Madhuvan

It is said that Madhuvana is the only sacred forest of Vrindavana where the Supreme
Personality of Godhead performed transcendental pastimes in all the four yugas. In the Satyayuga,He appeared here as Lord Madhusudana and slew a great demon named Madhu who had taken control of the sacred forest. He also appeared in the same Satya-yuga as Lord Prishnigarbha to give His blessings to Dhruva Maharaja, who was performing severe austerities here in the Madhuvana forest. In the Treta-yuga, He appeared here as Lord Shatrughna, the younger brother of Lord Ramacandra and slew the demon Lavanasura, the evil son of Madhudaitya. Then in the Dwarapa-yuga, the Lord appeared here in His original form as Lord Shri Krishna and performed many wonderful pastimes with the cowherd girls and boys of Vraja. In the Kali-yuga, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited the sacred forest ofMadhuvana during His Vraja Mandala Parikrama
in the year 1515, and took His bath in the sacred Krishna-kunda.

How Madhuvana Forest Got Its Name
There are many references in the Vedic scriptures regarding Madhuvana and according
to the Puranas the forest was so named when Lord Madhusudana, the incarnation of Lord
Vishnu, slew the great demon Madhudaitya at this place. In the Skanda Purana it say’s. “Who can find the limits to the glories of Madhuvana, the forest which contains Mathura Purl. Here the Lord killed the demon Madhu, hence it is known in Mathura as Madhuvana. The word ‘madhu’ also means nectar, and because Lord Krishna engaged in many nectarine pastimes with the gopi’s here, the forest became known as Madhuvana, In this transcendental forest, Lord Madhusudana Shri Krishna, expertly captured the hearts of the gopi’s of Vraja and during the autumn season they enjoyed ecstatic rasa-lila pastimes on the banks of Krishna-kunda. Elsewhere it says that the forest got its name because large quantities of honey could be found here. The word ‘madhu’ also means honey, and this was the forest where Krishna and Balarama would regularly come with their friends to enjoy their madhupan-lila of drinking honey liquor. After feeling intoxicated from drinking honey, Krishna and Balarama would dance and sing in
transcendental ecstasy along with their cowherd boyfriends.

The Madhu Demon Killed at Madhuvana
According to the Puranas, in the Satya-yuga a very powerful demon named Madhu
established his kingdom in the Madhuvana forest. The fact that the demon Madhu lived here in this forest is also confirmed in the Gopala-tapani Upanishad. Some have said that in his youth Madhu had been a royal prince but became degraded and turned into a very cruel and evil hearted person, hence his father seeing his son’s demoniac qualities was forced to banish him from his kingdom. The demon Madhu began roaming here and there until he eventually arrived at Madhuvana and decided he would establish his kingdom at this place. Madhu, like other powerful demons, was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. After performing many severe penances in order to propitiate Lord Shiva, the merciful Shiva eventually appeared before the demon and awarded him with an infallible trishul, a three pronged spear, saying that as long as Madhu held this weapon in his hand, he could never be defeated in battle by any demigod or human being. Due to the uncommon power derived from the infallible trishul, the Madhu demon became completely fearless and was undefeatable in battle. It is said that he terrorized the entire area around Madhuvana and also persecuted the rishis and brahmanas. According to the Puranas, Madhu married one of Ravana’s sisters and consequently formed a military alliance with him. The son born to Madhu from the womb of Ravan’s sister was called Lavanasura. In due course of time, Lord Vishnu appeared in the Madhuvana forest and slew the Madhu demon. Because of His slaying this demon, the Lord became celebrated by the name of’Madhusudana’, which means ‘Killer of the demon Madhu’.

Lord Ramachandra Sends Shatrughna to Madhuvana
After the death of the demon Madhu at the hands of Lord Vishnu, his demonic son
named Lavanasura took over his father’s kingdom and also inherited the infallible trishul weapon. It is also said that the great Surya-vamsa Emperor, Mandhata Maharaja, was killed in a fierce battle with the demon Lavanasura, who slew him with the very same infallible trishul. The demon Lavanasura let loose a reign of terror throughout the region and was particularly inimical towards the rishis , brahmanas and Vaishnavas. Lord Ramacandra, after hearing the earnest petitions of the sages headed by Bhagava Rishi and Chayavana Muni, He ordered His younger brother Shatrughna to accompany the sages to Madhuvana and slay the evil demon Lavanasura. Before sending him on his journey, Lord Rama ordered Shatrughna to establish his kingdom there at Madhuvana and
crowned him as the King of Mathura Puri in an elaborate ceremony at Ayodhya performed by Vashista Muni. Lord Rama also presented Shatrughna with an infallible quiver of arrows with which to kill Lavanasura. It is said that the celestial arrows had belonged to Lord Vishnu, and were used to kill the two demon brothers Madhu and Kaitabha at the beginning of the creation.

