divyad-vrndaranya-kalpa-drumadah
srimad-ratnagara-simhasana-sthau
sri-sri-radha-srila-govinda-devau
presthalibhih sevyamanau smarami

In a temple of jewels in Vrndavana, underneath a desire tree, Sri Sri Radha Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them. [Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 1.16]

The Radha Govinda Temple is seen as one of the most impressive examples of North Indian architecture. It sits in the middle of the Yogapitha, the sacred place where Radha and Krishna would meet.

The deity of Govinda, believed to have been established thousands of years ago by Krishna's grandson Vajranaba, was rediscovered by Srila Rupa Goswami in the 16th century. The construction of the temple was begun under the direction of Raghunath Bhatta Goswami and his disciples, headed by Raja Man Singh (a general in the Army of Emperor Akbar) and was completed in 1590. Jiva Goswami praised Emperor Akbar in his Govindam Mandir Astakam (Eight Prayers in Glorification of the Govinda Temple), which is carved into the temple's stone. The inscription reads "Emperor Akbar is a very kind-hearted person and a Vaishnava. I give my blessings to Emperor Akbar. In his kingdom all the Vaishnavas are living very peacefully."

Less than 100 years later Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the temple's destruction. Before his soldiers arrived the deities of Radha and Govinda were moved. They now reside in the grand Govindaji temple in Jaipur.

Before its destruction the temple stood seven stories high. Just two stories remain. Still, the Radha Govinda Temple remains a towering monument to Lord Govinda and a place where one can feel a connection to the great saints of the past and the history of Krishna devotion in Vrindavan.

Kaustubha das

Robert Stoetzel is a New York based photographer traveling and photographing in India trough March 2009.

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Submitted by: Kaustubha das
Posted on 22.12.08 at 1:58 pm

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Making a connection with Krishna part 1

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Mayapur, November 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritamrta part 7

Anyone who has contact with devotees is making a connection with Krishna! In Amsterdam in the late seventies we used to have harinama. Whenever we would go to do harinama in the city, there was a man who owned the vegetable stall, and he would always throw rotten tomatoes! So we knew when he came by to watch out, and so we ducked. But later that man became a donor and he gave vegetables to the temple!

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The next step

(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 29 December 2011, Munich, Germany)

Our objective is to purify ourselves.  If we are developing a little bit of humility… humility doesn't mean that we walk around all day long saying:
"I am so fallen!"
"How fallen am I?"
"Boy, O boy, I am fallen! I am sinful! I am terribly fallen!"

That's not where humility ends.  That's a step on the way.  But the next step is, 'Therefore, I need purification.'  So if one is humble, the next step is to look for purification.  And that is our next step – to look for purification.

One who is not humble will not be able to surrender to all the demands required for purification.  So if we are serious about purification, we must make a real endeavor.

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