Vrndavana / Mathura

The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is described in the Brahma-samhita as cintamani-dhama, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Krsna known as Goloka Vrndavana is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi cows which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Laksmis), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes. The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds-His eyes are like the lotus petals and the color of His body like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck and a peacock feather in His hair. In the Gita Lord Krsna gives only a small hint of His personal abode (Goloka Vrndavana) which is the supermost planet in the spiritual kingdom. A vivid description is given in the Brahma-samhita. Vedic literature states that there is nothing superior to the abode of the Supreme Godhead, and that that abode is the ultimate destination. When one attains to it, he never returns to the material world. Krsna's supreme abode and Krsna Himself are nondifferent, being of the same quality. On this earth, Vrndavana, ninety miles southeast of Delhi, is a replica of that supreme Goloka Vrndavana located in the spiritual sky. When Krsna descended on this earth, He sported on that particular tract of land known as Vrndavana in the district of Mathura, India.    (More...)

In the book Padyavali by Rūpa Gosvami there is the following statement about Vrndavana: "In this place the son of Maharaj Nanda used to live with His father, who was king of all cowherd men. In this place Lord Krsna broke the cart in which the Sakatasura demon was concealed. At this place Damodara, who can cut the knot of our material existence, was tied up by His mother Yasoda."    (More...)

A pure devotee of Lord Krsna resides in the district of Mathura or Vrndavana and visits all the places where Krsna's pastimes were performed. At these sacred places Krsna displayed His childhood activities with the cowherd boys and Mother Yasoda. The system of circumambulating all these places is still current among devotees of Lord Krsna, and those coming to Mathura and Vrndavana always feel transcendental pleasure. Actually, if someone goes to Vrndavana, he will immediately feel separation from Krsna, who performed such nice activities when He was present there.    (More...)

Such attraction for remembering Krsna's activities is known as attachment for Krsna. There are impersonalist philosophers and mystics, however, who by a show of devotional service want ultimately to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord. They sometimes try to imitate a pure devotee's sentiment for visiting the holy places where Krsna had His pastimes, but they simply have a view for salvation, and so their activities cannot be considered attachment.    (More...)

The description of Vrndavana forest as given herewith was spoken by Krsna five thousand years ago, and the same condition prevailed during the time of the Vaisnava acaryas three or four hundred years ago. Kūjat-kokila-hamsa-sarasa-ganakirne mayūrakule . Vrndavana forest is always filled with the chirping and cooing of birds like cuckoos (kokila), ducks (hamsa) and cranes (sarasa), and it is also full of peacocks (mayūrakule). The same sounds and atmosphere still prevail in the area where our Krsna-Balarama temple is situated. Everyone who visits this temple is pleased to hear the chirping of the birds as described here (kūjat-kokila-hamsa-sarasa).    (More...)

It was not essential for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to go to Vrndavana, for wherever He stayed was immediately converted to Vrndavana. Indeed, there was also the River Ganges, the River Yamuna and all other places of pilgrimage. This was also expressed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself when He danced in the Ratha-yatra. At that time He said that His very mind was Vrndavana (mora-mana-vrndavana). Because His mind was Vrndavana, all the pastimes of Radha and Krsna were taking place within Himself. Nonetheless, just to teach people, He visited bhauma-vrndavana, Vrndavana-dhama in this material world. In this way the Lord instructed everyone to visit Vrndavana-dhama, which is a very holy place. Materialists consider Vrndavana-dhama an unclean city because there are many monkeys and dogs there, and along the bank of the Yamuna there is refuse. Some time ago, a materialistic man asked me, "Why are you living in Vrndavana? Why have you selected such a dirty place to live after retiring?" Such a person cannot understand that Vrndavana-dhama is always a representation of the original Vrndavana-dhama. Consequently Vrndavana-dhama is as worshipable as Lord Krsna. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam: according to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy, Lord Sri Krsna and His abode, Vrndavana, are equally worshipable. Sometimes materialistic people who have no spiritual understanding go to Vrndavana as tourists. One who goes to Vrndavana with such materialistic vision cannot derive any spiritual benefit. Such a person is not convinced that Krsna and Vrndavana are identical. Since they are identical, Vrndavana is as worshipable as Lord Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's vision (mora-mana-vrndavana) is different from the vision of an ordinary materialistic person. At the Ratha-yatra festival, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, absorbed in the ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, dragged Lord Krsna back to Vrndavana-dhama. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spoke of this in the verses beginning ahus ca te (Madhya 13.136).    (More...)

One devotee has exclaimed, "Oh, I have not as yet visited the wonderful places where the pastimes of the Lord were performed. But simply by hearing the name of Mathura I have become overwhelmed with joy!"    (More...)

Again, he has described Mathura-manḍala: "I remember the Lord standing by the banks of the Yamuna River, so beautiful amidst the kadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in the gardens. And these impressions are always giving me transcendental realization of beauty and bliss." This feeling about Mathura-manḍala and Vrndavana by Rūpa Gosvami can actually be felt even by nondevotees. The places in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathura are so beautifully situated on the banks of the River Yamuna that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world. These statements by Rūpa Gosvami are factually realized descriptions of Mathura and Vrndavana. All these qualities prove that Mathura and Vrndavana are situated transcendentally. Otherwise, there is no possibility of invoking our transcendental sentiments in these places. Such transcendental feelings are aroused immediately and without fail after one arrives in Mathura or Vrndavana.    (More...)

In the Padma Purana there is a statement about the importance of living at holy places like Mathura or Dvaraka. It is stated there: "To travel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation from material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the highest perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has to become engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainment of the brahma-bhūta [liberation] stage one can further advance to engagement in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it can be achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura-manḍala even for a few seconds."    (More...)

It is further said: "Who is that person who will not agree to worship the land of Mathura? Mathura can deliver all the desires and ambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desire to become one with the supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathura will deliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord." In the Vedic literature it is also stated: "How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura must be more glorious than Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of God!"    (More...)

Rūpa Gosvami has stated that the five kinds of devotional activities-namely, residing in Mathura, worshiping the Deity of the Lord, reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam, serving a devotee, and chanting the Hare Krsna mantra-are so potent that a small attachment for any one of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neophyte.    (More...)

Another devotee in ecstatic reverential affection once said, "When will that glorious day in my life come when it will be possible for me to go to the bank of the Yamuna and see Lord Sri Krsna playing there as cowherd boy?"    (More...)