Vraja-Lila The Pastimes Of Radha & Krishna In The Garden Of Eden

VRAJA-LILA

THE PASTIMES OF

RADHA AND KRISHNA

IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

BY

Rajasekhara

This book is dedicated to

our beloved spiritual master

His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuada

The Vaishnava Saint Who Revealed Vrindavana

To the whole world

135 Transcedental Pastimes

Adapted From

The First Historical Guide To

‘Chaurasi Kosha’

BRAJA MANDALA

PARIKRAMA

by the same author

VRAJA-LILA The Pastines of Radha & Krishna In The Garden Of Eden

Copyright: Rajasekhara 2015

Published by Rajasekhara at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781310157479

Front Cover painting: Yugala-Kishore – The combined Form of Radha & Krishna

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BSP Vedic Heritage Foundation,

Heritage House,

Parikrama Marg, Dorera,

District Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

FIRST WAVE

PASTIMES AT MATHURA - The Appearance of Lord Shri Krishna

PASTIMES AT KUBJA KUPA (Kubja’s Well)

PASTIMES AT KAMSA TILA

PASTIMES AT VISHRAM GHATA

PASTIMES AT TALAVANA (Tarsi) - The Liberation of Denukasura

PASTIMES AT KOYALO GHATA (Koyla)

PASTIMES AT DATIHA - The Killing of Dantavakra

PASTIMES AT MANA-SAROVARA

PASTIMES AT CHATIKARA - The Story of Garuda and Govinda

PASTIMES AT MAYURA (Mora)

PASTIMES AT MAGHAHERA (Maghera)

PASTIMES AT KENNAI (Konhi)

PASTIMES AT SURYA-KUNDA (Bharna Khurd)

PASTIMES AT RADHA-KUNDA - The Slaying of Arishtasura

PASTIMES AT RADHA-KUNDA - Appearance of Radha-kunda

PASTIMES AT MALYAHARI-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT IMLI TALA (Radha-kunda)

SECOND WAVE

PASTIMES AT GOVARDHANA HILL -The Lifting of Govardhana Hill

PASTIMES AT ASHOKAVANA

PASTIMES AT SHYAMA KUTI

PASTIMES AT MANASI-GANGA

PASTIMES AT DANA GHATI

PASTIMES AT DANA-NIRVARTANA-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT ANIYORA

PASTIMES AT GOVINDA-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT VILACHU-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT NIMGRAMA (Nimgaon)

PASTIMES AT KUNJARA (Kunjera)

PASTIMES AT SI GRAMA

PASTIMES AT PARASAULI

PASTIMES AT CHANDRA-SAROVARA

PASTIMES AT PAITHA (Petha)

PASTIMES AT VATSAVANA (Bachhgaon)

PASTIMES AT SAUNKH (Sonkh)

PASTIMES AT SAMAI (Sanwain)

PASTIMES AT GANTHULI (Gamtholi)

PASTIMES AT MALAPURA

PASTIMES AT PRAMODANA (Paramandra)

PASTIMES AT PAHELABADA (Pahalavada)

THIRD WAVE

PASTIMES AT ADI-BADRI - The Apsaras Tempt Nara-Narayana Rishi

PASTIMES AT ADI-BADRI - Lord Krishna Visits Badrinatha with Nanda Maharaja

PASTIMES AT PASOPA (Parsopa)

PASTIMES AT CHARANA PAHADI

PASTIMES AT LUKA-LIKI-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT KAMYAVANA - The Appearance of Vimala-kunda

PASTIMES AT RAMESHWARA SETUBANDHA

PASTIMES AT VYOMASURA GUFA

PASTIMES AT UNCAGRAMA (Unchagaon)

PASTIMES AT DEHA-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT LALITA-VIVAHA MANDAP

PASTIMES AT VARSANA - A Description of Radharani’s Exquisite Beauty

PASTIMES AT SANKARI KHORA

PASTIMES AT VILASA GARH

PASTIMES AT MAYURA KUTIRA

PASTIMES AT MANA GARH

PASTIMES AT PILI POKHARA

PASTIMES AT PREMA-SAROVARA

PASTIMES AT SANKET

FOURTH WAVE

PASTIMES AT PAIGRAM (Pai)

PASTIMES AT KANABADA

PASTIMES AT SANKHI

PASTIMES AT SHYAMA-KINNARI (Nari and Semri)

PASTIMES AT UMRAYA

PASTIMES AT PASTIMES AT RANABADI (Ranwari)

PASTIMES AT CHHATRAVANA (Chhata)

PASTIMES AT MEHARANA (Mahrana)

PASTIMES AT VIDYUDVARI (Vijowli)

