Mathura; Ayodhya.

Mathura the lord here is known as Balakrishna seen standing facing east, the consort is Satyabama, the theertha is Indra theertha, Govardana theertha and Yamuna river. the vimana is Govardana vimana.The Lord appeared to the devas Indra, brahma, Vasudeva, Devaki.and others.
About 1 and half miles from Mathura is the prison cell where Lord Krishna was born beside it a new temple is built this place is known as janma bhoomi. and at about a distance of eight miles there is the Govardana giri where Vallabacharya has built a small temple on top of the hill the deity is Srinathaji. At the foot of the hill there is a Lakshmi Narayana temple where worship is offered as per the regulations laid down by Ramanujacharya. Brindavanam is five miles to the east of Mathura and at an equal distance to the west lies Gokulam.
Best time to visit Mathura is during the Krishna janmastami week where the whole town is decorated and every where Krishna leelas are happening.
On the banks of the Yamuna river there is a temple known as Rangaji Mandir. the temple is built in the typical south india style with prakaras, temple tower etc. some thirty priests who are from Tamil Nadu  perform poojas here. this temple was built in 1849  the temple poojas and rites are performed as per Pancha ratra agama. there are sannidhis for Ranganatha, Andal and Lord Srinivasa and also Sri Rama. Brahmotsavam is also celebrated and in the morning the alwar pasurams are sung here.

writing about Govardana Giridhari and not mentioning about meera the greatest devotee here is simply not allowed. so here goes her story. its long but it is good. enjoy.

The girl who plunged into the ocean of love- sringaralahari- Part1

She was born a princess in traditional Rajasthan. How many  were the shackles that bound her ? More than for a normal girl in her land because she was of royal birth. But her spirit like a parrot caged, was yearning to be free to fly to the top of the emerald mountain , the mountain of beauty, the peaks of love from which the streams of mercy are always flowing down to earth.

Meera was her name but she became the heera, diamond in the pendant of the necklace on the chest of Girdhara Gopala, who changed her bed of thorns into a bed of roses. She dedicated her whole body and soul to her Giridhari and her love was in no way inferior to that of gopis . It seems that Radha herself has become Meera in kaliyuga to show us that the love of Radhakrishna was not a myth but  a reality.

She cannot escape to Brindavan like Radha did to meet her Krishna but she had to live among people with worldly desires and pursuits and her whole life was a penance and she had to satisfy herself by singing and composing bajans on her Lord. The whole plains of Rajasthan and the banks of Ganga and Yamuna reverberated with her bajans . Even to day Meera bajans are  wonderful and moving, which melts the heart of whoever sings them and whoever hears them.

Meera was practically cradled in krishnabhakthi. She was given a Krishna idol by a great devotee Roopagoswami who came to the palace and she enjoyed dressing and decorating the idol whom she called Giridhara Gopal. Legend says that she once saw a marriage procession and asked her mother who was to be her bridegroom and by the will of  the Lord her mother pointed to the Krishna idol and said that he was going to be her bridegroom. This made a deep impression in her young mind and thereafter she started worshipping Krishna as her beloved by way of madhurabhakthi, like that of Gopis and Radha. There is a view that Meera was the Incarnation of Radha herself, taken with the purpose of spreading devotion towards Krishna.

. As was the custom of the royal families Meera had a good education in arts and literature especially bhakthi literature and listened to the saintly visitors to the palace and acquired a good  knowledge of the bhakthi literature and stories of the Lord. She also had a great  skill in music and composing songs and from childhood she used to compose bajans on her Giridhaari. Of all the leelas of the Lord she perhaps considered His uplifting the Govardhan for the protection of the gopas to be the best which made  her always think of Him as GiridharaGopala, little knowing that He was going to shield her from the shower of opposition later.

Being born in a royal family she had no option but to marry young as she was not as fortunate as Andal of South , who had the good fortune to have a devotee  like Periazvar as her father and hence Meera, though she was saying that she would marry only Giridhar Gopala, could not transgress the code of conduct set for the royal princesses. So she had to marry against her wish and consoled herself that it was her svadharma. But later she found that her svadharma was entirely different. The mischievous lifter of mountains would not leave her peacefully to follow the life of an ordinary queen.

