Krishna calling us to his land, the holy dham of Vrindavan

It had been a few months in 2012 since Shilpa and I had a desire to visit the holy dham of Vrindavan. But we knew that only by Krishna's mercy and arrangement can this happen. We were to go to India at the end of the year for my sister's wedding and due to our desire, Krishna reciprocated. We met one devotee after another who helped us go to the dham. I also had another desire - to visit them dham with my vartma-pradarsaka guru (first person who introduced me to Krishna consciousness) - Hari prabhuji and Krishna allowed even this to happen. He is so merciful and full of compassion.

During the initial planning stages we got the wonderful association of Mitra Sena prabhuji, Sarva-drik prabhuji, Aditya-Narayan Prabhuji who helped us a lot with talking us through the different ways of getting there and which places to visit. Sarva prabhu got us in touch with Kratu Prabhu who's disciples helped us get a taxi from Delhi to Vrindavan. After that we met Braja Bihari prabhuji and Ananda-Vrindavan mataji at DC temple who gave us more contacts about lodging, places to visit and a guide (Narahari prabhuji) through whom we get to see the holy dham.

After we had our dates finalized we reached Chennai,India and were hankering for devotee association. So when we visited the Iskcon temple at Chennai we found that Urmila mataji was visiting. We paid our respectful obeisances to her and got her wonderful association. She was so kind to personally show us the Chennai temple and also give us some of her time. We shared our plan to Vrindavan and she gave us a lot of tips and places to visit. Again through her and by Krishna's arrangement we met a wonderful devotee couple Jaikumar prabhuji and Vidya mataji in Chennai, India. Prabhuji stopped by our house there and the half hour he spent with us was really amazing. It re-emphasized the importance of devotee association. Vidya mataji, sent us a very nice detailed email explaining to us the significance of the dham, the etiquette to follow, places to visit. They also got us in touch with Devaki pran prabhuji who does Govardhan parikrama twice everyday! It was our misfortune though that we didn't get to meet him, Mahanidhi swamiji or Dina bandhu prabhuji.

We started for Vrindavan from Delhi on Jan 23rd at 6:30am, but as Hari prabhu had a desire to see the Iskcon Delhi temple, we had car issues and we had a chance to get darshan of the wonderful Sri Sri Radha Parthasarthy. There were pictures of a lot of deities from all around the world on their parikrama marg. We were also very fortunate to get prasad. After that we started straight for Vrindavan.

We went straight to the Krishna Balaram mandir and were so fortunate to get to see them before they closed for darshan. The deities are oh so beautiful. It reminded me to Alachua and I felt I had an instant connection with them. The white form of Balaram and the beautiful black form of Krishna complimented each other. After that we checked into the ISCKON guest house, freshened up and went straight to MVT to meet our guide Narahari prabhuji.

Vidya mataji in Chennai had told us that Vrindavan trip isn't completed till you have some Vraja roti, so it was at the back of my mind. But when Narahari prabhuji invited us for lunch prasad at his place, I knew Krishna was being very merciful and was reciprocating. As my faith kept increasing, my heart kept getting lost in Vrindavan.

After lunch prasad, Narahari prabhuji personally showed us the Krishna Balaram mandir. He took us to the devotee prasad hall where devotees sit together to have prasad, he took us to the kitchen, the bakery, the gowshala, the tulsi keeping area, the main temple hall, Prabhupada's quarters - showed us Prabhupada's bed, his room upstairs, the garden where he used to sit and chant, his samadhi area and then got us introduced to Mahapurusha prabhuji.

Mahapurusha prabhuji is a pure devotee who has dedicated his life in showing everybody Vrindavan. He has a lot of experience and has spent many years in the holy dham. We were very fortunate to get his association and time. We decided on two action packed days to see some of the wonderful places of Vrindavan. The plan was to start the next day at 6:30am.

Our main aim of staying at the ISKCON guest house was to be able to attend the morning program, which starts at 4:10am in Vrindavan at Prabhupada's samadi. So, we slept early that night and Vivaan co-operated. He's such a nice kid, he never complains when we wake him up at 3:30a for Mangal aarti. It was so nice being at the Samadhi at 4:10a and singing Samsara dava... with everybody. The mood was so estactic. After that we went to the main temple hall for mangal aarti - Vibhvari sesa (never heard that before). Later I found out from Mahapurush prabhuji that on in Vrindavan, India this happens as Prabhupada's samadhi is here. When you see the lord, you sing praises of your guru and hence everywhere else we sing Samsara dava but only here in Vrindavan, we have the opportunity of singing both (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQKY1OX5MXk).