PASTIMES AT BAKATHARA - The Killing Of Bakashura

PASTIMES AT ANJANAUKA (Ajnokh)

PASTIMES AT HAROYALA (Hulwana)

PASTIMES AT BHULAVANA

FIFTH WAVE

PASTIMES AT NANDAGRAMA – Nanda Bhavana

PASTIMES AT MOTI-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT UDDHAVA KYARI

PASTIMES AT LALITA-KUNDA

PASTIMES AT KHADIRAVANA - The Killing of Bakasura

PASTIMES AT YAVAT (Jao)

PASTIMES AT YAVAT - Philosophy Regarding Parakiya-rasa

PASTIMES AT BERIYA

PASTIMES AT VATSAKHORA

PASTIMES AT KUTILA-DUSHANA-STHANA

PASTIMES AT KOKILAVANA

PASTIMES AT CHARANA PAHADI (Chota Bathain)

PASTIMES AT SESHASHAYI (Shernagar)

PASTIMES AT RAMA GHATA (Ohava)

PASTIMES AT BHANDIRA VATA - Radha and Krishna’s Wrestling Match

PASTIMES AT BHANDIRA VATA -The Slaying of Pralambhasura

PASTIMES AT MUNJATAVI (Agaryala Grama)

PASTIMES AT CHIRA GHATA (Siyaro)

PASTIMES AT NANDA GHATA (Baigram)

PASTIMES AT VATSAVANA - Lord Brahma Steals the Calves and the Cowherd Boys

PASTIMES AT VATSAVANA- The Slaying of Vatsashura

PASTIMES AT AGHAVANA (Pasauli) - The Killing of the Serpent Aghashura

SIXTH WAVE

PASTIMES AT BHANDIRAVAN - The Marriage Ceremony of Radha and Krishna

PASTIMES AT BHANDIRAVAN - Philosophy Of the Marriage of Radha and Krishna

PASTIMES AT BILVAVANA - Goddess Lakshmi and Her Penance

PASTIMES AT MANA-SAROVARA

PASTIMES AT PANIGAON

PASTIMES AT LAUHAVANA - Krishna’s Boating Pastimes

PASTIMES AT CHINTAHARANA GHATA

PASTIMES AT BRAHMANDA GHATA

PASTIMES AT GOKULA - Krishna killed the demon Sakatasura

PASTIMES AT GOKULA - Krishna killed the demon Trinavarta

PASTIMES AT GOKULA - Krishna killed the evil Witch Putana

PASTIMES AT GOKULA - The Damodara-lila Pastime

PASTIMES AT AYARE (Alipuru)

PASTIMES AT GAURAVAI (Gorai)

PASTIMES AT RAVEL - The Divine Appearance of Shrimati Radharani

SEVENTH WAVE

PASTIMES AT AMBIKA VANA - Nanda Maharaja Swallowed by a Serpent

PASTIMES AT AKRURA GHAT - The Vrajavasis Vision of Vaikuntha

PASTIMES AT AKRURA GHAT- Akrura’s Vision of Vaikuntha at Akrura Ghata

PASTIMES AT AKRURA GHATA - Krishna’s Final Pastime of His Vraja-lila

PASTIMES AT BHOJANA STHALA / YAJNA STHALA

PASTIMES AT KALIYA GHATA (VRINDAVANA)

PASTIMES AT DWADASADITYA TILA

PASTIMES AT IMLI TALA

PASTIMES AT SHRINGAR VATA

PASTIMES AT GOVINDA GHATA

PASTIMES AT SEVA KUNJA

PASTIMES AT CHIRA GHATA

PASTIMES AT KESHI GHATA - The Liberation of the Keshi Demon

PASTIMES AT PANI GHATA

PASTIMES AT RAJA GHATA

PASTIMES AT DAVANALA-KUNDA

GLOSSARY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

PREFACE

The first question one may ask regarding the Biblical account of the ‘Garden Of Eden’, is what on Earth is an evil snake doing slithering around in God’s heavenly kingdom. The answer is simple, the ‘Garden Of Eden’ is factually a manifestation of heaven on Earth, therefore, there can be snakes and even demons lurking in Eden. The Bible reveals that Adam and Eve committed a sin in Eden and were expelled by God. In the Vedas we find descriptions that when demons appear in Eden, they were killed by the hand of God as a means of their salvation. In the Vedas, the ‘Garden Of Eden’ is called Vrindavana or Vraja, and is a place where God descended on Earth 5,000 years ago in order to exhibit pure transcendental love, a love free from lust or any other material contamination. God appeared on Earth in His original transcendental form as Krishna, along with his eternal consort Radharani, and together they displayed before the world the most enchanting divine pastimes for the spiritual benefit of all humanity. Such pastimes can only be truly comprehended by those whose hearts are purified of all sinful desires and as such, The pastimes of Radha and Krishna are relished by those who are spiritually advanced, however, just by hearing about such pastimes can awaken transcendental love even in the heart of a neophyte, or even a non-devotee, because such pastimes provide us a glimpse into the spiritual world and acts like a window into the transcendental realm of divine love of God.

