Seeing Dhām Requires Transcendental Eyes

It is our great fortune that we are remembering, hearing, and singing the glories of the transcendental pastimes of Guru Mahārāja which take us beyond this fearful present situation of this material world through the pandemic. We get the feeling that Guru Mahārāja's merciful glance is on us all protecting us as said in the phrase avashya rakshibe kṛṣṇa vishvasa palana (maintaining firm faith that Kṛṣṇa will protect us).

Our remembrance of him by his mercy proves that we are in his thoughts; he is thinking of us—our wellbeing, our eternal welfare.  So, every moment we have to be grateful to Guru Mahārāja who is giving us the qualification to sing his glories and so, we have to offer our heartfelt thanks to him. Thus, yena kena prakarena (somehow or the other) we will sing Gurudev's glories, be it my personal experiences or my spiritual experiences, or Gurujī's pastimes, I will share them with you and we will have iṣṭa-goṣṭhī among ourselves and sing and listen to Gurudev's glories.  

In 1984 I participated in Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā for the first time. From that time, whenever I had been on Vraja parikramā, I got the association of Guru Mahārāja by his grace, even though it would be sometimes for a few days of the parikramā.  However, in 1990 and 1996, I could participate in the whole parikramā. During those parikramās of sixty-four kos, Guru Mahārāja used to be engrossed in a very different, unique mood that we were blessed to witness. Even in the pre-dawn hours, Guru Mahārāja would exhibit exuberant energy levels that would enthuse us and infuse us with such energy. And this energy level would prevail throughout the month-long Vraja parikramā.  Every moment Guru Mahārāja would be totally engrossed in his guru-sevā and showering his mercy on us all.  

Even during Param Gurudev's time, this parikramā was being conducted under his auspice and was completed only by walking or sometimes moving on ox-cart. The advance party would go beforehand, fixing tents and making arrangements for everyone's stay and prasādam. We also performed most of the parikramā by foot accompanying Guru Mahārāja and sometimes long distances were covered by bus.  The parikramā began in Mathura from Diwani dharamshala near Viśram-ghaṭ. At Bengali-ghat, the Lord's vijay-vigraha was seated there and served just like in our maṭha. The parikramā was conducted following Śrī Vigraha. Days began with early dawn aṣṭakālīya-līlā kirtans— first yam, and then we began parikramā while having darśan of deities along the way in various temples while yam-kirtans continued—thus, a wonderful multi-tasking of sādhan-bhajan ensued. 

In the last leg of the parikramā we came from Gokul-mahāvan to Vṛndāvan by bus, halting for a while at Bhatrol, (Brahman-patni stan) Akrūra ghat, on the way and finally came to the big maṭha in Vṛndāvan.  Now I will remember Vṛndāvan yatra we undertook. Guru Mahārāja would take us daily morning on Nagar sankīrtan, also to temples of Śrī Rādhā Dāmodar, then towards sevā kuñja, then towards Jāmuna, Chir ghat, Keśī ghat, Śrīngar ghat, then to Nidhuvana, then Dhīra samīra, Gopeśvara Mahādeva, Jñāna Gudadi, Brahma Kund, Veṇu Kupa, Dāvānala Kund, Śrī Gosvāmī Tirtha, and had darśan of various deities, the twelve forests, also the famous groves, ponds, and wells (kupa) of Vṛndāvan.  

Guru Mahārāja would first take us to Śrī Rādhā Dāmodar Mandir which is Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī's place where his bhajan-kuṭir and also his samādhi is situated.  Guru Mahārāja would exhibit a very different mood here. He would say, we are in our mula-stan (i.e. the origin, a prominent or principal place). We listened to Śrī-rūpa-mañjarī-pada kirtan there and performed four parikramās of this main temple which houses samādhis of various vaiṣṇava gurus on its premises—a most important place to visit for the devotees. After that, Guru Mahārāja led us to Śrī Rādhā Govindajī temple at Goma-tila where he narrated the incidence of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī being blessed by the service of Śrī Rādhā-Govindadeva.  From there, he took us to Imlītala which is a very special place in Vṛndāvan. 

When I went there in 1984, there was a very huge tamarind tree with many branches, one of which extended even to the roof of our Gauḍīya maṭha nearby; it was all green then. Over the years the tree became udāsa (dull, sad) and disappeared and now a new tree has been planted in the place. At the time we saw that tree, it was some five thousand years old—huge as a banyan tree.  Gurujī would narrate the story in this regard of how the place became famous during Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu's time. 

Once when Śrī Kṛṣṇa left the Rasa dance, he did not find Rādhārāṇī among the gopīs and He sat in the shelter of this tree in a very remorseful mood, in separation grief.  When gopīs came in search of Him, they found Kṛṣṇa in Gaurāṅga form crying Rādhe Rādhe and they could not recognize that He is Kṛṣṇa. Rādhārāṇī then appeared there and Kṛṣṇa slowly attains His dark complexion. Gopīs also desired to have darśan of Kṛṣṇa's Gaurāṅga rūpa and Kṛṣṇa told them He will appear as Gaurāṅga in Kali-yuga, taking the mood and bodily complexion of Rādhārāṇī.  his pastime place is Imlītala and that five-thousand-year-old tamarind tree was a witness to this pastime. I had darśan of that tree when it was fully green.  Also, the five trees at the bank of Śrī Rādhākunda who represent Pancha-Pāṇḍava also grew dull and vanished.  Yesterday I remembered a tree near Nanda Bhavan in Gokul-mahāvan which bears four different colored flowers is becoming dull and spiritless.  Slowly Kali-yuga's influence is increasing and the remembrances of the past yugas are fading from vision.

From Imlītala, Gurudev took us to Sevā-kuñja (also called Nikuñja) and he said, "After a long time I am visiting this place."  The place is full of monkeys. Gurudev sat near Lalita-kund and narrated to us about how Śrī Shyamananda finds nūpura (anklet) of Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī in sevā kuñja.  This is the eternal pastime place of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.  Even to this day as evening falls, all the people and even birds and animals vacate the place and the doors of the kuñja are locked. Guru Mahārāja said, "You wish to serve in this place and when you do so, monkeys will snatch your spectacles and run away." He continued,  "By our material eyes we cannot have darśan of Sevā kuñja, we need transcendental divine eyes, eyes of devotion, eyes of love, and these devotional eyes are bestowed by the mercy of Lord's pure devotees."  

Guru Mahārāja used to often remember one Meerabai kirtan: nitya nahane hari mile to jala jantu hoi doodh peene se hari mile to bahut vatsa bala hari mile to gau vatsa bala... meera kahe bina prema ke nahi mile nandalala.  We need transcendental divine eyes, not the eyes with which we lord over others; not with enjoying spirit, but with serving spirit. Then those transcendental pastimes of the Divine Couple will be revealed to us. This is darśan sāstra, the happening by revelation. This is the path of following (ānugatya) in the footsteps of pure devotees of the Lord.  Real darśan is that which will make it difficult for you to leave Vraja. Even the gross vision (sthula-darśan) of dhāma is beneficial for us. After this, Guru Mahārāja announced that we will be going to Belvan the next day.    

Gurudev is the grace-incarnate form of the Lord.  Therefore, only by Gurudev's grace, all these things will be revealed to us.  

—Śrī Rasavihari Das

Recorded call, posted on Youtube, 22nd May, 2020