Lord Rama also presented Shatrughna with an ancient deity of Lord Adi-varaha that was to be installed in the new city. This particular deity was retrieved from the island of Lanka after the demon Ravana had been slain by Lord Rama. Ravana had taken the deity from Lord Indra after defeating him in battle and conquering the heavenly planets. According to the Padma Purana, Lord Varaha the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is the original presiding deity of the Mathura Mandala, and is eternally situated on the southern petal of the lotus of Vraja, at a place known as Saukari-vateshwara (Batasar). According to the Puranas, whenever Lord Varaha advents Himself in order to save the world, He appears from His transcendental abode at Saukari-vateshwara.

Lord Shatrughna Vanquishes the Demon Lavanasura
It was in the Treta-yuga when Lord Vishnu incarnated on earth in the form of Lord
Ramacandra and His three brothers namely; Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna, whose mission was to destroy all the demons and rakshasas that were overburdening the world at that time. Lord Ramachandra and His three brothers represent the Chatur-vyuha, or four original forms of Lord Vishnu namely; Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Anirudha .. On the ardent plea of the great sages, rishis and brahmanas, Lord Rama sent His brother Shatrughna to Madhuvanan in order to kill the demon Lavanasura and establish a kingdom there. Prior to his departure, after having been informed by Bhagava Rishi, Lord Rama warned Shatrughna about Lavanasura’s infallible trishul weapon, saying that he should only challenge Lavanasura at the time when he went out hunting and did not carry the trishul. Waiting patiently for the most opportune moment to launch his attack on the powerful demon, Shatrughna heard that Lavanasura had gone into the forest to hunt, and as foretold, the demon did not take the infallible trishul, Shatrughna had his soldiers immediately block all the entrances to the demon’s residence, which some say was located in a huge underground cave, so that on his return he could not run inside the cave to get the trishul weapon. In the Ramayana, it mentions that Shatrugha waited at the eastern gate of Lavanasura’s city. After waiting for some time, Shatrughna suddenly saw a ferocious looking giant coming out from the dense forest carrying under his arms a number of dead animals including two tigers, a water buffalo, a huge snake, a crocodile and a baby elephant. Realizing that this was the great demon Lavanasura returning from his hunting trip, Shatrughna came forward and challenged him to fight. In the fierce battle that took place, Shatrughna was ultimately able to sever the head of Lavanasura with a volley of celestial arrows. After killing the demon Lavanasura, Shatrughna established the city of Mathura on the banks of the Yamuna at Madhuvana. In the Vishnu Purana it is said. “Shatrughna founded Mathura after killing the powerful demon Lavanasura.” After his great victory, Shatrughna installed the deity of Lord Adi-varaha given to him by Lord Rama, and even today this ancient deity of Lord Varahadeva is still being worshiped in Mathura, at the temple of Adivaraha in the vicinity of the old city.

PLACES OF INTEREST AT MADHUVANA
B.l Krishna-kunda (Madhu-kunda)
In the Bhakti-ratnakara, it is said that in the sacred forest of Madhuvana one can see a
very beautiful lake which is full of sweet transparent water and fragrant blue lotus flowers , and anyone who bathes there will achieve the fulfillment of all their desires. This sacred lake in Madhuvana forest is known as Krishna-kunda, or sometimes as Madhu-kunda and Madhuvanakunda, and was the place where Krishna and Balarama performed many of Their transcendental pastimes. Krishna and Balarama often brought their cows to Madhuvana forest to graze on the sweet fresh grass that grew there. This pastime known as ‘go-charana-lila’ which means ‘taking out the cows’ or sometimes as ‘ghoshta-vihara’ meaning ‘ambrosial pastimes in the pastures’ forms an integral part of Krishna and Balarama’s daily activities of taking the the cows to pasturing grounds around Vraja.

