Coming down from a place located over 4.000m above sea level in the middle of the Himalayas was not easy. The elevation itself but also the ethereal atmosphere was not the same. We stayed one night in Rishikesh on our way to Vrindavan. A lively city famous for being a city of pilgrimage and Yoga, directly located on the Ganges. We took our last bath in the Ganges and after that I knew that I have to come back one day. (Who would have thought that this would be one year later). Preparing ourselves mentally for the arrival in Vrindavan. Diving into the practice of Bhakti Yoga.
Time to reflect
A seven hours car ride to Vrindavan gave me some time to reflect what we experienced the days before. I already missed the silence that we have had in the Himalayas. You could clearly hear the sweet flow of Mother Ganga but not much more. Still I was looking forward to arrive in the holy Dham, Vrindavan. To learn more about the spiritual practice of Bhakti Yoga and to get an idea of Sadhana, Seva and Sangha. Luckily we were blessed to have the special soul with us guiding our way what made a huge difference during our pilgrimage. Having a person with you who is so deeply anchored in the tradition, serving with all she can.
The Power of our Senses
Arriving in Vrindavan physically is one thing. You can get to Vrindavan by train (to Mathura), by car, by bike, by rickshaw. To really arrive it takes more than arriving physically. That is why we also visited the Gopeshwar Mahadev Mandir where Lord Shiva is residing. Lord Shiva is the guardian of Vrindavan so the Gopeshwar Mahadev Mandir is a starting point for people being on a pilgrimage in Vrindavan.
Vrindavan is noisy, the air is bad, I was sweating, I got pushed in temples, it is crowded (especially during Kartik), could be chaotic sometimes. One could think „How can this be one of the holiest places in the world?“. I worked on my patience and also on the way how I experience the outside world with me senses. Especially when it is crowded and I get pushed all the time. This could sometimes bring me close to a state of being sick of a place and making me want to leave immediately. But luckily the explanation for getting pushed is not because the people around me wanted to hurt me. Of course not. People around me in the temple are just so, so eager and full of bliss to see the deities in the temple, to worship and to pray. Actually a reason totally understandable, right? And isn’t it wonderful to see people with so much love and passion in their hearts. Same when you are at a concert of your favorite band. Almost everybody keeps on pushing towards the stage and wants to be as close as possible to their favorite band. That’s passion, that is longing to be closer. Closer to what or who you love.
Our journey through the holy Dham
- Gopeshwar Mahadev Mandir
- Radha Damodara Mandir
- Tatiya Sthan
- Yamuna Puja and Boat Ride
- Varsana
- Radha-Kund
- Goverdhan Parikrama
The Experiment
I invite you to start an experiment with your senses. The next time when your senses seem to be over stimulated/stressed by any influence from the outside, try to understand or see the reason behind it. E.g. sometimes we are really stressed by big trucks on the highways because they overtake, they drive slow and so on. But what are they actually doing? Some of them might carry your food to your supermarket, some of them might carry your fuel, your clothes, whatever. So there is a reason why this truck is there. Observe what happens when you change your perspective.
[Funny Formats and Designs might appear.]