English
Japa talk
Date: 30th May 2025
Speaker: Guru Maharaj
Theme: Appearance of Dwarkadhish in Pandharpur
Hare Krishna. Radha Pandharinath ki Jai! Vitthal Rukmini ki Jai! Construction of Bhuvaikuntha project is going on. Along with that we are also doing some re-editing and corrections in our book 'Bhuvaikuntha' and that is why I am staying here.
Earlier also it was mentioned in this book that Lord Vitthal is a special Vigraha, Deity. Sachidanand Vigraha! There is some bheda and abheda between Him and other Vigrahas. I am giving more emphasis on this topic in my writing.
Sub-theme: Pronology of Lord’s pastimes
When Lord appeared, Lord's Prakat Lila, manifested pastime, He appeared in Mathura, and then He goes to Gokul and Gokul becomes His abode. 'Krishna jinaka nam hai, Gokul jinaka dham hai!' He resides in Gokul for three years and eight months. On ‘Damodar Lila day’ from Gokul He goes to Vrindavan Dham. On the way to Vrindavan from Gokul, first He goes to Chatikara. Have you heard this name before? In scriptures it is called 'Shaktavart'. There, Krishna lives for the next three years and eight months. From there He moves ahead and stays in Nandagram. According to Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur there also He stays for three years and eight months. Then from there He goes to Mathura. Akrura comes and takes Krishna Balaram to Mathura as per Kamsa's plans. Then for eighteen years the Lord stays in Mathura. Most of the time He was playing war with Jarasandha. On the eighteenth time He did not show any interest in the war as He has to get married and almost everyone was shifted to Dwarka. Hardly anyone remained in Mathura. For safety the Lord sent them to Dwarka.
Lord departs for Dwarka. ‘Ranchod Ranchod!’ That time Jarasandha had said 'coward'. He was forgotten for how many times he himself ran away in fear. Seventeen times he narrowly escaped or the Lord left him alive. And now he was saying, 'coward, Ranchod'. Lord Krishna Balaram ki Jai!
When They arrived in Dwarka They had a grand welcome by Dwarkavasis. “Ranchod Ray ki Jai! Good that You left the battlefield; otherwise You would have stayed there and we would have missed Your association and Your darshan. Good that You left the battlefield and came to Dwarka.”
Then the Lord gets married in Dwarka. It starts with Rukmini. Rukmini was kidnapped from Kaundinyapur. There also we have ISKCON project; we have to build a temple there too. So Lord had 16108 marriages and Lord used to live with each one of those queens.
Sub-theme: Gopi Talav pastime
Once Radharani and Gopis came to Dwarka from Vrindavan to meet Krishna or to play with Him. Lila means play. There is 'Gopi Talav' near Dwarka. All of you or Gaudiya Vaisnavas use Gopi Chandan for tilak which comes from this talav, pond, where Krishna played Rasalila with Radha and Gopis. This is a very confidential pastime. When queens of Dwarka were watching this Parakiya bhava pastime, paramour rasa pastime, and the deep love and special reciprocation between Krishna and Radha and Gopis,
rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptaṁ
rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam
Translation: The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. (CC Ādi 1.5)
Pranaya is superior to prema, love. praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād, seeing this pranaya, most of all the queens, Rukmini was upset. She got angry and she even left her home, left Dwarka, left all pleasure giving things and then Pandharpur Dham ki Jai! She left for Dindirvan.
Sub-theme: Lord’s meeting with Bhakta Pundalik
And then Dwarkadhish had to come in search of Rukmini. Lord came and He did convince Rukmini, and along with that He met Bhakta Pundalik. When Pundalik was Muchukunda in his previous birth, at that time Krishna had promised him that He would give him Darshan when he, Muchukunda would take birth again. So when Lord met Pundalik, Pundalik requested Him, 'You stay here'. And the Lord agreed. What else could He do? He says
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno
hy asvatantra iva dvija
sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ
Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. (ŚB 9.4.63)
So, Lord stays here as well. He spent many years in Dwarka. As Dwarkadhish, for eighty to ninety years Lord was in Dwarka. That is why, what Gujarati people say? ‘Krishna is Gujarati’. But where is He spending most of His time? Ten eleven years in Vrindavan, eighteen years in Mathura, eighty ninety years in Dwarka and in Pandharpur? From that time until now and forever!
Sub-theme: Lord eternally resides in Pandharpur
Lord Vitthal is not installed as a Deity. It is Lord's prakat lila. Lord has prakat lila and aprakat lila, manifested pastime and unmanifested pastime. Lord appeared in Mathura and then He went to Vrindavan, then Mathura and then Dwarka. From Dwarka He went to many places like Kurukshetra, Indraprastha etc. When He was going to other places, He was returning back to Dwarka, but when He came here, He never returned back. In one sense He did not return and in another sense He returned and kept on performing His pastimes and from there Lord returned back to His abode. But when Lord came here from Dwarka, that form stayed here forever.
Mahaa-Yoga-Piitthe Tatte Bhiimarathyaam
Varam Punnddariikaaya Daatum Muni-[I]indraih |
Samaagatya Tisstthantam-Aananda-Kandam
Parabrahma-Linggam Bhaje Paanndduranggam ||1||
Meaning:
(Salutations to Sri Panduranga) In the Seat of Great Yoga (Maha Yoga Peetha) (i.e. at Pandharpur) by the bank of river Bheemarathi (has come Panduranga),(He has come) to give Boons to Pundarika; (He has come) along with the great Munis, Having arrived He is standing like a Source of Great Bliss (of Parabrahman), I Worship that Panduranga, Who is the veritable Image (Lingam) of Parabrahman. [Pandurangashtakam- composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya ]
There is a possibility that such vigraha is not present in the whole universe. Panduranga! Panduranga Vitthal Bhagavan ki Jai! Vitthal Rukmini ki Jai! As far as I understand, there is no other place like this, advitiya, one and only. Just like
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
Translation: In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. (CC Ādi 17.21)
Vitthal Vitthal hi kevalam! And that same Vitthal, Radha Pandharinath ki Jai! He is giving darshan in the form of Radha Pandharinath. When Radha Pandharinath's installation took place, Lord Vitthal Rukmini or Radha Krishna were installed in Them. So for us Radha Pandharinath is none other than Vitthal Rukmini. Gaur Premanande Hari Hari bol!
