GOPI TULASI

One more Gopi named Tulasi also performed great penance to win Lord Srikrishn as her husband in Golok. Lord Srikrishn was pleased with her and therefore, accepted her as his wife secretly. Tulasi was steeped in deep rapture with her beloved Lord Srikrishn in the glittering Rati Mandir. The faithful gopis of Radha, on learning of this secret affair, got alarmed and passed on the news to their queen Radha. Radha, on hearing from her maids, rushed amuck to spot the duo red handed. She found both of them in amorous mood together. Enraged by the flagrant breach of trust by Gopi Tulasi, she expelled her from Golok and cursed her to be born as a woman on the earth. Sridama, the main gopa of Lord Srikrishn had a great liking for Tulasi and secretly wished to marry her. His wish could not be fulfilled, as Tulasi wanted to marry only Lord Srikrishn. Sridama, when cursed by Radha, became a powerful danav named Shankhchood on the earth.

Later on, on earth Tulasi became the wife of Shankhchood as he got a boon from Lord Brahma to wed Tulasi. Tulasi wed him on earth and attained Lord Srikrishn as her husband later on. She became adorable on earth, Vaikunthalok and Golok. Devotees of Lord Vishnu and Lord Srikrishn worship her as sacred darling of Lord Srikrishn.

The Raasmandala

A great mountain with hundred peaks adorns Golok. On the top of this mountain is Raasmandala where Lord Srikrishn and Radha ravish in dance and music along with their millions of servitors called Gopis and Gopas. This loka has millions of mines of gold and precious gems. The great mountain is covered with trees of Parijaat and Kalpavriksha. Millions of Kamadhenus roam around in insouciance in these forests. The Raasmandala is replete with flowerbeds adorned by inebriated moths hovering and humming musically. The Raasmandala has golden pillars studded with gleaming emeralds. Crimson and blue colour precious stones shine and shimmer in its precincts spreading lustre all around. Millions of Rati Mandir where Lord Srikrishn ravishes with his devout Gopis are laden with fragrant flowers, fruits, gems and shimmering gold. Mango leaves and Banana trees decorate the entrances of these temples called Rati Mandir.  Millions of Gopis clad in golden yellow dresses bejewelled with sparkling ornaments and bedecked with fragrant flowers on their sandal smeared bodies glide around freely for merry making. Thousands of water ponds lapping white, pink and red lotus flowers are spread all over the Raasmandala.

The garden where Lord Srikrishn and Radha make merry is named Vrindavan. Its beauty and prosperity is matchless and unfathomable. Vrindavan has lush green thick forest replete with auspicious fruit laden trees of betel nuts, jackfruits, palms, orange, mango, banana, neem, tamarind, pipal, date, lemon, rose apple and coconut. Prettiest of warblers twitter around joyfully in the lush green gardens, mesmerizing all with their charm. Lord Srikrishn's mates and important bhaktas called Paarshads who become equal to Lord Srikrishn in looks, rejoice in these resplendent, prosperous ashrams.

Matchless Abode of Radha

Radha's thirty-three look-alike milkmaids are indescribably attractive. They enjoy great prosperity and beauty in Golok's ashrams. Their names are Sushila, Shashikala, Yamuna, Madhavi, Rati, Kadambmala, Kunti, Jaahnavi, Swayamprabha Chandramaukhi, Savitri, Gayatri, Sumukhi, Sukha, Padmalaya, Paarijata, Gauri, Sarvamangla, Kaalika, Kamala, Durga, Bharati, Saraswati, Ganga, Ambika, Madhumati, Champa, Aparna, Sundari, Krisnapriya, Sati, Nandini and Nandna. The most amazing is the celestial ashram of Radha. It has hundred temples scintillating with lustre of gold and gems. Seven main entrances and sixteen inner tiers guarded by Lord Srikrishn's look-alike eleven dwarpals named Veerbhanu, Chandrabhanu, Suryabhanu, Vasubhanu, Devabhanu, Shukrabhanu, Ratnabhanu, Suparshva, Subal, Sudama and Sridama and five tiers guarded by Radha's chaste gopis are there for getting entrance into the sanctum sanctorum.

Radha's maids closely guard five tiers. The last tier is guarded by her thirty-three gopis all of them look alike. These gopis are expert in music, dance and theatrics. Their charm is beyond imagination of even the celestial beings..

In the sanctum sanctorum, Radha and Lord Srikrishn reside there in the form of bright luminescence. Only with great love and purity when one worships them, do they oblige the devotee with their splendid vision, which is very rare and liberates the soul instantaneously from the clutches of all mundane profanities. Even Lord Brahma had to perform tapasya for thousands of years at Pushkar to have a glimpse of Radha. However, Radha allowed him to see only her lotus feet for she shuns all men but Lord Srikrishn, her only man.

Perennial fragrant flowers rent the atmosphere of Radha's ashram with hypnotizing charm. Her maids indulge in various sorts of theatrical practices. Equipped with amazing musical instruments, they keep singing hymns in praise of Radha-Madhav. Their resplendence and exotic beauty is magnetic and challenging even for the yogis and Siddhas.

Timeless Golok

Golok is devoid of death and old age. Time has no role there. For Lord Srikrishn is above the Kaal. During Pralaya when all elements break into subatomic particles and disappear, Lord Srikrishn lives there all alone. However, when he wills, he creates Radha and then expansion follows.  Golok is    synonymous with                   calm; lucent brightest of light and sheer bliss, one feels in the deepest state of samadhi.

As is there a cycle of four Yugas continuing since time immemorial, so is there a cycle of Kalpas named Lord Brahma Kalp, Padm Kalp and Varah Kalp and Shwetkalp. In each Kalp Lord Srikrishn issues creation in a different mode. The present Kalp is Varah Kalp in which Lord Vishnu appeared as a Varah (boar) to raise the earth up from the water. Each Kalp has thousand cycles of Chaturyugi. Each Chaturyugi has one Satyayug, one Tretayug, one Dwaparyug and one Kaliyug. Satyayug has four thousand eight hundred Devavarsh; Tretayug three thousand six hundred Devavarsh; Dwaparyug two thousand four hundred Devavarsh and Kaliyug one thousand two hundred years of Devavarsh. Three hundred sixty days of earth make one day of Devtas. One-day of Lord Brahma equals one Kalp and his one night equals one Kalp. Thus two Kalpas or two thousand Chaturyugi make Lord Brahma's one complete day. Lord Brahma the creator of this world has an age of one hundred such years. Moreover, one Lord Brahma expires during the time taken by Lord Srikrishn to wink. Thus, Golok is a loka where time annihilates.