Jagat

kasyāpi divya-rati-manmatha-koṭi-rūpa- dhāma-dvayasya kanakāsita-ratna-bhāsam| atyadbhutair madana-keli-vilāsa-vṛndair vṛndāvanaṁ madhurimāmbudhi-magnam īkṣe || I see Vrindavan, filled with the gold and black jewel light of some Divine Couple, a duo of effulgent entities that is more beautiful than ten million RatiKama pairs. This Vrindavan has been immersed in the ocean of sweetness that is their most amazing loving dalliances. (1.20) Commentary We have been exploring the theme of the bhauma and nitya Vrindavan Dhams, which is really the underlying problem that the Vrindavan Today website seeks to address. Just as there are prakaṭa and aprakaṭa līlās of Radha and Krishna, the Dham also has its prakaṭa and aprakaṭa līlā . Prabodhanada Saraswati here is saying that he sees the nitya Vrindavan, and indeed, there is no point in looking at the Dham as merely another material place in the world. All religions have their sacred places, which are characterized b...

The Parikrama Marg in Vrindavan in 1974. Photo by Vishakha Dasi from Back to Godhead . The comments I write on these verses are based on the inspiration and mood of the moment. Here I myself slip from Prabodhananda's world to that of the present time. In fact, I believe that is part of the exercise that Prabodhananda is very definitely leading us on. This is being discussed here under the rubric of the bhauma Vrindavan, as it appears to us now in its current worldly manifestation, the lila that the Dham is having and that we, in contact with the Dham, are having. Lila means the story. A story begins with a vision, a revelation if you will, and then proceeds as the battle to give real shape to that revelation is undertaken. Rasa is success in achieving that vision. Underlying all visions is that of love, the cherished fantasy of "true love." This is what lies in the nitya-Vrindavan's innermost sanctum sanctorum. vāpī-kūpa-taḍāga-koṭibhir aho divyāmṛtābhir yuta...

I have been working for some time on Harilal Vyasa’s monumental commentary to Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi . About 170 verses of the 270 total have been completed. There will be two files in all cut exactly in half. Apparently Vyasa took a four year hiatus before doing the second half of the work. One feature that is more noticeable in the second half is the addition of many more verses from Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta . Three simple verses from Harilal Vyasa's conclusion to the Rasa-kulyā commentary: yatra yatra janur me syāt tatra tatra sadā tvayi | prītir nirargalā bhūyān prārthaye bhūri-bhūriśaḥ ||23|| śrīmad-vṛndāvane vāsaṁ dehi dehi vaneśvari | yadi naitādṛśaṁ bhāgyaṁ mā kurv āśā-vināśanam ||24|| āśā-nāśaṁ sarva-nāśam āśaiva paramaṁ dhanam | nārake'pi janur me'stu tvad-vanāśā vased dhṛdi ||25|| I pray profusely, O Radhe, that wherever I take my next birth, I should always have unbound love for you. O Queen of Vrindavan, please grant me residence in glorious Vrindavan. ...