Falling in love with Sri Sri Radha Govinda

[Paramananda das]

Falling in love with Sri Sri Radha Govinda
A queen of Jaipure donated Sri Sri Radha Govinda to Srila Prabhupada to install in New York in remembrance also of Sri Sri Radha Govinda in Jaipure,, when I first came to ISKCON NYC in 1989 I immediately fell in love with Sri Sri Radha Govinda there.Of course all Radha Krsna deities are special but the original Radha Krsna for Gaudiya Vaisnavas are Radha Govinda sculptured by Vrajanabha Krsnas grandson 5000 years ago he had 3 sets of Radha Krsna made , Radha Madan Mohan ,Radha Govinda and Radha Gopinath .Later Srila Rupa Goswami rediscovered Radha Govinda and had them installed in Vrindavana and a magnificent temple build Radha Govinda temple was to tall it could be seen in Delhi even on a clear night ,,the lights at least ,,, how that is possible I am not sure, but the Muslim emporer had the temple destroyed .
Radha Govinda got relocated to Jaipure,, Srila Rupa Goswami wrote a prayer calling out to Radha Govinda called Govinda Virudavali you can find it in my book Vaisnava Amrta .I first came to Jaipure in 1986 distributing Srila Prabhupadas books from the Vrindavana sankirtana bus and later I was send by the TP for some banking business 4 times and I stayed with a rich life member in Jaipute, he was a great devotee of Radha Govinda,, and he took me for Darshan 3 times a day ,, who can not love Sri Sri Radha Govinda
There is a beautiful prayer by Srila Visvananth Chakravati Thakura to Radha Govinda
Song Name: Jambunadosnisa Viraji
Official Name: Govinda Devastakam
Author: Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Book Name: Stavamrta Lahari
Language: Sanskrit
अ
LYRICS
(1)
jāmbūnadoṣṇīṣa-virāji-muktā-
mālā-maṇi-dyoti-śikhaṇḍakasya
bhańgyā nṛṇāḿ lolupayan dṛśaḥ śrī-
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(2)
kapolayoḥ kuṇḍala-lāsya-hāsya
ccavi-cchaṭā-cumbitayor yugena
sammohayan sambhajatāḿ dhiyaḥ śrī-
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(3)
sva-preyasī-locana-koṇa-śīdhu-
prāptyai puro-varti-janekṣaṇena
bhāvaḿ kam api udgamayan budhānām
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(4)
vāma-pragaṇḍārpita-gaṇḍa-bhāsvat-
tāṭańka-lolāka-kānti-siktaiḥ
bhrū-valganair unmadaya kula-strīr
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(5)
dūre sthitās tā muralī-ninādaiḥ
sva-saurabhair mudrita-karṇa-pālīḥ
nāsārudho hṛd-gata eva karṣan
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(6)
navīna-lāvaṇya-bharaiḥ kṣitau śrī-
rūpānurāgambu-nidhi-prakāśaiḥ
sataś camatkāra-vataḥ prakurvan
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(7)
kalpa-drumādho-maṇi-mandirāntaḥ
śrī-yoga-pīṭhāmburu hāsyayā svaḿ
upāsayaḿs tantra-vido pi mantrair
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(��
mahābhiṣeka-kṣaṇa-sarva-vāso
'lańkṛty-anańgī-karaṇocchalantyā
sarvāńga-bhāsākulayaḿs tri-lokīm
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
(9)
govindadevāṣṭakam etad uccaiḥ
paṭhet tadīyāńghri-niviṣṭa-dhīr yaḥ
taḿ majjayann eva kṛpā-pravāhair
govindadevaḥ śaraṇaḿ mamāstu
TRANSLATION
1) "May Lord Govindadeva, who charms the eyes of all living beings with the graceful movement of the peacock feather in His golden crown shining with pearls and gems, be my shelter."
2) "May Lord Govindadeva, who charms the hearts of the devotees' with His cheeks which are kissed by the splendour of His smile and the dancing of His earrings, be my shelter."
3) "May Lord Govindadeva who, by glimpsing at His beloved to attain Her nectarean sidelong glance, provokes the love of all the demigoddesses, be my shelter."
4) "May Lord Govindadeva, who entices the pious cowherd girls with the charming movements of His eyebrows, which are enhanced by the beauty of His moving locks of hair, lustrous earrings, and His cheek placed upon His left shoulder, be my shelter."
5) " He enters into the hearts of the cowherd damsels and draws the to him, though they stand afar, blocking their ears from the sound of His flute and their noses from the wonderful scent of His body. May Lord Govindadeva be my shelter."
6) "He fills the devotees on earth with astonishment by the weight of His youthful beauty and the unlimited ocean of His love. May Lord Govindadeva be my shelter."
7) Those learned in the scriptures worship Him with mantras as He sits in the lotus-like yoga-pitha in a gem-studded palace beneath a grove of wish-fulfilling trees. May Lord Govindadeva be my shelter."
�� "He is as handsome as the god of love (Ananga) and is dressed and decorated as if for a royal coronation. He enthralls all the residents of the three worlds with His beautiful form. May Lord Govindadeva be my shelter."
9) "One who reads aloud this Govindadevastakam and meditates upon the Lord’s lotus feet, is thrown into a river of mercy by the Lord Himself. May Lord Govindadeva be my shelter."
Govinda Adi Purusham tam Aham Bhajami

