Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
Pārāsaulī village lies about one-and-a-quarter miles south-east of Govardhana Town in the lowlands of Govardhana. During the Mughal reign, the Muslims changed the name of the village to Mahammadpura. This is the place of the spring rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa and His beloved gopīs. This rāsa continued for an entire night of Brahmā, but it seemed to be over in a few short moments. The moon in the sky had become stunned upon seeing this rāsa-līlā, and remained in the one place for the duration of the entire night. Because this rāsa-līlā took place in the light of a brilliant full moon, this place is also called Candra-sarovara, “the lake of the moon”. In the south-western corner of the sarovara is the Śṛṅgāra Temple, where Kṛṣṇa personally decorated Śrīmatījī.
Near the sarovara under a choṅkara tree is the sitting-place of Śrī Vallabhācārya. The kuṭī and samādhi of Sūradāsa, known simply as Sūra-kuṭī and Sūra-samādhi, are also in this area. Sūradāsa was a natural poet. His collection of poems is famous as Sūra-sāgara or Sūra-padāvalī. Although he was blind, he would compose poems that beautifully described the different outfits and decorations of Śrī Nāthajī. One day, the priest did not dress Śrī Nāthajī, and left Him completely naked. He opened the doors of the altar and asked Sūradāsa to describe Śrī Nāthajī’s decorations. Sūradāsa remained silent for a few moments, but the priest insisted. Sūradāsa laughed loudly and proceeded to sing, “Āj bhaye hari naṅgam naṅgā – today, Hari is undressed and naked.” All present were stunned to hear this.
Sūradāsa spent his last days in Pārāsaulī. One day, Śrī Viṭṭhalācārya, the son of Śrī Vallabhācārya, asked him, “Sūra, what are you thinking about?” Sūradāsa then composed his last song: “Khañjan nain rūp ras māte, atiśay cārū capal aniyāre pal piñjarā na samāte – Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful eyes are like khañjana birds. They are full of rasa, very restless, and slightly reddened due to intoxication. My life can no longer remain encaged in this body.” Saying this, he left his body. With tear-filled eyes, Śrī Viṭṭhalācārya said, “The boat of puṣṭi-mārga73has departed today.”
In the south-eastern part of Pārāsaulī is Saṅkarṣaṇa-kuṇḍa, on whose bank is a temple of Śrī Baladeva.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
In the Bhakti-ratnakara it says, “O Shrinivasa, behold this village of Parasauli! Here Shri Krishnachandra danced the rasa in spring. Look at the peerless Chandra-sarovara! Here Krishna rested after dancing the rasa. This village is where Radha and Krishna performed Their wonderful rasa-lila pastimes in springtime and also where the greatly celebrated lake known as Chandra-sarovara is situated. The ancient name of this place was Parasauli, but during the Mughal rule it was changed to Mohammadpur.”
The Vraja-bhakti-vilasa says that Parasauli is one of the famous sub-forests of Vrindavana Dhama. It is also said that a former branch of the river Yamuna, which passed through the villages of Pali Brahmanan and Yamuna Mata, also flowed in this direction and ran through the village of Parasauli and according to the Puranas, Krishna performed rasa-lila on the banks of that same Yamuna River at Parasauli. The forest of Parasauli is famous as the site of the Vasanta-lila, or spring-time pastimes, where Krishna and the gopis performed rasa-lila every night during spring; corresponding to the lunar month of Phalguna (February – March). The rasa-lila site at Parasuali is sometimes referred to as Govardhana Rasa-sthali due to its proximity to Govardhana Hill. In the Stavavali it says, “This is Rasa-sthali, where during the month of Vasanta, Shrimati Radharani, who is known as Madhava-priya, danced with Krishna. She was surrounded by beautiful sakhis, each worshiped by hundreds of Lakshmis, and Her neck was decorated by the sweetly fragrant hands of Krishna. Which fortunate person will not take shelter of this exalted Govardhana Rasa-sthali.”
With reference to the Vasanta-lila spring pastimes, in Shri Govinda-Vrindavana (4649) it says, “The Lord showed them the forest called Vrndavana, a forest filled with many trees and Kamadhenu cows, a forest opulent with many beautiful forest groves, a forest served by the pleasures of spring. In that place was a hill named Govardhana, a beautiful hill filled with clear streams, beautiful caves, graceful birds, and many jewels and minerals. In that place was the Yamuna, the best of rivers. Both its banks were studded with jewels. It was filled with many swans and lotus flowers. In that place were many gopis intoxicated by tasting the nectar of many kinds of rasa-dances.”
