SB 10.11.28

Nīti-śāstra says nāsamīkṣya paraṁ sthānam pūrvam āyatanaṁ tyajet: one should not give up one’s previous place of residence without finding a better place. In response to such an objection, Upananda describes the new place. The verb asti (exists) should be added. According to Padma Purāṇa, Kārtika Māhaṭmya, this forest belonged to Vṛndā, who attained an intimate relationship with the Lord. This indicates that it was free of all disturbances and endowed with all good qualities. The forest is described. Because it has water and grass causing good health, it is beneficial for the cows. It is a new forest, whereas Mahāvana is old and worn out since all its new shoots have been torn up and crushed by the cows. They had also lived in Vṛndāvana previously. Since both forests are eternal, by saying the grass of Vṛndāvana was new, Upananda indicated that previously it was useless for grazing because of overuse. The forest could be used by the cowherds. This indicates that one need not fear fierce, wild animals. It has pure mountains, grass and shrubs. The vowel added to vīrudh is poetic license. Or it can be derived from vīrudhā (shrub). The mountains, grass and shrubs were all pure since many famous trees were located there. Though poisonous plants sometimes grew there, they also become pure by birth there. Kṛṣṇa speaks to Balarāma in Hari-vaṁśa about Vṛndāvana: śruyate hi vanaṁ ramyaṁ paryāpta-tṛṇa-samṣtaram nāmnā vṛndavanaṁ nāma svādu-vṛkṣa-phalodakam ajhilli-kaṇtaka-vanaṁ sarvair guna-guṇair yūtam kadamba-pādapa-prāyaṁ yamunā-tīra-saṁstutam snigdha-śītānila-vanaṁ sarvartu-nilayaṁ śubham gopīnāṁ sukha-sañcāram cāru-citra-vanāntaram tatra govardhano nāma nātidūre girir mahān bhrājate dīrgha-śikharo nandanasyeva mandaraḥ madhye cāsya mahā-śākho nyagrodho yojanoccritaḥ bhāṇḍīro nāma śuśubhe nīla-megha ivāmbare tatra govardhanaṁ caiva bhāṇḍīraṁ ca vanaspatim kālindīm ca nadīm ramyāṁ drakṣyāvaś ca yataḥ sukham Hear about the pleasant forest named Vṛndāvana covered with plentiful grass, with tasty fruit and water. The forests are without thorns or crickets and endowed with the best qualities. It is filled with kadamba trees, and resides on the bank of the Yamunā. It has cool, pleasant breezes, and manifests all the seasons. It has beautiful secondary groves which give joy to the gopīs. Not far away (not at the very edge and not in the middle, somewhat to the side) the huge mountain Govardhana, the son of Mandara Mountain, with its high peak shines. A banyan tree named Bhāṇḍīra, like a dark cloud in the sky, with huge branches, towering a yojana in height in the middle of the forest. Govardhana and Bhāṇdīra are the kings of the forest. The Yamunā flows there, giving happiness. Govardhana is within Vṛndāvana, for Skanda Purāṇa says aho vṛndāvanaṁ ramyam yatra govardhano giriḥ: there is pleasant Vṛndāvana where Govardhana also resides. Tatra is repeated in relation to Govardhana in order to connect it with Vṛndāvana. It is also said in the verses that Bhāṇḍīra is within Vṛndāvana. It may be explained as follows. It is on the southern bank of the Yamunā two yojanas from the edge of Vṛndāvana to the north of and bhakta-krīḍṇaka-sthāna. Even now the place is famous with the local people. According to scriptures the tree measures one yojana in breadth. With the two yojana’s distance from the edge of Vṛndāvana, the total is three yojanas. Vṛndāvana is five yojanas in breadth (making the portion to the north of the river two yojanas). In Gautamīya-tantra the Lord says: pañca-yojanam evāsti vanaṁ me deha-rūpakam kālindīyam suṣumnākhyā paramāmrta-vāhinī Vṛndāvana, another form of my body, is five yojanas wide. The Yamunā, flowering with the sweetest nectar, is my suṣumnā cord. By saying that the Yamunā is the suṣumnā, it is also indicated that the Yamunā flows in the center of Vṛndāvana. This is also indicated in Hari-vaṁśa. It appears like the part in a woman’s hair. If the river is in the middle of Vṛndāvana, it can be explained as follows. Because the tree spreads one yojana in breadth and height on the bank of the Yamunā, it also spreads on the northern bank because its long branches spread over the Yamunā. (Thus two and half yojanas of Vṛndāvana are on the southern bank of the Yamunā, and about two and half yojanas on the northern bank. The tree is on the southern bank and spreads half a yojana on the southern bank and half a yojana on the northern bank.) There are other descriptions of Vṛndāvana. In verses like puṇyādri-tṛṇa-vīrudham (verse 27)and nadyo ’drayaḥ khaga-mṛgāḥ sadayāvalokair (SB 10.15.9) the described area is larger than five yojanas. It should be understood that areas outside the five yojanas are also included as Kṛṣṇa’s places of herding cows and casting his merciful glance. Following the previous calculations, starting from the Yamunā, Vṛndāvana spreads (on north bank) for two and half yojanas in the direction of Govardhana, just as the bank of the Gaṅgā spreads out but is considered the Gaṅgā. Though Govardhana is situated on the side of Vṛndāvana, it is like Mandara Mountain for Kṛṣṇa. In the Varāha Purāṇa only some places like Kāliya Hrada are included within Vṛndāvana. It seems to be a contracted area. The main distinction of Vṛndāvana is that this place is ruled by Govinda, just as Mathurā is ruled by Keśava. According to Varāha Purāṇa, Khadira-vana and Kāmya-vana as well as other forests are separate, though this is different from the statements of Hari-vaṁśa.