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Song Name: Bandhu Sange Yadi Tava Range
Official Name: None
Author: Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Book Name: None
Language: Bengali
LYRICS
(1)
bandhu-sańge yadi tava rańga parihāsa, thāke abhilāṣa (thāke abhilāṣa)
tabe mora kathā rākha, jeyo nāko jeyo nāko,
mathurāya keśī-tīrtha-ghāṭera sakāśa
(2)
govinda vigraha dhari’, tathāya āchena hari,
nayane vańkima-dṛṣṭi, mukhe manda-hāsa
kivā tri-bhańgama ṭhāma, varṇa samujjvala śyāma,
nava-kiśalaya śobhā śrī ańge prakāśa
(3)
adhare vaḿśī-ṭī tā’ra, anarthera mūlādhāra,
śikhi-cūḍākeo bhāi koro nā viśvāsa
se mūrti nayane here, keha nāhi ghare phire,
saḿsārī gṛhīra je go hoya sarva-nāśa
(tāi mora mane baḍa trāsa)
ghaṭibe vipada bhārī, jeyo nāko he saḿsāri,
mathurāya keśī-tīrtha-ghāṭera sakāśa
TRANSLATION
1) If you want to enjoy laughing and joking with friends and family, if this is really your desire, then listen to me. Don’t go, don’t go to Mathura (Vrndavana) to Kesi-ghata.
2) There Sri Hari has taken the form of Govinda, who gives pleasure to all, whose crooked glance is quite captivating, whose mouth is gently smiling, who is standing in His tribanga pose, whose complexion is a very effulgent syama color, and whose limbs are attractive like tender new leaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGOo6Pdk6Hc
3) The sound of His vamsi enthroned upon His lips is the root cause of madness. Brother, have no faith in that person who wears a crest of peacock feathers. If you see that form, you will not be able to return home again. Your family life will be destroyed. (This is my great fear!) There will be great danger if you go there. If you want to enjoy family life, don’t go to Mathura near Kesi-ghata.

I will share with you a very funny pastime at Kesi Ghat where Krsna killed the Kesi Ghat

Do not get stuck at Kesi Ghat !
In 1986 we had distributed Srila Prabhupadas books at the Kumbha Mela in Haridwara, and lots and lots of books too ,so when we came back to ISKCON Vrindavana the Sankirtana leader at the time Caitanya deva wanted to take the Sankirtana Bus onto the soft sands at Yamuna right next to Kesi Ghat ,I said it is a stupid idea to be frank with you ,we will get stuck and it will take maybe many days till we get out of the sand ,he insisted ,I said what ever you want to do Prabhuji, but just to be clear I am not staying here for a week to dig the bus out of the sand at Kesi Ghat ..I will go back to the temple you will not have my support in this,,, he did not listen and we got stuck in the sand of Yamuna right at Kesi Ghat, these dear devotees was struggling for 5 days until they finally got the bus out .They stayed at Kesi Ghat but did not pray to Krsna like below only how to get the bus out of the "Yamuna beach "
I pray they all got Spiritual benefit for staying at KEsi Ghat for 5 days ,because it is a sacred place ,Yamuna astakam says if the breeze from Yamuna touch you that alone will free you from birth and death, and plus the Gopis and Radha KRsna used to walk on the banks of Yamuna there so digging into all that sacred sand for 5 days.but sorry that purification was not for me
Yamuna Tira Vanacari