Braj, 2018.01.13 (VT) In the wake of the circular issued by the Allahabad High Court, the district administration and the police department have been issuing notices to the temples and mosques of Braj to register or remove loudspeakers.

Organizations must register loudspeakers before 15^th January and will only be allowed to use the speakers on low volume between 10am and 6pm. Using speakers at higher volume or at non-permissible times will cause organizations to lose their loudspeaker permit.

To date, 20 organizations have applied for registration of their loudspeakers. Police have issued notices to more than 12 temples and 15 mosques to apply for registration immediately or remove loudspeakers.

Regional Officer of the Pollution Control Board, Dr Arvind Kumar, said that the loudspeakers are restricted by the order of the High Court and their use must confined to the limits set by the court.

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The trouble taken to visit various holy places is just the wandering of the mind, an error. All success comes from Govinda’s lotus feet. With firm faith, letting go of vanity and envy, always worship him and no other. (Prema-bhakti-candrikā 17)

tīrtha-yātrā pariśrama, kebala manera bhrama,
sarba-siddhi gobinda-caraṇa |
sudṛḍha biśvāsa kari, mada mātsarya parihari,
sadā kara ananya-bhajana || 

Exclusive Bhajana

Sudhā-kaṇikā Vyākhyā: In this verse, Srila Thakur Mahashay is instructing us to give up the mind-agitating endeavor of traveling to various holy places and instead to settle peacefully in a līlā-dhāma like Sri Vrindavan to perform exclusive bhajana in the association of devotees. tīrtha-yātrā pariśrama, kebala manera bhrama, sarba-siddhi gobinda-caraṇa. Here, it should be understood that tīrtha-yātrā means pilgrimages to holy places other than abodes of the Lord such as Sri Vrindavan, Nabadwip, Nilachala and so on that are favorable to one’s mood of worship. The reason is that among the sixty-four limbs of bhajana, there are five limbs that have been mentioned as extremely powerful sādhanas, and living in Vraja is one of them. In Sri Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, we find,

Associating with sādhus, chanting the names of the Lord, hearing Srimad-Bhāgavatam, living in Mathura and serving the Deity form with faith: these five limbs of sādhana are the best of all. Even a little contact with them produces love for Krishna. (2.22.128-129)

The purport is that a rāgānugā-sādhaka who desires prema at Sri Bhagavān’s lotus feet should take shelter of Sri Vrindavan, Nabadwip, Nilachala or other dhāma that is favorable to his mood of worship or which stimulates that mood. There, he shall always be engaged in internal bhajana such as hearing, chanting, remembering and so on in the association of great devotees who have a similar mood. He should not accept the trouble of traveling to and from various other holy places. This unnecessary travel causes the mind to be distracted and creates obstacles in one’s internal bhajana of remembrance and contemplation.

In the Vaishnava-toṣaṇī commentary to Lord Brahma’s prayers (jñāne prayāsam udapāsya, etc.. Bhāg. 10.14.3), it is written, sthāne satāṁ nivāsa evāvyagratayā sthitāḥ, na tu tīrtha-paryaṭanādi kleśān kurvantaḥ. “Rather than accepting the troubles of touring various holy places, one should spend his life in Vaishnava bhajana, staying peacefully in adhāma such as Sri Vrindavan, hearing hari-kathā in the association of the great souls who naturally reside there.”

Picture of Ranbari Krishnadas in the temple.

In the matter of bhajana-sādhana, the realizations of great devotees, like the words of śāstra, are one type of pramāṇa or source of evidence. When Siddha Krishnadas Babaji Maharaji of Ranvari, who lived in Vraja Dham, desired to visit the four dhams, Sri Radharani came to him in a dream and forbade him to do so. Thinking it to be only a dream, he traveled to the four dhāmas and in Dwaraka he had Vaishnava symbols called tapta-mudrā branded on his body. He returned to Vraja and that night Srimati Radharani again appeared in his dream and gave an order. She told him that since he had accepted the tapta-mudrā while in Dwaraka, he was now in Satyabhama’s group. Therefore, he should leave Vraja and go to Dwaraka. Then Bābā realized that his previous dream had been true, and being extremely repentant, he asked some other siddha mahātmās if there was a way he could expiate his sins. When no one was able to prescribe any atonement that would supersede Sri Radharani’s direct order, Baba’s body began to burn like dry wood in separation from Radha and was soon reduced to ashes. Through her own people, Radharani has given the instruction to the rāgānugīya-sādhakas that abandoning Vraja Dham, which is favorable to their mood of worship, and going to another dhāma will be antagonistic to the bhāva of a vraja-rasa-sādhaka.