Her elders expected that she would become normal like any other wife after marriage, though she was always spending her time till she got married spent in decorating Giridhari, talking to Him, singing and dancing to Him and she was immersed in premasagara, ocean of love. Meera on the other hand went to her husband’s land expecting to continue her plunge into the premsagar, But she was not aware of the sharks in the sagara.

Meera considered herself already married to  her Giridhari but others did not take her seriously as to them Giridhari was only an idol. She was hocked at this and pleaded to her Lord to save her as he saved the honour of Draupadi or take away her life. But the Lord who planned to show her devotion to the world and wished her to set an example of the path of love, came to her in her dream and said that the time had not come yet for her to unite with Him and she had to go through her destined path. . He told her that she was born to spread devotion and her marriage would not in any way hamper the relation between Him and her. He embraced her and disappeared.

Then she said to Him, “ I belong to you body and soul. If you wish to give me to others I will obey. I completely surrender to you. You do whatever you wish to me.” Thus she attained complete saranagathi in which one becomes the sesha of the Lord, the dasa who does His bidding without question.

Sringaralahari part2

Meera was comforted by a sahdu who came to see her who narrated the devotion gopis had with Krishna but that did not deter them from discharging their duties towards their husbands and family. Moreover he said that Kumbha Rana who wanted to marry her was a great devotee himself and would not stand in her way in her worship of her Giridhari. Then she got married and went to Chithore with her husband.

But she was disgusted with the formalities and the attitude of people around her and all the time she was thinking about her Giridhari and none else. Even at the time of marriage she sat with her idol of Gitridhari in her lap because in her mind the marriage was between her and Giridhari. All the people especially those on the bridegroom’s side ridiculed her but Kumbha Rana told them to leave her alone as he was pleased with the depth of her devotion. And thus the marriage was celebrated but nothing registered in the mind of Meera.Meera traveling with Rana and others never seemed to think that she is going to the house of Rana but she happily sang that maim girivarke ghar jaavoom, she was going to the house of her husband, Giridhari.

What devotion and love!  Was her Giridhari not hearless to send her away to a land where she would be subjected to much heart ache  and suffering? But who can  understand the will of the Navaneetha chor? He not only steals the heart like he stole butter but also makes it melt and become clarified butter  so that the it would result in a delicious sarkarai pongal inthe end mixed with  the  cooked rice of self less devotion and the sweetness of His grace  so that it will delight the world.

When they arrived at Chithore they all went to the temple of Durga, their goddess of worship. After the elaborate pooja there the priest told the newlywed to prostrate in front of  the goddess but Meera refused. She said ‘mere tho giridhar gopaal dhooasro na koyee’ that Giridharagopal was the only God for her and she would not bow down to any one else. Her in laws and Rana himself tried to persuaded her but she did not agree.

Her Giridhari was in her heart, in her blood and in her soul and to prostrate to any other God would be sacrilege in her opinion as it would be as though she was making Giridhari Himself prostrate before others.

Everyone was shocked to hear the newlywed bride saying that but Rana who understood her devotion told them all to leave her alone. From that time  itself the seed of discord was sown in the  royal family. If only Rana remained steadfast in his support! But it is too much to expect an ordinary man who, though a devotee, could not go beyond his worldly desires.

The life in the palace of Mewar to her was like a prison and she felt like a parrot bound in a golden cage. She was a misfit among the vainglorious  and worldly women in the royal family and she was bewildered like a deer among wild animals. Her only consolation was Rana who gave her enough freedom to pursue her devotion and never interfered in her daily routine and she continued as she used to in her childhood home . When Rana used to come to her he found her all the time talking and singing about Giridhari and reading Bhagavatham etc. Rana liked her Krishnabhakthi since he was also a devotee of Krishna and had written a commentary on Gitagovinda of  Jaydeva called rasapriya. He used to talk to her only about the things that interest her and leave her alone and never insisted on the conjugal rights as a husband.

He even built a temple for Krishna and Meera  spent most of her  time in the temple . Her fame as the devotee of Krishna spread far and wide and sadhus started to come to her temple and Meera used to sing and dance in ecstasy. Thus she started to live as happily as she was before marriage. But Rana was also human and though a devotee not as highly evolved as Meera. So there arose difficulties that came as impediments to the happiness of Meera in Chithore.

