Naimisaranya Dharma Yatra
The Hub of the Universe
Naimisaranya,
also known as ‘Nimsar’, is the aranya svarupa or forest manifestation of
Lord Visnu, and is therefore a most sacred tirtha. 'Naimishe' also
refers to Visnu's name, Animish, and Naimish-kshetra refers to the Abode
of Lord Visnu. Naimisaranya existed at the onset of the universe, and in Satya-yuga, it was the first ever
pilgrimage site manifested on the Earth planet. Suta Gosvami recited Srimad-Bhagavatam
to 88,000 sages assembled here. At the juncture of Dvapara-yuga and
present Kali-yuga, eighty thousand sages, headed by Saunaka Rsi wanted
to perform a sacrifice to hold off the effect of the oncoming evil age. They
approached Brahma and pleaded where they could perform a sacrifice that would
counteract the influence of Kali and have the greatest effect.
Brahma told them, “I will send a disc. Follow
it and perform your sacrifice where it hits the earth.” The disc (cakra) that Brahma sent went spinning down, sped toward
the Garbhodaka Ocean and passing through the six planetary systems, it finally
struck the earth at Cakra Tirtha, here at Naimisaranya. On seeing that the disc
was approaching earth at a tremendous speed, the sages became worried and
thought that it would strike the water and the splash would drown the earth.
So, they prayed to goddess Durga, the controller of the material energy. She
stopped the disc from going any farther.
This pastime explains why the lake at Cakra
Tirtha is bottomless. In the 19th century, to discredit this claim and prove
that this is a mythology, the British government sent a chain down into the
lake to find the bottom. After reaching one and a half miles, they gave up.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 1
verse 4, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains,
naimise
’nimisa-ksetre arsayah saunakadayah
satram svargāya
lokaya sahasra-samam asata
naimise — in the
forest known as Naimisaranya; animisa-ksetre — the spot which is especially a
favorite of Visnu (who does not close His eyelids); arsayah — sages;
aaunaka-adayah — headed by the sage Saunaka; satram — sacrifice; svargaya — the
Lord who is glorified in heaven; lokaya — and for the devotees who are always
in touch with the Lord; sahasra — one thousand; samam — years; asata —
performed.
"In a holy place in the forest of
Naimisaranya, great sages headed by the sage Saunaka assembled to perform a
great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His
devotees."
In the Vayaviya Tantra it is said that
Brahma, the engineer of this particular universe, contemplated a great wheel
which could enclose the universe. The hub of this great circle was fixed at a
particular place known as Naimisaranya. Similarly, there is another reference
to the forest of Naimisaranya in the Varaha Purana, where it is stated that by
performance of sacrifice at this place, the strength of demoniac people is
curtailed. Thus, brahmanas prefer Naimisaranya for such sacrificial
performances. [Purport]
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 1 describes that Suta
Gosvami recited Srimad-Bhagavatam to the assembly of great sages at
Naimisaranya. This place is marked by a spot called Suta Gadi. Suta Gadi Temple
is on a small, beautiful hillock at a short walk from Chakra Tirtha. Sri Sri
Radha Krishna and Lord Balarama are the presiding deities at the main altar.
Srila Suta Goswami’s deity is on the left side of the main deities.
Chakra Tirtha is situated at the centre of
Naimisaranya. This is the exact spot where the wheel sent by Brahma landed on
the earth. At Chakra Tirtha there is a huge wheel surrounding the bottomless
lake. Many devotees take a holy dip and perform the circumambulation
(parikrama) by encircling outside the huge wheel. Around the lake there are
important ancient temples dedicated to Lord Rama, Lord Badrinath and Lord Siva.
Near the main entrance of Chakra Tirtha, there is a painting of sages headed by
Sanuaka Rsi praying to Lord Brahma. The atmosphere at Chakra Tirtha is
devotional and captivating. On festival days, a huge number of pilgrims visit
this place.
