What is Vrindaban?

Vrindaban. This is considered to be one of the holiest places in India. Braj Mandala is the place where Lord Krishna performed his pastimes five thousand years ago. Braj Mandala covers an area of 1453 square miles surrounding Vrindaban and Mathura. The circular shaped area of Braja is made up of twelve vanas or forests, one of which is Vrindaban. Vrindaban is particularly important because it is the place where Krishna enjoyed most of his pastimes. Vrindaban is 80 miles south of Delhi, 30 miles north of Agra, has an approximate population of 70,000 people and over 5,000 temples.

Great saints have described that Vrindaban is a totally spiritual realm which is covered by a thin veneer of the material world. For those that are qualified, or on the highest platform of spiritual realization, the transcendental realm of Vrindaban is revealed to them, and they can directly see and serve Radha and Krishna. For most of us however, we can only perceive the material covering of this most sacred place.

Vrindaban and most of Braj Mandala remained a remote forested area until around 400 years ago when six saints: Rupa Goswami; Sanatana Goswami; Raghunatha Dasa Goswami; Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami; Gopal Bhatta Goswami; and Jiva Goswami, better known as the Choi (six) Goswamis of Vrindaban, rediscovered her lost holy places. Deeply realized, in some cases they had dreams or visions of some of the places where Krishna performed specific pastimes. Other times a small beautiful boy dressed as a young cow herder pointed out different sites, The Goswamis realizing later that that boy was indeed Krishna Himself. They recovered many of the deities of Krishna that were carved and installed by Vrajanabha, Krishna’s own great-grandson almost 4,000 years prior. They themselves lived so austerely that they slept under different trees each night, and some consumed only a small cup of buttermilk daily. Due to their great spiritual realization, many rich and powerful people became their disciples, and the Goswamis engaged them accordingly in building rich opulent temples for Krishna, while they themselves slept outside on the bare ground.

It is only due to the efforts of the Six Goswamis that the glories of Vrindaban are known today. It is considered a major place of pilgrimage for Indians, and there is a constant flux of people coming to see those places of Krishna’s pastimes.

After the time of the Six Goswamis the fame of Vrindaban spread. People, eager to witness those sacred places of Krishna’s pastimes, traveled for months on foot to arrive at this most holy spot. Many moved permanently to Vrindaban, and gradually what was known as the forest of Vrinda all but disappeared as houses and villages sprouted up. Today, Vrindaban is a sprawling city full of homes, shops, and over 5,000 temples. It can be seen that practically every alleyway you look down, and that inside every other doorway is a temple dedicated Radha and Krishna; some simple and unobtrusive, others more ostentatious.

It is said that the residents of Vrindaban, more specifically those that were born in this holy city are not ordinary people. They must have performed intense spiritual practice in previous lives to have been born in Vrindaban. Their devotion to Krishna is so natural and spontaneous. He is the center of their lives since their birth. It is also said that even the animals that are born and live in Vrindaban are no ordinary souls. They too were saints in previous lives.

It is with this knowledge that the people of Vrindaban live alongside a myriad of creatures. Cows, monkeys, pigs, dogs, and birds have adapted themselves to a unique way of city life. Cows, revered for their position as a mother figure in Hinduism, walk freely through the streets. In some places there are feeders and water holes built for them only. Some people as a part of their daily practice donate grains, and grass to feed the “street cows”. Although they are revered, they can also be a constant source of nuisance to many. The vegetable venders here must keep big sticks to scare the cows away from their produce. Although slow in movement, many cows have somehow resorted to becoming thieves, and manage to get away with stealing from these merchants. Another face the cow takes on here is that of a beggar. While some have learned to beg chapattis from street restaurants, others take to knocking directly on the doors houses, or going straight into a family’s courtyard to receive their alms. It certainly is a curious thing for a westerner to see a cow begging door to door.