Mathura People -- SBSTP

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MATHURA PEOPLE

SRILA BHAKTISIDDHANTA SARASWATI THAKUR PRABHUPADA

näma-çreñthaà manum api çacé-putram atra svarüpaà

rüpaà tasyägrajam uru-puréà mäthuréà goñöhaväöém

rädhä-kuëòaà giri-varam aho rädhikä-mädhaväçäà

präpto yasya prathita-kåpayä çré guruà taà nato ‘smi

Sri Gurudeva has given me the most

exalted holy name. He has given me

the service of that great savior, the son

of Mother Saci, and His personal assistant

Svarupa Damodara Goswami.

He has also brought me in connection

with Srila Rupa and Srila

Sanatana Goswamis. Gurudeva has

given me Mathura Mandala where

Radha and Govinda have Their eternal pastimes. By

the grace of Sri Gurudeva, I have become acquainted

with Radha-kunda and this great Govardhana. And lastly

he has given me the hope that one day I can attain the

service of Sri Sri Radhika and Madhava. I have been

given all these things by Sri Gurudeva, so I bow my

head with all respect at his holy lotus feet.

In this lecture excerpt, Srila Saraswati

Thakur is referring to the above verse by Srila

Raghunath Das Goswami (Sri Muktä-caritram,

maìgaläcarana,

4.) We all should aspire to be Mathura people.

We should have a proper conception of spiritual

Mathura instead of the mundane Mathura,

which is the place of enjoyment of people with

very low aspirations. Our sahajiyä brothers think

that they can have access to Mathura by paying

the railway fare. It is by surrendering ourselves

to the preceptor’s feet that we can have

an abode in Mathura. Otherwise we cannot get

entrance into the transcendental region. We

should approach the guru who will confer on

us the eight things, i.e., Name, mantra, etc. The

Name is transcendental sound and mantras are

incantations. The Name is identical with nämé

[that which is named]. The mantra is required

in order to reach that situation in which the

Name can be properly chanted.

The son of Saci is the Supreme Lord Himself.

Damodar Swarup is the head of the Gaudiyas

who are the transcendental servitors of Sri Krishna

Chaitanya. Rupa and Sanatan were sent to

Mathura by Sri Krishna Chaitanya to diffuse transcendental

knowledge there. There are several

purés that can give liberation, and among them

Mathura is the topmost. Goñöhävati signifies the

place where Sri Krishna was feeding His cows.

Another holy spot is Radhakunda where Sri

Krishna got rid of the sin He had incurred by killing

a cow named Aristanemi. He killed

Aristotelianism, the rationalistic process of reasoning

of this imperfect world. When Krishna wanted

to join hands with Radhika, Aristanemi came forward

to disturb Him, because Radhika was

thought by many people to be the wife of a milkman

named Abhimanyu. This Aristanemi was the

incarnation of mundane knowledge, and Krishna

killed him. He expiated the sin of that act by taking

a dip in Radhakund. This kunda is the mental

speculation of Radha. The eternal land of our

abode should be Radhakund. By the border of

Radhakund we should have our groves. There are

millions of groves on the banks of Radhakund.·

— Sri Chaitanya’s Teachings, page 110-111

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