Mathurā The heart of Braja Bhoomi and the birthplace of Shrī Kris̲h̲ṇa
Uttar Bhārat Yātrā of H. H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī
March 5th to April 1st 2025
Mathurā Camp (17th – 21st March 2025)Inputs by Prīti Pāṇemaṅgl̄or
17th March 2025
Bharatpur en route Mathurā
On 17th March 2025, H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī and His retinue departed from Jaipur for Mathurā. En route there was a brief halt at the Shrī Bābā Alakh Jhalakh Sanyās Ᾱshram in Bharatpur, where H.H. Swāmījī had an informal interaction with assembled sādhaka-s there. This was followed by Bhiks͟hā at the residence of Shrī Dinesh Upādhyāy after which H.H. Swāmījī travelled with the retinue to Mathurā.
The evening of 17th March 2025
Situated at the heart of Braja Bhoomi, Mathurā is the birthplace of Lord Kris͟hṇa. In the evening, H.H. Swāmījī arrived in Vrindāvan after a meaningful and fulfilling camp with a dedicated cadre of sevaka-s at Jaipur.
Vrindāvan is only a few kilometres away from Mathurā where H.H. Swāmījī stayed at Mānav Sevā Saṅgh A̅shram along with the retinue and around 130 yātrī-s..
In Mathura while there were 130, at Varanasi the count increased to 180 yātrī-s.
17th March 2025 – 7:30 p.m.
Dīpanamaskāra and Saṁvāda
In the Divine Sannidhi of our beloved Guru, the yātrī-s with folded hands recited the Dīpanamaskāra remembering the revered Guru-s of our glorious Shrī Chitrāpur Guruparamparā while fervently appealing to the Sadguru to give up His inward look for a while and cast a merciful and compassionate glance at us.
Dīpanamaskāra was followed by an informal interaction, Saṁvāda with Pūjya Swāmījī.
18th March 2025 - 11:00 a.m.
Swāgata Dharma Sabhā
During the Swāgata Dharma Sabhā, in the auspicious presence of H.H. Swāmījī, the local priest Shrī Kishore Kishan Goswāmī engaged the yātrī-s by providing information on the significance of Mathurā-Vrindāvan which is considered the heart of Braja-Bhoomi, the land of Shrī Kris͟hṇa and Bāṅke Bihārījī.
Pa-du-ka: पालनाद्दुरितच्छेदात् कामितार्थप्रपूरणात् । Pa - protection, Du - destruction of evil and Ka - fulfilment of all desires! Shrī Guru Pādukā Pūjana was thus performed meaningfully with faith by the sādhaka-s. This was followed by a thought provoking A̅shīrvachana and Tīrtha Vitaraṇa by H.H. Swāmījī. In His Divine vāṇī, Pūjya Swāmījī highlighted the connection of Vis͟hṇu in our tradition. Pūjya Swāmījī explained, while Purus͟ha represents the unchanging Consciousness that transcends physical reality, Prakṛti embodies the material aspect of existence while Vis͟hṇu means Vyāpakatvam, the All Pervasiveness.
H.H. Swāmījī seems amused at the hired skilled langura handler, Attar Singhjī (in blue) and his trained languriya, Gaurī (relishing a banana). Gaurī kept the monkey menace away at Mānav Sevā Saṅgh, Vrindāvan. Her presence was enough to scare them.
18th March 2025 - 5:00 p.m.
Bāṅke Bihārī Temple
In the evening, H.H. Swāmījī with the yātrī-s had a magnificent darshana of Bāṅke Biharījī, a combined form of Rādhā and Kris͟hṇa. The vigraha of Kris͟hṇa is bent in three places hence the name Bāṅke. Swāmī Haridās originally worshipped this mūrti under the name of Kuñja Bihārī which means the one who enjoys in the groves or Kuñja of Vrindāvan.
The visit was meticulously planned to allow easy access to the usually crowded temple.
18th March 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
Rādhā Vallabha Temple
After the Divine Darshana of Bāṅke Biharījī, the yātrī-s walked through the crowded and narrow streets to the spiritually charged temple of Rādhā Vallabhajī.
19th March 2025 - 9:00 a.m.
Vivekānanda Group of Colleges, Alīgarh
The next morning H.H. Swāmījī along with the yātrī-s left for Alīgarh - a town about 60 km away from Vrindāvan to Vivekānanda group of Colleges established by a group of Sāraswat-s. Pūjya Swāmījī had been invited to address the trustees, teachers and students.
H.H. Swāmījī was received by Dr. Anil Sāraswat, Chairman of the Vivekānanda Group of Colleges with due honours. Pūjya Swāmījī was welcomed with a Pūrṇakumbha Swāgata. The faculty and students expressed their joy by showering flower petals on the path that H.H. Swāmījī walked upon!
Shrī Girīsh Sāraswat of Ghāziabād in his welcome speech introduced H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī as the 11th Mat͟hādhipati of Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟h, Shirālī to the large group of people assembled.
The Chairman of the institute Dr. Anil Sāraswat welcomed H.H. Swāmījī and in his introductory speech, shared a brief history about Vivekānanda group of colleges. He then humbly requested H.H. Swāmījī to bless everyone with an A̅shīrvachana.
