Vṛnda Tapas

The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa tells how the sacred forest of Vṛndāvana got its name. It was named after Vṛnda, the daughter of Kedāra, who did hard tapas (austerity) there. Dharma, in the form of a brāhmaṇa, tested her. She cursed him, and then, out of compassion, she gave him long life from the puṇya (merit) of her own tapas. After that she rose to Goloka in a divine chariot.

Vṛnda and her tapas

Vṛnda was the daughter of Kedāra, who is also called Kedārīya. She was born in a great family. She came to the sacred forest that was later called Vṛndāvana. There she did hard tapas aimed at Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. She did it with great strength and with a mind fixed on him alone.

The power of her tapas changed the forest. It became a sacred place, full of fragrance and light.

Dharma tests Vṛnda

Dharma, who upholds cosmic order, came to the forest in the form of a brāhmaṇa. He came to test the quality of her tapas and how firmly she kept dharma. He approached her in an improper way.

Vṛnda saw the wrong at once. She was not afraid and did not hesitate. She turned away his advances with full moral clarity and spoke a fierce śāpa (a curse) on him.

The gift of long life

After the śāpa, the devas gathered. They were deeply worried for Dharma. With folded hands they begged Vṛnda to take back the curse or to give some relief.

Vṛnda felt compassion. But she would not break the truth of her śāpa. So she gave a remarkable gift. She passed on the puṇya she had gathered by her tapas and gave Dharma a vara (a boon) of long life, āyus.

Vṛnda rises to Goloka

With this gift, Vṛnda’s tapas was complete. Her purpose was fulfilled, both in gathering puṇya and in using it with compassion. She was taken up to Goloka in a divine chariot set with gems.

The devas had seen all of this. They declared the forest sacred in her name.

The forest of Vṛnda

Vṛndāvana is the most sacred grove in all Bhāratavarsha. It is the place of Kṛshṇa’s childhood līlā (divine play). It carries the name of Vṛnda: it is the vana (forest) of Vṛnda.

Sources

• Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 86