Braj

Braj / ब्रज

Brajati gachchhati iti Brajah – that which moves around is Braj." This is the original understanding of the word Braj. The places where Nand Baba dwelt and moved around with his cows, calves, family and associates are called Braj. "Brajanti gavah yasminnati Brajah – the land where the cows, cowherd men. cowherd boys and cowherd girls wander is known as Braj." Braj particularly denotes the land of the Supreme Person Brajendra-nandan Shri Krishna's pastimes. The flirtatious hero of Braj, Shri Krishna, is Akhil-Rasamritamurti, the embodiment of the nectar of all primary and secondary spiritual tastes, or rasas. In this Braj, He performs His eternal pastimes with Radhika, who is the embodiment of mahabhav (the essence of Shri Krishna's pleasure potency), and His other associates. The most exalted of all nectar-filled pastimes, namely, Shri Krishna's rasa-lila, and His numerous other pastimes, take place here eternally. In this Braj, every glance and gesture is filled with rasa. Here, the original enjoyer, Shri Govind eternally enjoys nectar-filled sports and pastimes with those gopis who have manifested from His own intrinsic form. These pastimes have no beginning and no end. That place where there is nothing but an endless ocean of prem, whose waves of the most elevated, radiant mellow of intimate paramour love are constantly rising up and swelling over, is Braj. That place consisting purely of rasa, that is continuously savoured by those expert in relishing loving mellows, and those who can taste transcendental mellows, is the land of Braj. Shrimad-Bhagvat (10.44.13) gives a deeply moving description of Braj:

punya bata Braj-bhuvo yad ayam nr-linga
gudhah purana-puruso vana-chitra-malyah
gah palayan saha-balah kvanayams ca venum
vikridaydncati giritra-ramarchitarighrih

Braj

Braj / ब्रज

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