Vrindavan, 2018.01.20 (VT) Sandipani Muni school celebrated its annual ‘New Year Gift Festival’ by distributing gifts to all of the children who study across the organizations three schools. Chief guest, Justice Sanjay Kumar Yadav, Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority, Mathura, said that it is lovely  to see so many students receive  gift packs that include everything from a school bag to tasty snacks and sweets. He said that the smiles on the student’s faces are precious.

 Justice Yadav praised the work of Sandipani Muni school, saying that educating children helps to secure their future and and improves society. He said that everyone wants children to receive a good education, especially girls who come from impoverished families, but only a few organizations, like Sandipani Muni school are helping to make this a reality.

The school’s management and principals were present at the occasion, including Niraj Saigal, Rajendra Singh, Seemant Sharma, Sunil Lavaniya, Srimati Kamala, Nikunjavasini  Devi, Sukshi Prathibha Sharma, Dhatreyi Devi Dasi, Chaitanya Nitai, Yogesh Sharma and Sri Radhika Dasi.

The program was well attended by locals and foreign guests. After the gift distribution, all enjoyed lunch prasadam, which was prepared in the school’s kitchen and offered to the school’s Giriraj-Thakurji.

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Mathura, 2018.01.20 (VT) In an all day program at Mathura’s Ma Rangeshwari Temple, Langur monkeys, which are sometimes called, ‘Hanuman monkeys’ were worshiped as great devotees. During the program, which began at 9am and went through the night, over 500 girls  were worshiped as forms of the divine mother.

The temple took on am amazing atmosphere, drenched in the aroma of flowers, perfumes, food offerings, incense, ghee and milk. Lines of flowers filled the temple room which resonated with the sound of bhajans and the chanting of Durga Saptashati, the ancient scripture describing Durga Ma’s destruction of the demon Mahishasura and incarnating as Lakshmi, who empowers wealth, creation and happiness.

The temple’s director, Ashok Maidas, told media that the program started in the morning at 9am with the anointing of the deities with perfume, pachamrita and rose water. The feast for devotees began at 11pm and continued until late in the night. A havan ceremony was held from 3-5, after which laddoos were offered to Ganeshji, Ma Rangeshwari, Sri Rangeshwar and  Hanumanji.

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Lucknow, 2018.01.20 (VT) A delegation of sadhus, under the leadership of Narayan Dwivedi of the Brahmin Mahasabha, met with Chief Minister of state, Yogi Adityanath yesterday.

The delegation expressed their gratitude to the CM for the 10 acres that the government has reserved for the building of samadhis for Braj’s sadhus. After several years of campaigning, the request for a sadhu burial ground has finally been granted.

The CM told the delegation that he is working on increasing tourism to Braj and is developing the area because, when people visit the place of Sri Krishna’s lilas, they become more devoted.

The delegation included Mr. Uma Shakti, Pethadishwar Swami, Ramdevand Saraswati, Mahant Fuldol Bihari Das, Mahant Chundamani, Captain Harihar Sharma from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Foundation) and Sanjay Chauhan.

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May Śeṣa-śāyī Sri Krishna, whose tender and enchanting lotus feet Sri Radha wanted to place on her breasts for her own happiness, but then changed her mind because she was afraid that her breasts were too hard for his feet, arrange for my staying in the enchanting meadows of Vraja.

yasya śrīmac-caraṇa-kamale komale komalāpi
śrī-rādhoccair nija-sukha-kṛte sannayantī kucāgre
bhītāpy ārād atha nahi dadhāty asya kārkaśya-doṣāt
sa śrī-goṣṭhe prathayatu sadā śeṣa-śāyī sthitiṁ naḥ

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises Śeṣa-śāyī (which is at the northernmost tip of Braj Mandal, just beyond Kosi). Here Sri Krishna lay down on the bed of Ananta just for fun and Sri Radharani served his lotus feet just as Lakṣmīdevī serves the lotus feet of Śeṣa-śāyī Bhagavān.

e śeṣa-śāyī kṣīra samudra ethāte,
kautuke śuilā kṛṣṇa ananta śayyāte;
śrī rādhikā pāda-padma koroye sevana,
ye ānanda hoilo tāhā nā yāya varṇana 

“Here at Śeṣa-śāyī is the Kṣīra Samudra (Milk-ocean) where Krishna lay on the snake-bed Ananta just for fun. The bliss that was felt when Sri Radhika then served his lotus feet cannot be described.” (Bhakti Ratnākara)

Raghunath Das Goswami says: “When Sri Radharani served Sri Krishna’s lotus feet she wanted to keep these feet on her breasts for her own happiness.” Here own happiness means the happiness that nourishes Sri Krishna’s happiness, because the gopīs can never have any other purpose than Sri Krishna’s happiness.