Srila Thakur Mahashay says, tīrtha-yātrā pariśrama, kebala manera bhrama, or that it is nothing more than a delusion. If a sādhaka who desires bhakti thinks that by traveling to various holy places he will attain success in bhakti, this is a type of delusion for him. By traveling to different holy places, he will not be able to perform with firm faith the limbs of internal bhajana, such as hearing, chanting and remembering Sri Hari, that lead one to prema. By going here and there, he will associate with many different kinds of people and his mind will inevitably be agitated. By no longer running about from place to place and instead residing calmly in a prema-dhāma such as Sri Vrindavan, the sādhaka can faithfully perform bhajana to Sri Govinda’s lotus feet with his body, mind and words and be blessed with prema. For this reason, it has been said, sarba-siddhi gobinda-caraṇa. “All success lies at the lotus feet of Sri Govinda.”

If people who desire to obtain various results or who seek puṇya (virtue) think that by going to different holy places those objectives will be fulfilled, we say to them also that this is just a misconception. The good results from all tīrtha yātrās dwell at Sri Govinda’s lotus feet. If they give up the difficulties of going on tīrtha-yātrā and just worship Sri Govinda’s lotus feet, they can easily be blessed with an indescribable fortune much greater than what they desired. By his own virtue, compassion, Sri Krishna bestows prema-bhakti on them.

If a person who has other desires worships Sri Krishna, even without him asking, Krishna gives him his lotus feet. Krishna says, ‘If someone worships me to obtain sense enjoyment, he gives up nectar and prays for poison. He is a big fool. Being wise, why should I give sense enjoyment to this fool? By giving him the nectar of my feet, I shall cause him to forget all about sense enjoyment.’ When someone affected by material desire worships Krishna, he gets a taste for kṛṣṇa-rasa. Then, he gives up that material desire and wants instead to be Krishna’s servant.” (CC. 2.22.37-39, 41)

Then Srila Thakur Mahashay says, sudṛḍha biśvāsa kari, mada mātsarya parihari, sadā kara ananya bhajana. Previously, all the philosophical conclusions regarding bhajana have been described. Having established firm faith in that siddhānta, the Vaishnava sādhakas must perform bhajana. The faith that brings one the eligibility (adhikāra) for bhakti-sādhanā or bhajana is born of trust. śraddhā śabde biśvāsa kahe, sudṛḍha niścaya (CC. 2.22.62). According to the words of sādhu, śāstra and guru, trust or faith is known as śraddhā. A person who has unwavering trust is the best of the faithful ones and has the highest eligibility for bhajana (uttamādhikārī).

Moreover, a bhakta performing bhajana must give up pride, envy and so on because these are extremely destructive fundamental impediments to bhakti. If one is to obtain the supreme object, arrogance, vanity and so on must absolutely be abandoned. If one considers it carefully, it is seen that we regard our material bodies as ‘I’ and that connected to them as ‘mine.’ From this, pride or vanity arises. If the truth of the matter is understood, one’s sense of being the ‘doer’ is spontaneously removed. The nature of the jīva is that he is pure spirit and is disinterested in all physical objects.

All worldly activities are accomplished by the guṇas of prakṛti: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (Gītā 3.27). If one considers this, he will naturally seek shelter at Sri Bhagavān’s lotus feet and understand himself incapable of enjoying the things of the world. Then all pride and vanity are uprooted and one’s humility causes his own charming form to appear and illuminate his heart.

If mātsarya (envy) resides in the heart, one is deprived of the eligibility to worship Sri Bhagavān. In the beginning of Srimad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.2), we see nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām. “A virtuous or noble person who is free from envy is eligible for bhāgavata-dharma.” parotkarṣāsahanaṁ mātsaryam. Mātsarya is the name of that lowly, narrow or miserly mental function whereby one is unable to tolerate the excellent qualities of another, or doesn’t approve of the other’s qualities or becomes morose when he hears of those qualities. A person affected by envy finds fault with those whose qualities are superior to his own, is challenging and arrogant toward his equals and shows contempt or scorn for those less advanced. A person free from envy shows faith and devotion toward superior persons, love and friendship toward his equals, and affection and compassion toward those less advanced.