During the A̅shīrvachana, H.H. Swāmījī spoke of the need to have a spiritual connection with the Divine and reiterated that when this connection is uninterrupted, तैलधारावत् like an unbroken stream of oil, one will find no difference between the spiritual and the mundane. Pūjya Swāmījī explained the importance of reading The Shrīmad Bhagawadgītā and understanding it in the correct perspective. Pūjya Swāmījī emphasised the need to do japa with regularity and consistency.
Though the convention hall was initially filled with curious onlookers once H.H. Swāmījī captured their full attention, they gradually became actively engaged in a productive question-and answer session after Pūjya Swāmījī’s A̅shīrvachana.
This was followed by Tīrtha Vitaraṇa.
After Prasāda Bhojana, the Dharmaprachāraka of Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟h, Shirālī, Dr. Chaitanya Gulvāḍy along with some sañchālaka-s interacted with the faculty and students about Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟h, its philosophy and its various initiatives in the field of education, women empowerment and such.
After returning from Alīgarh to Vrindāvan, the tired yātrī-s were rejuvenated at the sight of their A̅rādhyadevatā, Lord Bhavānīshaṅkar and Pūjya Swāmījī.
Dīpanamaskāra was offered in Their Divine Presence after which Pūjya Swāmījī performed Shrī Shiva Pūjana transforming Vrindāvan into Mount Kailāsa!
20th March 2025 - 9:00 a.m.
Kris͟hṇa Janmasthāna Temple
On 20th March around 9:00 a.m, H.H. Swāmījī led the yātrī-s to visit the Shrī Kris͟hṇa Janmasthāna at Mathurā, a huge temple complex. Since childhood we have grown up listening to the childhood adventures of Shrī Kris͟hṇa’s Divine Līlā. Walking through the hallowed precincts of the birthplace of Lord Kris͟hṇa, the incidents came alive!
The huge temple complex contains Keshavdeva temple, garbha-gṛha shrine and Bhāgavata Bhavana with shrines of Rādhā and Kris͟hṇa, Balarāma, Subhadrā and Jagannātha, Rāma, Laks͟hmaṇa and Sītā, Garuḍa Stambha and Chaitanya Mahāprabhu in front of Jagannātha shrine and Hanumān in front of Rāma shrine. There is a temple of Durgā and the temple with Keshaveshwar Pārada Shivaliṅga too. As H.H. Swāmījī offered prayers at every shrine, it appeared as though Pūjya Swāmījī bridged the gap between the Lord and the sādhaka-s!
H.H. Swāmījī then walked towards the Goshālā at the Kris͟hṇa Janmasthāna.
The cows rushed towards Pūjya Swāmījī in an attempt to capture all of Pūjya Swāmījī’s love, kṛpādṛs͟hṭi and attention!
Later in the evening the yātrī-s left for Nandadhāma, Gokul where Lord Kris͟hṇa spent eleven and a half years of His life at the home of His foster parents, Nanda and Yashodā. The yātrī-s had to crawl on all fours in Nanda Bhawana to rock the cradle that had the beautifully adorned idol of baby Kris͟hṇa (Bāla Gopāla).
The yātrīs left for Yamunā Ghāṭ at around 5:30 p.m., where H.H. Swāmījī performed Yamunā pūjana and āratī – a celebration of reverence for the River Yamunā who was amongst the first to touch the Divine Feet of infant Kris͟hṇa, when His father Vāsudeva carried Him in a basket as he waded through the water from Mathurā to Gokul.
H.H. Swāmījī and the yātrī-s visited Raskhān samādhisthala, where his memorial is situated in the midst of a mystically charged vāṭikā. The sixteenth century poet, Raskhān followed the path of Kris͟hṇa Bhakti. He accepted Kris͟hṇa as the supreme God and became a Vais͟hṇava and lived in Vrindāvan till his last breath in 1628 AD. The greenery and the large shaded trees are home to the samādhi of Raskhān.
The stillness at sundown that blankets the air is mysteriously transcendental that one must experience.
21st March 2025 - 9:00 a.m.
Govardhana Parikramā
Kusum Sarovara
Lord Kris͟hṇa lifting the Govardhana parvata on His little finger to save the people of Braja Bhoomi from the wrath of Lord Indra is well known. The yātrī-s covered the 21 kms Govardhana Parikramā on e- rickshaws within two hours. Within the parikramā, there are several temples, sacred ponds and significant places of worship amongst which the yātrī-s visited Uddhava Kuṇḍa, Kusum Sarovara and Govind kuṇḍa.
Shrī Kishore Kishan Goswāmī regaled the yātrī-s with stories of young Lord Kris͟hṇa who won the hearts of the Gopa-s and Gopī-s and how they were heartbroken when He left for Dwārakā.
21st March 2025 - 9:00 p.m.
The Govardhana Parikramā ended when the yātrī-s sat at the Feet of their beloved Guru, H.H. Swāmījī at Vrindāvan where Pujya Swāmījī had an interesting interaction with them.
Vrindāvan was perhaps heartbroken once again when H.H. Swāmījī left on His onward journey to Ayodhyā the next morning…