Cira-ghata

Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami

From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:

There is an ancient kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamunā where Kṛṣṇa stole the clothes of the young gopīs who were bathing here after having completed their Kātyāyanī-vrata. These young, unmarried girls of Vraja were daily bathing in Śrī Yamunā at brāhma-muhūrta, the early hours before dawn. They would make a deity of Kātyāyanī (Yogamāyā) out of sand and worship her on the bank of the Yamunā while reciting the following mantra:

At the end of the vrata, Kṛṣṇa Himself arrived there and on the excuse of stealing their clothes bestowed upon them their desired boon: “Your hearts’ desires will be fulfilled on the night of the next Śarada-pūrṇimā.”

Near Śergarh is another place which is famous as Cīra-ghāṭa. A kadamba tree also stands there. There is no doubt that both these places are Cīra-ghāṭa. The same pastime takes place in different eras (kalpa-bheda), and therefore it can occur in more than one place.

Rajashekhara Dasa

From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:

The word ‘chira’ means ‘clothing’ or a ‘part of a person’s clothing’ and because the gopis clothing was gathered up and hidden by Krishna at this spot, the ghata received the name Chira Ghata. The Sanskrit word ‘chayana’ means ‘to collect’ or ‘gather’ and can refer to the pastime of Krishna collecting and then hiding the gopi’s clothing at this place. It is also said that Krishna rested here at this ghata after killing the horse-demon Keshi. This ghata is known locally as ‘chehana’ or ‘chaina’ ghata, which can be a corruption of the word ‘chayana’ meaning ‘to collect’, or the word ‘sayana’ which means ‘to rest’. Lord Chaitanya also used to rest and also bath at this same ghata during His daily parikrama around Vrindavana. One can see an ancient kadamba tree located here, which is one of the famous kalpa-vriksha trees of Vrindavana and known as Chira-kadamba. According to the Vraja-ritti-cintamani this famous ghata was known to the gopis as Bhadrakali-tirtha. “In the north-west is Bhadrakali-tirtha, where at the base of a kadamba tree the gopis worshipped the goddess for a long time, and where the thief Krishna stole the gopis’ garments.”

This particular Chira Ghata (Chayana Ghata) is different from the Chira Ghata, which is situated to the north of Nanda Ghata, where the gopis performed Katyayani-vrata and where Krishna stole their clothing in order to see their naked beauty. This fact has been confirmed by Shrila Jiva Goswami. The pastime that occurred here at Vrindavana’s Chira Ghata (Chayana Ghata) occurred sometime after the Katyayani-vrata and is a different lila altogether. After having enjoyed the rasa-dance at Seva kunja, in order to refresh themselves in the cooling waters of the Yamuna, Krishna came to this ghata along with the gopis and entered the river. The gopis removed their outer garments placing them beneath the nearby kadamba tree, and entered the river in their underclothes. After sporting in the river for some time, Krishna decided to have some fun and unseen by the gopis, He came out of the river and hid their clothing. Sometime later the gopis came out of the water wearing only in their undergarments and were shocked to find their clothing missing. However, Krishna was enjoying the fun while appreciating the beauty of the scantily dressed gopis as they searched here and there for their clothes. Then after feeling great satisfaction, Krishna very happily showed the gopis where their clothes were hidden. The Bhakti-ratnakara says, “At this place Krishna stole the gopi’s dresses, relieved His fatigue, and enjoyed many other pastimes. Radha and Krishna along with the gopi’s enjoyed various pastimes here at Nidhuvana.” According to the above verse, Chira Ghata (Chayana Ghata) on the bank of the Yamuna was previously a part of Nidhuvana, just as Imli-tala Ghata, Sringara Vata and Govinda Ghata were a part of Nikunjavana (Seva Kunja).