42. Shri Shri Radha Gopinath Temple
During the oppression of Aurangzeb, the original deities of Gopinathji, Radhika and Jahnava also proceeded to Jaipur together with other deities. The Pratibhu Vigrahas now preside in the temple built by Nand Kumar Vasu. Jahnava Thakurani is seated on the left side of Gopinath, and Lalita Sakhi and a small deity of Radhika are seated on His right. The deity of Mahaprabhu Shri Gaurasundara is in a separate chamber. In 1632 AD, the original temple was built by Ray Singh, the son of the king of Bikaner, Maharaja Kalyanamala of the Rathaur dynasty. Aurangzeb destroyed this temple. The Pratibhu Vigrahas were established in 1748 AD, and the new temple was built in 1819 AD. Near the new temple to the east is the samadhi of Madhu Pandita. Close to the famous Vanshivat, on the bank of the Yamuna, Shri Paramanand Bhattacharya and Madhu Pandita used to worship Shri Radha-Krishna Yugala with extreme renunciation.
Once, the
current of the Yamuna cut into her bank and a very beautiful deity of Shri
Gopinath was revealed from under the sand. In the morning, when the devotee
Paramananda came to the Yamuna to bathe, he found this exceptional deity who
stole his heart. He entrusted the service of Shri Gopinath to Shri Madhu
Pandita. First, Shri Gopinath resided near Vanshivat, but later on a
magnificent new temple was constructed elsewhere and His service and worship
continued there.
Once,
Nityananda Prabhu's wife Jahnava Thakurani came to Vrindavan. As she was having darshan of Shri
Radha-Gopinath, she thought that the deity of Radhika was too small and that, if Radhika had
been a little taller, the Couple would look much more beautiful. Jahnava
Thakurani returned to her residence after beholding the evening ceremony. That
night, in a dream, Shri Gopinath asked Jahnava to arrange for a taller deity of
Radhika. She received similar instructions from Radhika, and had a deity of Her
made that was a more appropriate size for the deity of Gopinath. The book Bhakta
Mal describes that at the time of Jahnava Thakurani's disappearance,
she revealed her own deity and established herself in it. She instructed the priests
to install the deity of her in the chamber of Shri Gopinath. When this deity
arrived at the temple of Gopinath in Vrindavan, the priests hesitated to
install her along side Shri Gopinath. At that time, Gopinathji Himself
instructed the priests, "Do not hesitate. This is My beloved Ananga
Manjari. Place her on My left and Radhika on My right." And so it came to
be that Jahnava stands on Shri Gopinath's left side and Radhika stands on His
right.
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