<>
Dhruva Maharaj episode
Therefore, Narada Muni went to meet Dhruva to enquire from him the reason for his leaving his father’s opulent kingdom in exchange for a life of solitude and penance in the forest. On hearing that Dhruva had been badly insulted and wanted to achieve a kingdom that would be far greater than even his father’s own great kingdom, Narada was very surprised that a mere boy of only five years of age could posses such a powerful ksatriya spirit. Narada was also moved by the child’s sincerity and was extremely pleased that Dhruva was determined to meet the Supreme Lord directly in order to achieve his heart’s desire. Narada Muni advised Dhruva to go to the Madhuvana forest and perform austerities there, as he would very quickly achieve the desired result. Narada also gave Dhruva a very powerful mantra by which he could propitiate the Lord directly. The
mantra given by Narada to Dhruva was “Om namah bhagavate vasudevaya.”

That a little boy of only five year of age was engaged in such severe forms of penance,
like standing on only one leg and subsisting only on air, the Supreme Lord Vishnu became very pleased with the sincerity and devotion of Dhruva Maharaja, and appeared before him in His four armed Narayana feature known as Lord Prishnigarbha. After hearing the heartfelt prayers of Dhruva, the Lord awarded the child the highest benediction of pure devotional service and liberation from repeated birth and death. The Lord also granted Dhruva a kingdom far greater than any earthly kingdom including that of his father, and appointed him as ruler of the localized Vaikuntha planet known as Swetadwipa, which is also called the Pole Star. On top of the hill known as Dhruva Tila, where Dhruva performed austerities, is a temple known as the Dhruva-Narayana Mandir, where two important shrines can be seen. One shrine contains the deity of Lord Vishnu in His merciful feature as Prishnigarbha, also called Dhruva-Narayana, giving His blessings to Dhruva, who is seen offering his obeisance’s to the Lord’s lotus feet. Also present in the same shrine is Shrila Narada Muni, as well as Garuda, the eagle carrier of Lord Narayana. In the second shrine are the deities of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayana, along with a deity of Shri Nathaji and Lord Krishna’s dear friend Uddhava.

hådyaà madhuvanaà prayo
yamunayas taöe mahat
adyaà bhagavataù sthanaà
yat punyaà hari-medhasaù
papo ‘pi jantus tat prapya
niñpapo jayate dhruvam

skande – in the Skanda Puräna; kaçé-khanòe – Kasi-khanòa; hådyam – charming; madhuvanam – Madhuvana; prayaù – for the most part; yamunayaù – of the Yamunä;
taöe – on the shore; mahat – great; adyam – transcendental; bhagavataù – of the Lord; sthanam – place; yat – which; punyam – sacred; hari-medhasaù – fixed their hearts on Lord Hari; papaù – sin; api – even; jantuù – person; tat – that; prapya – attaining; niñpapaù – sinless; jayate – born; dhruvam – indeed.

In the Skanda Puräëa, Käçi-khaëòa, it is said:

The charming forest of Madhuvana is situated on the shore of the Yamunä. Madhuvana is the original place of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is very sacred to they whose hearts are fixed on Lord Hari. A sinful man who goes there becomes at once free from all sins.

Text 75

caturtha-skande

tat tata gaccha bhadraà te
yamunayas taöaà çucim
punyaà madhuvanaà yatra
sannidhyaà nityada hareù

caturtha-skande – in the Fourth Canto; tat – that; tata – my dear son; gaccha – go; bhadraàgood fortune; te – for you; yamunayaù – of the Yamunä; taöam – bank; çucim – being purified; punyam – the holy; madhuvanam – of the name Madhuvana; yatra – where; sannidhyaàbeing nearer; nityada – always; hareù – of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In Çrimad-Bhägavatam 4.8.42 it is said:

My dear boy, I therefore wish all good fortune to you. You should go to the bank of the Yamunä, where there is a virtuous forest named Madhuvana, and there be purified. Just by going there one draws nearer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who always lives there.*

Text 194

atha mathura-vanantargata-madhupuré-mahatmyam. skande mathura-
khanòe

madhor vanaà prathamato
yatra vai mathura-puré
madhu-daityo hato yatra
harina viçva-murtina

atha – now; mathura-vana – Mathurä Forest; antargata – within; madhupuré – Mathurä City; mahatmyam – glorification; skande – in the Skanda Puräëa; mathura-khaëòe – Mathurä-khaëòa; madhor vanam – Madhuvana; prathamataù – first; yatra – where; vai – indeed; mathura-puré – Mathurä City; madhu-daityaù – the demon Madhu; hataù – killed; yatra – where; hariëa – by Lord Kåñëa; viçva-murtiëa – the form of the universe.

