Swami Haridas(guru of tansen) did years of aikantic nirjan bhajan in nidhivan, a raasasthali in vrndavan.
Being pleased with him Sri Sri Radha and Krsna appeared before him to give saakshaad darshan and gave a boon he wished to ask for.
He quickly said...My dear lords both of you'll are soooo very beautiful and attractive that my eyes are in capable of holding the rasa of your nectarean forms. When I look at Krsna, I find Radha very beautiful.....but when i look at Radha, she herself is lost in the unlimited beauty of Vrajendranandan Shyaamsundar Swayam Bhagwan Sri Krsna!
Hence my lords, my only request is that if you both could combine into 1 form then i can keep gazing at your supremely incomparable form without any distraction!
Seeing the great love and devotion of Swami Haridas, the two transcendental youths of Vraja immediately merged into 1... and the deity of Sri Banke Bihariji appeared!!!!
Hence its not sculpted or carved...but is a swayam bhu(self manifested) form of the lord...
This all happened in the divine place of Nidhivan, thus this pastime is categorized as Vrndavan lila of the lord.
Your Servant,
Amarnath das
He said because Krishna was the Supreme Enjoyer, who knew how to find rasa in every aspect of life, he got the name Banke Bihari, Banke meaning bent in three places (as the curved statue of Krishna normally is – hands folded to hold a flute; waist folded; and leg folded in a standing pose) and Bihari meaning Supreme Enjoyer.
Yet another interpretation exists: that Banke Bihari is a colloquial pronounciation of “Van Ke Vihari”, or the one dwells in the jungle, as Krishna was known to do during his childhood pastimes with the cowherds and the gopis…
The Nidhivan in Vrindavan is considered as the prime forest in the Braj area. During 15th century when Swami Haridas (Guru of famous classical singer Tansen and an incarnate of Lalita sakhi) came to Vrindavan, he made Nidhivan as his bhajan sthali and used to live there. Nidhivan is known as the Rasasthali (abode of love) of Lord Radha and Krishna where they are believed to cherish their pastime of Rasalila even today. The thorough evidences relating the daily pastimes of Lord Radha and Krishna have been given in the poetic epic’ Kelimal’ that was written by Swami Haridas who himself had witnessed the Rasalila of Sri Radha Krishna at Nidhivan.
Pastimes of Sri Banke Bihari - 4
The ticket collector of Mathura to Vrindavan train would often visit Shri Banke Bihari temple. Every time his shuttle arrived at Vrindavan station he would run to see Sri Banke Bihriji.
One fine day when he went to the temple, the altar of the temple was closed, he had to wait to see Bihariji, in the mean time the train he was in charge of left the station. When he came to know that the train has left, he thought he will be asked for his resignation as train has left without him.
Then he him self went to the station master and tendered his resignation.The station master was surprised, he said “Just now you submitted all the documents before going to Mathura then why you are offering the resignation”. Ticket collector was in a shock, he said” If I am here then who is gone with the train?"
He realized that the person who went with the train was none other than his most dear “Shri Banke Bihari ji” who performed ticket collector’s duty. The ticket collector had tears in his eyes.
He resigned from his post and spent rest of his life in the service of Shri Banke Bihariji.
Bolo Banke Bihari Lal ki Jaya!
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