Vraj Mandal Parikrama 2012 (third day report) Vrindavan to Mathura

Sannyasis in attendance:

1. HH Lokanatha Swami
2. HH Radha Raman Swami
3. HH Bhakti Vishvambhara Swami
4. HH Ram Govinda Swami
5. HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami
6. HH Bhakti Narasimha Swami
7. HH Prabhodananda Saraswati Swami
8. HH Gaura Narayana Swami

By now all the VMP devotees were totally fired up and raring to go. With tumultuous jaya-dhvanis and enthusiastic ululating, the VMP left the Krishna Balarama Mandir premises. Within moments the Bhaktivedanta Swami Marg was swarmed by saffron and white robed devotees offering their shasthanga dandavat pranams. Children, matajis and temple visitors all followed suit and offered their appropriate obeisances.

The joyful band of VMP devotees under the able commandership of HG Istadeva prabhu sang and danced and proceeded towards Mathura.

The first stop was Bhataron (Yajna Patni Sthal). This beautiful temple is built atop a small hill in the Asoka Vana. Later in the class HH Lokanath Swami maharaja and HH Bhaktirasamrita Swami maharaja explained that Krishna Balaram and the cowherd boys would always carry their lunch packets when they went cowherding, but on this beautiful chosen day the boys left early and thus were without their lunch packets.

When the cowherd boys detected symptoms of hunger they wondered if Krishna balaram also might soon feel hungry. So they pleaded to Their Lordships, “O Krishna Balaram, we are feeling so hungry. O Balaram, You are so mighty, please kill the demon of our hunger.”

So Sri Krishna instructed some of His friends to go and beg for some food from the brahmanas performing a sacrifice nearby. The cowherd boys went there and begged for food, but the brahmanas refused to oblige. Disappointed the cowherd boys returned to Krishna. This time Krishna asked the boys to go again but beg for food from the wives of these brahmanas.

Those yajna-patnis used to purchase butter and milk from the gopis of Vrindavan, thus they had been hearing about Krishna Balaram and the devotional service of the vraja-gopis. With their softened hearts imbued with devotion, upon hearing that Krishna Balaram are hungry, immediately they filled up all available baskets with all the food stuffs that they had.

When the cowherd boys said, “Give these to us, we will carry them” the yajna-patnis protested, “No please allow us to personally carry all these nice offerings for Sri Sri Krishna Balaram and Their friends.”

With loaded offerings they rushed at the maximum possible speed and very quickly reached the location where the cowherd boys were waiting. Having heard the descriptions of Krishna Balaram’s transcendental features from the vraja-gopis they could immediately identify Krishna Balaram. This Bhataron is the same place in the Asoka Vana where the yajna-brahmanas wives fed the Lord.

After a quick darshan in the temple, the VMP devotees climed down to proceed to Akrura Ghata.

5000 years ago Yamuna was flowing here. This Akrura Ghat is at the border between Vrindavan and Mathura. Here when Akrura entered the water of Yamuna to bathe, Their Lordships Sri Sri Krishna and Balaram remained seated on his chariot. As Akrura took his dip, he saw Krishna in the form of Mahavishnu and Balaram as Ananta Sesa in the water. Since Shyamsundara Krishna never leaves Vrindavan, during this amazing lila He returned back to Vrindavan while Vasudeva Krishna proceeded to Mathura with Akrura.

When Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Vrindavan, He bathed daily at the Yamuna, then chanted at the Imlitala and finally spent His nights here at the Akrura Ghata.

After intoxicatingly enlivening classes by HH Loknath Swami, HH Bhakti Narasimha Swami, HH BV Madhava Swami and HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami the VMP proceeded on an hour long brisk trek to Gita/Birla Mandir in Mathura. A beautiful deity of Sri Krishna with a perpetually swirling Sudarshana Chakra is established in this temple.

aho madhupuri dhanya vaikunthac-ca gariyasi dinam-ekam nivasena harau bhaktih prajayate

The glory of Mathura is superior to Vaikuntha, where even if a person lives for a day, he will develop bhakti to Lord Hari.

After honoring a sumptuous Khichdi, Pakoda and Khaja prasadam at the vast temple garden which appeared just like Sri Jagannath Puri's Jagannath Vallabha Udyan where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would rest during the Jagannath Rathayatra, the VMP blissfully proceeded towards its first out halt at the Kishore Raman inter College, Mathura.

At the venue the matajis are given the ground and the first floor of the college while the prabhujis have been allocated beautifully erected colorful tents at the college’s sprawling grounds. The citywise allocation of the tents has been very pleasing to the devotees who after rest and refreshing enjoyed the nice prasadam prepared by HG Radhadyuti prabhu of Sridham Mayapur.

All the devotees were given anti-malaria tablets as precautionary measures and an Amla fruit to help countering the Sarada-ritu (autumn) of Mathurapuri.

In the evening HH Prabhodananda Saraswati Swami gave an enthusiastic Hindi class and HH Gaura Narayana Swami’s parallel English class. That was followed with the most ecstatic Sri Gaura Arotik, Damodara Astakam and Gopi geet.