I worship Radha and Mādhava’s beloved Kāmyavana, where there are Kāma Sarovara or Gopikā Ramaṇa Sarovara itself.

“O Devi! Kāmyavana is the fourth of the twelve forests of Vraja. Anyone who goes here will be worshiped in my abode!”

There are many, many holy places situated in Kāmyavana. There are 84 kuṇḍas and 110 Vishnu thrones there. There also used to be 300 wells, but it is said that they were destroyed by Rākṣasas.

The biggest of the kundas is Vimala Kund, on whose banks are found temples of Vimala Devi, Dauji, Gangaji, Gopalaji and Madan Gopal.

At Setubandha Kund there is a temple of Rameshwar Mahadeva. It is here that Sri Krishna performed the Setubandha lila, playing the part of Ramachandra.

On the bank of Ghosharani Kund is the parental home of Sri Yashoda.

On the bank of Mani Kund Sri Harishchandra Maharaj performed penances.

On the bank of Dwaraka Kund Sri Krishna and his queens put up their camp when they came to Vraja from Dwaraka.

On the bank of Balabhadra Kund Sri Balaram addressed the Vrajavasis when he came from Dwaraka.

On the mountain named Charan Pahari one can see Sri Krishna’s footprints.

This is apparently another Hindu building that was turned into a mosque.

Then there is Chaurasi Khamba or King Kamasena’s court of justice. In this building there are 84 pillars. On top of the mountain is the cave of Medhavi Muni or Vyomasura’s cave. It is here that Sri Krishna killed Vyomasura.

Near to that is Bhojan Thali, where Sri Krishna and his friends ate rice and yoghurt. At Kāmyavana one can also see Sri Govinda, Sri Gopīnātha, Madana Mohana, Gokula Candramā, Kāmeśvara Mahādeva, Vimalā Kund, Sri Vṛndājī and the bhajan kuṭīra of Siddha Jaya Krishna dāsa Bābājī Maharaj, among others.

The 84 Kunds we mentioned include Kama Sarovar or Gopika Raman Sarovar. Here Sri Krishna performed wonderful pastimes with the gopikās. In the Skanda Purāṇa, Mathura-khaṇḍa, it is written:

In Kāmyavana is Gopikāramaṇa Sarovar, which is also named Kāma Sarovar. In Kāmyavana there is a total of thousands of sacred lakes.

In Bhakti-ratnākara it is described:

Behold Gopika Raman or Kama Sarovar! Who can describe the enchanting pastimes that took place here? This Kama Sarovar is very blissful and is also called Kama Sagar.

Because all desires are fulfilled of anyone who bathes in its kuṇḍas this place is Kāmyavana.

Because all desires are fulfilled and all miseries are destroyed of anyone who bathes in its kuṇḍas this place is Kāmyavana.

O Maharaj! After this comes Kāmyavana where you have resided in your childhood. Simply by bathing in this forest all desires will be fulfilled. (Skanda Purāṇa, Mathura Khaṇḍa)

Raghunath Das Goswami says: “I worship this Kāmyavana, which is most dear to Sri Sri Radha Madhava.”

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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We often hear about how modern Vrindavan has been transformed from a bucolic forest village into a “concrete jungle.” Even in 1829 the French traveler Victor Jacques Mant wrote in his diary of Vrindavan,

Next to Benares, Vrindavan is the largest purely Hindu city that I have seen. I could not discover in it a single mosque. Its suburbs are thickly planted with fine trees, which appear from a distance like an island of verdure in the sandy plain.

In the current situation of rapid urbanization and extreme environmental degradation, we are frequently reminded that Krishna stands for living in harmony with his environment and that he exulted in the beauty of this forested land. In the Bhagavatam, Krishna and Balaram’s joy on arriving in Vrindavan after leaving Gokul is described as follows:

O King, seeing Vrindavan, Govardhana and the banks of the Yamuna, a supreme delight arose in both Balaram and Krishna. (10.11.36)

Indeed most of the original glorifications of Vrindavan in the Puranas are found at this point in the narration of his life.

This move, which took place when Krishna was still a toddler is one of the principal events in his childhood.

Everyone knows the canonical version of how Krishna was taken by Vasudeva across the Yamuna from Mathura to Gokul and exchanged there for Ekanamsha, the incarnation of Durga Devi. There he was to be kept safe from the vicious Kamsa among the forest-dwelling nomadic cowherds. Nevertheless, his early childhood among them was marked by many attempts on his life. First it was Putana, the khechari witch, then Shakatasura and Trinavarta, the whirlwind demon. The fall of the twin arjuna trees was the final straw that prompted the five brothers led by Nanda and Upananda to take the decision to move.

We first encounter this story in the Harivaṁśa, but its description of the events in Krishna’s life differs somewhat from the Bhagavata version, which is the one that is most widely known.

According to Harivaṁśa, the cowherd community remained in Mahavan or Brihadvan until he was seven years old and had already started taking care of the calves (2.8.1-2). In the later canonical version, the move takes place when Krishna is still much younger and he only takes up taking care of the calves when he has already arrived in Vrindavan.

The Harivaṁśa seems to be one of the most realistic portions of almost the entire Puranic corpus, in that it shows the typical thinking of a contemporary nomadic tribe as appears to be the case with Nanda and his group.

The description it gives is that of the ancient Abhira tribes who were cattle-husbanding nomads. They lived in their oxcarts, like gypsy caravans, though when finding a particularly fertile territory for grazing their herds, would settle down permanently. The word vraja itself comes from a verb meaning “to move.” Vraja was the territory in which the gopas led by Nanda moved about.

According to even the earliest accounts, Krishna’s early childhood in Gokul was marked by many attempts on his life. The first attempt was by Putana, the sky-flying child murdering witch, and followed by Shakatasura and Trinavarta, the whirlwind demon. The fall of the twin arjuna trees was the final straw that prompted Nanda and his the five brothers led by Nanda and Upananda to think that the land there was somehow cursed and take the decision to move. Or so we hear from the Bhagavata.

But in the older tradition of the Harivaṁśa, there is an extensive description of devastating wolf attacks that are given as the real final straw for the great exodus from Mahavan-Gokul. It says that even children and others were killed along with calves in the attacks. The problem was so great it seemed as though the cowherds would no longer be able to maintain their livelihood.

