Venukupa

This particular well is believed to have been created when Krishna pushed His flute into
the ground to provide drinking water to quench the thirst of the cowherd boys. The word ‘venu’
refers to Krishna’s ‘flute’ and ‘kupa’ means a ‘well’, There is a large festival held here every year
in the month of Ashada Oune-July) on the occasion of amavasya, or the dark-moon day when
the moon is not visible, when thousands of Vrajavasis gather to bathe in the water of this well.
It is believed that if childless couples desiring to have offspring take bath here on this particular
day, their desires will be fulfilled. Locals say that if this particular amavasya falls on a Monday
(Somavati-amavasya), the water in the well turns a whitish color just like milk. Opposite to the
well is the small temple known as the Radha Ananda-bihari Mandira.
Some people say that this well was created by Krishna so He could take bath after killing
the calf-demon Vatsasura, because the gopis forbade Krishna to touch them until He purified
Himself from the sin of cow-killing. But this version cannot be accepted because at the time of
killing Vatsasura, Krishna was living at Shakatikara, and was only about four years old and still
enjoying His pauganda-lila or boyhood pastimes. During this period, Krishna never associated
with the gopis at any time and therefore the subject of the gopis forbidding Krishna to touch them
does not even arise. It is mentioned in the Bhagavatam that the first time the gopis actually saw
Krishna was during the pastimes of subduing of the Kaliya serpent and swallowing the forest fire
at Davanala-kunda, when the gopis became captivated by Krishna’s incredible transcendental
beauty.
In the Gopala-champu it says, “When Krishna emerged from the lake of Kaliya, Radha
and the other gopis saw His remarkable beauty for the first time and they immediately fainted
in ecstasy, but continued to see Him internally within their hearts. They were in a constant
state of fainting and reawakening, remaining in that condition for many days and nights”. At
Davanala-kunda the gopis could only gaze in ore at Krishna’s beautiful lotus face and try to attract
His attention with their meaningful side-long glances, but they did not directly associate with
Him until much later when Krishna moved to Nandagrama at the age of six, which also marked
the beginning of His kaisora-lila or period of youth-hood, when His intimate pastimes with
Radharani began and Their first direct meeting took place at Sanket.
Vatsasura was the first demon to be killed by Krishna after Nanda Maharaja moved his
residence from Gokula to Vrindavana (Sakatikara). On arrival at Sakatikara, Krishna began
herding the calves in the area north of Vrindavana called Vatsa-krida, which means the ‘place of
herding calves’, which is revealed in Gaudiya Vaishnava scriptures to be the place where Vatsasura
was killed, and not at Bhandiravana or Bhadravana, as some claim. Vatsa-krida is the site on the
western bank of the Yamuna where Krishna and Balarama enjoyed the entirety of Their paugandalila
or boy-hood pastimes and where They killed all the demons during this phase of Their life
including; Vatsasura, Aghasura, Bakasura, and Pralambhasura. Towards the end ofTheir pauganda
pastimes the ass-demon Denukasura was killed to the south of Vrindavana in the forest of
Talavana and then the two transcendental brothers moved to Dig, Kamyavana, and then to
Nandagrama. According to ]iva Goswami’s Gopala-champu, when King Kamsa ordered the demon
Vatsasura to kill Krishna, he told him he could find Him in Nanda’s Vraja at the place known
as Vatsa-krida, where He herded the calves. Nanda’s Vraja is the area that extends from Vrindavana
to Nandagrama and covers the region known as Vatsa-krida and Vatsa-vana on the western bank
of the Yamuna.

After killing Vatsäsura, Çré Kåñëa met the gopés near
Bhäëòéravaöa and boasted His strength. The gopés accused Kåñëa
of killing a cow and forbade Him to touch them. Kåñëa said, “I
did not kill a cow but a demon in the form of a calf.” The gopés,
however, did not accept this. Kåñëa then inquired how His purity
could be restored, and the gopés answered, “If You bathe in all the
sacred rivers and ponds on the earth, You will again become pure
and can touch us.” After hearing the words of the gopés, Kåñëa
created a beautiful well (küpa) with His flute (veëu) and summoned
all of the earth’s sacred places to enter it. He bathed in that well
and then met with the gopés.
This well, known as Veëu-küpa, is situated near Bhäëòéravaöa.
By bathing in it, one obtains the same result as by taking bath
at each and every sacred place. Even today, the women of Vraja
worship this well on certain occasions. Those who do not have a
child or whose child has died untimely make a vow to propitiate
the deity here by their worship. Their hearts’ desires are then
fulfilled.