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    Mathura: The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa
    Mathura: The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa
    Mathura: The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa
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    Mathura: The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa

    By Rajasekhara

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    The city of Mathura is now famous throughout the world as the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna, who appeared in the prison cell of Kamsa five thousand years ago. However, long before this important event took place, Mathura was already well known and considered to be the holiest city in India. It is said in the Puranas, “Although it may be possible to count all the particles of dust on the face of the earth; it is not possible to count all the holy places in Mathura”. It is evident that even in the Satya-yuga, the sacred forest of Madhuvana was well-known to ancient Aryans. Dhruva Maharaja, the famous son of the first Aryan ruler, Emperor Priyavrata, was the first person in recorded history to have gone to Madhuvana forest where he performed penance on the banks of the Yamuna. The celebrated Vishrama Ghata and all the other holy tirthas along the Yamuna riverbank where Dhruva would sometimes bathe, were also well known and Madhuvana had long been glorified as the place where Lord Vishnu slew the demon named Madhu.
    The Srimad Bhagavatam says that Lord Shri Krishna was born on the stroke of midnight from the womb of Devaki in the prison cell of King Kamsa. The evil Kamsa had imprisoned Devaki and her husband Vasudeva just after their wedding ceremony, when he heard an omen from the sky informing him that the eighth child of his sister Devaki would kill him. After locking-up Devaki and Vasudeva, Kamsa systematically slaughtered all the babies born of Devaki, by dashing them on a stone one after the other. Kamsa believed that the seventh baby must have been a miscarriage because after some period of pregnancy, no baby was born. Unknown to Kamsa, the baby, who was actually Lord Balarama, was transferred by the power of the yogamaya potency, from Devaki’s womb to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva’s second wife, who was staying at his friend Nanda’s house in Gokula for safety.
    According to the Vedas, Lord Krishna appears once in every day of Brahma in order to save His devotees and kill all the demons disturbing the world. When Devaki became pregnant for the eighth time, Kamsa remained vigilant and waited in great trepidation for this particular child to be born. On the stroke of midnight at the appointed time of His birth, Lord Krishna appeared before Vasudeva and Devaki, not as an ordinary baby, but in a four-armed form of Lord Narayana, dressed in shining yellow silk and holding all the symbols of Vishnu in his four hands. Understanding that the Supreme Lord had been born as their son, Vasudeva and Devaki were struck with wonder and began offering their heartfelt prayers to the Lord. The demigods headed by Brahma and Shiva began showering flowers from the sky in great jubilation. At that moment, Lord Krishna spoke to Vasudeva and Devaki informing them that in their previous life, they had been born as Sutapa and Prishni, and that Lord Prishnigarbha had at that time been born as their son, then in their next life as Kashyapa and Diti, Lord Vamanadeva had been born as their son. Now in this present life as Vasudeva and Devaki, Lord Krishna had appeared as their son within the prison cell of Kamsa.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRajasekhara
    Release dateMay 22, 2015
    ISBN9781311405128
    Mathura: The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa
    Author