The first time the idea for moving comes up, however, when Krishna speaks to his brother Balaram directly after the first descriptions of the wolf attacks (52.8-17). It seems there that a possible reason is being given for these attacks: deforestation. Krishna there tells us that Mahavan has become desolate due to overuse (bhukta-känanam). There has been excessive cutting down of trees, he says, and the cows have stopped grazing because the grass has been sullied by their own and human excrement. The cows have to wander quite far from the settlement to make sure they get sufficient pasture. Moreover, from eating bad grasses the milk they give is not so good or abundant. He says,

“Where once there was a thick cover of forest we now see but sky everywhere. Not only is there insufficient wood, but also a lack of forest vegetation for us to forage and eat.”

What has the wood been used for? Some of it has been sold in the city, a lot has been used as fuel, but it appears also that the Abhiras were becoming more sedentary and was being used for construction. Krishna says in words that leap out of the page, ghoṣo’yaṁ nagarāyate, “the cowherd camp is turning into a city.”

It is at this juncture that Krishna first praises Vrindavan as a kind of promised land (52.18-29). Some of those verses are quoted later by Sanatan Goswami (Vaishnava Toshani 11.28):

I have heard there is a lovely forest named Vrindavan with a very full covering of grass and delectable trees and waters. It is free of thorns and troubling insects and is decorated with all the virtues of a forest. Situated on the banks of the Yamuna, it is filled primarily with kadamba trees. The wood is an auspicious place, blessed with pleasant and cooling breezes, and every season there is beautiful. The charming change in forest will bring happiness to the gopis. The great mountain Govardhan is also not far away, ornamenting the land with its high peaks like Mount Mandara in Indra’s heavenly garden. In the midst of Vrindavan is a great banyan tree named Bhandira, spreading over an area of twelve kilometers, decorating the land like a blue cloud in the sky. We will see Govardhan hill, the Bhandira tree, and the beautiful Kalindi river and that will bring us great happiness. [HV. 52.22-26,28]

Harivaṁśa then describes that Nanda and the elders take the decision to move (53.6-11). But here the attacks of the wolves are given as the main reason, and no mention is made of any of the other demons. “In every home the cry went up, ‘My son was killed by wolves!’ ‘And my brother!’ ‘And my calf!’ ‘And my cow!'” And so without any further delay, the decision is taken to abandon the now dangerous area “before we are all killed.”

No doubt this was a common pattern for nomads. The India of several thousand years ago was not the same as it is today, nor was it as seen in the imaginative portrayals of that mythical age in cinema and television dramas. It was a time when a nomadic tribe could use up all the resources of one place and then move on to another without any impediment, and have a place to go. In the meantime, nature is restored, trees will grow, and in a generation they can move back.

It seems that already by the time of the Bhagavatam, the primitive simplicity of the nomadic tribe of cowherds had been replaced in popular imagination by a more sedentary and prosperous view of their life. At the same time, the story of environmental degradation is forgotten. Even so, the glorification of Vrindavan as a natural paradise there includes more than one paean to trees.

Perhaps the destruction of the forest through overuse in Gokul was seen as a warning to be more protective of the natural world. Trees are specifically glorified by Krishna himself as life exemplars in more than one way. A consciousness of the forest as integral to their lives and a proper relation to nature are also implicit in the story of Govardhan puja and the chastising of Kaliya. Here’s what Krishna has to say about trees:

patra-puṣpa-phala-cchāyā-mūla-valkala-dārubhiḥ
gandha-niryāsa-bhasmāsthi-tokmaiḥ kāmān vitanvate The trees fulfill everyone’s desires with their leaves, flowers, fruits, their shade, roots, bark, wood, their fragrance and essential oils, charcoal, and young shoots. (10.22.34)

paśyaitān mahā-bhāgān parārthaikānta-jīvitān
vāta-varṣātapa-himān sahanto vārayanti naḥ
aho eṣāṁ varaṁ janma sarva-prāṇy-upajīvanam
sujanasyeva yeṣāṁ vai vimukhā yānti nārthinaḥ Look at these greatly fortunate trees, which live exclusively for the benefit of others, not only tolerating the wind, rain, heat and frost themselves, but also protecting us from them. Ah, their lives are most exemplary for they nourish the lives of all the other creatures. They reject no one, just as a kind and charitable person never turns away any supplicant. (32-33)

patra-puṣpa-phala-cchāyā-mūla-valkala-dārubhiḥ
gandha-niryāsa-bhasmāsthi-tokmaiḥ kāmān vitanvate The trees fulfill everyone’s needs with their leaves, flowers, fruits, their shade, roots, bark, wood, their fragrance and essential oils, charcoal, and young shoots. (10.22.34)

etāvaj janma sāphalyaṁ dehinām iha dehiṣu
prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā śreya evācaret sadā The extent of an embodied being’s success in life can be measured by how he acts constantly and exclusively for the benefit of others, using his life energy, his wealth, his intelligence and his words. (10.22.35)

And this example subsequently becomes central to the entire vision of the Vaishnava way of life:

vṛkṣa yena kāṭileha kichu nā bolaya
śukāñā maileha kāre pānī nā māgayaWhen a tree is cut down, it does not protest, and even when drying up, it does not ask anyone for water. (CC 3.20.23)

jei je māgaye, tāre deya āpana dhana
gharma vṛṣṭi sahe, ānera karaye rakṣaṇaThe tree delivers its fruits, flowers and whatever it possesses to anyone and everyone. It tolerates scorching heat and torrents of rain, yet it still gives shelter to others. (CC 3.20.23)

uttama hañā vaiṣṇava habe nirabhimāna
jīve sammāna dibe jāni’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ adhiṣṭhānaAlthough a Vaishnava is the most exalted person, he is prideless and gives all respect to everyone, knowing them to be each one the habitation of Krishna. (CC 3.20.24)

ei mata hañā yei kṛṣṇa nāma laya
śrī kṛṣṇa caraṇe tāṅra prema upajayaIf one chants the holy name of Lord Krishna in this manner, he will certainly awaken his dormant love for Krishna’s lotus feet. (CC 3.20.25)

In the next step, the trees and forest, Vrindavan itself, become even more than simply sources of livelihood, or even more than moral exemplars in life, they become sacred in their own right. Their sacredness may be rooted in their value for life and so on, but as participants in Radha and Krishna’s play as their playground, as their servants, they are treated as divine. In the way of imagining Vrindavan in the Age of Bhakti, in the Vani writings in Braj, the forest is a central and active part of the divine prema drama:

No one knows the secret of the trees of Vrindavan. On every piece of wood, every leaf and flower is written the name of Radha, over and over.

