then ratri night, the periods become longer and this longer time span is reserved for Radharani and the Gopis and Krishna in Madhurya Lila.

So that night is meant to be the rasa dance night and there is a rasa dance night every night in Vrndavana. So they come together for the purpose of the rasa dance but that already happened the night before and also this night also. So finally the construction, the digging of Radha Kunda and Shyam Kunda appears to happen in one night, the same night and not even in one night but half of the night.

So Shyamkunda was filled first and then right at midnight the waters from Shyamkunda overflowed by the arrangement of Sri Krishna and entered Radha Kunda. So in this way that night of Bahulastami also became the appearance night of Radhakunda. This Bahulastami is in the first fortnight, Krishna paksha in the month of Kartik.

So there is Krishna paksha and the next one is sukla paksha because paksha is a fortnight and many of you have heard this term, Krishna paksa and sukla paksha. The first astami is Bahulastami and the next astami during Kartik is Gopastami. These two astami’s of Kartik are very famous, the first one is Bahulastami.

This is on the appearance night of Radha Kunda and as Maharaja mentioned, I was reminded that one year, in 1972 I was in Vrndavana because Prabhupada was also in Vrndavana that year. Srila Prabhupada was in the Radha Damodara temple and we were there to spend an entire month of Kartik.

So on Bahulastami day Srila Prabhupada conducted an initiation ceremony and it was taking place in the courtyard of Radha Damodar temple and Prabhupada was at the front on the Vyasasana and we were sitting at his feet in between Rupa Goswami’s samadhi on one side and Rupa Goswami’s Bhajan Kutir on the other side.

We were sitting under a Tamala tree as there is one Tamala tree that is also there and so we were sitting. So that is when I was also fortunate to be initiated on that day (shouts of Haribol). I was Raghunath before and so Prabhupada said ‘your name will be Lokanath.’ So there is some Bahulastami connection.

Look at the watch, what is the time? Okay12.35. So Maharaja did mention that everyday at noon time Krishna would say ‘I will meet you.’ And so everyday that meeting takes place around noon time. This is the Madhyana pastime and so for several hours the lord performs his pastimes in Radha Kunda or around Radha Kunda.

So we are in the right place at the right time. Radha and Krishna and the Gopi’s have come to Radha Kunda. Before coming to Radha Kunda the Gopi’s had gone to Kusum Sarovar. Kusum means flowers so on the bank of this Kusum Sarovar the Gopi’s pick up flowers and so one day the Gopi’s and Radharani were plucking flowers. Someone has gone into trance (laughter) and he is visualizing.

I hope he is but it cannot be as nectarean as Maharaja’s descriptions. So Krishna knows and he knew that day that the Gopi’s and Radharani were going to be coming to pick flowers and so Krishna played a little funny pastime. He had already climbed onto a tree and so he climbed onto one branch of the tree.

Because of Krishna being on top of the branch the branch was lowered and as the Gopi’s and Radharani were coming, they came to that branch and began to say ‘hey, this branch is hanging very low so it will be easy to pick the flowers. We won’t have to stretch to reach the flowers, it will be so easy.’

Radharani had held a branch with one hand and she was picking flowers with the other hand and as she was busy and had tightly held the branch, Krishna quickly came back down and as a result the branch went up and ‘help help help!’ Radharani shouted and everyone laughed as you all just did and Krishna enjoyed.

And so they would pick flowers and make garlands and a variety of garlands they would make for Krishna and one of them is called Vaijayanti Mala. There are flowers of five different kinds and five different colours. It is also mentioned which flowers and which colours are used and that makes the Vaijayanti Mala. It is also very long and reaching the Lord’s- hanging down to His knees.

And Krishna also wears these garlands in three different ways, one which is the normal way where it is hanging down his chest around the neck. The other way is in the hair also. Garlands around his hair as hair decorations and the third way is across his chests, imagine it’s a garland. It’s convenient for him to play his flute because it’s not in the way. I haven’t seen this but this is how it is described by someone who sees Krishna all the time and how He wears His garlands.

And who is that amongst many? Rupa Goswami is one such person because he is Rupa Manjari. He came down and gave all these descriptions and all this information which he has compiled in Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, the nectar of devotion we find so many details. So then the Gopi’s and Radharani come over to Radha Kunda and it’s a great reunion between the divine couple Radha and Krishna, Kishore Kishori and Radha Madhava, Nanda Nandan and Vrushabhanu Nandini.

Nauka vihar we had last night, well we didn’t have but we were watching Radha Krishna in the lake, did you see? That was just a glimpse and so there are various Nauka (boats) across the river. Jala keli is the water sport pastimes on the banks of Radha Kunda and there are eight differences kunjas, forest gardens which are maintained by Vrinda Devi.

Vrinda Devi is the temple commander and you could see that she is the only one here but she has one hundred thousand parrots and they are the messengers, bringing a little information technology in Goloka (laughter). And she has these little information gatherers, message deliverers, these parrots.

