Special Jhulana-yatra Pastimes (Swing Festival) 30th July to 4th Aug

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The Swing Festival Pastimes

from Ananda Vrindavana Champu by Srila Kavi Karnapura

Translated by Bhanu Swami & Subhaga Swami

Published by Mahanidhi Swami

 

The stealing of Krsna's flute occurred in the middle of the springtime Holi

festival. On another day, Krsna performed the swing festival (jhulana

yatra), which is the perfect object of meditation for those desiring a taste

of devotion. On that day, the sweet pastimes of Radha and Krsna far

surpassed the sporting of the demigods and their wives in the celestial

gardens. This chapter describes Krsna's ecstatic swing festival, which is

incomprehensible to the three worlds.

 

The swing festival was held in a special place in Vrndavana, which was

bordered by a line of desire trees of equal height, with round trunks and

branches whose ends intertwined, leaving a bare space in the middle. The

line of trees appeared like a wall of sapphire jewels. Besides the birds

inhabiting those trees, the presiding deities of the forest had placed

various items in the trees including camaras, silk cloth, long strands of

pearls, jewels, fruits and flowers. A square shaped golden stage stood in

the center of the decorated trees. In the middle of the stage was a jeweled

kunja with four doors. Four haricandana trees stood as pillars in the

corners of the kunja. The intertwining of the tree's upper branches formed

an overhead canopy. The swing hung on thin golden ropes tied to the branches

of the haricandana trees. This arena appeared in the center. Each gopi group

leader had a personal kunja with a swing in the four directions radiating

from this central arena.

 

The other arenas, lined with pleasant devataru trees, radiated green all

around and resonated with the singing of young cooing birds. They served as

embodiments of festivity for the entire earth. One swing hung from each pair

of trees, and sitting platforms for the gopis encircled the bases of these

trees. Golden chains tied securely to the branches of the trees hung down in

straight lines. In the center arena four lines of swings belonging to

different group leaders faced the four doors of the main kunja. Herds of

deer frolicked about joyfully in the flat, open land surrounding the kunjas.

The hearts of everyone immediately flooded with joy just by seeing these

areas, which were illuminated by cintamani gems and by trees as brilliant as

coral. The top branches of the trees joined to form natural, pleasing green

canopies. Gazing upward forever one could not find the tops of those tall

trees.

 

The moonlight filtering though the canopies of the trees made small

filaments of light on the forest floor that looked like piles of sesame and

rice. Thinking it food, the female deer tried to lick it. The four kunja

mandapas (raised platforms) were so similar that even the devatas could

distinguish them only by their placement in different directions. In those

areas, the vanadevis had stretched a canopy in preparation for the swing

festival.

 

The scattered moonlight appeared like pearl belts taken from the deities of

the directions, broken by the steady wind, and-broadcast on the earth out of

respect for the land of Vrndavana. It appeared as if all the stars in the

sky, in great bliss, left their positions to come offer respects to the land

of Vrndavana. Pieces of rustling silk cloth from the goddess of the sky

formed the rooftops of the kunjas and hung down quivering like tongues

trying to lick the dust of Vrndavana. The nets of pearls hanging from that

cloth were swinging gently in the soft breeze and pleasantly resounding like

tinkling ankle-bells.

 

The forest gods had decorated the canopies with strings of various kinds of

fruit, and with fine scented camaras resembling white lotuses born from the

sky, or swans flying up from the lake of moonlight. The swing arena carried

the celestial scent of aromatic aguru fumes, drops of perfume squeezed from

the kalpa druma trees, and piles of camphor dust, which made lines of white

smoke in the sky. Impatient and anxious to begin the swing festival, the

devatas and their wives, the Siddhas, Vidyadharas, Caranas and Kinnaras

played their instruments as they arrived in Vrndavana in their innumerable

celestial airplanes.

 

In a jubilant mood the gentle goddesses from different forests, carrying

various festival ingredients in their hands, assembled in Vrndavana. With

friendship, kindness, and all good qualities they finished decorating the

swing arena and built an impressive entrance with the best garlands. From

all directions, flocks of joyful birds came fluttering to broadcast the

sweetness of the swing festival. They perched peacefully on the twigs and

branches of the trees around the arena. Eager to see the wonderful swing

festival, the birds sang the glories of Krsna while their own hearts swung

in delight. Forgetting all troubles and impelled by curiosity, varieties of

deer gathered in the kunjas. They stood as motionless as figures in a

painting.

