Jhulan Utsav 2018
The autumn Swing Festival of Radha and Krishna is a v sweet and rasa-filled pastime. If you are having the right attitude of service, the Gopis of Vrinadavan will take you in to serve in the divine Lila. Lila means play. Ecstatic play. And that is what the energy of Vrindavan invites you into.
The swing on which the couple sit, lovingly pushed by the sakhis of Radha gently moves toward and away from you. Such a powerful metaphor, the swing. Sometimes, they stand on the swing, and Krishna pushes the swing high into the sky, making Radha tremble and sway, leaving her with no option but to cling to him tightly for support. Her clothes come undone, and she feels very shy. Sometimes they sit, facing each other, lost in each others eyes. The sakhis sing and dance, and gently sway them to and fro. The heat and humidity of the monsoons is relieved by the breeze creating by the swinging.
The deities in the temple were dressed in joyous colours and their temple became an arbor of loving dalliance, filled with flowers and shrubs. The evenings were filled with melodious kirtans, where songs of the Jhulan lila are song, as it occurs in timeless Vrindavan. Every poet who has written the soulful songs of the romance, allows his heart to take a leap of love, portraying for us the divine vision through lyrical words. Each word is imbued with devotion, and brings alive right in front of us, the play of Vrindavan. In Navadvipa, it is very easy to get unhooked from Kaal (time) , and get hooked to Kala (the black one).
The entire temple, lit with fairy tale lights, a ripe creamy moon, becomes a place of deep mystery and initiation if your heart is ready and open to love.
My the blessing of my Gurudev always be with me, to be able to visit and serve in this holy land.
The autumn Swing Festival of Radha and Krishna is a v sweet and rasa-filled pastime. If you are having the right attitude of service, the Gopis of Vrinadavan will take you in to serve in the divine Lila. Lila means play. Ecstatic play. And that is what the energy of Vrindavan invites you into.
The swing on which the couple sit, lovingly pushed by the sakhis of Radha gently moves toward and away from you. Such a powerful metaphor, the swing. Sometimes, they stand on the swing, and Krishna pushes the swing high into the sky, making Radha tremble and sway, leaving her with no option but to cling to him tightly for support. Her clothes come undone, and she feels very shy. Sometimes they sit, facing each other, lost in each others eyes. The sakhis sing and dance, and gently sway them to and fro. The heat and humidity of the monsoons is relieved by the breeze creating by the swinging.
The deities in the temple were dressed in joyous colours and their temple became an arbor of loving dalliance, filled with flowers and shrubs. The evenings were filled with melodious kirtans, where songs of the Jhulan lila are song, as it occurs in timeless Vrindavan. Every poet who has written the soulful songs of the romance, allows his heart to take a leap of love, portraying for us the divine vision through lyrical words. Each word is imbued with devotion, and brings alive right in front of us, the play of Vrindavan. In Navadvipa, it is very easy to get unhooked from Kaal (time) , and get hooked to Kala (the black one).
My the blessing of my Gurudev always be with me, to be able to visit and serve in this holy land.
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