    Rajasekhara

    ABOUT THE AUTHORRajasekhara was born in England in 1948. From the age of seven he began his inquiry into the meaning of life, after realizing that although death seemed inevitable for everyone, it also appeared completely illogical, as the life-force and will to exist appeared far too dynamic to simply cease to exist at the point of death. As he grew-up, he became disenchanted with what he saw was a world full of cruelty and suffering. His ambition was to discover the answers to life, and not wishing to be involved in the mundane affairs of material existence or raising a family, he began to study philosophy and religion. In 1970 at the age of 21, he became a vegetarian and a follower of Buddhism, and began to practice hatha-yoga and kundalini meditation. In 1972, Rajasekhara adopted Krishna consciousness and bhakti-yoga as the best means for self-realization, and in November that year, he joined the Hare Krishna Movement. In May 1973, he received initiation from Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Hare Krishna founder, at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Tudor manor near Watford, donated by George Harrison of the Beatles, where he served as the manor’s first temple commander. The name 'Rajasekhara', given by Swami Prabhupada at the time of initiation, means 'king of kings' and is pronounced as 'raaja-sheykhaara'.In January 1975, desiring to make further advancement in spiritual life, Rajasekhara moved to India and the holy city of Vrindavana, where he became a temple priest at the Krishna-Balarama Mandira. Since 1975, Rajasekhara has lived in India, where he has continued his practice of yoga while studying Vedic philosophy and metaphysics. During his long sojourn in India, Rajasekhara has visited all the important holy places of pilgrimage in the sub-continent from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari, including such famous places as Badrinatha, Yamunotri, Haridwara, Rishikesha, Dwaraka, Tirupati, Rangapatnam, Tiruvanantapuram, Madurai, Kumbhakonam, Tanjore, Navadwipa and Jagannatha Puri, to name just a few. Due to his extensive travelling, he has gained a treasure-trove of knowledge while imbibing the very essence of India’s ancient Vedic culture. His understanding of Vedic philosophy has been acknowledged by all those who have read his books and heard him speak on Vedanta philosophy and Gaudiya Vaishnava siddhanta.Rajasekhara is presently considered to be one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject of Vrindavana Dhama and its holy places, his numerous books about Vrindavana are read the world over by those interested in understanding the deeper mysteries of Lord Krishna’s spiritual abode, where the Lord performed His transcendental pastimes on Earth over 5,000 years ago. Rajasekhara is also known for his exquisite photography of Vrindavana Dhama, featured throughout his books and which perfectly capture the transcendental atmosphere of Lord Krishna’s transcendental land. His personal experience and spiritual realizations, after having lived in India and the holy land of Vrindavana for so many years – is adequately conveyed through his writings, and those who read his books find themselves immediately transported to the transcendental spiritual platform.In 1991, on reaching the age of 42, Rajasekhara, established Vedanta Vision Publications, for the purpose of writing and self-publishing transcendental literature that propagate the glorification of Vrindavana Dhama, the holy land connected to Lord Krishna transcendental pastimes. In 2001, on reaching the age of 52, Rajasekhara, inaugurated the Vedic Heritage Foundation, to expand the awareness of Vedic culture, philosophy and traditions, and to continue his research into the Vedic scriptures.Amongst his upcoming publications, Rajasekhara is working on the highly anticipated Bhu-mandala Tattva-darshan – a five part summary study based on the 5th canto of the Vedic classic Shrimad Bhagavatam – which deals with the subject of Vedic cosmology, the fabled Mount Meru and the island of Jambhudwipa, the kingdom of demigod’s, the heavenly and hellish worlds, and the position of the planets in the solar system as revealed in the Vedas.Another important book now being prepared, concerns the hidden facts regarding the death in 1977, of the Hare Krishna founder, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, which Rajasekhara personally witnessed, and the deviations that took place in the Krishna movement after the demise of its founder who was regarded as the world's foremost Vedic acharya.In 2015, in his 66th year, Rajasekhara released a truly dynamic and forthright presentation based Vedic sex education entitled ‘Kama Sutra-Dharma Sutra - The Yoga of Pure Sex’, for those who wish to understand the true essence of yoga practice, that enables one to cross over the great ocean of material suffering and achieve liberation from the shackles of sex-desire that is the root cause of the living beings reincarnation and repeated birth and death in the material world.

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      Book preview

      Mathura - Rajasekhara

      MATHURA

      The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna

      In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa

      By

      Rajasekhara

      This Book Is Dedicated To The Lotus Feet Of

      His Divine Grace

      C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

      ounder-acharya International Society for Krishna Consciousness

      namah om vishnu-padaya krishna-presthaya bhu-tale

      srimate bhaktivedanta swamin iti namine

      namas te saraswati deve gaura-vani-pracarine

      nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

      We bow down with great reverence and adoration before your Divine Grace

      Because you are so firmly situated in serving the lotus feet of Lord Krishna

      You are the most worthy and trusted disciple of Saraswati Goswami

      . And without fear you preached aloud the glories of the Lord’s holy names

      The transcendental vibration of Krishna’s name was heard around the world

      You came as an emissary on the order of your Gurudeva and Lord Gauranga

      And most forcefully dispelled atheistic belief in impersonalism and voidism

      MATHURA - The Birthplace Of Lord Krishna - In The Prison Cell Of King Kamsa

      Copyright: Rajasekhara 2015

      Published by Rajasekhara at Smashwords

      ISBN: 9781311405128

      Front Cover Photo: Keshava Mandira, Mathura

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hardwork of this author.

      All rights reserved, including those of translation into other languages, transmitted in any form, or by any other means, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      BSP Vedic Heritage Foundation,

      Heritage House,

      Parikrama Marg, Dorera,

      District Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      The Holy City Of Mathura Puri

