Bhadravan

Bhadravana is one of the twelve sacred forests of Vraja where Krishna and Balarama used
to bring Their cows for grazing. The word ‘bhadra’ means ‘attractive’ and the forest has a parikrama
of around five kilometers but unfortunately little remains of this forest today. It says in the Adivaraha
Purana that whoever visits the sacred forest of Bhadravana will become a single-minded
devotee of Lord Krishna. The Bhakti-ratnakara says that one who performs pilgrimage to
Bhadravana will achieve the heavenly planets at death. There is an very ancient Shiva-linga here
known as the Bhadrishwara Mahadeva which local pandita.s say was established by Vajranabha
Maharaja and there was once a sacred kunda here known as Bhadra-sarovara which has now
disappeared.The name ‘Bhadra’ in ‘Bhadravana’ means that this forest was the transcendental
playground of Lord Balabhadra (Balarama), who enjoyed pastimes here with the cowherd boys.
Just as Krishna and Balarama have Their own separate groups of gopis and gopas, so they also
have Their own forests. In the Gopala-tapani Upanishad, the four forests on the eastern bank of
the Yamuna including; Bhadravana, Bhandiravana, Bilvavana, and Lauhavana, belong to Balarama,
the other eight forests belong to Krishna.
Some people say that the demon Vatsasura was killed at Bhadravana but this is not
supported by any sa.stric evidence. Vatsasura was the first demon to be killed by Krishna after
He moved from Gokula to Vrindavana (Sakatikara). During this period of Krishna’s paugandalila,
all the demons including Vatsasura, Bakasura, Aghasura, and Pralambhasura, were killed on
the western bank of the Yamuna in the area referred to in the Srimad Bhagavatam as Vrindavana
forest. In fact, in the Ananda Vrindavana Champu, Krishna asks Balarama if the unusual looking
calf (Vatsasura) actually belonged to Vrindavana or not. Kamsa also told Vatsasura to go to
Nanda’s Vraja in order to find Krishna, and Bhadravana is not in the area called Nanda’s Vraja.
In the Gopala-champu of Shrila Jiva Goswami, it is said that the area just north of Vrindavana
forest on the western bank of the Yamuna is the pasturing ground called Vatsa-krida, meaning
the area where Krishna used to herd His the calves (vats a) , and this was the actual place where
Vatsasura was killed and not at Bhadravana.

Text 345
bhadravanasyadi-varahe

tasmin bhadravanaà nama
ñañöhaà ca vanam uttamam
tatra gatva tu vasudhe
mad-bhakto mat-parayanaù
tad vanasya prabhavena
nagalokaà sa gacchati

bhadravanasya – of Bhadravana; adi-varahe – in the Ädi-varäha Puräëa; tasmin – there; bhadravanam – Bhadravana; nama – named; ñañöham – sixth; ca – and; vanam – forest; uttamam – transcendental; tatra – there;gatva – having gone; tu – indeed; vasudhe – O earth; mad-bhaktaù – My devotee; mat-parayaëaù – devoted to Me; tad vanasya – of that forest; prabhavena – by the power; nagalokam – to Nagaloka; sah – he; gacchati – goes.

Glorification of Bhadravana

In the Ädi-varäha Puräëa it is said:

Bhadravana is the sixth transcendental forest. O earth-goddess, a devotee attached to Me who goes there, goes to Nägaloka by the power of that forest.