Nathdwara Yathra - 4

Jai Srinathji!

      Radhekrishna! The much awaited tour had come at last!  The main destination of this trip was Nathdwara. Next day by 8 am we reached the travels's office. The bus came late after some confusion regarding the starting point.We kept praying to the Lord frantically. At last the bus started forward. The first destination in the trip was Purana Srinathji Mandir. They say that the deity was originally consecrated here and then it was moved to the present location later on. 

It is an old temple with a photo of the Srinathji deity inside. A Pandit lives in the premises with his family. They are doing the daily seva to the deity. We sat there till the arathi time and took part in it. After that we moved forward to Rana Prathap Singh Smarak at a place called Haldighat. We can see sculptures depicting the historical incidents of Rana Prathap Sing's life with light and sound show.
    Rana Prathap Singh fought against the Mugal rulers vehemently. In the battle he faced Man Singh the Mugal commander. In the ensuing fight Prathap Singh's faithful horse Chetak was wounded fatally on one of his legs. The enemies were surrounding him. At that time one of his Jhala Sardar wore Prathap Singh's Royal insignia and made himself the target of the Mugal Army. Thus the Rana left the battle field along with some of his loyal followers. Chetak who was fatally wounded carried him as far2 miles where he encountered a stream on his path. While trying to jump over it he collapsed. Rana Prathap Singh built a monument for his faithful horse in this place. We saw the monument also and proceeded further to Eklingji mandir. 

       This temple is situated 22 kms from Udaipur. It is a very old temple of Lord Siva the main deity of Mewar dainasty. The magnificent architecture of this temple is really fantastic. All over Rajasthan we cant but admire the architectural fraternity of the people. The main idol is about 50 feet high depicting 4 faces of the Lord facing four directions. It is a beautiful temple which must be visited. 

      Srinathji is principal deity of the Vaishnava cult called Pushti marg. The saint Vallabhacharya established this form of worshiping the Lord in the Vatsalya bhava. It is said that the deity's arm and face emerged out of the Govardhan hills. The deity was worshiped in a temple on Govardhan itself. Later on it was moved from there to protect it from the hands of the Mugal emperor Aurengazeb to the present location in Rajasthan. It was in 1672 that the deity was consecrated at the present temple. The deity is that of Lord Krishna as a little boy with Hi left hand raised holding the Govardhan mountain. 