Naimisaranya is situated on the banks of the
River Gomati in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. It is an easy 2-hour
drive from Lucknow, the state capital. This district is named after Sita as she
stayed with Lord Rama at this place during a pilgrimage. Afterwards, King
Vikramaditya established this city in the memory of Sita and gave this place
the name, Sitapur.
Lord Ramacandra performed the Tenth Aswamedha
yajna at Naimisaranya after returning from exile, as mentioned in the
Ramayana. This place is marked by the ancient Sri Rama Lakshmana Sita Temple
(also known as Siddheshwar Mahadev Mandir). The temple has beautiful deities of
Sri Sri Sita Rama Lakshmana.
Vyasa Gadi is one of the most important
sacred spots in Naimisaranya. Here Srila Vyasadeva bifurcated the Vedas into 6
Sastras, 18 Puranas. Here at Vyasa Gadi (also known as Vyasa Vatika or Vyasadhama),
Veda Vyasa lectured on the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad-Bhagavatam) to his
own son, Srila Sukadeva Goswami. At the centre of the main altar at Vyasa Gadi
Temple there is the deity of Srila Vyasadeva. On his right side there is a
deity of Srila Sukadeva Goswami and on left altar is Vyasadeva’s father,
Parasara Muni. Outside the Vyasa Gadi temple there is an ancient 5099-year-old
banyan tree.
Manu-Satrupa Tapsthala is located directly
opposite to Vyasa Gadi. At this place, Svayambhuva Manu
and his wife Satarupa performed rigorous austerities for thousands of years.
Naimisaranya at that time was dense forest, and was a famous place for
gaining siddhi, or concrete achievement in spiritual life. Inside
the temple there are deities of Sri Sri Sita Rama. On Their side are Svayambhuva
Manu and Satarupa. Outside the main altar, there are
deities of Svayambhuva Manu and Satarupa
performing austerities. Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 chapter 1 describes
Svayambhuva Manu begot three daughters in his wife, Satarupa, and their names
were Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. Priyavrata and Uttanapada were their sons.
Devahuti got married to Kardama Muni and their son was Lord Kapila.
Dadhici Kunda and Dadhici Muni’s residence is
at Misrikh, 10 km from Naimisaranya. Here the great sage Dadhici gave up his
body to Indra so that he could kill Vrstrasura, as described in Canto 6 of
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Inside Dadhici’s residence there is the exact spot
where he sacrificed his bones. There are also shrines dedicated to his father
and mother. There is also a beautiful garden which has a rare Parijata tree.
After Indra obtained the body of Dadhici, a thunderbolt was prepared from Dadhici’s
bones, and a fight took place between Vrstrasura and the demigods at the end of
Satya-yuga and the beginning of Treta-yuga. Sita Kunda (also
known as Janaki Kunda) is a short distance from Dadhici Kunda. At this place,
Sita devi took bath.
In another pastime about Naimisaranya,
the Ramayana relates that Ravana once captured Rama
and Lakshmana and kept Them in Patalaloka, at the bottom of the universe. But
Their servant Hanuman rescued Them. He took Them on his shoulders, sped up
through the lower planetary systems, and came back up to the earth at
Naimisaranya. So, in Naimisaranya, at a place called Hanuman Garhi, there is a
big 18 feet tall self-manifested Hanuman deity standing with Lord Rama on one
shoulder and Lakshmana on the other. When devotees come to get darshan, they
offer laddus (round sweets) to Hanuman Ji. Hanuman Garhi
at Naimisaranya is one of the most beautiful places in the Tirtha.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 chapter 79 describes Lord
Balarama’s visit to Naimisaranya and the liberation of the demon
Balvala. “At the sacrificial arena of the sages at Naimisaranya forest, a
harsh wind began to blow on the new-moon day, spreading the obnoxious smell of
pus and obscuring everything with dust. The demon Balvala then appeared there with
a trident in his hand, his massive body pitch black and his face very
frightening. Lord Baladeva caught the demon with His plow and then struck him a
ferocious blow on the head with His club, killing him. The sages chanted Lord
Baladeva’s glories and presented Him with lavish gifts.”