The desire for fame or honor also arises in the heart of a person affected by envy. By the semen of the outcaste named Mātsarya (envy) in the womb of the demoness called Pratiṣṭhāśā (desire for fame), the twin daughters Hiṁsā (malice) and Asūyā (jealousy) are born. By the frenzied dance of these two, the virtuous nature of the heart is completely destroyed. Therefore, the sādhaka must always avoid pride, envy and so on. Then Srila Thakur Mahashay says, sadā kara ananya-bhajana. In his commentary on the word ananyavṛttyā in Srimad-Bhāgavatam 4.7.38, Sridhara Swami has written, ananya-vṛttyāvyabhicāriṇyā bhaktyā. “It should be understood that ananya-bhakti (exclusive devotion) means avyabhicārī-bhakti (constant devotion).” It is contrary to pure devotion to have any other desire than to serve Sri Krishna. Therefore, ananya-bhajana means giving up all desires related to the material or spiritual worlds and worshiping Sri Krishna for his happiness only. In his explanation of the word ananya-bhāk in his commentary on Bhagavad-Gītā 9.30, Srila Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written, ananya-bhāk matto’nya-devatāntaraṁ mad-bhakter anyat karma-jñānādikam, mat-kāmanāto’nyāṁ rājyādi-kāmanāṁ na bhajate sa sādhuḥ. “The practitioners of ananya-bhakti do not worship any devatās besides me, do not practice karma, jñāna or anything other than devotion to me, and have no place in their hearts for any other desire, such as for a kingdom and so on, than the desire to serve me. They are true sādhus.”

Later on in this book (verse 19), Srila Thakur Mahashay will also say, hṛṣīke gobinda-sebā, nā pūjiba debī debā, eita ananya-bhakti kathā. “I shall serve Sri Govinda with my senses. I shall not worship other gods or goddesses. I shall only speak of pure devotion.”

The temple of Siddha Krishnadas or Ranbari.

The above is taken from the translation of Prema-bhakti-candrikā by Hari Charan Das. The commentary is by Ananta Das Babaji, Mahanta of Radha Kund.

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2018.01.13 (VT) At a meeting at Delhi Parliament, a delegation from Vrindavan, including Radharaman Temple’s Padma Nabh Goswami, met with a 4 Union ministers to discuss strategies to protect Vrindavan’s famous Keshi Ghat. The ministers assured the Vrindavan delegation that everything possible would be done to preserve the beauty and integrity of Keshi Ghat.

The Vrindavan delegation included Sant Anand Swarup, Sohan Lal Jha, Dr. Mayank Sharma, Bankelal Sharma and Padma Nabh Goswami.  The delegation met with Union Home Minister Hansraj Ahir, Union Minister for Finance, Shiv Pratap Shukla; Union Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javedkar and Minister for Food Processing Industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

The ministers gave assurances that, along with the cleaning of the Ganga and Yamuna, the Central Government is making every effort to beautify the ghats and that a special action plan to preserve the ghats of historical and archaeological importance is being finalized.

The Vrindavan delegation invited the ministers to visit Vrindavan and attend the aarati at Keshi Ghat.

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Lucknow, 2018.01.13 (Times of India, with input from DJ) : The UP government is planning to rejuvenate the almostbarren Govardhan Parvat, which has huge mythological significance for Hindus, by reviving flora of Dwapar Yug along its 21-km perambulation path. The Indian Agriculture Research Institute (Delhi) and the Dehradun Wildlife Institute have been roped in for the project in Mathura.

The Yogi Adityanath government is planning to promote the state’s religious sites for tourism in a big way. Yogi had formed the Brij Tirath Vikas Parishad just two months after Rampur assuming office.

The CM, who is also the chairman of the parishad, has tasked it to find five varieties of trees: kadamb, karoli, tamal, pakkad and pilkhan (ficus virens) and develop the vegetation around Govardhan Parvat to resemble what has been described in the sacred texts.

Mythology has it that Lord Krishna picked up Govardhan hill, and held it above his head with his little finger for seven days to protect villagers from incessant rain, a result of the wrath of Indra.

In the team, Shri Kant Chandola of Apex Grade of Forest Department, Prof. Amit Kotia, Jharkhand specialist from Uttarakhand, Jai Prakash, Ranger DP, Deputy Inspector Brajesh, including Neera Radia’s son Akshay Radia.

A team of botanical scientists, led by Dr. G.S. Rawat from Dehradun’s Wild Life Institute, arrived in Govardhan on Saturday in order to carry out a survey for the greening of the hill. The team inspected dried-up trees, roots buried under the soil, scattered branches and took soil samples for testing. They are testing the soil and water to see what is needed to revive this flora.

