MadanMohanji : Swaroop
MadanMohanji’s swaroop is approximately 4 inches tall. He wears feminine clothes and holds a flute towards His right in both his hands. His eyes are open and he looks straight ahead. MadanMohanji adorns himself with jewellery, floral garlands and a Mukut. He wears a Janoi around His neck.
MadanMohanji’s left foot rests firmly on the ground and is tilted towards His right. His right foot rests lightly behind His left foot. Radha and Chandravali stand towards MadanMohanji’s left and right respectively with lotus buds in their cupped palms.
The essence of MadanMohanji’s Swaroop
Madan means Kama Dev. Moha means ignorance, delusion and darkness. MadanMohanji helps us understand the true meaning of love, break free from the intoxication of life’s joys and sorrows and dispels our illusions.
MadanMohanji’s Attire
MadanMohanji has a male body but He loves wearing feminine clothes. Also, MadanMohanji engages in the MahaRaas with the gopis when He is a mere boy of 8 years. The gopis are married and have children too. Yet they come running to Vrindavan in the middle of the night leaving behind their homes, hearths and families when they hear Krishna playing the flute and engage in the Rasa Leela too with Him.
We worship this aspect of Krishna as MadanMohanji. He holds his flute to His right and tells us that pure love is sacred and spiritual. It transcends barriers like age, gender, time and marital status and can never be confined by our societal norms.
He wears a Janoi around his neck to indicate that He, MadanMohanji, the Jagat Guru is always above and beyond such cultural norms and Vedic knowledge too.
MadanMohanji’s stance
Through His stance, MadanMohanji says, “It is perfectly fine to experience every aspect of life fully and get intoxicated by the myriad joys and sorrows that it offers to you. For this too will eventually help you progress spiritually and lead you towards Ananda. And this, in turn, will give you the strength to cope with your materialistic life in a better manner.”
MadanMohanji’s flute, Radha and Chandravali
It is believed that Devi Chandravali resides in Krishna’s flute, His Vamshi and her love for Krishna flows through the mystic melodies that He creates during the MahaRaas. Devi Chandravali is another facet of Radha’s divine love. That is why MadanMohanji is flanked by Radha and Chandravali.
Ah. Yes. Both Radha and Chandravali hold lotus buds in their cupped palms to symbolise that they are yet to explore, understand and experience the myriad aspects of the Jagat Guru’s love.
The MahaRaas
The 29th Adhyaya of the 10th Skandha of Shrimad Bhagavad clearly states that Madanmohanji represents Tamasic Guna and that He engages in a Maha Raas with the gopis in Vrindavan. Even our scriptures clearly cite that the Raas Leela does not mean romantic love of the material world and it is, in fact, an expression of our soul’s spiritual love for Krishna.
Some call the MahaRaas as Krishna’s Tandava and say that the Krishna’s Raas Leela takes place for only one night with the gopis of Vrindavan. But there is a catch here too. And it is Krishna’s catch. Krishna uses his supernatural powers to extend the time to one night of Brahma which therefore extends to billions of human years.
MadanMohanji and Kamadeva
When the gopis hear Krishna playing the flute they leave their homes, children and husbands too to experience the joys of physical union with MadanMohanji during the MahaRaas.
Now once it so happens that Kama Deva, who thinks that he is the greatest lover amongst all Gods, tries to woo the gopis away from MadanMohanji and the MahaRaas with his charming looks.
But the gopis pay no attention to him. When Kama Deva catches a glimpse of the cosmic form and beauty of MadanMohanji during the MahaRaas, he is awestruck and retreats to his abode because his pride is shattered. Completely.
MadanMohanji’s discussion with the Vrajwasis
MadanMohanji says, “Love can never be confined to the physical realm alone. But we cannot ignore the physical aspect of love either. In fact, we should indulge and rejoice in the physical form of love too – for that too is necessary for spiritual progress.”
The naïve Vrajwasis ask MadanMohanji several questions regarding these contradictory aspects of love after the MahaRaas. MadanMohanji engages in a detailed discussion with all of them. We understand the essence of this discussion through this keertan.
MadanMohanji’s keertan
When we loosely translate the lyrics of this keertan dedicated to Madanmohanji we understand the dialogue between the Vrajwasis and MadanMohanji. They all say, “I heard the mystic notes of MadanMohan’s flute and abandoned my home, hearth and family too. I yearned for just one thing – to listen to the divine melodies of MadanMohan’s flute. But when I saw the beautiful body of MadanMohan I got attracted towards it.”
“I asked Him, “Why did you leave your house and came here at this time of the night wearing so much jewellery and these feminine clothes? Aren’t you breaking Dharma by engaging in a MahaRaas with us gopis, who are married and have children and families to look after?”
But Madan Mohan, the fearless confident dark-skinned son of Nanda said, “I have scant regard for your societal barriers or your perception of Dharma. To me, Dharma means being true to myself. And I understand only the language of the soul’s love.
Reflect on your societal and cultural norms. Shatter and discard your illusions and outdated beliefs. Meditate on my swaroop. And listen to your conscience. For only when you do justice to your conscience can you walk on the path of Dharma.”
The gopis then say, “Nothing that you say makes any sense to me anymore. For you steal my heart when you play on your flute. I cannot resist your charming ways O MadanMohan. Your divine music fills my entire being with Ananda. I am not myself anymore. I have surrendered my all – my body, soul and wealth to you. Bless me with only one thing. That you will never ever leave Vraj and will stay here forever.”
History of MadanMohanji’s Swaroop
When Mahaprabhuji’s ancestor, Yagna Narayan Bhatt performs the first Soma Yagna MadanMohanji emerges out of the Yagna Vedi and says, “I am pleased with your yagna. I will be born as the son of your descendant when he performs the 100th Soma Yagna. MadanMohanji then disappears after blessing Yagna Narayan. But Yagna Narayan is pleasantly surprised when he finds a beautiful swaroop of Madan Mohanji in the Yagna Vedi.
Yagna Narayan and his descendants offer their seva to MadanMohanji. Years later, Mahaprabhuji finds this swaroop in Varsa. Mahaprabhuji, his son Gusainji, and grandson Ghanshyamji offer their seva to this swaroop.
Ghanshyamji first enshrined this swaroop in Adel after which it was enshrined in Mathura, Gokul and Jaipur. MadanMohanji now resides in a big beautiful temple in Kamvan.
The Jagat Guru comes to us in many ways. Often when we least expect it. He speaks to us in myriad ways and tries to teach us many things too. But we have to silence that monkey mind of ours, deflate our egos and sober up to the ultimate reality if we want to decipher, understand and most important of all – implement – these beautiful insights in our lives. Only then can we dispel our illusions and evolve spiritually.
Photos given by: Shri. Bansiji & Yogeshji.
Click here to read about the other Nidhi Swaroops of Pushti Marg.
Click here for articles on Shrinathji.