Rana was torn between his disappointment that Meera was not like a normal wife and his pride and love for her to see her devotion and popularity. He could not love her but as a wife though  Meera loved him as a brother or her elder relative. Hence slowly his mind started to change.

Srngaralahari3

The path of love is never smooth and it is true even if it is the love for God. Meera was happy singing and dancing in her temple of Krishna and the sound ‘meeraaprabhugiridari ‘ echoed all over the country. She breathed Krishna , lived in Krishna , ate and drunk the nectar of Krishnabhakthi. But in the royal household she was an outcast and her situation was similar to that of Seeta in asokavana since she was surrounded by equally vicious people as those around Seetha. But she was oblivious because Rana was her solace and he appeared to her not as aRavan a but as a vibheeshana. She was so immersed in devotion to Krishna to whom she considered herself to be married. Such was the childlike innocence of agirl to whom the world around did not seem to exist. As Krishna said in Gita, ‘yaaniSaa sarvabhoothaanaam thasyaam jaagarthi samyamee; yasyaam jaagarthi bhoothaani saa niSaa paSyatho muneH.’ The saintly souls live in the world of their own and what seems to be as real as the day for them appears to be dark like the night for the worldly people and vice versa.

But the devotee who enjoys the communion with the Lord always, cannot restrain himself, nor could his adoration be watered down to suit the taste of the world. So he is looked upon by the world as being mad or a dullard. Jadabharatha and Rshabhadeva were the examples of this.

Abhirami Bhattar was seeing the vision of Goddess Abhirami in his mind’s eye and when the king who came there asked him what was the thithi that day (it was silly question though to ask a devotee who was in trance enjoying the divine manifestation, anyway,) Bhattar replied that it was poornima when actually it was amavasya

Even though Meera was aware that the svadharma of a wife is to please and serve  her husband and her in laws, she could not bring herself to do it because first, she never considered anyone except her Giridhari as her husband and secondly, her svadharma changed from the moment she gave her heart to Him.

It is saadharana dharma that one has to follow the svadharma ordained by their situation in the world, as a mother, as a wife, as a disciple, as a son etc.but the visesha dharma is that which supersedes the saadhaarana dharma, and according to it anyone  and anything that comes between oneself and the Lord should be given up. This is the svadharma of an ardent devotee. Vibheeshana , Prahlada and Ramanuja are the illustrations for this visesha dharma taking precedence over saadharanadharma. It was this intense devotion that gave the courage to Meera to pursue her path in spite of opposition even from Rana himself later.

The mind of Rana slowly changed as Meera did nothing that was expected of her as a queen and as a wife. In the royal household she was criticized for throwing all decorum to the winds and singing and dancing with sadhus and devotees in the temple. But Her devotion which made her unaware of the protocol to be observed by married women especially a Rajput queen, did not create any aversion to others since she was looked upon as a divine being and not a  mortal by the devotees who gathered in the temple. They thought that some gopi from Brindavan has taken  birth as Meera.

She herself was not aware of anything but her love for Giridhari. When she was immersed in the river of Krishna she could only pity those who dare not come into the river but sitting on the banks pouring water on them in pitchers. The devotion of uninitiated is just that. It is a pastime not a passion. She sang to her Girdidhari saying, “I can only laugh at this world which is crooked filled with sorrow , disgrace and difficulties, because I am the servant of the feet of Hari. So the world does not affect me.” But the Lord who willed to put her on the touchstone to show her worth to the world started His leela.

Oodha the sister of Rana poisoned his mind saying that Meera had a lover and entertained him in the temple and that is why she did not return to palace even during the nightbut stayed in the temple. Rana did not believe it but the seed of suspicion sown in the mind did not leave him in peace and he wanted to know the truth.

Rana went to the temple and he saw that it was locked from inside. He heard Meera talking to someone in endearing terms. He banged on the door furiously and when Meera opened it what he saw inside made him ashamed of himself.

What did he see there. Meera was having her Giridhari in her lap and talking to him. She was surprised to see Rana barging in like that. He saved his face by telling her that people were talking ill of her and that upset him. But Meera could not care less about what people were talking and told him that as long as he believed in her she did not bother about others. But Rana said that he did care and wanted her to stop her activities. Saying so he left her and poor Meera was desolate with grief. How could she stop worship her Giridhari? She would rather die than doing so and singing His glory. Whom else she can turn for solace? She said, ‘thumbin mere koyee kabar le govardhan giridhari,’meaning “I do not see anyone else who can take care of me oh Giridhari.”

