I saw Krishna

Vishwaroopa darshan at Jyotisar, Kurukshetra

Nidhivan and Sewa kunj

Sewa kunj	Bent trees in enclosed space	Donation box
Raas Lila mural	Yamuna ashtaka	Nidhivan entrance

“You missed the darshan by a whisker” whispered a friend as I neared Sewa Kunj Mandir.  The curtain had been drawn, and Krishna and Radha were on the other side. We stood outside the Sabha mantap.  It was a small temple and the Sabha mantap was packed with devotees. I was not leaving without darshan. We tried to find a place to sit but we were not comfortable, we just hung around. The walls and the roof were covered in paintings depicting events in Krishna’s life. Slowly the bhajan attracted me. A man would sing a stanza and stop and then a woman would pick it up. What were they singing? It seemed like a conversation. Were the Gopis complaining about their stolen clothes or the women complaining about their stolen butter? Was it Yamuna ashtaka or the Radha Sudhanidhi? Whatever it was, it was heavenly. A little later the curtains were drawn for the Aarti and the devotees broke into the Aarti song. The devotion in their chorus was unmistakable as they poured their heart out. I got caught up in it and I can hear it even now as I type this. The wait had been totally worth it both for the heavenly singing and the darshan.

In this temple Krishna is massaging the foot of Radha. Due to the glitzy decoration, it is difficult to even see the faces of the Gods unless we go near.  Krishna and Radha perform the Raas Lila in the enclosed garden here at night, hence no one is allowed after nightfall. We had come here from Nidhivan, another enclosed garden which too makes the claim of Raas Lila. Sewa Kunj has a couple of temples, but Nidhivan is just an enclosed garden of bent trees. The Trees morph into Gopikas at night is what the legends say. 

Banke Bihari and Bangles

We held hands and pushed ourselves through the pressing crowd to the front. Banke Bihari stood smiling down at us from the floor above. A priest waved a booklet of tickets, 100 per person he hawked. Without blinking we paid up and crossed the barricades and went into the rarefied zone and gazed at Krishna for a good five minutes. Dressed in yellow he smiled back.

As we dawdled towards our car, we stopped at the bangle pushcart and browsed. I want this. How much is this?  We asked as we picked the bangles. Suddenly I spotted a pair with Krishna’s flute on it. And lying innocently beside it was another with a Peacock feather motif. If we don’t buy these in Vrindavan, the home of Krishna, what do we take home?  I bought a couple of them.  We would see bangles with cow’s bells hanging from them in Mathura but that was the next day.

Radha Rani temple in Barsana

Radha Rani temple entrance

With cries of “Radha Rani ki jai” the crowd pressed forward.  We saw the idols from afar and decided not to press forward.  Waves of devotees with color on them and their clothes walked away from the front only to be replaced by another wave. The priests were throwing colors at the devotees in blessing and as a symbol of playing it with Krishna. As there was no letup in the crowds, they began asking the women and children to not push their way to the front.  We had made that decision long ago and now stood watching from the wings. I wonder why they had kept us waiting for a good 45 mins before opening the doors of the temple. If they had let us in early, we too would have given a shot at seeking Krishna’s blessings.

Prem Mandir

View -1	View -2	View -3
View - 4	View - 5	Installation - 1
Kalinga mardana - 1	Kalinga mardana - 2	Raas lila
Installation - 2	Krishna with friends	Krishna with Radha
Govardhana giri	Gitopadesha

We walked into Prem Mandir with huge crowds and astonishing sights.  Prem Mandir is a celebration of love and is to be viewed after nightfall when the lights come on.  We had timed it perfectly.  In the middle was a breathtaking marble temple being bathed in multiple hues. Around it were installations of events in Krishna’s life. Both were awesome and competing for attention.  Do we take pictures of the temple or of the installations?  Neither the crowd figured it out nor did we. But I see I have pictures of both. Here was Krishna killing the venomous Kalinga, and then he is lifting Govardhana and beside it he is playing Raas Lila and then his magnum opus the Gitopadesha and many more. We inched from one installation to another even as we kept an eye on the temple. Slowly we made our way inside the temple to celebrate Krishna’s love for Radha. If Radha Rani temple in Barsana was a teaser Prem Mandir is an ode to their love.  They stand together and bless the devotees to cries of “Radha Rani ki jai.”  Slowly I realized Radha Rani was the girl next-door whom they adored.

