Jhulan Yatra – Its Importance and the Pastime (Story) behind it!
In Vrindavan, there are festivals for Krishna suitable for every season. Of late, they are celebrated all over the world as advised by Srila Prabhupada.
Jhulan Yatra means the Radha-Krishna swing festival in which the deities of Radharani & Krishna are made to swing on the swings made of Silver or Gold.
In Vrindavan, among the local villagers and inhabitants this festival lasts for 13 days.
(Krishna’s Lilas in Goloka & Bhuloka Vrindavan – Five doubts! READ HERE!)
Each person offers flower petals and personal prayers, and then pushes the swing several times and everyone gets the chance to intimately serve Radha and Krishna.
The same festival is observed in other parts of India too like Puri in this sacred month of Shravana.
Some of the main temples in which this festival is celebrated are: Banke Bihari Temple and the Radha-Raman Temple in Vrindavana, the Dwarkadish temple in Mathura,and the Larily Lal Temple in Varsana.
Iskcon temples observe this Swing festival for five days.
In Vrindavan, there are festivals for Krishna suitable for every season.
During VasantPanchami (Spring festival), everyone dresses in yellow and goes to the fields, performs fertility rites, and plants new crops,etc.
During Dola Purnima, scented powders and flowers are thrownon the body of the Lord playfully, and singing and dancing are done to please the Lord.
During the Summer, Chandan Yatra is performed where from the Akshaya Tritiya for a period of 21 days the body of the Lord is anointed with scented sandalwood mixed with camphor, musk and saffron to immediately cool the body of the Lord.
(Krishna demands Road Tax – Story! READ HERE!)
Then, the temperature increases further. The Chandan cooling is not enough. Therefore, the Snan Purnima in the month of Jyestha (Trivikram Vaishnava mase) there is the ceremonial bathing of theLord called Snan Yatra.
Although it has become especially festive in Jagannath Puri, the actual event originates in Vrindavana with the devotees bathing Krishna and Balaram for their pleasure and then taking bath themselves too.
The next major interactive event is Rathyatra where the devotees symbolically bring Lord Krishna (Jagannath), His brother Balaram and Subhadra maharani on high chariots back to rural Vrindavan after their spell inKurukshetra.
Then comes this Jhulan Yatra festival that starts on the ekadasi of waxing moon of Sridhara month.
Next comes the BalaramPurnima, a practical festive service that the devotees provide for the Lord. Monsoon is so humid, and the temperature is still so hot despite the cooling rains.
With so much water coming from the sky, on the ground, and just about everywhere the last thing that anyone wants is more water to cool off. So the devotees arrange for the pleasure and satisfaction of Krishna, Balaram, and Srimati Radhika by placing them on a swing (Jhulan) and creating their own breeze from the motion.
On the last day of the Jhulan, on the Purnima (full moon) this comes Lord Balaram’s appearance day festival.
(Chandana Yatra and Akshaya Tritiya – 20 Significances! READ HERE!)
Jhulan (Swinging) Pastime of Radharani and Krishna
Every year Srimati Radharani used to go to Barsana to her parents’ house and have a very nice time there with her Gopi friends and Krishna whom She could freely meet (because Jotila and Kotila were not around).
Once Radharani 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.
Oneday a person from Barsana 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 Barsana and told Vrsabhanu Maharaja about the condition of his daughter. Hearing this news, Vrishabhanu Maharaja immediately sent Sridam to Varshana to get Radharani.
Shrimati Radharani’s Mother Kirtida packed many presents for Jotilato send with Sridam, knowing that if she did not do this, Jotila,being harsh of character sometimes would not send Shrimati Radharani to Barshana.
One day, She saw Sridam and when he finallyarrived 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 first Jotila refused to let Shrimati Radharani go. “No no, She can not 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.”
“Then Shrimati Radharani and Sridam went on a cart pulled by four bullocks to Barsana.
At that time Jhulan-yatra had already started and Shrimati Radharani started swinging with Her sakhis (friends) during periods in the day and night, but She was not satisfied alone, without Krishna there.
Knowing this, Krishna 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, Shrimati Radharani was seated on the Jhulan and Krishna was pushing the swing very gently. Suddenly Krishna put so much force in pushing the swing that Shrimati Radharani became fearful and started crying out, “O Krishna, save Me, save Me!”
That transcendental trickster Shri Krishna 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 Radharani 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.
(Fake Stories on Radharani & Krishna that have to be avoided! READ HERE!)
SRILA PRABHUPADA ABOUT JHULAN YATRA
“Regarding Jhulana yatra Ceremony, during these five days, the Deities’ clothing should be changed everyday, and there should be nice Prasadam distribution and Sankirtana as far as possible. If you are able to do it, a nice throne may be constructed on which the Deities can be placed. This throne may be swung gently during Kirtana. That will be very good, and surely the Deities will enjoy the function.” (Srila Prabhupada.1.8.1969. Letter to Jayapataka Swami)
“Radha and Krishna may be swung in this way, but you may avoid swinging Lord Jagannatha like that.”(Srila Prabhupada. 5th Jan. 1973. Letter to Jagdish).
(SNANA YATRA FOR LORD JAGANNATH – SIGNIFICANCE! READ HERE!)