Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
When Śrī Kṛṣṇa returned to Mathurā from gurukula, He sent His dear Uddhava to Nanda-Gokula to console His parents and the gopīs. What consolation could Uddhava actually give to the tormented hearts of Nanda Bābā, Yaśodā-maiyā and the gopīs that would relieve them from the fire of separation? Kṛṣṇa sent Uddhava on the excuse of consoling the Vrajavāsīs, but the hidden truth is that there was no one in Mathurā who could console Kṛṣṇa, who was scorching in separation from the gopīs. What to speak of console Kṛṣṇa, who in Mathurā could even understand His sentiments? Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa sent His dear Uddhava to that school where He Himself had learned lessons on prema – Vraja. Kṛṣṇa considered Uddhava a qualified student for such lessons. In that school, the principal was Rādhārānī, the embodiment of mahābhāva; and Lalitā, Viśākhā and the other sakhīs were the teachers.
Being an ocean of mercy, the gopīs allowed into their school this student that Kṛṣṇa had sent them. Uddhava delivered to the gopīs Kṛṣṇa’s message, which was full of knowledge of the Absolute Truth (tattva-jñāna). But they tore it up so that it resembled a tattered garment (gudaḍī) and threw it into the water of the Yamunā. That jñāna-gudaḍī drifted downstream and fell into the Gaṅgā at Prayāga. From there it floated to the salt ocean where it was lost forever. The place where the gopīs abandoned that message filled with tattva-jnāna, leaving it to float down the Yamunā like a torn garment, is known today as Jñāna-gudarī.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Jnana-gudari is known these days as Gyana-gudri and is the name given to this sacred spot beneath an ancient banyan tree (vata-vriksha) where it is said that Krishna’s dear most friend Uddhava, received the essence of Vedic knowledge (jnana-gudari) regarding the transcendental nature of Krishna’s pastimes from Vidura. The word ‘gudari’ means ‘to strain’, or a ‘straining cloth’, used to extract juice from crushed fruit. Thus the name Jnana-gudari implies that the essence of Vedic knowledge (jnana) was extracted (gudari) by Vidura for the benefit of Uddhava. During that meeting, Uddhava reminded Vidura that he was the very last person that Krishna spoke with before the Lord’s disappearance from the world. Uddhava mentioned this three times over, which caused Vidura to shed a torrent of tears as he remembered Krishna’s special mercy upon him. Gyana-gudri was previously situated very near the banks of the River Yamuna before the river moved one kilometer eastward from its ancient course. It is said that when the Yamuna was in spate the flood waters would reach up to Gyana Gudri. It is said that Gyana Gudri also became famous because Prayag Tirtharaj once came to this place in the personified form of a black horse in order to bathe in the Yamuna River so that he could become free from all the accumulated sins left behind by the pilgrims who take bath in the Triveni-sangam at Prayag (Allahabad). After bathing in the Yamuna, Prayag Tirthraj, in the form of the black horse, turned completely white, having been freed from all the sins. Besides the ancient vata-vriksha (banyana tree) at Gnana Gudri, there is also an ancient well known as Gopa-kupa, which is one of Vrindavana’s famous wells (kupa). Gopa-kupa, as the name suggests, was a well used by the gopas’ as they passed along the cowherd boys trail on the bank of the Yamuna during their cow-herding pastimes.
