The week passed by as this incredible blur of activities in Vrindavan. I was staying with Yamuna and Dina Prabhus in an MVT flat, and we would get up around 1:30 in the morning (jet-lag or excitement?), and read together from Raghunatha Das Goswami's book, Vraja-vilasa Sthava; prayers glorifying Vrindavan and the Vrajavasis. I think that was my favorite part of the day. There was something so sweet, so magical about sitting in the holy Vrindavan Dhama, in the wonderful association of Yamuna and Dina, at the most auspicious time of the day, reading the sweetest book about Vrindavan. If just that was my whole experience of Vrindavan I would have been completely satisfied and blissful, but that was just the beginning of the day!
Around 3:30 we would go to Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi and chant upstairs, walking around the samadhi, till mangal artik around 4:15. Right after Prabhupada's mangal artik we would go to the temple room for mangal artik to the most beautiful deities. We would stay till after tulsi puja, and sometimes stayed to chant in the temple room, but generally went back to our rooms and took a nap (amazingly I was able to fall asleep after such incredible mornings!). After we woke up and had breakfast, Dina would take me to all the most incredible, wonderful places in Vrindavan.
First we went to Radha Damodara temple to offer our respects and obesciances to; Prabhupada's rooms, Sri Sri Radha Damodara, the amazing Govardhan sila of Sanatan Goswami, the Samadhis of Rupa Goswami, Jiva Goswami, and many others. What a powerful place! The spiritual energy coming from the samadhi of Rupa Goswami is indescribable, very overwhelming and intense. Somehow we were lucky and we were there right at the time when the pujari was making an offering, and he gave us a garland from Rupa Goswami's murti! Srila Prabhupada's rooms were also incredible, but in a very simple, sweet, and intimate way especially being there with Dina Prabhu. We also went to Radha Gokulanandan, Radha Raman, Radha Madan Mohan, Kaliya ghat, and so many many other temples. I can't possible describe how wonderful these places are, or how incredible it was to be with Dina and Yamuna there. Dina would tell me the stories about the places, and lives of the Vaisnavas and temples, and then we would go together and see those same places, and pray at the feet of the same Vaisnavas!! Despite all the pollution, the sewers, the monkeys, the beggars, the noise and crowds, with Yamuna and Dina there, I felt like I was really in the spiritual world. I couldn't see the opulence of Vrindavan but I could feel that there was something else there, and even with all my contaminations, and disqualifications I felt so so happy and blissful, like I have never felt before in my life.
We would come back for lunch, usually Yamuna Prabhu would cook something delicious, but otherwise we ate at the restaurant, or me or Dina cooked. After lunch we would finish chanting, read, rest, go to the temple bookstores, evening artiks, and early bed for another incredible day. Each day seemed more amazing and wonderful then the previous one!
On Ekadasi, me and Dina went on Vrindavan parikrama, early in the morning before the sun rose. As we were walking, the sky was getting lighter, and the most beautiful temple of Madhan Mohan was sillouetted against the brilliant sunrise. I will never forget that sight, with the birds chirping, bells and gongs playing, and insence blowing in the air, the real Vrindavan. When the sun finally came up, it was this huge red orb, rising right above the Yamuna river, all the boats with their colored flags bobbing gently on the water. Vrindavan is so beautiful! Of course, my camera batteries were dead that morning.
Another day, Dina took Haribhakti, Amal, Nadia, and me to see the Govindaji temple, and we even got to go into the cave of Rupa Goswami, where he found the Govindadeva deity! There is this ancient diety of Yogamaya there said to be 5000 years old, installed by Krsna's great-grandson. The deity is so beautiful, and so close to you, if you wanted you could easily reach out and touch her! Then Dina took us to the 64 samadhis, and to Bramha Kunda, Radha Raman temple, and a few other places. Every day was a new highlight for me! Every day was my favorite day! I wrote all these days in one entry, because I didn't actually keep a journal entry for these days, so I don't have the days really defined, they are just a jumble in my head. But after the 2nd or 3rd day of being in Vrindavan, we decided that Kar definately needed to come sooner, so we called him, and convinced to him to change his ticket for a week earlier! He would then get some time at the Govardhan retreat too. That was my first week in Vrindavan, somehow it went by quickly but each day felt like another drop of mercy on me. Being in Vrindavan is so intense, you become so acutely aware of how fallen, degraded, unqualified, and spaced-out you are, yet Krsna and His devotees are giving and giving and giving, this never ending flow of kindness and mercy, making you more aware of how much you don't deserve it! It's a very sweet kind of pain, if that makes any sense. All you can do is feel very very grateful.
I love you.
ReplyDelete