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10.79.30 describes that
sometime later, Lord Balarama again went to Naimisaranya: “Lord Balarama
returned to Naimisaranya, where the sages joyfully engaged Him, the embodiment
of all sacrifice, in performing various kinds of Vedic sacrifice. Lord Balarama
was now retired from warfare.”
Pandavas visited Naimisaranya during their
exile. Their residence is close to Hanuman Garhi temple. Here we can have the
darshans of Lord Sri Krishna, Queen Kunti and the five Pandavas – Yudhisthira,
Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura visited Naimisaranya. This math was
established by Srila Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Goswami Thakur on 1925. Sri
Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vinod Vilas Jiu are the presiding deities at the
Temple. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta generally opened temples in cities where the
people are, but he also opened several temples in places of spiritual
importance, even though not very populated. There is a following account in ‘A
Ray of Visnu’: “Srila Sarasvati Thakura also went to Badarinarayana, the
site of the first Srimad-Bhagavatam recitation; to Sukara-tala, the site of the
second recitation of the Bhagavatam; and to Naimisaranya, the site of the
Bhagavatam’s third recitation, and he preached the glories of these places.”
The Holy Dhama of Naimisharanya encompasses a
significant area of land, covering a radius of about 130 kilometres. Lord
Nityananda, Sripad Ramanujacarya, Sankaracarya and many great saintly personalities
have visited Naimisaranya Dhama. The followers of Sripad Ramanujacarya
sampradaya count Naimisaranya amongst 108 Divya Desam Ksetras.
This glorious forest of Naimisaranya embodies
for us the glories of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The name 'Naimisaranya' is
related to the term 'naimi', referring to the chakra released by Brahma
that split the earth open. It is also associated with the sage Gourmukh, who
incinerated an asura to ashes here. Varaha Purana states that
Lord Visnu once destroyed an entire army of asuras in one second at
Naimisaranya, with His Chakra. 'Nimish' means 'an instant', and refers to the
place in Naimisaranya forest where this pastime took place.
Naimisaranya is an easy 2-hour drive from
Lucknow. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) has a temple
in Lucknow. Spread in a wonderful campus in the Golf Link area of Lucknow amid
beautiful gardens, this is the home of gorgeous and merciful Sri Sri Radha
Raman Bihari. Temple also has a Gaushala, Govindas Food Court, and a wedding
banquet venue.
At
the present, most of the temples and holy shrines in Naimisaranya are being
well developed and maintained. Signage posts to visit these holy places are
marked clearly. Indeed, it is worth visiting the important ancient Sri
Naimisaranya Dhama. Sri Ayodhya Dhama is close by; only a
2-hour drive from Lucknow.
Places to visit in and around Naimisaranya:
1.
Chakra Tirtha
2.
Suta Gadi
3.
Vyasa Gadi
4.
Dadhici Kunda (10 km away at Misrikh)
5.
Sita Kunda (10 km away at Misrikh)
6.
Hanuman Garhi
7.
Pandavas residence
8.
Lord Rama’s Aswamedha Yajna Sthala (Siddheshwar Mahadev Mandir)
9.
Sri Paramahansa Gaudiya Math
10.
Manu-Satrupa Tapsthala
11.
Sri Lalita Devi Temple
12.
Gola Gokaran Nath (110 km away, near Nepal border)
13.
Hanumat Dham (125 km away)
14.
ISKCON Lucknow Temple
1.
Chakra Tirtha
Chakra
Tirtha is situated at the centre of Naimisaranya. This is the exact spot where
the wheel sent by Brahma landed on the earth. At the main entrance of Chakra
Tirtha there is a huge gate. Just as one enters, there is a painting of sages
headed by Sanuaka Rsi praying to Lord Brahma. At Chakra Tirtha there is a huge
wheel surrounding the bottomless lake. Many devotees take a holy dip and
perform the circumambulation (parikrama) by encircling outside the huge wheel.