Dr. Rawat said that his team is exploring the possibility of returning the 21-km length of Govardhan Mountain to its legendary greenery. Ancient plant species will be found by looking at historical and religious books and species that are currently extinct in the area will be revived.

Dr. Rawat said that the Govardhan is geologically one of the oldest mountains in the world, around three and a half trillion years old. Its roots are so deep that in a manner of speaking, the is whole world is standing on it. By way of comparison, the Himalayas are mere babes. He pointed out one tree and said that it was 175 years old.

Another member of the team, Akshay Radia, said that after completing the survey, the team will present their report to the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad.

Making Govardhan an Ayurveda Hub

According to Radia, one of the purposes in greening the mountain of Akshay Radia is to cultivate medicinal plants from the Ayurveda materia medica. He said that he is preparing a list of such plants and that this work will be carried out with the help of local residents, who know that traditionally there were always many Ayurvedaic herbs growing there. “It is clear that if we can make Govardhan hill greener, then Ayurvedic medicines will also grow,” said Dr. Radia.

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Govardhan, 2018.01.14 (VT): After the government announcement on Friday that a Shrine Board has been formed to take over the principal temples of Govardhan town (Mukharavind, Danghati and Mansi Ganga), there has been an expected show of displeasure from the priests of the temples. They have told the SDM that he can expect a movement in opposition to the proposal.

Sevaiyats from the three temples held a meeting at Danghati Girls Inter College on Saturday in which they showed their strong opposition to the takeover of the three temples. The priests said that it was tantamount to deliberate harassment of the priests who depend on the temples for their income. It will also affect the worship conducted there. They said this was an attempt to suppress the independence of the priests.

The priests warned that they will start a movement against the proposal. After the meeting was completed, the sevaiyats marched to the Govardhan Tehsil office, chanting anti-government slogans. On arrival they handed over a memorandum intended for the Chief Minister to the SDM D.P. Singh.

Participating in these events were Ramakant Kaushik, Shyam Sundar, Sonu Lambdar, Manish Laxdar, Prakit Kaushik, Member Pawan Kaushik, Navneet, Ras Bihari, Hari Purohit, Mukesh, Laxmi Narayan, Sunil, Ram, Raju Fauji, Manoj Kaka, Ganesh Pehlawan, Janardan Tiwari , Kapil Bohra etc.

In Vrindavan also, a meeting held at the Sanatan Sanskar Dham, Anand Vatika, where speakers expressed their reservations about the formation of the Govardhan Shrine Board.  They feel it will affect the rights of the brahmins and priests, temple services and the income of the sevaiyats. There are about four lakhs of brahmins in Braja Mandal. More than half of these are involved in pilgrimage and temple services for their livelihood.

Acharya Nagendra Dutt said the BTVP (Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad) should move forward only after consultation with the brahmin community.

Acharya Ramvilas Chaturvedi said that if any steps are taken in opposition to the to the brahmins contrary to the dictates of religion and shastra, then protest is inevitable.

Atulkrishna Goswami and Bihari Lal Vasisht said that the proposal to change darshan times at Bihariji and the formation of Shrine Boards should be abrogated.

Akhilesh Shastri, Madan Gopal Banerjee, Manoj Shastri, Kapil Pandit, Dr. Punit Kaushik, Shyamsundar Dubey, Ravi Sharma, Balakrishna Gautam, Krishun Murari Sharma, Manish Sharma, Mohan Sharma, Anmol Dikshit, Ram Babu Sharma, Anandgopal Mishra, Dr. Gopal Chaturvedi were some of the people present.

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The DM Sarvajnaram Mishra expressed strong displeasure at delays in the development work envisioned under the HRIDAY scheme. He said responsibility for the delays will be assessed and officers held accountable.

On Friday, a meeting of the City Level Advisory and Monitoring Committee was held in the Collectorate Auditorium to discuss the implementation of the HRIDAY scheme.

The committee conducted a review of beautification projects on the Parikrama paths around Vrindavan and Govardhan, as well as around the Sri Krishna Janma Sthan.

The DM said that works costing Rs 8 crore out of the 35 crores allotted in the HRIDAY are impossible to execute. He asked the Braj Foundation, the authors and executors of the Vrindavan detailed project report (DPR), why they had not been able to foresee that these tasks would be removed. He wanted to know why these moneys had not been earmarked for other development works.