Yamuna from Brahmanda Ghat Gokul.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.28 (VT) Due to a lunar eclipse on Wednesday 31^st January, many temples and businesses in Vrindavan will remain closed. The manager of Banke Bihari temple said that the temple will open in the morning but will remain closed after 8am.

The manager of Banke Bihari, Manish Kumar Sharma, informed that the temple will open at 5am and Sringar Aarati will be held at 5.15am, after which Rajbhog will be offered. Darshan will be closed from 6am until 6.45. Shayan Aarati will be held at 7.55am; darshan will be closed from 8am and will reopen on the morning of 1st February.

Eclipses are considered both inauspicious and a powerful time for spiritual practice. Many devotees take full advantage of the eclipse by fasting and singing kirtan. In Vrindavan, the eclipse begins to occur partially from 7.04 am. The full phase of the eclipse is between 6.21pm and 7.37pm. Fasting ends at 8.41pm.

The Puranas trace the origin of eclipses to the churning of the oceans, during which the demon Svarbhānu tried to drink the elixir through deception. Since a few drops of the elixir entered their bodies, they partially survived and became part of the planetary system as Rahu and Ketu. Astrologically, Rahu and Ketu are represented by the North and South lunar nodes – when the Sun and moon cross these points, eclipses take place.  Historians believe that the fear of the evil influences at the time of eclipses inspired early astronomers to refine their ability to predict when eclipses would take place.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.28 (VT) The Yogi Goverment has released funding for Braj’s Gita Institute. During a program at GLA University, Minister for Religious works and culture,  Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said that Rs 1 crore funding has been released from his department to get the project started and it is likely that the institute will be built close to the Vrindavan Research Institute.

MP Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, P.C. Dainik Bhaskar

The minister said that people come to Vrindavan to visit the temples, but Braj’s literature is being forgotten, so his department requested CM Yogi Adityanath to create an institute to preserve and promote devotional literature in Braj Bhasha (the language of Braj), including ancient folk songs and descriptions of Sri Krishna’s qualities and childhood pastimes.

The announcement about the funding release for the Gita Institute was made during GLA University’s annual Braj Literature Festival (BLF), a two day program in which Braj’s writers are given the opportunity to showcase their works.

Addressing the audience at the BLF, which was held on 27th and 28th January, MP Laxminarayan said that the Yogi Goverment also plans to issue instructions to have Braj’s local literature and folk art taught in schools.

The Yogi Government’s plans to set up a Gita Institute were announced late last year at the at the 144th anniversary celebration of the Government Museum, Mathura.

“For research on Gayan (singing), Vadan (the art of music) and Nratya (dance) of the Krishna age, the government is setting up the institute”, said Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary who is the member for the Chatta area of Braj and the Additional Charge of the Dairy Industry, Culture, Minority Welfare and Religious activities.  The minister also commented that Braj Bhasha is the “sweetest” language in the world.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.29 (VT): Every year thousands of devotees take darshan of the different temples and carry the Divine memory of the deities back home. Not everyone can come back to Vrindavan and have the darshan frequently.
Devotees keep the pictures of their favorite deities in their homes for daily darshan. But having the collection of the photos of all the   Lordships of Vrindavan in one place is very difficult. The photography has been banned in many temples, as it leads to unnecessary distractions like shutter sounds or flashes which are not desirable in a place that people associate with spirituality and serenity.
In the time when most of the temples have banned photography in their premises and the photos are not easily available the ‘Krishna Bhumi’ group’s initiative of providing the collection of the images of the Lordships of Vrindavan has brought delight among the devotees.
‘Krishna Bhumi’ has published a calendar, which features unique photographs of the deities of the leading temples of Vrindavan. The Calendar will fill devotion in the day to day life of the people who will have them at their home or in the offices. It contains the images of the deities of 12 leading temples of Vrindavan. The description about the deities and the temple is depicted in the bottom of each page.
The calendar introduces with the main temples of Vrindavan, which includes the Sapta Devalayas temples, Banke Bihari, Radha Ballabh and Gopeshwar Mahadev. Apart from all these ancient temples the deities of Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir and Shri Krishna Balaram Mandir (Iskcon) has been also depicted in this calendar. Krishna Bhumi – Infinity group published the similar calendar in the previous years, which drew much appreciation among the residents of Vrindavan as well as the devotees living in different other cities.
Shri Vikram Bhuwalka, the Marketing Manager of ‘Krishna Bhumi’ said, “In this calendar we are showcasing some of the revered deities of Vrindavan, so as to bring the devotees the Divine presence all through the year at their home and offices. The collection has been thoughtfully put together for the devotees staying far from Vrindavan to bring their consciousness to the Dham by having darshan of the presiding deities of Shri Dham Vrindavan.”
‘Krishna Bhumi’ is a township being developed by Infinity group of Kolkata in the immediate adjacent to the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, the tallest Krishna temple to be built. The sprawling aesthetically designed lush green neighborhood, comprising villas and apartment offers an opportunity for the home buyers to live in a gated and safe well conceived community of Krishna devotees.
Recently, the group has introduced Krishna Bhumi Holidays. This new product of the group is a unique timeshare license scheme, offering blessed stay as Shri Vrindavan Dham along forty five hundred exotic destinations across the globe through inbuilt RCI platinum exchange.
Welcome to Vrindavan… come live blessed with ‘Krishna Bhumi’.

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Goverdhan, 2018.01.30 (VT) In the wake of Vrindavan and Barsana’s recognition as official pilgrimage sites (tirtha stal), the Govardhan Area Council (Nagar Panchayat) has applied for the same status for Govardhan.

The proposal was finalized on Monday and was unanimously voted for by the council members before being sent to the state government for approval.

The benefits of the designation as official pilgrimage site include: increased tourism, increased funding for town development works, and a ban on activities that are offensive to Hindu sensibilities, such as the sale of liquor meat and eggs.