ātma sukha duḥke gopīra nāhiko vicāra;
kṛṣṇa sukha hetu ceṣṭā mano vyavahāra.
kṛṣṇa lāgi āra sab kori parityāga;
kṛṣṇa sukha hetu kore śuddha anurāga

“The gopīs do not consider their own happiness or distress. All their thoughts and activities are aimed at pleasing Krishna. For Krishna they have given up everything else. Their pure passionate love exists only for Krishna’s happiness.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta)

Hence, wherever there is a mentioning of the gopīs’ personal happiness it must always be understood to be Krishna’s happiness.

ataeva sei sukha kṛṣṇa sukha poṣe;
ei hetu gopī preme nāhi kāma doṣe

“Therefore this happiness nourishes Krishna’s happiness, hence there is no fault of lust in the love of the gopīs.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta)

This secret is revealed in this part of the śloka: bhītyāpy ārād atha nahi dadhāty asya kārkaśya-doṣāt “Sri Radha did not want to place Sri Krishna’s tender lotus feet on her breasts, afraid that they would be too hard for him.” When she served Sri Krishna’s lotus feet Sri Radharani wanted to hold them on her beautiful breasts, but when she brought these very soft feet, that are adorned with endless beauty and sweetness, to her breasts she felt as if her hard nipples struck them, and so she decided not to place them there.

Here it should be specially noticed that a lady-love naturally goes beyond herself of bliss when she carries her lover on her breasts, but Sri Radharani did not lose herself of bliss when the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, whom she loves more than a million life-airs, touched her, for her only aim is Sri Krishna’s happiness. Her heart was filled with a fear that overruled her own desire for happiness, and thus she did not place Sri Krishna’s lotus feet on her breasts anymore. Thus the complete absence of desire for personal happiness, that is known to the rasika devotees, has been manifest.

Actually one of the signs of the gopīs’ rūḍha-mahābhāva is: tat-saukhye’pi ārti-śaṅkayā khinnatvam “They are anxious that even the things that please Krishna may give him pain.” When Rasika Śekhara Sri Krishna places his feet on the breasts of the Vraja-devīs, then his happiness is clearly visible on his beautiful face, because it is simply not possible that the lover will be unhappy when he has his feet on the breasts of his ladylove. Still the Vrajadevīs think that Sri Krishna will be unhappy when they do this. This is the private treasure of the Vrajadevīs’ ecstatic love, which is not accessible to any other consort of the Lord, like Rukmiṇī or Satyabhāmā. The Vrajadevīs revealed that themselves in the night of the Rāsa-dance in the last verse of the Gopī-Gītī (10.31.19):

yat te sujāta-caraṇāmburuhaṁ staneṣu
bhītāḥ śanaiḥ priya dadhīmahi karkaśeṣu
tenāṭavīm aṭasi tad vyathate na kiṁ svit
kūrpādibhir bhramati dhīr bhavad āyuṣāṁ naḥ

The Vrajasundarīs, though separated from Sri Krishna, sang to him: “O dearly beloved! We carefully hold your delicate lotus feet to our breasts, afraid that our breasts will be too hard for them. You are our very life, and we are very worried about your tender lotus feet when they tread the forest paths covered with pebbles and thorns!”

All these feelings are manifest in the most wonderful and amazing way in mādanākhya mahābhāvavatī (who is endowed with the topmost love of God known as mādana) śrī-kṛṣṇa-priyā-śiromaṇi (the crown jewel of Sri Krishna’s beloveds) gopī-varīyasī (the best of all the gopīs) Sri Radharani. Raghunath Das Goswami says: “May Śeṣa-śāyī Sri Krishna, whose tender and enchanting lotus feet tender Sri Radha wanted to place on her breasts for her own happiness, but then changed her mind because she was afraid that her breasts were too hard for his feet, arrange for my staying in the enchanting meadows of Vraja”.

śeṣera aṅga śayyāya, śrī aṅga helāye tāya,
pāda-padma prasārita kore
cira viśrāma kore yāhā, śeṣa-śāyī nāma tāhā,
sadā lakṣmī pada sevā kore

“The Lord, as Śeṣa-śāyī, reclines on the snake-bed of Śeṣa, spreading his lotus-legs out and resting there forever, his feet served by Lakṣmī-devī.”

sei to bhāvete kṛṣṇa, śrī rādhāra saṅga tṛṣṇa,
śeṣa-śayyāya korilo śayana
śrī kṛṣṇa caraṇa tala, kamala hoite sukomala,
rādhā korena se pada sevana

“In that mood Krishna, eager for Sri Radha’s company, reclines on the bed of Śeṣa while Radha serves his footsoles, that are more tender than lotus flowers.”

komalāṅgī bhānu-sutā, atiśaya bhaye bhītā,
śrī caraṇa nāhi dhare buke.
āmāra karkaśa hiyā, ati sukomala ihā,
ei cinti stabdha hoiyā thāke

“Tender-limbed daughter of Vrishabhanu fearfully thinks to herself: “His feet are so tender and my breasts are so hard”, and thus does not place his lotus feet on her breasts. She is always stunned by these thoughts.

śeṣa-śāyī śrī govinde, minati padāravinde,
kṛpā kori goṣṭhe dāo vāsa
śrī rādhāra saṅge tomā, sadā bhaji e vāsanā,
e dīnera pūrāo abhilāṣa

“This wretCh humbly prays at the lotus feet of Śeṣa-śāyī Sri Govinda: Please fulfill my desire and allow me to live in Vraja and always worship You and Sri Radha there!”

Commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī), and was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Amrita Tarangini.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.22 (VT) Sadvi Ritambara Didima is about to conduct a workshop to guide parents in bringing up children in this confusing age. As well as running a hostel and CBSC school for over 400 girls, Samvid Gurukulum is now inviting all of the parents in Braj to attend an interactive session with Didima to discuss how to keep children on the right path.

The session will cover topics such as: Making children modern in terms of knowledge and yet Indian in terms of moral values; keeping children away from addictive substances and parenting techniques.

The session will be held at 3pm on Friday 3^rd February at the Samvid Gurukulum Senior Secondary school campus.

Samvid Gurukulum is leading the way in producing educated girls with an understanding and respect for India/Braj’s ancient culture and traditions. The school often opens its doors to children from other schools in Braj by holding competitions and personality development camps.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.22 (VT) At an eye camp held at Vatsalyagram Vrindavan, patients from states including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab received underwent surgery.

Kamalaben Babulal Parikh Charitable Trust sent a the team of doctors headed by Dr Shyam Agarwal to perform the operations. The team of doctors and nurses visits Vatsalyagram every few months, whenever a donor is found to fund an eye camp.

During the eye camp, which ran from 18^th-21^st January, 578 patients were examined and 270 underwent surgery to replace the cataract covered lenses in their eyes with new lenses. Dr Umashankar said that the staff worked together “like a family” to serve the patients.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.22 (VT) Vrindavan’s temples celebrated Vasant Panchami today by offering colour to Thakurji and sharing the prasadi (offered) colour with the visitors. In most temples, the pujaris put small tikha marks of colour on people’s foreheads, however visitors to Banke Bihariji were not spared from a full onslaught of coloured powder sprayed from the altar.

Bihariji’s Ashish Goswami said that today marks the beginning of the fourty day Faag Mahotsav (celebration of eternal love). The festival is celebrated by the singing of special ‘Faag’ bhajans, which are sung throughout the Falgun month to celebrate the joyful games of Radha-Krishna and the onset of spring.

The hall at Shahji Temple

Another of Vrindavan’s historical temples, Shahji Temple, opens a special hall which is decorated with coloured chandeliers and mirrors which make for an enchanting atmosphere. The temple was build in 1863 by Lucknow’s Nawab, Fundan Lal Shah. The temple’s director,  Shah Prashant Kumar, said that, apart from Vasant Panchami, the hall is also opened on one other day – the Trayodashi of the month of Shravan (August-September).

Pilgrims from far and wide took the opportunity to visit Vrindavan’s temples to have darshan of their beloved Thakurji covered in spring flowers. While some schools were open, many were forced to close due to the heavy traffic across Vrindavan.

Saraswati Temple, Vrindavan

Many of Braj’s students made a trip to Vrindavan’s Saraswati temple, which only opens for one day of the year, on Vasant Panchami. The pujaris go to great lengths to make the atmosphere festive by decorating the temple with flags and balloons and distributing sweets. Children who have the day of school hang around the temple all day, while others make a stop at the temple on their way home from school to present pens and notebooks which the pujari painstakingly ties with ceremonial threads. Situated behind Rangji’s garden, in a field of yellow mustard flowers, Saraswati temple is a special place for students and all of those who bow their heads to mother Saraswati knowing that whenever we speak or sing, she sits on our tongue.

The sunny weather made the occasion seem even more festive. It is said that the Vasant Panchami is primarily a North Indian festival because the contrast between winter and summer is greater in the North. Vasant Panchami is celebrated as the fifth day of spring. Yellow predominates and women celebrate the occasion by wearing yellow or gold saris, however, the weather still necessitates sweaters and shawls.

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Mathura, 2018.01.23 (VT) Across the banks of the Yamuna from Vishram Ghat, at Visanganja, is a temple that pays homage to the great saints of Braj: From Durvasa Rishi who was a strict follower of austerities; to the gopis who brought food for him from across the Yamuna; to Gadi Baba, a great saint who achieved liberation through performing austerities at the temple – Durvasa Ashram reminds us of the lilas of the great saints of Braj.

Statue of Durvasa Muni at Gadi Baba’s Samadhi, P.C. seekersinn.com

While it is possible to reach the ashram by car, many like to make trip by taking a boat ride across the Yamuna. The tradition of crossing the Yamuna to reach Durvasa Muni goes back 5000 years, to when the gopis asked Krishna to help them cross the Yamuna so that they could take food to Durvasa Muni. Sri Krishna advised the gopis to bow to Yamuma Mata and ask for passage. On the way back, Durvasa Muni gave the same advice and Yamuna Maya once again stopped the flow of her waters to allow the gopis to pass.

Yesterday, hundreds of Mathura residents, villagers and tourists, danced and sang (see video) on the auspicious occasion of Vasant Panchami (spring festival). The temple has deities of Durvasa Rishi, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, SriSri Radha Krishna and Srimati Yamuna Devi and is also home to Gadi Baba’s Samadhi. Yesterday, the deities were beautifully decorated with flower garlands and the air was filled with bhajans and the chanting of vedic mantras.

