This Site to Close on January 1, 2006 Appeal for Help
Regrettably if I do not receive any financial support to help maintain this site in the coming year from sincere souls such as you, I will have to cancel this site on January 1, 2006 or at least stop updating it. READ MORE

Natural Nirvana Company Policies and Reason for Being.

Glories of Living in Mathura

“In the Padma Purana there is a statement about the importance of living at holy places like Mathura or Dwarka. It is stated there, ‘To travel to different places of pilgrimage means to attain emancipation from material bondage. This emancipation, however, is not the highest perfectional stage. After attaining this liberated stage, one has to become engaged in devotional service to the Lord. After attainment of the brahma-bhuta (liberation) stage, one can further advance to engagements in devotional service. So this attainment of transcendental loving devotional service to the Lord is the goal of life, and it can be achieved very easily for one who lives in Mathura-mandala even for a few seconds.’

“It is further said, ‘Who is that person who will not agree to worship the land of Mathura? Mathura can deliver all the desires and ambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desire to become one with the Supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathura will deliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.’ In the Vedic literature it is also stated, ‘How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura must be more glorious than Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of God.’

“Srila Rupa Goswami has described Mathura-mandala: ‘I remember the Lord standing by the bank of the Yamuna River, so beautiful amid the kadamba trees, where many birds are chirping in realization of beauty and bliss.’ This feeling about Mathura-mandala and Vrindavana described by Rupa Goswami can actually be felt even by nondevotees. The places in the eighty-four-square-mile district of Mathura are so beautifully situated on the banks of the River Yamuna that anyone who goes there will never want to return to this material world. These statements by Rupa Goswami are factually realized descriptions of Mathura and Vrindavana. All these qualities prove that Mathura and Vrindavana are situated transcendentally. Otherwise, there would be no possibility of invoking our transcendental sentiments in these places. Such transcendental feelings are aroused immediately and without fail after one arrives in Mathura or Vrindavana.” (Nectar of Devotion, Chap. 13)

Rupa Goswami describes that one of the characteristics of a person who has actually developed his ecstatic love for Krishna is: He is very pleased to live in a place where the Lord’s pastimes are performed, e.g., Mathura, Vrindavana or Dwarka.

In the Varaha Purana, there is a glorification of Mathura. “Any person who becomes attracted to places other than Mathura will certainly be captivated by the illusory energy” In the Brahmanda Purana it says, “That all the results of traveling on all the pilgrimages within the three worlds can be achieved simply by the touching the holy land of Mathura.”

Out of the sixty-four items of devotional service, five items—namely worshiping, hearing Srimad Bhagavatam, associating among the devotees, sankirtana, and living in Mathura—are very important.

If you know of information that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides