Bahulavan

This is one of the twelve sacred forests of Vraja where Krishna and Balarama used to graze their cows while performing their daily go-charana-lila pastimes of herding the cows. The Bahulavana forest has a parikrama of about six kilometers making it one of the largest of the sacred forests. The places of interest here include Sankarshana-kunda, Mana-sarovara, Bahuladevi Mandira and the Yogamaya Mandir. The sacred forest of Bahulavana has all but disappeared and now a large village known as Bati can be found here where the vast forest once stood.
How the Forest of Bahulavana Achieved its Name
The forest of Bahulavana gains mention in a number of ancient Puranas and is particularlyassociated with Bahula Devi, after whom the forest has been named, and who appeared in this forest in the form of a cow. The Skanda Purana says that Bahula Devi is the consort of Lord Shri Hari (Vishnu), but does not reveal much detail about her. Therefore, comparisons have been made between Bahula Devi and Bhumi Devi (mother earth), who is also referred to as the consort of Lord Shri Hari, and who also appears in the form of a cow.
To give further support that Bahula Devi, Bhumi Devi, and also Lakshmi Devi, are one
and the same personality, we find the following sloka in the Skanda Purana. “Bahula, the wife of Shri Hari always lives in this forest. Oh king, this place is always auspicious because Lakshmi resides here, always enjoying pleasure pastimes with Her husband. In Bahulavana there is Sankarshana-kunda and Mana-sarovara. Whoever takes bath here in the month of Chaitra is able to have darshana of Shri Hari with His consort Lakshmi.” This verse refers to Bahula as being non-different from Lakshmi Devi. The Puranas also say that Bhumi Devi resides with Her husband Lord Varaha on the southern petal of the lotus of Vraja, at the sacred place known as Saukara-puri, which also called Saukara-vateshwara (Batasar). Thus the Puranas equate Bhumi Devi as well as Bahula Devi, to be non-different from Lakshmi Devi, the wife and eternal consort of Lord Vishnu.
The Story of Bahula Devi
The story of Bahula Devi is recounted in a number of Puranas and in some versions the
details of the story vary, but the essence of the story is the same. In the Padma Purana, it says that in her previous life, before attaining the position as the consort of Lord Shri Hari, Bahula had taken birth as a cow in the forest of Bahulavana, and her character was severely tested by the Lord Himself. One day, Bahula was taken to the pasturing ground by her master, a local brahmana, so that she could feed on the fresh grass of Bahulavana forest. Suddenly a very hungry tiger appeared from the jungle and was preparing to attack and eat Bahula. Seeing that the end was near, Bahula requested the tiger to wait just a moment so that she could feed milk to her hungry calf waiting nearby. Bahula promised to return as soon as the calf was fed. The tiger agreed to the proposal and waited for Bahula to return. Within a short time, after feeding her baby calf, Bahula returned as promised. To her amazement she found that the tiger had disappeared and Lord Krishna was standing there along with Yamaraja, who had appeared as the tiger just to test her truthfulness. Being pleased with Bahula’s honesty, even in the face of death, Lord