Durvasa Muni is best known for the altercation he had with Ambarish Maharaj. Durvasa muni arrived as a guest at Maharaj’s house and but refused to take food before having a bath in Yamuna. The time for Maharaj Ambarish to break his Ekadashi fast was approaching, so he took a sip of water. This greatly angered Durvasa Muni who felt insulted that his host did not wait for him. Sri Vishnu sent his sudarshan chakra to protect Maharaj Ambarish and when Durvasa Muni begged him to call it off, Sri Vishnu said that only Maharaj Ambarish could make the chakra stop, so Durvasa muni was forced to humbly apologize to Maharaj Ambarish, imparting a powerful lesson to all that Vishnu’s love of his devotee knows no bounds.

Durvasa Muni is said to be plenary incarnation of Lord Shiva, which explains his propensity to be easily pleased and easily angered. It is said that he bestowed the bendiction on Radha Rani that, whatever she cooked would be sweeter than nectar. He was a devotee of Lord Shiva and a sage of great power who could travel to the Vaikuntha planets.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.23 (VT) Widows, the aged and destitute women will soon have the opportunity to be productively employed in producing perfumes, incense and other products from flower garlands.

The project will be managed by the District Legal Services Authority and the UP Government’s Woman and Child Development Corporation (Mahila Kalyan Nigam). Women living in Chaitanya Vihar’s Woman’s Ashram will take part in the program, which is being designed to help make them become self-reliant.

Madhu Mangal Shukla said, “The Allahabad Supreme Court recently issued a directive to improve services to widows”. In their efforts to provide a dignified life to women in Vrindavan’s shelters, the Woman’s Corporation is working to provide women with new skills and employment opportunities.

It is hoped that the flower recycling project will also have environmental benefits as it will lead to fewer flower garlands being thrown into the Yamuna. The flower recycling project will also give relief to temples as it provides a solution to the problem of how to dispose of prasadi (offered) flowers.

At a joint meeting, Government officials met with representatives from Vrindavan’s temples and volunteers. Officials from the Women’s Corporation and the Pollution Control Board as well as Justice Sanjay Kumar Yadav, Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority Mathura were present. Local leaders including social worker Pratibha Sharma; the manager of Banke Bihari Temple, Munesh Sharma; the manager of ISKCON Temple and the Director of Friends of Vrindavan, Jagannath Poddar were also present.

The local leaders discussed the methods by which flowers can be transported from temples to the Woman’s shelter and offered their support for this novel project.

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Kosikalan, 2018.01.23 (VT) In a mass wedding ceremony designed to end the stigma that girls face as being a burden on their families and relieve poor families of the pressure of having to pay for their daughter’s wedding, 111 couples were married on stage at a program held on the auspicious occasion of Vasant Panchami.

The program was conducted by Prabhat Jagruti Manch and Jai Shani Dev Seva Samiti under the Chief Minister’s Group Wedding Scheme. As well as the families of the couples involved, members of the public also attended the ceremony.

MP Srikant Sharma

MP Ram Niwas Goel

The couples received blessings from dignitaries such as State Power Minister-State Government Member for Mathura,  Mr Shrikant Sharma and Kokilavan Mahant, Premdas Maharaj. Premdas Maharaj lit the lamp to begin the ceremony and Delhi Legislative Assembly member, Ram Niwas Goel. addressed the audience, saying that daughters are precious and due to collective marriage ceremonies, respect for the daughters is increasing.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.24 (VT):  For devotees wanting to miss the crowds in the Vasant Room at Shahji Temple, the room was opened for one more day on the day after  Vasant Panchami. Despite the rainy weather, devotees flocked to see the Vasant Room, which is only open for 3 days in a year (It will open again on Hariyali Teej in the Rainy Season).

The Vasant Room at Shahji temple

Devotees enjoyed soulful bhajans and prasadi sweets as well as the aroma of perfumes and the flowers that filled the temple.  (See video) Lord Shah Bihari (also known as Chota Radha Raman Lal) was beautifully decorated and the coloured lights made for an entrancing atmosphere.

The architecture of the temple is also an attraction, as it features the only spiral columns in Vrindavan. Built in 1863 by Lucknow’s Nawab, Fundan Lal Shah, the temple has a palatial appearance.

Despite the crowds, no one was inconvenienced as the temple management arranged that there was an orderly procession of devotees through the temple.

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The international airport at Jewar will be 86kms from Vrindavan, compared to the 183km distance from Delhi airport to Vrindavan.

Jewar, 2018.01.18 (HT)Spread over 5,000 hectares with four runways, the proposed International airport at Jewar will be ‘India’s biggest’, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), the nodal agency for the project, said.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport is spread over an area of 2,066 hectares. The IGI airport is projected to reach its full capacity by 2023-24. The Delhi airport currently handles 60 million passengers per annum, which is likely to be doubled by 2023.

On Tuesday, Union civil aviation secretary Rajeev Nayan Choubey reviewed the ambitious project at the office of Yamuna expressway industrial development authority (YEIDA), the nodal agency for the project.

Choubey, along with members and aviation experts from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), were briefed for four hours at the Yamuna authority’s office in Greater Noida’s Sector Omega-I, following which the officials left for an inspection of the site near Jewar.

The government expects the Jewar airport to be operational in the next five to six years and cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years.

“The authority has enough land along the Yamuna Expressway, hence the airport can be expanded if needed. It will be the biggest international airport in the country,” said Shailendra Bhatia, officer on special duty of YEIDA.

