darshans Legend The gopies of Vraj used to love the Lord so much, they would be at Yashoda’s door at all hours, finding any excuse to see their beloved Nanda Gopal. Mother Yashoda was very protective of her darling child. Concerned that with all these adoring gopis, hanging around her house at all hours of the day, her darling child will never get any time to rest or play properly with his friends. So she decided that all those who wish to visit her beloved Bala Gopal, could do so after He had finished a snack or a meal, and was resting before going out again. Ritual Taking a legend as his cue, Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya decided to open the haveli, his own version of the Nandalay (House / Palace of Nanda, foster father of Krishna), at specific times of the day only. Acharya set aside eight times of the day when the doors of the inner sanctum would be left open for the people to catch a glimpse ("jakhi") of the Lord. Rest of the time, the Lord was allowed to go out and play with His friends—gopas and gopies of Vraj. The sequence of eight darshans are set out below. Mangala: First darshan of the day. Lord, having woken up, has just had His breakfast and greets his devotees with the most "auspicious" darshan of the day. This darshan usually occurs at dawn. Shringar: Having bathed and dressed her little darling, Mother Yashoda allows everyone to adore her baby. After this darshan, the Lord goes out to play with His friends. Gval: Having had his mid-morning snack, the Lord is about to go out to herd the cows of Nandaji. Lord is worshipped by reciting His thousand names and the sacred tulsi (basil) leaves are offered with each Name. Rajbhog: After His mid-day meal, the Lord is resting in the comfort of Nanadalay. Lord is often most regal and resplendent for this darshan. Fresh garlands and lotuses are offered to the Lord. During the arti, the Lord plays chopat, an ancient board game or version of chess to while away the hot afternoon. Utthanpan: Lord has just woken up from His afternoon nap. Bhog: Having had His afternoon snack, the Lord is about to go out to play again. Sandhya: As the sun dips over the western horizon, the Lord returns with the herds of Nandaji and the gopis