20200730 Jhulan Yātrā Address

Lecture Code: 20200730

Occasion: Jhulan Yātrā

Date: 30-Jul-2020

Place: Sridham Mayapur

Transcribed By: Jayarasehswari dd

Transcribed On: 5-Aug-2020

1st Level Proofer: Bhavataarini radhika dd

1st Level Proofed on: 6-Aug-2020

Editorial Changes (non voice): Usha

Date: 25-Jan-2020

 Status: Completed

Source:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=922083091625431

Title:

20200730 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Maharaj, Jhulan Yatra, Śrī Māyāpur Dham, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ

paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande

paramānanda-mādhavam

Śrī Caitanya Īśvaram

hariḥoṁ tat sat

In 1969, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote me a letter. He told me to observes Jhulan Yatra. He said, have a beautiful throne and put the deities on the throne. Lots of flowers, swing the throne.

Also, he wrote a letter to Girirāja das, to have an elaborate Jhulan Yatra in Bombay, Mumbai. He instructed how to do it. This Jhulan Yatra is a bit esoteric, in the sense that Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and sakhīs will observe the Jhulan Yatra, but it is a great opportunity for the devotees to serve the Lord. They pull the Lord and His consort, Rādhā Mādhava or Rādhā Govinda, on the Jhulan, swing.

So, there are a few opportunities that the devotees get to do a personal service for the Lord. In the ratha yatra, you can pull the ratha, in Jhulan yatra, you can swing the Lord, Their Lordships. Otherwise, it is mainly the pūjārīs who do the functions. But here the men, the women, are all allowed to pull the Jhulan. So, this is a special opportunity. And it says that if one observes the Jhulan yatra or participates, they are very happy, and they achieve special mercy of Kṛṣṇa!

Haribol! Haribol! HARIIIIIBOL!

 So, in the Govinda Līlāmṛta, this pastime was explained, that there is a swing like a lotus with eight petals. And there is some pastime where Kṛṣṇa stole Rādhārāṇī’s syringes and Rādhārāṇī stole Kṛṣṇa’s flute. So then then made an agreement, that He would return the syringes to spray and She will return His flute. Like exchange of business. He took His flute and gave Her, Her syringe. By that, He could touch Her hand. These exchanges were very much relished by Kṛṣṇa. Then all the gopīs, lifted up Rādhārāṇī on the swing. Then Mādhava, He sat down next to Rādhārāṇī. And then the gopīs were swinging Rādhārāṇī.

Then, Lalitā, Visaka, they sat also on the two petals of the swing, to give some special service to Rādhā and Mādhava, to give them betel nuts and things. And then, Induleka and Campakalata were fanning Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Like that the eight gopīs, Sucitra and Rangadevi were doing something, and then Tungavidya and Sudevī were doing something. The swing was swung by Vṛndādevī and Kunjalata.

So, like this then Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself with all the gopīs. So, there were nine gopīs – Rādhā and eight – and nine Kṛṣṇas. Then Rādhārāṇī got off the swing and She was swinging the other gopīs. Then the gopīs got down and lifted up Rādhārāṇī, put Her on the swing, and then they were swinging very fast. She got afraid that She would fall off the swing. So, She embraced Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa held Her. So Kṛṣṇa likes this pastime! Not very easy to get embraced by Rādhārāṇī! So, in this Jhulan Yatra, He would get this opportunity!

 Anyway, this pastime was something very ecstatic. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that lots of ladies would come for the festival. He said that there was another festival in March called the Dol swing, but we don’t do. We do the Jhulan. Also, if you send a what’s app message to this number +91 99323 28446. Say that slowly. +91 99323 28446. First come, first served. They will swing the deities three times with your name. We will try to get more time tomorrow. But I will see how many call up tonight.

 Anyway, the highest yoga is called bhakti yoga. In that there are nine different sevas. Srvanam, kīrtanaṁ – hearing and chanting. Smaraṇaṁ, remembering. Pada sevanaṁ – worshipping the lotus feet. Also, arcanaṁ – deity worship. This falls both in Arcanaṁ and Pada Sevanaṁ. If you get to pull the deity, that is pada sevanaṁ. And also worshipping the deity is arcanaṁ. This is as I said, normally one can only serve the deities if they are brāhmaṇa. But here everyone is allowed to pull the Jhulan. So actually, the human form of life is meant to return back to the spiritual world. And to cultivate our desire to serve Rādhā and Mādhava. To cultivate our desire to serve Lord Caitanya.

