Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Wishing you all a happy Maha Shivaratri!
I read some beautiful prayers offered to Lord Shiva by our acharyas, and feeling deeply inspired, I thought of sharing a short reflection on the glories of Bhuteshwara Mahadeva and Gopishwara Mahadeva.
The sacred land of Vrindavan is not just a geographical location but a transcendental realm. So entring into this sacred land is not merely a physical act but a journey of the heart, requiring the right consciousness and spiritual qualification.
Srila Rupa Goswami, in his Mathura Mahatmya, prescribes a two-step approach for sincere pilgrims seeking entrance into this divine abode. He instructs that before entering Vrindavan, one must first seek the blessings of Bhuteshwara Mahadeva in Mathura, who serves as the protector of the dhama. Alongside Gopishwara Mahadeva, Bhuteshwara Mahadev deity was established by Vajranabha, the great-grandson of Lord Krishna, over five thousand years ago.
To highlight the significance of Bhuteshwara Mahadeva, Srila Rupa Goswami quotes a powerful passage from the Adi-Varaha Purana, where Lord Krishna Himself lovingly glorifies this deity and describes his indispensable role in granting access to His eternal abode:
“O Bhuteshwara! You will be the protector of Mathura. O Mahadeva, whoever sees you will obtain My abode! Just by one’s seeing Bhuteshwara Mahadeva, all one’s sins are destroyed. In Mathura, the merciful Bhuteshwara grants liberation even to the sinful. He is very dear to Me. How is it possible to obtain devotion to Me for a sinful person who wants to worship Me but will not first worship Bhuteshwara Shiva? Those who are bewildered by My maya will not meditate on, bow down before, or offer prayers to Lord Bhuteshwara.”
Such is the unfathomable compassion of Lord Shiva—he does not withhold Krishna-bhakti but rather grants it to those who approach him with sincerity!
Also, our beloved rasika-acharya, Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, has composed a beautiful prayer to Gopishwara Mahadeva, deepening our understanding of Lord Shiva’s exalted position as the protector and gatekeeper of Radha-Krishna’s divine pastimes in Vrindavan. Please recite the prayer given below.
vrindavanavani-pate jaya soma soma-
maule sanaka-sanandana-sanatana-naradedya
gopishwara vraja-vilasi-yuganghri-padme
prema prayachcha nirupadhi namo namaste
“O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O lord of the gopis! O Soma, all glories to you! O you whose forehead is decorated with the moon and who is worshiped by great sages such as Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana (Kumara brothers), and Narada Muni! O Gopishwara! Desiring that you bestow upon me pure love for the lotus feet of Radha-Krishna, who perform joyous pastimes in Vraja-dhama, I offer my obeisances unto you again and again.”
On this most auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri, let us all pray sincerely to Lord Shiva in his most merciful forms as Bhuteshwara Mahadeva and Gopishwara Mahadeva, begging for the priceless gift of pure love for Sri Sri Radha and Krishna!
Your servant,
Satya Sara das