Ananda Vrindavan Champu

Chapter Twenty-one

The Pastime of Stealing Krsna's Flute

After enjoying the rasa-lila in the autumn season, Krsna relishes the pastimes of Holi and having His flute stolen which take place in the spring season.

One night, Govinda and Rama (Balarama) went to the forest of Vrndavana to enjoy the pastime of Holi (festival of throwing colors), which is enacted either in the morning or evening. The skillful festival perfor­mance exactly matched the local customs. The devatas were very enthusi­astic to observe this celebration. Seeing the astonishing beauty of Krsna holding His flute, and wearing a fresh garland, glittering garments and ornaments, the gopis tied Him up in their hearts and sang His glories in charming voices.

Krsna and Balarama, and their dear cowherd boyfriends performed this pastime amongst the splendid gopis of Vrndavana who are clever and skillful at playing Holi. The two brothers, however, out of respect for each other's moods of love, played separately with Their own groups of gopis whose minds relished the association of their respective lovers.

Krsna and Balarama sang a special alapa in a raga with great devotion. Their artistic vocalizing of the appropriate notes and embellishments pro­duced waves of continuous joy. Under the influence of the Holi festival, the land of Vrndavana, having revived its strength after the long cold winter, looked beautiful and auspicious. To begin the festival, the young ladies of Vrndavana, who are adorned with all wonderful qualities, and whose bodies looked attractive smeared with natural ointments, shyly held water in their hands and offered it to the land of Vrndavana.

The cowherd boys and their associates sang lovely songs in dvipadika and carcari tala. Their traditional Vraja bhasa songs sounded as pleasing as the smell of musk. The accompaniment of karatalas and sweet mrdangas enhanced the charming vibration of their bangles and ankle-bells. Krsna and Balarama played in this way for a long time, and then wandered around in the lonely forests, pleasant with rows of young trees. The only signs of life in that deep forest were the maudlin cries of the peacocks piercing the evening sky. The rays of the moon filtering through the leaves of the trees painted the forest floor with beautiful colors. Illumined by the moon­light of spring, the splendid forest atmosphere easily aroused the sweet mellows of conjugal love.

Haladhara (Balarama, the holder of the plow) looked extraordinarily elegant moving with His own group of young gopi consorts. One golden earring enticingly danced on Balarama's cheek and His eyes rolled from drinking varuni. With His dark blue caddar half falling off His camphor white chest, Baladeva looked like the white moon breaking through the darkness. For some time, Baladeva, who is a talented artist, danced to the beat of songs in carcass and dvipadika. Appearing like the personification of bliss, Balarama sang, laughed, and threw kunkuma powder on His be­loved gopis, as if sprinkling the sindura of love on their foreheads. Backed by the vina, Baladeva loudly sang a song in dvipadika. Then in a joking mood. He threw colored powders on the restless-eyed gopis. Balarama mixed with His manygop; group leaders and their companions in the same way that Krsna enjoys with His gopis like Radhika, Lalita, Candravali, Syama, and Bhadra.

Krsna meanwhile defeated the gopis' long-standing pride of their sing­ing skill by playing sweetly but indistinctly on His flute. The gopis re­sponded by surrounding Krsna and dousing Him with kunkuma while their bangles jingled joyfully. While tolerating the showers of kunkuma, Hari hung His head down submissively like the best of youthful, intoxicated elephants, and continued playing His flute song in carcari tola.

As Krsna playfully moved with heroic steps, He met with Balarama who rambled about like an intoxicated elephant along with His own group of enraptured young gopis. These gopis, who were completely attached to Balarama, gazed at Him with tender eyes, conveying their affection for their beloved consort. Lifting their bangle-laden arms, they sang accord­ing to the beat and sometimes induced Balarama to sing along. While their ankle-bells tinkled in time with the nimble movements of their feet, the gopis danced beside their beloved Balarama, and threw kunkuma pow­der on His body with great delight.

Understanding the hints from Krsna's glances, the cowherd boys bom­barded the gopis with red, white and yellow scented powders. Balarama's gopis ran away fearfully. Seeing their condition, Krsna smiled and mocked them by playing merrily on His flute. Krsna's gopis laughed along in sweet tones. While clapping their hands with a strong beat and bellowing "Ho! Ho! Hee! Hee!" Krsna's friends filled the four directions with robust laugh­ter.