It was decided by the committee that they will conduct a survey on Sunday. The members decided unanimously that the remaining 8 crores should be spent in one place.

Beautification of the Kalidah parking lot was included in the cardiovascular scheme when it had already been included by the tourism department in the Pro-Poor Tourism project. See here.

Shailjakant Mishra, Vice President of Brij Tirth Vikas Parishad, said that whatever beautification work is done in the area will be in line with religious sentiments.

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Mathura, 2018.01.15 (VT) The famous classical bhajan singer, Padma Shri Anoop Jalota, was in Mathura on Sunday at the Art Tree Kathak Center (कला वृक्ष कत्थक केंद्र) in Vishwalaxmi Nagar.

Jalota carried out Saraswati pooja and sang soulful bhajans for the audience, inlcuding Meera Bai’s wonderful bhajan expressing her single minded devotion, Aise lage lagan Meera ho gayi magan (Meera’s absorption in service).

Speaking to media, Jalota said that he is translating the Bhagavad Gita into Urdu. The bhajan maestro explained that he realized the need to do a simple translation when he was performing in Pakistan. Jalota, who performs ghazals as well as bhajans, understands that art will never heed the limits of caste and creed.

Braj’s famous Kathak dancer, Geetanjali Sharma expressed her gratitude to Jalota for giving his blessings to the students of the Kathak centre. Geetanjali recently met with CM Yogi Adityanath to discuss the importance of recognition and encouragement for India’s artists. Geetanjali‘s kathak performances are renowned for their expressive gracefulness.

Geetanjali is currently choreographing a dance to Jalota’s composition “बांसुरी टूटी और राधा रूठी (Flute broken, Radha crying). Jalota said that the dance centre is an important step towards cultivating the talent of Braj and continuing the ancient Kathak tradition.

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Braj, 2018.01.15 (VT) Mathura-Vrindavan’s Mayor, Dr Mukesh Aryabandhu and other dignitaries, as well as temple Goswamis and ordinary families gathered yesterday for celebrations on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Makar Sankranti is a day of giving. It was traditionally celebrated by distributing sesame sweet balls (til ki laddoo) and Khichdi. As the festival fell on Sunday, thousands made the pilgrimage to Vrindavan to take snan in the Yamuna and visit temples, although police said that the number of pilgrims was down from last year.

At a program at Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Mathura, Mayor Dr. Mukesh Aryabandhu, MLA Puran Prakash, Acharya Mridulkant Shastri, Chancellor of GLA University, Narayan Das Agarwal and Dr. Krishnakumar Kanaudia celebrated Makarsankranti with Khichdi. Chief speaker, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh‘s, Vijay Banta Agrawal said that Makar Sankranti is considered one of 6 major festivals of the year. Makar Sankranti  marks the end of the month long Khichdi festival in many temples.

P.C. jagran.com

Temples around Braj, including Banke Bihari Temple, offered Khichdi to Thakurji. The North Central Railway Vendor Committee distributed khichdi prasad on the trains that stopped at Mathura station. RLD members distributed snacks at Mathura State Children’s Home and BJP members distributed blanket to widows.

Vaishanavas celebrated the day as the anniversary of Lord Chaitanya taking sanyasa. It is said that the people of Katwa Village were shocked and distressed at Nimai’s announcement that he was entering the renounced order. The barber who cut his hair at first refused but later relented to Nimai’s insistence. The barber cut Nimai’s hair with tears in his eyes and, after cutting the Lord’s hair, vowed to never again cut anyone’s hair.

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Mathura, 2018.01.15 (VT) CM Yogi Adityanath has scheduled his 5^th visit to Mathura since he came to power as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi will visit on 11^th February to unveil a statue of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay at Mathura Veterinary University and Cow Research Institute. UP Governor Ram Naik will also attend the ceremony. Veterinary

The university waited for 2 months to receive the response to their request to attend the inauguration of the statue, so there were celebrations when the dignitaries finally agreed to attend.

The statue cost approx. Rs20 Lakh (US $30,000) and was made by artists in Rajasthan.

Mathura Veterinary University was founded in 2001. The university recently made news when it announced plans to expand its Cow Research Institute. The university also offers free training for women in the latest techniques and ancient tradition of cow seva.