      The Glories Of Mathura

      The Ancient History Of Mathura

      Mathura Lies Within Madhuvana Forest

      The Demon Madhu Slain In Madhuvan Forest

      Mathura Established By The Chandra-vamsa Dynasty

      Shatrughna Founded The City Of Mathura

      Yadava Dynasty Kings Gain Control Over Mathura

      The Timing of the Lord Krishna’s Appeareance On Earth

      Mathura At The Time Of Lord Krishna’s Appearance

      Vajranabha Establishes Krishna’s Pastime places In Vraja

      Mathura Captured By Foreign Invaders

      The ‘Golden Avatara’ Lord Chaitanya Revives Bhagavata Dharma

      Lord Chaitanya’s pilgrimage To Mathura

      The Pancha-kosi Parikrama Of Mathura

      Sixty Sacred Tirthas Of Mathura

      The Half-parikrama Of Mathura

      The Spiritual Benefits Of Perfprming Mathura Parikrama

      The Spiritual Benefits Of Performing Parikrama In The Dhama

      The Sacred Ghatas Of Mathura

      The Twenty-five Sacred Ghatas Along The Yamuna River

      Important Temples Located Around Vishrama Ghata

      Guidelines To Observe While Performing Parikrama

      PART ONE - Vishrama Ghata To Keshava Mandira

      BEGINING THE PARIKRAMA OF MATHURA

      M.1 Vishrama Ghata / Vishranti-tirtha

      M.2 Yamaraja-Yamuna Mandira

      M.3 Pippaleshwara Mahadeva Mandira

      M.4 Dhruva Ghata / Dhruva-tirtha

      M.5 Sapta-rishi Tila /Rishi-tirtha

      M.6 Bali Tila

      M.7 Akrura Bhavana

      M.8 Kubja Kupa (Kubja’s Well)

      M.9 Kamsa Tila / Ranga-bhumi

      M.10 Rangeshwara Mahadeva Mandira

      M.11 Keshava Gaudiya Matha

      M.12 Shiva Tala

      M.13 Kankali Mandira / Kankali Tila

      M.14 Balabhadra-kunda

      M.15 Bhuteshwara Mahadeva Mandira

      M.16 Jnana-vapi

      M.17 Potra-kunda

      M.18 Prachin-Janmasthana

      M.19 Krishna Kupa / Maratha Mandira

      M.20 Keshava Mandira

      The Appearance of Lord Krishna

      END OF HALF-PARIKRAMA

      PART TWO – Mahavidya To Padmanabhu Mandir

      Lord Krishna Visits Ambika-Kanana

      M.21 Ambika Devi Mandira (Mahavidya Devi)

      Nanda Maharaja Swallowed by a Serpent at Ambika-kanana

      M.22 Saraswati-kunda / Saraswati Mandira

      M.23 Gokarneshwara Mahadeva

      M.24 Chakra-tirtha / Ambarisha Tila

      Vishrama Ghata

      OTHER IMPORTYANT TEMPLES OF MATHURA

      M.25 Dirgha Vishnu Mandira

      M.26 Mathura Devi Mandira

      M.27 Padmanabhu Mandir

      PART THREE – Madhuvana To Madhu Gufa

      THE SACRED FOREST OF MADHUVANA (Maholi)

      How Madhuvana Forest Got Its Name

      Lord Rama Sends Shatrughna to Madhuvana

      Lord Shatrughna Vanquishes the Demon Lavanasura

      Places of Interest at Madhuvana

      B.1 Krishna-kunda (Madhu-kunda)

      B.2 Balarama Temple (Dauji Mandira)

      B.3 Shatrughna Mandira

      B.4 Dhruva Tila

      B.5 Madhu Gufa (Cave)

      APPENDIX

      GLOSSARY

      BIBLIOGRAPHY

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

      MATHURA GUIDE MAPS

      The Holy City Of Mathura Puri

      Mathura is mentioned in the Puranas to be one of the famous sapta-puris or holy cities of Hinduism, where one can achieve moksha or liberation. The others are Haridwara, Kashi, Ujjain, Dwaraka, Kanchi, and Ayodhya. The city of Mathura has been built upon a series of hills and nine are most famous including; Ambarisha Tila, Bali Tila, Rishi Tila, Dhruva Tila, Gatasrama Tila, Kamsa Tila, Hanumana Tila, Kali-yuga Tila, and Rajaka-vada Tila. The famous kundas of Mathura include; Balabhadra-kunda, Potra-kunda, Saraswati-kunda, Mahavidya-kunda, and Siva Tala. The old walled city is also famous for its four gates; Vrindavana Gate, Dig Gate. Bharatpur Gate, and the only existing one today, Holi Gate.

      The Glories of Mathura

      In the Adi-varaha Purana, Lord Varahadeva told Bhumi Devi, the goddess of the earth. O Devi, within all the three worlds there is certainly no place superior to Mathura. I live there eternally throughout the ages. And in the Brahmanda Purana it is said. The precious attainment of ecstatic love, which is rarely obtained by serving all the holy places within the three worlds, can easily be attained simply by touching the dust of Mathura. In the Padma Purana it says. Mathura is more glorious than the Vaikuntha Dhama of Narayana. Anyone who spends even one day in Mathura will become devoted to the lotus feet of Shri Hari. Again in the Adi-varaha Purana the following verse appears. "If the killer of a brahmana,

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