Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is the famous village where it is said a channel of the Yamuna River once flowed. The local Vrajavasis like to show interested visitors the light-grey colored silt that is unique to the Yamuna river-bed lying some six feet or so below the topsoil. To commemorate the fact that the Yamuna River once flowed here, there is a famous temple in the village that is dedicated to Yamuna Devi, the river goddess. There can be a number of explanations how the Yamuna River came to be flowing at this place. During the monsoon season great rivers like the Yamuna inevitably swell with excess rain-water and often burst their banks thus creating vast flood plains as well as new channels. These new channels would at some point lead back to the main course of the river. In the nearby village of Pali Brahmanan, a short distance north from Yamuna Mata village, as well as at Parasauli to the south, there is evidence that the same channel of the Yamuna River was also running through these two villages. According to mineralogical studies, the same light-gray silt which is found in the present-day Yamuna river-bed, which is composed of grey colored granite sediments that have been carried by the rivers powerful currents from the high Himalayas, is clearly present in these villages.
It is important to note that every few hundred years the course of a river may go through considerable change, especially during the monsoon season, with new channels opening and old ones closing. In Vrindavana, the Yamuna no longer flows at the famous Pani Ghata or the revered Akrura Ghata, and has now moved a few kilometers away to the east. It is said that about two hundred years ago, the Mana-sarovara at Belvana was situated on a large island with the Yamuna River flowing on both sides until the eastern branch of these two channels completely disappeared. The Shrimad-Bhagavatam also reveals that there was a great flood that completely inundated Vrindavana when Lord Indra in great anger wanted to punished the Vrajavasis and he sent the samvartaka clouds of devastation that unleashed great torrents of rain that flooded the entire land. Due to the great deluge of water, the Yamuna would also have overflowed her banks and created new channels.
Based on a survey conducted by the Photo-geology & Remote Sensing Division of the Geological Survey of India, an ancient channel of the Yamuna River once existed about five thousand years ago and was located to the west of the Yamuna’s present-day course. This ancient channel formerly flowed from somewhere north of Seshasayi and then flowed past the forest of Kamyavana, then towards Nandagrama and Varsana, before flowing east of Govardhana Hill past the villages of Pali Brahmanan, Yamuna Mata and Parasauli. Then the river passed through the forest of Kamudavana and Talavana before rejoining the main course of the Yamuna just north of Mathura. Shrila Sanatana Goswami in his commentary on Brihad-bhagavatamrita (1.6.108) says, “The glorious Yamuna flows in the midst of Vrajabhumi, but during Kirshna’s manifested presence some of her branches flowed in parts untouched by her today. Thus many of the forests of Krishna’s land were graced by Sri Yamuna’s water and her grassy, tree-lined banks.”
It appears from the Brihad-bhagavatamrita commentary of Shrila Sanatana Goswami that the river Yamuna had many sub-branches that flowed through different parts of Vraja. This is also confirmed by the survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India which reveals many ancient sub-channels that meander through the entire Vraja region. In the Garga Samhita (2.3.14-17) it says, “Wishing to attain Lord Krishna, the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead, as her husband, Kalindi assumed a splendid spiritual form and performed great austerities. Even today she stays in a water-house her father made for her. Then the Kalindi swiftly entered Vraja-mandala. Then she flowed through Vrindavana, beautiful Mathura, and beautiful secluded Mahavana. As the very beautiful leader of many gopis, Sri Yamuna made her home in Vrindavana to perform the rasa-dance with Sri Krishnacandra.” Also in the Garga Samhita is the famous stotra known as the Yamuna Sahasra-nama that reveals the numerous places where the Yamuna River flows as she courses through the holy land of Vrajabhumi, “Talavana-sthita – she flows through Talavana, Kumudavana-nadi – she flows through Kumudavana, Govinda-kunda-nilaya – she is the home of Govinda-kunda, Govardhini – she flows by Govardhana hill, Govardhananka – she carries the mark of Govardhana, Govardhana-tati bhava – she is situated near Govardhana, Lalita-kunda-ga – she stays at Lalita-kunda, Visakha-kunda-mandita – she is decorated with Visakha-kunda, Nanda-grama-mahi-dvara -she flows by Nanda-gram, Kamavanancita, Kamatavi – she flows by Kamavana, Nandisvara-samanvita – she flows by Nandisvara hill, Nandi-grama-sthala-sthita -she is situated at Nanda-grama.”
