Tag Archive for: VrindavanaYogapitha

Mahanidhi Swami

For lovers of Radha-Krishna Vrndavana lila and sadhakas doing yogapitha dhyana, we herein present Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja’s portrayal of Priya-Priyatam’s Vrndavana Yogapitha from the Govinda Lilamrta.

Yogapitha Mandir and Surrounding Area

  1. Simhasana—Radha-Govinda’s simhasana (royal throne or seat). In the middle of the golden Yogapitha Mandir is a golden throne resting on the back of carved golden sunstone jewel lion with ruby eyes resting on his haunches. The ruby eyed lion supporting the simhasana (lion or royal throne/seat) has its front paws raised to appear like he’s flying. A golden umbrella spreads out above the simhasana.
  2. Surrounding Kunjas—Eight desire tree kunjas stand in eight directions around the Yogapitha Mandir. Each kunja has a small, jeweled cottage covered by intertwining desire creepers. Beyond the eight kunjas are circles of many more kunjas, each one double the size of the previous. There are circles of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 356, etc. individual kunjas around the Vrindavana Yogapitha.

Area Beyond Yogapitha

In concentric circles surrounding the Yogapitha Mandira and its thousands of keli-kunjas (love bowers) are the following:

  1. A Golden Glen—circle filled with jeweled paintings or statues of mating animals, birds and devatas to stimulate amorous feelings.
  2. Banana Grove—circle with thousands of banana trees full of ripened fruits, and cooling leaves due to natural camphor oozing from their trunks.
  3. Flower Gardens—circle blossoming with infinite varieties of inconceivably fragrant flowers.
  4. Fruit Orchards—with heavily laden trees bent down due to lots of juicy tasty fruits.
  5. Kunja Cottages—scattered among the various gardens and orchards wherein Vrnda’s vanadasis store paraphernalia for Radha-Madhava’s ratri-lila.
  6. Dense Forests—spread out beyond the orchards.
  7. Betelnut Tree Grove—with green, yellow and fully ripened fruits hanging within reach of the manjari’s graceful lotus stem arms.
  8. Coconut Groves—surround the entire area of Govinda-sthali Maha Yogapitha and border Yamunaji. The continuous line of trees looks like a necklace around the island.
  9. Keli Nikunjas—beyond the coconut groves and near Yamunaji’s banks are hundreds of secluded intimate pastime groves. These kunjas are formed from various trees and vines i.e. asoka, bakula, campaka, kadamba, mango, punnaga, vetasi; and vines of madhavi, malati etc. Many richly blossoming, verdant trees hang luxuriantly over Yamunaji.

Yogapitha Related Lila Sthalis

  1. Brahma Kunda: 5,000 years ago and in 2018, just northeast of the Yogapitha Mandir, which is exactly where the old Govindaji temple stands today, is Brahma-kunda!
  2. Gopisvara Mahadeva Mandira: today and then this popular temple is still just northeast of Brahma Kunda!
  3. Vamsivata: today and then this lila-sthali is still just northeast of Gopisvara Mahadeva Mandira! Govindaji relaxes on the jeweled dais (ratna-vedi) here to call the gopis to His side with His enchanting murali. Muralidhara Sri Syama ki jai!
  4. Yamuna Pulina: Just north of today’s ancient Vamsivata is a sandbar in Yamunaji where Rasabihari and the gopi ramanis blissfully dance in rasa [invisible today to most]. The brilliant sandbanks along Yamunaji appear brighter than camphor glistening in the moonlight. With her love-excited waves Yamunaji spashes all sides of the rasa-mandala. Hundreds of private pastime madhavi-kunjas and countless celestial flower gardens lie beyond Yamunaji banks. The sensational lotus footprints of Syama and the sakhis can always be found here, and seen even today by some!

Yamunaji’s Sevas:

Sri Yamunaji loving and personally serves Sri Sri Radha and Krishna in the following tasteful ways:

  1. Water Depth—to blissfully serve Syamasunda’s jala-keli lilas with His beloved damsels, Yamunaji varies her depths to either ankle, knee, waist, chest, head, or super deep waters.
  2. Scented Water—shaking the blooming red and white lilies in Yamunaji, excited bumblebees make the fragrant flower pollen fall into the water.
  3. Colorful Birds—swans, cranes, humming birds, nightingales, and others sing attractively and play on Yamunaji’s banks.

We hope this article will increase everyone’s loving appreciation for Sri Vrndavana Dhama, and also help the sadhaka’s dive deep into the blissful world of lila-smarana and manasi-seva in their beautiful eternal and divine spiritual forms, siddha dehas.

To dive deeper in the ocean of Krishna lila you can read chapter 21 of Govinda Lilamrta, Krishna Bhavanamrta or hear our Govinda Lilamrta audio narration on Soundcloud and mnsaudio.com

Sri Maha Vrindavana Yogapitha ki jai!  Sri Sri Radha-Govinda Yugala ki jai!