Rajasekhara

TOP

INTRODUCTION

When the Lord Descends He Brings His Own Abode

Vrindavana - ‘The Garden Of Eden’

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Shri Krishna resides on the planet known as Goloka. located in the anti-material universe known as Vaikuntha. The word Goloka means the planet (loka) of cows (go). This transcendental planet is situated in the far distant spiritual sky that lies beyond the universal covering, but when the Lord desires to appear on earth along with His eternal associates, the gopis and gopas, He first manifests on the earthly plain His own spiritual abode where He will enact His transcendental pastimes for the benefit of the world. That abode of the Lord, when manifested on earth is called Gokula. The word ‘Gokula’ means the home (kula) of the cows (go). The spiritual abode of the Lord is also called Vrindavana which means forest (vana) of Vrinda (goddess of the forest) who has manifested in the form of the forest as its fauna and flora and specifically as the sacred vrinda trees, also called the tulasi bush. This transcendental realm of Gokula-Vrindavana, which is also called the holy Dhama (sacred abode), covers an approximate area of chaurasi-kosa or 168 miles in diameter, which is referred to as Vraja Mandala. The word ‘Vraja Mandala’ means the area (mandala) of Gokula-Vrindavana, which encompasses twelve sacred forests and innumerable rivers, lakes, hills, groves, and gardens. This entire realm is completely spiritual and is non-different from the original Goloka in the spiritual world, even though it exists within the material world.

The name Vraja Mandala specifically refers to the actual geographical area of the Lord’s earthly abode of Gokula Vrindavana, which is demarcated by precise boundaries and can be easily located on a map of the world. Therefore, anyone from any place on earth can visit this transcendental abode of the Lord at any time. This is one of the reasons why Lord Krishna has manifested His abode on the earthly plain, so that those who wish to become His devotees and surrender their lives to Him can go there and experience His transcendental presence and visit the places of His transcendental pastimes, even long after He has returned to the spiritual world. Another reason for manifesting this abode on earth is to give information to the fallen souls that there is another world, where the Lord and His devotees enjoy eternal life, completely free from all the pain and misery associated with life in this world of repeated birth, old age, disease, and death.

The Timing of the Lord’s Descent on Earth

Five thousand years ago, at the time of Lord Krishna’s descent to the earthly plain, the world was being overrun by powerful demons in the form of impious and cruel kings, who were building up huge military forces for the purpose of world domination. The innocent people of the world were suffering under the yoke of these irreligious kings and were fervently praying for the Lord to save them. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna has personally said. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I descend to earth millennium after millennium. Therefore, this is another reason for the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Shri Krishna, to appear on earth, when there is a general decline in piety and religion and the devotees of the Lord find themselves being persecuted. At that time, Lord Krishna comes to earth in His transcendental spiritual form, and in order to save His beloved devotees as well as all innocent human beings, He is forced to kill all the demonic persons that are creating such disturbances. Nevertheless, by His unfathomable mercy, all the demons that He kills, automatically achieve liberation and go to heaven. After the Lord had exhibited His transcendental pastimes on earth for a period of one hundred and twenty-five years, and after annihilating all the demons, as well as having reestablished the principles of pure religion, He returned to His eternal abode, the planet of Goloka in the spiritual world.

Vraja-Lila Pastimes Of Divine Love

Lord Krishna’s Vraja pastimes took place on Earth 5ooo years ago, and were meant as an exhibition of the transcendental loving pastimes that is experienced by the denizens in the Kingdom of God. In the conjugal pastimes of Radha and Krishna there is no sexual intercourse, as all such transcendental activities of prema-rasa are in the category of pure spiritual emotion (bhava), which is far, far beyond the fleeting pleasures of the kama-rasa or mundane sex-life. Radharani and the milkmaids, the gopis, and the cowherd-boys, the gopas, who take part in Krishna’s Earthly pastimes, are all nitya-siddha devotees, which mean they are eternally perfected beings, who descend from the spiritual world along with Krishna, to assist Him in manifesting the wonderful Vraja-lila pastimes on the Earthly plain, for the benefit of the world.

