Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Vṛndāvana
It has already been mentioned that when Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes became unmanifest, nearly all the pastime places in Vraja disappeared. Vṛndāvana, along with its place of rāsa and Vaṁśīvaṭa, became dense forest and disappeared from sight. After some years, Śrī Vajranābha Mahārāja recovered the various pastime places of Vraja with the help of Śāṇḍilya Ṛṣi, Bhāgurī Ṛṣi and others. They did this by establishing temples, lakes, ponds and so forth. About four-and-a-half thousand years later, however, these places had again vanished. It was then that Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared in this world as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, immersed in the sentiment of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He re-established the lost pastime places of Śrī Vṛndāvana and Vraja-maṇḍala, both directly by doing this Himself, and indirectly through Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and other associates. The whole universe, especially the community of Vaiṣṇavas, will eternally remain indebted to these personalities for this outstanding work. If they had not descended to this earth, who would now know about the sweetness of Vṛndāvana and who would be able to enter that sweetness? If Gaurāṅgadeva had not come, then who would have described the glories of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the topmost limit of prema-rasa? Narahari dāsa sings with great feeling:
(yadi) gaurāṅga nahito, tabe ki hoito
kemone dharita de?
rādhāra mahimā, prema-rasa-sīmā
jagate jānāto ke?
madhura vṛndā, vipina-mādhurī
praveśa cāturī sār
baraja-yuvati, bhāvera bhakati,
śakati hoito kār?
[If Śrīman Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu had not appeared, then what would have become of us? How could we have tolerated living? In this universe, who would ever have come to know about the glories of Śrīmatī Rādhikā and the topmost limit of prema-rasa? If Caitanya Mahāprabhu had not come, who would have had the intelligence to join the sweet madhura-rasa of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana? Who else but Mahāprabhu could have bestowed the power to enter the vraja-ramaṇīs’ loving mood of service to the youthful Divine Couple?]
Upon the direct order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas re-established the pastime places of Vraja. Taking the help of various scriptures, Śrī Lokanātha Gosvāmī, Śrī Bhūgarbha Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and others rediscovered these places through their untiring endeavours.
[Excerpted from the Gaudiya Vedanta Publication “Śrī Braja Maṇḍala Parikramā“]