Sri Guru ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!

Part one of Yogapitha meditation is available here.

Mahanidhi Swami

For lovers of Radha-Krishna Vrndavana lila and sadhakas doing yogapitha dhyana, we herein present Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja’s portrayal of Priya-Priyatam’s Vrndavana Yogapitha in Govinda Lilamrta.

Vrindavana Maha Yogapitha

Before Their nightly rasa dance (ratri/nisa lila (10:48 p.m.-3.36 a.m.), Sri Sri Radha-Govindadeva meet Their beloved sakhis in a jeweled temple called the Yogapitha Mandir in Vrndavana. The entire area of Yogapitha appears like an island in Yamunaji. The island is formed by Yamunaji who rushes in from the north, divides into two branches flowing by the island’s east and west sides, and again unites in the south to form one gorgeous blue river. It appears like Yamunaji is holding Yogapitha on her lap with the arms of her beautiful waves.

From Yamunaji’s banks the island rises gradually to a small hillock shaped like a sea turtles’s back. More than fifty types of exotic trees embraced by fragrant flowering vines adorn the island. To facilitate learning lila and meditation, we present the individual features of Vrndavana’s Maha Yogapitha.

Names of Yogapitha

Govinda-sthali is the main name of Yogapitha which amazingly can change its colors according to time and the moods of Radha and Krishna. For various confidential reasons, the gopis call it Keli Mandir. When Sundari and the sakhis see Yogapitha, they succumb to sumptuous thoughts of Syama. The Vedas call it Gopala’s Simhasana Yogapitha.

The Urdhvamnaya Tantra mentions many deeply descriptive names i.e. Ananda Mandap, Candravali Duradarsa, Kandarpa Mandapa, Keli Mandir, Maha-madhurya Mandapa, Radha Saubhagya Mandir, Ratna Mandap, Sathrajya Mandap, Saubhagya Mandapa and Srngara Mandap.

Yogapitha Area General Description

From a drone view the entire golden-soiled area of Govinda-sthali, which stands on top of the hillock, looks like a huge lotus flower with thousands of petals. Each petal is actually a separate seva kunja of a specific sakhi for serving Syamasundara!

Trees: The trees include amaranth, asoka, asvattha (peepul), bakula, banana, banyan, betel, bilva, campaka, date and coconut palms, guvaka, jackfruit, jambu, kadamba, lodhra, mango, naga-kesara, parijata, plaksa, punnaga, tamala, and sandalwood. Water basins of different shapes and heights made of rare gems i.e. blue sapphires crystal, diamond, emerald, moonstone, and ruby surround each tree.

Desire Trees: The unlimited kalpa latas and vrksas (desire-fulfilling vines & trees) supply anything at any time. Fulfilling all Krishna’s seva needs, they regularly give lots of tasty fruits, fragrant powders, clothes, ornaments, scents and gems! The flower laden vines automatically form garlands for Krishna’s use. To satisfy Radha-Govinda, colorful jeweled swings decorated with fancy fabrics and flowers hang from the many desire trees.

Birds: Vraja’s birds attract and excite everyone with their skittish movements and jovial sweet singing. There are bharadvajas, cakoras, cakravakas, cranes, cuckoos, doves, haritas, mynas, parrots, peacocks, pigeons, roosters, sparrows, swans etc.

Animals: Assorted animals, including black stags and twelve species of deer i.e. Renku, Camaru, and Rohita frolic in the forests and nibble on the fresh grass in Vrndavana.

Kunjas: To excite loving hearts, the walls of Krishna’s jeweled keli kunjas have gem pictures of mating birds, animals and celestials. Colorful canopies hang over the beds of fragrant flower petals adorned with comfortable pillows.

Next to the beds are small tables with canisters of kajjala and kunkuma, crystal glasses, flower fans, jugs of honey nectar, mirrors of jewels, pan boxes, and perfumes. Aho! The kunjas look like jeweled temples, but the walls are merely flowering creepers and the roofs are just dense tree foliage.

Yogapitha Mandira Area

  1. Grounds—The central ground of Govinda-sthali is golden with jeweled designed borders surrounded by thousands of kalpa vrksa kunjas.
  2. Yogapitha Mandir—in the center of everything is the jeweled Yogapitha Mandir. The mandir is surrounded by a raised veranda with jeweled steps on four sides. Parijata, Mandara, Haricandana and Santanaka desire trees decorate its four corners.

From the four directions around the Yogapitha Mandir, there are four jeweled pathways down the hill to Yamunaji. Evenly spaced, super fragrant bakula trees line the paths. Colorful well-designed flower beds lie between the trees. At the end of each pathway are four beautiful jeweled bathing ghatas jutting into Yamunaji.

Radha-Govinda Yugala Vrindavana Yogapitha ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe! Jai Sri Krishna!

Read part two here.