Vrinda Devi’s position is unique because as the predominating deity of Vrindavana forest and an expansion of Yogamaya Devi, by her mercy one can enter into Krishna’s transcendental pastimes in Goloka. For this reason she has manifested herself as Tulasi Devi to accept the worship of aspiring devotees and thereby help nurture their creeper of devotion. Therefore, she is also called Bhakti Devi, the goddess who can bestow upon a devotee pure devotional service to Krishna. Vrinda Devi is so dear to Krishna that unless an offering of food has a tulasi leaf placed upon it; Krishna does not like to accept it.
At the present time Vrinda-kunda as well as the small temple containing the deity of Vrinda Devi, are now being managed by Iskcon devotees.
Gupta-kunda is very important because in the aprakata-lila, it is one of the three locations of the sacred Yoga-pithas of Vrindavana Dhama, where Radha and Krishna sit in audience surrounded by all Their eternal associates, who assemble there in their respective positions around the throne on which Radha and Krishna are sitting. It is rather like when a king and queen hold a royal durbar or state assembly, where all the officials connected to the royal entourage are present at the same time. This grand assembly of eternal associates takes place at the Yoga-pitha at Gupta-kunda in the early morning, then at midday at the Yoga-pitha at Radha-kunda, and then in the evening at the Govindaji yoga-pitha in Vrindavana. The word ‘yoga’ means to ‘link-up’ or ‘to meet’ and the word ‘pitha’ means a ‘sacred place’, a ‘transcendental place’, or a ‘secret meeting place’. All those personalities who take part in the divine assembly at the Yoga-pitha are all eternally liberated nitya-siddha devotees, who possess all the perfections of yoga and are eternally situated in pure unalloyed devotional service to Radha and Krishna, and have descended along with Krishna to take part in His earthly pastimes.
TRANSCENDENTAL PASTIMES FROM KRISHNA'S VRAJA LILA
A painting of Shringara-lila of Radha & Krishna
Seva Kunja (Rasa-sthali)
In this particular forest grove also called Nikunjavana, Krishna massaged Radharani’s lotus feet and decorated them with red yavaka (vermilion). Krishna also massaged Her delicate limbs with perfumed oil, comb Her long black hair into braids, and applied cosmetics to Her moon-like face, and dressed Her with silken garments and gem-encrusted ornaments. After the rasa-dance was over the gopis would prepare a soft bed made of flower petals and invite Radha and Krishna to lie down together so They might spend the night entwined within each others arms. At Seva Kunja, one can see the actual place known as the Rang Mahal Mandira, where Krishna served the lotus feet of Radharani. One can also see Lalita-kunda that was created by Krishna just to please Lalita-sakhi, and also the rasa-mandala platform commemorating the rasa-lila pastimes that took place here.
Seva Kunja is also referred to as Rasa-sthali, because it was the site of Krishna’s most ecstatic rasa-lila pastimes with the beautiful gopis of Vraja. The rasa-lila or rasa-dance is considered to be the high-point of the nocturnal pastimes between Krishna and the gopis, during which every gopi has the opportunity to dance directly with Krishna. When the rasa-dance begins, Krishna stands alone in the middle as the gopis dance around Him in a circular motion, while singing songs in chorus and clapping their hands to the ecstatic beat of the drums. The most enchanting sound was created by the jingling of the gopis ankle-bells, as they dance in perfect unison around the rasa-mandala. Each gopi was thinking that Krishna was looking directly at her while she performed her dance of love before Him. Then by His mystical prakash potency, Krishna expand Himself into hundreds of identical forms to dance next to each individual gopi, who could then personally enjoy His loving embraces and taste His nectar-like kisses.
The place which is presently called Seva Kunja was formerly called Nikunjavana, and was one of twelve small forest groves of Vrindavana also called upavanas. Sometimes when the Puranas refer to Seva Kunja, it refers to all twelve of the sub-forests that form the inner-most core of the vast and expansive forest of Vrindavana. According to the Puranas, the whole area bordered by the River Yamuna, from Mohana Ter Ghata to Adi-Badri Ghata was referred to as being Seva kunja. Therefore, such places as Kaliya-Ghata, Madana-mohana, Imli Tala, Radha Damodara, Shringara Vata, Govinda Ghata, Chehana Ghata, Keshi Ghata, Nidhuvana, Jhulanavana, Gopinatha, Dira Samira, Vamsi Vata, Gopishwara, Brahma-kunda, Govinda-kunda and Govindaji Yoga-pitha, are also considered to be different lila-sthanas within Seva Kunja. The Puranas also refer to these twelve small upavanas or sub-forests that surround the Govindaji Yoga-pith like petals of a lotus, as the ‘Garden of Vrindavana’.