“If you want me to behave like an ordinary wife and as a queen, why did you enslave me in my childhood in the first place? “ She sang,

‘thum suno dhayaaL mein araji, ‘bhoosaagar mein bahijaat hun,’ “Oh Lord, you are compassionate . Hear my prayer. I am drowning in the ocean of samsara.” ‘Yo sansaar sage nahi koi,’ “I have no one in this world.”

Crying piteously Meera feel at the feet of Giridhari and a flower fell on her from His garland. She looked at Him and forgot her anguish seeing His bewitching smile and started singing and dancing again. mhaaro man har lenyaa ranachor , she sang, “ my Ranachor has captivated my heart.” She saw Him with His peacock feathers on his head, an umbrella over His head and the earrings  which dangle beautifully when He played the flute and she forgot the world and her misery.

Giridhari had decided to cut off her bondage and make her His own. But the gold must be purified by  going through the ordeal of fire. This is what happened to Meera. She underwent an ordeal equal to that of Prahlada.  Once she received a basket containing a snake under the pretext that it was flowers. She put her hand in it but by the grace of the Lord it was only flowers. Then her sister in law persuaded Rana to send her a cup of poison. Meera drank it but nothing happened. Meera happily resumed her singing. She sang ‘vish ka pyaalaa raNaajeene bhejaa peevatha Meera hansi re pag gungurubandh meeraa naachi re’ meaning that Ranaji has sent poison but Meera drank it and  laughed. Meera is dancing tying the bells around her ankles. She said raNaji ne jaharadhiyomheu jaani kjaiseykaancahn dhahath again main nikasat baarabaani , “Ranaji I know, has given me poison but as the gold emerges form the fire with more brightness my love for Giridhari has become stronger after drinking the poison.”

Just as the fragrance of a flower could not be shut out, the fame of Meera and her devotion spread far and wide, and it reached the ears of the Mogul emperor Akbar.    Akbar was known to be unprejudiced with respect to religion and he respected holy men of all faith. He heard Tansen, his court musician singing the bajan of Meera and was impressed by it. He wished to see Meera but Tansen told him that it was impossible since she is the queen of Mewar and the rajput kings of Mewar and regions around it were his enemies. But Akbar was determined and asked him to find a way. Tansen suggested that they could go there disguised as sannyasis and both of them reached Mewar in the disguise of sadhus and went to the temple where Meera was singing bajans along with other sadhus. Akbar was awestruck with her devotion and the sweetness of her music and met her after the bajan was over and everyone had left and told her that they came from Brindavan. Meera being innocent was overwhelmed on their mention of Brindavan and talked with them. Akbar gave her a very valuable gem necklace to be adorned on her Giridhari.

Even though Akbar was disguised the news of his coming to the temple and having touched her feet and presented her a gem necklace reached the ears of Rana who became mad with anger. He remonstrated with Meera for having seen the sworn enemy of the Rajputs who replied that they were sadhus. Meera was terrified by his anger. Rana ordered the temple to be demolished, which broke her heart. The devotees refused to move from the temple and neither did Meera.

She was crying to Giridhari, ‘hari thum aharo kjan kee bhee.’  She said, “ You protected Droupadhi when she called out to you tom svar her honour.You came as Narahari to protect your devotee Prahlada and killed Hiranya kasipu. You saved gajendra from the teeth of the crocodile. Now protect Meera who is your devotee. “ Then Rana stopped the plan and the temple was saved. But his anger did not sunbside and he told Meera to go and drown herself in river Yamuna. Meera went straight to the river and entered in. She had had enough.

But will her Giridhari let her down? He came to her and lifted her from the river and told her that all her ordeal was over and she is free from the worldly entanglement. Then she lost consciousness.

In Brindhavan sant Raidas was meditating after his morning ablutions in the river Yamuna and felt something at his feet. When he saw what it was he became disturbed that it was a body of a young woman. He pulled her ashore and found that she was alive. He revived her and found the idol of Giridhari tied to her clothes.

