Day 1 - Braj Parikrama 2019

Govinda kund and Nrsimhadeva temple in Govardhana

The first day of Braj Parikrama 2019 with Kadamba Kanana Swami has started and this first trip takes us to Govardhana, Govinda kund and the Nrsimhadeva temple.

Written by Amrtavani

It was a momentous sight! Over 150 people from more than 20 countries gathered to immerse themselves in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, abandoning for 2 weeks the normal routine of everyday life in search of a higher truth. Impelled once again by the melodious kīrtana, entertaining stories and deep life messages of His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami, our group made our way by bus to Govinda-kuṇḍa, at the feet of Govardhana, whom Mahārāja later described as especially effulgent. The first day of our parikramā was blistering hot. But we felt sheltered by Govardhana Hill towering beside us, and by Mahārāja’s sweet words.

Govinda-kuṇḍa was the place where Surabhi, the heavenly cow, had crowned Kṛṣṇa as the new Indra after the devastating rains on Govardhana Hill. However, Mahārāja choose this place to focus especially on Mādhavendra Purī, who meditated here, absorbed in love of God. Mahārāja spoke at length in glorification of Mādhavendra Purī who was the root of the Caitanya tree, and thus set the scene for our upcoming trip to Jaipur, which represents the core of our teachings.

Mahārāja explained that Mādhavendra Purī was the embodiment of pure devotional service. He had freed himself from all ritual and social obligations to travel a path alone and followed the ‘ājagara-vṛtti’ – the python vow where one simply accepts whatever comes, and no endeavour is made even for meals! Such was his single minded focus on Kṛṣṇa. He was a śaktyāveśa-avatāra of Lord Caitanya, and a wish fulfilling desire tree from the spiritual world, so we began our parikramā on an auspicious note listening to Mahārāja reading the outpourings of Mādhavendra Purī heart: “Let the sharp moralist accuse me of being illusioned; I do not mind. Experts in Vedic activities may slander me as being misled, friends and relatives may call me frustrated, my brothers may call me a fool, the wealthy mammonites may point me out as mad, and the learned philosophers may assert that I am much too proud; still my mind does not budge an inch from the determination to serve the lotus feet of Govinda, though I be unable to do it.” (Purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.3-4)

Our next stop was at the Nṛsiṁhadeva temple. After a sweet and melodious rendition of the Nṛsiṁhadeva prayers, Mahārāja commented that we are asking Nṛsiṁhadeva to remove all obstacles so we can go deeper into the holy dhāma. Visiting the dhāma creates impressions and helps us realize that this is actually where we belong. When Kṛṣṇa is pleased with our service, He will lift the curtain of illusion and we will be able to absorb the ecstasy of prema that the dhāma naturally carries.

Our first day on parikramā was filled with nectarean instructions as well as humorous interludes – like when a cow sauntered into our gathering, obviously eager to hear Mahārāja speak about Surabhi! We left Govardhana looking forward to the following days in the company of warm-hearted pilgrims and to further adventures in the mystical land of Jaipur.

Govinda Kund

Below are the links to live videos from Day 1. If you cannot see the videos below visit our FB page. Stay tuned for more recordings and videos on our Youtube channel.