B elow is the excerpt from class on Radha Kund appearance by HH Jayapataka Swami, given on 21-10-2019, Sridham Mayapur.
Today is the appearance of Radha Kunda
“So I will first speak a few words about the appearance of Radha Kunda. One demon was sent by king Kamsa to kill Krsna and Balarama and he took the form of a big bull called Aristasura. He was huge. His tail and horns reached the sky and the clouds thinking that his horns were mountain peaks, hovered around his horns. He was stomping on the ground and he scared all the residents of Vrndavana. Some ladies who were pregnant, had miscarriages, seeing the fearful form of this demon bull. Some of the cows also had miscarriages. So the bull was stomping, kicking the ground with his feet but Krsna was completely nonchalant. He had His hands on His friend’s shoulder and He said that the demon, why are you scaring all the residents – the cows and the cow herders? I am here, I will kill you. Demons like you are meant to be killed. You are creating fear for nothing. So then the bull with his head down and his horns towards Lord Krsna, he charged with full force. But then Krsna grabbed his horns and pushed him back 18 steps. The bull got his energy together, he was perspiring over his whole body. Again he charged at Krsna, smirking, he would charge with full force at Lord Krsna and Lord Krsna grabbed him by the horns and threw him down. He pulled down one of the horns from his head and then he beat him like a pile of laundry and He beat him until he was coughing blood and he gave up his living force. Then Krsna, He was that night expecting to have a rasa dance. He headed to see Radharani and the gopis and they told Him don’t come near us. You killed a demon, but he was a male cow, so You are guilty of killing a male cow. So don’t come near us. You are very sinful! You will have to go to all the holy places in the universe to get purified of Your offence, killing a cow, killing a bull. Krsna said, why do I have to go? I will bring all the holy places here. He kicked the earth and Syama Kunda was created. And then He called all the holy places, come here, and because of receiving the order from the Supreme Lord, all the holy places came and they were in their personal forms. So each one had introduced himself, I am Ganga devi, I am Jamuna devi, I am Saraswati devi and they would join together at Prayag. I am Prayag Tirtha, I am Puskar Tirtha. And like that one after another each introduced himself of different holy places. And Krsna ordered them to fill up this kunda with your waters. So then they filled up His kunda and Krsna bathed there and came out, and said I feel so fresh, so purified. So He told the gopis and Radha, come bathe in My kunda. She said, no, never, never, no! We will have our own kunda. She told Her gopi friends, you must make a more beautiful lake than Krsna. So immediately dig a lake. So the gopis are energies of Radharani, started to excavate and at that time in less than an hour, they had excavated a huge pond but it was dry. Krsna said, you take My water and put it in your lake, in your pond. But Radharani said, no, I will call my unlimited gopis and they will go to the heavenly planets, the Manasi Ganga and billion pots, they will bring down the water and fill up my kunda, which will be famous throughout the whole world because they are bringing the celestial waters to the Manasi Ganga. Then the personified holy place came out of the Syama kunda and bowed down at Radharani’s lotus feet and then he said, my dear daughters, if we cannot serve you then our tree of desire will not bear fruit. So please have your mercy on us and let us serve you. She said, what do you want? He said, You are the supreme energy of the Lord, so we want we can also fill Your pond, and You will bathe in our waters. And then we will be successful and pleased. So She looked at Lalita and other sakis and they nodded their approval and She said, ok, you can come. No sooner than She said that, they broke the earth between Syama kunda and Radha kunda and rushed into Radha kunda. Then Krsna declared I will bathe in the Radha kunda. How dear Radharani is to Me, Her kunda is also dear to Me! Anyone who bathes in that kunda even one time, will get the attraction of Radharani to Me. So tomorrow is the appearance day of Radha Kunda and so this is a great holy place. The Upadesamrita declares that among all the holy places, this is the most holy. So in Navadvip dhama, in Ritudvip is also Radha kunda. In Antardvip by the mercy, influence of Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, he brought the Radha kunda here. So we should take a little water and put it on our head, from Ritudvip or from this Caitanya Matha. So we also remember how Radha Kunda was dear to Lord Krsna and how Radharani, She would serve Krsna in this bathing pond of Radha kunda. So Lord Caitanya when He visited, He was so happy, He started dancing kirtan on the bank of the Radha kunda. He took some of the mud in Radha kunda and He wore as tilaka. Gauuuuranga! Gauuuuuuranga! Gauuranga! Gauranga! Gauranga! So that is the story how the Radha kunda came into being. Srila Prabhupada mentions how in 1935 or so, when his gurudev, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada Maharaj was staying in Radha Kunda, he went to see his gurudev. At that time, he gave Prabhupada the important instruction that he should publish books. So he told Prabhupada, start constructing temples and publishing books. He told him that publishing books was more important than constructing temples. So Srila Prabhupada said that those instructions remained in his mind for many years. So we see that Srila Prabhupada, along with establishing 108 temples, he published many books on Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsna. ”
HH Jayapataka Swami
Excerpt from 21-10-2019
In Sri Navadvipa Dham, Sri Radha Kunda has manifested Herself in two places: in the island of Rtudvipa and Antardvipa.
In the Navadvipa Bhava Taranga, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes the mood and activities of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as He came to Rtudvipa.
ritudvipam tato gatva
drishtva sobham vanasya ca
radha-kundadikam smritva
ruroda saci-nandanah
“Arriving at Ritudvipa and seeing the beauty of the forest, Saci-nandana started crying while remembering Radha-kunda and other sacred places.”
In the island of Antardvipa, at the house of Candrasekar Acarya the maternal uncle of Mahaprabhu, is the Sri Caitanya Math, which is the headquarters of Gaudiya Math established by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Under guidance and instruction of Sarasvati Thakura, his disciples brought the sacred waters, Giriraja silas from the sacred Govardhana Hill, and the Tamala and Keli Kadamba trees from Vrindavan and . Being constantly absorbed in meditation, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura saw these holy places to be manifested and present in the Math.
In Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, on the day of Bahulastami, devotees go on Parikrama to Radha Kund , Shyamkund at Caitanya mutt and offer their worship.
All glories to the appearance of Sri Radha Kunda, the holiest of the holy places!
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