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HISTORY OF
SHREENATHJI
Introduction
A cow from Shri Krishna’s herd, climbs the
Govardhan Hill and drops her milk on top of a
mysterious black arm on the top of the hill.
Everyday, in the after noon, she continues to lag
behind the rest of her herd to perform her ritual
over the protruding arm. Her owner, unaware of
her devotion begins t wonder why the cow’s
milk giving capacity has reduced. One day he
follows her and discovers her secret rite with
ShreeNathji. The year marked is 1409 and
ShreeNath’s appearance upon the hill seizes the
attention of the local brajvasis. They are amazed
that whatever they desire is given to them. For
this they only need to pray to the raised arm.
The story of ShreeNathji is the amazing history
of His worship, travels and lilas. ShreeNathji's
manifestation and the subsequent developments
were originally revealed by Shri Gokulnathji,
the grandson of Shri Mahaprabhuji
Vallabhacharya who appeared in India in the
year 1479 on exactly the same day that
ShreeNathji’s face appeared from hill.
ShreeNathji stayed on the Govardhan Hill for as
long as Shri Mahaprabhu, his son Shri Gusainji
and his seven sons lived on the earth. Shri
Gokulnathji was Shri Guisainji’s illustrious
fourth son and composed an ocean of devotional
literature mostly in Sanskrit and Braja language.
The portion of this text the reveals ShreeNathji’s
travels from the Govardhan Hill to Mevar all
occurred after the lifetime of Shri Gokulnathji.

The “lila” of ShreeNathji is a subtle mixture of the

spiritual and material worlds. Wherever ShreeNathji
appears false distinctions are removed. This is the
non-dualist vision of Shri Maha-prabhuji
Vallabhacharya who saw everything as Krishna and
nothing but Krishna. He went on to explain what
ShreeNathji manifested in form. The wisdom that is
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required to enter into the realm of ShreeNathji has

been laid down by Shri Mahaprabhuji, the incarnation
of ShreeNathji’s face.
Who could describe his “lila” better than his main
partner Shri Mahaprabhuji, who on one level is an
Acharya – who empowers the devotional heart while
on the divine level is Shri Svaminji, Shri Krishna’s
consort. The combination of a playful God and an
insightful guru who illuminates the arena with
lightening bolts of Vedant wisdom has allowed the
plays to begin.
If divinity is not felt in the world, it becomes a place
to either exploit or renounce. ShreeNathji's lila shows
a third way, that is to neither want only, enjoy or
pridefully renounce. For the bhatas, ShreeNathji was
not a stone image but a living divinity who interacts
and plays with his bhatas. It is believed that
sometimes he leaves the temple to play to play chess
with a bhakta, at other times he remains awake the
entire night to listen to their music. ShreeNathji
through his power of grace descended into the world
of His bhaktas and made it divine. Vallabhacharya
speaks of the blessed bhakta’s aspirations in his
“Subodhini” in the words of Krishna’s beloved:
“We experience Krishna with our eyes; we feel Him through all of our senses. Hari
is the desire, the festival of our hearts. To behold Krishna’s form is the ultimate
reward.To have conversations with God, To behold Him, to mingle and
embrace Him To please Him, To serve Him, To touch Him, To taste the nectar
of His lips. Is what we live for. We need to thoroughly enjoy Hari Until ever
hair on our bodies Stands erect with bliss.”
The lila of ShreeNathji is the joyful unspoken approach. Some say that God cannot
be seen. Others says that no one can live after seeing his face. The bhaktas of
ShreeNathji have not only seen his face, some have embraced Him and even tasted
the nectar of His lips. The rules have changed, ShreeNathji is unrestricted, he can
do, not do, or do what is neither doing or not doing. ShreeNathji empowers souls
with grace and this enables them to withstand the force of His love.
When God is lawful, attainment is gained by following His words. When His power
of grace is present, accomplishment is through His blissful form. ShreeNathji is a
grace-filled divinity, the balanced abode of contradictions. He is a child, yet
supports the world. He wants flowers from a lotus pond and at the same time is the
pond and the lotus. Shri Krishna is everything yet distinct. Playful, yet for those who
consider Him to be totally full, total devoid, or any combination of the two, so He
becomes. Although immovable, He plays according to the wishes of his bhakas.