The declaration of Vrindavan and Barsana as official pilgrimage sites last year left the residents of other places in Braj feeling that their towns were being unfairly neglected. Goeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, trustee of Sri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, alleged that the state government committed a “blunder” in declaring only Vrindavan and Barsana to be holy pilgrimage places.

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Braj, 2018.01.30 (VT) The much awaited pipeline bringing Ganga water has finally reached Braj, but the water will bypass Braj and reach Agra. In order for water to reach the Gokul Barrage Water treatment plant, an offshoot pipeline needs to laid, however, work is not due to get started until the supply pipelines in Agra have become operational.

The water problem in Braj is similar to that in Agra but, because Agra is more densely populated than Braj, there are a greater number of residents in the city whose water needs have to be considered. The Gangajal project has been plagued with difficulties and has been over a decade in the making.

For the Ganga water to reach Braj, a pipeline needs to be laid from Karab village to the Gokul Barrage Water treatment plant. The water that the Gokul plant currently supplies is not potable, so even the poorest villagers are forced to spend money on buying filtered water for drinking.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.30 (VT, with input from Anjana Aggarwal) Yesterday was one of the biggest festivals in the Vaishnava calendar – Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day. Temples all over Vrindavan celebrated with great joy, as Shri Nityanand prabhu gave us the perfect example of joyful service, absorption in ecstatic kirtan and determination to never leave the Lord’s side.

Yesterday, the Gaur Nitai deities at Sringar Vata were honoured with special sringar (decorations). Sringar Vata is also called Nityananda Vata because, when Lord Nityananda came to Vrindavan, he spent several days there, in the mood of Balaram, playing as a child and going to Yamuna to splash water and play around like Balaram does with Krishna and the gopas.

Sringar Vata lies a little towards east from Imli Tala (in the direction of Keshi Ghat) on the banks of the Yamuna. It is the place where Sri Krishna decorated Radha Rani and is also the place where Krishna and his fellow gopas would rest with their cows. Sitting in the shade of the vata (Banyan tree) the gopas would decorate Sri Krishna with garlands that they made with leaves and flowers.

Lord Nityananda takes many forms in order to stay with Lord Vishnu in all his incarnations, always serving Him. He expands himself as the Dhama to provide a beautiful place for the Lord to have His pastimes. He manifests as the Lord’s shoes, the Lord’s bed, the Lord’s ornaments, the Lord’s clothing… He serves the Lord in these ways in santa rasa; dasya rasa; as a gopa in sakya rasa – the Lord’s friend, His servant, His decorations, His elder brother or His younger brother. Sometimes, he goes into vatsalya rasa and sometimes he expands himself as Ananga Manjari, Srimati Radharani’s younger sister in madhurya rasa.

At times Lord Nityananda  cried, shouted and roared Harinam. He rolled and rubbed the Holy dust of Braja Dham all over his body. He cried in the pain of separation from Lord Krishna. With overwhelming intensity, he cried out and asked Shri Yamuna, the trees of Shri Dham, Sri Tulsi Maharani, ” Where is my Krishna? Where is my Bansidhari? As these words emanated from his divine lips, tears of love start pouring uncontrollably from his eyes. One day, there was a voice from far away that said,” Your Krishna has taken an avatar in Sri Navdeep as Sachinandan Gaur Hari. After that, Shri Nityanand prabhu proceeded towards Navadvip Dham in search of his beloved Gaurahari.

I bow down to the lotus feet of Shri Nityanand prabhu and pray before him to give us Gaur prem…… !!

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.31 (VT) The last of the first month of 2018 is the full moon. For the last few days, the moon has been visible in Braj in the evenings after 5pm, so it is likely that the eclipse, which will be in its full phase after 6pm, will be visible to the naked eye, however, instead of trying to enjoy the view of the astronomical event, most people will remain indoors, hoping to keep themselves safe from the negative influences that are thought to accompany eclipses.

Moon at 5.40pm, Vrindavan 30/01/2018

Some temples, such as Banke Bihari, will be closed from 8am, for the entire day. In other temples, the evening services will be held before or after the main eclipse period. Mathura’s Dwarkadhish temple will hold evening aarati at 4pm and will close at 5pm. Vrindavan’s Radha Raman temple will open for evening darshan and aarati after the eclipse has finished, at 8.45pm.

When the eclipse period is over, people will sprinkle Ganga or Yamuna water around their homes to purify the environment. Many people will also take bath with the intention of cleansing any negative influences that have come upon them.

Sangam, Allahabad, P.C. TripAdvisor

The Yamuna has been touched by Sri Krishna’s feet innumerable times so is infinitely worshipable. Even so, most people keep Ganga water in their homes because it has special uses in pooja and havan ceremonies. In any case, the Ganga and Yamuna are sister rivers, intimately connected, especially at the Sangam point at Allahabad, where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers meet. On Magha Purnima as well as Kumbh Mela, a special festival is held in which hundreds of thousands of people will flock to the point where the rivers meet to take snan (bath).

Magha Purnima is a particularly auspicious day to donate food grains and cloth, so, many take the opportunity to help those less fortunate than themselves, then, after fulfilling their charitable duties, people sit down in their own homes to perform auspicious rituals, chanting and kirtan.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.31 (VT) Sapna Chaudhary’s performance in Vrindavan on 23^rd February may be cancelled due to the protests of residents who feel that her dance style is offensive to Hindu sentiments.

On Tuesday, members of the Rastriya Jan Udyog Vyapar Sanghathan (RJUVS)  presented a petition to the District Magistrate requesting that action be taken to stop the program. The performance is scheduled to take place on Chatikara road on 23rd February, however, organizers may think twice after hearing the threats of protests and road blockages if the performance takes place.

Sapna Chaudhary in Big Boss 11

The singer-dancer from Haryana was part of the TV series Big Boss 11 andis now being asked to act in films such as the Bhojpuri film, Bairi Kangana 2. Her career is reaching a high point but the residents of Braj do not want her provocative Bollywood style dance to be performed in Vrindavan.

Engineer Kalpana Garg from the RJUVS said that such a dance should not be performed in a religious town. She warned that if the dance goes ahead there will be further protests.

Mahant Gangadas of Tapovan Ashram said that Sapna Chaudhary‘s dance is against Braj’s culture and traditions. He said that such a dance will not be allowed on the holy land of Vrindavan.

