Çré Pasankusa Ekädaçé Issue no:97 20th October 2018 THE YOGAPITHA IN SRI VRINDAVAN VRINDAVAN IS INTIMATELY WHAT PASTIMES DOES LORD KRISHNA CONNECTED WITH KRISHNA PERFORM IN GOLOKA, IN VRAJA, AND IN His Divine Grace SVETADVIPA? A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura GOKULA AND GOLOKA ARE IDENTICAL THREE SPECIAL PLACES IN ÇRÉ BRAJABHÜMI Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Sri Gopiparandhan Dasa THE YOGAPITHA IN VRINDAVAN Srila Narahari Chakravarti Thakura Issue no 96, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä VRINDAVAN IS INTIMATELY At any rate, we must understand the CONNECTED WITH KRISHNA transcendental importance of Mathura- His Divine Grace Vrindavan and Navadvipa dhama. Anyone A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who executes devotional service in these places certainly goes back home, back It is understood that Mathura City is the to Godhead, after giving up his body. transcendental abode of Lord Krishna. It Thus the words mathurä bhagavän yatra is not an ordinary material city, for it is nityaà sannihito hariù are particularly eternally connected with the Supreme important. A devotee should fully utilize Personality of Godhead. Vrindavan is this instruction to the best of his ability. within the jurisdiction of Mathura, and it Whenever the Supreme Lord personally still continues to exist. Because Mathura appears, He appears in Mathura because and Vrindavan are intimately connected of His intimate connection with this with Krishna for eternal time, it is said place. Therefore although Mathura and that Lord Krishna never leaves Vrindavan Vrindavan are situated on this planet (våndävanaà parityajya padam ekaà earth, they are transcendental abodes of na gacchati). At present, the place known the Lord. as Vrindavan, in the district of Mathura, — Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: continues its position as a transcendental The Summum Bonum » SB 10.1: The Advent of Lord Krishnaa: place, and certainly anyone who goes Introduction » Verses: 28, Purport. there becomes transcendentally purified. Navadvipa dhama is also intimately GOKULA AND GOLOKA ARE IDENTICAL connected with Brajabhümi. Srila Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says: Gokula, like Goloka, is not a created on çré gauòa-maëòala-bhümi, yebä jäne the mundane plane. The transcendental cintämaëi, tä'ra haya vrajabhüme väsa entity of Baladeva has two aspects viz., infinite spiritual manifestation and infinite "Brajabhümi" refers to Mathura- accommodating space for insentient gross Vrindavan, and Gauòa-maëòala-bhümi things. Unbounded character forms the includes Navadvipa. These two places are display of His unlimited potency and His non-different. Therefore, anyone living propagating manifestation. Gokula, like in Navadvipa dhama, knowing Krishna Goloka, is a manifestation of the primary and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the aspect of that energy of which Baladeva same personality, lives in Brajabhümi, is the mainstay. Mathura Vrindavan. The Lord has made The uniquadrantal delineation of it convenient for the conditioned soul to material universe will be dealt within the live in Mathura, Vrindavan and Navadvipa proper place. The triquadrantal extensions and thus be directly connected with of the transcendental infinitary field of the the Supreme Personality of Godhead. almighty, unlamenting, non-perishing and Simply by living in these places, one can non-apprehending unlimited situations immediately come in contact with the of halo which are fully spiritual majestic Lord. There are many devotees who vow foliation. This very majestic extension never to leave Vrindavan and Mathura. portrays the manifested lofty rich feature This is undoubtedly a good vow, but of the vaster unlimited region, or greater if one leaves Vrindavan, Mathura or atmosphere, which has its resplendent Navadvipa dhama for the service of location wholly beyond the realm of the Lord, he is not disconnected from mundane nature, on the further shore of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viraja surrounded by the halo of Brahman Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya www.ibmedu.org nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 96, Page—3 or indistinguishable entity. This majestic way restricted but unlimitedly manifested power of unlimited spirit emanates on the with his full boundless propriety. upper portion of the luminous sphere into Regretably conditioned souls are inclined the most charming Gokula or eternally to assert a material conception in regard existing Goloka, exceedingly beautified to Gokula by their miserable senses so by the assorted display of effulgence. as to bring him below the level of their Some designate this region as the abode intellect. Though the eye of an observer of the Supreme Narayaëa, or the original is impeded by a cloud when