In the Sri Krishna Bhavanamrita-mahakavya it says, “Sakhi, this Rasathali named Parasauli is where You enjoy the rasa dance every night. Let us rest here for a while on the jeweled platforms.” When They did so, Vrindadevi, the keeper of the forest, brought Hari His honey wine. When Shri Radhika looked into the silver cup to see how sweet the honey was, She saw Priyatama’s face reflected in it and began to drink the nectar of His face, considering it to be sweeter than the honey.” The name ‘Priyatama’ means ‘most dearly beloved’ and is sometimes used by Radharani when talking to Her divine paramour Shri Krishna. It was at Parasuali where rasa-lila was performed on the occasion the Vasanta-purnima, the night of the full-moon in spring, which was transformed by Krishna into a night of Brahma, a very long duration of time covering many millions of years. By Krishna’s mystic potency, although it appeared by human calculation that only one night had passed, the gopis felt that it was equal to a night of Brahma, an incredible duration of 4.32 billion solar years.
According to the Sri Krishna Bhavanamrita-mahakavya, the forest where the springtime pastimes took place is located on the eastern side of Govardhana Hill and known by the name ‘Vasanta-sukhada’ meaning ‘giving joy in the spring-time’. The forest at Parasauli where Vasanta-lila took place is also located on the eastern side of Govardhana Hill. A verse from Sri Krishna Bhavanamrita-mahakavya says, “While Krishna heard Radhika’s ambrosial words, which are not heard even by the Vedas, He came to the forest named Vasanta-sukhada, where the mango trees are dripping from top to root with drops of honey that makes the earth very happy. Krishna said, “O, Radha! Here, Cupid is the King. The sweet spring is his minister and the Malaya breeze is his invincible general. The bees are his spies and the flocks of cuckoos are his chastisers. The uncooperative Vraja-gopis are punishable and the mountain caves are the prisons.”
It is said that the rasa-lila performed on the occasion of Vasanta-purnima at Parasauli, was enacted by Krishna for the special satisfaction of Shrimati Radharani and all the eternally liberated nitya-siddha gopis, who descended along with Krishna in order to take part in the Lord’s transcendental pastimes on earth. Included amongst the eternally liberated gopis are the ashta-sakhis, the eight principle girlfriends of Radharani, along with the various groups of their friends and assistants. Also included amongst the nitya-siddha gopis is Chandravali and her close friends and assistants. It is said that during the maha-rasa-lila at Govinda Ghata in Vrindavana, the nitya-siddha gopis were unable to fully exhibit their innermost feelings of love for Krishna, due to the presence of so many new gopis. These new gopis numbering thirty-two individual groups, were either sadhana-siddha or kripa-siddha gopis that were entering Krishna’s pastimes for the very first time.
Included amongst these new gopis were the sages of Dandakaranya forest, who had received blessings from Lord Ramachandra that they would be born in their next life as gopis in Vrindavana. Due to a benediction given by Lord Seshashayi Vishnu, the personified Vedas also took birth as gopis. Another group of new gopis were the Apsaras or heavenly dancing girls, who attempted to seduce Nara-Narayana Rishi and after having failed, received the benediction from the Lord that they would be born as gopis in Vrindavana in their next lives and take part in Krishna’s conjugal pastimes. Other new gopis included the women of Barhishmati City, who saw Lord Prithu and became overwhelmed with love for Him and were thus blessed by Atri Muni to become gopis in Vrindavana. Then there were the aboriginal girls known as Pulindas, who by seeing Krishna walking in the Vrindavana forest, were overcome with passionate love for Him and lustily smeared the red vermilion fallen from His lotus feet up on their breasts; thus during the rasa-dance they attained the association of Krishna. Others had been the women of Sutalaloka who became gopis by the blessings of Lord Vamanadeva. The Garga Samhita mentions that another group of gopis were the medicinal plants of the earth that became useless and ineffective after the disappearance of Lord Dhanvantari. To regain their powers they transformed themselves into women and performed severe austerities. After four yugas had passed, Lord Hari blessed them that at the end of Dwapara-yuga they would become flowering vines in the forest of Vrindavana and would transform into gopis at the time of the rasa-dance.
Having understood the inner feelings of the nitya-siddha gopis headed by Radharani and Chandravali, Krishna enacted the rasa-lila at Parasauli so that the nitya-siddha gopis could, without feeling any constraint or inhibition, fully manifest their most wanton feelings of amorous love in the full-bloom of parakiya-bhava. The rasa-lila at Parasauli is said to have lasted for a ‘night of Brahma’, and while witnessing the ecstatic dancing of Krishna and the gopis, the moon became stunned and remained completely stationary in the night sky.
Although the most famous spring-time rasa-lila was performed at Parasauli, the pastimes of Vasanta-rasa were performed in a number of other places around Vraja including Viharavana and Basonti. Rasa-lila pastimes also took place during the different seasons of the year and the famous rasa-lila performed at Seva-kunja in Vrindavana took place during the Sarat season in the lunar month of Ashvin (September to October).