After mangal aarti, we started on our Vraja dharshan with Mahapurush prabhuji, his wife, another devotee from Russia and all of us. These were the places we visited on Day 1:

1. Nandgram: This was where Krishna lived from 31/2 years till 11 1/2 years. When we climbed steps and get to the main hall, there is a big courtyard and wonderful deities of Nanda maharaj, Yashoda mataji, Krishna and Balaram. It seemed very surreal that Krishna and Balaram played here 5000 years ago.

2. Vrindakund: Then we went to Vrindakund. It was 8:30a when we reached and the atmosphere was very transcendental. There was vapor rising from the kunda's water and Vrinda devi looked so beautiful. We met the local sevak there who has been there for the last 25 years! He gave us some of his time and we got wonderful association with him. He told us the importance of the kund. How we were visiting at the right time as Radha and Krishna come here everyday during this time for their astakiya lila. He then told us something which I will never forget. He said it is difficult to always come here physically, but the mind is so chancal that if you close your eyes and think about this place, you can be here everyday. He said only by her mercy can you enter Vrindavan. He then gave us the Sri Vrndadevy-astaka - the 8 prayers glorifying Vrinda devi which he told us should be sung everyday.

3. Pavan Sarovar: Next we went to Pavan Sarovar. It was here that Nanda maharaj came to take bath every morning and later Krishna Balaram would come to take theirs. Mahapurush prabhu told us that once Nanda maharaj wanted to go to Allahabad to take a holy dip at sangam. Krishna wanted him to learn that he didn't need to go anywhere so he requested him to go on a particular day - the Akshaya Tritiya day. On this day Nanda maharaj again went as usual to take his bath and he was plesantly surprised to see many people there. As he approached the Pavan Sarovar he noticed they were all very beautiful people and they had come from another planet. He approached one lady and asked her who she was. She said she was Narmadaji, and introduced everybody as - gangaji, yamunaji etc. On the far end Nandamaharaj noticed a really tall person would roll on the ground then run back in the kund and again do the same thing over and over again laughing aloud. He asked Narmadaji, who he was and what were they all doing here. She then said that he was the king of all of them and his name was Tirtharaj Prayag and the reason they were all here is because Krishna the supreme personality of Godhead takes bath everyday and his lotus feet touch the water, it is so pure. Tirtharaj Prayag was in an estatic mood to roll in the mud where Krishna stepped on it and would again and again want to take bath in the holy water. She also said that throughout the year lots of people take bath in their waters and they become impure and hence once every year they come to Pavan sarovar to themselves take dupki and get rid of all their sins they have collected. Hence Nanda maharaj understood that this was Krishna's leela to make him understand that the place he takes bath everyday is the pureset and he doesn't need to go anywhere! Jai! Mahapurush prabhuji also had made arrangements with the pujari there for breakfast prasad of kichri and pakodas. It made me feel so insignificant that somebody who does nitya seva of thakurji was also serving us.

4. Ter Kadamb: Next we went to Ter Kadamb. Ter in hindi means (Ter lagana) to call out loudly and Kadamb is the kadamb tree. So Krishna used to call out to all his gopas to come play at this kadamb tree everyday. It was a beautiful place with peacocks flying and walking everywhere. The place has been done up by a maharaj who takes care of the location. We did a parikrama of the place and also saw statues of all Krishna's cows with their names. It was beautiful. Vivaan had a wonderful time here chasing peacocks.

5. Barsana - Sriji Temple - Then we went to Barsana, which was Radha rani's house at one point. King Vrishabhanu had constructed a beautiful palace here and then Krishna's grandson (Vajranath?) put the wonderful deities of Radha rani and Krishna here. Mahapurush prabhuji explained to us that Radha rani every night would stand with a lamp behind a pillar and signal to Krishna at Nandagoan what leela she would like to perform the next day. Vrinda devi would then make arrangements for the leela and would decide who would do that seva the next day.

6. Ban Bihari mandir and Kusum Sarovar - This temple is located next to Kusum Sarovar and the pujari mataji there gave us such wonderful explanations of the place. She told us that it was called kusum sarovar as the lake was filled with kusum (or flowers) and Krishna would do sringar of Radha rani while Radha rani would see him with a mirror. The dieties here are also such, Krishna has a comb doing sringar of Radha rani and Radha rani has a mirror looking back at Krishna. During Sanji festival (15 days before Kartik, Gopis make fancy designs from cowdung) and then decorate it with flowers. Radharani also wanted to do this, but all the flowers were picked so they came here and the leela happened as Krishna was dressed as bana malli and when his disguise was up Radha rani called him bana bihari. There is also the story of Naradaji becoming Naradee to see the rasa lila + story of Uddavji, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada being here and Sri Ramsevakji who did a lot of seva here. Here we again got the privledge of having Vraja roti and  Tente ka aachar - pickle.