Glorification of Mathurä City in Mathurä Forest
In the Skända Puräëa, Mathurä-khanòa, it is said:

First is Madhuvana, where is Mathurä City, where Lord Hari, who appears as the Universal Form, killed the Madhu demon.

Text 195

tatraiva bhagavad-vasa
avirbhavo harer nåpa
viçramaç ca hares tatra – there;
devanaà ca nåpottama

tatra – there; eva – indeed; bhagavad – of the Lord; vase – in the residence;
avirbhavaù – appearance; harer – of Lord Kåñëa; nåpa – O king; viçramaù – pastimes;
ca – and; hareù – of Lord Hari; tatra – there; devanam – of the demigods; ca – and;
nåpottama – O great king.

There the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. O king, there Lord Hari appeared. O great king, there Lord Hari and the demigods enjoyed pastimes.

Text 196

yo vai madhuvane snati
yamuna-jalaà açrétaù
sarva-tértheñu sa snatas
tat-phalaà labhate dhruvam

yaù – who; vai – indeed; madhuvane – in Madhuvana; snati – bathes; yamuna-jalam – in the Yamunä’s waters; açrétaù – sheltered; sarva-tértheñu – in all holy places; sah – he; snataùhas bathed; tat-phalam – result; labhate – attains; dhruvam – indeed.

A person who bathes in the waters of the Yamuna in Madhuvana attains the result of bathing in all holy places.

Text 197

sarveñaà nåpa siddhiù syat
tasmin madhuvane nånam
tapasa bhakti-yogena
snana-matrena karmana

sarveñam – of al; nåpa – O king; siddhiù – perfection; syat – is; tasmin – there;
madhuvane – in Madhuvana; nånam – of people; tapasa – with austerity; bhakti-yogena – bhakti-yoga; snana-matreëa – simply by bathing; karmaëa – by the activity.

O king, a person who performs the devotional austerity of merely bathing in Madhuvana attains all perfections.

Text 198

aho madhuvanaà dhanyaà
yatra ramaù sahanujaù
karoti karma lokanaà
hitaya ca manéñinam

ahaù – Oh; madhuvanam – Madhuvana; dhanyam – opulent; yatra – where; ramaù – Balaräma; saha – with; anujaù – His younger brother; karoti – does; karma – action; lokanam – of the worlds; hitaya – for the benefit; ca – and; manéñinam – thoughtful.

Madhuvana, where Balaräma and His younger brother performed actions for the benefit of thoughtful men, . . .

Text 199

mardito yatra kåñnena
cograsenatmajo ‘suraù
pavitaù sparça-matrena
gatià nétaç ca yoginam

marditaù – killed; yatra – where; kåñnena – by Kåñna; ca – and; ugrasena – Ugrasena’s; atmajaù – son; asuraù – demon; pavitaù – purified; sparça-matreëa – simply by a touch; gatim – destination; nétaù – brought; ca – and; yoginam – of the yogis.

. . .and where Kåñëa killed Ugrasena’s demon son, purified him with a mere touch, and gave him the desination attained by the yogis, is filled with transcendental opulence.

Text 200

tasmin madhuvane rajan
durghataà kià hari-priye
vaktuà namani tirthanaà
çakyante na mayadhuna
tasmin madhuvane yani
mahatmyaà ca nåpottama

tasmin – there; madhuvane – in Madhuvana; rajan – O king; durghatam – difficult to attain; kim – what?; hari-priye – dear to Lord Hari; vaktum – to say; namani – names; tirthanam – holy places; çakyante – are able; na – not; maya – by me; adhuna – now; tasmin – in this; madhuvane – Madhuvana; yani – which; mahatmyam – glorification;- ca – and; nåpottama – O great king.

O king, what is difficult to attain in Madhuvana, which is so dear to Lord Hari? O great king, I do not now have the power to name Madhuvana’s forests and describe their glories.

Text 201

aho madhuvanaà dåñöaà
çrutaà va tat su-sevinam
sthitaà va yaiù suraöitaà
dhanyas te bhuvi manavaù

ahaù – Oh; madhuvanam – Madhuvana; dåñöam – seen; çrutam – heard; va – or; tat – that; su-sevinam – of the servants; sthitam – situation; va – or; yaiù – by whom; suraöitam – glorified; dhanyaù – fortunate; te – they; bhuvi – on the earth; manavaù – people.

They who see, hear about, serve, reside in, and glorify Madhuvana, are fortunate in this world.