The civil aviation secretary wants Jewar airport to start operations before the Delhi airport reaches its full capacity, Bhatia said.

YEIDA and the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration are scheduled to start land acquisition for this ambitious project in July, groundwork for which has already started.

“He (aviation secretary) has asked us to issue bid document by August 2018 to select a developer. As per the timelines fixed, we will have to be ready with the bid document before August this year. He said that the IGI Airport will be saturated by 2024 and the aviation sector will grow manifold. Therefore, the Jewar airport project will become biggest of its kind in India. And, of course, it will be bigger than IGI when developed to its full capacity,” said Prabhat Kumar, chairman of the YEIDA.

IGI airport has three independent runways and by next year it will add a fourth runway. Officials said that in the first phase, Jewar will have two runways and in the second phase two runways will be added with a potential for further expansion in phase 3.

“In terms of size, Jewar airport project will be the biggest in the country because 5,000 hectares of land has been earmarked to begin the project. The IGI airport is spread only on 2,066 hectare area and the Navi Mumbai one does not have land for expansion. Initially, Jewar will not be able to compete with IGI in terms of flight traffic. But yes, the project could be India’s biggest because it has huge potential to meet growing aviation needs,” said aviation expert Captain Gurcharan Bhatura, director general, Foundation for Aviation and Sustainable Tourism.

Choubey, along with aviation experts, reached YEIDA’s office at 11.30am, where Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) gave a presentation on the progress and the timelines to be followed for the project. PwC was hired by YEIDA in December 2017 for preparing the techno-economic feasibility report (TEFR).

Choubey directed the PWC to study all new airport projects such as Delhi, Navi Mumbai and Kochi to find out hurdles that they faced at the stage of development.

“PWC will study and list hurdles, which normally an airport project faces. It will help in resolving those hurdles well in advance and save our time, which gets wasted on unnecessary processes. It will help us in completing all formalities in advance and select a developer as per timelines,” said Kumar.

The UP government has expedited the work for this project and the union government is also supporting this project with an aim to create investment and employment in this region.

The Union civil aviation ministry on June 24, 2017 had given its approval to build an international airport at Jewar.

In 2001 then UP chief minister Rajnath Singh had proposed the Greenfield Taj International Airport and Aviation Hub (TIH) in Jewar. L&T Rambol Consulting Engineers had in 2004 prepared a draft of TEFR. Later, the draft was revised in 2008. In 2010 then chief minister Mayawati had also supported the aviation project at Jewar. Now again in June 2017 central government revived the project, which remained stuck for many years.

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Mathura, 2018.01.25 (VT) Protesters stopped a train and burnt an effigy of film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Padmavat is not being shown in BJP run States and cinema managers in Mathura have confirmed that no cinema in the area will show the film.

On Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of activists gathered at Mathura’s Bhuteshwar Railway Station.The members of several Kshatriya organizations were involved, including the Karni Army and Braj Mandal Kshatriya Rajput Mahasabha (BMKRM). The Chairman of BMKRM, Kunwar Narender, was particularly active in the protests; standing on the train’s engine carriage and shouting that the film must be banned to protect morality. After 4 minutes of demonstrations, the train was able to depart from the station.

A contempt petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Karni Army and the State Governments because the film is approved for showing by the Central Board of Film Certification. Only the Central Film Board has the authority to decide which films are fit for showing, however, even after gaining approval, it is not possible for Padmaavat to be shown and many acts of violence have been committed in the name of the protection of morality.

The Central Film Board asked for the following changes to be made to the film before allowing its release:

1. Change the disclaimer to one that clearly does not claim historical accuracy.
2. The title is to be changed from Padmavati to Padmavat– as the filmmakers have attributed their creative source as the fictional poem Padmavat, and not history.
3. Modifications to the song Ghoomar, to make the depiction befitting to the character being portrayed.
4. Modifications to the incorrect / misleading reference to historical places.
5. Addition of a disclaimer which clearly makes the point that the film in no manner subscribes to the practice of Sati or seeks to glorify it.

The release of the film was originally planned for the beginning of December, but was delayed until 25^th January due to protests and court cases. In a case filed in the Supreme Court by petitioner-advocate M.L. Sharma, Mr Sharma argued that the film is a character assassination of the 13^th Century Queen Padmavati, because she, “was not a dancer. She was a warrior’s wife and a warrior herself”

The Supreme Court refused to interfere in the work of the Central Film Board. Chief Justice Misra reprimanded Mr Sharma, saying, “Pleadings in a court are not meant to create any kind of disharmony in a society which believes in the concept of unity in diversity.”

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P.C. padmanabhdas.org

Vrindavan, 2018.01.24 (VT):  The 398th festival of Sri Sri Radhika Nayananda was celebrated on Monday. Devotees from Surma Kunj in Pattharpura sang Harinam kirtan during a shobhyatra (parade) which filled the streets of Vrindavan with joyous singing of the holy name.

The festivities began at Surma Kunj in the morning with an abhishek using the five nectars (panchamrita: honey, liquid jaggery, milk, yogurt and ghee). After the abhishek, a maha-aarati was held in which 108 substances were shown to Thakurji, including camphor, incense, fragrant flowers etc.

