09/15/97 - 1035

Vrndaban Jhulan-yatra with Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

Vrndaban, India - August 14, 1997

Srila Narayana Maharaja arrived at Sri Rupa Sanatana Gaudiya Math from Mathura at 5.45 pm. At the Math, a beautiful Jhulan (swing) was set up and decorated gorgeously with leaves and flowers. There, accompanied by many vaisnavas, he performed aratika and swung Sri Sri Radha Vinoda Bihariji for some time.

Afterwards, he and all others went to Sri Gopinath Math where a beautifully decorated swing was also prepared for the pleasure of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath. After swinging the Deities he gave a short lecture on the Jhulan-yatra (swing festival).

Maharaja explained that Jhulan-yatra is very dear to Krsna. He likes it very much. During this period, all daughters go to their father's house to stay there for some days and enjoy the swing festival - a custom celebrated even up to this day.

Every year Sri Radhika used to go to Varsana to her parents' house and have a very nice time there with her Gopi friends and Krsna, whom She could freely meet
(because Jotila and Kotila were not around).

Maharaja then asked Savita didi to narrate the following pastime. 'One time Radha was waiting for her brother Sridam to come and take her to her fathers' house. She was waiting, waiting, and waiting, but there was no sign of Sridam and She became so sad.
One day a person from Varsana was there. She asked the man to ask her father, "Why have they have forgotten Me?" She then started to cry bitterly. The person went to Varsana and told Vrsabanu Maharaja about the condition of his daughter. Hearing this news, Vrsabanu Maharaja immediately sent Sridam to Varsana to get Radhika.

Mother Kirtika packed many presents for Jotila to send with Sridam, knowing that if she did not do this, Jotila, being harsh of character would not send Sri Radhika to Varsana.
Meanwhile, day and night Sri Radhika was staring at the road coming from Varsana. One day, She saw Sridam and when he finally arrived at the front gate they embraced each other. She was weeping, "Oh brother you had forgotten Me?; My father and mother too?; Everyone forgot Me?" At this point, Maharaja started crying and taking off his glasses, wiped his eyes with his cloth.

At first Jotila refused to let Sri Radhika go. "No no, She cannot go. She has so much work to do here, and there is so much danger there because of that black boy. She cannot go."
Then Sridam gave Jotila all the presents given by Kirtida ma. Seeing this, she said, "Alright, she can go, but only for a few days."

Maharaja then thanked Savita didi for her narration and began to speak.
"Then Sri Radhika and Sridam went on a cart pulled by four bullocks to Varsana. Seeing the palace of her parents, Radhika started weeping and more weeping when She saw Her father and mother.

At that time Jhulan-yatra had already started and Sri Radhika started swinging with Her sakhis (friends) during periods in the day and night. But She was not satisfied alone, without Krsna there. Knowing this, Krsna sometimes came in disguise to the palace. Sometimes He dressed as a Gopi selling bangles or beautiful garlands. Or He appeared in any other form and made an appointment for Them to meet each other somewhere in a very secret place in the forest.

Once, Sri Radhika was seated on the Jhulan and Krsna was pushing the swing very gently. Suddenly He put so much force in pushing the swing that Sri Radhika became fearful and started crying out, "O Krsna, save Me, save Me!" Krsna climbed on the swing and She firmly embraced Him, giving Him so much pleasure. Why so much pleasure? Because normally He has to do so many tricks so that Radhika will embrace Him, but in this instance She embraced Him out of Her own will, without much effort on His part. Therefore He is so fond of these swing pastimes.

In this period of Jhulan-yatra, very soft and sweet rain is falling, enhancing so much the atmosphere."'

News Credits: Syamarani didi for her faithful past reporting
Uma didi for her notes of Maharaja's Hindi lectures Mula
Prakrti didi for her proofreading
Sri Kesavji Gaudiya Math in Mathura (Vrnda Dasi didi) for sending the news
Agrahya prabhu for forwarding the news