His anger and passion enflamed, Rohininandana, roaring like a wild young bull elephant suddenly spurred to competition, chased Krsna's com­panions to defeat them with a deluge of powders. Glancing forwards and backwards like lions stalking prey, Krsna's girlfriends desired victory. But losing their intelligence, they could not decide whether to attack or to retreat, so they all ran away. When Krsna's gopa friends counter-attacked Baladeva, He laughed as He squeezed them in His strong, snake-like arms and covered them with colorful powders. In the pleasure of playing, Krsna's cowherd boyfriends lost all sense of awe for Baladeva, as they shouted at Him with contorted faces. Being very strong, they managed to get free from Baladeva's grip. Gathering in a group, they fearlessly retaliated with a volley of vermilion flower bombs. Though defeated, Baladeva remained fearless.

Krsna, bathing everyone in the glow of His soft, sweet smile, said, "What you have done is not right. I do not like it. It is ungentlemanly to gang up on My brother who is all alone." Hearing this, all the boys calmed down.

Moved by the emotions of comedy, pride and anger, Baladeva's com­plexion assumed a ruddy hue to appear like a diamond pillar embraced by red lotuses. The majestic form of Balarama shone like a huge crystal bud reflecting the redjaba flower, or like a proud pinnacle of ice touched by the pink of early dawn. Baladeva looked as elegant as a mountain of white lotuses covered by a forest of pink lotuses inhabited by cakravaka birds. He looked like a full moon anointed with vermilion, glowing in the red evening sunset. Seeing Him thus, Balarama's gopis surrounded Him and amused Him with blissful singing and dancing as they wandered off together.

Meanwhile, Krsna's gopis, their hearts full of longing and drunk with the potion of love, enhanced the festive atmosphere with various amo­rous gestures indicating their conjugal desires. Conspiring together they planned a theft. The gopis said, "How can we steal that flute, which is like a snake scented with aguru, from Krsna's strong arms? What will Krsna do without His flute? Is it a good idea to put our beloved into depression? But when the flute is in Krsna's hand, it acts like a lance to cleverly pierce our hearts with its sweet, enchanting melody. Therefore, we must get that flute in our hands!"

Smiling surreptitiously, the lotus-eyed gopis continued whispering among themselves, "We cannot take the flute in Krsna's presence. Nor does He ever put it down. Even in a state of confusion. He does not let go of it. Among these three possibilities, we must find some way to steal it. The third possibility, taking it out of Krsna's hand when He is bewildered, is the strongest."

In order to bewilder Krsna, one expert gopi met Radhika in a lonely place and confided, "0 fortunate Radha. If You really want to take Krsna's flute under Your control, then put on a show of obstinacy for some time. The impudence of Krsna's flute playing will flee, and the skill of our sing­ing will become prominent."

After the gopis' secret talk, Krsna's close friend Kusumasava, though not knowing their complete plan, boldly spoke to Krsna. Combining shrewdness with the fragrance of the flowering creeper of frank talkative­ness, Kusumasava said, "0 friend! Listen! Though the gopis .are very learned, their singing cannot match Your ambrosial flute playing. So out of jealousy, they are planning to steal Your flute. To prevent this You should keep Your flute with me and sing in a loud voice. The gopis will not be able to approach me because of the power of my brahminical austeri­ties."

Krsna replied, "0 friend! We have fully witnessed the great strength of the brahmanas in the pastimes of your spring festival. Without a doubt, it seems that today you will show us the festival of protecting the flute as well."

Kusumasava said, "0 friend! I cannot protect the flute as much as that person who has given You the ability to attract everyone by the special power of his mantra. But one cannot see such a person in this world. So what is the question of someone trying to take Your flute? Do not mis­trust a dear friend like me."

Krsna said, "What will you do if the intensely frenzied gopis, due to being overpowered by bliss, just snatch the flute from your hand? How will you get it back?"

Kusumasava replied, "You will see the power I have gained from pen­ance." Then taking the flute and tucking it under his arm, he said, "Please sing a song."

