An Odyssey to God’s Own Abode - Vrindavan-Jaipur Yatra 2022

The engines of the train chugged as it ploddingly halted. A shrill whistle blew as the travelers alighted onto Mathura’s
bustling railway-station. Amongst them was an enthusiastic assemblage of about 40 people, most of whom were residents of
Powai. The jolly group had embarked on a 6-day journey to Vrindavan & Jaipur and upon stepping onto the hallowed land
of Mathura, their joy knew no bounds! The trip was organized by the Hare Krishna Movement-Mumbai, which is based in
Powai.

Sri Vrindavan Dham is the esoteric, holy abode of Lord Krishna where He displayed His transcendental pastimes during His
appearance on this planet some 5000 years ago. Stepping on the same sacred soil where Sri Krishna once frolicked with His
cowherd friends, the congregation visited the various pastime spots of Vrindavan, hearing and contemplating upon the
activities the Lord performed there. The scent of sweet ketaki flowers was in the air, and the song of the chirruping parrots
could be distinctly heard as the devotees traversed the very busy gullies of Braj, which seemed to be painted with
Radharani’s (the Queen of Vrindavan’s) love for Krishna. The glittering waters of the Yamuna adorn Vrindavan, encircling
it like a moat of black mascara, winding through Vraja in a very crooked course, searching for Krishna, the moon of Vraja.
On its shores, reside the temples of the prime deities of Vrindavan, where the devotees took darshans of their Lordships, and
performed ecstatic harinaam sankirtan, the congregational chanting of the holy names of Krishna. In this hallowed land
where every step is a dance and every word is a song, the devotees lost their hearts, overcome by a deluge of love and
devotion!

Vrindavan is not an ordinary place! the scriptures proclaim it to be a replica of the Lord’s abode in the spiritual world,
known as Goloka-Vrindavan; Lord Krishna and his abode are equally worshipable. Often, people come here as tourists for
sightseeing and consider it to be an “unclean”, Indian village. However, the land of Vrindavan cannot be perceived in totality
simply by our imperfect, material senses. On this yatra organised by HKM Mumbai, every moment was spent in the
company of devotees, deliberating upon the Lord. Lakhs of people come to Vrindavan every day all-year round, yet
many are bereft of experiencing and understanding the mood of Vraja. In the company of devotees, however, one can
realise and relish the abstruse potency of this place, constantly feeling the presence of the Lord; and fathom the arcane
position of Vraja and the vrajavasis!
In various scriptures great emphasis is put on the association of devotees to discuss the pastimes and activities of the Lord
for cultivation of knowledge and develop real devotion.

This trip became even more special, as it was held in the holy month of Kartik. In the Skanda Purana and Padma Purana, it
is mentioned that “Kartik is the topmost of all other months. If someone performs a little worship of Sri Hari in this month,
He offers that devotee His own abode!”

The divine Mangala Aratis every morning and the Sattvic meals served by the Yatra committee are never to be experienced
with any other tour operators. Spending 3 days in the holy abode of Vrindavan in the month of Kartik, the attendees of the
trip felt saturated with immense spiritual bliss. Softly murmuring the HareKrishna Mahamantra (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare) here felt magical.
On the last day in Vraja, they wistfully prayed to Their Lordships to allow them to enter Sri Vrindavan Dham again and
again…always! Physically leaving Vraja dham, the devotees left a piece of their hearts tucked somewhere in Krishna’s
glistening ankle-bells and another in the midnight curls of Sri Radhika’s braids!

Following the trip to Vraja, the attendees of the yatra next made their way to Jaipur, which is also known as Gupt-Vrindavan
or “Hidden” Vrindavan. This is because many of the Vrindavan’s prime deities were brought here for safety, due to the
onslaught of Mughal invaders in Vraja a few centuries ago. Taking darshans of these ethereal deities in their scintillating
temples and hearing about Their glories made the devotees feel as if they were actually present in Vrindavan only!

As the trip concluded, the attendees experienced a bittersweet feeling tugging at their hearts, a feeling of extreme happiness,
tinged with a desire of wanting more! Wrapping all the cherishable memories of the yatra, hoping to protect them in their
hearts for many decades to come, the attendees of the trip now look forward to join the upcoming yatra to Dwarka in
December, and many more organized by HKM and beseech you to do so too!