The twelve upavanas of Vrindavan and their approximate locations are as follows;
Viharavana - surounding Krishna Balarama Mandira and Radha Kupa
Gocharanavana - surrounding Varaha Ghata and Go Ghata
Kaliyadamanavana - surrounding Kaliya Ghata
Gopalavana – surounding Gopala Ghata (Karauli Ghata)
Nikunjavana - surrounding Seva Kunja
Nidhuvana - next to the Radharamana Mandira
Radhavana - between 64 Samadhi Pitha and Pani Ghata
Jhulanavana - between Ragaji Bhaga Garden and Panighata Village
Gaharavana - surrounding Pani Ghata
Papadavana - surrounding Adi-Badri Ghata
Atalavana - where the Vrindavana parikrama path crosses the Mathura Road
Kevarivana - surrounding Davanala-kunda
The Puranas say that the forest of Vrindavana encompassed a vast area stretching from Seva Kunja to Nandagrama and included Govardhana, Radha-kunda, Varsana, and the entire region on the western bank of the Yamuna as far north as Kelanvana. In the Brihad-gautamiya-tantra it says. “The forest of Vrindavana consists of five yojanas.” Five yojanas is equal to forty miles which is the distance from Vrindavana to Nandagrama and the whole on the western bank of the Yamuna as far as Nandagrama is included in the forest of Vrindavana. Therefore when considering this vast area of Vrindavana forest, the twelve small forests or adhivanas are collectively known as Seva Kunja.
A close up photograph of the beautiful deity of Lord Shyamasundara at the Radha Shyamasundara Mandira in Vrindavana
TRANSCENDENTAL PASTIMES OF LORD KRISHNA'S DEVOTEES IN THE HOLY DHAMA OF VRINDAVANA.
Radha Shyamasundara Mandira
The temple of Radha Shyamasundara is one of the ‘Seven Goswami Temples’ of Vrindavana and was established by Shyamananda Pandita Goswami during the course of his second visit to Vrindavana. Although he was not one of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana, he is counted amongst the famous Gaudiya Goswamis who were important followers of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The large deity of Lord Shyamasundara presently worshiped in the temple was installed by Baladeva Vidyabhushana during the period of his stay in Vrindavana during the late 17TH Century, when he reorganized the temple’s deity worship in accordance with the standards of archana-marga instituted by the Six Goswamis. The smaller deity of Lord Shyamasundara is said by some to be the deity given as a gift to Shyamananda Pandita by Shrimati Radharani Herself, although some historians say that this small deity of Shyamasundara was actually brought by Shyamananda Pandita from Southern India and worshiped by him in Vrindavana.
Shyamananda Pandita, who was previously known as Duki, received diksha from one of Lord Chaitanya’s personal associates named Hriday Chaitanya, who hailed from the town of Ambika Kalna in West Bengal, and after his diksha he became known as Krishnadasa and remained at Ambika Kalna studying under his guru. As there were many devotees called Krishnadasa, he was known as Duki Krishnadasa. Because Duki Krishnadasa (Shyamananda) showed signs that he could become a great Vaishnava scholar and preacher, his guru decided to send him to Vrindavana to study under the guidance of Shrila Jiva Goswami, and he therefore joined Jiva’s other celebrated students including Shrinivasa Acharya and Narottama Dasa, who accepted him as their younger brother. Even though he was a very learned pandita coming from a high caste family, he would take a broom and daily sweep the area around Seva Kunja, the place where Krishna once rendered personal service to Radharani and where the celebrated rasa-lila pastimes took place.
How To Get There: (see map no. 3)
Shyamananda Tilak Sthana and Samadhi
Just opposite to the Radha Shyamasundara Mandira is the Tilak-sthana where Shyamananda found the ankle bell of Radharani and also the place where his pushpa-samadhi is situated. According to the Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika, Shyamananda Pandita was Kanaka-manjari in Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes.