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Govardhan, 2018.01.16 (VT) Vishvendra Singh, arrived at Govardhan with hundreds of supporters on Sunday.  Singh is the son of the last ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur and is currently MLA for Deeg-Kumher Constituency in Bharatpur district, Rajasthan. Speaking to media, Singh said that the Supreme Court has ruled that the temple’s rightful managers are the Bharatpur Royal Family Religious and Ceremonial Trust. He said that the Supreme Court has verified that the Mukharavind temple belonged his ancestors and now it belongs to the Trust. He said that the government does not have higher authority than the Supreme Court, so they cannot lawfully acquire it.

Braj’s Brahmins are fighting what they see as an attack on the Brahmin caste, whose role has traditionally been to guide society onto the right path.

At a meeting on Monday, Brahmins affected by the Government’s acquisition bid decided that they will do whatever is necessary to stop the acquisition, even going as far as deliberately courting arrest to fill the jails and paralyze the legal system.

Protest meeting, P.C. jagran.com

The Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad (BTVP) has been accused of acting without consulting the families involved. If the BTVP manages to acquires the three temples it is seeking – Mukharavind, Danghati and Mansi Ganga– almost 3000 people will lose their income. There are over 400,000 Brahmins in Braj and it is estimated that over half of them rely on temples and related activities as their main source of income.

Some locals have welcomed the BTVP’s announcement that they plan to use temple income for development, cleaning and greening of Goverdhan, however, many others (who are not directly involved in temple management) feel that it is a break with tradition that will erode the tradition of giving ‘daan’ (temple donations). Priya Joshi said, “If Government organizations take the money from temples and use it to install garbage bins and what not, it makes giving donations at the temple seem like voluntarily paid taxes.”

Another issue that needs to be worked out is that the temples already have court appointed receivers who have been regulating the distribution of temple income. The receivers distribute temple income between the Goswami families and charitable causes. Dalchand Chaudhary, the receiver at Danghati temple said, the temples charitable activities provide scholarships for children from 350 families; supports widows, and provides funds for the marriage ceremonies of girls from poor families. Chaudhary said that the existing system should not be interfered with.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.16 (VT) A meeting of cow protection activists was held at Jiva Institute on Monday to discuss methods of protecting the cattle who wander the streets of Braj. The newly formed group is planning to build a hospital for cows in Vrindavan, with a 24 hour service ambulance.

Raseshwari Dasi, who convened the meeting said,“this is the first time that all the different groups of devotees serving street cows have met in one place to discuss possible solutions for street cows. It was a very special meeting. I called all of them because I have seen that joining forces for a cause is the only way to make things happen.”  

There are approximately 200 head of cattle living on the streets of Vrindavan, most of which are bulls. Kamal Narayan Das reported that he has seen lorries and other vehicles on the Parikrama Marg at night rounding up stray animals. Different strategies for counteracting this illegal trade were also on the agenda.

Cow protection activists from Braj and nearby districts were present at the meeting, including: Dr. Naresh Sharmaji, director of Kamadhenu Trust, India’s largest bovine ambulance service and hospital; Renu Priya mataji; DC. Kamal Narayan Das; Bipin Bihari Das from Faridabad, Anjali Mataji and her husband Sri Kant; Kausalya mataji; Prahlad-Nrsimha Das, Namanuragini Devidasi and Vishnu Vrajavasi.

At the end of the meeting, Sri Satyanarayan das babaji came to give his auspicious presence and blessings for the project.

The need to protect street cows was once again brought to light on Sunday when a truck carrying 17 smuggled cows was captured by police. The truck, which was headed towards Agra, turned onto the dirt road at Mahuan village to avoid the checkpoint at the toll booth. Finding that the village road was impassable, the driver fled, abandoning the truck and cows.

After passing a medical examination, the cattle were sent to Mataji Goshala in Barsana. Acting Station Officer in charge of Farah Police Station, Yashpal Singh, said that the truck has been seized by police and the owner will be prosecuted.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.16 (VT) A traditional marriage ceremony was held at Vrindavan’s Rang ji temple on Sunday. The proceedings included elaborate pre-marriage rituals, an exchanges of gifts and garlands. Goda Devi was taken for snan (cleansing bath) in the Yamuna and there was a separate procession for Sri Ranganathji. Sri Ranganath’s procession circled the temple accompanied by traditional South Indian instruments and followed by hundreds of devotees.

Both Sri Ranganath and Srimati Goda Devi were covered in haldi paste then dressed in exquisitely ornamented garments. There was a ceremonial welcoming of Lord Ranganath by Goda Devi’s father, Vishnuchit Suri, with pan-supari and textiles presented to Sri Ranganath.

