Sweet Govardhan Memories
Now we are swimming in the memories of yesterday's Govardhan Parikrama. Yesterday six of us did the transcendental trek, Govardhan Parikrama, together. Since Govardhan Hill is one of Krishna's incarnations, gazing upon Govardhan is non-different from directly seeing the form of God. The sacred walk around the hill is accepted by Krishna as direct worship of Him. So the Govardhan Parikrama is an incredible way to be fully absorbed in loving devotion to the Supreme Person for the seven hours it took us to complete our parikrama.
We began in the early morning chill at 6:00 am. Our first stop was Manasi Ganga, the sacred pond created by Lord Krishna. To purify ourselves we took Manasi Ganga's sacred water upon our heads and then continued on our transcendental journey.
One of the first things we saw was a man who was doing his Govardhan parikrama in a very slow way that will take many months to complete. In one spot he offers his obeisances flat on the ground 108 times. He then moves on the next spot and again offers 108 obeisances. He counts his obeisances by moving the 108 rocks that are at his feet to the spot in front of his head. We can imagine at this pace how long it will take him to travel the 14 miles around Govardhan! The austerities we were experiencing by walking barefoot paled to insignificance when we saw the austerities this devotees was accepting in his worship of Govardhan.
Once we cleared Govardhan town we were able to leave aside the traffic and the hard concrete pavement for the more serene remote footpath.
We eventually reach Aniyor village. This village is named after the pastime when Krishna assumed the form of Govardhan and was eating all of the offerings that the Braja-vasis, the inhabitants of Vrindavan. were bringing to Him. No matter how much they brought Him, He was still not satisfied and kept calling out, "Aniyor, aniyor", which means "Bring more. Bring more." Finally when a tulasi leaf was also offered He became satisfied. And now even 5,000 years later this village retains the name Aniyor in memory of this pastime.
After some time we arrived at the sacred Govinda Kunda, the spot where Indra, the king of heaven worshipped Lord Krishna after realizing what a mistake he had made by sending the devastating storm to Vrindavan. There we gazed in wonder upon the beautiful Govinda kunda and Govardhan.
After Govinda Kunda we stopped for a delightful picnic sitting on a log at the foot of Govardhan.
Finally we looped around and began our journey on the opposite side of the hill. There were delighted to see a herd of Krishna's cows.
Krishna is the original cowboy. But He is not like the cowboys in Texas who herd the cows to the slaughterhouse. Krishna lovingly herds the cows treating them as his affectionate friends. How could we kill and eat a living being for whom we feel genuine affection? It is not possible. The world has a great lesson to learn from Krishna's Vrindavan pastimes, how to love and care for the cows.
Finally by 1:00 pm we returned to our starting point where our driver was patiently waiting for us to drive us back to the Krishna Balarama Temple in Vrindavan town. Now it is time to start thinking about Govardhan Parikrama for 2008!
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
With thousands of pranams,
Siva Prasad.
Therefore those who are serious for about becoming liberated from the cycle of birth and death fully take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master through the process known as initiation.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
We began in the early morning chill at 6:00 am. Our first stop was Manasi Ganga, the sacred pond created by Lord Krishna. To purify ourselves we took Manasi Ganga's sacred water upon our heads and then continued on our transcendental journey.
Manasi Ganga, our First Stop
One of the first things we saw was a man who was doing his Govardhan parikrama in a very slow way that will take many months to complete. In one spot he offers his obeisances flat on the ground 108 times. He then moves on the next spot and again offers 108 obeisances. He counts his obeisances by moving the 108 rocks that are at his feet to the spot in front of his head. We can imagine at this pace how long it will take him to travel the 14 miles around Govardhan! The austerities we were experiencing by walking barefoot paled to insignificance when we saw the austerities this devotees was accepting in his worship of Govardhan.
Once we cleared Govardhan town we were able to leave aside the traffic and the hard concrete pavement for the more serene remote footpath.
We eventually reach Aniyor village. This village is named after the pastime when Krishna assumed the form of Govardhan and was eating all of the offerings that the Braja-vasis, the inhabitants of Vrindavan. were bringing to Him. No matter how much they brought Him, He was still not satisfied and kept calling out, "Aniyor, aniyor", which means "Bring more. Bring more." Finally when a tulasi leaf was also offered He became satisfied. And now even 5,000 years later this village retains the name Aniyor in memory of this pastime.
Describing Krishna's Aniyor Pastime in Aniyor Village:
After some time we arrived at the sacred Govinda Kunda, the spot where Indra, the king of heaven worshipped Lord Krishna after realizing what a mistake he had made by sending the devastating storm to Vrindavan. There we gazed in wonder upon the beautiful Govinda kunda and Govardhan.
After Govinda Kunda we stopped for a delightful picnic sitting on a log at the foot of Govardhan.
Finally we looped around and began our journey on the opposite side of the hill. There were delighted to see a herd of Krishna's cows.
Krishna is the original cowboy. But He is not like the cowboys in Texas who herd the cows to the slaughterhouse. Krishna lovingly herds the cows treating them as his affectionate friends. How could we kill and eat a living being for whom we feel genuine affection? It is not possible. The world has a great lesson to learn from Krishna's Vrindavan pastimes, how to love and care for the cows.
Finally by 1:00 pm we returned to our starting point where our driver was patiently waiting for us to drive us back to the Krishna Balarama Temple in Vrindavan town. Now it is time to start thinking about Govardhan Parikrama for 2008!
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: How Can I Advance?
I am a married man and belong to Brahmin community and I am from Andhra Pradesh, India. How can I advance in spiritual world as I am a married man?With thousands of pranams,
Siva Prasad.
Answer: Chant under Guru's Guidance
If one chants the Hare Krishna mantra under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master it is does not matter whether he is married or single. In either case he can achieve the supreme destination.Therefore those who are serious for about becoming liberated from the cycle of birth and death fully take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master through the process known as initiation.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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