gazing at the fountainhead. Hence Gokula, which is sun and though the tiny cloud can never identical with Goloka, is the supreme really cover the sun, still the clouded vision plane. The same sphere shines as Goloka observes the sun as covered by the cloud. and Gokula respectively by its upper or In just the same way the conditioned souls transcendental and lower or mundane with their obscured intelligence, senses position. and decisions, accept Gokula as a part of Sri Sanatana Goswami has explained measurable land. We should see Gokula as as follows in his Båhad-bhägavatämåta descending from Goloka which is eternal. which embodies the final essence of This is also a mystery. The attainment of all the books of instructions: "Krishna final beatitude is the success in realising displays His pastimes here in this land as one's eternal self. This success of He is accustomed to do in Goloka. The identifying the true self is finally achieved difference between the two planes lies only when the screen of gross and subtle coils in their locations as high and low; In other of conditioned souls is removed by the words, Krishna plays exactly the same part sweet will of Krishna. However, the idea of in Goloka as He exhibits on the mundane Goloka seen to differ from Gokula persists plane of Gokula. There is practically no until success in unalloyed devotion is difference between Gokula and Goloka achieved. The transcendental plane of save that this which exists in the shape of infinite spiritual manifestation having Goloka in the upper region is the same as thousands of petals and corolla like those Gokula on the mundane plane wherein of the lotus, is Gokula, the eternal abode Krishna showed His various activities. of Krishna. Sri Jiva Goswami has also inculcated — Çré Brahma-saàhitä » Chapter 5 » Verse 3, Srila the same in the Bhägavata-sandarbha of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati. his 'Six Treatises.' "For certain the plane of Goloka-Vrindavan is the eternal abode WHAT PASTIMES DOES LORD KRISHNA PERFORM of Krishna and Goloka and Vrindavan IN GOLOKA, IN VRAJA, AND IN SVETADVIPA? are identically one, and though both are identical. Krishna's inconceivable Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura energy has made Goloka the acme of this spiritual kingdom and Gokula of Mathura Goloka, Vrindavan, and Svetadvipa are province which is also a manifestation of the interior of the spiritual sky. In Goloka, triquadrantal vibhüti (conducting majesty) Krishna performs His svakéya pastimes, in appearing as a part of the mundane plane. Vrindavan His parakéya pastimes, and in Poor human understanding cannot possibly Svetadvipa the remainder of His pastimes. make out how the extensive triquadrantal, In truth, there is no difference between which is beyond human comprehension, Goloka, Vrindavan, and Svetadvipa. can be accommodated in the limited Sri Navadvipa is non-different from nether material universe of a uniquadrantal Svetadvipa, and thus it is also non-different disclosure. Gokula is a spiritual plane. from Vrindavan. hence his condescended position in the — Sri Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura » Chapter region of material space, time, etc., is in no 14 » Translated by Sarvabhävana däsa.. www.ibmedu.org Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya Issue no 96, Page — 4 Top left 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä THREE SPECIAL PLACES IN ÇRÉ BRAJABHÜMI for His perfect devotees in Vrindavan, Sri Gopiparandhan Dasa the place which is supremely attractive for them because His unequaled beauty Çré Brajabhümi, the most sacred part of and an endless flow of His all-attractive Mathura District, is where the Supreme pastimes are displayed there. No such Personality of Godhead displays His overwhelming ecstatic experience is exceptionally sweet pastimes. Within found in the heart of a yogé or in the Brajabhümi, three places are very official kingdom of God. special. The Tenth Canto of Çrémad- Sometimes the Personality of Godhead Bhägavatam first mentions these three is present in His other abodes without places when Krishna and Balarama move directly showing Himself, but never so from Mahavana to avoid the dangers in Vrindavan. As mentioned previously, developing there: Lord Hari is always present in Mathura (nityaà sannihito hariù). But the word for “present”—sannihitaù—can also våndävanaà govardhanaà be understood to mean “hidden.” In yamunä-pulinäni ca Mathura the Lord, although present, may vékñyäséd uttamä prété be hidden. In contrast, even after Krishna räma-mädhavayor nåpa and Balarama transferred Themselves to Mathura the ladies of Mathura described “O King Pariksit, when Rama and the Lord’s wandering throughout Krishna saw Vrindavan, Govardhana, and Brajabhümi in the present tense, implying the banks of the river Yamuna, They both that He was still manifest there, as He