So the eight kunjas belong to the eight asta sakhis, Sudevi and Rangadevi and Lalita and Vishakha, Tungavidya, Chitralekha, Champakalata and like that. I wanted to say it in order, in the way they stand in Mayapur with Radha Madhava, the asta sakhi’s, four in either side. So they have Kunja’s named after them and so besides pastimes in Radha Kunda itself, there are pastimes on the banks of Radha Kunda in these kunja’s.

And each kunja has a very unique setting with unique birds also and unique scenery and different seasons. This is as per the wishes of Sri Krishna and as he would like to play pastimes. So if he wants to play in spring season he goes into a particular kunja that has spring time. And next door kunja has rainy season and in this way there are six seasons.

There are eight kunjas and there are different seasons which Krishna enjoys. They have jhulan yatra’s and jhulan yatra is coming up in few days, oh has it started? So Tuesday it started. So jhulan yatra’s take place in those kunja’s. In some kunja’s when there is a swing festival all the scenery and the trees and leaves, they have a bluish hue, a bluish complexion.

Everything is blue so when Radha and Krishna are busy when they are together performing their pastimes, Radharani’s mother in law comes looking for her. ‘Where is that couple? I am going to catch them red handed today!. So the swing festival is on and then she- what is her name? Jatila yes, and one is Kutila. Jatila and Kutila (laughter). Kutil (crooked) nature and Jatil (complex) understanding.

So Jatila comes and she is seeing from a distance. Because the clothes of Krishna are yellow and in that kunja everything is also yellow, all the leaves and all the flowers. Everything is yellow and so Krishna is on the swing with His yellow garments and from the distance she is seeing and thinking ‘oh it’s only Radharani alone in there.’

Krishna is there but because of the whole arrangement the whole background is yellow and his clothes are yellow so He is merged with the yellow backdrop. So she thinks ‘they have not met together today, my daughter in law is a good girl and she never messes with that Krishna.’ Then sometimes Krishna is there but as soon as they get a clue that Jatila is on her way to them, it looks like it is her coming, so what Krishna does is He disappears.

He leaves the scene and then Jatila enters and she is looking around and then Radharani also says, ‘hey what brings you here? What are you here for? I did not meet Krishna today.’ But then Jatila is smelling, inhaling. ‘Aaahh you say you did not meet Him and He wasn’t here?!’ So what was that? It was Krishna’s fragrance because the form of His body is so fragrant.

Krishna has left but the fragrance hasn’t left. The fragrance is still behind and in that way she detects ‘yes, yes certainly He was here.’ And she chastised Radha for such unions and meetings. So there’s no place like Radha Kunda in the entire creation. Of course in the mundane world there is no Radha Kunda and in the spiritual sky also there is no place like Radha Kunda. This is the topmost.

parakiya bhave jaha brajete pracar

Vrndavan is known for parakiya bhava and those parakiya bhava pastimes or those Madhurya Lila pastimes. Radha Kunda is super saturated with these Madhurya Lila pastimes and that is the most condensed Rasa, juice, nectar of all the rasas.

Of course Vrndavan has only three predominating rasas, mellows which are sakhya rasa, vatsalya rasa and madhurya rasa. Amongst these rasa’s madhurya rasa is the topmost, the most condensed. So Radha Kunda is the seat of madhurya rasa which is a thick, thick rasa, a condensed rasa at Radha Kunda. The most confidential place in the whole world is Radha Kunda.

Radha Kunda ki jai!

Only Chaitanya Mahaprabhu could discover this place. He left the discovery of other places to other Goswami’s and Narayana Bhatta Goswami discovered some more places that were forgotten or covered over but Radha Kunda was the most confidential. Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gets the credit, or he took that upon himself to discover Radha Kunda.

It’s the most hidden otherwise and as he toured Vrndavana, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu discovered Radha Kunda himself and the inaugural bathing, or the inauguration of bathing in Radhakund, was done by Mahaprabhu personally. He was the first one to bathe in that Radha Kunda. The six goswami’s gradually arrived and several of them spent so much time there.

Raghunath das Goswami was in Jagannatha Puri before. After Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s departure he decided to go to Vrindavan. He could not bear separation from Mahaprabhu and he thought ‘I will go to Vrndavan and climb up Govardhan hill and kill myself! I cannot stand this separation!’ But then upon his arrival in Vrindavan, Sanatan Goswami and other Goswami’s dissuaded him and so he gave up this idea of committing suicide.

Then he stayed for forty one years on the banks of Radha Kunda where on the there is a Radha Gopinath temple and in a part of the courtyard of Radha Gopinath temple is the Samadhi of Raghunath das Goswami. So Sanatan Goswami also stayed there and Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami stayed on the banks of Radha Kunda and he compiled Chaitanya Charitamrita which took place on the banks of Radha Kunda Shyama Kunda.