       We reached Nathdwara by 3 pm. The bus stopped at a bus bay on the outskirts of the town. From there we had to take an autorikshaw to the temple. The temple was closed at that time. We joined the queue standing in front of the temple. Ladies and gents have separate queues. By 4-30 the temple doors were opened and we were let inside through a different path from the gents. Inside another hall we were again made to stand. But we could see the first batch of visitors getting inside. Somebody said they were those who had booked for puja sevas. After letting them out the gents were let in.      
       Some of the ladies began to feel jealous of them. Some of them were  getting restless. One lady standing behind me (who seems to be new to this place) commented that the gopas are Krishna's favourites so he had let them in first. Immediately another one who was a regular visitor replied that first he will see off the gopas so that he can have more time with gopis. This caused a ripple of laughter among us and some of us fully supported her. 
      While all this was going on I had started worrying whether there would be enough time left for me to have the coveted darsan. Those who were regulars were saying that the temple closes every 30 mts. It was already nearing 4-30 and we were to reach the bus before 5 pm. I was worried whether I would be able to have my darsan before that. I enquired with a lady who supported the gopis earlier whether everybody would be allowed inside before 5 pm. The lady smiled and told me not to worry at all that the Lord never lets anybody go back disappointed. Whoever comes there to have His darsan is never disappointed she said. Though that quietened me for some time, as the time was dragging on I again began to feel desperate. 
      I cried from my heart of hearts to the Lord. "Oh Lord ! Please dont let me down. If the time is out then I cant wait for the next darsan. I will have to go back. I dont know whether I would be able to make a visit this far again. So please dont disappoint me." Time was going on still no sign of calling us in. Now tears slowly started welling in my eyes. At last we were let inside and I rushed like a mad woman holding on to the duppattah of the lady who was standing behind me. I knew she was a regular and she might know the techniques of getting good darsan. 
       As I stood in the crowd trying to get a glimpse of the coveted form my heart leaped with joy. The crowd was thronging inside and I was about 5 or 6 rows back. The lady with whom I came was standing beside me. She whispered in my years "have u seen your Takur? Didn't I tell you that you will have your darsan?" I smiled at her. Then she pushed me forward saying 'go!go! go forward near  and look at Him' I managed to inch my way forward and set my eyes on the beautiful form. I saw the Lord as a fascinating youth with a captivating smile. My eyes were getting wet at the divine darsan. The crowd was crushing me from all sides. I was slowly pushed out and stepped away from the crowd. The lady came near me and said 'Why don't you go inside again and have the darsan?' I hesitated as we are supposed enter from the right side and move out through the left side. How can go back to the right side entrance now? But she forcibly pushed me inside the door in front of the security guard who was totally unaware of what was happening. I again found myself standing in front of Srinathji. What a grace! This time I saw His dress, jewels etc. 
     Again I was slowly inched out of the pushing crowd. I was virtually crying. Then lady was still waiting outside for me. She asked me to have darsan of Bal Gopal deity which is on the left side of Srinaji sanctum. She also told me to visit Meerabai mandir and a Panduranga mandir before she left. I moved along the crowd and saw the Bal Gopal deity too. I came out and met my husband and we visited Meerabai mandir and also Panduranga mandir. By that time it was 5 pm. We rushed out of the temple and caught an auto to take us back to the bus. Almost all had returned except for a few people. We waited till everybody came back and then proceeded back to Udaipur.
Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!

Nathdwara Yathra - 3

      Radhekrishna! We reached Udhaipur by 6 a.m. We took an auto and reached our hotel. We had booked at the hotel online and so checked in to our room. We got ready quickly and went for a tour of Udhaipur by auto. Udhaipur is a beautiful city of lakes and palaces. Many of the palaces have been converted in to luxury hotels. We started with Pichola lake. Boat rides are conducted around the lake.It is a vast lake right in the middle of which is a palace turned hotel called Lake Palace Hotel run by the Taj group. The Lake Palace covers the entire island in the Pichola lake. Boat rides are conducted around the lake. We are taken around the Lake Palace Hotel. On the eastern shores are situated a series of massive palaces turned luxury hotels. We enjoyed the boat ride very much. 

       We were taken to Karna devi temple situated on a hill top next. Cable car services are provided to reach the top of the hill. On top is a small temple of Karna devi. The view from there is breath taking. Children will definitely enjoy the cable car ride. 

 We proceeded our tour and passed by City Palace which is partly occupied by the royal family and the rest is open for visitors. It is a big palace of architectural beauty. We roamed about palace for an hour and came out. 

  Our next destination was Jagdish Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is an old beautiful temple. It was arati time when we went so attended that there. 

 Just outside the temple there are number of shops on both sides of the road selling various handicrafts items, dresses etc. It is a shopper's delight to walk around the place.

 From there we were taken to Aravali Vatika a nice garden on the small hillock. We hurriedly finished seeing around the garden and proceeded to our next destination Prathap Smarak which is dedicated to the memory of Rana Prathap Singh. It was here that the Rana's military force were given training. The old dilapidated building is still there. There is a light and sound show in the evening.

