Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
In the Bhakti-ratnakara it is said, “This is Gupta-kunda where Krishna and His friends headed by Subala secretly played various games during their wanderings through the forests.” The word ‘gupta’ means ‘secret’, or ‘hidden’, and this particular kunda holds many such ‘secrets’ as well as ‘hidden truths’. The caretaker of this kunda is Vira Devi (Sanket Devi) who is the confidential friend and companion of Vrinda Devi. After she has finished cooking in mother Yashoda’s kitchen, Radharani supposedly leaves for Her home in nearby Yavat village, but with the help of Her friend Danishtha, She stealthily makes Her way to Gupta-kunda for a secret rendezvous with Her beloved Krishna, who also sneaks away with some of His friends and makes His way to Gupta-kunda to meet secretly with His beloved Radha.
Gupta-kunda is very important because in the aprakata-lila, or un-manifest pastimes, it is one of three locations of the sacred Yoga-pitha of Vrindavana Dhama, where Radha and Krishna sit in audience surrounded by all of Their eternal associates, who assemble there in their respective positions around the throne on which Radha and Krishna are sitting. It is rather like when a king and queen hold a royal durbar or state assembly, where all the officials connected to the royal entourage are present at the same time. This grand assembly of eternal associates takes place at the Yoga-pitha at Gupta-kunda in the early morning, then at midday at the Yoga-pitha at Radha-kunda, and then in the evening at the Govindaji Yoga-pitha in Vrindavana. The word ‘yoga’ means to ‘link-up’ or ‘to meet’ and the word ‘pitha’ means a ‘sacred place’ or a ‘transcendental place’, as well as ‘secret meeting place’. All those who take part in the divine assembly at the Yoga-pitha are eternally liberated nitya-siddha devotees, who are eternally situated in pure unalloyed devotional service to Radha and Krishna. The nitya-siddha devotees have descended to earth along with Radha and Krishna to take part in Their earthly pastimes.
