Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Chapter 29: Shri Yamuna ji is Steeped in Shri Krishna's Love

 
Shri Yamuna ji

 Shri Yamuna is known to fulfil all our desires not of this material world but for attaining Lord Krishna.She grants fruition when we long to attend to His needs, sight His lilas and relish His rasa,making us reach the heights of elation and ecstasy.


Radha-Krishna &Sakhis

 She is the one who makes us gain entry into the divine play of Shri Radha, the sakhis her replications, and Radha-Krishna dallying in the bowers posited on her banks.


Shri Kalindi Helps us Attain Krishna

Shri Kalindi is not merely a river flowing with its waters (She rushes down the Kalinda Mountain, and is verily described as the daughter of Kalinda, with another name, Kalindi) but is resplendent as the patrani of Krishna and is splendidly radiant in Braj as the fourth svamini or devotional ideal among Krishna's sweethearts.

Revered Bobo regarded her as an inseparable sakhi. Her grandeur has escalated due to being a svarupini of the handsome god, Her waters being of the colour of Lord Krishna which is dark.

'Hey Krishna prem pravahini
Hey Krishna prem pradayini.'

Adorned with the dark hue of Krishna, embellished by His infinite love, a form of living Krishna, intensely attracted by Him, propagating passion and bestowing the same,absorbed in a romantic dalliance with Him, present in Radha-Madhav's amorous frolics, drawing the handsome dark Shyam, and showering His Rati Rasa, Shri Yamuna helps us acquire all the sidhis which help us in attaining Krishna. Vaishnava Virtues have been attributed as the sole means of uniting with the divine.

Shri Yamuna Flows in Vrindavan

Bobo had intense love and dedicated devotion for such a Yamuna. She would be with her daily and affirm," Shri Yamuna is my mind and my evolution. I want to be established on her banks permanently and am assured that this body belongs to Yamunaji. In the toughest of circumstances she would go for darshan and aachman (sipping water from the palm of the right hand as a ritual purification) every day.

Once it was winter and she was residing in Banke Bihari Colony along with Thakurji. Suddenly she envisioned Shri Yamuna around nine o' clock at night and it struck her that she had missed out  going to her today because of being very busy. She instructed Vijay instantly.

" Oh Shri Yamuna there is none more compassionate than thee! You made me remember my vow with your grace. Oh beloved of Shiromani this is in perfect accordance to your nature!"she exclaimed on visiting the river.

Shri Yamuna was her life, her close friend and the beloved of her isht (favoured diety). A like minded sakhi, with identical feelings and steeped in love of the Supreme Lover was Yamunaji. Shri Shri Radha had granted the boon of attaining Krishna to Bobo in the presence of river Kalindi.

It was Bobo's regime to go for a bath and darshan of Shri Yamuna. She went for a dip on 30.9.68 and begged to have love for Krishna's lotus feet as always. And she wondered how Yamunaji is Krishna svarupini when we can see her as Shri Yamuna the living form of Krishna?


Shri Yamuna Manifested in the River Water

Shri Yamuna manifested right there to bless this sakhi Bobo.Its fresh dark flow of water gushed forth with a gurgling sound. Her upper portion visible in the water-she narrated her lila in the first person. How Shri Radha had sulked and assumed Shri Yamuna to be the handsome Shyam. And how the sakhis had affectionately teased Priyaji and addressed Shri Yamunaji as Shri Krishna Svarupini.

Shri Lalita Charanji, was a high class goswami of the Radha Vallabh Sampradaya and did not have a distinctive bias of the sect. He often met Bobo en route while heading for Yamunaji. Stopping for a few moments she would respectfully greet him. Many a time standing on his terrace he would ask," Are you going to Yamunaji?" and she would reply in the affirmative.Pleased he would exult," Yes why not! She is your isht or favoured deity.

Yamuna ji, the Beloved of Bobo's Isht

"Bobo definitely considered Yamunaji the beloved of her isht.All Vaishnavas accept that it is the magnanimity of Shri Yamuna, which assists us in establishing a bond with Shri Krishna.