Lord Krishna’s internal potency, hladini-shakti, is personified as Shrimati Radharani, who provides Krishna with complete and absolute spiritual bliss. She is the most beloved of Krishna and epitomizes mahabhava, the highest mood of ecstasy, which keeps Krishna completely spellbound. In order to increase Krishna’s pleasure, Radharani expands herself as the ashta-sakhis, her eight female companions. Each of these eight companions embodies one of the eight primary bhavas, or loving spiritual emotions. Shrimati Radharani further expands herself as all the other prominent gopis who display different bhavas in order to please Krishna in various ways. The Brahma Samhita confirms that the gopis are all expansions of Radharani for increasing Krishna’s ecstatic bliss. I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhis], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa. (BS.5.37)

From His transcendental birth, up to the age of seven, Krishna enjoys His infant-hood and then boy-hood pastimes of herding cows, while surrounded by the gopas, His cowherd boy-friends of the same age group. From the age of seven Krishna enjoys His youth-hood pastimes, referred to as madhurya-lila, or conjugal pastimes, and sports with Radharani and the other young gopis, the enchanting milkmaids of Vrindavana, who are all around one year younger than Krishna. When these milkmaids get married, Krishna enters a new variety of madhurya pastimes with the newly-married milkmaids, referred to as the pastimes of parakiyu-bhava. The parakiya- bhava is the beginning of the most super-excellent phase of Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes, which is considered to be the pinnacle of all rasa, and the highest transcendental aspect of divine love between Krishna and the gopis headed by Radharani.

This parakiya-rasa can only be experienced by Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, whereas in Krishna’s later pastimes in Dwaraka, with His married wives, headed by Princess Rukmini, although His wives also enjoy the super-excellent madhurya-rasa or conjugal pastimes, they cannot experience the exalted emotions of parakiya-bhava. This is because when lovers marry and live together at home; there are no feelings of separation, and the expectation of meeting one’s lover is also lost being replaced with a feeling of fulfillment and complete contentment (sambhanda). But, if through unforeseen circumstances, one’s lover marries another person, as in the case of Radha and Krishna and the gopis, the lovers then experience the bhava or mood of separation (vipralambha), and meeting together becomes extremely difficult and can only be undertaken in secrecy. This greatly heightens the anticipation of meeting one’s lover, as well as the immense pleasure derived from such a meeting, thus adding another level of pleasure to the relationship between lovers, that is not found in marriage. Therefore, the parakiya-rasa of love in separation is superior to all other rasas due to the intensity of the emotions experienced by the lovers.

The most important consideration is that all the nitya-siddha devotees who descended along with Krishna to assist Him in enjoying transcendental pastimes on Earth, are all expansions of Krishna’s own internal potency called hladini-shakti. These expansions of the Lord’s hladini-shakti include Radharani and all the gopis, as well as all the gopas. This means that the gopis husbands, including Abhimanyu, Radharani’s supposed husband in the Vraja-lila pastimes, are also expansions of Krishna’s hladini-shakti, for the purpose of facilitating the ecstatic pastimes of parakiya-rasa. Mundane religionists and moralists sometimes think that Krishna’s pastimes with the married gopis of Vrindavana are immoral, but this is simply a misunderstanding of tattva, or philosophical truth. The fact is that because the gopis and gopas of Vrindavana are all expansions of Krishna’s internal hladini potency, they are automatically His eternal companions from the onset, even before the manifestation of the Vrindavana pastimes. Consequently, Radharani is the eternal consort and Krishna in the spiritual world, and her expansion; the gopis are also eternal consorts of Krishna. Therefore, there is no question of any immoral activity on the part of Krishna or the gopis; it is simply the manifestation of the eternally existent parakiya pastimes being displayed on the material plain that gives spiritually ignorant people the misconception of immorality on the part of Krishna.

Even though fools may not understand the intricacies of spiritual bhava, Krishna still displayed His transcendental pastimes for the benefit of the devotees, who can achieve liberation from suffering simply by meditating on the parakiya-lila pastimes of Radha and Krishna. All the variegated manifestations of Krishna’s hladini-shakti, including the Vraja-lila pastimes, are conducted under the agency of Krishna’s sister, Yogamaya Devi and her all-powerful potency called the yoga-maya-shakti, which allows Krishna to forget that He is the Supreme Godhead, and allows Him to remain immersed in the eternal nectar of rasa and the pastimes of divine loving mellows, while relishing the ecstatic moods of madhurya and parakiya-bhava of His pastimes as an amorous youth in Vrindavana. Yogamaya Devi is also one of the principle aspects of Krishna’s hladini-shakti, and all of Krishna’s pastimes on Earth are supervised and controlled by her. Yogamaya appeared from the womb of Krishna’s foster mother Yashoda Devi, at the same moment that Krishna appeared from