Mādhurya Upāsanā: The Divine Quality of Vraja Dham Part 1

 

“Vṛindāvanaṁ parityajya sa kvacin naiva gacchati.”

(Laghu Bhagavatamritam 1.5.461)

Meaning: Krishna, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, never at any time leaves Vṛindāvana.

 

Krishna never goes even a footstep outside of Vraja Dham. Even today He resides in Vrindavan. The Mādhuryamaya form of Krishna who is the centre of our Mādhurya Upāsanā path, the personification of Sat, Chit and Ananda, and the “Tribhanga Murari” (an elegant posture of Krishna where He is bent at three places: neck, torso and knee) of Vrindavan has never left Vrindavan by even a footstep and still resides in this earthly (Drishyamāna) Vraja Dham.

“Chintāmaṇi-bhūmi, kalpa-vṛkṣa-maya vana,
carma-cakṣe dekhe tāre prapañcera sama.

Prema-netre dekhe tāra svarūpa-prakāśa,
gopa-gopī-saṅge yāṅhā Krishṇera vilāsa.”

(Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi 5.20-21)

Meaning: The land there is like a touchstone [cintāmaṇi] that fulfils one’s desires, and the forests abound with desire trees. Material eyes see it as an ordinary place. But with the eyes of the love of Godhead, one can see its real identity as the place where Lord Krishna performs His pastimes with the cowherd boys and cowherd girls.

We see that the plants and trees in Drishyamāna Vrindavan are the same as outside of Vraja. The buildings and people also seem to be as ordinary as the ones outside of Vraja. Then what is the special significance of Vraja Dham? The place where Radha and Krishna manifested Their divine pastimes must be divine and extraordinary. It is said that Radha and Krishna still perform Their pastimes here. ‘Let’s go and visit such a divine Vrindavan Dham,’ people think but when they come here, they see that the people here engage in selfish worldly activities just like any other place. They are hankering for worldly pleasures like ordinary men. Then what is the use of visiting or living in this Vraja Dham?

When a sadhak gradually progresses in his Bhakti path, by surrendering himself completely at the lotus feet of Gurudev and Radharani, his heart gets cleansed of material attachments and he develops divine love in his heart. At that time, he is able to witness the divine quality of Drishyamāna Vrindavan Dham through the Prema Netra. This Drishyamāna Vrindavan is non-different from the original Goloka Dham. But it is veiled by Yogamāyā so that the ordinary person cannot see its divine quality. Those who are averse to Bhakti and attached to material pleasures can never relish the sweetness of Vrindavan or witness the divine pastimes that constantly manifest here. “Prema-netre dekhe tāra svarūpa-prakāśa”.

There was a saint in Barsana some 50-60 years ago (this satsanga is of the year 2019). He used to bump into trees, pillars, building walls or fall into the drain frequently. Sometimes he would even walk straight into the houses of Brajawasis he didn’t know at all. Due to this, he got hurt often. At other times, he would walk perfectly fine. He didn’t keep much contact with anyone. At that time, there were very few houses and barely any shops in Barsana. And those Sadhus who resided in Barsana were few but very good Bhajanānandis (Bhajan enthusiasts). The atmosphere of Barsana was very pure and serene. There were very few people in the whole area.

So, many other Sadhus were concerned about this Baba who frequently bumped into walls or fell into the drain. He stayed silent when they asked him why this happened and whether he had eye problems. Anyway, people took him to the eye specialist (an ophthalmologist). After checking up on him, the doctor said that he had no problem in his eyes. Everyone was even more curious now. If he had no problem in his eyes, then why did he bump into things? Eventually, some devotees who were acquainted with him asked him in solitude, “Baba, why do you bump into things or fall into the drain? Your eyes are perfectly fine. What is the true cause behind your frequent accidents? Please tell us.” Baba replied, “What can I say, dear brother? Sometimes while walking on the road, all the trees, pillars, houses and shops vanish before my eyes. I see a divine forest where the six seasons are present simultaneously. The forest is adorned with six kinds of opulence and yet, it is full of sweetness of Krishna’s Mādhurya. There are beautiful forest paths flanked by beautiful trees, vines and bushes leading to Kunjas (which are called Kunja Gali). There are also divine Nikunja temples of the divine Vrindavan forest. When I see them, I start running towards them. I forget that I (the external body) was walking on the street. That is why I unintentionally bump into things or enter people’s houses. When I come back to my senses, I realize that I just had a glimpse of the divine Vrindavan in my mind but physically, I was in the Drishyamāna Vrindavan.”

In this way, when the sadhak becomes eligible to see the divine quality of the Drishyamāna Vrindavan, his eyes become full of divine love for Radha Krishna. With such Prema Netra, he witnesses the divine Vrindavan.

A similar incident happened with Srila Narottam Das Thakur who was the disciple of Srila Loknath Goswami. One day, while he was serving Srila Loknath Goswami in Nikunja Van (Vrindavan), Srila Loknath Goswami said, “Narottam, bring me some soil to clean my hands after relieving my bowels. This Nikunja Van is a divine and holy place of Radha Krishna’s pastimes. I don’t want to use the dust of such a place to clean my hands. Bring me soil from outside (of Nikunja Van).” But the eyes of Narottam Das Thakur had already become Prema Netra. He could not see a single speck of soil in all of Vrindavan. Everywhere he saw powdered Indraneel Mani (blue-coloured gems), Hemakānta Mani (golden-coloured gems), Chandrakānta Mani (White/clear gems), Vaidurya Mani (Emeralds), Muktā Mani (pearls), Padmarāga Mani (Rubies), Pravāl Mani (Red coral gems), Swarna mani (golden gems), Rajat Mani (silver gems), etc. scattered artfully on the land of Vrindavan. All around him, he saw the divine forests of Vrindavan with its divine trees, vines, flowers, fruits, birds and animals. His Prema Netra saw the divine and Achintya form of Vrindavan.

Since he could not see any soil anywhere, he walked all the way with his basket (to carry the soil) until he reached the border of Vraja Dham near Agra and finally saw soil outside Vraja. He collected clean soil from there and carried it all the way back to Nikunja Van. This took him two days. When he returned, Srila Lokanath Goswami asked him where he had disappeared for two days. “Gurudev, I went to collect soil as you ordered,” said Narottam Das Thakur. “Soil! Where did you go to collect soil? I asked you to bring me soil from just outside this place of Radha Krishna’s pastimes!” said Loknath Goswami. “But I could not see any soil here. I saw only powdered gems and pearls scattered everywhere in Vraja. So, I walked all the way to the border of Vraja near Agra and collected soil there. Then I came back with the basket full of soil. It took me two days to do so,” said Narottam Das Thakur.

This is the true form of this Drishyamāna Vrindavan. Those who have Prema Netra are able to see the divine form of Vraja and the divine pastimes manifesting within it. The sadhak does not have to go to the Goloka Dham after leaving the body to see the pastimes of Radha Krishna. He can relish the pastimes of Radha Krishna while residing in the material body. This kind of Mādhurya Upāsanā path was given (widely propagated) to this world by Sri Chaitanya Māhāprabhu. Through complete surrender at the lotus feet of Gurudev and Radha Krishna and with the help of the causeless mercy of Gurudev, the sadhak can relish the Vrindavan pastimes of Radha Krishna while living in this material abode.