A study of the lila of ShreeNathji is a journey towards understanding Eastern
theism. It has the ability to embrace all aspects of divinity, both personal and
abstract. He is unknown to even the creator yet will appear and dance for a glass of
butter-milk. ShreeNathji is the form of “ras”. The bliss manifestation; His every
ornament expresses a total view. He is the perfect combination of Vedant and
poetry, of insight nd dance, of form and formlessness, of world and heaven. Him the
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opportunity to express His refined creation and it is graceful. When His presence
charges the world with a sacredness there is no longer any need to discard it in the
process of enlightenment.
When the Gopis heard the song of Shri Krishna’s flute, many of them left their
homes and went to meet Him in the forest. Others who could not leave their homes
because they were stopped by their husbands, sat down and meditated upon Him in
their hearts and left their material forms upon attaining Him. Shri Mahaprabhuji
explains that even though they put an end to their karmas and attained liberation,
they were not as blessed as those who were able to engage in dalliance with Hari
here in the world. The blessed Svaminis who were able to bring Hari into their
world speak out in the Bhagavata:
“O friends, we know the reward Of imbibing Balaram and Krishna Playing
their flutes as they Herd their cows through Vrindavan forests. It is the fruit of
having eyes. It is the endowment of the senses. Having experienced this we now
have no use For any other enlightenment or liberation.”
To behold ShreeNathji with eyes or better yet with all the senses is the bhakta’s
enlightenment. It was with this view in mind that ShreeNathji appeared from the
hill.
Shri Mahaprabhuji explains that those who have appeared from ShreeNathji’s mind
wander according to their limited view. Others who have manifested from His
speech try to locate God through His words. Those that have come forth from His
bliss form appear in this world to join in His lila. They are grace filled ones and
surround ShreeNathji.
Krishna decided to appear as ShreeNathji in a five foot stone image from the depths
of the Govardhan Hill. He came to life on the Govardhan Hill for His special
devotees. During the times of Shri Vallabhacharya and Shri Gusainji, ShreeNathji
actually came to play with the bhaktas. Their exchanges created a unique history, an
eternal one that appears in the world. Beyond the effects of time and karma it arises
where Brahman expresses Brahman according to the devotion of His bhaktas. In this
and karma it arises where Brahman expresses Brahman according to the devotion of
His bhaktas. In this remarkable locus, ShreeNathji celebrates the mutual enjoyment
which occurs between Bhagavan and the bhaktas. A bit of that play is spread
throughout these pages. Submersion into the ocean of ras. The nectar sarovar, comes
from “darshan”, the direct vision of divinity. This type of devotion arises with the
wisdom that can separate not only milk from water but more importantly poison
from nectar. After this arising, if one is fortunate to avoid the pride of attainment, a
sensitive and overwhelming love for Hari arises. This is called bhakti or devotion
and liberation is given along the way towards entrance into the realm of Hari, the
lila locus.
“Darshan” is part of the devotional process. Darshan has been spoken of in four
different ways. Darshan of hari can be experienced in the heart, through celestial
voice, in a dream or just before you. When SheeNathji appeared during the times of
Shri Mahaprabhuji, he appeared in front of too many bhaktas in his most direct and
rare fashion, right before them.
In the Bhagavata Gita, when Krishna showed Arjuna His expansive universal from,
Arjuna could not sustain the intensity of the darshan. Arjuna’s hair stood on end he
prayed to have the darshan withdrawn. ShreeNathji’s darshans are never so
awesome, they are sweet.
The nectar form of ShreeNathji appeared to a number of bhaktas during the times of
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shri Mahaprabhuji and shri Gusainji. Many other emarkable meetings have been
disclosed in the accounts of Shri Mahaprabhuji’s and Shri Gusainji’s disciples. By
the time ShreeNathji Decided to Move to Mevar to fulfill the wish of one of his
bhaktas, the only person Shreenathji freely conversed with was an elderly woman by
the name of Gangabai. She is a central figure in the story and is Shreenathji’s voice
for the rest of the world. Every time ShreeNathji’s chariot gets stuck she comes to
rescue with a direct messege from Shri Krishna Himself.
