Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
This pastime place lies one-and-a-half miles south and somewhat east of Bāsolī. Kṣīrasāgara is here as a kuṇḍa. In a temple on the west bank of Kṣīrasāgara is a deity of Bhagavān Ananta reclining on His bed with Lakṣmī massaging His lotus feet (śayana-līlā).
One time, when the playful Kṛṣṇa was sporting here with Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the sakhīs, the story about Śrī Anantaśāyī Viṣṇu somehow came up in their conversation. A strong desire to see the śayana-līlā of Anantaśāyī Viṣṇu arose in Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s heart, so Kṛṣṇa Himself arranged for Her to see this pastime. Immersed in the mood of Anantaśāyī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa laid down on a thousand-petalled lotus in the middle of Kṣīrasāgara, and Śrīmatī Rādhikā, in the mood of Lakṣmī, massaged His lotus feet. All the assembled gopīs were astonished. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī alludes to this pastime in his Vraja-vilāsa-stava (verse 91): “Even though Śrīmatī Rādhikā has extremely soft limbs, when She brought Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s very soft and charming lotus feet near Her chest, She could not bring Herself to place them on it as She feared that the touch of Her hard breasts might cause Him pain. May I obtain residence in the enchanting Vraja of Śeṣaśāyī Kṛṣṇa.”
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu travelled throughout Vraja, He came to take darśana of this place, and in doing so became filled with divine love. There is a pleasant kadamba forest here, and one can also take darśana of Prauḍhanātha and a swing. Nearby is a sitting-place (baiṭhaka) of Śrī Vallabhācārya.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is the famous Deity of Seshashayi Vishnu in His four-armed form of Narayana lying down on the celestial serpent Sesha Naga and being served by Lakshmi Devi, the goddess of fortune, who is massaging the Lord’s lotus feet. The Deity of Lord Seshashayi is known locally by the name of Podhanatha. There is a beautiful kunda here located next to the temple known as Kshirasagara-kunda or sometimes as Kshira Samudra, which was created from Lord Krishna’s mind. The word ‘kshira’, pronounced as ‘shira’, means ‘milk’, and the word ‘sagara’, as well as ‘samudra’, means ‘ocean’. The name Seshashayi refers to the pastime where Lord Vishnu lays down to rest (shayi) on Sesha, the serpent expansion of Lord Balarama, whose soft white underbelly provides a very comfortable bedstead for the Lord to relax and enjoy His pastime of yoga-nidra, or mystic slumber. This holy tirtha has always been known by the name Seshashayi even in ancient times. According to the Adi-Varaha Purana, Seshashayi is mentioned to be one of the upavanas, or sub-forests of Vraja Mandala. Nearby to the Kshirasagara-kunda is a kadamba-khandi or grove of kadamba trees and a jhulana-sthali which commemorates the swing pastimes enjoyed at this place by Krishna and the gopis.
There are a number of versions regarding Krishna’s pastimes here at Seshashayi, but the most widely accepted one mentioned in the Vraja-riti-chintamani is as follows: One day, Krishna and His cowherd boyfriends were herding their cows in this forest when they met with Radharani and the gopis who were attending a nearby recitation of the Vedic scriptures by brahmanas where Seshashayi Vishnu was being glorified. Hearing the recitation, Radharani had a sudden desire to see this particular pastime and began discussing with the other gopis the greatness of Seshashayi Bhagavana, when suddenly Krishna began boasting that He Himself was none-different from Seshashayi Bhagavana. The gopis, who were quite accustomed to hearing Krishna’s boasting words, started laughing and told Him that He should either prove that he was Seshashayi or simply stop His idle boasting.
At that moment Krishna manifested from His mind a large kunda that became known as Kshirasagara or the ‘Ocean of Milk’. He then manifested on the surface of the kunda the form Sesha Naga, the celestial serpent. Krishna then entered the kunda and lay down on the white couch-like underbelly of Sesha Naga in the transcendental mood (bhava) of Lord Seshashayi Vishnu. On seeing Krishna’s sudden transformation as Seshashayi Vishnu, Radharani was overcome by ecstatic feelings and She immediately entered the kunda and after sitting on the couch-like body of Sesha, began massaging Krishna’s lotus feet while absorbed in the mood (bhava) of Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of Fortune. When the gopis saw this incredible pastime taking place before their eyes, they were completely amazed and became stunned due to the incessant flow of ecstatic emotions.
In the Vraja-riti-chintamani it says, “There Lord Krishna manifested the milk ocean and expanded Himself as Ananta Sesha, transformed Himself into Kshiradakashayi Vishnu, and then sat down on the body of Ananta. Shri Radha then became the beautiful Lakshmi Devi, who with humbly bowed head began to massage Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet. This sight greatly delighted Radha’s on-looking gop/-friends”.
This temple of Seshashayi Vishnu was visited by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during His Vraja Mandala parikrama. When Lord Chaitanya saw the beauty of the Deity, He could not contain Himself and became overwhelmed with ecstatic love. While looking at Lakshmiji massaging the feet of Vishnu, He began to recite a verse from Shrimad-Bhagavatam, “O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on our breasts, fearing that your feet will be hurt. Our life rests only in you. Our minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that your tender lotus feet might be wounded by pebbles as you roam about the forest path.”
The Bhakti-ratnakara says, “Shri Krishna Chaitanya-chandra came here for darshana of Seshashayi. Seeing the beauty of Seshashayi, His ecstasy increased and in that state of love He became overwhelmed. Those fortunate persons who saw the effulgence of the Lord also became maddened in ecstasy and tears flowed from their eyes. They concluded that He could not be an ordinary human being, but must be Seshashayi Bhagavan Himself in the dress of a sannyas/. While speaking, they looked continually at the moonlike face of Chaitanya.”
Local brahmanas say that Vajranabha Maharaja established the Deity of Seshashayi Vishnu, however, there are no historical records that substantiate the claim. Some commentators have said that this Deity of Seshashayi was discovered by Shrila Narayana Bhatta, but the Deity of Seshashayi Vishnu was seen by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu during His parikrama of Vraja in 1515, and therefore the Deity was present long before Shrila Narayana Bhatta arrived in Vrindavana Dhama in 1545, therefore the Deity was definitely not discovered by him.