Around the lake there are important ancient temples dedicated to Lord Rama,
Lord Badrinath and Lord Siva. The atmosphere at Chakra Tirtha is devotional and
captivating. On festival days, a huge number of pilgrims visit this place.
At
the juncture of Dvapara-yuga and present Kali-yuga, eighty
thousand sages, headed by Saunaka Rsi wanted to perform a sacrifice to hold off
the effect of the oncoming evil age. They approached Brahma and pleaded where
they could perform a sacrifice that would counteract the influence of Kali and
have the greatest effect. Brahma told them, “I will send a disc. Follow it and
perform your sacrifice where it hits the earth.” The disc (cakra) that Brahma sent went spinning down, sped toward
the Garbhodaka Ocean and passing through the six planetary systems it finally
struck the earth at Cakratirtha, here at Naimisaranya. On seeing that the disc
was approaching earth at a tremendous speed, the sages became worried and
thought that it would strike the water and the splash would drown the earth.
So, they prayed to goddess Durga, the controller of the material energy. She
stopped the disc from going any farther.
This pastime explains why the lake at Cakra
Tirtha is bottomless. In the 19th century, to discredit this claim and prove
that this is a mythology, the British government sent a chain down into the
lake to find the bottom. After reaching one and a half miles, they gave up.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 1
verse 4, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains, "In
a holy place in the forest of Naimisaranya, great sages headed by the sage
Saunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the
satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees." In the Vayaviya Tantra
it is said that Brahma, the engineer of this particular universe, contemplated
a great wheel which could enclose the universe. The hub of this great circle
was fixed at a particular place known as Naimisaranya. Similarly, there is
another reference to the forest of Naimisaranya in the Varaha Purana, where it
is stated that by performance of sacrifice at this place, the strength of
demoniac people is curtailed. Thus, brahmanas prefer Naimisaranya for such sacrificial
performances. [Purport]
Welcome to Sri Naimisaranya Dhama
Entrance of Sri Chakra Tirtha The great sages praying to Lord Brahma Ancient temple of Sri Sri Sita Rama Lakshmana at
Chakra Tirtha
Ancient temple of Lord Badrinath at Chakra Tirtha Ancient temple of Lord Siva at Chakra Tirtha
2. Suta
Gadi
Srimad-Bhagavatam
Canto 1 chapter 1
describes that Suta Gosvami recited Srimad-Bhagavatam to the assembly of
great sages at Naimisaranya. This place is marked by spot called Suta Gadi.
Suta Gadi Temple is on a small, beautiful hillock at a short walk from Chakra
Tirtha. Sri Sri Radha Krishna and Lord Balarama are the presiding deities at
the main altar. Suta Goswami’s deity is on the left side of the main deities.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
(Bhagavata Purana) is the transcendental science for understanding the Supreme Lord, and
that the ultimate goal of life for all human beings is to attain the stage of prema,
or love of the Supreme Lord. It is spotless literature not only for knowing the
ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relation with Him and
our duty toward perfection of the human society on the basis of this perfect
knowledge. It is a powerful reading matter and is meant for the ultimate good
of all people. By a careful reading, one will know the Supreme Lord perfectly
well, so much so that the reader will be sufficiently educated to defend
himself from the onslaught of atheists. Over and above this, the reader will be
able to convert others to accept the Supreme Lord as a concrete principle.
(Preface to Srimad-Bhagavatam)
Sri Suta Gadi Temple
Sri Sri Radha Krishna and Lord Balarama are the
presiding deities at the main altar Sri Sri Radha Krishna and Lord Balarama are the
presiding deities at the main altar Sages in the Forest of NaimisharanyaSaunaka, the leader of the sages gathered at the forest of
Naimisharanya, said to Suta Goswami, the speaker of Srimad-Bhagavatam, "O
Suta, may you live a long life! O saintly one, best of speakers, please continue
speaking to us. Indeed, only you can show men the path out of ignorance in
which they are wandering." Saunaka then questioned Suta about the history
of Markandeya Rshi, a great sage who had survived the previous annihilation of
the universe. Suta Goswami replies, "O great sage Saunaka, your very
question will help remove everyone's illusion, for it leads to the topics of
Lord Narayana [the Supreme Personality of Godead], which cleanse away the
contamination of this Kali age." 3. Vyasa Gadi Vyasa Gadi is one of the most important sacred spots in Naimisaranya.