In a meeting on Monday at Vrinda Dham, Hindu Raksha Sena’s National President, Mahamandaleshwar Prabodhanand Giri, said that, these days, Hindus are forgetting the essence of Hinduism. The organization is demanding increased protection of Hindu religion from central and state governments and has added its voice to the calls to ban improper dances in the Dham.

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Mathura, 2018.02.01 (VT) It is now official that Mathura finds a place in one of the top polluted cities of the country in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is the most polluted state. In a recent report, Greenpeace India claims that Uttar Pradesh is India’s most polluted state.  15 cities in Uttar Pradesh have some of the most toxic air in the country.

Varanasi turned out to be the worst polluted city of the state and other towns and cities in UP that scored badly for air toxicity list are Hapur, Bareilly, Firozabad, Kanpur, Agra, NOIDA, and Allahabad. New Delhi topped list of polluted cities in India, while Lucknow was 18th among the 30 most polluted cities and towns in the country.

P.C. Youth Ki Awaaz

The entire Mathura District comes under the area designated as the Eco Sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ). There are strict regulations in this zone, which are designed to protect the Taj Mahal from becoming discoloured due to air pollution. Despite the seemingly strict regulations, in actuality, very few steps have been taken to bring down the air pollution level in the TTZ.

Environment protection has never been a priority when it comes to economic development and infrastructure expansion.  Politicians talk about making Mathura Vrindavan a smart city and including Mathura in the National Capital Region, but there is very little emphasis on preventing environmental pollution.

The government does not seem to take the air pollution issue seriously as few serious attempts have been made to reduce vehicle emissions, burning of garbage, burning of bio mass and running diesel generators, all of which are major contributors in harming the environment. 

Every year, the area gets more polluted because it is quickly losing its tree cover and there is a steady rise in the incidents of garbage due to increased population. The garbage being burnt consists of plastic bags, hospital waste and other toxic items. It is not uncommon to get your nostrils inundated with acrid smoke while walking on the street or have the smell from someone’s garbage fire enter your home. Sewerage management is also very poor. Toxic gases are emitted from the clogged sewer lines and the treatment plants and when sewage tankers come to clear the lines, the streets are often lined with piles of black mud for days. 

The National Green Tribunal has given directions to the Municipal Corporation to improve the situation – ban plastic bags, prevent garbage burning and identify a landfill site that can manage municipal solid waste as per the Municipal Solid Waste Rule 2000.  Despite the regulations imposed by the tribunal, the Municipal Corporation is not taking the required action -hospital waste can be easily spotted mixed with the municipal solid waste and municipal garbage collectors are often seen burning garbage.

The report brought out the list of most polluted cities in the country based on particulate matter data of PM10 levels for 280 cities during 2016 and in some cases also 2015, covering large parts of the country.

P.C. IndiaTimes

The report – Airpocalypse II – is based on air pollution related data collected from Central and State Pollution Control Boards’ and Committees’ annual reports and their websites and through applications under the Right to Information Act wherever data was unavailable or gaps existed in the available data.

The report reveals that none of the 280 cities with 630 million people comply with the PM10 levels in the air as fixed by WHO at 20. A whopping 80% of these cities also fall short of the generous limit of PM10 levels of 60 set by India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

PM10 is among the most harmful of all air pollutants. When inhaled these large sized particles evade the respiratory system’s natural defenses and lodge deep in the lungs. Although particulate matter can cause health problems for everyone, certain people and children are especially vulnerable to PM10’s adverse health effects.

Different cities of UP suffer from dangerously high levels of PM10 in the air. Among some of the most polluted cities are Varanasi (PM10 level at 236), Ghaziabad (236), Hapur (235), Bareilly (226), Firozabad (223), Kanpur (217), Lucknow (211), Agra (197), NOIDA (195), Moradabad (192), Allahabad (191) and Gajraula (172).

It is estimated that as many as 6.5 million children in Uttar Pradesh are constantly exposed to toxic air.

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Govardhan, 2018.02.01 (VT) Visitors to Goverdhan this Sunday may find themselves in the middle of demonstrations against the proposed acquisition of temples by the Government’s Shrine Board. At a meeting on Wednesday, the Goswamis of several temples that are being targeted for acquisition, together with their supporters, finalized the plans for the rally.

The Goswamis have been organizing widely, with over 200 youth teams working on different tasks including visiting villagers to raise awareness and gather supporters for the rally. Thousands of people are expected to attend the rally, which may become the biggest demonstration in Braj’s recent history.

Mahesh Pathak, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Teerth Purohit Mahasabha said that Tirtha priests from all over India will come out in support of the movement. Mahasabha officials from Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain etc are expected to attend the rally.

Pathak said that the interests of the existing temple servants and owners was not been taken into account by the Government when they made the decision to acquire the temples. Murari Thokdar and Ramnarayan Brajvasi said that the government should provide public facilities but not interfere with the service of deities.

While most of Braj’s Goswamis are against the government take over of the management of temples, the youth of Radha Kund staged performances on the ghats in support of the Shrine Board. Radhakund’s Nirbhay Goswami said that the formation of the Shrine Board will lead to the development of Govardhan and Radha Kund. Advocate Lokesh Sharma said that the Shrine Board is necessary so that common people can get proper facilities and conveniences.

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Vrindavan, 2018.02.01 (with inputs from Anjana Aggarwal):  The first anniversary  of Jagatguru Shri Chaitanya Sampradayacharya Purushottam Goswami Maharaj’s entering in the Nitya Seva (eternal service) of Shri Radha Raman is being celebrated at Gambhira, Jai Singh Ghera in Vrindavan .

Maharaj ji was a  Sevait from the Sri Radharaman temple lineage of Goswamis, who trace their ancestry to Sri Gopala Bhatta goswami, a close disciple of Sriman Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In his honour,  discourse on Shrimad Bhagavatam ais being given by Shri Venu Gopal Goswami Ji Maharaj at Jai Singh Ghera from 1-10 February from 3 to 6 pm. The program began today with 108 Brahmin priests reciting shlokas from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Sri Purushottam Maharaj was an energetic leader, a far sighted personality and the eldest in the current lineage of the Goswamis of Sri Radharaman temple. Maharaj ji was the epitome of selfless service to Shriji, whether it was by Bhog seva or Raga seva.