 

       From there we proceeded to Fateh sagar lake. It is a beautiful lake and is a source of water supply in Udhaipur. We went for a boat ride around the lake and visited Nehru Park which is situated in the midst of the lake. Our next destination was a park of water fountains called Saheliyon ki Bari. Sahelion Ki Bari' was laid for a group of forty-eight young women attendants who accompanied a princess to Udaipur as part of her dowry. The princess was very fond of bathing rains. So the Rana made this garden with lots of fountains. The gardens set below the embankment of the Fateh Sagar Lake have beautiful lotus pools, marble pavilions and elephant- shaped fountains. These fountains are fed by the water of the lake gushing through ducts made for the purpose. Each water channel has its distinct sound and the mingling of these sounds complement the ambience of the place

  On our way back we passed Sukhadiya Circle and reached our hotel. On the whole it was a nice outing. We enjoyed seeing around Udhaipur very much. We had booked our tickets in a conducted tour for Nathdwara darsan next day. We were so excited and were very much looking forward to the much awaited trip of Nathdwara to see our little Srinathji! Will be back in the next issue about that trip. Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!    

Nathdwara yathra 2

Pushkar

         Radhekrishna. We boarded the train for Jaipur on 28th of Feb. from Bangalore and reached Jaipur on 2nd March 6 am. As the hotel where we were to stay had pick up arrangements from the station we reached there without any problem. We checked in to the hotel (The Golden Hotel) room which was very comfortable. We got ready by 9am. ready to see around Jaipur. We can get autos, taxis, etc. to take us around the city in plenty. We had hired an auto and started our tour. 

       Rajasthan in total is a state of fine architecture and Jaipur is no exemption. We first reached Birla mandir dedicated to Lord Lakshminarayana with His consort Goddess Lakshmi. The temple is  made up of marble as almost all structures in Rajasthan are! It is situated on an elevated place with a beautiful garden around.

      Our next destination was Jaipur zoo and museum. In the museum we can see various things used by the people in those days including the royal dresses, armours etc.

 

   

 From there we visited Amber Fort. It is a beautiful old palace situated on a hill top total area of 4 sq.kms around. It was built by Raja Mansingh. It is built with red sandstone and marble consisting of Diwan-e-aam or for public audience and Diwan-e-khas for private audience. There is a 'sheesh mahal' a wonder with mirror work. The walls and roofs are laid with intricate mirror designs which is a sight to see. 

Inside the palace artificial water cascade is made. The wind blowing through it kept the atmosphere cool even during summers. There is also a temple dedicated to Sila Devi, a goddess of Chaithanya cult, given to Raja Mansingh, when he defeated the Raja of Jessore (Bangladesh). A big lake is in front of the palace meant to supply water for the people around. An old township existed around this palace which was the old Jaipur. Now almost all the buildings are dilapidated. 
      Next we saw the pink city which is separate from the town with Hawa mahal as its centre of attraction. All buildings inside the Pink city are retained as such and only pink colour is used there.Next we saw Jal mahal which is situated amidst the Man Sagar lake. It was built for the purpose of entertainment for the Royal family. Dance programs were held here on special occasions for special guests. The first floor remains under water. We can see only the top floor from the banks. Nobody is allowed to go there they said.
     
We also visited Jantar Mantar which is a marvel in astronomy. How they calculated date, time, astrological signs etc from the shadow falling on the structures designed by great men. Seeing all these we feel very proud of our country's rich heritage and culture. We saw Nahargarh fort only from a distance as our auto man did not take us there.
                          
 We went around some beautiful gardens and reached our hotel by evening. Next day we were planning to go to Pushkar by bus. But the  taxi driver rang up to say that there are some people who would like to share the trip. So we decided to go by the taxi itself. We met two tamil speaking couples who had come from Chennai and the trip turned out to be a nice one. 
       Pushkar is situated near Ajmer. Some say that when Lord Siva shed tears after the death of his wife Sati, two ponds were formed. One is Pushkar in India and the other is supposed to be Ketaksha in the Chakwal district of Pakistan. According to another legend Pushkar was formed when the lotus (pushpa) from his hand (Kar) fell down on the earth and water appeared there. There is a temple for Lord Brahma but no pujas are conducted to the deity due to the curse of Lord Siva. It is said to be good to offer pirthru tharpanam in this place. In Srimad Bhagavatha this place is referred when Balarama conducts a pilgrimage. We did the offerings and sprinkled the water over us. A separate kumbha mela is held in Pushkar. Camel fair is also conducted annually. 

