Before making any remarks of my own, it will be necessary to draw upon
the Upanishads.
Gopala Tapani is one of the chief Upanishads dealing with Krishna. The
work is divided into two parts. The first part gives one yantra for the
Upasana of Krishna. The second part gives a narration. The women of
Vraja asked Krishna to name some Brahmana to whom they could make
offerings of food. Krishna named Durvasas. "But how can we approach him
without crossing the Yamuna?" asked the Gopis.
"Take my name, that of Krishna, a Brahmacharin, and the Yamuna shall
give you way" So it was. The Gopis crossed the Yamuna and went to the
Asrama of Durvasas, the incarnation of Rudra. They offered the sweet
things to the Rishi and when he partook of these, he permitted the Gopis
to retire. "But how can we cross the Yamuna?"
The Rishi replied: -- "Remember me, the eater of Durva (a kind of grass)
and the river shall give way."
"Krishna a Brahmacharin! And thou an eater of Durva only? How can that
be?" asked the chief Gopi and she asked a number of other questions.
(According to the common exoteric notion Sri Krishna is the lord of many
women and Durvasas is a voracious Rishi. This is the cause of the
wonder.)
Durvasas first explained that Krishna was the all-pervading Purusha,
underlying all. Then further on, there are seven _Sakamya_ Puris or
places, on the top of Meru, as well as seven _nishkamya_ Puris.
(The commentator Visvesvara explains "Sakamya," as regions where desires
fructify. As on the Meru there are seven such Puris, so there are seven
Nishkamya or Moksha-producing Puri's). On the earth, these, are seven
Sakamya Puris (Ayodhya, Mathura and others.) Of these Gopala Puri
(Mathura) is the direct abode of Brahma.
As the lotus floats on the lake, Mathura rears itself up on the earth,
protected by Chakra, the disc of Vishnu. Hence it is called Gopala Puri.
This Puri is surrounded by twelve forests: --
Brihat Vana (from Brihat or great, large).
Madhu Vana (From Madhu, a daitya).
Tala Vana (Tala or palm tree).
Bahula Vana (From Bahula, a kind of tree).
Kumud Vana (From Kumud, flower).
Khadira Vana (From Khadira or the catechu plant).
Bhadra Vana (From Bhadra, a kind of tree).
Bhandira Vana (From Bhandira, the name of a religious fig tree).
Sri Vana (From Sri or Lakshmi).