Marriage mantras were chanted, flower garlands were offered and Goda Devi was adorned with a traditional mangal sutra necklace.

Hundreds of devotees came to witness the ritual which was followed by a sumptuous feast.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.17 (VT) Yesterday, Banke Bihari temple was as crowded as on any festival day, but, the usual random cries of “Banke Bihari Lal ki jai!” were more scarce than usual, as many of the visitors were keeping a mourn vrat (vow of silence). Many people keep a vow of silence for the entire day on Mourn  Amavasya, instead spending the day quietly chanting mantras to themselves.

Many of the visitors arrived at the temple after taking snan (bath) or darshan of the Yamuna because Mourn Amavasya is considered a particularly auspicious day for bathing in the Yamuna and Ganga. It is  believed that, on this day, the pantheon of gods and goddesses descend to take a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati. It is said that taking snan during this period is particularly effective for washing away the harmful effects of sins, which hamper our progress in devotional life.

Mourn Amavasya is celebrated on the new moon of the lunar calendar month of Magh. The month of Magh is considered a particularly auspicious month for religious activities, giving charity and fasting. Makar Sankranti and Basant Panchmi also fall in the month of Magh.

Basant Panchmi will be celebrated on 22^nd January. On this day, Saraswati pooja is held in almost every home in Braj and thousands of students will offer their pens to Saraswati Devi at the Saraswati Temple (next to Katyayani Temple), which opens only once per year for the festival of Basant Panchmi/Saraswati pooja.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.17 (VT) Plans for an information center, connected with the parking lot at Kalidah have been released. The center will offer information about the pilgrimage places of Braj.  Souvenirs and snack food will be available for purchase and the complex will include public toilet facilities.

The information centre is in close proximity to Banke Bihari temple on vacant municipal land next to the parking lot at Kalidah on Parikrama Marg.

The information centre and public toilets are a much needed addition to the tourist services in Vrindavan.  Under the HRIDAY scheme, greening and beautification of the Parikrama Marg is currently being carried out. The information centre will include open areas and will have a garden.

Engineer RK Gautam said that the centre will cost around Rs60 Lakh (US$95,000) to build. The centre will offer information and maps of Vrindavan and the entire Braj Mandal. It is estimated that up to fifty people will be able to use the centre at once.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.18 (VT) The heads of Vrindavan’s temples are demanding a more democratic administration that respects the autonomy of Vrindavan and its temples. At a meeting on Wednesday in which more than 15 of Vrindavan’s main temples were represented, the attendees decided to petition the Government to ensure that Vrindavan’s temples and tirtha purohits are represented on governing bodies such as the BTVP.

The Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad (BTVP) has recently irked heads of temples by interfering in temple management and proposing to use temple revenue for town development works. The meeting was chaired by Shri Gopinath Lal Dev Goswami, president of the Vrindavan Devalaya Sangh. Attendees demanded that the intervention in the operation of the temples and deity worship by the Government must end immediately and each temple must protect its autonomy and purity.

Shri Gopinath Lal Dev Goswami said that the land in Vrindavan should be worshiped. Vrindavan is a holy pilgrimage site and it is wrong to merge it with Mathura as has been done by the current Government.

Throughout history, Vrindavan has been separate from Mathura. Mughal Emporer Akbar, established Vrindavan as a town separate from Mathura and Vrindavan was given legal status as a nagar palika (municipality) in 1865, one year before Mathura got official recognition.

The temple heads who attended the meeting included: Shaligram Temple’s Sri Ram Bohre; Shrivatsa Goswami of Radha Raman temple, Srimati Krishna Goswami of Gopinath temple; Sri Vijay Kishore Goswami of Madan Mohan temple, Acharya Naresh Narayan from Sri Goda Hardev temple, Sri Pradumna Pratap Maharaj of Meera Bai temple , Tamal Krishna Das of Imli Tala, Deepak Goswami of Bade Daoji temple, Sri Shah Prasant of Shahji temple, Goda Bihar temple’s Sri Vrindavan Acharya, Vanshivat’s Sri Govind Mahant, Yamuna temple’s Shri Siddharth Shukla and Purnacharya Goswami from Radha Damodar temple.

Jagannath Poddar was unanimously appointed as the Chief Executive of the Vrindavan Devalaya Sangh. Other local leaders also attended the meeting to support the temple heads in their bid to ensure a future for Vrindavan that is free from the arbitrary interference of authorities.