Shyamananda Discovers Radharani’s Ankle-bell
There are many different of versions concerning the episode of Shyamananda, who was then known as Duki Krishnadasa, receiving the special tilak mark and a new name as well as a deity from Radharani, although none can be verified, the version which is accepted by the disciplic descendants of Shyamananda Pandita is as follows. One day while sweeping Seva Kunja, Duki Krishnadasa (Shyamananda) found a golden ankle-bell (nupur) lying on the ground. The anklet shone very brightly and after picking it up, he was overcome with ecstatic emotions and began to cry. He concluded that the anklet must belong to one of the gopis, or even Shrimati Radharani Herself. He carefully wrapped the anklet in his cloth and became consumed by thoughts of Krishna’s pastimes. After some time, a village girl approached him and asked if he had found a golden anklet that had been lost in Seva Kunja by her sister. Duki Krishnadasa informed the girl that he had indeed found the anklet lying on the ground and the girl asked him to give it to her and she would return it to her sister. Duki Krishnadasa told the girl that as he was the one who found the anklet, he would like to personally hand it over to her sister himself. The girl, who was actually Radha’s close friend Lalita-sakhi, disguised as a local village maiden, agreed, and guided Duki Krishnadasa to Lalita-kunda in the middle of Seva Kunja. She then informed him that if he wanted to meet her sister, he would first have to bathe in the sacred kunda. Duki Krishnadasa immediately bathed in the kunda and on coming out of the water, saw that his form had changed into that of a young girl.
Duki Krishnadasa was then taken to a nearby grove where he suddenly saw the exquisitely beautiful and transcendental form of Shrimati Radharani, seated on a jewel-encrusted golden throne and surrounded by hundreds of Her intimate girlfriends. Radharani signaled for him to come forward and after offering his prostrated obeisance’s before Her, he handed Her the golden anklet. Taking the anklet from Duki Krishnadasa, Radharani thanked him for his wonderful service of daily sweeping Her beloved Seva Kunja. She then touched the anklet to his forehead, which left a special tilak mark on his forehead and give him the name Shyamananda, which means one who gives pleasure (ananda) to Shyama, another name of Radharani (pronounced Shyaama). She then gave the anklet to Duki Krishnadasa and asked him to personally place it around Her ankle. After he had done this, Radharani asked Lalita to present Shyamananda with the gift of a beautiful deity of Lord Shyamasundara for his personal seva-puja. Then after once again offering his prostrated obeisance’s to Shrimati Radharani, Lalita-sakhi escorted Duki Krishnadasa back to the place where she first met him, and by then he had regained his previous male form. Lalita-sakhi then requested Shyamananda not to reveal this incident to anyone.
The next day, Duki Krishnadasa was seen by Jiva Goswami and the other students with a new tilak mark on his forehead, which appeared somewhat different to the regular Gaudiya tilak mark. That night in a dream, Lalita-sakhi appeared before Jiva and informed him of the circumstances surrounding the new tilak mark and the new name given to Duki Krishnadasa, but told him to say nothing. After some time the news of Duki’s name-change and new tilak mark reached the ears of Hriday Chaitanya in Bengal, who concluded that Jiva Goswami must have re-initiated his disciple. Hrdaya Chaitanya became disturbed as re-initiation amounted to a very serious Vaishnava aparadha. He was thinking that he had sent his disciple to study under Jiva Goswami, and now this re-initiation had occurred. Hridaya Chaitanya gathered his disciples and along with a group of senior Vaishnavas, immediately left for Vrindavana to challenge Jiva Goswami regarding the re-initiation of his disciple.
On arrival in Vrindavana, a public meeting was arranged by Hridaya Chaitanya, where Jiva Goswami was going to be asked to explain the circumstances of Duki’s re-initiation. As both Jiva and Duki Krishnadasa were sworn to secrecy, the situation was very tense. That night before the meeting, Lalita-sakhi again appeared in Jiva’s dream and told him what to do. When the meeting started, Jiva addressed the gathering saying he had no part in what had transpired and had not re-initiated Duki Krishnadasa as some people thought, saying that the new name and tilak mark was a divine transcendental arrangement. To further prove the point, he requested Hridaya Chaitanya and his followers to wipe off the new tilak mark from Duki Krishnadasa’s body. If the new tilak mark could not be removed, then they would have to accept it was the divine will of the Lord. A few of the senior Vaishnavas from Hridaya Chaitanya’s group came forward, but when they tried to remove the tilak mark, it could not be removed, no matter how hard they tried. Hridaya Chaitanya then realized that it had been some transcendental arrangement. After embracing his disciple and apologizing to Jiva Goswami, he returned to Bengal with his party, fully satisfied that no Vaishnava aparadh had been committed.
Even today, those in the disciplic line of Shyamananda Pandita still apply the same tilak mark. It became quite common for the disciples of various Gaudiya Goswamis to adopt some variation on the standard Gaudiya Vaishnava tilak mark, similar to the various tilak marks that differentiate the four Vaishnava sampradayas. The tilak mark used by Iskcon devotees is the tilak mark used by Lord Chaitanya and his disciplic succession headed by Shrila Rupa Goswami.
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