Text 202

evaà pradakñinaà kåtva
navaméà çukla-kaumudém
sarvan kulan samadaya
viñnuloke mahéyate

evam – in this way; pradakñiëam – circumambulation; kåtva – doing; navamém – the ninth day; çukla-kaumudém – the bright moon; sarvan – all; kulan – relatives; samadaya – taking; viñëuloke – on Viñëuloka; mahéyate – glorified.

A person who circumambulates Madhuvana on the ninth day of the bright moon during Kärttika, is glorified in Viñëuloka with all his relatives.

Text 203

kramataù pada-vinyasa
yavantaù sarvato diçaù
tavantaù kula-sambhutaù
svarge tiñöhanti çaçvataù

kramataù – gradually; pada-vinyasa – placing his steps; yavantaù – as; sarvataù – in all; diçaù – directions; tavantaù – so; kula-sambhutaù – with his family; svarge – in the spiritual world; tiñöhanti – stays; çaçvataù – eternally.

When a person wanders in Madhuvana, placing his steps in every direction, he finds himself eternally residing in the spiritual world with his family.

Text 204

anya-deça-gato durat
parikramati yo naraù
tasya sandarçanad eva
putaù syur gata-kalmañaù

anya – another; deça – country; gataù – gone; durat – from far away; parikramati – circumambulates; yaù – who; naraù – a person; tasya – of him; sandarçanad – from the sight; eva – indeed; putaù – purified; syur – become; gata – gone; kalmañaù – sins.

The sight of a person who comes from another country far away and circumambulates Mathurä, purifies the people and chases away their sins.

Text 205
çruto yais tu vidura-sthaiù
kåta-yatro naro naraiù
sarva-papa-vinirmuktas
te ‘pi yanti paraà gatim

çrutaù – heard; yaiù – by whom; tu – indeed; vidura-sthaiù – far away; kåta-yatraù – journeyed; naraù – a person; naraiù – with people; sarva – all; papa – sins; vinirmuktaù – freed; te – they; api – also; yanti – attain; paraà gatim – the supreme destination.

They who hear about others who come from far away to visit Madhuvana become free from all sins and go to the supreme destination.

Text 206

mathurayaà naro gatva
dåñöva devaà svayambhuvam
pradakñinayaà yat punyaà
tat punyaà labhate hi saù

mathurayam – in Mathurä; naraù – a person; gatva – having gone; dåñöva – having seen; devam – Lord; svayambhuvam – Svayambü; pradakñiëayam – in circumambulating; yat puëyam – what piety; tat puëyam – that piety; labhate – attains; hi – indeed; saù – he.

A person who goes to Mathurä and sees the Deity of Lord Svayambhü attains the piety of circumambulating Madhuvana.

Text 330
tatradi-varaha-mataà madhuvanaà puradbhir apy astéti. tatha hi

tena dåñöa ca sa ramya
vasavasya puré yatha
vanair dvadaçabhir yukta
punya papa-hara çubha

tatra – there; adi-varaha-matam – the opinion of Ädi-varäha Puräna; madhuvanam – Madhuvana; puradbhir – with the floods; api – even; asti – is; iti – thus; tatha – so; hi – indeed; tena – by him; dåñöa – seen; ca – and; sa – it; ramya – charming; vasavasya – of Indra; puré – the city; yatha – as; vanair – with forests; dvadaçabhir – 12; yukta – endowed; punya – sacred; papa-hara – removing sins; çubha – auspicious.

The Ädi-varäha Puräëa considers that the forest of Madhuvana continues to exist after the great flood of cosmic devastation. It further says:

For one who sees sacred and auspicious Mathurä, which has twelve forests, and which destroys sins, it is as beautiful as Indra’s capitol.

Text 331
atha dvadaça-vananaà mahatmyam. tatra madhuvanasya

ramyaà madhuvanaà nama
viñnu-sthanam anuttamam
yad dåñöva manujo devi
sarvan kaman avapnuyat

atha – now; dvadaça-vananam – of the 12 forests; mahatmyam – glorification; tatra – there; madhuvanasya – of Madhuvana; ramyam – charming; madhuvanam – Madhuvana; nama – named; viñnu-sthanam – Viñnu’s place; anuttamam – peerless; yad – which; dåñöva – having seen; manujaù – a person; devi – O goddess; sarvan – all; kaman – desires; avapnuyat – attains.

Glorification of Mathurä’s Twelve Forests
Glorification of of Madhuvana

O goddess, a person who sees Lord Viñëu’s beautiful and peerless abode of Madhuvana, attains all his desires.