       On our way back we had to pass through Ajmer where a famous darghah is situated.  We reached back our hotel by evening. We finished our dinner and started by the night train towards Udhaipur which was our next destination. We will be back with more news of Udhaipur in the next issue. Radhekrishna !

 

Nathdwara Yathra 1.

Bangalore.

             "Guroranugraheneva pumaan poorna prashanthaye."

      Radhekrishna! Bhagavan Sri Krishna tells Sudama His school friend about the greatness of sadguru. It is only with the grace of Guru that man finds fulfillment in his life. Without the grace of guru one cannot achieve completeness.  
     H.H.Swamiji Sri Shanthanantha Puri maharaj of Vasishta guha was to stay in Bangalore for about a week. We wanted to make use of this golden opportunity of being with him for a week. We planned to continue our trip forward upto Rajasthan after that.  So the tickets were booked accordingly for our pilgrimage. With the full blessings of our guruji Brahmasree Gopalavallidasar, Chennai, we started this thirtha yathra from Trivandrum to Bangalore on 22-2-13.

 

      We reached Bangalore on 23rd morning. We had booked our accommodation at Aurobindo ashram guest house in J.P. Nagar. Swamiji came from Thiurvannamalai with few of his disciples. They came in a mini bus to Bangalore. Before reaching Bangalore they stopped at an old age home run by one of Swamiji's disciples Sri.Srinivasa Reddy.  Swamiji spoke a few words in English as well as Tamil for the inmates. The bus driver wanted to take a photo of himself with swamiji. Miss Guhapriya who was in the group agreed to take the snap in the driver's mobile phone. She took one snap, checked it and took one more snap and handed the phone over to him after checking it. The driver saw the photos and shrieked in surprise. Puzzled, Guhapriya took the phone from him and looked and she too shrieked in surprise. The photos had come like this:

           

The incident was narrated to us as soon as we met the group. All were busy with their cell phones switching on the bluetooth  to get the photos transferred. We were all excited by this. Somebody asked Swamiji how this could be explained. He laughingly waved it aside saying "I am not the culprit! I plead not guilty!" We were thrilled how the driver who knew Swamiji only for just a few hours got saroopya!

            We enjoyed a wonderful week with Swamiji. The nectar of his words kept flowing out of his mouth all through the days.We were immersed in inexplicable bliss forgetful of our worldly ties! Though Swamiji felt tired at times he was never reluctant to satisfy the thirst  of a sincere aspirant. 