Especially during the auspicious days of Holi, his excitement and enthusiasm to sing the songs glorifying Shriji’s transcendental pastimes with Shrimati Radharani was a source of inspiration to all those who desire to please Shriji through seva.

Maharaj ji had utmost devotion for the lotus feet of Sri Govardhan and kept up the practice of regular parikarma until his last days on earth. Maharaj ji entered into the eternal lila of Sri Priyalal ji under the guidance of Sri Gunmanjari ji one year ago.

It was Maharaj ji’s desire to see pure Yamuna water flows again on the ghats of Vrindavan.  Whoever he met, he always asked to work for the cause of Yamuna.

We pray to our most revered Sri Purushottam Goswami ji Maharaj to guide us into the bhakti marg and show us the way to the lotus feet of Sri Radha Raman lal ju.

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Vrindavan, 2018.02.02 (VT) The City Magistrate’s office has received over 150 applications from people wanting to have a band accompany them on their wedding procession (Barat). Band operators are telling families to submit the applications themselves, so the grooms-to-be and their families are marching to the CM’s office to submit their applications.

The new regulations concerning noise pollution restrict the times when music can be played. Several temples and mosques have been issued notices to remove loudspeakers. As yet, violations of the regulations are still continuing on a regular basis. Police seem reluctant to enforce the regulation on occasional religious programs, especially if there are no complaints.

On particularly auspicious dates and times, marriage halls and lawns are inundated with bookings. There are an inundation of bookings for marriage ceremonies and receptions on February 4, 6, 7, 18 and 20, but, if the auspicious time for the groom to arrive does not fall within the specified time when music is allowed, the groom may miss out on the traditional parade on horseback with band music and dancing friends and family members.

Ravindra Kumar said that the band for his son’s Barat parade was already booked for February 18^th, but, one week ago, he received a call from the band manager saying that the band will only be able to play if he gets a permission letter from the CM’s office. Band manager Rashid Qureshi said that the regulation is creating problems for Band operators. He said that when people are coming from out of town to get married in Vrindavan, the band makes the application on their behalf but they are asking local people to make the applications themselves.

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Kosikalan, Braj, 2018.02.02 (VT) A priest of Falen village has begun severe austerities to enable him to withstand fire, in a ceremony that commemorates Prahlad Maharaj’s ability to withstand fire. The Holi fire will be lit in the evening of 1^st March and village priest, Babulal Panda will walk over the coals at 4am on 2^nd March.

On Wednesday, after doing parikrama of the village, which includes the famous Prahlad Kund, Babulal started one month of austerities including sleeping on the ground, eating fruit only and not leaving the temple premises.

P.C. jagran.com

The temple in the village of Falen, which is near Kosikalan on the outskirts of Braj, has a deity of Prahlad Maharaj and, it is said that whoever worships this deity with full devotion will not be bunt during the firewalking ceremony. Fifty year old Babulal Panda has been doing the firewalk for five years running.

The ceremony on Wednesday was attended by hundreds of villagers who danced and sang Holi songs. Babulal Maharaj took snan (bath) in Prahlad kund, then went on parikrama of the kund and village. He was then adorned with the Prahlad diety’s flower garland and entered the temple amidst cheers from villagers and the throwing of colours.

Firewalking is most commonly associated with South India. In Tamil Nadu, the firewalking festival is called Theemithi, and is celebrated a few days before Diwali (September-October). In recent years, firewalking has also become popular in the US with corporates seeking to harness the inner strength of employees by hiring firewalking trainers to help people overcome their fears and unlock their potential.

For the theory on how firewalking works Read here.

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Vrindavan/New Dekhi, 2018.02.03 (NGT) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to review the ongoing “sheet piling” work on the Yamuna riverfront in the temple town of Vrindavan.

A bench headed by acting chairperson Justice U D Salvi said that the work carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department would be subject to the review by NMCG.

The review would be conducted within three months.

Sheet piling involves interlocking sheets of metal which are driven using excavators or special vibration machines to form retaining walls during construction.

“The work carried out and undertaken by the respondent nos. 3 (UP) and 4 (Irrigation Department) shall be subject to the review done by the NMCG and the respondents shall not claim any equity in that regard and remove the same, if required by NMCG to do so at their cost and expenses.

“NMCG shall review the said work carried out and undertaken by the respondent nos. 3 and 4 along the ghats of Mathura and Vrindavan as aforesaid without being influenced by any of the observations made by us within three months,” the bench, also comprising expert member Nagin Nanda, said.

The tribunal said that the construction work has not been completed and it would be “prudent” to have the entire project reviewed by the NMCG keeping in mind the principles of “sustainable development and precautionary principle”.

The Uttar Pradesh government, under the Vrindavan rejuvenation project, has proposed “expansion, renovation and beautification” work on three-kilometre riverfront from Kesi Ghat to downstream of the Yamuna river.

The project, which proposes expansion of Kesi ghat by 750 metres into the river floodplain, also involves a mechanism to clean tributaries entering the river and construct interceptor drains to counter overflow of sewer into the river.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by nature enthusiast Akash Vashishtha, who claimed that reclamation of the eco-sensitive Yamuna floodplain is being carried out in gross violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the provisions of the EIA Notification of 2006.

The plea, filed through advocate Rahul Choudhary, had contended that the project proponent was encroaching right into the river floodplain in order to create space for a new ghat and an interceptor pipeline. This expansion was taking place over and above the already encroached land consisting of illegal colonies and other construction projects.

“Direct the concerned respondents to restore the river bed and floodplain of Yamuna and its ghats after removing the pipeline and any other construction done, and demolition and removal of 21 colonies identified by Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority as illegal,” the plea had said.

For the history of development along the Vrindavan Ghats, see here

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Vrindavan, 2018.02.03 (VT) Municipal Corporation staff have been told that not one bull should be visible on the streets of Vrindavan. Municipal commissioner, Dr. Ujjwal Kumar gave the deadline of 11^th of February for rounding up the stray bulls.

Commissioner Dr. Ujjwal Kumar

The bulls will to be relocated to goshalas (cow sanctuaries), however, in Vrindavan, there are not many goshalas that can accommodate bulls. Many goshalas refuse bulls as they only accommodate stray cows and the promised Government Goshala has not yet been constructed. In previous round up campaigns, bulls have been relocated to Ramesh Baba’s Mataji Goshala in Barsana and two gaushalas in Vrindavan.