Meera did not want to  part from Him even when she went to die. The sadhu recognized her because he was none other than Raidas  who gave her the idol when she was a child.   Meera opened her eyes and asked where she was, and when told that she was in Brndavan, she fainted again in ecstasy she recognized Raidas and told him that the seed that was sown by him in her heart has become a full grown tree and the  Lord has finally brought her to her guru. Raidas said the seed and the tree were all the doings of Giridhari she was indeed the guru of all regarding the path of bhakthi..

All the worldly miseries are ended for Meera . She sang and worshipped Krishna in Brindavan. She was conversing with Raidas regarding Krishna in Brindavan.

Meera- “where will I see Him in Brindavan?”

Raidas- “Where will you not see Him my child ? He is in every creeper, every tree,  he is in the river, the bank, in the sand He fills the air in Brindavan. To one who has love for Him He appears everywhere in Brindavan. But if you want to see Him  in the form you imagine Him to be, go on loving Him and He will come to You when he chooses to do so.”

Meera sings- ‘kunjankunjan phirat radhika sabat sunat murali ko , aaleemhanelaage vrindavan neeko,’ (“Radha crazy for you roams around from bower to bower in Brindavan to listen to the melody of your flute. I find Brindavan very nice.” )

Raidas-“ You go on singing His glory and   he will grant all your wishes.”

Meera- “My wishes? I do not have any other wish other than to be accepeted as the servant of the Lord. “(sings)                                      ‘chaakararaakhoji maney’

” His sight will be my wages, the emotion and devotion will be my treasure, remembrance  of Him will be my daily expenditure. I  will keep a beautiful garden and grow flowers for His worship and adornment.”

Meera spent her days happily in Brindavan and felt that she had found  the  purpose of her life. She imagined herself as a gopi and as Yasodha and practically lived with Krishna in her mind. She would wake up Krishna in her role of Yasodha singing, ‘jaago bansi vaarey lalanaa,jaago mere pyaare.’ Like a gopi she called Krishna to come to her house, ‘mere ghar aavo sundar shyam,’ heard his music at the banks of Yamuna and lost her heart, ‘muraliya baajaa jamaanaa theer,’ she envisaged the scene of the gopis selling butter etc. calling out Krishna instead of their wares, ‘sira dhara maṭakiyaa ḍole re “koyee Syaama manohara lo re! more koyee Syāma manohara lo re.”    like the gopi selling butter and curds called out govinda dhamodhra madhava etc.

vikrethukaama kila gopakanyaa

muraaripaadhaarpithachitthavrtthi

dhaDHyaadhikam mohavaSaath avochath

govindadhaamodharamaadhavethi ( Krishna karnamrtha of Leelasuka)

The gopi wishing to sell curds etc., with her mind engrossed in the thought of Murari(Krishna) called out ‘govindha dhaamodhara maadhava, instead of saying curds, milk etc.

Still she was pining to get the darsan of Giridhari in Brindavan crying ‘darsan ke maim pyaasee.’ Some vaishnavas , followers of Chaithanya took her to their mutt and showed the idol of Chaithabnya and told her that it was her Krishna. Meera burst out into the song, ‘kaha chaaḍi vahu mohan murali?kaha chaaḍi saba gopī? mora mundaayi gora kati bandhee, maane na maanee gopee!’ saying , “why have you discarded your peacock feather and pithambar? Where are the gopis? Why are you appearing with shaven head and ochre robes?”

Then the idol changed into Krishna appeared in front wearing peethambara , peacock feather etc. She stayed there singing bajans for some time and then went to see jivagoswami who was the head of the devotees in Brindavan. He refused to see her saying that he never allows women in his asram. Then Meera laughed and said that only then she came to know that there was another male besides Krishna in Brindavan as Krishna was only purusha and all the rest are women in Brindavan. Goswami came out and prostrated to her regretting his folly.

One day a group of sadhus came to Brindavan singing the glory of the Lord and enquired after Meera. When they found her they asked her to go with them to Dvaraka as the temple doors were closed and would not open unless a true devotee comes there. Meera took it as the command of the Lord and set out to Dvaraka.

Meera went ot Dvaraka with the multitudes of sadhus and many kings of Rajasthan and UP, including Rana of Mewar,  knowing her greatness, provided all facilities for the journey. Meera went on singing the glory of Giridhar and the refrain meera prabhu giridhari came from everyone all over the land. Meera went to Dvaraka and saw the   closed doors  of the sanctum sanctorum.

