Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
The gopīs crossed the Yamunā on foot from this ghāṭa and fed Maharṣi Durvāsā delicious food. This too has been described previously.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is the famous ghata on the old bank of the Yamuna where the gopis crossed the river without using a boat. According to the Geological Survey of India map, Pani Ghata is located next to Tattiya-sthana, although others have placed it further south near the newly developed Pani Ghata village. However it is said that the entire stretch from Tattiya-sthana southwards is considered to be part of Pani Ghata.
The story of how Radharani and the gopis crossed the Yamuna at Pani Ghata without a boat is related in the Gopala-tapani Upanishad (2.6). Once, Durvasa Muni was observing ekadashi-vrata and was thinking that it would be nice to break his fast on dwadashi with Bhagavata-prashadama. Being the supersoul of all living entities, Krishna understood the mind of the great sage. Therefore, knowing that Durvasa would certainly shower his blessings on anyone who pleased him, Krishna advised Radharani and Her friends to cook a wonderful feast for Durvasa Muni so that he could break his ekadashi fast and suggested that they travel to Panigaon village in order to personally serve the feast to Durvasa Muni who was observing ekadashi-vrata in the vicinity of village. As there were no boats available for crossing the Yamuna to reach Panigaon village, as it sometimes happens in the monsoon season, Radharani asked Krishna how they would be able to cross the Yamuna River to reach the village on the other side. Krishna then told them the secret of how they would be able to cross the river. Therefore, when the gopis reached the Yamuna riverbank, remembering Krishna’s words, the gopis prayed to Yamunaji and repeated Krishna’s words saying, ‘Krishna, the brahmachari’. As soon as the gopis had spoken these words, Yamunaji created a passage for the gopis to cross the river. It would appear that the strong flowing current of the Yamuna subsided revealing a shallow path created by a shifting sand-bar leading through the water to the other side. The gopis then crossed the Yamuna and were able to serve Durvasa Muni with the wonderful feast they had cooked for him. Being extremely pleased with the gopis, Durvasa gave his heartfelt blessings to all of them. Radharani received a special blessing from the sage, that whatever She cooked would always taste like nectar, and whoever ate Her cooking would never become sick and would also live a long life.
The meaning of gopi’s statement that ‘Krishna is a pure brahmachari’ is that Krishna has a spiritual body and is transcendental to all material conditioning like mundane lust; therefore His loving relationship with Radharani and the gopis is based upon pure spiritual emotion or prema-rasa and not connected in any way to mundane sensual activities based on kama or lust, which is in the mode of ignorance. Radharani asked Durvasa Muni how could they again cross the Yamuna, he replied by saying. “Meditate on me as a sage that eats only durva grass and the Yamuna will give you a path.” Reflecting on this advice for a moment, Radharani then asked Durvasa Muni. “How is Krishna sa brahmachari.” Durvasa replied by saying. “In Him we do not find material so-called knowledge and ignorance. Thus ignorance and real knowledge are different. How can Krishna, who is full of real knowledge, become a materialistic enjoyer?”