During an inspection of the development and beautification of the streetscape of Vrindavan’s Parikrama Marg, under the government’s HRIDAY scheme, the Commissioner said that the work needs to be sped up so that the project can be completed by the scheduled time.

The commissioner took care to investigate the condition of Vrindavan’s Ghats. He was not completely satisfied with the cleanliness, and especially noticed the large number of stray animals roaming the streets.

Bulls roaming the streets are the cause of many road accidents as, when engaged in a duel with another bull, they often move, with great speed, from one side of the road to the other sweeping up motorists and pedestrians.

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Vrindavan, 2016.02.03 Mahant Shri Nrityagopal Dasji Maharaj, who is both the president of both Ram Janma Bhoomi in Ayodhya (Birthplace of Lord Ram) and Shri Krishna Janma Bhoomi in Mathura, (Birthplace of Sri Krishna), called on the Government to take action to stop effluent flowing into the Yamuna and Ganga and rebuild the Ram Janma Bhoomi Temple before the next election.

Speaking at Hanuman Tekri in Raman Reti, the Mahant added his voice to the outcry against the Shrine Board’s proposed takeover of temples in Braj, commenting that the government has no right to tamper with the functioning of temples.

Guards at the Ram Janma Bhoomi site, P.C. SabrangIndia

Mahant Nrityagopal Das urged the government not to delay the start of the on construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya so that it can be completed before the next election in May 2019. The Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute is due to be heard in the Supreme Court on February 8. If the finding is positive , the BJP is expected to take swift action to start the construction of the temple as the party has been promising to build the Ram Janma Bhoomi temple for over a decade.

Attempts to build a temple at the Janma Bhoomi site have been underway since 1853, when Hindu’s occupied the Babri Masjid. In 1992, activists demolished the mosque, resulting in riots in which 2000 people were killed. Historians are divided as to whether the area is the actual birth place of Sri Ram, however, there is historical and archaeological evidence showing that a temple at the site was destroyed by Mughal rulers in the 17^th Century. Read more

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I devotedly praise the wonderful place known as Ram Ghat, where Yamuna, who gently flowed towards the salt-water-ocean without having a relationship with Krishna, was dragged near by angry Balaram’s plow, and were the river’s crooked course can still be seen by all the people.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: Now Raghunath Das Goswami praises Sri Ram Ghat, where Sri Baladeva enjoyed the Rāsa dance with his beloved gopīs for two months and where he dragged the river with his plough so he could enjoy in her waters, making her course crooked to this day.

This pastime is described in Śrīmad Bhāgavata (10.65.17-23,31):

Sri Baladeva came from Dwaraka and stayed in Vraja for two months to console the gopīs. During the months of Caitra (March-April) and Vaishakh (April-May) he sported at night with his beloved gopīs. The night was illuminated by the rays of the full moon and the southern breezes carried the fragrance of the kumuda flowers to the subforest where Balaram was enjoying with the gopīs. For the service of Sri Baladeva Varunadeva sent varuni-devī (a celestial beverage), who trickled from the hollow of a tree and gladdened the forest with her fragrance. The wind distributed this honey fragrance everywhere and when Baladeva caught that fragrance he went there and drank the varuni honey wine with his beloveds.

[Ram Ghat lies on the bank of the Yamuna, two miles east of Shergarh. Its present name is Oba.]

The gopīs, who were intoxicated by the varuni wine, sang about Sri Halayudha’s (Balaram’s) sweet pastimes and Balaram, himself also intoxicated, rambled with them from forest to forest, his eyes rolling with intoxication. After enjoying the Rāsa dance the intoxicated Sri Baladeva, who was adorned with dewy drops of perspiration, who wore a garland of forestflowers around his neck and one earring on his ears and whose face was decorated with a nectarean slight smile, called Yamuna so that he could enjoy pastimes in her water with his sweethearts. Thinking Baladeva to be drunk, Yamuna ignored his words. [“He is now drunk on varuni, and that’s why he’s calling me near, but a river does not go to anyone simply on being called. If he wants to enjoy in my water, then let him come to me himself!” Thinking like this, Yamuna did not come to Baladeva (Vishwanath Chakravarti).] So Baladeva angrily dragged her near with the tip of his plough. Sri Shuka Muni told Maharaj Parikshit, “O King! Even now the Yamuna announces Sri Balaram’s glorious prowess, for she is still flowing in a crooked course here!”

Raghunath Das Goswami says: dhīrā yāntī lavaṇa jaladhau kṛṣṇa sambandha hīnā : “Like a dhīra nāyikā (passive heroine) Yamuna flowed towards the saltwater ocean, bereft of a relationship with Krishna.”

The purport of this is that the Yamuna that is punished by Baladeva is not the eternal associate of Nandanandana Sri Krishna, but the shadow of the Lord’s Queen Kalindi in Dwaraka, who was one of the wives in the ocean of the Lord’s opulences there. This is written in the Toṣaṇī commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:

devī ceyaṁ śrī-bhagavad-rūpānusāreṇa lakṣmyā vividha-mūrtivat bhagavan-mahiṣī-varāyāḥ śrī-kālindyā eva saṁjñā-chāyā-nyāyena tac-chāyā vibhūti-rūpā bhagavata eva mahā-vibhūteḥ samudrasya bhāryā-svarūpā mūrtir ekā jñeyā.

Bhakti-ratnākara gives the following description about this event:

“O Shrinivas! This is Ram Ghat! Here the son of Rohiṇī danced the Rāsa. This Rāsa-sthalī of Balaram is far away from the place where Sri Krishna played the Rāsa with his sweethearts. What can I say? Balaram is as grave as millions of oceans. He is most patient and he is Krishna’s second body. He eagerly came to Vraja from Dwaraka and stayed there for two months – Caitra and Vaishakh, during which he spoke with Sri Nanda and Yashoda and delighted Krishna’s friends in different ways. With different plaintive words the intelligent son of Rohiṇī consoled Krishna’s sweethearts in different ways and then he enchanted his own beloved gopīs, with whom he had previously enjoyed in the spring. O Shrinivas! The Lord and his devotees have described the Rāsa-līlā of Balaram in many different ways. Balaram dragged the Yamuna to this spot so that he could play in her waters here.”