Sharp at 8:30PM, the lights of the temple were turned off and the crowds made their way out.

They choked the roads and vehicles came to a standstill.  They choked the eateries nearby, they choked the hawker’s stalls, walking became difficult. Someone said Vrindavan is crowded like this 365 days a year, someone said it was because of the Mahakumbh.  People going or returning were stopping for a darshan.

Mathura temple

Krishna Janmasthan temple was empty, and we walked into the Sanctum. A photo of Krishna was flanked by small idols on both sides. On the opposite side were two sleeping guards behind make believe prison doors.  The army guards let us stand for long even as they shooed others away. An army man reported for duty by paying his salutations to Krishna. Suddenly I realized I was telling Krishna “You shall go to a palace” repeatedly. Why was I doing it? Krishna was not in a tent like Rama whom I had seen in one in Ayodhya long ago.  Krishna was already in a huge temple made of red sandstone and only the three white domes on the top advertise its conflicted nature. But in the sanctum was a pathetic photo of Krishna. A grand Pranpratishta of a lovely Krishna is needed.

We left a good while later and went to a temple beside it with huge idols of Krishna and Radha. There was huge crowd here but slowly we made our way to the front. A man was leading the bhajan.  His devotion got us nodding and slowly we were immersed in it. It spoke to my soul directly, and I stood transfixed. I stood rooted until it ended. We caught only a few words, but I was overcome with devotion. Did someone say music has no language?

Lassi

“Take them for Lassi and bring them back for hundred Rupees” the functionary at Mathura Museum told the Auto chap and we were off.  We had reached Mathura Museum early; it was not open. A helpful functionary sent us off. This was our peak Lassi moment. “Have Lassi in Vrindavan and Mathura” we had been advised, and we had taken the advice to heart. Any time had been Lassi time for the last two days. The “malai markey”, i.e. with cream, saffron, dry fruits floating on it had become a favorite and we had been drinking glasses together at every opportunity.  We had not waited for the opportunity to knock; we had gone seeking it like now.

Yamuna aarti at Agra

Krishna in the lap of his devotee

We were trying to see above everyone’s heads when I felt a commotion to my left.  A woman was seated with baby Krishna in her lap. The idol was quite big, and it felt like she was holding a year-old baby. The idol was so animated, it looked like Krishna was looking at the shenanigans happening in front of him. Everyone was looking at her and Krishna. So were we, it was an astonishing sight.

We were at the Yamuna aarti in Agra. After some time, we made our way to the car and told the driver about what had caught our attention more than the Aarti.

And he told us about this vow/practice. “So, they buy a small Krishna to start with. They treat him like a baby of the house. He is woken up, given a bath, fed and put to sleep. He cannot be left alone. He is taken everywhere. If you must leave the town, he is handed over to someone who will care for him the same way. Every year they buy a slightly bigger Krishna and so on for years on end. Krishna grows up from year to year.” Krishna had become their child. We sat dumbstruck by this kind of devotion. It was unbelievable. This also explained the small idols of Krishna in plastic baskets that devotees had been carrying in Barsana.

Jyotisar in Kurukshetra

Gitopadesha

Jyotisar in Kurukshetra is where Krishna taught the Bhagavad Gita to his friend Arjuna. We had recited Chapter 1 of the Bhagvad Gita in front of Him hoping he would continue the narration.  A little later we walked back to the car. A feeling of peace filled me, it was so real I could feel it. It was as though the God outside had met the God within me. I didn’t want to talk and stayed with that feeling for a few minutes.

In the adoration of Krishna at Sewa Kunj, I saw Krishna. In the extolling at Mathura temple, I saw Krishna. In the gallons of Lassi we had in Brij land I saw Krishna. In those bangles we bought I saw Krishna. In those cries of “Radha Rani ki jai” I saw Krishna. In the crowds choking the roads in Vrindavan, I saw Krishna. In the peace filling my heart I saw Krishna.

If people remember someone in so many ways, does he become a historical figure? Where is the separation between History and Mythology?

I have never seen this kind of devotion to a God anywhere. 

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