Vraj Mandal-Hot tea in Bel Van

Vraj Mandal special.

Hot ginger chai! At one of the sacred Van (woods) #belvan in Vraj Mandal.
With the peacocks, parrots, cows, the squirrels and the snake!!

This particular video is from a very sacred spot in Vraj. Entire 84 kos of this land is divine and home to several sacred divine leela of Shree RadhaKrishn or ShreeNathji
Tea is made outdoors in the choolah. The sadhu babaji who lives here is very friendly.

He always offers me tea and we spend at least a couple of hours watching the peacocks, parrots, squirrels running around.

Preparing to light the outdoor chullah he continues talking all the time.

As he has no ginger I offer him some from my little bag. I have learnt from my innumerable visits to Vraj; to always carry some ginger with me, as many of the chai places(outdoor tea making spots) do not use it when it gets a bit expensive. And I love to have some ginger in my tea!! This tea has no added water and milk used is fresh from his Gaushala.

This is a step by step video of this exciting tea making ritual.

As he brews my #tea sadhu babaji continues to give me a lecture on the adulterated milk that we must be using in Mumbai.

Watch how babaji makes tea and also describes how three snakes came in his hut the other day to eat the rats. (In fact we actually see a snake crawl in the bush as we sat sipping on our tea).

Maybe you will notice the helper who picks up the ready tea from fire, removes his slippers before nearing the chullah. As cooking is considered a sacred ritual.

Listening to the peacocks meow in the background as tea is brewed makes for a very mesmerising experience as also keeping a watch on my tea, and filming this process.

In between I manage to photograph the two parrots who come in search of water at the tap. And the few squirrels who drink from the nullah. The new born calves hide in fear and are shy.

I’ve taken several pictures in my camera which will upload some day.

(This particular way of making tea outdoors is very ancient and not many places do it any more. Also I would not accept openly made tea if this place wasn’t a sacred spot and also clean enough).

#teaoutdoors #belvan #vrajmandal ​

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How I love this divine place!!

Jai Shree RadhaKrishn!

Jai ShreeNathji

Kusum Sarovar,Shri Govardhan

 

Kusum Sarovar, a beautiful sandstone monument, is a 25-minute walk from Radha Kund. Kusum means “flower,” and here the gopis would pick flowers for Shree Krishn.

 

The ghats at this kund and the buildings above the kund were built by Jawahir Singh, the king of Bharatpur around 1764, in honor of his father Raja Surajmul.

Surajmul attacked the Mughal King of Delhi and was killed in the battle.

His son Jawahir Singh then attacked Delhi and killed the Mughal king.

On the upper level are three tombs.

The main tomb of Raja Surajmul  has beautiful paintings on its ceiling depicting the pastimes of Shri Krishn and the lotus feet of Shri Krishn engraved on the floor.

There are also some paintings of Raja Surajmal in his court.

The other tombs are those of his two queens, Kishori and Hansiya.

There are beautiful paintings on the ceiling of these two tombs.

 

There is also a Giriraj Temple here.

Karmic sanskars

It takes just a moment for you to not exist as yourself on this planet.

That moment can be any moment, who knows? Next breath could be the last..

When you leave this body, only the karmas will travel with you as your sanskars. These karmic sanskars is what will give you results in the next birth.

So just think, “Is all this Raag, Dwesh, Lobh”, (Attachments, Rivalry, Greed) really worth it?

Create karmas which will give higher and positive situations in the next birth.

 

 

(This particular photo is of entangled leaves on a branch. The twisted leaves remind us of the agitation in a mind which is full of Raag, Dwesh, Lobh. It is a very negative and selfish mind who fails to find the required peace).

Jai Shree RadhaKrishn

Emotional dependance

Till the time I am dependent on OTHERS for fulfillment of MY emotions,

I will continue to be dissatisfied.

 

True happiness is called Joy.

“Let your soul flower in Joy”

Joy is independent of any person or any situation in one’s life. It is a spiritual quality. Joy erupts from your soul.

Whereas,

Happiness is variable, depending on the people and situations in your life.

Happiness will be dependent on the people and situations in your life; your control is people and situation defendant.

Himalayas-Mandakini river flow

The Himalayas:Mandakini river 

As we drive down from #Guptkashi this holy river continues to flow on our right. This particular recording is from  #Ukhimath area. 

The drive and the views are very pleasant and lively. 

Watching the Gangaji flow, it is very tempting to video record it; only problem being that these roads can be very accident prone if we stop in between. 

So the next best was to record it with my iPhone from the car itself.  

I have kept the original sounds of air flow and water flowing. 

Hope you enjoy driving down with it. 

Jai ho!!