Krishna gave her the benediction that in her next life she would attain the position as one of the goddesses of fortune and achieve the Supreme Lord as her husband.
PLACES OF INTEREST AT BAHULAVANA
B.l Bahula Devi Mandira
According to the local legend, a temple has stood at this spot next to the kunda since many hundreds of yea,rs. Inside the shrine one can see, carved in bass-relief, the deity of Bahula Devi in the form of a cow standing with her calf, and standing next to Bahula Devi is Lord Krishna along with Yamaraja, in the form of a tiger. Situated nearby to the Bahula Devi Mandir is a temple dedicated to Yogamaya Devi (Durga) and another temple dedicated to Lord Bankibihari.B.2 Sankarshana-kunda and Mana-sarovara
Although Sankarshana-kunda and Mana-sarovara were at one time separate kundas ,
they have now been amalgamated into one kunda by those who excavated and cleaned the kundasabout fifty years ago and also constructed a ghatas around the perimeter. Formerly Sankarshanakunda was situated next to the Bahula Devi Mandir and Mana-sarovara lay a little further away. Sankarshana-kunda is also known as Bahula-kunda, and Mana-sarovara is also known as Krishnakunda, as well as Mana-sarasi. It is mentioned in the Puranas that one who takes bath here during the month of Chaitra (March-April) will achieve the darshana of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayana.The Story of Mana-sarovara
One day, when Radha and Krishna were enjoying Their transcendental pastimes near
here, some incedent caused Radharani to suddenly experience a fit of jealous anger known as
mana (pronounced maan), apparently due to some lover’s misunderstanding. In an angry mood, Radharani came alone to Bahulavana and hid Herself in a bower next to this kunda. Feeling the intolerable pain of being separated from Radharani, Krishna began searching for Her everywhere and with the help of the sakhis, finally found Radharani sulking beneath a bower on the bank of this kunda. Krishna entered the bower and surrendered Himself at the lotus feet of Radha and after seeking forgiveness, was able to eventually pacify Radha’s mood of jealous anger. The kunda where Radharani sat in an angry mood became celebrated as Mana-sarovara, the lake of jealous anger.
Lord Chaitanya Visits Bahulavana
It is mentioned in Chaitany a-charitamrta that during His parikrama of Vraja Mandala, when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was passing through the forest of Bahulavana, all the cows that were grazing there, upon seeing the Lord, immediately surrounded Him and started mooing in chorus. At that moment, Lord Chaitanya became stunned due to feelings of ecstasy while remembering Lord Krishna’s pastimes as a cowherd boy in the pasturing grounds of Vrindavana. The cows then started to lick the Lord’s transcendental body and in return Lord Chaitanya began embracing each of the cows. Even wild deer came there and started licking Lord Chaitanya’s body while innumerable peacocks assembled nearby and started dancing in ecstasy, thinking that Krishna had again appeared in the holy land of Vrindavana. After spending some time at Bahulavana, Lord Chaitanya continued His parikrama of Vrindavana. Some years later, Jahnavi Devi, the wife and eternal consort of Lord Nityananda, also visited Bahulavana while travelling from Vrindavana to Radha-kunda in the year 1582. It is said that she took bath in the sacred kundas before continuing on her journey to Radha-kunda.