Although in the age of struggle God almost never appears personally before the
bhakta there are some bhaktas like Gangabai who break the mold, bhakta poet
Nandadas explains:
In three other eras, the Lord appears before the bhakta But not in this age of
struggle. So Rup Manjari had to meet Krishna in a dream What one desires day and
night He bequeaths… Even if the scriptures say He is most unattainable, From pure
love one can come Exceedingly close to God. This union is not found in talking But
in undertaking. A lamp shine not bye discussion But only when it is lit.
The inner ShreeNathji appeared when the light of bhakti is lit and sets the bhakta’s
world aflame with devotion. The desire to meet ShreeNathji expands until even
ShreeNathji cannot contain it and then He appears from the bhakta’s joyful heart in
front of him or her. It is the direct darshan. The brilliance of bhakti illuminates the
heart and creates a clear inwards recognition that Overflows into the outward world.
What makes the worship of Shreenathji unique is that it evolved from his bhakta’s
inner experience and then manifested into a sacred world wherein ShreeNathji
become adored. The movement between the inward and outward experience of
ShreeNathji reveals the two-fold nature of “ras”, ShreeNathji’s loving nectar. His
nectar mood of love embraces union and separation. This movement between union
and separation supports, nourishes and heightens the ras, the elixir of devotion.
ShreeNathji is the Lord of ras, Shri Mahaprabhuji describes His from His lips are
sweet His face is sweet His eyes are sweet His heart is sweet ShreeNathji likes to
play. Although you may argue that God needs nothing yet it is the desires of the
bhaktas that create his personality. They make Him full and complete his nature.
When God is lawful, the soul falls under His control but when He’s filled with grace
He falls under the domination of the bhakta’s devotion. Shreenathji’s bhakta
kumbhandas was a devotee of grace. He was so attached to ShreeNathji that he
would never even look at another from Krishna. One night h was tricked into
leaving the area of ShreeNathji’s temple and was led to Gokul where the image of
child Krishna resided. As the sun rose, he saw Gokul before him and realizing he
was far away from his beloved ShreeNathji he ran back to ShreeNathji’s temple
some fifteen miles away, Although ShreeNathji normally arises at 5 am., on that day
because kumbhandas was not there to sing for him, he did not wake up until His
bhakta returned several hours after sunrise.
We also see how Shreenathji on more than one occasion stops His chariot until
some desire, sometimes rather childish, is fulfilled. Once he brought his chariot to a
stop and said that he would not move until someone brought him lotuses from
nearby pond. At another point in his adventure ShreeNathji refuses to move until the
braja vasi’s insult him. Krishna as jagat guru explains in the Gita that he
corresponds to the way people worship him. This keeps ShreeNathji in a continual
process of becoming. He is filled with magical virtues and the bhaktas keep bringing
forth His different manifestation according to their personal sentiments of devotion.
Their “bhava”.
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Limitation dose not diminish Shreenathji’s glory. It is through limitations that

anything of value is attained. Without one pointed focus in yoga there is no
attainment. To limit in the devotional sense means to contain Krishna within the
walls of your home, within your heart. Limitation means to make Krishna your own.
All pervasive Krishna never really appears or moves.
The bhakta Dayaram express the grace filled view Beloved of all life, I humbly
request: Let me savor the nectar of devotion. Give your knowledge to those Who
follow the path of emancipation I have no interest… O Lord, liberation never even
enters the minds. Of your special servants. With delight I daily gaze at your Krishna.
The great joy that wells from you within my heart Could never arise from being In
absolute unity with you where… The pleasures of a married woman Remain totally
unknown Even in a dream.
Goswamiji’s comments on this poem:
“Shri Mahaprabhuji teaches that this entire Universeis a sport, a play of Bhagvan,
the Super Soul. We are all conscious beings and are able to eloquently express the
nature of that Lila. We can also perfectly within that Lila setting while playing out
own individual roles. Hari has filled us with a sense of me and mine for the purpose
of being able to carry out our own activities and also to express our roles within that
Lila. This is the greatest boon of life, to have the lila bhava – fill our actions,
activities, understanding and love. If we do not vibrate with that Lila bhava then
there is no greater curse.
