braj shabd ke arth ka kal-kramanusar hi vikas hua hai. vedoan aur ramayan-mahabharat ke kal mean jahaan isaka prayog ‘goshth’-'go-sthan’ jaise laghu sthal ke liye hota tha. vahaan pauranik kal mean ‘gop-basti’ jaise kuchh b de sthan ke liye kiya jane laga. us samay tak yah shabd ek pradesh ke lie prayukt n hokar kshetr vishesh ka hi prayojan spasht karata tha. bhagavat mean ‘braj’ kshetr vishesh ko iangit karate hue hi prayukt hua hai. vahaan ise ek chhote gram ki sanjna di gee hai. usamean ‘pur’ se chhota ‘gram’ aur usase bhi chhoti basti ko ‘braj’ kaha gaya hai. 16vian shatabdi mean ‘braj’ pradesh ke arth mean hokar ‘brajamandal’ ho gaya aur tab usaka akar 84 kos ka mana jane laga tha. us samay mathura nagar ‘braj’ mean sammilit nahian mana jata tha. sooradas tatha any brajabhasha kaviyoan ne ‘braj’ aur mathura ka prithak roop mean hi kathan kiya hai. ...aur padhean
mathura uttar pradesh rajy ka ek aitihasik evan dharmik nagar hai, jo paryatan sthal ke roop mean bhi bahut prasiddh hai. mathura, bhagavan shrikrishn ki janmasthali aur bharat ki param prachin tatha jagadh-vikhyat nagari hai. shoorasen desh ki yahaan rajadhani thi. pauranik sahity mean mathura ko anek namoan se sanbodhit kiya gaya hai, jaise- 'shoorasen nagari', 'madhupuri', 'madhunagari', 'madhura' adi. varah puran mean aya hai- "bhagavan vishnu kahate haian ki is prithvi ya antariksh ya patal lok mean koee aisa sthan nahian hai jo mathura ke saman mujhe pyara ho- mathura mera prasiddh kshetr hai aur muktidayak hai, isase badhakar mujhe koee any sthal nahian lagata." ...aur padhean
vrindavan ka nam ate hi man pulakit ho uthata hai. yogeshvar shrikrishn ki manabhavan moorti aankhoan ke samane a jati hai. unaki divy alaukik lilaoan ki kalpana se hi man bhakti aur shraddha se natamastak ho jata hai. vrindavan ko braj ka hriday kahate haian jahaan radha-krishn ne apani divy lilaean ki haian. is pavan bhoomi ko prithvi ka ati uttam tatha param gupt bhag kaha gaya hai. padm puran mean ise bhagavan ka sakshath sharir, poorn brahm se sampark ka sthan tatha sukh ka ashray bataya gaya hai. chaitany mahaprabhu, svami haridas, hitaharivansh, mahaprabhu vallabhachary adi anek gosvami bhaktoan ne isake vaibhav ko sajane aur sansar ko anashvar sampati ke roop mean prastut karane mean jivan lagaya hai. harivansh puran, shrimadbhagavat, vishnu puran adi mean vrindavan ki mahima ka varnan kiya gaya hai. ...aur padhean
govardhan mathura nagar, uttar pradesh ke pashchim mean lagabhag 21 ki.mi. ki doori par sthit hai. yahian par 'giriraj parvat' hai, jo 4 ya 5 mil tak phaila hua hai. is parvat par anek pavitr sthal haian. pulasty rrishi ke shap ke karan yah parvat ek mutthi pratidin kam hota ja raha hai. kahate haian ki isi parvat ko bhagavan ne apani chhoti aanguli par utha liya tha. 'garg sanhita' mean govardhan parvat ki vandana karate hue ise vrindavan mean virajaman aur vrindavan ki god mean nivas karane vala "golok ka mukutamani" kaha gaya hai. is parvat ki parikrama ke lie samooche vishv se krishnabhakt, vaishnavajan aur 'vallabh sanpraday' ke log ate haian. yah poori parikrama sat kos arthat lagabhag 21 kilomitar ki hai. prativarsh 'guru poornima' par yahaan ki parikrama lagane ka vishesh mahattv hai. shrigiriraj parvat ki talahati samast 'gau diy sampraday', 'ashtachhap kavi' evan anek vaishnav rasik santoan ki sadhana-sthali rahi hai. ...aur padhean
