The descent of Radha-Krishna to Golak Dham Brindaban :: Download
- Chapter 1 -

Dr Mohendra Irengbam *

(L) Aurobindo Ashram (Old), Entrance at the far end, Puducherry.
(R) Aurobindo Ashram (New), The Golden Globe, meditation Hall, Puducherry 2015

INTRODUCTION

As I was getting a bit long in the tooth and having a lot of time to prance and caper about, I began reading a few Manipuri books including one that my father translated into Manipuri from Bhagavad purana (written in Sanskrit, probably between 5th and 10th centuries of Christian Era). It was named Radha Krishna anina golakdhamda lengkhiba (The descent of Radha Krishna to Golakdham [Brindaban].

I also read Bhagavad Gita or the Song of the Lord (Bhagavad = Lord, used as an epithet of Krishna Bhagwan; Gita = song). It was a long time ago when I was doing research in theology in search of God. That research developed into a thesis statement addressing the groundwork question, “Where is God”? I published them in book forms in Delhi.

The first was entitled, My Search for God (2003) and the second, Quest Beyond religion (2006).The last one had been kept in the Parliament Library in Delhi, where my wife and I had the honour to be invited by the Librarian at that time and were taken round to see the huge library.

My father Irengbam Gulamjat Singh, a Vaishnav, translated this essay from Sanskrit to Manipuri in 1970.

Gita is partly philosophical and partly devotional. The Gita (English translation) I liked best was Essays on the Gita by Victor Gollanz (1938). I read the 6th edition with annotations by Aurobindo Ghose (1872-1950 CE), which was published by Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry in 2014. I bought a copy in 2015 when my wife and I visited the Ashram, both old and new.

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