Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
Tapovana is situated on the bank of the Yamunā one mile east of Akṣayavaṭa. Here, the young gopīs prayed for the fulfilment of their desire to have Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their husband. It is said that in their previous birth, these gopīs were the sages in the forest of Daṇḍakāraṇya who were absorbed in austerities with the desire to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of Śrī Rāmacandra, in Dvāpara- yuga they took birth from the womb of gopīs. The princesses of Janakapurī are also counted in this group. Like Sītā, they had wanted to marry Śrī Rāmacandra, and therefore, by His mercy, they took birth as gopīs in Vraja at the end of Dvāpara-yuga. This Tapovana is where these young gopīs performed worship to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Lalitā, Viśākhā and other eternally liberated gopīs are direct bodily expansions (kāya-vyūha) of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s internal energy; therefore, there is no need for them to perform any austerity.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
Tapovana is mentioned in the Vraja-bhakti-vilasa to be one of the upavanas or subforests of Vrindavana. This sacred tirtha near the banks of the Yamuna is where the gopis performed tapasya during the month-long katyayani-vrata to achieve Krishna as their husband. The Bhakti-ratnakara says, ”In Tapovana the daughters of the cowherd men performed tapasya.” The name Tapovana is derived from the words ‘tapa’ or ‘tapasya’ which means to perform ‘austerities’, and ‘vana’ means ‘forest’. There is a temple here known as the Radha Gunja-bihari Mandira. It is said that the gopis who performed tapasya at Tapovana were the kripa-siddha and sadhana-siddha gopis who took birth in Vrindavana to take part in Krishna’s pastimes. Amongst these new gopis were those who had been the sages of Naimisharanya and had received the benediction from Lord Ramachandra to take their next birth as gopis in Vrindavana and achieve the divine association of Krishna. Another group were the Apsaras who were blessed by Nara-Narayana Rishi to achieve the position of gopis in Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes.
Gopi Ghata is the name of the bathing place on the Yamuna River at Tapovana where the gopis would take their ritualistic bath during the brahma-muhurta, as part of their month long austerities during the katyayani-vrata. The gopis performed this vrata during the cold season simply to achieve Krishna as their husband. On the last day of the katyayani-vrata, the gopis went to Chira Ghata to worship the Deity of Katyayani Devi.
