Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
The name ‘Ramana Reti’ literally means the ‘pleasure sands’ and during the time that Krishna and Balarama lived at Shakatikara (Chhatikara), the two transcendental brothers used to come here with Their cowherd boyfriends and enjoy playing on the soft silky sands located at this place. Unfortunately, the wonderful rolling sand dunes that could once be seen here have now disappeared due to urban development in the area. Radha and Krishna also used to enjoy pastimes in the adjoining forest grove of Viharavana that formerly covered this entire area. It is also said that They would sometimes meet at this place and then proceed together with the gopis to Seva Kunja. There were two trees entwined together here that were being worshiped by the local Vrajavasis as representing Krishna and Balarama and known as the Krishna-Balarama tree. Unfortunately one of the trees, the white colored tree representing Lord Balarama, has now disappeared. The Vrajavasis worship many such trees that are entwined together as representing Krishna-Balarama, Radha-Krishna, or Lakshmi-Narayana. For the Vrajavasis this is a form of smriti or remembering their beloved Thakurjis when seeing unusually formed trees around Vrindavana.
