Gokulnathji or Gokuleshji means the lord of cows, Prithvi, our senses and the rasas of life.
Gokulnathji’s Swaroop
The fair, chaturbhuj swaroop of Gokulnathji is around 2 inches tall. Gokulnathji holds a flute in two hands towards His left, a Shankha in His left lower palm and His cupped right upper arm is raised upwards.
Gokulnathji’s eyes are downcast. Here He adorns Himself in feminine clothes, wears a plait, armlets, bracelets, bangles, anklets and floral garlands. But He also wears a Paag.
Gokuleshji stands in the midst of a half bloomed lotus. His left leg is poised towards His right. His right leg is tilted and rests lightly behind his left leg.
Radha stands on Gokulnathji’s left and holds a chammar (yak tail whisk) and a flute in her hands. Chandravali stands to His right and holds a chammar and a chaddi in her hands.
Gokulnathji’s Goverdhan Leela
According to the 24th Adhyaya of the 10th Skanda of the Bhagavad Purana, Gokunathji symbolises the Tamasic leelas of Krishna.
When Gokulanathji asks the Vrajwasis to worship the mount of Goverdhan instead of Indra, Indra gets angry and floods Vraj with incessant rain for seven days. The Vrajwasis are naïve folks.
All they know is this: It is written in the Vedas that unwavering faith enables them to surrender completely to their lord. And also that Gokulnathji alone can help them overcome their adversities. So they do what they always do. Without asking any questions.
They openly confide their fears in Gokulnathji and ask Him to give them the courage to cope with whatever is in store for them – their karma. And then leave it to Him to do the rest.
And what does Gokulnathji do for his bhaktas? He does the unimaginable. He lifts the entire mount of Goverdhan on the little finger of His left hand and protects all the Vrajwasis from Indra’s rage – for seven days.
Radha and Chandravali are a part of Krishna’s essence after all. They understand that Gokulnathji is going out of the way to protect his devotees. So they fan him with a chammar to soothe Him, play the flute to help Him relax and offer Him a chaddi to rest his tired limbs upon for a while.
The essence of Gokulnathji’s swaroop
Gokulnathji’s eyes are downcast because He wants us to reflect on His swaroop and leelas. He wants us to understand the messages He sends our way. In His realm, things like age, gender and cultural norms cease to matter. All jivas matter to Him. He holds everyone close to His heart. And He accepts everything that we, his bhaktas offer Him with utmost love. Gokulnathji adorns himself in unique clothes and ornaments to remind us of this.
Gokulnathji holds a Shankha in his left lower hand. Why? The Shankha, a symbol of communication also cleanses our sins. Gokulnathji symbolically tells us, “I can hear you when you call out to me. I understand your concerns. I can feel your pain and anxiety.
Like Radha and Chandravali, you too are a part of my essence. I too am incomplete without your bhakti. So I rush to your aid when you call out to me with utmost faith in your hearts. Ah. Yes. I, Gokunathji will cleanse your sins and clear your karmic debts too.”
Yes, Gokuleshji reveals his divinity to us at crucial junctures of our lives. Always. And what does He do after that? With His cupped right upper hand, Gokulnathji symbolically conveys this message to us, “Don’t let your fears of the unknown overwhelm you so much. For I am here to protect you from the evil forces ( Indra’s rage) that surround you and will help you evolve to a higher realm.”
And that is not all. Gokulnathji then goes on to play his mystic flute to comfort us. And transports us to His divine realm for a brief span of time.
Gokulnathji reiterates this message to us with his left leg. He says, “O manavas, consciously set aside your worldly fears and hungers. Take the effort to connect to me regularly. Then leave the rest to me. For my will alone prevails over the cosmos.”
And with his right leg Gokulnathji’s emphatically says, “I am Krishna. I never fail my devotees. Remember. I will come to your aid at the right time and help you cope with the challenges of your material world.”
Gokulnathji wears all kinds of ornaments and stands on a half bloomed lotus. He says, “Enjoy all the aspects of your lives as you live through it. But learn to remain unaffected by the ups and downs of life. For all that you experience is but a part of my leelas. Have unwavering faith in me. And I will do what I have to. For you.”
Gokulnathji: Pragatya
It is believed that originally Gokulnathji’s swaroop presided over Swarga. Indra used to offer his seva to Gokulnathji. When Ravan conquered Swarga and overthrew Indra, his brother Vibhishan brought Gokulnathji’s swaroop home.
Several yugas later, Gokulnathji’s swaroop found its way into Venu Bhattji’s home. Venu Bhattji performed the Panchayatana pooja (in which four deities and one Ishta Devata are worshipped) when he got his daughter married to Mahaprabhuji. He gave the swaroop of Gokulnathji to his daughter as a wedding gift.
And that is how the swaroop of Gokulnathji found its way into Mahaprabhuji’s home in Adel. Gusainji and his fourth son Gokulnathji continued to perform the seva of Gokulnathji for several years. After this Gokulnathji enshrined Gokulnathji’s swaroop in a big beautiful temple in Gokul. Even today, we can do the darshan of Gokulnathji in this temple.
Crises, extremely grave life and death situations – force us to accept the harsh reality. We realise that we cannot always control everything in our lives. There is a higher power. And Krishna alone can help us through it.
We don’t learn to let go. We let go because we don’t have a choice. And we prepare ourselves for the worst as we call out to Him. And ask Him to give us the strength to cope with what is coming our way.
It is at such times that Gokulnathji comes to our aid. In the oddest of manners when we least expect it. Gokulnathji holds us close to His heart, removes the last vestige of every fear that plagues our hearts and makes us feel safe.
He smiles at us and whispers this into our souls, “This is what love and life is all about. Don’t let it affect you so much. Learn to take it in your stride with a smile on your face.
Yes, I put you through my leelas. I can feel your fear and pain because you too are a part of me. I will come rushing to your aid. Always. Because I too thrive on the love you shower upon me. And I need you as much as you need me.”
And all we can do is nod in assent and look at Him with awe. For we now know that He transports us to His divine realm whenever we call out to Him. A realm in which only two people, He and I can exist. In Ananda. Forever.
And then He takes over. Our lives. Completely. And all we can do is witness His miracles. And sob with relief and devotion as we see Him smiling back at us. Benignly. As usual.
Photo given by: Shri. Yogeshji and Smt. Veena.
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