Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Located in the courtyard of the Krishna Balarama Mandira at Nanda Bhavana is the Deity of Lord Shiva in the form of a Shiva-linga known as Nandishwara Mahadeva. It is the tradition that the remnants of Krishna and Balarama’s prashadam are first offered to the Deity of Nandishwara Mahadeva. Local brahmanas say that this Deity was established by King Vajranabha and some commentators include this Shiva-linga in the list of ‘dig-pala’ Deities who are the ‘protectors’ of the holy dhama, but there is no historical evidence to support this claim.
There is a famous story regarding Lord Shiva, which mentions that on a number of occasions when he came to Nanda Bhavana to have darshana of Krishna, he was turned away at the door by mother Yashoda because of his disheveled appearance. Lord Shiva who looked like a wild tantric yogi, was always dressed in animal skins and his hair was a thick mass of matted dread-locks, his body was covered in ash and he wore a garland of shrunken heads with serpents round his arms and neck. To the mothers Yashoda and Rohini, he looked more like a devil than a holy man, and they thought that he may frighten the children, so they immediately sent him away. Lord Shiva would not protest, but instead sit down somewhere nearby in the mood of lamentation to meditate on Krishna’s pastimes.
On one occasion though, after Shiva had been sent away, Krishna started to cry and was completely inconsolable. Thinking it maybe something to do with the tantrik that she had just sent away from the door, mother Yashoda had the tantrik called back to have darshana of Krishna. When Lord Shiva arrived, he touched his head to the lotus feet of Krishna who immediately stopped crying. Mother Yashoda was very happy and asked if she could do any seva for the holy man, who replied that he only wanted a little of Krishna’s prashadam. Yashoda Mayi gave him some remnants from the plate of Krishna and Balarama and in great ecstasy he honored the prashadam and went on his way. Therefore, the tradition has been that whatever offerings are made to the Deities of Krishna and Balarama, the remnants of Their maha-prashadam is first given to the Deity of Nandishwara Mahadeva.