Here Srila Vyasadeva bifurcated the Vedas into 6 Sastras, 18 Puranas. Srila
Vyasadeva is the empowered plenary portion incarnation of Lord Krishna. Here at
Vyasa Gadi (also known as Vyasa Vatika or Vyasadhama), Veda Vyasa
lectured on the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad-Bhagavatam) to his own son,
Srila Sukadeva Goswami. At the centre of the main altar at Vyasa Gadi Temple
there is the deity of Srila Vyasadeva. On his right side there is a deity of
Sukadeva Goswami and on left altar is Vyasadeva’s father, Parasara Muni.
Outside the Vyasa Gadi temple there is an ancient 5099-year-old banyan
tree. The local pujaries say that every year during the Gita Jayanti
book marathon in December, a lot of ISKCON devotees come here and distribute Bhagavad-Gita
As It Is to the pilgrims visiting here. Next to the temple there is also a yajna-shala
(sacrificial arena). Just behind the Vyasa Gadi temple, a tributary of Ganges
River flows.
At the centre of the main altar at Vyasa Gadi Temple
there is the deity of Srila Vyasadeva. On his right side there is a deity of
Sukadeva Goswami and on left altar is Vyasadeva’s father, Parasara Muni Parasara Muni, father of Srila Vyasadeva Srila Vyasadeva and Srimad-Bhagavatam Gomati River flows just
behind the Vyasa Gadi temple 5099-year-old ancient banyan tree at Vyasa Gadi Temple
4. Dadhici Kunda
Dadhici Kunda and Dadhici Muni’s residence is at Misrikh, 10 km from
Naimisaranya. Among the many inconceivable pastimes that have taken place at
the holy dhama of Naimisaranya are those of the great sage Dadhici. Dadhici
gave up his body here to Indra so that he could kill Vrstrasura. Dadhici
placed himself, the spirit soul, at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and in this way gave up his gross material body made of five
elements. After Indra obtained the body of Dadhici, a thunderbolt was
manufactured by Visvakarma from the bones of Dadhici. A fierce battle took
place between demigods and the demons at the end of Satya-yuga and the
beginning of Treta-yuga on the bank of Narmada. Vrstrasura was
later killed by Indra using the thunderbolt made from the bones of Dadhici.
This pastime is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 6, chapters 7 to 13.
Vrstrasura, in his previous birth, was a great devotee king Citraketu. Being
cursed by Mother Parvati, he took birth as a demon Vrstrasura. However, due to
his intense loving devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri
Krishna, he obtained the Lord’s lotus feet at the end of his life, even being
born as a demon Vrstrasura.
Inside Dadhici’s residence there is the exact spot where he sacrificed
his bones. There are also shrines dedicated to his father, mother and wife.
There is also a beautiful garden which has a rare Parijata tree. Local pujaries
say that this tree is green for 6 months and for next 6 months it doesn’t have
leaves. Every day, irrespective, there is one highly fragrant flower that comes
on the tree and is offered to the deities.
Outside the main gate of Dadhici’s residence there is a huge and
beautiful Dadhici Kunda. Before donating his bones, Dadhici Muni wanted to take
a bath in all the holy waters around the country before sacrificing himself,
but he had no time. So, Indra brought waters of all holy Tirthas to
Naimisaranya and hence it is also known as ‘Misrikh Tirtha’ or Dadhici Kunda.