After the aarati, Mahant Premdas Shastri led the shobhyatra kirtan party around the streets of Vrindavan. At the front of the parade were images of Sri Sri Radhika Nayananda, Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda prabhuji together with great Gaudiya Vaishnavas including: Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami, Mukunda Das Goswami and Roop Kavishwar Goswami.

Many great devotees and Goswamis accompanied the parade, including:  Mahant Fuldol Biharidas, Mahant Sacchidanand Das, Mahant Dinadayal Das, Mahant Brajbandhu Das, Radhakamal Das, Murli Das, Ramsevak Das, Pran Krishna Das, Jay Sharma, Jagadish Neelam,  Govind Gautam, Vinod Shankar, Ravi Sharma, Shatrugan Sharma, Vishnukant Sharma, Buddhiprakash, etc

Sri Krishna Das Kaviraj

About the temple: Sri Surma Kunj has a dignified place among the most of the ancient temples and kunjas of Shri Dham Vrindavan. In ancient times, this place was a cluster of shrubs with leaves and creepers. Gaudiya Vaishnava acharyas, namely Sripad Raghunath Bhatt Goswami and Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami performed bhajan in this place which was once secluded.

Around four hundred years ago, Sripad Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami composed Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, the unique gem of devotional literature. Later on his disciple Sripad Mukunda Das Goswami constructed a temple here and established the deity worship.

The samadhis of Sripad Mukunda Das Goswami and Sripad Roop Kavishwar Goswami are also in Surma Kunj . The temple grounds include the bhajan kutir of Shri Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami. The temple is not so well known but is an  important place for Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

The deity of Sri Nayanananda ji is said to have manifested from Radha Rani’s heart in the year 1620, and was presented to Sri Mukunda Das Goswami by Radha Rani herself. Similarly, the deity of Srimati Radha Rani manifested from Sri Krishna heart, and the Lord himself gave it to Mukunda Goswami.

The Miraculous story of the appearance of the deities

According to the history of this temple, Sri Radha Govind ji invited Shri Mukund Das Goswami to Vrindavan , after giving darshan in the dream. He was born in a royal family of Multan in 1640. Getting his order in the dream; he came to Vrindavan relinquishing his family life. After reaching here he took initiation from Sri Krishna Das Goswami and remained absorbed in intensive bhajan.

Sri Mukunda Das ji took a vow to have darshan of Sri Radha Govinda ji. He stopped taking food and water and only took the dust of Braj, engaging himself in severe sadhana. He lost his power of vision. Seeing his probability of death the most merciful Srimati Radha Rani’s heart melted and she told Shyam Sundar, “O beloved, would you not bestow your mercy on Mukund? Did you call him from Multan just to kill him like this?

Then Govindaji, with His sweet smile said, “O Kishori ji, how can I shower my mercy on him, without your order?” “Now let us go and give him darshan. On hearing these sweet words from Sri Radha Govind, he received transcendental power. He got up and sat down. But he could not see anything as he had lost his vision. Then  out of mercy, Radha Raniji applied black kohl (Surma) on his eyes and provided him with transcendental vision. Then the deities of the Divine Couple were given to Mukunda Das by the divine couple. (read more)

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.25 A group of 15 students who are cycling from Bhopal to Delhi to raise awareness about about reducing pollution and untidiness in India made a stop in Vrindavan, where they visited Shanti Seva Dham on Chatikara Road and spoke to media.

The students reached Vrindavan on 23^rd and expect to reach Delhi on 25^th, where they will meet Prime Minister Modi. Under the Swachh Bharat movement, PM Modi has been encouraging all levels of government to improve sanitation.

One of the students involved in the rally, Anjali, said that there has been a lot of publicity about “Swachh Bharat”, but, “people can take it for granted. We want to remind people to be stringent about cleanliness because, clean India is healthy India.”

The students on the cycle tour are from the Bhopal School of Social Sciences. They are accompanied by five teachers, making a group of twenty. Vishal, one of the teachers accompanying the group, said that the group cycles around 100km per day, making stops to spread the message of public hygiene.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.26 (Vishakha Ramos): A wise sadhu once said that the meaning of seva (service) is trying make your Beloved happy. Shri Radharaman Charan Das Babaji Maharaj (Boro Babaji) always attached the greatest importance to seva of Shri Radha-Krishna and the Vaishnavas. Doing seva can be blissful, he taught, but we should not forget about our Beloved’s happiness in the process. This is explained by the following lila:

Once in Nabawip there was a debate about the nature of prasad. Boro Babaji believed that prasad never becomes impure, no matter who has touched or tasted it. Others disagreed. Some of the Vaishnavas felt that this rule only applied to the mahaprasad of Jagannath Dev in Puri. But Boro Babaji argued that all prasad was spiritual and could not be defiled. The discussion went on for three days, and Boro Babaji finally won.

He decided to celebrate by organizing a feast, and he invited all the Vaishnavas of Nabadwip to take Prasad. He asked his disciple, the great saint Shri Ramdas Babaji, to perform kirtan.

Ramdas Babaji started kirtan early in the morning. Suddenly in the midst of the kirtan he began to sing “arey amar nitai re!” – “Oh my Nitai! Oh my Nitai!” and burst into tears. He continued to sing this single line for a long time. He wept as he sang, and everyone who was listening also cried tears of blissful separation.