“Within every situation, our dharma, practice and the way we lie as well as our
sense of me and mine can either be healthy or can be harmful to our special
development. Worldly attachment is like mud and devotion is like the lotus. Our
awareness of Pusthi is the dawn that makes the lotus blossom within the mud of the
world. The worldly wandered is the one who enjoys only the mud around the
lotus… if you forget God and start to simply enjoy the world, tat can never be
devotion. To just accept that God is everywhere and relax
With that idea is also not ideal. You must relish creation while you are playing and
eating, sleeping and awaking. It should all be filled with Krishna. This is the way of
the Braja Bhaktas and is the height of the Pusthi Devotion”
A key to understanding ShreeNathji’s Appearance is to grasp the Relationship
Between the world, Brahmin, who is all pervasive and effulgent and the personal
Krishna. The Brilliance of Shri Mahaprabhuji’s teaching is seen in how he bring
unity into all realm. He is the incarnation of fire and fire is speech. It is through
words that Shri Mahaprabhuji’s ties together the three-fold nature of world,
Brahman and ShreeNathji’s. To do so, he uses the Ganges river to demonstrate his
point. When the non-differentiated view that embraces Krishna as everything is
attained then the position of ShreeNathji’s can be deciphered, otherwise is a risk of
confusing ShreeNathji as a mere lifeless idol.
I Shri Mahaprabhuji’s words:
“ According to the vedas, Akshara Brahman, the undifferentiated Brahman Becomes
the world and it should be understood in terms of the two forms of the Ganges
River. One from is water. The other form is the majestic form, which grants
enjoyment and liberation and is worshiped by those who follow the lawful way.
Understand Akshara Brahman in a similar way. But sometimes the Goddess form is
seen by the one who practices bhati and perceives due to the water’s special
qualities no difference between the river and the Goddess. This perception is not in
all, but it is there for those who have an extraordinary desire for the water. This
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perception is known from both the scripture and experience. Like the Ganga waters,
so is the world; like her spiritual powers, so is Akshara Brahmin; and like the
Goddess, so is Krishna.”
Shri Mahaprabhuji’s says that for the development of devotion you need a pure view
that embraces a oneness between the material world and the source of the world,
what he calls Akshara Brahman. Akshara Brahman is that glorious Brahman devoid
of name form from which all of this came to be. Akshara Brahman is full as well as
voiced. Where the real mystery arises is the Deity of Akshara Brahman?
Going back to the Ganga, Shri Mahaprabhuji explains that the Ganga Goddess can
be seen on her banks by the Bhakta who understands not only the Ganga waters that
increase and decrease according to the season, but who can also understand the
nature of Ganga as a holy place. Knowing her as a holy place and feeling her unseen
divine attributes, there arises in some the rare opportunity to come face to face with
Ganga as a Goddess. This appearance is due to devotion. It lets the blessed bhakta
understand with their senses, Krishan as the material manifestation. They see Him
as undifferentiated through their wisdom and through their bhati as Krishan, shree
nathji himself. This allows then lila entrance. It makes them “jivan muktas”-
liberated living beings.
Many claim that Akshara Brahman can have no deity, that all from arise from a
disturbance. They go on to conclude that the final purity is achieved in absolute
oneness. The pure vedic mind embraces Divinity in every manifestation, it knows
God as personal and nirguna, beyond material qualities. He is allowed to play
everywhere and is never demoted. He plays with those who understand his three-
fold nature of world, Akshara Brahman and Krishna. The festival truly begins when
the bhaka embraces the ecstatic merging of knowing and feeling then the mind and
heart travel the same path. Then there is humble knowledge and unconditional love
for the Deity. When the bhava becomes intense it makes the hue of Krishna apper
like a rain filled cloud, ready to burst upon the bhakta’s world.
This all bring us back to shreenathji’s raised arm that appeared to a cow in the year
1409. ShreeNathji’s favorite game is lila. The play that is ever increasing with bliss
and devoid of fatigue. It is his product, program and pleasure. It is his
indistinguishable omnipresent and almost perfectly blissful impersonal self, comes
forth creation. The lila players who take part in creation live in the world yet are
witness. They are waiting for ShreeNathji to return at the end of the afternoon from
the forest with his Cows. They are witness and have a rare passion for him.
