SRI GIRIRAJA-TIRTHA

THE HOLY PLACES OF SRI GIRIRAJA

from Sri Garga-samhita Canto 3 chapter 7 - texts 1 - 39

Sri Bahulasva said: How many holy places are on noble-hearted Govardhana Hill?  O great yogi, you have transcendental vision. Please tell me this.

Sri Narada said: O king, Vrndavana forest and Govardhana Hill, which is the crown of Goloka, are both worshiped as the best of holy places.

Noble Govardhana Hill is dear to Lord Krsna. It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead's parasol. It protects the cows, gopas and gopis. What holy place is better than Govardhana Hill?

Lord Krsna, the master of all the worlds, mocked the indra-yajna.

Sri Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, greater than the greatest, the master of Goloka, the ruler of countless universes.

O king of Mithila, even the demigod Brahma cannot properly glorify Govardhana Hill, where Lord Krsna eternally plays with the gopa boys,...

... where are the Manasa-ganga, which destroys a flood of the greatest sins, pure Govinda-kunda, beautiful Candra-sarovara,...

... Radha-kunda, Syama-kunda, Lalita-kunda, Gopala-kunda and Kusuma-sarovara.

By the touch of Sri Krsna's crown a certain stone was marked with the sign of a crown. Anyone who sees that stone becomes the crown of the Supreme Lord.

Even today on Govardhana Hill is a sacred stone marked with pictures originally drawn by Lord Krsna and now named Citra-sila (the picture stone).

When Krsna was intently playing with the boys, He played musical rhythms on a certain stone. That stone, named vadani-sila (the musical stone), destroys the greatest sins.

The place where Krsnacandra played ball-games with the boys is called kanduka-ksetra (the ballgame-field).

A person who sees the place Indra-pada on Govardhana Hill, bows down at the place Brahma-pada or rolls about in the dust of these places, attains the abode of Lord Visnu.

The place on Govardhana Hill where Lord Krsna stole the gopas turbans is called Ausnisa-tirtha. It removes the greatest sins.

One day, hearing tinkling anklets as the gopis walked nearby on their way to sell yogurt, Krsna, who is more charming than Kamadeva, stopped them on the path.

Holding a flute and a stick and going ahead of the gopas, Krsna confronted the gopis on the path and demanded, "You must pay a toll to Me."

The gopis said: You are crooked. You and Your gopa boys now block our path. You are greedy after yogurt. We will see to it that You, Your mother and Your father are all locked up in Kamsa's prison.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: I will kill ferocious Kamsa and all his friends. That was My solemn vow.

Every day I will take the cows from Mathura to Govardhana Hill.

Sri Narada said: After speaking these words, Krsna and the boys took the jars of yogurt and joyfully placed them on the ground.

Saying " Krsna is a bold, fearless, ferocious and talkative hero here in the secluded forest, but in the city, surrounded by many men, He is only a weakling.  We will certainly tell Nanda and Yasoda what He has done,"  the smiling gopis went to their homes.

Then, making cups of nipa and palasa leaves, Krsna and the boys ate the yogurt and picchala.

O king of kings, that very sacred place, where the trees leaves became cups, is called Drona-tirtha.

A person who at this place gives yogurt in charity, drinks yogurt from a leaf-cup and then bows down to offer his respectful obeisances, never falls from Goloka.

A place where Krsna and the boys played games of closing their eyes and hiding is called laukika-tirtha.  It destroys all sins.

Simply by seeing Kadamba-khanda-tirtha, where Krsna enjoyed many pastimes, a person attains a form like that of Lord Narayana Himself.

O king of Mithila, the place on Govardhana Hill where Radha was decorated during the rasa dance is called Srngara-mandala (the decoration place).

O king, the form Lord Krsna showed as He lifted Govardhana Hill is still present at Srngara-mandala.

O king, 4,108 years after the beginning of Kali-yuga, as everyone watches, Lord Krsna will emerge from a cave on Govardhana Hill and reveal His transcendental form at Srngara-mandala.

O king, the saintly devotees will call this form of the Lord Srinatha.  He will always enjoy pastimes on Govardhana Hill.

O king of Mithila, the people in Kali-yuga who with their eyes see this form of the Lord will attain all spiritual success.

On the four corners of Govardhana Hill are the forms of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Ranganatha, Lord Dvarakanatha and Lord Badrinatha.

Srinatha is in the middle of Govardhana Hill.  O king, these five forms of the lord are manifested in sacred Bharata-varsa.

These four Deities are four pillars in the temple of eternal religion.  They are determined to protect Their devotees from all troubles.  A person who sees Them attains a transcendental form like that of Lord Narayana Himself.

An intelligent person who visits the places of these Deities but does not see the Lord there does not attain the real result of his visit.

A person who sees Lord Srinatha attains the result of seeing all four Deities on Govardhana Hill. 

O king of Mithila, a sinner who bows down before the footprints of Airavata and Surabhi on Govardhana Hill goes to Vaikuntha.

A person who sees the handprint and footprint of Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and bows down to offer respects to them, goes to Lord Krsna's transcendental abode.

Part two-

"O best of brahmanas, by visiting Govardhana Hill one attains a pious result ten million times greater than all those pious deeds together." - The glories of Sri Giriraja part 2