Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is a shrine dedicated to Purnamasi who is eternally present in the corner of Seva-kunja so that she can make the proper arrangements for rasa-lila and other pastimes enjoyed by Radha and Krishna in this sacred kunja. In order to take part in Krishna’s pastimes, Yogamaya Devi expands herself as Purnamasi. This temple was formerly on the roadside but is now been moved into a private compound next to where the old shrine used to be located. This temple is known by the local Vrajavasis as the Annapurna Mandira. Annapurna is one of the expansions of Parvati, who is herself an expansion of Yogamaya. The Deity of Annapurna can also be seen at the Adi-badrinatha Mandira along with Lord Nara-Narayana Rishi, Narada, Uddhava and Kubera. As an expansion of Parvati and consort of Lord Shiva and the daughter of the Himalayas, Annapurna Devi has a range of mountains in the Himalayas named after Her.
Purnamasi is the mother of Sandipani Muni, who was Krishna and Balarama’s gurukula teacher and whose ashrama was in Ujjain. He instructed the two transcendental brothers in Vedic knowledge and also initiated Them with the gayatri-mantra and gave Them the sacred brahmana thread. After the demise of her husband, Purnamasi’s spiritual master, Shrila Narada Muni, advised her to spend the rest of her life in Vraja. She arrived in the holy Dhama accompanied by her two grandchildren, Sudharma and Chandramukhi, and took up residence in a thatched cottage on the outskirts of Nandagrama so that she could have darshana of Lord Krishna every single day. As the direct manifestation of Lord Krishna’s internal potency yogamaya, Purnamasi is responsible for overseeing all the arrangements for the pastimes of Radha and Krishna in Vraja; therefore each morning she goes to meet with her confidential assistant Vrinda Devi, at Vrinda-kunda, in order to discuss the various arrangements being made for that particular day’s pastimes.