Meerra sat in front of the closed door saying that she will not leave till the Lord shows His darsan. She sang ‘main to toray charaN lagee gopaal, kirpakeejau darsan deejau,’ “ I have resorted to your feet now and have mercy on me and show yourself.” She entreated Him to grant salvation to end the cycle of birth and death. ‘mira ke prabhu giridhar naagar aavaagaaman nivaar.’ She asked Him ‘kabare milogee’ “when will you meet me?”

Meera took up nama sankeerthana and all people joined in ecstasy. Meera forgot herself with her mind totally absorbed in the Lord. Then a miracle happened and the doors burst open showing Dvarakanath inside in all His glory. Meera went in and there was a splash of light and she was seen no more and the doors closed. When they opened again people heard her voice singing  and the flute accompanying it. That was the end of the story of the great devotee Meera.

Only prayer we can have is to get such bhakthi at least in a later janma. Even to acquire bhakthi one needs the grace of the Lord. What then we should do? Love Him with all your heart.  Remember Him always . Sing His glories. Talk about Him and listen to the stories about Him. More important than all that love your fellow human beings. Of course you may say “How can I do it? “ I cannot love my neighbor who is always giving me trouble? First try not  to hate. What ever comes to us through others or through things outside is all given to us by God  for some reason , may be to make us a better person.  Nothing or no one can resist love.  It is absolutely impossible to hate a person who loves you. First begin with people close with you and then slowly , may be in this life or in next you will be able to love all when God will come and reside in you.

Ayodhya.
Ayodhya is one of the Mukti Kshetrams situated on the southern banks of the Sarayu river. in the olden days there were 2700 temples for Sri Rama here.
The Moolavar Rama is seen in sitting position facing north, consort Sita devi, the vimanam is Pushkala vimana and the theertha is Paramapada Puskarini and Sarayu river.
Ambuyathon Ayodhi mannarkku aliththa kovil.
means the temple gifted to the kings of Ayodhya.
Ayodhya is one of the 7 mukti kshetra that will ensure moksha. usually these different citties are said to represnt the parts of the lords body. Avanthi represents the divine feet. Kanchipuram the waist. Dwaraka the nabhi. Maya represents the divine chest. Mathura represents the neck. Kasi the nose and Ayodhya the head. this place is full of stories and legends from the Ramayana and life of Rama and his having enacted the various incidents as described in the Ramayana. it seems this place is as if Rama mayam. every stone, every temple every mantap bear the names of characters from the Ramayana and have a story to tell. the Rama avatara is lived even today here in what ever representation. 
The city is on the banks of river Sarayu.the origin of this river is actually from Anandabashpam (tears of joy) collected by Brahma and mixed with Mana sarasa. who ever does dhyanam on the banks of the Sarayu river is assured of all good things in life.
there are a lot of theerthams here each having a story of its own.
Kusa's bangle given by sage Vasista to Rama and in turn to Kusa - Nageswara theertha. Dharma hari. 
Ayodhya peeta, Rama durga, if one observes Ramanavami vratha in ayodhya all his sins will be wiped out. (this is what Lord yama tells chitragupta his accountant.) Sita Pakasala, Swarnakani, (a lot of Aswamedha yagas were performed here.) Keeredachalam (a mountain full of precious stones for sita and her friends to pass some pleasant times.)Urvashikunda, Ksheerakunda, Yakshakunda, Shahasradhara theertha, Vaidaheeya theertha, surya theertha, Ratha theertha, Indra theertha, gobradhara theertha, (this is where Rama Avtara came to an end, this spot is called Swarga dwara theertha) Bilva theertha, Tintira theertha, Manorama theertha (this is where Dasaratha performed the Putra Kameshti yaga.) Kuppju theertha. all of these are connected to interesting stories worth a read.  
an important sloka on Acharya upadesa reads.
Saastra gnaanam bahu klesam
Buddhaes chalana kaaranam
Upadesaath Harim Budhwa
Viramathae sarva karmasu.
means to gain mastery over the sastras is very tough. getting to know god through the help of an acharya is the best cause even the learned are misled trying to understand them i.e. sastras.