In a voice conquering the sound of the vina, Krsna sang a song in carcari tola with great artistry. The Yamuna stopped flowing in her stunned con­dition, the trees rained tears, and the birds and animals trembled in ec­stasy. Hearing the song, the does felt blissful and licked up the drops of perspiration behind each other's ears. It seemed that the streams of sweet­ness from Krsna's song entered the ear holes of the deer and then oozed out due to finding insufficient space. The expertly composed raga pleased the ear due to its precise smtis, jatis, and seven notes.

Kusumasava proudly boasted, "0 how wonderful! My friend, I have never heard such strong singing in the carcari tola in all my years! 0 arrogant gopis\ You cannot sing songs with alapa that give such happiness."

Sangita Vidya, a learned gopi musician, said, "0 unintelligent one! If Lalita, who is wearing a gorgeous silk sari, can sing better than Krsna, then crooked-minded fellow you will lose the flute. Let the flute be the wager."

Kusumasava said, "0 learned one! Only I know the science of music! It is difficult for an ordinary person to know, even if engaged in constant meditation on the subject. According to my final judgement, I will pro­claim the winner at the appropriate time. This will please the devatas and be agreeable to all."

Sangita Vidya, said, "0 learned brahmana boy! This is not simply chanting the Vedas, which satisfies the Vedic scholars. Who are you to judge this?"

While smiling, Krsna continued singing and hinted with a glance. Un­derstanding His intentions, Kusumasava said, "0 vain woman! If you do not agree that my knowledge of music is sufficient for judging, then we should agree that the singing of both parties is equal. Let us see if your singing, like Krsna's, can stun the Yamuna water, bring tears to the trees and creepers, and make the birds and animals tremble in ecstasy. I am certain that no one can sing as zestfully as my friend. Therefore we will wager the flute! If you want to gamble over the singing, then to be fair, you must offer Radha as a wager from your side."

Lalita said, "0 stupid boy! A fool makes the whole world insipid! In all gambling matches, the stakes must be of equal value. We can never equate glass with gold!"

Kusumasava responded, "0 worshipable one! Do you think that my dear friend's flute is like glass, and that your friend is like gold?"

Lalita answered, "Is there any doubt? If you want equal stakes, then without fear you should wager your friend."

Kusumasava said, "All right then, begin singing. Since I am totally pure in heart, I will wager my friend."

Then Lalita, her throat reddened and her eyebrows dancing, gave up all shyness to sing a gentle kedara raga with boldness and enthusiasm. Lalita clearly enunciated a variety of gamakas (trills) spanning from lower to higher octaves, ascending and descending. Using the full grandeur of the gandharva scale, Lalita easily surpassed the expertise of the Gandharvas and vanquished their pride. After feelingly singing the alapa (without tala) in kedara raga, Lalita sang a song in a pleasing tempo according to the conventions of musical taste in the maharastrian dialect.

Lalita sang, "The brightly shining moon of Syama, the nectarean disc endowed with all arts, is expert at giving bliss to the lotuses, and in agitat­ing the ocean of prema. Krsna, the beloved of Vrndavana who wears a crown of mango buds while fondly sporting in the spring, is partial to His girlfriends."

With great pride, Kusumasava held his arms above his head and pranced about while blurting out, "Hee! Hee! You are defeated! 0, Lalita has been defeated!" Unseen, Krsna's flute slipped from Kusumasava's arm­pit and fell on the ground. Without anyone in the universe knowing, Sangita Vidya quickly snatched it up and hid it. Overwhelmed with vanity, she did not even tell her friends about it.

She spoke to talkative Kusumasava, "Listen, Why are you so happy over something that never happened? You are prancing around like a mad­man. Your friend with the fickle ankle-bells should consider who is the actual winner!"

Kusumasava replied to Sangita Vidya, "0 one respected by the learned! According to me, your defeat is evident, for the wager was laid for singing in carcari tala. Lalita sang only one little fragment in dvipadika tala. 0 one with a happy face! Please consider, has she been defeated or not?"

Hearing this, Lalita and Sangita Vidya broke out in laughter. Sangita Vidya said, "0 uncouth one! What is remarkable about carcari, dvipadi or jambhali? The attraction is in the use of murchana, svara and grama. Lalita's song displayed the epitome of sweetness. Indeed, just see! The jewel basins under the trees have melted into water due to the strong currents of her song. By its nature this water has spread out around the bases of the trees and solidified as sitting platforms.