When Sriman Nityananda Prabhu came to Vrindavan in the course of his pilgrimage he stayed at Ram Ghat for a few days, in the ecstasy of Baladeva. Srila Raghunath says: “I devotedly praise this wonderful Ram Ghat.”

Out of separation Yamuna slowly streamed towards the ocean, being bereft of a relationship with Krishna, when Baladeva angrily dragged her towards himself with the tip of his plough. Even nowadays people can see that the course of Yamuna is crooked here at this ghāṭa because of this! With great devotion I offer innumerable obeisances unto Ram Ghat on the bank of the Yamuna.

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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We get a lot of early morning sound out here in the Sheetal Chaya area. There are the howling street dogs and even, I heard one the other day, a peacock miauling from the TB Sanctuary.

Human noises here start with a neighbor who gets up every day at 4.30 and calls out Raaadhey! three times into the still dark, finishing with something that sounds like “yeah!”

Then at about 5 a.m. Bhagavata Niwas starts a Bengali kunja bhanga kirtan on the mikes. Radha Raman Niwas frequently chimes in soon afterwards with a Nitai Gaura Radhe Shyam kirtan. Then, I only recently noticed, at about 7, if there is no interfering sound, I can hear Premananda Baba’s distinctive voice floating across the Vrindavan Research Institute as he starts his recital of Brajbhasha vani texts followed by Vrindavan Mahimamrita class. That sound comes wafting up to here from Madan Ter, close to a kilometer away.

rādhā-karāvacita-pallava-vallarīke
rādhā-padāṅka-vilasan-madhura-sthalīke |
rādhā-yaśo-mukhara-matta-khagāvalīke
rādhā-vihāra-vipine ramatāṁ mano me ||

May my mind take pleasure in Sri Radha’s forest playground,
which is filled with flower vines whose twigs have been touched by Radha’s hands,
whose sweet sites have been trod and marked by Radha’s feet
and where the birds become intoxicated singing Radha’s glories. (RRSN 13)

Then there are the random bells and artis and occasional festival programs and Hare Krishna Maha Mantra or others, or Rama Charita Manasa, which always seems to be going on somewhere. And another neighbor bathes out in his courtyard singing “Om namah shivaya.”

And of course I make my own private contribution to the cacophony, even instancing occasional complaints from my closest neighbors.

Most of the above is most of the time rather acceptable and even welcome to me. If there are mosques in Vrindavan (one occasionally does hear the call to prayer over loudspeakers coming from somewhere afar), they do not create a disturbance.

But teenagers in CNG tuktuks blasting Bollywood music at peak volume through the streets, weddings processions bombarding the surroundings with deafening popular music, or when competing sound systems wage a war of devotional music from the rooftops. The worst moments come when there is a secular festival and DJs blast techno music with their supercharged woofers, pulsating a base and drumbeat that seems intent on destroying every brain cell that the Creator God or Evolution has bestowed on humanity. That is the moment that I cry out, “Haram!!”

The conundrum is that in a free and secular society, the same rules have to apply to all. And even here in a town that in principle follows the idea of exclusive devotion to Radha and Krishna, no preference can be given to such music.

In other towns in India, loudspeaker wars between temples, mosques and gurudwaras have not infrequently led to violence. In some places, this has led to community decisions to curb sound pollution in order to keep communal peace. Though that is not specifically a problem in Vrindavan, over the past year, several High Court, Supreme Court and Government decisions have been brought down to curb noise pollution, including most notably the Noise Pollution Act of 2000.

The use of loudspeakers is finally being seen as an infringement of people’s fundamental right to privacy and silence, since excessive noise, sometimes sustained for hours, takes away their right to speak with others, to read or to even think or the right to sleep. Who knows how much productivity is ruined or wrecked by people who carelessly think that their right to celebrate noisily is more important than the right to have silence?

And what the other health benefits can be had by not being exposed to the incessant playing of loud music everywhere one goes have been demonstrated in scientific studies. Certainly, this does not allow for the culture of the sattva-guna, which is the only foundation for happiness.

Recently, the UP government has taken the welcome decision to seriously restrict noise pollution and to enforce the Noise Pollution Act.

Actually, for foreigners coming to visit India, the addiction to noise is baffling. In fact, the seemingly uncontested “right” of every individual to disturb and distract entire neighborhoods with deafening sound would be unthinkable in most developed countries in the world, as a matter of public courtesy if not the law.

The same applies to those disturbers of the peace who listen to music on their phones without using earphones. Consideration for the other everywhere is at a deficit, and that includes not only noise, but also the general desecration of public spaces, turning them into litter-boxes and toilets.

It also includes other kinds of pollution, such as that created by unsightly hoardings and postings, all of which create the impression of lawlessness and disorder and lack of respect for others.

Kirtan and bhajan are essential elements of the bhakti process that is taught in Braj. But how can any religion impose expressions of religious beliefs on the unwilling? In some temples, loudspeakers are set up to play outside to the public without being heard inside the temple precincts. Often loudspeakers are set up in such a way that the sound playing outside to the public makes it almost impossible to hear a speaker inside the area where he is speaking to those who want to listen. Those who want to hear can’t, and those who don’t want to hear are forced to. Other culprits are the shops that sell music CDs.

In hundreds of homes and temples throughout this town, kirtan is going on regularly by small groups of devotees who cultivate music. Vrindavan is a fascinating place. Every neighborhood, like ours, has its own unique sounds as people walk through the street singing and chanting in the early morning hours as they walk to the Yamuna to bathe or on their way to mangal arati at one of the major temples, where the bells ring, each temple, each home producing its own unamplified spiritual sounds. If one has awakened to such sounds, one truly feels the holy atmosphere.

So, though it is to be hoped that decibel levels will be controlled everywhere, particular attention should be paid to the loud playing of techno and other non-devotional music, not just by tempo drivers but also at weddings and secular parties.

It is to be hoped that the police will enforce the rules until the people themselves learn the lessons of behavior in an urban environment.

For those who are new visitors to Vrindavan, a peaceful atmosphere will make it possible for them to appreciate the temples and the visual and acoustic ambiance that each of them creates.

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