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ShreeNathji Bhajan video from Mukharwind

ShreeNathji:

This is a recording of a bhajan, arti from Shri Govardhan, Jatipura Mukharwind.

Hope you enjoy listening to it; the bhao and bhakti of ShreeNathji, Shree RadhaKrishn bhakts is immense at this sthal.

गिरिराज गोवर्धन, श्रीनाथजी मुखारविंद :

“यमुना जल मा केसर घोले..”

श्रीनाथजी का आशीर्वाद, जतीपुरा से अपने भक्तों के लिए; ८.५० मिनट का आनंद.

सुनिए और दर्शन कीजिये,

श्री ठाकुरजी को तैयार करते हुए भजन, आरती सहित; जतीपुरा मुखारविंद.

मेरे श्रीनाथजी ठाकुरजी की जय !

(The sewaks here have stopped people from recording at the Mukharwind since the past few months. This video is from an earlier period when recording was permitted.

So please help to spread the Arti darshans to all Vaishnavs)

Details of ShreeNathji Mukharvind at Jatipura, Shri Govardhan

Shreeji lives in Vraj at Mathura on Giriraj Govardhan. His Mukharvind mandir is at the base Girirajji, the place of His Pragatya.

This Govardhan Shila is also known as the Shringar Sthali – The Mukharvind of Giriraj Govardhan; according to the Vallabh Sampraday. Annakut Pujan is held here every year. Hundreds of bhakts visit daily and worship with milk and flowers etc. Many begin their parikrama of Giriraj Govardhan from this point.

This Sthal is very very Alive with the Divine vibrations and energy.

Shreeji does Shayan here for six months every year. (Vasant Panchmi to Dassehra).

After the Sandhya Aarti at His Nathdwara Mandir, He comes at the Mukharvind Mandir on Shri Govardhan to give Shayan Darshans. During this period, His Presence is very Live and can be felt by the receptive bhakts; so once the Shringar is complete no photography is allowed. Before this photographs can be taken.

The Mukharvind of Shreeji is decorated and worshipped every evening. It is believed to be Alive with His presence.

Jatipura was originally known as Yatipura. Shri Vallabh Achary lived on this side of Girirajji as he found it easier to climb up for Shreeji’ seva. In that time period it wa like a jungle, only the Anyor side was inhabited with few villages. Another name for a sadhu or sant is ‘Yati’, and anyone looking for Shri Vallabh was directed here, and people soon began calling it the place where the ‘Yati’ resides; hence the name Jatipura. In Vraj bhasha ‘Y’ is pronounced as ‘J’.

The 14th Baithakji is located in front of the Mukharvind. It was from here that Shri Vallabh narrated the Bhagwadji to Girirajji.

Sthapan of Shreeji Mukharvind is just 100-150 year ago (as per the sevaks).

Jai Shreeji!

Kadamb flowers

Sacred, Divine Kadamb:

When they bloom, the environment around smells sweetly fragrant; the fragrance is unlike any other flower.

June, July is the month that the sacred Kadamb tree flowers in India. The blooms stay just for a month.

Every year I wait for these blooms and try to go walk around them taking in as much fragrance as is possible.

This unique fragrance is unlike any other flower and is very sweet. Because of this the Kadamb flowers are always surrounded by honey bees.

My dream is, someday I might just be able to tent below these trees and enjoy them totally for day and night.

I personally love this fragrance; in fact the fragrance stays for few days even after the flowers have dried. Whenever possible I take a branch of the blooms and keep in my room, taking in their unearthly fragrance even after they have dried.

An ancient Kadamb at Kaliyadeh, a leela sthali of Shree Krishn.

Kadamb tree and blooms are considered sacred as it is very closely associated with Divine Shree RadhaKrishn and ShreeNathji.

This is the tree under which the Divine couple spent time in Their various leelas. Vraj Mandal has numerous Kadamb trees.

It finds mention in all Hindu scriptures.

This is a Kadamb tree from Nathdwara. As you can here see people worship the treetoo.

These blooms are to be found in Mumbai. I have not seen them at Vraj Mandal

 

Kadamb tree’s botanical name is Anthocephalus cadamba. It is a large tree with a broad crown and straight cylindrical bole. It is quick growing, large; has large spreading and grows rapidly in first 6-8 year and produces golden ball of flowers. The tree may reach a height of 45 m with trunk diameters of 100-(160) cm. The tree sometimes has small buttresses and a broad crown. The bark is grey, smooth in young trees, rough and longitudinally fissured in old trees).