gokul bhagavan shrikrishn se ju da braj ka prasiddh dharmik sthal hai. yah sthal mathura se 15 ki.mi. ki doori par yamuna ke par sthit hai. yah vaishnav tirth hai. yatharth mahavan aur gokul ek hi hai. nandababa apane parijanoan ko lekar nandagaanv se 'vrihadvan' ya 'mahavan' mean bas gaye the. gau, gop, gopi adi ka samooh vas karane ke karan mahavan ko hi 'gokul' kaha gaya hai. gokul braj ka bahut mahattvapoorn sthal hai. yahian par rohini ne balaram ko janm diya tha. balaram devaki ke satavean garbh mean the, jinhean yogamaya ne akarshit karake rohini ke garbh mean dal diya tha. aj se lagabhag paanch sau pachchis varsh pahale chaitany mahaprabhu ke braj agaman ke pashchat vallabhachary ne yamuna ke gokul ghat par shrimadbhagavat ka parayan kiya tha. ...aur padhean
baladev sthan mathura janapad mean brajamandal ke poorvi chhor par sthit hai. mathura se 21 ki.mi. ki doori par eta-mathura marg ke madhy mean yah sthit hai. marg ke bich mean gokul evan mahavan, jo ki puranoan mean varnit 'vrihadvan' ke nam se vikhyat haian, p date haian. yah sthan puranokt 'vidrumavan' ke nam se nirdisht hai. baladev ek aisa tirth hai jisaki manyataean hindoo dharmavalambi karate aye haian. dharmacharyoan mean shrimad vallabhachary ji ke vansh ki to bat hi prithakh hai. nimbark, madhv, gau diy, ramanuj, shankar karshni, udasin adi samast dharmacharyo mean baladev ji ki manyataean haian. sabhi niyamit roop se baladev ji ke dashanarth padharate rahe haian aur yah kram aj bhi jari hai. yahaan sthit daooji mandir bhagavan shrikrishn ke b de bhaee balaram se sambandhit hai. mandir mean daooji, madan mohan ji tatha ashtabhuj gopal ke shri vigrah virajaman haian. ...aur padhean
barasana hinduoan ka prasiddh dharmik sthal hai. yah mathura zile ki chhata tahasil ke nandagaanv bl aauk sthit ek qasba aur nagar panchayat hai. prachin samay mean ise 'vrishabhanupur' ke nam se jana jata tha. barasana mathura se 42 ki.mi. tatha kosi se 21 ki.mi. ki doori par sthit hai. yah radha ke pita vrishabhanu ka nivas sthan tha. yahaan 'la dali ji' ka bahut b da mandir hai. yahaan ki adhikaansh purani imarat 300 varsh purani hai. radha ko log yahaan pyar se 'la daliji' kahate haian. barasana gaanv ke pas do paha diyaan milati haian. unaki ghati bahut hi kam chau di hai. manyata hai ki gopiyaan isi marg se dahi-makkhan bechane jaya karati thian. yahian par kabhi-kabhi krishn unaki mataki chhin liya karate the. barasana ka purana nam 'brahmasarini' bhi kaha jata hai. 'radhashtami' ke avasar par prativarsh yahaan mela lagata hai. ...aur padhean
nandagaanv brajamandal ka prasiddh tirth hai. mathura se yah sthan 30 kilomitar door hai. yahaan ek paha di par nandababa ka mandir hai. niche 'pamarikund' namak sarovar hai. yahaan yatriyoan ke thaharane ke lie dharmashalaean haian. bhagavan krishn ke palak pita se sambaddh hone ke karan yah sthan tirth ban gaya hai. nandagaanv mean brajaraj shrinandamaharaj ji ka rajabhavan hai. yahaan shrinandaray, upanand, abhinand, sunand tatha nand ne vas kiya tha, isalie yah nandagaanv sukhad sthan hai. govardhan se 16 mil pashchim uttar kon mean, kosi se 8 mil dakshin mean tatha vrindavan se 28 mil pashchim mean nandagaanv sthit hai. nandagaanv ki pradakshina (parikrama) char mil ki hai. yahaan par krishnalilaoan se sambandhit 56 kund haian, jinake darshan mean 3-4 din lag jate haian. ...aur padhean