I just remembered that after Prabhupada’s departure, of course Maharaja did mention how Prabhupada wanted to, he was talking about going to Govardhan. He did not say Radha Kunda as such but Govardhan, ‘I want to go to Govardhan.’ Then he wanted to travel to Govardhan by bullock cart and Srila Prabhupada had trained me about bullock cart travelling and preaching.

So when I came to Vrindavan in ’77 in the month of, I think November, maybe just one week before his departure he wanted to travel to Govardhan. That meant that he also wanted to go to Radha Kunda, Govardhan Radha Kunda and by bullock cart. So we had made all the preparations and the next day we were going to depart and the Ox cart had come and was parked in front of Krishna Balaram temple.

But during the night some more considerations and discussions took place and the pilgrimage to Govardhan never happened. Then soon Prabhupada had left and so we considered this going to Govardhan as Prabhupada’s last will. This was Prabhupada’s last will, one of the very last will of Prabhupada, going to Govardhan.

So finally Prabhupada, on the 14th of November ’77 he was no more and then his followers arrived in Vrindavan in big numbers and then we decided to bring Prabhupada, Prabhupada’s Murti to Govardhan. So we all arrived at Radha Kunda first with a small brass Murti of Srila Prabhupada. We were carrying that in a palanquin and so before we started our Parikrama of Govardhan with Srila Prabhupada, we bathed Srila Prabhupada’s Murti in Radha Kunda.

Bathing in Radha Kunda is glorified by Rupa Goswami and Prabhupada. The glories of Radha Kunda and the glories of bathing in Radha Kunda and so we bathed Srila Prabhupada’s Murti in Radha Kunda. And we dressed him up and placed him on the palanquin and we did Parikrama of Govardhan hill.

So Prabhupada gave us everything, he gave us Radha Krishna, he gave us Radha Kunda Shyam Kunda, he gave us Govardhan and then he wanted to give this to the western world also and so he gave to the western world. He gave Vrndavan to the western world, ‘let there be new Vrndavan.’

So Prabhupada personally came here and sat under a tree, in ’72 Prabhupada had come and there was not much development, very little in ’72. So Prabhupada conducted Bhagavad Dharma discourses. There is a famous photograph of Prabhupada sitting under a tree and there’s a little desk in front of him with some devotee disciples here in new Vrndavan.

So one of the twelve forests is Bahulavan and so there is also a Bahulavan here and Madhuvan, so all the twelve forests are here. So he wanted seven temples and why seven temples? Because in Vrndavan there are seven famous temples. Otherwise he said that in Vrndavan there are five thousand temples but amongst those seven are most important because of their Gaudiya connection and because of our Gaudiya acaryas.

There is Rupa Goswami’s temple, Radha Govinda temple and Sanatan Goswami’s Madan Mohan temple and Jiva Goswami’s Radha Damodar temple. Then Lokanath Goswami’s Radha Vinod and there’s another name. Yes, Gokulananda, so seven famous temples which are famous in Vrindavan. So Prabhupada had acquired five thousand acres of land here.

Just to hear this in India – these are amazing reports of New Vrndavan. I think now we have two thousand? But still we have, some was sold or lost or whatever but still we have two thousand acres of land here. Prabhupada’s land or New Vrndavan land.

So as time passes by this Krishna consciousness movement will spread to more towns and more villages with more congregation and new Vrndavan has a big bright future. For the next ten thousand years the glories of new Vrndavan are going to spread far and wide. There will be pilgrims coming from all over the United states and North America and South America.

So Prabhupada made it a little easier because going to Vrndavan is not easy and not free. So you could come to new Vrndavan and be benefitted and so Vrndavan has the six Goswami’s of Vrndavan and so this New Vrndavan has Varsana Maharaja like the Goswami’s and so in New Vrndavan one Goswami.

So many they come and go and in the past there were more and there will be again more in the future but Maharaja has – others have come and gone and will come back again but Maharaja is steadily here and he is going to stay here forever.

And Maharaja has written this beautiful book called appreciating new Vrindavan Dham. Her beauty and glory, message and grace by Varsana Swami Maharaja. So the books are right here and I haven’t even seen myself, I would like to. It’s filled with beautiful deity pictures and all the deities are here.

Yes so to bring this book to your home is like bringing new Vrindavan to your home. You could carry new Vrindavan with you and we haven’t got so many copies so you could rush to the table and grab your copy. Wow, phew it is beautiful! The packaging and the contents are amazing. So you are a true Goswami!

So the whole history and culture and nature, everything is here and Maharaja has poured his heart into this book. Okay, so if you buy then Maharaja can sign the book, you have to pay for it though (laughter). Okay so all get up and take the book and when all the books are sold we will proceed (laughter).

Okay so there is also prasad, right behind that cabin there you will also get prasad and snacks. Okay Gopinath is here, oh this is you? All grown up now and so is Govinda also in there? There is Gopinath temple.