 So, like this, there are some rare festivals, which give us the opportunity to serve the Lord. The Jhulan is one of those festivals.

So, we hope that you all participate. We know that in your homes, you can also do the Jhulan. You can swing the deities or swing the photo of the deities. In this way, you can also enjoy Jhulan Yatra in your home. By this way, by sending a what’s app message to that number and booking your sevā, you can get the opportunity also to have a Jhulan served in your name.

 Normally, we don’t have any direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa. But the process of bhakti yoga gives us many opportunities to personally connect with Kṛṣṇa. Hearing about the glories of the Lord, hearing about the pastimes of the Lord, hearing the names of the Lord, all these are transcendental. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is also transcendental. Remembering Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes, that is transcendental. Like this, we can engage our mind, our body, our words, in the serve of Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is a rare opportunity. There are many kinds of yoga. Jñāna yoga where one studies the scriptures and try to speculate on the Absolute Truth. Then there is the aṣṭāṅga yoga, eight mystic yoga system – there one tries to realize the Supersoul in the heart. But bhakti yoga is the only system, where one realizes not only the effulgence and the Supersoul, but also realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So today is the auspicious day of Ekādaśī, the first day of Jhulan Yatra, which goes for five days. We hope that you all participate on each of the days. And try to think of yourself serving the Lord. Being a devotee of the Lord Rādhā Mādhava and serving Them. That is the perfection of live. Normally, we want to serve our senses and we are called Go dāsa. But if we engage our senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then they get spiritual controlled. That is called goswami. So, we use our senses, Hriskena in the service of Hṛṣīkēśa. That way, we control our senses, our mind, and then we can meditate fully on Kṛṣṇa.

So, I thank all of you for participating in this Jhulan Yatra, and along with this please chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare!

Any questions?

How many online?

 Kṛṣṇa says, name bhakta praṇaśyati. My devotee will never perish. So, we want to firmly place ourselves under the shelter of Rādhā Mādhava. That is possible by the mercy of Nitāi Gaura. And we get Their mercy by taking shelter of the guru paramparā. So, in this way, we can get the shelter of Rādhā and Mādhava.

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa guru maharaj, how to celebrate Jhulan yatra in our home? Your unworthy son, Harshit.

 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Make a small swing. And put the deity of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or a picture of Rādhā Mādhava on the swing, and decorate with flowers and swing it. It is not a rocket science!

 Devotee: Can we swing any other deities other than Rādhā Kṛṣṇa, like Jagannath, Gaura Nitāi, Gopāla?

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: In Tirupati they have the Bālajī, they swing Him. Every day they take Him out and they swing. I don’t know what the actual pastime is. But they have such a ceremony there.

Any other questions?

 Marīci das: Hare Kṛṣṇa guru maharaj, PAMRO. AGTSP! We just did a swing at home inspired by you. Thank you!

 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol!

 Is Sowmya still with you?

Hemangi Gopī devidasi’s question.

 Devotee: Hemangi Gopī devi dasi: Dearest father, guru maharaj Did you ever with Śrīla Prabhupāda celebrate this pastime? Please tell us your Prabhupāda pastime. Your servant.

 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: On Sunday, we are supposed to go for a Sunday feast in Pune. Will you be there?

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda told me and told us to observe the Jhulan yatra and we have been doing that since about 50 years. Usually at this time of the year, Śrīla Prabhupāda doesn’t come to Māyāpur. He only comes like September, October, before the Kartik month or after the Kartik month. Kartik, he would usually spend in Vṛndāvana.

 Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear guru maharaj, PAMRO. How long in bhakti does it in bhakti take one to become brahmā bhūta Prasannātmā, nasocatinakanksati. Your servant, Rādhā Kishori devī dāsī.

 His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: It is not a question of time. When one is more absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally they become nasocatinakanksati. So, when we are identifying ourselves as the soul, brahmā buta, then we become satisfied, Prasannātmā. And then we don’t have any more anxieties or suffering.

Thank you, Rādhā Kishoridevidasi.

 So, all can see the Jhulan Yatra?

On Māyāpur TV.