Sri Vraja Mandala Parikrama - English

"O sakhi, the fame of the Earth is enhanced, having been splendidly decorated with the marks
of Sri Krsna’s lotus feet. Upon hearing Krsna’s flute song, the peacocks take it to be the thunder
of the clouds and, becoming intoxicated, begin to dance. When the other animals in the meadows
of Govardhana see this, they also feel pleasure and become stunned. Thus, the presence of Sri
Vrndavana on the Earth makes this planet even more glorious than Vaikuntha." 
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.21.10)

"In 1946, I took shelter of the lotus feet of my most worshipful spiritual master, om visnupada Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. From that time, by his causeless mercy, I received the good fortune to travel with him. On many occasions, I was highly blessed to perform parikrama and have darsana of sacred places (tirthas) throughout all of India. We visited places such as Sri Gauraìga Mahaprabhu’s birthplace (Mayapura Yogapitha); the islands of Sri Dhama Navadvipa; pastimes places and other sacred places of Gauda-mandala; Vaidyanatha Devaghara; Mandara Madhusudana; Gaya; Kasi; Prayaga; Ayodhya; Naimisaranya; the places Sriman Mahaprabhu visited in South India; Dvaraka and other places of pilgrimage of West India; Ajanta-Elora of Central India; the sacred places of Rajasthana, such as Jaipur and Ajmer; and all the pastime places of Vraja-mandala. Furthermore, after Srila Gurudeva left this world to enter his unmanifest pastimes, I was fortunate enough to again visit and perform parikrama of these sacred pastime places several times under the guidance of the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

Above all, however, I received the great opportunity of performing Vraja-mandala parikrama on foot each year with my most worshipful holy master and some five hundred faithful devotees. Sri Gurudeva entrusted the responsibility of serving Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha to me in 1954. Since then, I have annually been performing Vraja-mandala parikrama with the brahmacaris of Sri Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha and some of the many devout and respectable residents of Mathura. Thus, I have been fortunate to have performed Vraja-mandala parikrama more than fifty times in over fifty years." - Sri Bhaktivedanta Narayana

For those sincere devotees who deeply desire to enter into the sweetness of Sri Vraja-dhama, this book is cause for great joy. It takes the faithful reader on an extraordinary journey through Vraja, following the same general route taken annually on Sri Vraja-mandala parikrama. Sri Vraja-mandala parikrama was inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Öhakura Prabhupada re-established it in October 1932, and his dear most disciple, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, sustained it in the decades that followed. Our beloved spiritual master, om visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja, has been guiding pilgrims on this parikrama since 1954, thus fulfilling the inner heart’s desire of all the acaryas in our line. 

The Western world was first introduced to Sri Vraja-mandala parikrama by the causeless mercy of Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja, who founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON) in July 1966 and spread the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu to every corner of the globe. For more than twenty years, Western devotees have been helped to gain a further appreciation of Sri Vraja-dhama by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja who emphasises the value of trying to deeply enter Srila Rupa Gosvami’s teachings on bhakti. This English translation of Sri Vraja-mandala Parikrama is another of the  priceless gems that he is giving to the English-speaking world.

CONTENTS: Introduction (to the first Hindi edition), Preface (to the first English edition) Acknowledgments. PART ONE - The Nature of Vraja, Goloka and Vraja (Gokula), Vraja: the eternal abode of parakiya-bhava, the mood of unwedded amorous love, Vraja: the land of enchanting beauty and sweetness, The Borders of Vraja, How to Observe Vraja-mandala Parikrama, Vow at Visrama-ghata, The rules for Vraja-mandala parikrama, The timing of the parikrama, Places Visited on Vraja-mandala Parikama, Vraja-mandala’s sixteen banyan trees,
Mountains in Vraja-mandala. PART TWO - Mathura, The Glories of Sri Mathura, Sri Krsna’s Birthplace (Sri Krsna Janma-sthana), Visrama-ghata, The Yamuna’s Twenty-four Ghatas, Places to Visit on the Mathura Parikrama Path, Madhuvana, Talavana, Kumudavana, Bahulavana, Radha-kunda & Syama-kunda, The appearance of Radha-kunda & Syama-kunda, The history of the kundas after Krsna left for Dvaraka, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami at Radha-kunda, The kundas as described in Krsna-bhavanamrta and Govinda-lilamrta, Some of the surrounding temples, Jihva-sila and other nearby places, Famous ghatas of Sri Radha-kunda & Sri Syama-kunda, The rasa-mandalas of Sri Radha-kunda, The seven Mahadevas acting as area-protectors (ksetra-palas) of Sri Radha-kunda, Govardhana, The Appearance of Sri Govardhana in Vraja, Pastime Places on the Govardhana Parikrama, Pastime Places Visited After Parikrama of Govardhana Kamyavana (Kamavana), Pastime Places in Kamyavana, The Gates of Kamyavana, Pastime Places Visited After Parikrama of Kamyavana, Varsana (Vrsabhanupura), Pastime Places in the Area of Varsana, Pastime Places Visited After Parikrama of Varsana, Nandagaon, Pastime Places Within the Compound of Nanda-bhavana, Other Pastime Places in Nandagaon, Javata (Yava Grama), Kokilavana and Other Pastime Places, Bhadravana & Bhandiravana, Matavana, Baelvana & Lohavana, Mahavana-Gokula & Raval, The Pastime Places of Mahavana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Mahavana, Gokula, Raval, Akrura-ghata, Yajna-sthala, Bhojana-sthala (Bhatrola-gaon), Vrndavana, The Magnificence of Sri Vrndavana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Vrndavana, The Pastime Places of Sri Vrndavana, The Temples of Sri Vrndavana, The Twelve Forests of Sri Vrndavana, The Famous Ghatas of Sri Vrndavana, Other Features of Sri Vrndavana, City quarters (mohallas), Famous samaja and samadhis, Famous kundas, Famous wells (kupas), Devis (goddesses), Mahadevas, Banyan trees (vatas), Kadamba trees, Glossary, Index over Places. MAPS AND DIAGRAMS - Mathura, Kunjas around Radha-kunda & Syama-kund Radha-kunda & Syama-kunda, Detailed Map of Radha-kunda, Govardhana, Govardhana Town, Family Tree of Sri Krsna’s Maternal Relatives, Varsana, Family Tree of Sri Krsna’s Paternal Relatives, Nandagaon, Vrndavana.

TITLE: Shri Braja Mandal Parikrama - English
AUTHOR: Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja
PUBLISHER: Gaudiya Vedanta Publications
EDITION: Second, 2007
ISBNs: 978-81-86737-34-7 9788186737347 8186737340 8-186737-34-0
PAGES: 700, Premium Paper, with color Illustrations and Inset Map
SHIPPING WEIGHT: 1250 grams