7. GovindaKunda: Here prabhuji told us the story how Indraji along with Surabhi cow did Abhishek of Krishna after the Govardhan lila and the kunda was born as a result of the abhishek

8. Giri Govardhan - We then saw Giriraj right opposite Govindakunda where a lot of Krishna's leela's have happened.

9. Radhakunda/Shyamkunda - Most sacred of all places. It was so special to be here and remember the leela of how this kunda was formed.

Then Day 2 we again did mangal aarti and set of at 7am to these places:

1. Raval: The birthplace of Radharani. King Vrishabhanu took bath in the Yamuna everyday and he found her in a golden lotus flower one day here. She was blind, deaf and dumb at birth and only upon seeing Krishna she opened her senses - In the same way we should also use our senses to only hear glories about Krishna.

2. Brahman Bihari Temple - It was here that Krishna showed Yashoda mata the entire brahman after eating mud.

3. Damodar lila and arjuna trees - Then we went to the spot where Krishna after dragging the okhli came to the arjuna trees and felled them. Even to this day, the tree trunks are present.

4. 84 pillar house of Krishna in Gokul:  After the Damodar lila place, we went to Krishna's home in Gokul. Here there were 84 pillars in the house. When Krishna was born, Shivji came to see him, but seeing his form, Yashoda mata told him that she is so afraid seeing him that small Krishna will be terrified. Then Shivji wanting to see Krishna till tapa for 3 long days and Yashoda mata then said that they will make a permanent place in their courtyard for him. Even to this day, there is a shiva ling there. Additionally, to see the diety of Krishna here, you can't walk into the temple hall, as Krishna was small here and used to crawl, everybody needs to crawl to get darshan of baby Krishna here in Gokul.

4a. Mathura: Then we went to see Krishna's janm sthan at Mathura. This was one really developed areas with a lot of security. They still have depicted the jail cell where Krishna was born. Now there is a mosque standing there but initially, people were allowed to go through a narrow passage way to see the jail cell. As soon as we entered the area where Kirtan was going on, Vivaan started dancing (literally) and everybody there was so excited that the kirtan became louder and faster. Vivaan is a pure soul and I feel he has come back to complete his unfinished program of going back to Godhead. He has definitely brought a big change in our lives. After that we went to the Birla temple which have really beautiful and big deities of Radha, Krishna and on the parikrama there are all the different incarnations of Krishna. The ceiling also had wonderful Krishna leela's depicted.

5. Raman reti - Then prabhuji took us to the place where baby Krishna and Balaram played with all the gopas. The sand here is so soft (or the sand wanted to be soft here) so not to hurt the kids playing. Vivaan had a wonderful time here. Mahapurush prabhuji then showed us how to make footprints of Krishna and balaram within a house guarded by the conch, lotus flower, chakra and gada. Here people also do lapet as Krishna and balaram's lotus footprints were all here.

6. Nidhi Van - After lunch prasad at MVT, we went to Nidhi van and seva kunj area. It was surreal to know that leela still happens here and all the van tulsi here are gopis and they are all bending as they are always serving the divine couple.

7. Then we visited the Goswami temples:
1. Sri Radha Damodar Temple - saw Prabhupada's kitchen and bhajan kutir, the famous pic of him looking out, Krishna's foot impression on Govardhan
2. Sri Gokulananda mandir -
3. Sri Radha Raman devji - small diety manifest from the Shaligram shila
4. Radha Shyam sundar
5. Radha Gopinath
6. Radha Govind Dev
7. Radha Madan Mohan

Top 3 temples
Madana Mohan (in Kairoli) - represents sambandha Gyan (relationship with Krsna) - sanath
Govinda (Original is in Jaipur) - abhidaya - helps us learn the process of Bhakti  rupa
Gopinath - prayojana - the summary of bhakti - to be the servant of the servant of the devotee -  Raghunath gosvami
radha raman - gopal batta gosvami

Some other nice experiences - We took an auto from loi bazaar to Keshighat (Yamuna river), but I guess our time hadn't come to see the Yamuna aarti, it as we were stuck in a traffic jam and then had a crazy auto ride through the small winding lanes of Vrindavan. We also couldn't see the Banke Bihari mandir that evening because of the jam!

The trip  though short was really wonderful when seen with devotees. I'm highly indebted to all the wonderful prabhus who helped us in seeing the holy dham and without's Krishna's mercy and arrangement all of this wouldn't have been possible. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Jai Krishna Balaram, Jai Radha Shyam Sundar, Jai Sri Gaur Nitai, Jai Prabhupada, Jai HG Vaisesika Prabhuji!

Haribol!