 

Appearing as if they had not been attracted to the forest by the sound of

Krsna's flute, had not abandoned their household duties, and not opposed

their elders, the doe-eyed gopis, like touchstones for pleasurable pastimes,

suddenly manifested out of nowhere, as if coming directly from the desire

trees. Colored with kunkuma, their loins glistened ready for dancing. They

wore fluffy petticoats, covered by fine silk dresses extending to their

ankles. Glittering bodices beautified their breasts. Their effulgent bodies

were adorned with festive colored sashes and tinkling waist-bells.

The soft rounded shoulders of the gopis rivaled the flower bow of Cupid. The

gopis had tucked flower arrows in their girdles and held flower bombs in

their hands. In the arena of the artful amusing swing pastimes, the blissful

gopis appeared like the incarnation of Rati (the goddess overseeing festive

love battles). Some gopis had flower pollen sachets hidden in their golden

waist-belts. Those bags of pollen seemed like the accumulated wealth of

their skill in lovemaking, collected over a long period of time, for

purchasing the jewel of Krsna's mind.

 

Some gopis held thousands of flasks filled with fragrant aguru, musk,

camphor, and sandalwood ointments. These thin, delicate flasks would break

open with a breath. Others carried ingeniously designed syringes filled with

flower essences, kunkuma water, sandal water, and musk water. The gopis

looked like well-armed soldiers ready for the battle of love.

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of Radhika-Syama to start the festival, each

of the gopis,- the jewels among women who are more beautiful that the

soldiers of Cupid, thought that she would swing first. The gopis entered the

four areas around the main arena while discussing this among themselves. Out

of excitement they made a din with their loud laughing that resembled the

sweet cooing of the cuckoos.

 

Krsna entered the swing arena with His left arm resting on Radha's shoulder

holding His flute. In His right hand Krsna twirled a lotus flower while His

bangles chimed happily. A pleasing peacock feather topped His reddish turban

that tilted attractively to one side. Krsna's elegant earrings and ear

lotuses swung in the breeze created by the bees circling His head. Fine

cloth kissed His limbs, lit by the jewels of His crown and bracelets. Krsna

shone attractively with His pearl necklaces tinged red from the rays of His

kaustubha jewel. Light delicate footsteps accented His graceful yet playful

gait. Jeweled anklets and bells adorned His lotus feet.

 

Krsna, His splendid lips shining, appeared somewhat drowsy from chewing

betel nut. Yet His effulgence easily defeated the combined radiance of all

the jewels adorning the ladies in heaven. Krsna's effulgence took the shape

of a jeweled mace to announce His entrance into the bower of jeweled trees.

As Krsna and His servants ascended the dais surrounding the swing, the birds

screeched, "Victory! Victory!"

 

The trees and creepers felt such rapture that their limbs erupted with tiny

bumps and honey streamed down like a torrent of tears. When the peacocks

stared at Radha and Krsna they thought they were seeing dark rain clouds

flashing lightning. Though knowing Radha and Krsna from before, due to their

unprecedented love, the peacocks madly cried out, "Keo? Keo?" (Who are these

two persons?)

 

Different celestial denizens joined Krsna and the gopis to celebrate their

jhulana lila. In attendance there were charming Caranas, male and

female Kimpurusas, and the wives of the Siddhas beating expertly on madala

and panava drums with their delicate hands. The spotless heavenly damsels

from Svarga and the Apsaras directed by Urvasi held camaras as radiant as

waves in the Mandakini River. They showered fragrant flowers from the

Nanda-kanana gardens, which glittered like stars as they fell through the

sky.

 

In this atmosphere, Krsna mounted the attractive, comfortable seat of the

swing. Krsna looked like a regal crest jewel sitting on the cotton seat. The

cloth covering the seat was whiter than the foam that appeared during the

churning of the milk ocean. Shining pillows also adorned the beautiful seat.

Seeing that amazingly wonderful swing purified the vision, and empowered the

eyes to see other objects in a fresher way. While the devatas played sweet

music, Mukunda and Radha marveled at the intricate workmanship of the

jeweled lamps illuminating the swing.

 

Trembling out of ecstatic love, Radhika and Her friends sat beside Krsna,

who rested His left arm on Radhika's shoulder. When the Lord ascended the

exquisite swing and displayed His sweet beauty, which defeated the fickle

currents of a river of nectarean beauty, the devatas and their wives lost

all composure. As the ardent desire of the devatas' hearts to get a closer

view of the Divine Couple moved out of their hearts to express itself, it

choked their throats. With that hope they left the middle sky and descended

to the more favorable lower borders of the sky.

