English
3 NOVEMBER 2019
Hare krishna
I am getting news of lamp offering programmes from Noida, Gurugram and many other places.
This is the season of offering lamps. This is Damodara month and there is a marathon going on of offering lamps by Hare Krishna devotees all over the world. We are in Vrindavan now. A few devotees from Mumbai, Thane went to Mayapur now. I
was about to ask them, "Why didn't you come to Vrindavan? Why did you go to Mayapur?" Then I thought that going to Mayapur is the same as going to Vrindavan. Both Vraja-mandala and Gaura-mandala are Goloka.
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hlādinī]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.” (Brahma-samhitsa 5.37)
Although Govinda is always present in His abode (goloka eva nivasaty), He is simultaneously present everywhere. Nothing is unknown to Him, and nothing can be hidden from Him. The example given here compares the Lord to the air, which is within the vast sky and within every body but still is different from everything.
In Vrindavan, Krsna performed many lilas and in Mayapur Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. So both the places are Goloka. There is no difference between them. Devotees celebrate lamp offering utsav in Damodardesh, Dubai in a grand manner.
Yesterday when I was reading Yamuna Sahasranama written by Gargacarya, I realized that one of the names of Yamuna is Shyamalangi. When I went to ISKCON Ichalkaranji, one of my devotees Bharti Devi Dasi asked me what was the meaning of her name? Then yesterday while reading that book I realized Bharti is also one of the names of Yamuna.
Yamuna is named as Kalindi because it's source starts from Kalind Mountain. She is also known as the daughter of Kalind Mountain. Also, Surya Kanya is one of the names of Yamuna. Yamuna is daughter of the Sun and Yamaraj is the son of the Sun god. So Yamuna and Yamraj are brother and sister. We call Yamaraj Yam so Yamuna is Yami. Sister of Yam that is Yami.
Similarly, sister of bak is baki (putna). She is sister of Bakasur, so she is baki (putna) We can have darsana of Yam and Yami at Visram-ghata in Vrindavan. Krsna and many Vraja vasis also visited there the day after Govardhan puja. That day is bhai duj to get the blessings of Yam and Yami after taking a dip in the holy waters of Yamuna.
5000 years have passed that Lord Krsna appeared in this holy land. We can find three things as it is even after 5000 years that is Yamuna, Giri Govardhan and Raman Reti, the sand of Vraja.
Krsna lifted Giriraj Govardhan on the third day from the new moon day and thereafter He was named Giridhari. Once Gargacarya said to Nanda Maharaj during the naming ceremony of Lord Krsna that He will protect everyone when there will be any misery. So during the heavy rainfall Krsna lift Govardhan Mountain and gave shelter to all the Vraja vasis, cows and children for seven days.
