Swaminiji, Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani & Kalindi
Yamunaji’s swaroops in Pushti Marg are based on her Pragatya in three stages – adhidaivik, adhyatmik and adhibhautik. Yamunaji’s adhidaivik and adhyatmik swaroops are intangible. We can experience the essence of these two swaroops only when we are in the presence of Krishna, in His realm Goloka. But the essence of these two swaroops flows through her third swaroop in the tangible form of river Yamuna (Kalindi) in our earthly realm.
Swaminiji: the adhidaivik swaroop of Yamunaji
Yamunaji is also known as Swaminiji. She looks exactly like Radha. In the Garga Samhita, Gargacharya says, “Krishna is Purna Purushotham. He is complete on His own. He lives in His realm Goloka in Ananda.
One fine day, when He was sitting by Himself He thinks, “It is time to start the task of creation. While I am complete on my own I wish to experience more Ananda. Let me use my divine aspects to create someone else to give me company and indulge in some leelas.”
So Krishna creates His Ananda swaroop, Radha who flows out from his heart. Krishna takes the male form of Purusha and Radha, as Prakriti is happy with her feminine form.
Within a short span of time Krishna realizes that if He wants to experience Ananda with Radha, He has to obey her orders and listen to all that she had to say. When the Vrajwasis witness Krishna’s leelas they smile with great amusement and aptly say, “Krishna may well be the lord of Vraj but it is Radha who rules over Vraj. Krishna may have the entire cosmos in his body but it is Radha who has complete hold over Krishna. Look. Krishna loves his Ananda swaroop so much that He obeys Radha’s orders at all times. He has to. He has no choice in the matter. And Krishna can bless us all with Ananda only with Radha’s express permission.”
One day Radha looks at Krishna with questioning eyes and says, “O Krishna, you created me so that I could give you Ananda. But how can we experience Ananda in such an empty space? Create a beautiful haven in the midst of gardens, rivers, valleys, trees, birds, mountains et al. Only when we are surrounded by nature can we experience Ananda, isn’t it?
Krishna contemplates but for a while and nods his head in assent. He knows Radha is right. He also knows He has to fulfil her wish and surpass her expectations. Krishna knows that without Prem, the rasa (essence) of love, Ananda would prove elusive to them. So Krishna allows His divine aspect of Prem to flow out of His heart and calls her Swaminiji.
This swaroop of (Yamunaji as) Swaminiji is adhidaivik – a supernatural phenomenon – and intangible.
Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani: the adhyatmik swaroop of Yamunaji
Krishna then gives the rasa of his love the form of a 16-year-old young woman and calls her Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani. She is as beautiful as Radha. Her replica in fact. Only the bhav, the emotions that they have for Him in their souls are different. Radha yearns to give Krishna Ananda while Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani loves him unconditionally.
The only emotion that throbs in Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani’s soul is, “I belong to Shyam Sundar. I am full of Prem and am born from the rasa of Shyam Sundar’s Prem. I surrender my body and soul to Shyam Sundar. My only purpose in life is to serve Shyam Sundar. I experience Ananda when I do anything and everything that pleases Shyam Sundar. I can experience Sukha only with Shyam Sundar.”
Krishna watches Yamuna’s bhav quietly for a long while. So great is Yamuna’s bhav for Him that it pulsates through her entire being. Yamuna can see only Shyam Sundar through her eyes. She laughs when Krishna smiles. She weeps with joy when she sees the love that Krishna has for His bhaktas.
When Krishna sees the intensity of her bhav, he decides to reside in Yamuna’s soul forever. And the very next instant Yamunaji takes on the Shyam colour of Krishna.
We perform the seva of this 16-year-old swaroop of Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani who adorns herself in a beautiful saree and blouse and wears diamond jewellery. She has the lotus eyes of Krishna and is so eager to please Krishna that she always sits by His side.
Adhyatmik means spiritual. This swaroop of Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani is Adhyatmik – spiritual in nature – and intangible. It helps us forge an intimate emotional bond with Krishna’s divine essence.
Kalindi: the adhibhautik form of Yamunaji
Krishna now smiles at Radha knowingly. Radha nods in assent and quiet satisfaction. With a smile. Both Radha and Krishna then take on a human form and meet in the material realm of Vraj. But Krishna manifests on the earth, He brings all the other aspects of his divinity that are present in Goloka along with him to Vraj.
Giriraj takes on a firm material form of Krishna’s Bhakti. And Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani takes on the form of Kalindi and descends from the mountain top of Kalinda in the Himalayas. And He knows, as usual, that He will meet Radha at the right time and place.
Since Kalindi is just another form of Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani in whom Krishna resides forever, the bhakti and siddhis of Krishna are ever-present within Kalindi too. She flows down from Goloka, originates from the mount of Kalinda, in the Himalayas and flows through Gokul, Mathura and then through Vraj. And she has only one intention in her life. She yearns to spread her bhakti, bless us with her siddhis, absolve us of our sins and bring us closer to Krishna.
Kalindi is the third and tangible swaroop of Yamunaji. She is adhibhautik – material in nature. We can see her waters flowing as a river with our eyes and feel the coolness of her waters.
So the river of Kalindi is a part of Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani who is a part of Swaminiji who is actually the essence of Krishna’s Prem. We revere Kalindi because the adhidaivik and adhyatmik forms of Yamunaji and Krishna’s essence flows in her waters. She cleanses our sins and brings us closer to Krishna.
*According to the Yamuna Mahatmya of Padma Puran, the Paramatma, Narayana occupies his seat in the AksharBrahma within the core of the cosmic Surya Mandal. The divine essence of Sat Chit Ananda dwells within Him. The Upanishads call this the Rasroop Brahma. And Swaminiji, the adhidaivik fluid form of this Sat Chit Anand Rasroop flows out of Narayana.
*We refer to the Vedatrayi – the Rig, Sama and Yajur Vedas as Aditya. Sangya was well versed in these three Vedas. Aditya and Sangya sire two children: Dharmaraja and Yamuna (Swaminiji).
*In our material realm, we refer to Aditya and Sangya as Surya and Samjna/Sandhya/Saranya. We refer to the adibhautik forms of their children -Swaminiji and Dharmaraja as Kalindi/Yamuna and Yama.
*Amongst the Ashtabharya, we refer to Kalindi as the fourth queen of Krishna, not Swaminiji or Shyam Sundar Yamuna Maharani.
If we operate from a space of absolute faith, we will be awestruck not only by Mahaprabhuji’s clear explanation of Yamunaji’s swaroops but also by the other interpretations of Yamunaji’s swaroops that we find in our other scriptures. The details are usually interrelated. But we can say one thing for sure – that for a few fleeting bliss-filled moments these stories about Yamunaji’s swaroops mentally transport us to Krishna’s myriad realms and we become a part of His beautiful leelas.
Photos given by Shri. Krishna Akhileshji.
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