ShreeNathji appeared on the Govardhan Hill to uplift all while Shri
Vallabhacharya’s presence is to establish lila connection for the pushti or lila souls.
His son Shri Vitthanathji Gusainji later embellished the seva of Shreenathji
established by Shri Mahaprabhuji and his elaborate tradition continues today.
Millions of people come to visit Shreenathji. They crowd His chambers and, flow
with the tide, as they push their way in and out of the darshan area, often you can
only stay before ShreeNathji as long as the darshan flow allows. Suddenly you are
pushed out of the arena while the crowd chants, “ Giriraja dharana ki jai”, “Glories
to the one who held up the Govardhan Hill.”
Today Shreenathji lives in nathdwara near to Udaipur in Rajasthan. The town is
totally centered around him. ShreeNathji’s Full name is Shri Govardhan Nathji.
Tradition tell us not take the name of our guru, wife, husband, close friend or
personal Deity. For this reason Govardhan Nathji is called Shreenathji.
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ABOUT NATHDWARA
Arrival Of Shrinathji At Nathdwara.

Once, while Shri Gusainji was in his way to Dwarka , he saw a very lovely spot in
Mevar, Rajasthan, called Sinhad and mentioned to Harivanshaji, “In the future,
Shrinathji will reside here. As long as I am here, Shrinathji will not leave the
Govardhan Hill.”
Shri Gusainji then stayed there for two days. The King of the region, Shri Udaya
Singh, came for his darshan and presented him with one hundred gold coins. Shri
Gusainji blessed him with one of his shawls. After the king accepted it, he bowed
to Shri Gusainji and returned to his palace. Later his queen came. She was the
daughter of the princess Mirabai. Ajabkunvari, took initiation from Shri Gusainji
decided ti head on to Dwarka, Ajaba fainted at the thought of separation from him.
Then Shri Gusainji told her, “I cannot live here, but Shrinathji will daily come
here and allow you His Darshan.”
Afterwards, Shrinathji daily came from the Govardhan Hill to Mever to appear
before Ajaba. After playing the board game Choper with her, Shrinathji would
return to the Govardhan Hill. One day Ajaba requested, “ In your Comings and
Goings to Mevar from the Govardhan hill, You are very troubled. Live here on
Mevar, then I can always see You.”
Shrinathji replied, “As long as Shri Gusainji remains on the earth, I Will not leave
the Govarthan Hill. Afterwards, I will Definitely come to mevar and will stay here
for many years. Then, when Shri Gusainji again appears in his lineage, I will
return to Braja and will play at the Goverdhan Hill for many Years.” Saying that,
Shrinathji returned to the Goverthan Hill.
Many years later, Shrinathji remembered that He was supposed to move to Mevar
to Mevar and thought, “I Must go to Mevar. But Shri Mahaprabhuji has
established My temple on the Goverthan Hill, so the lineage holders will only
agree to the move Mevar.”
And hence he forced Aurangzeb to attack the temple and he then with
Navneetpriyaji & all balaks left for Mevar which is now called Nathdwara.

Background and importance of Nathdwara.

Situated in ideallic surroundings with the River Banas girdling it towards the West
and the North and hills and dales surrounding it on all sides, Sinhad of yore at the
time of the advent of Lord Shrinathji- a tiny hamlet inhabited by a few Brahmans
and tribes subservient, living in thatched huts, can now Icgimatcly claim to be a
developing town ship with a population ncaring fifty thousand equipped with all
modern amenities, pulsating with lift and ceaseless human activity, as a nerve
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centre of this region. Nathdwara, the present version of the three hundred years old
Sinhad. is the seat of the premier Pushtimargiya Shrine of Lord Shrinathji, the
cynosure of all Pushtimargiya Vaishanavas and claims its name through him
having been variously known in history as Shrinathji Dwar. Shriji Dwar, Shri
Nathdwara , and Nathdwara (gateway of Shrinathji) it is a place visited by every
Pushtimargiya Vaishanava to lie prostrate and donate and offer in all humality, all
that he can spare, out of reverence & veneration towards the Lord.