Khadiravan

       Khadiravan is one of the forests where Krishna would often bring His cows for herding. Krishna, Balaramji along with all the other Gopas have performed many playful pastimes in the forest of Khadiravan. Here at Khadiravan, Krishna killed the gigantic duck demon, Bakasura. Sangam Kunda also known as Madhurya Kunda, the meeting place of Krishna and the Gopis is also situated in Khadiravan. At Sangam Kunda, Krishna and the Gopis would perform Rasa Leela and many other extraordinary pastimes. Khadiravan is also the place where Lokanath Goswami and sometimes Bhugarbha Goswami also, would perform their bhajan (devotional practices).

       Shrila Lokanath Goswami was first amongst the Goswamis to be sent to Vrindavan by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for fulfilling His mission of excavating the lost pastime places of Vrindavan and to establish the temples of worship in Vrindavan. Lokanath Goswami would stay in a secluded place on the banks of Kishori Kunda in Khadiravan and perform his bhajans constantly.

       Lokanath Goswami later moved to Vrindavan with his worship able deities on the request of Rupa and Sanatana Goswami. Shrila Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur who was a descendent in his disciplic line later on established the worship of Radha Gokulananda at the place where Lokanath Goswami used to worship Radha Vinoda in Khadiravan. The deities of Radha Gokulananda are still worshipped at this place.

Bakasura, the demon killed by Krishna in Khadiravan, represents the anartha of hypocrisy, duplicity and deceptive behavior. It is a great demon that kills our propensity of loving service to Krishna.

       A real Vaishnava is simplicity. Simplicity means without duplicity, without a second agenda. A Vaishnava doesn’t speak one thing and does another thing. He doesn’t speak things to deceive people for his own selfish purposes. Deception is an expression of false ego. One must be honest, simple and truthful. So at Khadiravan, we should pray that we can chant the names of Krishna with such sincerity and serve the Vaishnavas with such care that the demon of hypocrisy, duplicity and deceitfulness can forever be vanquished from our hearts. Also we should pray that the sweet beautiful pastimes of Radha and Krishna be forever manifest in our hearts.

        Once while herding the cows, Krishna-Balaram and the Gopas came over to a large reservoir water in Khadiravan. They had their cows drink water first and then as they were quenching their thirst with the cool refreshing waters, they saw something very astonishing. It seemed that a huge mountain in front of them was shaking and moving. The huge creature was actually the duck demon, Bakasura sent by Kamsa. Before anyone could understand what was happening, the wicked demon leaped upon them and swallowed Krishna with his sword like huge pointed beak. Balaramji and the Gopas in anguish fell to the ground unconscious, practically breathless, out of their intense affection for Krishna.

       Bakasura was trying to gulp Krishna down his throat but his throat was getting burned by the intense heat radiated by Krishna’s effulgence. It was getting unbearable for Bakasura just as for a person suffering from jaundice, even the best sweet candy seems to be bitter. There is nothing sweeter than Krishna’s beautiful form and His beautiful face. His smile is the very source of all sweetness in all of creation, material and spiritual. But because of the disease of envy and violence Bakasura, was finding sweet Krishna as unbearable.

       Ultimately Bakasura could do nothing but vomit Krishna out of his mouth. Then Krishna was there on the ground and Bakasura unrelentingly tried to stab Krishna and pierce Krishna with his massive deadly beak. But Krishna very gracefully just dodged all of the attempts in a dancing way. Finally with one hand Krishna grabbed the bottom of Bakasura’s beak and with the other hand he took the top part of the beak and then he tore them apart with such force that he literally ripped apart Bakasura’s face into two halves. He bifurcated the demon just like a small child effortlessly bifurcates a piece of grass. Bakasura fell dead and the demigods started rejoicing and showering flowers upon Krishna, playing conch shells and offering prayers. The cowherd boys headed by Balarama, then regained their lives and they all approached Krishna one by one and embraced him with loving feelings. Thus, yet another glorious demon killing pastime was performed by Krishna.

       Bakasura represents the demoniac anartha of deceptive behavior, duplicity and hypocrisy. It is a great demon that kills our propensity of loving service to Krishna. A devotee should be very honest, truthful and very simple at heart. Without simplicity and truthfulness, love and trust cannot develop within any society. So we must take shelter of Krishna and His holy names to kill this tendency of deceptiveness, duplicity and hypocrisy within our hearts.

       Shrila Lokanath Goswami was first amongst the Goswamis to be sent to Vrindavan from Bengal by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for fulfilling His mission of excavating the lost pastime places of Vrindavan and to establish the temples of worship in Vrindavan. Lokanath Goswami would stay in a secluded place on the banks of Kishori Kunda in Khadiravan and perform his bhajans constantly.

       One day Krishna personally appeared in the form of a Brahman in the secluded forest of Khadiravan and approached Lokanath Goswami. He put beautiful deities in the hands of Lokanath Goswami and then disappeared. These were the deities of Shri Shri Radha Vinoda. Then the deity Shri Shri Radha Vinoda spoke to Lokanath Goswami, “I have been living in this forest for a very very long time waiting for you. I know the desire of your heart is to worship Me in My deity form.  Therefore I have personally come to you. So, now I am very hungry. Please bring me some food.” When Lokanath Goswami heard this his heart just flooded in ecstasy and he wept tears uncontrollably.

       He went to the nearby village and got some grains, fruits and roots by begging and cooked a big feast for the deities. Then he collected flowers and prepared a bed of flowers on the ground for the deities and put Them to rest by massaging Their lotus feet, with eyes filled with tears of love. He would prepare fans made of leaves or feathers and fan the Lord of his life and in this way he used to perform loving service to Shri Shri Radha Vinoda in Khadiravan saturated with his pure devotion. He sewed a cloth bag which served as the mobile temple for Shri Shri Radha Vinoda. He would carry Shri Shri Radha Vinoda with him wherever he would go. Later when Rupa and Sanatan Goswami came to Vrindavan, Lokanath Goswami on their request moved from Khadiravan to Vrindavan with Shri Shri Radha Vinoda.

       Lokanath Goswami is a Manjari from the spiritual world, one of the principal Manjaris of Shri Vrindavan Dham . But he performed his leela of being such a humble sincere and dedicated Vaishnava. On hearing his past times our hearts should cry. Lokanath Goswami could have lived for years and years with Mahaprabhu in Puri and Bengal as an intimate associate. But Mahaprabhu ordered him to go and stay in Vrindavan. So he went and stayed there. It was an austerity for him to stay away from Mahaprabhu. But he took the order of his Guru and Krishna as his life and soul. Not his heart’s desire. That is Lokanath Goswami.

       A practicing devotee should just try to follow in the footsteps of Lokanath Goswami and then one can understand what it means to following footsteps of residents of Vrindavan. And gradually when we really please Lokanath Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Srila Prabhupad and all the acharyas by following their instructions, then they will reveal to us the eternal leela of Vraja. Let this be our prayer in the holy forest of Khadiravan.