Shri Yamunaji
In Pushti Marg, Shri Yamunaji occupies the most
important position as the "beloved of Shri Nathji". She is the very embodiment
of divine grace. Shrimada Vallabhacharyaji gained his first darshan of the Lord through
Her grace.
When he first came to Vraj, AcharyaShri rested
on the shores of the holy river - Yamunaji. The place where he first rested, was (at that
time) just outside the small village of Gokul. There, the goddess appeared before him and
through Her grace, Acharyaji was able to talk directly to the Lord Himself.
This place is now hallowed as the Thakurani Ghat
- the bathing place of the Queen (ie Shri Yamunaji). It is here, that the Lord came to
talk directly to Shri Acharyaji at midnight on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of the
month of Shravan. At this time, the Lord gave Vallabhacharyaji the key to free souls from
this wicked age of Kaliyuga.
As Shri Yamunaji
was the intermediary for this first meeting, AcharyaShri expressed his gratitude to Her by
writing his famous Yamunashtaka. Of his 16 main works, written
for advising and guiding his devotees, this is probably the most important hymn.
Daughter of the Lord Surya (Sun) and sister of
Lord Yama (God of death), the goddess is said to have come down from the heavens to bless
the world. As she first came to rest on the peaks of the mountain Kalinda (in the
Himalayas), She is also known as Kalindi. From Her Himalayan abode, She flows through the
North-Indian Gangetic plains, passing through some beautiful scenery, flowing past many
ancient and modern capitals of India (eg. Hastinapur, Delhi and Agra) before merging with
the Ganges at Prayag. Also called "Triveni Sangam" (confluence of the
three rivers), the three main rivers of India - Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Sarasvati
meet at a hallowed spot. Shri Mahaprabhuji was so impressed by the power of the
place, he decided to have a house built near the area at Adel. There are many
festivals and major religious celebrations celebrated on the banks of the confluence.
Shri Yamunaji did strict penance to attain the
Lord as Her husband. When the Lord established Dwarka as His capital, He married Shri
Yamunaji as "Kalindi". Traditionally, she is one of the eight chief wives of
Lord Shri Dwarikadhish.
In Indian philosophy, Ganges is the goddess of
action, Sarasvati is the Goddess of knowledge and Yamunaji is the goddess of bhakti -
devotion. Hence, it was only right that She should be chosen as the patron goddess of
Pushti Marg which relies so heavily on divine grace and bhakti.
Bhagwat Shah ©
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