Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar Temple
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Vraj Mandal Parikarma – by Rajshekhar Das Brahmacari
The temple ofRadha Shyamasundara is one of the ‘Seven Goswami Temples’ of Vrindavana and was established by Shyamananda Pandita Goswami during the course of his second visit to Vrindavana. Although he was not one of the Six Go swamis of Vrindavana, he is counted amongst the famous Gaudiya Goswamis who were important followers of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
The large deity of Lord Shyamasundara presently worshiped in the temple was installed by Baladeva Vidyabhushana during the period of his stay in Vrindavana during the late 17TH Century, when he reorganized the temple’s deity worship in accordance with the standards of archanamarga instituted by the Six Goswamis. The smaller deity of Lord Shyarnasundara is said by some to be the deity given as a gift to Shyamananda Pandita by Shrimati Radharani Herself, although some historians say that this small deity of Shyamasundara was actually brought by Shyamananda Pandita from Southern India and worshiped by him in Vrindavana.
Shyamananda Pandita, who was previously known as Duki, received diksha from one
of Lord Chaitanya’s personal associates named Hriday Chaitanya, who hailed from the town of Ambika Kalna in West Bengal, and after his diksha he became known as Krishnadasa and remained at Ambika Kalna studying under his guru. As there were many devotees called Krishnadasa, he was known as Duki Krishnadasa. Because Duki Krishnadasa (Shyamananda) showed signs that he could become a great Vaishnava scholar and preacher, his guru decided to send him to Vrindavana to study under the guidance of Shrila Jiva Goswami, and he therefore joined ]iva’s other celebrated students including Shrinivasa Acharya and Narottama Dasa, who accepted him as their younger brother. Even though he was a very learned pandita coming from a high caste family, he would take a broom and daily sweep the area around Seva Kunja, the place where Krishna once rendered personal service to Radharani and where the celebrated rasa-lila
pastimes took place.
The large deity of Lord Shyamasundara presently worshiped in the temple was installed by Baladeva Vidyabhushana during the period of his stay in Vrindavana during the late 17TH Century, when he reorganized the temple’s deity worship in accordance with the standards of archanamarga instituted by the Six Goswamis. The smaller deity of Lord Shyarnasundara is said by some to be the deity given as a gift to Shyamananda Pandita by Shrimati Radharani Herself, although some historians say that this small deity of Shyamasundara was actually brought by Shyamananda Pandita from Southern India and worshiped by him in Vrindavana.
Shyamananda Pandita, who was previously known as Duki, received diksha from one
of Lord Chaitanya’s personal associates named Hriday Chaitanya, who hailed from the town of Ambika Kalna in West Bengal, and after his diksha he became known as Krishnadasa and remained at Ambika Kalna studying under his guru. As there were many devotees called Krishnadasa, he was known as Duki Krishnadasa. Because Duki Krishnadasa (Shyamananda) showed signs that he could become a great Vaishnava scholar and preacher, his guru decided to send him to Vrindavana to study under the guidance of Shrila Jiva Goswami, and he therefore joined ]iva’s other celebrated students including Shrinivasa Acharya and Narottama Dasa, who accepted him as their younger brother. Even though he was a very learned pandita coming from a high caste family, he would take a broom and daily sweep the area around Seva Kunja, the place where Krishna once rendered personal service to Radharani and where the celebrated rasa-lila
pastimes took place.
Shri Vraj Mandal Parikarma
The temple of Çré Çyämasundara is situated near the Çré Rädhä-Dämodara Temple. Çré Rädhä-Çyämasundara, the deities established and worshipped by gauòéya-vedänta-äcärya Çré Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa, are very beautiful. Opposite the entrance door of the temple is the samädhi of Çré Çyämänanda Prabhu. Çré Baladeva Vidyäbhüñaëa was born in a village near the famous Remunä in Orissa. He studied grammar, rhetoric and logic in an academic village on the bank of Cilkä-hrada. After this, he went to Mysore to study the Vedas. In Uòupé, he deeply studied Madhva-bhäñya along with Çaìkara-bhäñya, Pärijäta-bhäñya and other commentaries (bhäñyas) on the Vedänta. After some time, he studied in Çré Dhäma Jagannätha Puré the Ñaö-sandarbhas under Çré Rädhä-Dämodara, a disciple of Çré Rasikänanda Prabhu. At this time, he came to know of Çré Rädhä-Dämodara’s profound scholarship and devout life and became his disciple. Later on, in Våndävana, he studied Çrémad-Bhägavatam and the books of the Gosvämés from the famous gauòéya rasikäcärya Çré Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura and, on his instruction, went to Jaipura. At the well-known Galtä in Jaipura, he defeated the scholars of the Çré sampradäya and other opponents to the Gauòéya line, and established the deityof Çré Vijaya-gopäla. To increase the faith of the local scholars, he composed Çré Govinda-bhäñya on Brahmasütra there, and re-installed Çré Rädhäjé beside Çré Govindadeva in the famous Govinda Temple. Some of the books he composed, which have enlarged the treasure house of Çré Gauòéya Vaiñëava literature, are Govinda-bhäñya, Siddhänta-ratnam, Vedäntasyämantaka, Prameya-ratnävalé, Siddhänta-darpaëa and a commentary on Ñaö-sandarbha.
Vrindavan Days
We walk a half block to a temple established by Shyamananda Prabhu, a direct disciple of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
The three oldest temples in Vrindaban, all built of dark red sandstone, are Madana Mohana, Govindaji, and Radha Gopinath. In addition to Radha Ramana, Radha Gokulananda, Radha Damodar, and Radha Shyamsundar, these are Vrindaban’s seven original temples. All other Vrindaban temples—which Brijbasis number at five thousand—expand from these.
Like Radha Damodar, the exterior of Radha Shyamsundar Temple is very modest. The courtyard is a bit larger than Radha Damodar’s, and instead of three arches, the altar has five. Tulasi grows in the courtyard, and the samadhi of Shyamananda Prabhu is nearby. Most of his disciples were from Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, evident by the plaques in Oriyan script bearing the names of temple donors.
“It’s said that Shyamananda Prabhu acquired Srimati Radhika’s tilak in exchange for Her lost ankle bell,” Achyutananda informs us. “To save the original Deities from the Muslims, the devotees took them to Jaipur.”
The three oldest temples in Vrindaban, all built of dark red sandstone, are Madana Mohana, Govindaji, and Radha Gopinath. In addition to Radha Ramana, Radha Gokulananda, Radha Damodar, and Radha Shyamsundar, these are Vrindaban’s seven original temples. All other Vrindaban temples—which Brijbasis number at five thousand—expand from these.
Like Radha Damodar, the exterior of Radha Shyamsundar Temple is very modest. The courtyard is a bit larger than Radha Damodar’s, and instead of three arches, the altar has five. Tulasi grows in the courtyard, and the samadhi of Shyamananda Prabhu is nearby. Most of his disciples were from Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, evident by the plaques in Oriyan script bearing the names of temple donors.
“It’s said that Shyamananda Prabhu acquired Srimati Radhika’s tilak in exchange for Her lost ankle bell,” Achyutananda informs us. “To save the original Deities from the Muslims, the devotees took them to Jaipur.”
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English lectures
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Hindi Lectures
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Marathi Lectures
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