67. Keshi Ghat
Keshi Ghat
is the principal bathing place in the town of Vrindavan. It is little east of
Chir-ghat on the banks of the Yamuna.
Keshi Ghat is one of the most beautiful ghats of Yamuna with stone inlaid
palaces on the banks and massive Madanmohan temple visible in the backdrop.
Here the sacred river Yamuna flows very graciously and extends herself to
everyone without discrimination. Anyone who touches, drinks, sees, smells and bathes
in her waters become infinitely purified. This ghat (series of steps leading down to a
water body) is named after the pastime of Lord Krishna killing the demon Keshi.
Keshi
demon, a gigantic horse demon sent by Kamsa, was galloping towards Vrindavan to
kill Krishna. He wanted to pulverize Krishna’s lotus like soft body with his
legs but Krishna caught his legs, whirled him and threw him away. Keshi again
attacked with his wide open mouth wanting to eat Krishna but Krishna teasing
Keshi with His thumb put His lotus hand inside Keshi’s dirty mouth and choked
him up. Keshi, perspiring and suffocated, passed immense quantities of stool
and finally his body just broke open like an over-ripe piece of melon. Radhanath Swami while narrating this
pastime said that after killing Keshi, Krishna came down to the ghat on the
banks of the Yamuna to take His bath because His hand was stuck in Keshi’s
dirty mouth. From then on this ghat came to be known as Keshi Ghat. Jokingly
Srila Rupa Goswami forbids wordly men to go to Keshi Ghat saying, “If you have
even a slight desire to enjoy life with your wife, sons, relatives and friends,
then listen to my advice. Never go to Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, even by mistake.
There, Shri Govindaji is standing in His charming threefold-bending form,
smiling. A person who even once beholds this deity of Govinda never returns to
his home, and his household life is ruined.” In other words, by having darshan
of Govindaji at Keshi Ghat, one is freed from all material attachments and
becomes mad after Him like all the residents of Braj.
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