Shri Radharaman Charan Das Babaji (Boro Babaji)

But because of the kirtan, the priest was unable to offer the midday meal (rajbhog) to Shri Radha and Krishna. The kirtan continued well past noon, as Ramdas Babaji had lost all consciousness of time.

At last, Boro Babaji came and said, “Ram! You only know how to cry in Kirtan. You don’t know how to do seva. It’s already past noon and your Kirtan has not stopped! Just think – Shri Krishna is still sitting there waiting to be fed. He is hungry, but we cannot serve his lunch because of your Kirtan. The Vaishnavas are also very hungry. You have no idea how much they are being inconvenienced.

“Service is the life of love. It is good to be absorbed in Kirtan, but never forget the service of your Beloveds. Their happiness is more important than anything else.”

The Kirtan was immediately stopped. After Shri Radha and Krishna were fed, the Vaishnavas happily took prasad. Then Boro Babaji himself sat down to eat. He looked around and said, “Where is Ram?”

Someone said, “He is sitting on the bank of the Ganges and weeping.”

“Oh! He is angry!” said Boro Babaji, and called for Ramdas Babaji to come.

Ramdas Babaji came looking very sad, with his eyes fixed on the ground. Boro Babaji embraced him lovingly and said, “Look, a devotee has to be very attentive. You have to take special care that you do not cause harm or inconvenience to anyone at any time. Kripa (mercy) of Shri Guru and the Vaishnavas is our only hope, so we have to be very careful not to offend them in any way.”

Boro Babaji held Ramdas Babaji by the hand and made him sit down next to him to take prasad. As he ate, he kept placing bits of sweets and other foods from his own plate onto the plate of Ramdas, saying, “Taste this, Ram! This is delicious!” Ramdas’s heart became peaceful. (V)

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Goverdhan, 2018.01.26 (VT) Goswamis from temples across Braj are warning that, unless the decision to acquire Goverdhan’s temples is revoked, they will do whatever they can to stop Barsana’s Lathmar Holi.

At a meeting on Thursday in Danghati temple, Sanjay Goswami from Sreeji temple said that those who attended the meeting are in agreement that they want to support the Government in development work but it is not right for the Government to make decisions about temple management without even consulting the Goswamis in charge of those temples. He said that they will try to arrange a meeting before Holi.

Gautam Goswami from Nandababa temple in Nandagaon said that they wanted Yogi to know that Lathmar Holi will not be played unless the decision to acquire temples is revoked. Barsana temple receiver, Manmohan Goswami agreed that Barsana’s Holi celebrations will be cancelled unless the Goverment changes its position.

CM Yogi previously announced his attendance at the festival on 24^th February and the Government has launched a web page inviting people to attend Holi in Braj.

It has now come to light that the Shrine Board (Braj Tirth Vikas Parishad) is seeking to acquire 13 temples across Braj. The Shrine Board is charged with developing and protecting Braj’s pilgrimage sites, however, recent announcements that the board plans to take over the management of the most popular temples is a big shock to the Goswamis whose families have been involved in serving Thakurji for generations.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.26 (VT) Yesterday, the pipeline to bring water from the Ganga to Yamuna was declared leak free with water from Ganga reaching at full pressure.

The water pressure tests were carried out in two villages of Raya District – Sihora and Karab. SDM Mahavan Garima Singh  along with the SDO of the Gangajal project and experts from Hyderabad conducted tests on the water pressure to ensure that water is not being lost en-route through leakages.

The Gangajal project has been in the making for 12 years. The original deadline for laying the 130km pipeline was March 2012. The deadline for its completion was last shifted from June 2017 to January 2018. One of the reasons for the delay in the pipeline construction was a stay order due to complaints of farmers of the Mant area of Braj about the low rates used to calculate the compensation that they received for the land used to build the pipeline.

P.C. The Wire

The long awaited Gangajal project  has been touted as the only way to solve the problem of the lack of water in the Yamuna and the Government’s inability to supply potable water in Braj and Agra. The government supply water in Braj and Agra is too salty to drink, it contains dangerous levels of pollutants and in some places the water is yellow and has a bad odour. The increased supply of water from the Ganga is half of the solution. In order for the people of Braj to receive water that is truly potable, government run drinking water treatment plants are needed.

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Shri Mohan Swaroop Bhatia

Vrindavan / New Delhi, 2018.01.26 (VT): The well known Educationist of Vraja Bhumi, Shri Mohan Swaroop Bhatia has won the Padma Award for his work on preserving the folk culture of Vraja. On Thursday, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind,  approved the Padma Awards for 85 nominees including Braj’s own Padma Shri Bhatia.

The Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award of India given on the occasion of the Republic Day. The 73rd Padma Shri Awards mentioned Shri Mohan Swaroop Bhatiya for his work preserving and promoting the folk art and culture of Vraja. His nomination for the Padma Shri brought happiness among the brajwasi academicians of Mathura District.

Padma Shri Bhatia played important role in preserving the folk culture of Vraja and helping local artists to perform on the international platform. Talking to the media, Bhatia said that the award was an honor for the entire Vraja.