In another pastime about Dadhici Muni, Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 6,
chapter 9 verse 52 purport describes: The great saint Dadhici had perfect
knowledge of how to perform fruitive activities, and he had advanced spiritual
knowledge as well. Knowing this, the Asvini-kumaras once approached him and
begged him to instruct them in spiritual science (brahma-vidya). Dadhici
Muni replied, “I am now engaged in arranging sacrifices for fruitive
activities. Come back some time later.” When the Asvini-kumaras left, Indra,
the King of heaven, approached Dadhici and said, “My dear Muni, the Asvini-kumaras
are only physicians. Please do not instruct them in spiritual science. If you
impart the spiritual science to them despite my warning, I shall punish you by
cutting off your head.” After warning Dadhici in this way, Indra returned to
heaven. The Asvini-kumaras, who understood Indra’s desires, returned and begged
Dadhici for brahma-vidya. When the great saint Dadhici informed them of
Indra’s threat, the Asvini-kumaras replied, “Let us first cut off your head and
replace it with the head of a horse. You can instruct brahma-vidya
through the horse’s head, and when Indra returns and cuts off that head, we
shall reward you and restore your original head.” Since Dadhici had promised to
impart brahma-vidya to the Aavinī-kumaras, he agreed to their proposal.
Therefore, because Dadhici imparted brahma-vidya through the mouth of a
horse, this brahma-vidya is also known as Asvasira.
Entrance of Dadhici Muni’s residence Deities worshiped at Dadhici’s residence Dadhici’s father, Atharva Exact spot where Dadhici Muni donated his bones to
Indra Dadhici donating his bones to Indra
Parijata tree at Dadhici’s
residence
Indra defeats Vritrasura using the thunderbolt made
from Dadhici’s bones 5. Sita Kunda Close to Dadhici Kunda is the revered Sita or Janaki Kunda. Another name
of Sita is Janaki as she was the daughter of Maharaja Janaka. At this place,
Sita devi took bath. This kunda is deep.
Sita Kunda
6. Hanuman Garhi
As described in the Ramayana, in Treta-yuga, another
pastime took place involving Sri Rama Lakshmana, the great devotee Hanuman, and
the demon Ravana. When the demon Ravana captured Rama and Lakshmana and
spirited them off to Patalaloka, at the bottom of the universe, Hanuman rescued
them. While bringing Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders, Makardhvaj changed
their path, and this resulted in Hanuman arriving in Naimisaranya.
There is a self-manifested Hanuman deity here, standing 18 feet tall,
with Rama on one shoulder and Lakshmana on the other. When
devotees come to get darshan, they offer laddus (round
sweets) to Hanuman Ji. Hanuman Garhi at Naimisaranya is one of the most beautiful
places in the Tirtha. (Reference: On Pilgrimage in Holy
India book by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaj)
Hanuman Ji at with Lord Rama on one shoulder
and Lakshmana on the other
7. Pandavas Residence
Pandavas came to Naimisaranya during their exile. Pandavas residence
also known as Pancha Pandava Temple is located close to Hanuman Garhi temple.
Here we can have the darshans of Lord Sri Krishna, Draupadi, and the five
Pandavas – Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
Entrance of Pandavas residence Five Pandavas – Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and
Sahadeva, Lord Sri Krishna (centre) and Draupadi Lord Sri Krishna 8. Lord Rama’s Aswamedha Yajna Sthala (Siddheshwar
Mahadev Mandir) Lord Ramacandra performed the Tenth Aswamedha yajna at Naimisaranya
after returning from exile, as mentioned in the Ramayana. This place is marked
by the ancient Sri Rama Lakshmana Sita Temple (also known as Siddheshwar
Mahadev Mandir). Temple has beautiful deities of Sri Sri Sita Rama Lakshmana.
On the side of this temple there is the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Lord Rama’s Aswamedha Yajna Sthala Sri Sri Sita Rama Lakshmana
9. Sri Paramahansa Gaudiya Math
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura visited Naimisaranya. This math
was established by Srila Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Goswami Thakur on 1925.
Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vinod Vilas Jiu are the presiding deities at the
Temple. This Math is on Sri Lalita Devi Temple road.
