Applying Tilak

The twelve mantras to be chanted while applying Visnu tilaka are:

Gopi chandan Pastime:

Do you know why we use the gopichandana for putting tilak on our forehead? Do you know from which place in India it comes ?There is an interesting pastime of Lord Krishna behind the ‘origin’ of gopichandana.

Once the great devotee, Sri Narada Muni, had a desire to find out who was the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna. He thought but was unable to come to any conclusion. So he decided to approach Lord Krishna with this question. You know that Sri Narada Muni has a boon that he can travel to any place in the entire creation of the Lord. While travelling though the universe he plays on his vina and in a sweet voice chants, “jays Sri Radhika Ramana Dri Radhika Ramana”.

Sri Narada finally reached the Lord’s residential palace and went inside to have His darshana. He saw the Lord lying on a couch and holding His head in His hands. Sri Narada paid his obeisances to the Lord and inquired, “My bear Lord, what is the matter? Are you alright?”

The Lord looked at him and said, “O my dear Narada , I am having asevere ache in my head.”

Aheadache! “ Sri Narada Muni was a little amazed. He said, “Let me massage Your head, my Lord.”

 “No thank you Narada. This headache will not go away so easily.”

“If a devotee of mine gives me some dust from his feet and if I put that dust on my head, only then

will this headache subside.”. Lord Krishna said.

“Dust from the feet of devotees!”

“Yes, Narada, can you please go and get for Me some dust from the feet of one of my devotees?’”

“Yes my dear Lord. But I came here to ask You a question……”

“I ‘ll answer your question later. First of all, kindly help me get rid of this terrible headache.”

“Yes, yes. As you order, I wil go right away and get some dust.” Saying this Narada left the Lord’s

palace to get some dust from the feet of one of His devotees. He was wondering who will agree to give the dust from his feet.

On his way, he saw some devotee brahmanas worshipping Lord Krishna with great devotion in the temple. Seeing Sri Narada Muni, they inquired, “O respected Narsdsji, how is our deramost Lord Krishna today?”

“Oh!” He is alright….. but He is having a severe headache today.”, Sri Narada Muni replied.

“A headache!” exclaimed the brhamanas. “Let us perform some yajnas and kirtana. Let us engage in strict austerities to relive the Lord of His headache.”

“No all this will not cure His headache,” Sri Narada said.

“If you will give some dust from your feet and the lord places it on His head, then He will be relieved.”

“Dust from our feet!” the brahmanas exclaimed. “Naradaji, have you gone mad? Do you want us to commit this great offense and go to hell? No! No! we cannot do this.”

Hearing this Sri Narada Muni left that place.

On his way he saw the five Pandava brothers. They are all consider personal friends and great devotees of Krishna. So Narada Muni approached them and requested some of the dust from their feet. The pandavas were shocked at Narada Muni’s request. They refused to oblige him. Even Arjuna

refused.

They said ,”Don’t you kmow that Krishna is the Supreme Lord? Even though He very kindly treats us as His friends, He is actually none then the Supreme Personality of Goadhead. How can we commit this sin? No , no, please forgive us.”

Having been refused by the Pandavas, Srila Narada Muni continued his search for the dust from a devotee’s feet. As he entred Dwaraka, he met Uddhava and Akrura. Uddhava is vey, very close friend and adviser of Krishna and Akrura in His maternal uncle.

When Uddhava and Akrura saw Narada Muni, they immediately paid obesinaces to him. Srila Narada Muni blessed thrm and informed them of the lord’s headache. He then requested them to give some dust from their feet. However , both Uddhava and Akrura politely refused.

Then Srila Narada Muni went to queens of Lord Krishna in Dwaraka. Lord Krishna had 16108 queens. They paid their respectful obeisances to Srila Narada Muni and offered him a seat of honor.

When he told them about the Lord’s headache, they all become very worried. Queen Rukmini almost began crying. “O! What has happened to my beloved Lord? How did he get this headache?”

“Well , that I do not know,” Srila Narada replied, “but I know how it can be cured.”

“how?” all the queens asked at once.