          Swamiji was telling about the importance of reading the Puranas like Srimad Bhagavatham. He said it is always good to read the Bhagavatham, each syllable of which has the powers to elevate our 'spiritual antenna'. But he also insisted that hearing the stories rejuvenates one's self. He quoted the gopikas in 'gopika geetam' from Srimad Bhagavatham. (Thava kathamritam.......)
Somebody asked whether anything has to be done when faced with other's jealousy. Swamiji replied not to worry about such things and to concentrate on one's namajapam. Then the question came how to tackle the tendency of one's own jealousy. Pat came the reply "Pray  sincerely to the Lord to remove such obstacles from the mind". Sadhana should be very systematic Swamiji said. We must fix a particular time in our daily routine for japam and meditation. Under any circumstances should that time be directed for any other thing in the world. Swamiji quoted his own experiences as a sadhak while he was holding an important post in the office. Even when the senior most boss rang up for Swamiji his poorvasram son would reply that Swamiji can be contacted only after the particular time of his meditation. He never deterred from his path for any reason at all. 
     In the beginning stage there would be no concentration. When we start chanting the mind would bring a whole world of things in front of us to divert us. Only by practice we can prevent ourselves being carried away by the mind's fantasies. We should never lose courage and must stick to our routine strictly. By and by the mind will get used to the new habit and start accepting it. As the concentration increases it leads to meditation, said Swamiji.
       Another question put to swamiji was how to get the grace of the Lord and Guru. Swamiji replied "See usually grace marks is given for whom? For one who has written the exam but not upto the pass mark. If somebody has written nothing and submitted a blank paper the question of grace marks does not arise at all. Similarly when you start doing sadhana the grace will automatically flow from the Lord and the Guru. If you do nothing and expect the grace to raise you it is only impossible! 
       Swamiji used to quote many anecdotes. Once a staunch disciple of Mahatma Gandhi came to meet a great mahan of Brindavan. He prostrated before the saint and humbly asked "Sir, It has been said in Yogavasishta and other great books that in the spiritual path the mind should be destroyed completely - manonasa. Can you please guide me as to how it should be done?" The mahan with a look of surprise asked him in return "What? You say you have been a follower of Mahatma Gandhi for the past 30 years who preached non violence and here you are asking for violence. How can it be? Well tell me what were Gandhiji's main ideals?" The man replied hesitatingly 'non violence and non co operation'. Pat came the mahan's reply "That is it! You just dont co operate with your mind. Keep ignoring it. Don't think of destroying anything". 
     It was wonderful being with Swamiji. His sweet words were a solace to the parched hearts of the devotees. Swamiji also took us to places like Rajarajeswari temple, Sri Ramakrishna mutt, Shirdi Saibaba temple etc. In Ramakrishna mutt they have kept a stone slab on which Swami Vivekananda used to sit during his visit to Bangalore years back. Mother Saradamba too had visited the place and the place where she sat in meditation is being maintained. We met the present head of the mutt there. We had the opportunity to meet many mahans in the course of our stay with Swamiji. 

       Maha Mandaleswar Sri Jayendrapuri swamy of Rajarajeshwari peetam who is the disciple of Sri Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal had invited Swamiji and his disciples to his place. We were taken inside the mutt where the swamy was waiting for us. He gave us a beautiful talk after we were all seated. The swamy knows many languages like Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, German etc. Swamy was talking about the founder of the Peetam, Sri Shivapuri maharaj who lived up to 137 yrs and who was a gurubhai of Sri Thothapuri maharaj. Sri Shivapuri maharaj has done a world tour by foot! He is the only Hindu who has entered Mecca! He has also written a book on his experiences - 'The long Journey'. Sri Jayendrapuri swamy told us that Sri Shivapuri maharaj preached the 'Right Life'. Then my husband politely asked him to be more specific. Immediately he turned towards him and answered in perfect tamil - 'Karka kasadara katravai katrapin nirka atharku thaka'. We were all taken aback. Then my husband who is very weak with tamil requested swamy to explain. Then he said one should listen to the words of the guru attentively and fully imbibe them without any blemish. Then one should follow the words implicitly. This is 'Right Life' according to swamy. 
      We had forgotten ourselves so much that we didnt know 6 days had rolled by! It was time to bid bye. Swamiji was to leave Bangalore on 28th night. We left earlier on the same day itself for Jaipur! It was a memorable sojourn for us! We will meet in our next issue in Jaipur! Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!

Varkala shree Janardana swami temple!

     Radhekrishna ! The word Janardanan is referred to as a synonym for Mahavishnu in amara kosa! A group of asuras who lived beyond the sea were called as 'janam'. Since the Lord suppressed the asuras He got the name Janardana! 'Janam' also means humans. Humans pray for the 4 purusharthas - dharmam, artham, kaamam, moksham - to the Lord. So He is 'Jana-ardana' ! Lord Janardana destroys birth or 'janmam'. He destroys the janamas - bodies as Hara. He is praised in Vishnusahasranam as :-

'Sarvaga sarvavid bhanur vishvakseno janardanah.'

Lord Mahavishnu Himself is the virat purushah, Vishvaksena and Janardanah! 

