Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 2

Sri saubharir Uvaca

Martanda-kanyakayas tu
Stavam srnu maha-mate
Sarva-siddhi-karam bhumau
Catur-vargya-phala-pradam

Translation : Sri Saubhari Said : O noble-hearted one, please hear the Yamuna-stava, which grants all
perfection and brings the four goals of life

Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 3

Krsna-vamamsa-bhutayai
Krsnayai satatam namah
Namah sri-krsna-rupinyai
Krsne tubhyam namo namah

Translation: Obeisances to Sri Yamuna, who was born from Sri Krishna’s left shoulder! Obeisances to Sri
Yamuna, who has a spiritual form like that of Lord Krsna! O Sri Yamuna, obeisances to you! Obeisances
to you!

Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 4

Yah papa-pankambu-kalanka-kutsitah
Kami-kudhih satsu kalim karoti hi
Vrndavanam dhama dadati tasmai
Nadan-milindadi-kalinda-nandini

Translation: To a person that is lusty, foolish, polluted with many sins, and fond of quarrelling with the
devotees, Sri Yamuna, who is filled with many buzzing bees, gives residence in the transcendental abode
of Goloka.

Purport : Since most of the living entities in the material world meet the descriptions provided in this
verse, we can understand how merciful and important Yamuna is today. One wishing to achieve
perfection in this lifetime would be wise to go to Vrindavana near Delhi in India, where the Yamuna still
mercifully flows. Taking shelter of the River Yamuna is a part of devotional service or bhakti-yoga also
known as Sanatana-dharma or the “the eternal duty of all living entities”. It never becomes outdated or
surpassed by a newly invented process.
 Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 5

Krshesaksat Krsna-rupa tvam eva

Vegavarte vartate matsya-rupi
Urmav urmau kurma -rupi sad ate
Bindau bindau bhati Govinda-devah

Translation : O Yamuna, you have a spiritual form like that of Sri Krsn. In your whirlpools Lord Matsya
appears. In your waves Lord Kurma appears. In each drop of your water, Lord Krishna is splendidly
manifest.

Purport : Once Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu encountered a learned scholar and asked him to compose
poetry glorifying the holy river Ganges. The scholar immediately did so and thus pleased the lord. Many
of us cannot produce perfect Sanskrit Poetry, but we can please the Lord by easily reciting these perfect
prayers to River Yamuna in Sanskrit, English or in another language

Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 6

Vande lilavatim tvam sa-ghana-ghana-nibham Krsna-vamamsa-bhhutam

Vegam vai vairajakhyam sakala-jala-cayam khandayantim balat svat
Chittva brahmanda-bharat sura -nagara-nagan ganda-sailadi-durgan
Bhittva bhu-khanda-madhye tati-nidhrtavatir bhumi-malam prayantim

Translation : I Offer my respectful obeisances unto you, who are playful, who are dark as a monsoon
cloud, who were born from Lord Krsna’s left shoulder, who move swiftly, who are also named Viraja,
who carry all waters, who break the covering of the universe, who break great mountains and
fortresses, who flow through the earth, who have beautiful shores and who are a garland decorating the
earth

Purport : A child’s quality of playfulness is even more praiseworthy when manifested in an old person .
Yamuna exists from time immemorial, yet her form is every youthful as is her quality of playfulness

Sri Garga Samhita , Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 7

Divyam kau namadheyam srutam atha yamune dandayaty adri-tulyam

Papa-vyuham tv akhandam vasatu mama giram mandale tu ksanam tat
Dandyam cakarya-dandyan sakrd api vacasa khanditam yad grhitam
Bhratur martanda-sunor atati putri drdhas te pracandeti dandah

Translation: O Yamuna, when it is heard on this earth, your holy name destroys a great mountain of sin.
When your name is spoken it again destroys a great host of sins. May your holy name stay in the circle of
my words. In the city of your brother, Yamaraja, who is the son of the sun-god, you are known by the
name Pracanda.
Purport: As the supreme lord is eternal, so His associates such as Yamuna are eternal. When Lord
Krishna comes to the earth for his pastimes, He is glorified by names such as Giridhari (lifter of
Govardhana Hill) and Aristanasana (the killer of the Arista demon), etc. Similarly, when Yamuna comes
to this world she is glorified as the daughter of the very fierce sun god and the sister of fearful Yamaraja.
Thus she is known as one who is very powerful, Pracanda.

Sri Garga Samhita, Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 8

Rajjur va visayandha-kupa-tarane papakhu-darvi-kari

Veny-usnik ca viraja-murti-siraso malasti va sundari
Dhanyam bhagyam atah param bhuvi nrnam yatradi-krd vallabha
Goloka ‘pyati-durlabhati-subhaga bhaty advitiya nadi

Translation: Sri Yamuna is a rope to pull one out of the blind well of sense gratification. Sri Yamuna is a
snake to eat the rat of sin. Sri Yamuna is a beautiful crown of flowers on the usnik poems that are the
hair on the head of the lord’s universal form. Sri Yamuna gives wealth and good fortune to the people of
this world. Even in Goloka, Sri Yamuna is dear, rare, glorious, and without any rival.