There is a following account in ‘A Ray of Visnu’: “Srila Sarasvati
Thakura also went to Badarinarayana, the site of the first Srimad-Bhagavatam
recitation; to Sukara-tala, the site of the second recitation of the
Bhagavatam; and to Naimisaranya, the site of the Bhagavatam’s third recitation,
and he preached the glories of these places.”
Sri Paramahansa Gaudiya Math Sri Paramahansa Gaudiya Math Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Radha Vinod Vilas Jiu
10. Manu-Satrupa Tapsthala
Manu-Satrupa Tapsthala is located directly opposite to Vyasa Gadi. At
this place, Svayambhuva Manu and his wife Satarupa
performed rigorous austerities for 23,000 years. Naimisaranya at that time was
dense forest, and was a famous place for gaining siddhi, or
concrete achievement in spiritual life. Inside the temple there are deities of
Sri Sri Sita Rama. On Their side are Svayambhuva Manu and Satarupa. Outside the main altar, there are deities of Svayambhuva
Manu and Satarupa performing austerities. Srimad-Bhagavatam
Canto 4 chapter 1 describes Svayambhuva Manu begot three daughters in his
wife, Satarupa, and their names were Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. They also had
sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada. Devahuti got married to Kardama Muni and their
son was Lord Kapila.
Lord Siva once explained to Parvati the reason for the
three primary manifestations of Lord Ramacandra. The second of these reasons is
connected to the penance performed by Manu and Satarupa here at Naimisaranya.
Although living a royal life, Svayambhuva Manu also
lived like a sage for prolonged periods. At one point, he became frustrated by
worldly matters, and handed rule of his empire over to his son. Taking his wife
Satarupa, he went to Naimisaranya to take up residence in a hermitage. In their
hermitage, the couple led a very strict life, taking only fruits and roots as
foodstuffs. Soon, however, they began to accept only water, and fell into a
deep meditation.
Their great desire was to have a vision of the Supreme
Lord, who is the source of infinite pleasure, and from whom inconceivable
incarnations and expansions emanate over the course of the kalpas. They
ceased taking water and began to live on air alone. Next, the couple entered an
even more stringent program of austerity, ceasing all breath. Standing on one
leg and taking no air. During this time, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva visited them
several times, offering them boons to refrain from such extreme austerities.
But nothing could deviate them from their meditation. Their bodies had simply
become skeletons. Eventually, the Supreme Lord directly intervened, and both
Manu and Satarupa heard a great voice from the skies. The sound vibration
restored their skeletal bodies, and they again became healthy and beautiful
figures, appearing as fresh as if they had just arrived from the royal palace.
In this state, they entered into a fathomless ocean of love for Lord Hari.
Both prayed to get darshan of the Lord. Thus, the
Supreme Personality, the devotee-lover, treasure house of bliss, the
omnipresent and almighty Lord appeared before the praying couple. His hue was
greater than the azure skies and blue hills; His face was like the full autumn
moon, His throat decorated with three lines, like a conch. His eyes were like
freshly blossomed lotus petals, His ears were ornamented with makarakundala;
He had a jewel crown on His head and His chest bore a beautiful footmark.
Jewelled garlands covered His neck and chest and He was dressed in yellow
sapphire. His bow and arrow were in His hands and an arrow bag behind His
waist. On His left was Janaki.
Both Manu and Satarupa were content to stared without
blinking at the beautiful Form of the Lord, and they lost their own bodily
senses. Falling at the feet of the Supreme, Manu prayed to get a son like Him.
This wish was granted by the Supreme Lord, who assured the couple that He would
take birth as their son in some future kalpa. Janaki would also take
birth along with the Lord. Thus, by Krishna’s arrangement, Manu would become the
king of Ayodhya, and Rama would take birth as his son. The Lord promised it
three times, then disappeared. Afterwards, Manu and Satarupa lived for a few
days more in the hermitage, on the bank of the sacred Gomati, before taking
their last breath.