        Varkala Sree Janardanaswamy temple is situated about a few kilometers from Thiruvananthapuram. It is a very old and popular place of pilgrimage. Among all the Vishnu temples of India it is only here, the deity of Janardana is consecrated.  . The greatness of Varkala temple is referred in Brahmanta purana. This temple existed much before the Ramayana period. The history of this temple is very strange. 

         Brahma the grandfather of all beings was seated presiding the  Brahmasabha in 'sathyaloka' amidst Indra, devas, ashtavasus, Rishis etc. At that time the great devotee 'Narada' carrying his veena 'Mahathi' singing songs in praise of Lord Vishnu came there. Enthralled by his singing the Lord was following him closely. Seeing the Lord immersed in Narada's music Brahma hurriedly got up in respect with folded hands followed by others who saw him getting up. When the Lord realised He was in sathyaloka He immediately disappeared unmindful of Brahma. The the navaprajapathis (devas) who were present,  failed to see the Lord who had come there due to their ignorance. Seeing only sage Narada they felt that Brahma had broken the protocol by getting up in respect before his son. By his act they feared that the world will be misled and good manners of respecting elders will disappear from the people. So they raised their objection in strong voice. 

      Brahma who got upset because of the prajapathi's complaint without realising the truth behind his act and cursed them to be born as humans in earth. The prajapathis realised it was all due to their ignorance and ego that they lost their intelligence and got the curse. They became terrified since they didnt know where to stay or what to do. They pleaded with sage Narada to help them.  Sage Narada moved by their fear advised them to go to the divine Bhargava kshethra (Kerala) on the banks of the southern seas. There near Kanvashramam is an aswatha (pipal) tree! He told them to do penance in that place and get relieved of their sins. To help them find their place saint Narada threw a 'valkalam' - clothing to the earth. The prajapathis followed the valkalam and reached the pipal tree. So this place got the name 'valkala kshethram' which turned out to be Varkala now. 
     Meanwhile Narada reached Vaikunta and informed the Lord of the state of the prajapathis. Bhagavan told Narada that all has happened due to their prarabdha karma only. He said moksha will not be granted to them until He is convinced of the purity of their bhakthi. The prajapathis sat under the pipal tree chanting the ashtakshara manthram of the Lord in full penance. Pleased by their penance the Lord sent His Sudarsana disc to where they were doing penance. The disc with brilliance equal to 1000 suns brought the sacred Ganges along with it from Patala. It became a small pond near the pipal tree. The prajapathis became very happy and praised Sudarsana who is a weapon in the Lord's hand. Sudarsana uttered 'Om' and disappeared. 

