Excavation of Radha Kunda and Shyam Kunda

Generally it is noted that after the great spiritual personalities wind up their pastimes in this material world, the places associated with them are lost to the world in due course of time. The Lord then arranges these places to re-manifest to the world through His pure loving devotees, in order to reveal to the world the glories of these devotees.

After Krishna disappeared from this world, Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda were also lost to the world.  During a lecture at the holiest of all places, Vrindavan, Radhanath Swami narrates the pastime of how Radha-kunda and Shyama-kunda were revealed to the world through one of the most intimate and pure devotees of Lord Chaitanya, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami.

Radhanath Swami describes:

“Radha Kunda and Shyama Kunda were lost to the world for a long time. Then in 1550 Lord Chaitanya came to Vrindavan on the day of Kartika Poornima and stayed in Vrindavan for two months.

Lord Caitanya was searching for Aritagram, because according to the scriptures this is the place where the famous Radha-Kunda and Shyama Kund were present. So one day Lord Caitanya sat under a Tamala tree and while meditating upon Radha-Kunda and Shyama- Kunda, He saw two bodies of water in a nearby paddy field. Lord Caitanya who is none other then Radha and Krishna, could immediately identify them as Radha Kunda & Shyama Kunda. He very happily took the waters of the kundas and applied tilaka on His body using the clay from Radha-kunda.

Raghunath Das Goswami witnessed Lord Chaitanya’s pastimes at Puri, and after the departure of Lord Caitanya and His associates he came to Vrindavan. Sanatana Goswami instructed him to stay near Radha-Kunda where he daily spoke for 3 hours on Gaur Lila. He performed his bhajan at Radha-Kunda. One time Raghunath Das Goswami, understanding the mood of Lord Chaitanya, was thinking that Lord Caitanya wanted the holy places of Vrindavan to be excavated for the benefit of all people. But at that time Radha-Kunda & Shyama-Kunda were just two small ponds. Raghunath Das Goswami thought of excavating them but he didn’t want to entangle himself in money etc. Radha & Krishna understood his heart. At the same time a wealthy merchant was on his way to Badrikasrama with the intention of building a beautiful temple for Lord Badrinath. Badrinath appeared in the dream of that merchant and instructed him to excavate Radha-Kunda under the guidance of Raghunath Das Goswami instead. In this way Radha-Kunda & Shyama-Kunda were excavated.

While excavating Shyama-Kunda, Yudhisthira Maharaj appeared in a dream to Raghunath Das Goswami and told him that he, with his four brothers, were standing there in the form of trees and meditating on the pastimes of Radha & Krishna. So in order to show respect to the Pandavas the trees were left as it is and therefore Shyama-Kunda is not square shaped.

– Radhanath Swami