The charming forest of Bahulavana is full of beauty. According to the Skanda Purana (Mathura-khanda), Sri Hari’s sakhi Bahula resides here – bahula srihareh patni tatra tisthati sarvada. This place is now called Bati. It lies seven miles west of Mathura, between Radhakunda and Vrndavana. Sankarsana-kunda and Mana-sarovara are two kundas in Bahulavana. Once, when Srimati Radhika was in Her sulky mood (mana), She hid Herself in a kunja here. In separation from Her, Krsna became completely distressed. With the help of the sakhis He was able to find Srimati Radhika, and with great difficulty He pacified Her mana. It is popularly believed that any desire of a person who takes bath here will be fulfilled. In the temple on the bank of Sankarsana-kunda are deities of Sri Krsna, a tiger, a cow, its calf and a brahmana. According to local lore, a cow named Bahula was once drinking water from this pond when a fierce tiger attacked and caught her. She assured the tiger that she would return to be eaten after she had first gone to the house of her master, a brahmana, and fed milk to her hungry calf. When she got home, she told her calf to drink milk to his full satisfaction, and told him about her promise to the tiger. However, the calf insisted on going with her without drinking any milk. The brahmana also prepared himself to go alone. He planned to leave the cow and calf at home and give himself to the tiger as food. In the end, all three approached the tiger, each willing to sacrifice himself. At that moment, Sri Krsna Himself appeared there, and the tiger underwent a change of heart. By the mercy of Sri Krsna, the brahmana returned home safely with his cow and calf. Sri Radha-kunda lies within Bahulavana. On Bahulastami it is customary to take bath in Sri Radha-kunda. Large numbers of people assemble to bathe here on that day. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wandered through the different forests, He became overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this place. A charming and heart-rending description of this is given in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, Chapter 17) as follows: When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu entered Bahulavana, the beautiful cows grazing there surrounded Him. They stopped eating the grass and, overflowing with prema, began to bellow and lick His body. Seeing the affectionate motherly mood of the cows, Mahaprabhu became completely absorbed in ecstatic waves of prema. When He regained some external consciousness, He began caressing the cows and they did not want to leave Him. It was with great difficulty that the cowherd folk forced them onwards. Again Sri Mahaprabhu became absorbed in transcendental emotions. Weeping He called out, “Kothaya krsna, kothaya krsna? – Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna?” Herds of deer and does gathered and fearlessly licked Mahaprabhu’s limbs with affection. Parrots, cuckoos and bees began singing in the fifth note, and peacocks danced before Him. Completely jubilant, the trees and creepers covered themselves in buds, new leaves and flowers. With their arm-like branches and twigs, they lovingly offered their flowers and fruits at the lotus feet of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Seeing the ecstatic emotions of the moving and non-moving entities of Vrndavana, Sriman Mahaprabhu’s absorption in transcendental ecstasy intensified. He loudly cried, “Chant ‘Krsna’, chant ‘Krsna’!” and all of those moving and non-moving entities echoed His words. Sometimes Mahaprabhu, crying piteously, clasped hold of the necks of the deer and does who gazed at His lotus face with love-filled glances and tear-filled eyes. A little further on, Sriman Mahaprabhu saw a female and male parrot (sari and suka) sitting opposite each other on two branches of a tree, lovingly quarrelling about the glories of the Divine Couple, Sri Radha-Krsna. Suka: My Krsna is Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid’s mind. Sari: Yes, He is – as long as my Radha is at His left side. Otherwise, He is only Madana (Cupid). Suka: My Krsna lifted Giriraja on His finger. Sari: Because my Radha transmitted power into Him; otherwise, how could He have done so? Suka: My Krsna is the life of the whole universe. Sari: My Radha is the life of that life. Suka: My Krsna’s head is beautifully decorated with a peacockfeather. Sari: Only because my Radha’s name is marked on that feather. Suka: The peacock-feather on my Krsna’s head leans to the left. Sari: Because it wants to bow down to my Radha’s feet. Suka: My Krsna is the moon. Sari: My Radha is the trap that captures that moon. Suka: There is no need to quarrel uselessly. Let us glorify the Youthful Couple together. Sari: I happily agree to this. This loving quarrel between the suka and sari is also described in Govinda-lilamrta. Here, the male parrot says (13.29): “May our Lord Jagamohana, whose unparalleled beauty plunders the wealth of patience of an innumerable multitude of women, whose world-famous glory astounds even Laksmidevi, whose strength turns the majestic Govardhana mountain into a child’s toy, who has unlimited qualities, whose simple disposition entertains everyone, and whose glory substantiates the welfare of the entire universe, protect the entire world.”1
Hearing this, the female parrot replies (Govinda-lilamrta 13.30):
“Suka, Sri Radhika’s divine love, beauty, dancing, excellent calmness, expertise in music, wealth of good qualities, and poetic compositions, or in other words, Her erudition, are all so attractive that She steals away the heart of Sri Krsna, who enchants the mind of the entire universe.”2 The male parrot then says (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhyalila 17.214):
“Dear sari, all glories to Sri Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, who carries a flute. He steals the heart of all the women in the entire universe, and enjoys with the gopis.”3 After hearing the parrots’ loving quarrel, Sriman Mahaprabhu watched the dance of the peacocks. Seeing their bluish necks He remembered Krsna and became so overwhelmed in ecstatic love that He fell down on the earth in a faint. His companions somehow brought Him back to consciousness, and He continued His parikrama of Vraja.

