Imli means tamarind tree and tala means at the foot of.
So the place that is at the foot of the tamarind tree is called Imli Tala.
Previously this spot used to be situated right on the banks of the Yamuna, but as the Yamuna has changed its course over the years, it now flows at some distance though it can be seen clearly from the Parikrama Marg.
This is the place where Srimati Radharani left the rasa dance on Sharad Purnima, leaving Krishna searching for her with intense feelings of separation.
In this mood, Krishna started to burn with eagerness to see her and his love expanded to infinite intensity.
Fatigued by looking for Radha and not finding her, and distressed at her absence, Krishna sat down under this tree to rest, for it was under this very tree that Radharani’s maha-abhishek was performed by Lakshmi and other heavenly damsels.
It is a kalpa-vriksha or wish-fulfilling tree and is always encircled by devotees praying for success in their spiritual lives.
Sitting there, Krishna became so completely absorbed in thinking of her and chanting her names, that his own body assumed her hue.
Just at that time, Srimati Radharani appeared, bringing an end to his separation and Krishna immediately assumed once again his original form as Shyamasundara.
He then disclosed to her,
“In my intense ecstasies of separation, I assumed your form, your complexion and your feelings of ecstatic love. In the age of Kali, I will again appear like this and spread that very same love to all living beings throughout the world, through the sankirtan movement – the chanting of the Lord’s holy names.”
This indeed happened when Krishna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, just 500 years ago.
When Lord Chaitanya visited Vrindavan, He would come to Imli Tala every day and and chant japa for hours and hours, becoming deeply absorbed in the mood of Srimati Radharani.
He would become so deeply immersed in the ocean of separation from Shyamasundara that His golden form would be transformed once again into that of Krishna, dark like a newly formed monsoon rain-cloud.
Srila Bhakti Saranga Gosvami Maharaj, one of the dear disciples of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati, had a vision in a dream.
His Guru appeared and said,
“Nobody is taking care of my Imli Tala.”
When he awoke, Gosvami Maharaj went to Vrindavan and made all the necessary arrangements to get the service of the Imli Tala.
This is a section of the book “Vrindavana Lila”.
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