       Blessed by Sudarsana the prajapathis took bath in the divine pond and became blemishless. They returned to their abode. Brahma also blessed that a bath in the pond would remove all the sins of humans and the place where Narada's valkalam fell down will be full of sanctity. This kshethra was there much before Lord Janardana came here. Once Brahma conducted  a Vishnu Yagam in this place, to bring prosperity to the earth . At the conclusion of the Yagam Brahma wanted to offer unlimited food made to somebody who deserves that. He did not feel the devas, or maharshis qualified to receive his offering. He waited patiently even forgoing his 'srishti karma' or creation. Knowing this the Lord appeared as an old brahmin before him. Seeing Him Brahma felt He was the right person to accept his offerings. So he invited the old brahmin to accept the food items as much as He wanted from the Yagasala. 
       The brahmin entered the kitchen and within a short time finished all the food items prepared and kept there. Then Brahma realised this was no ordinary man. Immediately He hurried towards the brahmin. By this time the brahmin was about to finish the last morsel kept on His right palm. Brahma caught hold of the hand and stopped Him from finishing that morsel of food. He prayed to the Brahmin that he knew it was Sri Hari Himself. He knew that if the Lord finished the last morsel then the world will disappear.and so begged Him not to do so. He agreed to obey whatever the Lord orders. Bhagavan attained His divine form and told Brahma that he was pleased with Brahma's yagam and ordered him to start srishti or creation. He was ready to fulfill Brahma's any wish now. 
      Immediately Brahma bowed before Bhagavan and requested Him to be present in this divya  kshethra as Lord Janardana with His unfinished food on His right palm. The Lord agreed and stayed there as Lord Janardanan. Brahma did abhishekam to the Lord with the divine water from the 'chakra thirtha'. All these happened during thretha yuga much before Ramavathara period. This place was popular during dwapara yugam too. The deity worshipped by Brahma in the long run of time got under sea due to sea erosion or so. It was reinstalled by a Pandya king named Shubhra yasass.
       Due to brahmahathya papa the King Shubhra yasass became a lunatic and wandered all over the country. He was followed by his minister who was sincere and true to the King. The minister took the king to almost all punya kshethras in Bharatha. Finally they reached Agasthyashramam in Varkala. Immediately there was sudden changes in the king's behaviour. When they reached under the Pipal tree the king's insanity vanished and he became normal. The minister bathed him in the Chakra thirtha and his brahmahathya sins were lost. The king was very happy.
     He saw a Rishi doing penance in the ashram built by the Prajapathis. They approached the saint and seeked his blessings. He smiled and blessed the king. He told the king that he has an important accomplishment to do. On enquiry the Rishi told him he dreamt that the deity of Lord Jagannatha was lying under the sea. The deity had lost its right hand. Lots of flowers will appear on the sea where the deity was lying underneath. The deity should be taken out, right hand refixed and consecrated in the temple again.
       Next day when the king went to the sea they saw numerous flowers floating far away on the sea.The king ordered the place to be searched. Attendants spread nets in the sea and searched. The deity with its right hand damaged was caught. The king made the necessary repairs on the deity and consecrated it beside the pipal tree. A temple was built over it. A Siva linga brought from Mandara mountain was also consecrated there along with Sastha and Ganapthy. Jagadguru Sankaracharya has visited this temple.The deity was consecrated on uthram star in the month of 'Meenam'. The annual festival is conducted on this day every year. On the 'arattu day the Lord is taken in procession to the sea for the holy bath and again at the Chakra thirtha. 
        The funeral ashes of the loved ones are offered by people in the sea sanctified by the Lord's presence. It is believed that the pithru karmas done here bring moksha for their loved ones. The temple surrounded by natural beauty stands defying time and sea erosion attracting pilgrims. The sacred river Ganges rising from the Lord's feet as papanasini here destroys the sins of devotees. Visitors to Trivandrum should necessarily visit this punya kshethra and get the blessings of Lord Janardana ! !

Radha - the Gopi.

           The following story appeared in the magazine Bhaktha priya a few days back.

     About  70 years ago everybody who came to Guruvayur  could see a cow roaming around. It was a red cow with white dots and its neck was tilted to one side.  Otherwise it had all the features of a beautiful cow.  Devotees and the local people called her by the name Radha.  She came there as an offering to Lord Guruvayurappan. She had unusual beauty and intellegence.  There is a story behind her coming to Guruvayur.

       She was born in a village near Mananthavadi at Wayanadu in North Kerala.  Even as a calf she was very attractive and was loved very much by the family which brought up her with much care and affection.  So she grew up very fast.  The centre of attraction of the whole family turned to her first pregnancy.   They were all over joyed at that. God’s ways are strange indeed. We can never understand the reason behind them.  He designs  each and everyone’s life according to their vasanas and prarabdhas.  This Radha – the cow who was leading a very peaceful and comfortable life at the place suddenly found everything totally changed. 

       It was at the advanced period of her pregnancy that a tiger attacked her in the cowshed one night.  Hearing her cries the family members woke up and were shocked to see the tiger holding the cow’s neck with its cruel jaws.  It was a fairly big tiger which tried to cut her neck off.  She was keeping her neck tilted to one side due to the weight of the tiger which was sprawled on her back and drinking her blood from the neck.  Nobody dared to go near her as the tiger was very ferocious. The members of the family began to shout aloud for help. Hearing that people around the neighbourhood came running there.  Inspite of people gathering there the tiger was busy trying to kill her.  The heart rending cries of the cow went in vain.

