Vraja Vilas Stava

By HH BB Govinda Swami

Srila Bhaktivinode explains that by reading Vraja Vilas Stava we can learn how to appropriately conduct ourselves with the residents of Goloka Vrindavan.

Well, I read it, and it is indeed relishable.

But clearly I know that it is going to be many, many maha yugas till I associate with the residents of Goloka Vrindavan.

And, if ever I do have that association, it will happen only by the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who has liberally given us the process and goal of attainment, hari nama sankirtan yajna.

In Brihat Bhagavatamrta Srila Sanatan Goswami has said;
“Because nama-sankirtan invariably leads to the treasure of pure love for the Lord, true connoisseurs of devotional service consider nama-sankirtan the very fruit of bhakti.”

And in his purport he states;

According to many pure devotees, nama-sankirtan is not only the best means of devotional service but the final perfection itself. Of course, prema is the final goal of bhakti, but nama-sankirtan so quickly and infallibly leads to prema that the two are considered virtually identical. Wherever prema is seen to have developed, one can presume that nama-sankirtan must have been performed.

Nama-sankirtan is the necessary and sufficient cause of prema.
So, I listened to Vraja Vilas Stava and it was wonderful nectar.
And I chant and it is also wonderful nectar.
And I always wonder “kabe habe bolo se din amar?”
There was a small group of devotees in my room as Ananda Murti Das was reading. He would read in English and Shivcharana Das would translate to Russian.
So the nectar was flowing .. but a little slowly.
The author offers his obeisances to the sacred places in Vrindavan and to all of the Lord’s divine associates in Vrindavan.
We heard how one of Nanda Maharaja’s brothers keeps a large herd of buffalos and offers tasty buffalo milk products to Krishna .. and Krishna relishes it all.
And another brother of Nanda Maharaja is always whispering jokes into Krishna’s ears and it always makes Krishna laugh with joy.
Ahhh … what relief !! Maybe there is room for another joker up in Goloka. The only problem is that I’ll definitely have to clean up my jokes.
After we had heard about 25 verses of obeisances to Vraja and the Lord’s associates I asked a question;
“Do any of you all offer obeisances like that everyday?”
And the answer was no.
Then I told the devotees about an experience I had in Vrindavan many years ago.
Perhaps it was in the winter of 1988 or 1989.
I had been doing kitchen service all day and needed to chant my japa. So in the evening I walked into Vrindavan and wandered along the little lanes near Seva Kunja.
As I wandered, and chanted, I’d go into the little temples, offer obeisances, and keep wandering.
The night had come. It was dark, cold, a bit foggy, silent,
and I had this wonderful feeling of loneliness in Vraja.
I walked into Loi Bazaar around 19:00 and the bazaar was shuttering down for the night.
Walking by the shop of my friend, Rajendra Tulasi Walla, Rajendra looked up and said;
“Oh, you look lonely tonight, like a sadhu. What are you looking for on this cold evening?”
I replied;
“I’m looking for the association of a siddha paramahamsa vaisnava .. a pure chanter of the holy names.”
Rajendra said, “I know one .. let’s go.”
Well, I must admit that I was astonished.
Rajendra went to the shop next to his, Raju Fruit Walla, purchased a green papaya, and then told me to to climb on his scooter.
Then we drove into the Vrindavan night .. somewhere on the backside of the parikrama.
We came to a really old building with a broken wooden door and Rajendra began to knock.
After some minutes the door opened and and elderly small sadhu appeared. He had a scruffy beard, was wearing only wearing a white gampcha, and it appeared that our unannounced arrival was a distraction from something he was engaged in.
Rajendra said that he had brought a green papaya and asked if we could come in for a minute.
As we entered I bowed to touch his feet and he said;
“Please don’t touch .. I’m just in the middle of offering obeisances.”
Rajendra told me, “do you have any question to ask him?”
So I asked, “Maharaja, what is your sadhana?”
Then he relied;
“I rise everyday at 4 AM. I wash my face, hands, and mouth, and then I sit down to chant japa.”
I asked him, “till what time do you chant?”
He replied, “Until 5 PM.”
Then I just about fell over in astonishment. Over 12 hours of non-stop japa !!
Amazed I asked, “what do you do then?”
He relied, “I bathe. Everyday someone brings me a green papaya. So then I put the papaya in boiling water and I let it cook.”
I asked, “then what do you do?”
He relied, “I offer 1008 dandavats to all of Krishna’s associates and holy places of Vraja and I beg them all for mercy.”
I almost fell over again .. so I asked him;
“after the obeisances what do you do?”
He replied;
“I give the boiled papaya to my picture of Krishna, honour the prasadam, and then its 9 PM. Then I chant some more japa.”
Asked, “when do you finished your japa?”
He said, “at 1 AM .. then I take rest.”
I was so astonished I did not really know what to say.
But, I did ask;
“Maharaja, do you cry for Krishna?”
He looked at me sadly and relied;
“when I was young I would go to the samadhi of Haridasa Thakura in Puri and chant japa day and night. There, by the grace of Haridasa, I would cry incessantly.
But here I Vraja I fail to cry.”
He paused and added;
“I think I have committed an offence.”
Then he sadly and softly said;
“Please, please, excuse me .. but I must return to offering obeisances.”
We offered obeisances and left.
I never found out his name but remember him till this day.
Let us all chant the names and offer our obeisances.
Lord bless me that I may chant Your name, offer obeisance
to Your feet, to Your divine associates, and to Your sacred land of Vraja.
I am the most wretched and fallen of men.
But Your mercy is great. And Prabhupada’s mercy is great and can uplift the most fallen.
Please let me be solely dependent upon your mercy and the mercy of your devotees.
Hare Krishna !!

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