“If you can give me some of the dust from your feet and Krishna puts it on His head, then headache will be cured,” said Narada Muni.

“What? The dust from our feet?” the queens exclaimed.

“Yes , some dust from your feet,” Srila Narada Muni said.

“No Naradaji, how can we do this? Lord Krishna is our husband and we are His caste wives. How can we do something like this?”

“But this is the desire of the Lord,” Srila Narada Muni urged.

“Whatever it may be, but we cannot commit this mahaapradha.” Saying this queens left that place.

Srila Narada Muni left Dwarka and decided to go to Vrindavana. Vrindava is the place where Krishna spent His childhood./ everyone in Vrindavana loves Krishna very much. So Srila Narada Muni hopes that he would have some luck there.

But he was also not vert successful there. Most of the residents of Vrindavana refused to give dust from their feet. Even the cowherd friends of Krishna refused. They all love Krishna very much and, of course, they were all very concerned about His headache. They offerd to massage His head with

nice oils or do anything else, but they refused to give dust from their feet.

Now Srila Narada Muni felt very, very helpless.

Srila Narada Muni was about to leave Sri Vrindavana dham when he passed by a kunja (a garden full of flowers). He saw thousands of gopies in the kunja. They were all talking about Krishna and remembering His sweet pastimes. Sometimes they would laugh and sometimes they would start

crying thinking of their beloved Krishna.

When the gopis saw Srila Narada Muni they paid their obeisances. Then they inquire how their how their dear Krishna was? Sri Narada Muni informed them about the Lord’s headache. Hearing this the gopis were very disturbed and inquired what could be done to relieve the Lord of His headache.

Sri Narada Muni stayed quiet. HE had so many devotees about the cure for Krishna’s headache. But he was always refused. So he was not very hopeful this time. The gopis asked again if something could be done. They were very anxius to relieve their beloved Krishna of headache. When they insisted for some time, Sria Narada Muni finally replied, “If you give me some dust fropm your feet and Krishna puts it on His head, then His headache will be cured.”

“Will that cure headache ?” the gopis asked.

“Yes, it will.”

“Are you sure, Naradaji?”

“Yes, that’s what the Lord told me.”

“Okey. Then let’s go to the banks of the Yamanu. We can walk on the dust on the Yamuna bank.

You should fill many huge bags with that dust and take it to Krishna ,” the gopis said.

Hearing this Sri Narada Muni was extremely surprised. He could not belive it. “Are you not afraid of going to hell?” he asked.

“Why?”

“Because ….. because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you let Him put the dust from your feet on His head, then you will have to go to hell for this sinful act,” he replied.

“Well, we don’t really care if we go to hell. All that we know is that Krishna is our most beloved. He is our life and soul. We are ready to do anything that will give Him happiness. Even if it means that we have to go to the most horrible of hells.” Srila Narada Muni was wonder struck at the depth, purity and sincerity of their devotion to Sri Krishna. Within his mind he paid prostrated obeisances to all the gopis and prayed that he may be blessed with the same mood of selfless devotion.

“What are you thinking Naradaji?” The gopis said “Let’s hurry up. Krishna must be feeling so much pain! Please take the dust to Him immediately.”

Thus they all went to the banks of the Yamuna. Thousands of gopis walked over miles and miles of dust along the Yamuna’s banks. Then Narada Muni took all the dust and left for Dwarka.

On reaching Dwarka, he immediately went to see Krishna. Krishna was of course, waiting for him.

“Did you bring some dust , NAradaji?” “Yes, my Lord” Naradaji opened one of that dust and placed it on His head. He immediately felt very happy and satisfied.

“Who gave you so much dust, Naradaji?” he asked.

“The gopis , my Lord.”

Then he narrated his entire adventure. Krishna was very pleased to hear all this. He then asked

“Narada, is your question answered now?”

“Yes , my Lord.” With tears in his eyes, Sri Narada Muni paid obeisances to his beloved Lord rishna. The dust that he had brought from Vrindavan still use this dust to apply “Tilak” on their bodies and pray for the mercy of the gopis. This is how “Gopichandan” came into existence.