Vamsivata

Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami

From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:

This is the place where the Youthful Couple Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa together with the sakhīs performed their pastimes of rāsa as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the pure and faultless scriptural authority. To bestow the result of the Kātyāyanī-pūjā upon the young, unmarried gopīs, rasika-bihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa granted them a boon. To fulfil this boon, He played a sweet tune on His flute on a full moon night. Hearing the wonderful flute-song, the gopīs, intoxicated in prema, came here. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.4) describes this as follows:

On the pretext of correcting the gopīs transgression of righteous conduct, rasikendra-śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave His surrendered gopīs many reasons why they should return home to serve their husbands, but the clever gopīs easily refuted all His arguments.

Kṛṣṇa’s autumnal rāsa (śāradīya-rāsa) with countless gopīs took place here. One Kṛṣṇa danced between two gopīs or one gopī was dancing between two Kṛṣṇas. In this way, rāsa took place with astonishing dancing and singing. The other gopīs became proud of their good fortune (saubhāg ya-mada) and Śrīmatī Rādhikā entered into a sulky angry mood, māna. Seeing this, rasika-śekhara Śrī Kṛṣṇa disappeared from that place in order to soothe Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s māna and to remove the pride of the other gopīs.

Thereafter, the gopīs, suffering separation from Kṛṣṇa and crying loudly, began to sing, jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ…

Hearing their singing, Śrī Kṛṣṇa again appeared, and at this place He expressed His gratitude to the gopīs in sweet words: “You have performed an extraordinary deed: you have given up everything for Me. For this sacrifice, I am eternally indebted to you and can never repay you.” This is the place where rāsa-līlā was performed, and thus it is the crest jewel among all places of pastimes.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s great-grandson Śrī Vajranābha Mahārāja planted a tree here in remembrance of this place of rāsa, but after some time the Yamunā flooded that place. More recently, five hundred and fifty years ago, Śrī Mādhu Paṇḍita, a disciple of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita, took one of its branches and planted it here, and that branch transformed into a vast tree. Śrī Mādhu Paṇḍita found the deity Śrī Gopīnātha here while engaged in bhajana. There are four very small temples in each of the four corners of the quadrangular wall of Vaṁśīvaṭa. The deities of Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Madhvācārya, Śrī Viṣṇusvāmī and Śrī Nimbārkācārya were established within them. Nowadays, some other deities have replaced them. Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas used to serve here, but then Brahmacārījī, the spiritual guide of a king of Gvāliyor, bought this place. Since then, it has been in the care of the Nimbārka sampradāya.

Rajashekhara Dasa

From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:

The Bhakti-ratnakara says, “Please see the wonderfully beautiful Vamsi Vata on the bank of the Yamuna, the shade of the Vamsi Vata tree removes the distress of the world. Lord Gopinatha eternally enjoys His pastimes here. His attractive dress enchants the world and His movements are flawless as the sound of His flute attracts the gopis.” In the Chaitanya-charitamrita it is said, “Lord Gopinatha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the rasa-dance, stands on the shore at Vamsa Vata and attracts the attention of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they all confer upon us their benediction.” The word ‘vamsi’ means ‘flute, and ‘vata’ means a ‘banyan tree’. This is the famous banyan tree under which Krishna stood and while playing on His flute, He would call all the gopis of Vraja to join Him for rasa-lila pastimes in the forest of Vrindavana. Upon hearing the enchanting music emanating from Krishna’s flute, regardless of what they were doing, the gopis dropped everything and ran to Vamsi Vata, knowing that Krishna wanted to enjoy Himself in their company. So intense was their love for Krishna, that they were ready to abandon their homes, husbands, children, and even their reputation as chaste women, simply to satisfy Krishna’s desires. After reaching Vamsi Vata, Krishna and the gopis would spend the entire night enjoying the rasa-dance and various amorous pastimes in the Vrindavana forest. The Bhakti-ratnakara says, “After leaving behind everything, in great agitation from the sound of the flute, the gopis came here to meet Lord Krishna. They swam in the ocean of Krishna’s beauty, and Krishna, seeing their love, could not remain steady. Who can understand how Krishna calmly inquired about the gopis’ welfare in a happy mood? In this way, Krishna tested the love of the gopis at this place, as He instructed them in various ways to return to their homes.”

At Vamsi Vata one can see the offshoot of the original banyan tree that was growing here during Krishna’s pastimes as well as a simhasana where the ‘divine couple’ Radha and Krishna would sit in audience with the gopis of Vraja, and also the rasa-mandala platform commemorating the rasa-lila that took place here. The Bhakti-ratnakara mentions that the celebrated banyan tree known as Vamsi Vata disappeared in the waters of the Yamuna during a great flood; however one of the Gaudiya Gosvamis managed to collect a branch from the original tree and replanted that branch at the same place where the original tree grew. According to most Gaudiya commentators, after the uprooting of the banyan tree at Vamsi Vata in the flood, the Deity of Lord Gopinatha was discovered by Paramananda Goswami lying buried in the ground next to the place where the banyan tree formerly stood. After this amazing discovery, Paramananda Goswami called his dear friend and companion Madhu Pandit Goswami and after they retrieved Lord Gopinatha from the mud, Madhu Pandita took the Deity to his bhajana-kutira where he began the worship Lord Gopinatha, which continued for the rest of his life.