Gokula (Mahavana)
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The Damodara-lila Pastime
Kuvera had two sons – Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who were followers of Rudra (Lord Siva). One day they both got drunk from Varuni-wine and with rolling eyes they began to play naked in the water of the celestial Mandakini-river with some Apsaras (heavenly damsels). At that time Devarsi Narada happened to pass by and when he saw the two Guhyakas he understood that they were drunk. The naked goddesses that accompanied the two immediately dressed themselves in great shame, afraid of a curse, but the two naked Guhyakas did not dress themselves. Hence the sage Narada angrily cursed them, saying: “You are intoxicated by lust and you are shameless like trees, therefore stay on earth embodied like trees!” Hearing the curse of the sage they came back to their senses and begged the sage for forgiveness. Then the sage said: “When a hundred celestial years have passed Bhagavan Sri Krishna will descend to earth, and at that time you will be redeemed, by His grace!” Following the curse of the sage the two Guhyakas took birth in Gokula a two Arjuna-trees.
One day the household maidservants were engaged in other works and Yasoda-mata was churning curd herself. At that time Sri Krishna became desirous to drink the breastmilk of her curd-churning mother, so just to awaken her love He held the churningrod and forbade her to continue churning. Yasoda Mata looked at the smiling face of Sri Krishna, who had climbed on her lap and made Him drink the milk that trickled from her nipples out of motherly love. Meanwhile the milk on the hearth became overheated and boiled over, so Mother Yasoda quickly ran there, leaving Sri Krishna behind in an unsatisfied state. Then Sri Krishna angrily broke the pot of butter with a stone, shedding false tears, and went outside of the house to eat the butter. Meanwhile mother Yasoda had taken the boiling milk from the fire and returned to her work of churning yoghurt, but when she came there that the yoghurt pot was broken. Seeing that this was the work of her son and that He had disappeared she went out to search for Him. Seeing His mother coming with a stick in her had Sri Krishna fearfully began to run away, and mother ran after Him. Seeing His mother’s endeavours the Primeval Lord Govinda voluntarily slowed down and mother caught Him. Loving mother Yasoda, understanding that her son was scared, threw away the stick and began to bind Him with ropes, but as she began to do so she saw that the rope was two fingers too short. Even when she collected all the ropes that the gopis possessed and all the ropes that she could find in her house mother could not bind up Sri Krishna. Seeing these endeavours of His perspiring mother Sri Krishna mercifully had Himself bound up in the end. Mother Yasoda bound her son around His belly to a grinding mortar and returned to her household duties. Because Sri Krishna was bound around His belly (udara) by this rope (dama) in the month of Kartika, this month is also called Damodara month.
The width of those two fingers represent what it is required to bind Krishna with our love. One is our enthusiasm and perseverance to serve, even in the face of all obstacles. Krishna sees that for his pleasure, are we getting discouraged by success or failure, honor or dishonor, pleasure or pain, happiness or distress, health or disease, victory or defeat. The second finger represents Kripa, Krishna’s kindness, Krishna’s mercy, because no matter how enthusiastic we are, or how we persevere, it is not enough unless Krishna reveals himself to us, by his own sweet will. It is a descending process. We could never know him.
Sri Krishna now slowly approached the place where the two trees were, dragging the grinding mortar behind Him. Sri Krishna came in between the two trees and the grinding mortar got stuck behind the trees in a crooked way. Then Sri Krishna pulled strongly at the grinding mortar and the trees along with their roots, broke with a loud noise and fell to the ground. Then suddenly Nalakuvara and Manigriva came out and began to offer praises and pay obeisances unto Sri Krishna, by whose grace they attained liberation. When Nanda and the other cowherds heard the sound of the falling trees they came to the spot and became doubtful when they heard that the trees had apparently been uprooted by the child. Seeing his son bound with ropes, pulling at the mortar, Sri Nanda Maharaja smiled and released Him from the bondage. This pastime took place when Sri Krishna was two years and three months old.
Pujari was telling that Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma rubbed their nose at the feet of Lord Krishna at this place for three days. If we rub our nose on Lord Krishna’s feet at this place, we will never rub our nose in this material world. If we touch our forehead onto Lord Krishna’s feet at this place, then our pride of property, pride of bhakti and pride of wealth will go away. We can also touch the offered water to our eyes and pray that it clear our vision.
Sanatana Goswami Gufa and Bhajana-sthala /
Patala Devi Mandira
Just opposite from Nanda Bhavana is an underground cave where Shrila Sanatana Goswami lived and performed bhajana during the time he stayed at Gokula. The cave is said to go underground for about thirty feet. One day Sanatana discovered a small deity of Yogamaya Devi in her form as Durga, deep within the cave which he named as Patala Devi, which is a name of the goddess Durga. He then began to worship this deity and many years later the cave entrance was excavated and made larger with a temple being build on the spot. Now, besides the original deity found by Sanatana, there is a much larger deity of Patala Devi or Durga.
According to the Bhakti-ratnakara, one day Sanatana was chanting on his beads near to where Krishna and Balarama played in the sand on the bank of the Yamuna, known as Ramanaka, and now called Ramana Reti, when he noticed some children playing nearby. He was particularly attracted by one very beautiful and charming little cowherd boy. After observing the boy for some time, Sanatana felt convinced that this was not an ordinary boy, but could be Krishna Himself, enjoying childhood games with the local cowherd boys. When the children stopped playing and went home, in order to clear his doubt, Sanatana followed this unusual little boy just to see where he was living. When the boy went inside a nearby temple, Sanatana also went inside, but to his surprise found himself alone inside a temple, with the little boy nowhere in sight, as if he had completely vanished. The only other person inside the temple was a deity of Madana-Gopala. Sanatana immediately bowed down before the deity and without uttering a word to anyone, and in a deep mood of contemplation, returned to his cave near Nanda Bhavan. The Bhakti-ratnakara also says that Sanatana Goswami went every day to have darshana of Madana-Gopala, whom he used to call Madana-mohana, due to the deities most bewildering (mohana) and inconceivable pastimes.
It is also said that when Lord Chaitanya visited Mahavana during His Vraja Mandala Parikrama, He also went to the temple of Madana-Gopala and felt great ecstasy while looking at the deity. Lord Nityananda also had darshana of Madana-Gopala some years earlier when He also came on parikrama to Gokula. The exact location of this temple is at present time not clear. The only known temple of a similar name in the area is the Gopala Mandira at Gopala Ghata on the bank of the River Yamuna, about half a kilometre west of Mahavana. According to the ancient records called Sevya-prakatya, Sanatana Goswami obtained this deity of Madana-Gopala as a gift from Parashurama Choube, a resident of Mahavana in 1534, after which Sanatana took the deity to Vrindavana where he installed Him on top of the hill called Dwadashditya Tila and later built a temple there called the Madana-mohan Mandira.