Bahulastami

Today is a special day, When Kṛṣṇa appeared to save a cow named Bahula, yes! you heard me right today is Bahulastami!
There are twelve important forests in Vraj Dham: Kumudavan, Bhandiravan, Kamyavan, Vrindavan, etc.


The 12 forests of Vrindavan, known as the Vraja forests, are sacred sites where Lord Krishna is believed to have performed his pastimes. According to the Padma Purana, seven are on the eastern bank of the Yamuna: Madhuvana, Talavana, Kumudavana, Bahulavana, Kamyavana, Khadiravana, and Vrindavana. The remaining five are on the western bank: Bhadravana, Bhandirvana, Baelvana, Lohavana, and Mahavana.  

Bahulavana
panchamam bahulavanam vananam vanam uttamam
tatra gatva naro devi agni-sthanam sa gacchati
The fifth forest is called Bahulavana. By visiting this place one attains the planet of Agniloka after leaving his present body. (Text 357, Mathura-mahatmya)
Krishna and Balarama would get Their cows to this place while grazing the cows. Bahulavana is currently known by the name Bati. This forest is named after Bahula-devi who is the consort of Lord Hari. Bahula-devi had taken birth in the form of a cow in Bahulavana and was tested by the Supreme Lord before she becoming the wife of Lord Vishnu. Places of darshana here are temple of Bahula-devi and Bahula-kunda.

On this day Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared to protect a cow named Bahula from the tiger, the pastime is as follows, 

A cow named Bahula was once drinking water from this (BAHULAKUND)  pond when a fierce tiger attacked and caught her. She assured the tiger that she would return to be eaten after she had first gone to the house of her master, a brahmana, and fed milk to her hungry calf. When she got home, she told her calf to drink milk to his full satisfaction, and told him about her promise to the tiger. However, the calf insisted on going with her without drinking any milk. The brahmana also prepared himself to go alone. He planned to leave the cow and calf at home and give himself to the tiger as food. In the end, all three approached the tiger, each willing to sacrifice himself. At that moment, Sri Krsna Himself appeared there, and the tiger underwent a change of heart. By the mercy of Sri Krsna, the brahmana returned home safely with his cow and calf.

Foot imprints of Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu 


I am fortunate to visit Bahulavana on this auspicious day... There is small temple in memorial of the pastime happened here and maintained by pujaris of Vallabha Sampradāya, Pusti marg. There is small deity of Kṛṣṇa,  Srinathji of Nathdwara (Rajasthan), and two cows deities. And there is old temple behind huge bahula kunda, there is carving of pastime. 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brick blow gameover!!!

A series on marriage could be religious trap.... In traditional backgrounds young girls are trapped in marriage ceremony and lead a miserable life. Marriage is always a pompous ceremony in every other culture, in India it has become a religious and legal threat to woman. From countless stories of child marriages, domestic abuse to divorce cases, India still hopes marriage would be sweet dreams in reality it turns out to be a wild nightmare for young girls.. Modern day feminism is just effect or consequence of such unhappy women resorting to live a independent life. Young girls these days aren't afraid to be single rather afraid to enter marriage bond. We are witnessing women abuse everywhere, despite having lot of ngos supporting women security and protection, still we couldn't change the fate of girls being trapped into marriage. Yet profound awareness is risen among our girls to have aaan education that willll support their economy.. let's consider pros and cons of i...
Read more

Destination of a chaste woman

Image
The woman who engages in the service of her husband, following strictly in the footsteps of the goddess of fortune, surely returns home, back to Godhead, with her devotee husband, and lives very happily in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/11/29/ By serving one's husband faithfully, a chaste wife enters pati loka (she follows  the path of her husband) she reaches the same destination as that of her husband. https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/9/9/36  Patiloka is not separate place, if a wife serves her husband sincerely, husband becomes a pure devotee in this lifetime, he goes back to Godhead, then she also follows the same destination of going back to Godhead without separate endeavour. If husband is not a devotee, she reaches the same destination of her husband be it hellish or heavenly planets. If a wife is devotee, and chaste wife then Krsna arranges a suitable destination according to her advancement of Krsna Consciousness.  If a woman...
Read more

Successful marriage requires submissive wife

Image
When Srila Prabhupāda said, if marriage is failure then 90% of chances are due to woman's lack of submissiveness. Submissiveness is innate asset for women.  Modern education and training in contemporary society raised woman to rebel against the male authority in our life, be it father, husband or son. As, it has been aptly put by HG Jagannathesvari mataji in her book, The four goals of family life,  A woman becomes more beautiful not by wearing nice ornaments rather becoming submissive.  A beautiful wife without submissiveness is jewelled snake, beauty attracts man, character captures a man.  If you wish to save your marriage,  ladies, here is the tip, learn the art of submissiveness.  Submissiveness means submission, submitting to your husband.  A pristine quote from Srila Prabhupāda,  However great a woman may be, she must place herself before her husband in this way; that is to say, she must be ready to carry out he...
Read more