Kartik Braj Darshan with Vrindavan Today (Day 21): Tatiya Sthan
Although situated amidst the town’s hustle-bustle, Tatiya Sthan is untouched by influence of technology and modernization.
2021-11-05 (Vrindavan Today News): Situated near Rangji Mandir, Tatiya Sthan is the sadhana sthali of the seventh achraya in the Haridasi tradition, Swami Lalit Kirshori ji. It is the abode of the deities of Shri Radhika Mohini Bihari ji that were served by Swami ji’s disciple and the eighth acharya in the lineage, Shri Lalit Mohini Dev.
Tatiya Sthan is also the seat of Swami Haridas’ ‘karua-gudri’ (karua is an earthen cooking vessel). His slippers are also preserved here.
However, the most prominent feature of this place is its seamless co-existence with nature. Although situated amidst the town’s hustle-bustle, Tatiya Sthan is untouched by influence of technology and modernisation to the extent that instead of switching on the lights, lamps are lit after sundown. One will hardly find an electric bulb on the premises.
The trees and creepers here are revered as manifestation of the divine, the eternal associates of Shri Radhika Mohini Biahri participating in Their lilas. The cool sands of Tatiya Sthan make one envision the scenes from the time when Yamuna flowed adjacent to this spot.
Lalit Kishori ji is believed to have lived between the years 1758 and 1823. Detached from all material desires and concerns, he made the ‘peepal’ tree at this location his sadhana sthali. His only possession was Swami Haridas ji’s ‘karua Gudri’. However, during that time Vrindavan used to be a forested land. Concerned about his safety, particularly from wild animals, Lalit Kishori ji’s disciples fenced off the area around the tree with sturdy bamboo sticks, locally as ‘Tatiya’. This is how ‘Tatiya Sthan’ got its name. It was formally established by Lalit Kishori ji’s disciple and the lineage’s eighth ‘acharya’ Shri Lalitmohini Dev in VS 1760.
Lalitmohini Dev took ‘sadhu seva’ at Tatiya Sthan to even greater heights. As a vow, he would upend the ‘karua’ after having fed hundreds of saints every day. Averse to amassing wealth, he once burnt to ashes a precious necklace presented to him by the king of Jaipur and fed the ‘bhasma’ of the metal to sadhus. The humbled king later became his disciple.
The deities of Shri Radha Mohini Bihari ji at Tatiya Sthan were found in a sealed metal pot dug by a Muslim labourer at the Deeg Mahal site. He was ordered in a dream to hand the unopened pot to Lalitmohini Dev ji.