Social worker and Senior Journalist, Padma Shri Bhatia, was born in 1935 in Mathura. He completed his graduation from the Kishori Raman Degree College in Mathura. His father, Late Shri Girdhar Lal Bhatia, was a freedom fighter. The 83 year old Bhatia was just 22 when he started out as a journalist, in 1957. He worked for the Akashvani and Doordarshan apart from writing in different magazines. He was a well known face on the television when he reported the important festivals of Vraja on the Doordarshan channel. He reported on the festivals of Holi, Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Guru Poornima, Shravan etc.

Padma Shri Bhatia founded the premier education institution of Mathura, ‘Gyan Deep Academy’, in 1969. He travelled to the remote villages of Vraja on bicycle and collected and penned down more than 5000 folk songs. He has acted as the vice chairman of Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natya Academy and his literary work has rendered him the recipient of several awards. He received the honor of Lok Bhushan from Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan.

He has also been awarded by different organizations that promote Hindi Literature. He is not only a literary genius, a journalist and a promoter of Vraja’s unique culture; he is also a great educationalist, who inspires youth to take interest in art and literature. (MS)

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.27 (VT) On Friday, devotees celebrated the 476^th appearance anniversary of Shri Shri Radha Damodar. The temple holds a special place among Vrindavan’s temples, and is no doubt one of the most merciful.

Shri Radha Damodar Temple has an elaborate tradition of worship. Yesterday, in celebration of Radha Damodar’s appearance day, as per tradition: Shri Shri Radha Damodar were given a sandal oil massage. After the massage the deities were bathed with panchamrita (milk, curd, sweetened water, ghee and honey) and panchagavya (5 cow products). The deities were then bathed with exotic fruit juices and water mixed with herbal extracts.

The deities were offered chhappan Bhog (56 kinds of foods), and a feast was organized, after which mahaprasadam was distributed among the devotees.

Know why Radha Damodar is considered one of Vrindavan’s most merciful temples:

1) While most of the deities who were taken to Jaipur during the Mughal attacks stayed in Jaipur, Radha Damodar returned to Vrindavan. There is now a pratibhu deity in the temple in Jaipur where Radha Damodar were worshiped. The original deities made the journey back to Vrindavan almost 200 years later, in 1739 C.E. Sri Radha Chailachikan Ji who stand on the altar with Sri Sri Radha Damodar, didn’t leave Vrindavan,  even during the Moghul assult of temples in  1542.

The Govardhan Shila at Radha Damodar Temple

2) The temple is home to the Govardhan Shila that Sri Krishna personally gave to Sri Sanatan Goswami when he became too old to do daily parikrama of Goverdhan. Lord Krishna told Sanatan Goswami to take rest and not try to do Goverdhan Parikrama daily, and bestowed the amazing shila with his footprint embedded in the stone. Lord Krishna told Sanatan Goswami that if he does parikrama of the shila four times, he will get the same benefit as doing a whole Goverdhan parikrama. Because of Sri Krishna’s mercy on His great devotee, we can all get the same benefit.

3) Shri Shri Radha Damodar even gave a place on the altar for other Thakurji’s including Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra Ji, the deities of the author of Sri Chitanya Caritamrita, Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami and Sri Radha Chailachikan Ji, the deities of Srila Bhugarbha Goswami who came to Vrindavan even before the six goswamis. According to the temple’s website: Both of these sets of deities were not being served properly, so, for proper service, they were brought to Shri Radha Damodar Temple.

Even Sri Damodar’s form pays tribute to the other Thakurjis of Vrindvan: While Srila Rupa Goswami was manifesting Sri Damodar’s face he was seeing Shri Govind Dev Ji; while manifesting His chest, Shri Gopinath Ji & while manifesting His feet, Shri Madan Mohan Ji

4) Two rooms were reserved for A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who, after taking shelter in the temple, gathered enough strength to embark on a worldwide preaching mission at age 69 in which he inspired thousands of Westerners to take up a devotional way of life and established ISKCON temples in India and around the world.

P.C. Anjana Aggarwal

5) With hundreds of flower samadhi memorials on the temple’s parikrama route, everyone can pay pranams to the Sants and Sadhus from whom they receive inspiration.

6) The history of the temple (as well as the experience of many frequent temple goers) is that Radha Damodar has a special power of bringing out people’s potential, showing them strengths that they never knew they had.

According to the temple’s history, Sri Krishna appeared to Shrila Rupa Goswami in a dream and asked him to carve a deity out of stone. Shrila Rupa Goswami had never done a carving but, miraculously, he was able to produce the beautiful

Shrila Rupa Goswami at Sri Radha Damodar temple

Damodar deity from a stone he found in the Yamuna. Shrila Rupa Goswami was a virakta vaishnava (serving the holy name without any attachments), so, he gave the full responsibility for Damodar’s service to his nephew Srila Jiva Goswami, who was in so much longing to have a deity to serve that he would cry for days on end.

More about the temple:

Shri Radha Damodar Temple is one of the “Sapta Devalay” temples of Vrindavan. It was established by Srila Jiva Goswami in the year 1542 C.D. The deities were served by Srila Jiva Goswami himself. This temple attracts thousands of devotees in Kartik, as the holy month is named after Damodar.

For a comprehensive description of the names and history of the Thakurjis on the altar at Radha Damodar temple see here.

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