Out of millions of shrubs and plants, it is claimed that the 27 Stars (constellations) constituting 12 Houses (Rasis) and 9 Planets are specifically represented precisely by 27 trees only—one for each star—since the character of the stars, the trees and the individual go together. The Kadamba tree is said to represent Shatabhisha (Western star name -γ Aquarii) star. The characteristics of this star are ascribed to the tree as also to the individual born in that star

Forgive All..

Forgive All..

“All your present experiences are rooted in your past karmas. So; Let go, Let be, Forgive all”.

As soon as you put this in practice, peace will be yours. You; and only you are responsible for all the good or bad that you experience in the outer or inner world. You are the creator of  situations in your life.

This is a very ancient “Badh”(Banyan) tree.  I have a love of photographing old trees from all over India. I used this photo here as old trees exude some sort of wisdom.

 

ShreeNathji Mandir on Giriraj Govardhan

ShreeNathji Mandir on Giriraj Govardhan

ShreeNathji Mandir on Shri Govardhan: A Panoramic view.

Darshans here are of this ShreeNathji Chavi. The original Murti is now at Nathdwara Haveli. The journey to Mewar, as desired by Thakurjee, began in 1669 AD, on Asadh Sud Punam on Friday, during the last 3 hours of the night. ShreeNathji with all His sewaks arrived in Sinhad (Nathdwara) in 1672 AD, on Falgun Vad Satam on Saturday.

Many bhakts are not able to get these darshans, as they are unable to climb up; either because of bad health, old age, or the belief that one should not give shram to Shri Girirajji by climbing on Him. Please enjoy these Darshans.

 

Few details about this sacred mandir:

In 1499 AD, ShreeNathji gives hukum in a dream to Puranmall Kshtri. “Come to Vraj Mandal and build a large mandir for me”. So Puranmall sold all his property and came to Shri Govardhan at Vraj. He asked the Vrajvasi the where about of Shree Dev Daman.

Puranmall was very happy to do the darshans, after which he meets Shri Vallabh Acharya and narrates the dream. “I have sold everything that I possessed and come here with all my wealth to build the mandir as per Shreeji’s hukum”.

Shri Maha Prabhuji grants permission for building. Purnmall then requests Shri Giiriraj that there will be a lot of disturbance in building the mandir, I need your permission. Giriraj Govardhan says, “ShreeNathji will live in my heart, so all the digging work etc will not cause any parishram to me, please go ahead and start the work”.

The mandir foundation was laid in the year 1499 AD, Vaishak Sud 3, in Rohini Nakshatra.

All of Puranmall’s wealth was soon exhausted. He went south again to work and earn money so that the mandir could be completed. Shreeji refused to accept this sewa from any other bhakt and waited for 20 years, till Puranmall could complete the mandir!

Till then Shreeji stayed in a small mandir. These 20 years, Ramdas Chauvan Rajput did the sewa. Thus from 1488 AD till 1519 AD, Shreeji did His Leela from this small mandir.

The architect Hiramani lived in Agra. As per hukum in his dream, he came to Vraj and met Shri Vallabh Acharya. Shri Vallabh Acharya gave him the permission and instructed him to start drawing the plan on paper. He drew the plan of a mandir without a shikhar. But as soon as he finished drawing the plan it would change to a drawing of a mandir with a shikhar. This happened three times, so Shri Maha Prabhuji understood that it was Shreeji’s desire to stay in a mandir with a shikhar.

He tells Damodardas, “Since ShreeNathji wishes to stay in a mandir with a shikhar, it means He will stay in Shri Govardhan for many years. Then there will be attack by the Mughals, after which Shreeji will move to some other part of the country. He will stay here also for several years, after which He will move back to Vraj.

New mandir Paat Utsav

Once this new mandir was ready, Shre Maha Prabhuji reached Vraj after completing parikrama of the country. Shreeji was established in His new mandir in 1519 AD; Vaishak Sud Teej; on Akha Teej. This day is also called the Paat Utsav of ShreeNathji.

This is the ancient mandir built by Shri Puranmall. It has been restored twice since.

(Paragraph taken from our website for ShreeNathji – Abha Shahra Shyama)

Please share with due credit.

This is how the mandir looks from the inside. Many bhakts do not climg up, so this photo can be helpful.

Gurushree Sudhir bhai, Ashokji, on Shri Govardhan at Shreeji’s Pargatya sthal

 

A distant view of the mandir

View of the mandir from the parikrama maarg

A book on Shri Govrdhan and ShreeNathji details. I took it with me when I climbed on Shri Govardhan, and enjoyed taking this picture here. Jai Shree GovardhanNathji!

Gurushree Sudhir bhai, on Girirajji; with whose kripa I have been able to find ShreeNathji and bring these photos to you all. My humble pranam!

This is the book we published which has all details of ShreeNathji and Shri Govardhan.