 

When lotus-eyed Candravali and other gopi group leaders beheld the

especially intimate feature of Krsna sitting upon the swing, their eyes

sparkled with blissful love. The gopis, adorned with colorful makeup and

tinkling belts, mounted their respective swings and loudly sang sweet songs

in the appropriate tempo. Candravali and her group sat facing Murari, Bhadra

and her associates sat on His right, Syama and her followers on the left,

and Dhanya and her assistants sat behind Murari.

 

Crowding the four outer yards, other joy-filled gopis sang melodious songs

with the finest artistic skill. Their effulgent complexions conquered a

garden of golden creepers. As they softly vibrated their seven-stringed

vinos, the gopis produced pleasing ambrosial music of unequalled excellence.

Holding on with one hand and swinging their bodies, the gopis moved gaily on

the swings as swarms of bees followed them.

 

With their free hands the gopis took fistfuls of powder from the bags tucked

in their belts and forcefully threw it into the air while their bangles

jingled along. Scattered here and there by the wind, the colored powders

spread a red hue through the sky, like a screen of fresh Java flowers. The

devatas, anguished by this obstruction to seeing Krsna's pastimes,

repeatedly showered flowers to remove the recurring screen of dust. It

appeared the clouds dripped flower-nectar.

 

As the manjaris gracefully pushed the swings, Vrnda and others shouted, "Jai

hoi Jai hoi" While blissfully absorbed in swinging, Radha and Krsna hurled

colored powders on the gopis. When Candravali and other sakhis returned the

volley with their powders, Radha and Krsna revealed a unique state of fresh

beauty. As the powders thrown at Krsna blew away in the wind, the gopis

filled their reddened hands with sandalwood powder and other fragrances to

bomb Krsna again.

 

Radha's friends, who were experts in shooting pichkaris full of sweet

smelling colored water, assembled around the swing of Radha and Krsna.

Suddenly Candravali and her sakhis attacked Radha and Krsna with pichkaris

full of color. With their jeweled-pic/wfca/is loaded with scents and

glittering like the moon, Radhika's sakhis counterattacked Candravali and

her group with a fountain spray of color. Aimed mainly at Candravali, that

spray of liquid scent did not even once touch the bodies of Radha and Krsna.

Gathering their forces, Radha's sakhis, who were eager to win the battle,

shouted, "I am winning! I am winning!" In the pandemonium, a few more gopis

picked up pichkaris and wildly squirted other gopis. In the excitement to

win, some bottles of liquid fell and broke, releasing thick streams of aguru

and sandalwood scented liquid over the ground.

 

When the flower bombs being forcefully thrown from all directions came too

close to the son of the king of Vrndavana, the gopis deflected them. If,

however, any bomb happened to hit the dark blue body of Krsna, Radhika

happily wiped it off with Her soft hand moistened from perspiration. Feeling

disturbed, Krsna lost His composure upon seeing the condition of the gopis.

He was afflicted with pride and apprehension.

 

To increase the pleasure of the doe-eyed gopis who gazed at Him with shy,

downcast eyes like cakoris agitated by the moon, Krsna abandoned all rules

of formal conduct and followed the whims of Cupid. Witty, humorous, and

controlled by His consorts, the brother of Balarama, rolling His eyes in

desire, challenged the groups of gopis facing Him on all sides, eager to

play Holi with Him.

 

Skillful at sport, Hari smashed the gopis in the southern direction with a

deluge of colors. While moving on their swings and firing red powder at

Krsna, the beautiful gopis appeared as victory flags of cleverness. Then

Krsna subdued the playful, blissful girls on the northern side. Next He

defeated the gopis and their associates in the western direction, who kept

swinging the whole time while strongly desiring pastimes of enjoyment. Theur

eyes and bodies defeated the beauty of lakes full of lotus flowers. Then He

conquered the elegant, excited women on the eastern side, who were

particularly attractive being seated on swings directly opposite Him. While

swinging and throwing ruby-red powder with His lotus hands, Krsna shared a

seat with Radhika who possesses the limit of all excellent qualities.

After winning the battle of Holi, Krsna, smiling brilliantly, desired to

please the different groups of swinging gopis. Starting in the eastern

direction, He faced each group and dexterously moved His swing in two

different directions. When Krsna swung east or west, He moved the swing

directly towards the gopis in those directions. When He swung to the north

or south, those gopis sat next to Him. In the joy of such counter swinging,

Krsna's necklaces, forest garland, and shining earrings all joined in the

festival.

 

Sri Krsna enacts two types of eternal pastimes: manifest and unmanifest.

With the description of Radha and Krsna's swing festival, I, Kavi-karnapura,

the crest-jewel of rasikas, conclude the book entitled Ananda Vmdavana

Campu, which parallels the Vrndavana pastimes of the Lord described in the

Srimad Bhagavatam.