Entrance of Manu-Satrupa Tapsthala Sri Sri Sita Rama. On Their side are Svayambhuva Manu
and his wife Satarupa Sri Sri Sita Rama. On Their side are Svayambhuva Manu
and his wife Satarupa.
Svayambhuva Manu performing austerities standing on
one leg Satarupa performing austerities
11. Sri Lalita Devi Temple
As described above, on seeing that Lord Brahma’s chakra (disc) was
approaching the earth at a tremendous speed, the sages became worried and
thought that it would strike the water and the splash would drown the earth.
So, they prayed to goddess Durga, the controller of the material energy. A
manifestation of Durga, Sri Lalita Devi, appeared at Naimisharanya to stop the
disc from going farther. The water gushed from the earth where the chakra
landed. Adi Sankaracarya established the temple of Sri Lalita Devi.
12. Gola Gokaran Nath
Sri Gokarnanath Temple at Naimisaranya is a representation of the
original Gola Gokaran Nath, located 110 km from Naimisaranya in northern Uttar Pradesh,
near the Nepal border. During the great war of Ramayana in Treta-yuga,
Ravana pleased Lord Siva with his penance so that he could win the war against
Lord Rama. Lord Siva took the shape of a Siva-linga and directed him to
install it in Sri Lanka. But Lord Siva proposed the condition that Siva-linga
should not be put on the ground on its way to Lanka. But on the way back,
Ravana had to give the Siva-linga to a shepherd to attend nature's call.
Lord Siva increased the weight of the Siva-linga, so the shepherd had to
give up and put it on the ground.
This made Ravana very angry as he understood the trickery of Lord Siva.
Ravana realized that Lord Siva did not want the linga to be carried to
Lanka and let Ravana win the war. Enraged, Ravana pressed the linga with
his thumb, resulting in an impression which looked like a cow's ear (go
karna). It is on this basis that the place was named Gola Gokarana Nath.
Apart from the main shrine, there are several small temples and holy water
bodies in this place. In the main temple, there is a round stone in a well four
feet below the ground like a linga or phallus. Nearby, there is
Gajmochan Lake, which is worth a visit.
13. Hanumat Dham
About 125 km from Naimisaranya is Hanumat Dham in Shahjahanpur. It is
famous for a 104-foot-tall grand murti of Hanuman Ji. Many devotees come and take the darshans. The holy site is at Visratghat on the banks of the Khannaut River.
104-foot-tall grand murti of Hanuman Ji at Hanumat Dham
14. ISKCON Lucknow Temple
Spread in a wonderful campus in the Golf Link area of Lucknow amid
beautiful gardens, this is the home of gorgeous and merciful Sri Sri Radha
Raman Bihari. The temple also has a Gaushala, Govindas Food Court and a wedding
banquet venue.
Entrance of Sri Sri Radha Raman Bihari ISKCON Lucknow
Temple Beautiful gardens inside ISKCON Lucknow campus leading
to the Temple Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Raman Bihari Sri Sri Radha Raman Bihari Gaushala at ISKCON Lucknow His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-acraya of International Society for Krishna
consciousness (ISKCON)
Beautiful gardens at ISKCON Lucknow campus Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Lord Balarama Kills Balvala To satisfy the request of the brahmanas at Naimisharanya, Lord Balarama
prepared to meet the demon Balvala. At the time when the demon usually came
there, a storm filled the sky and then Balvala began to throw stool and other
impure substances on the arena of sacrifice. Balvala was a gigantic blackish
person, and as he approached, flying in the sky, Lord Balarama immediately
dragged him down with His plow and angrily smashed the demon's head with His
club. (Summarized from Krishna Book, Chapter 79)
Directions to reach Naimisaranya:
Naimisaranya is an easy 2-hour drive from Lucknow, the capital of Uttar
Pradesh state. Lucknow is well connected by flights, rail and road from
throughout India.
Useful Resources:
Naimisaranya Dhama Yatra 1999 lectures by HH Radhanath
Swami Maharaj:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
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