Braj
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Braj, though never a clearly defined political region in India but is very well demarcated region culturally, is considered to be the land of Krishna and is derived from the Sanskrit word vraja. Contrary to the popular belief that Braj is Matura, Vrindavan and Goverdhan alone, this region comprises Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, Kaman Tehsil of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Hodal Tehsil of Faridabad district of Haryana and it spans across 1300 villages and 5000 sq. kms in area. If Bhagwat Geeta can be summarized in one word as "Nishkaam Karmayoga", Braj can be summarized in one word as "Simplification of Divine". The Divine in the form of Krishna got so simplified over here that he stole milk, curd and butter from the Brajwasis homes, grazed cows as a shephard and shared the same plate of food with His friends, got absued from them, played with them, danced with them and did all those activities that a common man do, forgetting all about his divinity. It is because of this simplification of divine that the element of spiritualism is ingrained in the anatomy of the locales, that the pinnacle of bliss and satisfaction is found only here, that the hospitality of every Brajwasi can make the best hospitality professionals run for their money.
Krishna performed his numerous pastimes popularly called his leelas in the 137 sacred forests, at the 1000 Kunds, on the numerous holy hills and on the banks of river Yamuna. In Srimad Bhagwat Geeta, he himself says to his foster father, Nandbaba that Braj is a culture of forests and hills and not of city. Through his Leelas, Krishna has emerged as the first environmentalist of the world. Nowhere in the history of mankind, one can find such an emphasis on the harmony of human life with the environment. By eating mud and showing the Universe in his mouth to mother Yashoda, he symbolically purified the earth element. By shunning the Kalia serpent, he emphasised on the purification of the water element. By sucking the Forest fire in Braj, he purified the fire element and by killing Trinavrat and Vyomasur he symbolically purified the air and space elements respectively. Brajbhasa is the language of Braj (often considered a dialect of Hindi), and it was the language of choice of the Bhakti movement, or the neo-Vaishnavite religions, the central deity of which was Krishna. Therefore, most of the literature in this language pertains to Krishna composed in medieval times.
Unfortunately the vast heritage associated with Krishna is getting destroyed very very rapidly. Out of the 1000 kunds which used to be the source of fresh and potable drinking water source and rain water harvesting, 90% of them have dried and silted up, encroached upon and reduced to sludge tanks. Out of the 137 forests, only 3 are left and rest have been cut own. Out of the 27 pictursque ghats on the banks of river Yamuna, only one remains and rest have been encroached upon and smuggled out. Due to the wide scale illegal mining of Braj hills, the heritage spots associated with Krishna are being lost. There is an overall desruction of the most culturally vibrant and heritage region of Vaishnavas, Hindus, Indians and mankind on the whole.
Efforts are being made by Braj Rakshak Dal, a voluntary oraganisation towards the revival of the 5000 year old holy region of Braj.
[edit] The Braj Foundation
The Braj Foundation is dedicated to the all round development of Braj – the culturally vibrant region lying in close vicinity to Taj Mahal and associated with the legend of Sri Radha-Krishna. The region spans across the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, portions of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Faridabad district of Haryana and lies well within the golden triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra.
The Foundation works directly on projects to restore Braj as an idealistic rural society by conserving its 5000 year old heritage and environment through planning, conservation, renovation and encouraging local community participation.
The current focus is on the restoration of 1000 ancient water retention tanks (kunds), revival of 48 important sacred groves, regeneration of around 18000 acres of hilly terrains into lush-green pasture lands & forests and the resurrection of River Yamuna.
The Foundation is making several interventions in areas like organic farming, dairy industry, rural education, healthcare etc. towards the realization of its broader mandate.
[edit] Bibliography
- Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader. Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.
- Braj Rakshak Dal - The organisation that has taken a pledge to restore Braj
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