"It is true that from your friend's song the Yamuna looks divine, the trees of Vrndavana become conscious, and the birds and animals seem fully alive. But by our friend's song, they have all become petrified like hard rock. Therefore we have won. Bring your friend and hand Him over to us!"

Subala-sakha said, "0 Sangita Vidya! How is it that you have become covered with foolishness like an ignorant person? With such intelligence can you understand music? Did it not occur to you that it is impossible for this boy to wager Krsna and give Him away? It is an accepted rule that a person can wager only one who is His dependent. No one can wager and give away the Lord."

Krsna said, "Kusumasava! Now you cannot command the respect of others! You have been defeated by these girls, who are proud of their victory and mad with the intoxication of the festival. You will fall into an inescapable condition. Therefore you had better give the flute. Other­wise, My flute will go along with you anyway."

Kusumasava said, "0 friend! But I have won! Showing Your strength, You should snatch away their dear companion."

Lalita said, "Unabashed you are! Hard working ass! Dullard! We have wagered on the song I sang and the song proclaims my victory."

Kusumasava said, "Friend! Greedy woman! If you speak in such an ar­rogant way, then take the flute which I have hid." Saying this, He looked for the flute but could not find it. "0 friend! Out of fear, the flute has run away from my arm pit to some safe garden with unbroken creepers." When he said this everyone broke out smiling.

Killing Sankhacuda

Meanwhile, Balarama enjoyed throwing colors at His beloved gopis. At that time, a foolish demon named Sankhacuda, a lowly Yaksa servant of Kuvera with no sense of propriety, brazenly tried to rob the jewels of Balarama's gopis. As if called by death, he leaped in front of them.

Sankhacuda resembled a man delirious from the hot sun, leaping from a tall tree into the mirage of an oasis of cooling water produced by the rays of the sun. He appeared like a foolish grasshopper jumping into a fire while thinking it to be the effulgence of a forest of succulent herbs. He resembled a frog leaping at a snake in order to grab the jewel on his hood, or an antelope approaching a lion with the idea that his shining mane is a field of ripe grains.

With a crest jewel firmly fastened to his turban, Sankhacuda raised his arms and frightened the girls. Trembling like deer seeing a powerful wolf, the gopis cried out, "0 Balarama! Krsna! Please protect us!" Before Balarama heard those painful cries, Krsna quickly stopped His Holi pas­times and instantly went there. The Yaksa fled in haste, but Krsna ran after him so quickly that His feet did not appear to touch the ground. Balarama, angry at the disturbance, also ran after him. Seeing heroic Krsna and Balarama in hot pursuit, the rascal hurled the dirtiest insults and discarded the jewels. Filled with anxiety, Sankhacuda rapidly fled for his life as if mounted on an airplane. Displaying intense anger, the demon roared while running away, and then he started shaking from exhaustion.

As Krsna chased the demon wherever he went, He looked like the king of lions running down a regal elephant, or Garuda chasing a snake, or like a hawk pursuing a crow. That best of all men, who happily pleases His surrendered servants, grabbed the Yaksa by his hair. Though Krsna's hand is as soft as a lotus, it becomes as hard as the back of a tortoise when He makes a fist. Using His fist, Krsna remoyed the wicked demon's head along with his crest jewel. It was a high quality effulgent gem of fine work­manship, pleasing to look at, and famous for its beauty. Feeling excessive delight, Krsna gave the jewel to His elder brother as His consorts looked on.

Krsna Searches the Gopis for His Flute

In a playful mood, Krsna met again with His beloved gopas and gopis, who are expert at singing proper scales, notes, and fading notes. Krsna celebrated His eternal pastimes with these eternal associates, the per­sonified touchstones of all the pleasure arts. Krsna's meeting them re­sembled a sputtering wick regaining its bright flame by adding a new sup­ply of oil, like a dried up pond filling with water during the monsoon season, or like a dilapidated palace restored by repairs.

Pretending to search for the flute, Krsna made false accusations while approaching different gopis. Accosting one gopi, Krsna said, "You are the thief." Going to another. He said, "You are the thief. You are the one who has stolen My precious flute." Coming up to Candravali's assistants, whose hearts melted with'love, Krsna rudely ripped open their bodices to search for the flute. They responded by scolding Him with frowning faces and charming smiles.