Purport: Although both good and bad emanate from God, He encourages his part and parcel living
entities to pursue goodness. To facilitate goodness, he manifests many personalities from Himself such
as Yamuna who continuously shower unlimited mercy upon the unlimited souls.

For a person who has fallen in to a blind well, the only hope is a rope dropped down from above. By no
amount of personal endeavor can one free himself from a blind well nor can theoretical advice from
others suffice.

Only a tangible rope with a merciful and strong person at the other can pull one out. This is the business
of the guru. Without the infinite kindness of the spiritual master, the conditioned souls are destined to
rot in the blind well of sense gratification and its concomitant karmic reactions for millions of births. Sri
Yamuna is Sri Krsna’s representative ready to gently yet firmly reconnect, the forgotten souls back to the
divine lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She has no interest in promoting herself as a
supreme for she is a true servant of the Lord.

Even though rats are often dirty and carry diseases the snake relishes eating them and is unaffected by
the uncleanliness. Similarly, Sri Yamuna, as lord Krsna’s beloved representative, mercilessly destroys the
dreadful sins(darivikari) of one who takes shelter of her Lord; yet she herself remains immune

Usnik is the art of literary expression of twenty -eight syllables which was generated from the hairs on
the body of Brahma,the designer of the universe. Lord Krsna enumerated the Vedic meters to Uddhava
as follows: gayatri, usnik, brhati, pankti, tristup, jagati, aticchanda, atyasti, atijagati and ativarat.
According to one expert, usnik is the meter of the mid-day, of accomplishment, performance and
continuous production.
 Sri Garga Samhita, Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 9

Gopi-go-kula-gopa-keli-kalite kalinda Krsna-prabhe

Tvat-kule jala-lola-gola-vicalat-kallola kolahalah
Tvat-kantara-kutuhalali-kula-krj-jhankara-kekakulah
Kujat-kokila-sankulo vraja-latalankara-brt patu mam

Translation: O Yamuna, PO place where the gopis, gopas and cows enjoy pastimes, O glory of Lord Krsna,
by your shores is a great tumult of swiftly moving waves, by your shores is a great forest filled with the
buzzing of bees and the calls of the peacocks, by your shores is a host of cooing cuckoos., May Sri
Yamuna who is decorated with the flowering vines of Vraja, protect me.

Sri Garga Samhita, Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 10

Bhavanti jihvas tanu-roma-tulya

Giro yada bhu-sikata ivasu
Tad apy alam yati na te gunantam
Santo mahantah kila sesa-tulyah

Translation : Even if they have as many tongues as there are hairs on their bodies or grains of sand on
the beach, or even if they are as powerful as Lord Sesa the most exalted devotees still cannot properly
describe all your virtues

Sri Garga Samhita, Canto 4, Chapter 17 Text 11

Kalinda-giri-nandini=stava usasy ayam vaparah

Srutas ca yadi pathito bhuvi tanoti san-mangalam
Jano ‘pi yadi dharayet kila pathec ca yo nityasah
Sa yati paramaam padam nija-nikunja-lilavrtam

Translation: A person who at sunrise hears or recites these prayers glorifying Sri Yamuna attains
transcendental auspiciousness. A person who regularly hears and remembers these prayers attains the
supreme transcendental abode, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead enjoys pastimes in the
forests by the Yamuna’s shore.

Purport: Sri Saubhari pronounces a wonderful blessing from Sri Yamuna upon those who recite,
regularly hear and remember these prayers. By this very reading, we insignificant souls will also be
benefited and promoted on our path back to home back to Godhead.
Other Verses

Quote 1

Srila Sanatana Gosvami also meditates upon Sri Yamuna in Sri Brhad bhagavatamrta 1.1.6 as follows:

Jayati tarani -putri dharma-raja-svasaya

Kalayati mathurayah sakhyam atyeti gangam
Mura-hara-dayita tat-pada-padma-prasutam
Vahati ca makarandam nira-pura-cchalena

Translation : All glories to Sri Yamuna, the daughter of the sun god and sister of Yamaraja. She is beloved
of Krsna, the killer of Mura. She has made friends with Mathura District and has exceeded the greatness
of Gangadevi. On the pretext of being a river, she carries the nectar flowing from Lord Sri Krsna’s lotus
feet.

Quote 2

Purport

The river feature of Yamuna certainly pleases Radha because within those waters lord Krsna engages in
many blissful pastimes with her and her beloved Gopis. In the second chapter of a book called Srimad
Bhagavatam mahatmya, the beautiful Yamuna personified describes her relationship as a friend of Sri
Radha (Radha-sakhi)

Kalindi said,” Sri Radhika is the soul of Krsna, who is known as atmarama. I am always engaged in her
service. Due to the influence of this service, the pain of separation could not touch me. All of Krsna’s
consorts are expansions of Sri Radhika. And because Krsna is always engaged in enjoying with Sri
Radhika, all of Krsna’s other consorts are automatically being enjoyed by Him “