         At last the locals tried to throw fire torches towards the tiger in an attempt to distract it.  When the tiger was inflicted with burns it was forced to  release its hold from the neck of the cow.  It ran away from the place in order to save itself from the people.  Shocked and full of pain, Radha – the cow was lying down with broken neck.    The members of the family thought this pregnant cow would die due to the injuries.  The cut in the neck was very deep.  There was injury on its back also. Anyway they did whatever they could to save her life.  They consulted gypsy doctors, and vetenerary doctors and started special treatment for her. Slowly she showed signs of recovery. She started stretching her neck and drinking water and by and by started eating also.  The whole village became astonished at her recovery.  It was indeed a miracle to survive the attack of a ferocious tiger.  The family members  prayed to Lord Guruvayurappa and made a vow that if she recovered she would be offered to Him.

        The ocean of mercy, Lord Guruvayurappa heard their prayers and decided to accept Radha as his Gopi. Soon she became normal but for the tilt in her neck.  The pregnant cow was given as an offering to the Lord.  Many people came to see the strange cow with tilted neck who was miraculously saved by Lord Sri Krishna.  The devotees began to love this special gopi.  She comfortably delivered her first pregnanacy in Guruvayur itself.  After delivery, care and attention were given to her in the proper way by the temple officials.  Visitors and devotees gathered to see Radha and her first calf.

          Her health started improving.  She became an asset to the Guruvayur Devaswom. She started giving  milk for her Guruvayurappan. She was milched twice a day.  Always there was never ending flow of milk in her breasts. Her milk was taken for abhishekam in the morning as well as for palpayasam  nivedyam for the noon puja. Still there was excess milk which was sold out.  Within six months the mother and the cow started roaming around Guruvayur temple and became a sight for visitors.

       Daily during Seeveli she would come and stand near the lamp post at the east nada. She was never tied and always roamed around with full freedom wherever she wanted. Devotees used to feed her with offerings like plantains, payasam, malar, and appam which is offered to the Lord at night. She joyfully accepted those things as they are the Lord’s nivedyam.  She  bore 12 calves, both male and female.  All of them were handsome and beautiful.  In fact each of her delivery was celeberated as a function by the local devotees. There was great competetion among devotees in bidding tenders to take her calves home to be brought up.

       As years rolled by Radha the cow became weak with old age.  After dedicating her milk, calves and her whole life itself for her Kannan one day, facing the Devaswam office gate she breathed her last.  The last rites for her body were done in the presence of a large crowd of devotees, in a devotee’s  mango grove. Her body was covered with yellow silk cloth,  a thyulasi garland adorned her neck, and on both her horns bhagavan’s two garlands were tied.  Sandal paste was applied on her forehead and incense sticks were kept all around the pit where she was to be buried.  The chanting of Hare Rama Hare Rama.....Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, arose from the throats of all the people gathered there when she was buried.  Thus the Gopi left her abode in this earth after a dedicated life for her Kannan.

        Reminiscing we would be wonderstruck at the turn of events in her life.  On the outset  though one might feel that the attack of a tiger was a set back in her life, on deep analysis we can find that the incident came as a blessing in disguise for her.  If the tiger had not attacked her,  Radha the cow would never have seen Guruvayur in her life.  Her previous owners made the decision of giving her to Guruvayurappan only with the intention of saving her life.  Otherwise they would never have thought of giving her away.  Only because she came to Guruvayur she had the fortune of having darsan of her beloved Lord daily when He came out for Seeveli.  Also she could offer the sweet milk from her body to the Lord of Lords which made her janma fruitful.  She was a Gopi in her heart of hearts and wanted to serve her Kannan.  Lord planned the tiger’s attack on the cow in order to bring her over near Him.   So it was only a divine drama!

Radha’s life story teaches us a lesson that whatever happens in our life we should never lose our faith. Be assured that Bhagavan is doing only good for us! Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!