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Govardhan: 2018.01.18 (VT) Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) ran a campaign in Govardhan recently to bring some relief to widows in the area. The NGO which is primarily engaged in educating and empowering underprivileged Brijwasi girls, is now expanding its services so that more under privileged people can be helped.

Manager Yogesh Sharma said that, for the past 26 years, FFLV has been engaged in teaching and training girls from the poorest families of Braj. As part of its services to girls and women, the organization has begun to expand its services to widows. FFLV regularly carries out widow feasts and distribution of needed items at its headquarters in Vrindavan, but this was the first time that the organization has organized a program for the widows of Govardhan.

Over 550 widows received items that they are much in need of but find difficult to purchase on small pensions. All of the widows who attended the program received packages including cooking oil, clothing and snack foods.

Food for Life Vrindavan started a small school in a rented room in 1991, and now has more than 1400 girls studying across three campuses. The NGO also frequently organizes cleaning drives, plantation drives and awareness camps.

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P.C. amarujala.com

Mathura, 2018.01.18 (VT) Mathura police station is being bombarded by people who are demanding that an illegal slaughterhouse near Janma Bhoomi be closed down immediately. The slaughterhouse was previously sealed by police, however it has once again begun its operations.

It is estimated that around 20 animals are being slaughtered on the premises every day. The police are aware of the activities however they have not taken action to shut down the slaughterhouse.

Despite the ruling of the Allahabad High Court that activities that hurt Hindu sentiments are not allowed to undertaken near places of pilgrimage, and despite the Yogi Government’s positioning itself as an upholder of Hindu faith and tradition, the slaughter of animals is going on in the vicinity of Sri Krishna’s birthplace.

In the last week, almost two dozen people have filed reports at the police station about the slaughterhouse including  Vijay Bahadur Singh, Prem Singh and Harvendra Chahar. If action is not taken immediately to permanently close down the slaughterhouse, they will take their complaint to the Chief Minister.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.18 (VT) Visitors are to Banke Bihari temple on Vasant Panchami (22^nd January) will get showered in colour as the Holi festivities get under way in Bihariji temple from Vasant Panchami, the day that is said to mark the beginning of the end of winter.

In other temples around Braj, Holi also begins from Vasant Panchami with special Holi bhajans and performances. Rakesh Tiwari from Mathura’s  Dwarkadhish temple, said that there is a 40-day Holi in Braj, with the festivities starting from Vasant Panchami.

Kapil Sharma, secretary of Sri Krishna Janma Bhoomi Seva Sansthan says that, on Vasant Panchami, yellow colour will be offered to Thakurji.

On Vasant Panchami, Radha Ramanji will wear a garland made of the small yellow mustard seed flowers that cover the fields of Braj at this time of year.

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Mathura, 2018.01.18 (VT) Plans are being finalized for the Yogi Government’s visit to Braj during Holi. CM Yogi Adityanath previously announced that he will attend the Lathmar Holi in Barsana on 24th February and will be accompanied by several ministers.

On Wednesday, officers mapped out the route for the official’s tour of Braj. The Superintendant of Traffic Police, Dr. Vijay Kumar, CO Jagvir Singh Chauhan and Inspector Sunil Toumar inspected the helipad, meeting place and the route from Mataji Goshala to Radharani temple (Maan Mandir).

The visit is part of the Yogi Government’s work to promote places of pilgrimage. Already, plans for a cultural center in Barsana have been announced and it is expected that the minister will make further announcements about plans to develop Braj’s infrastructure during his stay.

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Mathura, 2018.01.18 (VT) A fifteen member team of officers, including Mayor Dr Mukesh Aryabandhu completed a training program in Chandigarh on Thursday. The officers received training  in the implementation of Central Government schemes including Swachh Bharat, the Smart City scheme, the protection of heritage sites and the AMRIT scheme.

Swachh Bharat and the Smart City scheme are being run throughout the nation, whereas the AMRIT scheme is only applicable to selected areas. Work on building public toilets and toilets in every home to end open defecation; garbage collection and street cleaning are covered under Swachh Bharat, whereas the  Smart City scheme has seen multi level parking lots constructed at strategic points at the entrances to Vrindavan.

Under the AMRIT scheme (Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment), the Ministry of Health provides medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.  The scheme, which began in 2015, has seen the opening of a chain of AMRIT pharmacies which provide affordable drugs, implants, surgical disposables that are not dispensed free of cost by Government hospitals.

The training also covered the running of sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, storm water, drainage and the methods of preparing detailed reports about the work being carried out.

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