When they arrived in Bahulavana, Raghava Pal)c;lita told them that Sri Caitanya had come here absorbed in transcendental love while on Pilgrimage of the Vrndavana forests. Seeing Him, millions of cows surrounded Him and looked at Him lovingly. Then Gaura touched each one of them as He had touched them when He was in Vrndavana as Krsna .Various animals such as dear, peacocks, and cuckoos expressed their joy by flying over His head and running around Him. People were overwhelmed to see that even the trees showered flowers on Sri Mahaprabhu’s head. All of them said, “He .must be Sri Krsna assuming this form of a sannyiisi .He has covered His beautiful dark complexion with a golden one in order to deceive people.” People spoke with agitated hearts while Gaura Raya fulfilled everyone’s desires.

The Pandita then showed Srinivasa and Narottama a beautiful lotus-filled pond named sarankarsana kunda Sand one lake known as Mana-sarasi. According to the Puranas, seeing and bathing in these p.laces gives many fruits such as the darsana of Laksmi with krasna.

According to the Adi-varaha Purana, Bahula is the best of all forests. Whoever enters this forest attains Agniloka after death. In the Skanda Purana.Mathura-khanda it is also stated, “Bahula, the wife of Sri Hari always lives in this holy forest. 0 king, this place is ,auspicious because Sri Visnu and Laksmi reside here always. In Bahulavana there is sarankarsana kunda and Mana-sarovara. By seeing the forest of lotuses here one obtains pious results. Whoevertakes a bath here in the month of Caitra [March-April] is able to have darsana of Sri Hari with Laksml.” •

The next place they visited was Mayura-grama where krasna. watched the dancing .of the peacocks with His beloveds. It was an amazing sight to see thousands and thousands of dancing peacocks expand their plumage for Radha and krasna.. What w,onderful happiness
arose when Radha and krasna.also began dancing with the peacocks. The sakhls stood all around and clapped as they watched the wonderful scene which enchanted the world.

Raghava Pandita pointed out to Daksina nayika Narottama and Srinivasa the place called Daksina-grama Throughout this whole area krasna. enjoyed His amorous sports. In Daksina -grama the mood of a Daksina nayika is very prominently, manifest. is
described in the Ujjvala-nllamani as follows: “A gopl who cannot tolerate womanly anger, who speaks suitable words to the hero and who is satisfied by His sweet words is called a da/cyil)a, or right-wing gopl.”

There is another village called Vasati where King Vrsabhanu had once lived. Maharaja Nanda stayed up to the limits of Sathighara and Raola. Presently Raola is called Ral. Thus, in great satisfaction near the town of Vasati, Krsna and Balarama passed Their lives in joyful play with Their friends.

Bahulaban, which is seven miles from Mathura and has a four-mile parikrama. Here, the cow Bahula fell prey to a tiger. Bahula begged the tiger to spare her life for a few minutes while she went to nurse her little calf, and the tiger agreed. When Bahula returned as promised, the tiger turned into Lord Krishna Himself. Krishna had descended just to test Bahula’s truthfulness. The Lord was so pleased that He made her one of His wives in her next life.
Today, the town of Bathi is located at Bahulaban. There’s one small shrine called Bahula Gae, and there are two kunds—Sankarsana Kund and Krishna Kund.

Text 341
bahulavanasyadi-varahe
pancamam bahulavanam
vananam vanam uttamam
tatra gatva naro devi
agni-sthanam sa gacchatibahulavanasya – of Bahulavana; adi-varahe – in the Adi-varaha Purana; pancamam – the fifth; bahulavanam – Bahulavana; vananam vanam uttamam – the best of forests; tatra – there; gatva – having gone; narah – a person; devi – O goddess; agni-sthanam – Agniloka; sah – he; gacchati – goes.Glorification of BahulavanaIn the Adi-varaha Purana it is said:The fifth forest is Bahulavana, the best of forests. O goddess, a person who goes there attains AgnilokaText 342skande mathura-khandebahula sri-hareh patni
tatra tisthati sarvada
tasmin padmavane rajan
bahu-punya-phalani caskande mathura-khande – in the Skanda Purana, Mathura-khanda; bahula – Bahula; sri-hareh – of Lord Krsna; patni – wife; tatra – there; tisthati – stays; sarvada – always; tasmin – there; padmavane – ina forest of lotuses; rajan – O king; bahu-punya-phalani – many pious results; ca – and.In the Skanda Purana, Mathura-khanda, it is said:Lord Hari’s wife Bahula stays there always. O king, in the forest of lotus flowers there one attains the result of many pious deeds.Text 343tatraiva ramate visnur
laksmya sardham sadaiva hi
tatra sankarsanam kundam
tatra mana-saro nrpatatra – there; eva – indeed; ramate – enjoys; visnur – Visnu; laksmya sardham – with Laksmi; sada – always; eva – indeed; hi – indeed; tatra – there; sankarsanam kundam – Sankarsana-kunda; tatra – there; mana-sarah – Mana-sarovara; nrpa – O king.

There Lord Visnu enjoys pastimes with Laksmi eternally. In that place is Sankarsana-kunda. In that place is Mana-sarovara, O king.

Text 344

yas tatra kurute snanam
madhu-mase nrpottama
sa pasyati harim tatra
laksmya saha visampate

yah – who; tatra – there; kurute snanam – bathes; madhu-mase – in the month opf Caitra; nrpottama – O king; sah – he; pasyati – sees; harim – Krsna; tatra – there; laksmya saha – with Laksmi; visampate – O king.

O king, a person who bathes there during the month of Caitra (March-April) sees Lord Visnu and Laksmi there.