The gopis said, "0 associate of Kusumasava! Such bad conduct is just what we expect of You! How could the flute slip from Your hand and hide in our bodices? If we have stolen Your attractive flute, then You may punish us severely. But if it is not true, then we will take Your necklaces and kaustubha jewel as a wager."

With great pride, Candravali said, "0 arrogant fellow, who gives pain to women! Kusumasava has forcibly taken that flute, which we wanted to steal, from your hand. Don't You remember?" Kusumasava said, "When you say 'the flute we wanted to steal' you show your intention to steal it. What proof have you that I forcibly took the flute?"

Candravali replied, "All the witnesses are here."

Kusumasava retorted, "They are all my enemies."

Candravali said, "Your friend there is also a witness."

Kusumasava said, "That cannot be true. Then why did my pure-minded friend open your clothing to look for it? Therefore, it is certain that you ladies have stolen this best of flutes. Your statements have proven to be downright lies."

After speaking like this, Kusumasava, who is clever, fearless, and effulgent, again spoke to Krsna, "Sangita Vidya, the goddess of music, has stolen Your flute, not these gopis." Hearing this, 'the clever Sangita Vidya became afraid and with a graceful gait went to see Lalita. With a sly glance, she passed the flute to Lalita without anyone's noticing.

Seeing Sangita Vidya's gestures and movements, Kusumasava said hotly, "Friend! This Sangita Vidya has really stolen the companion of Your hand, the flute. She definitely took it! When we jokingly mentioned her name, intending it to mean the presiding goddess of musical knowledge, she took it as meaning herself, and thus felt fearful. That is the sign of the thief."

Hearing this, Sangita Vidya stepped forward while Lalita hid the flute behind her back. With an astonishing smile Sangita Vidya said, "0 little boy! What is this? You are a big pit of deceit. How could I ever steal the flute while playing in the Holi festival? You are heartless. What use have I in stealing the flute? If you accuse people of lying, please understand that you are committing a serious sin. You talk too much! You are the incarnation of injustice. It is not necessary to speak such false words. So go away! Today I have been merciful and spared you from punishment!"

Everyone broke out in mild smiles upon hearing her words. Krsna, smil­ing all the while, derived more pleasure from boldly attacking the gopis while searching the flute than from His intimate pastimes with them. Sur­rounded by the gopis, who could not be submissive because of their innate bold natures, Krsna, wearing forest flower garlands, finally stopped the search.

Disregarding Lalita's show of pride that always manifests newer and newer features, Krsna touched her with His lotus hand. Lalita, a master in all arts, secretly slipped the flute into the hand of the daughter of Vrsabhanu. Then devoid of fear she spoke without hesitation.

Lalita said, "0 killer of Agha! Though I am innocent, You insist on touching me, due to being mad with the pride of love. I will stop this display of impudence bom of Your pride. I am not lying. I do not have Your flute." Saying this, Lalita opened her bodice to prove it. Showing her brilliant white teeth as she smiled, Lalita continued, "0 one under the spell pride and lust! Please remember that when You ran after Sankhacuda, possibly Your flute fell to the ground. Your attempts to cor­ner me have proven fruitless."

Kusumasava said, "0 friend! The thief must be Radha!"

Krsna replied, "Intelligent one! It must be as you say. Radha has the flute so I will search Her!"

Just when the crest jewel of witty behavior started to search Radha, a dear girl friend of Balarama happily presented the Sankhacuda crest jewel to Radha, saying, "0 Radha, endowed with all qualities! Listen to me. Balarama is offering this jewel to You, so please accept it." The incred­ible effulgence of Sankhacuda's crest jewel lit up the heavenly planets. It brought more happiness than the eight mystic siddhis.

As Radha gladly extended Her hand to accept the jewel, Her bodice slackened and the flute fell on the ground. Kusumasava's face lit up. He slapped his armpits, twisted his neck, stepped in a crooked manner, con­torted his body, clapped his hands, and laughed in a raucous voice. Sur­rounded by His laughing, boisterous friends, Krsna smiled and ridiculed Lalita.

Krsna said, "0 Lalilta! Unrepentant one! You have spoken truthfully. While running after that demon, My flute, seeing our preoccupation with the jewel of Sankhacuda, felt neglected and fell on the ground. Now, see­ing Radha's preoccupation with the same jewel, My flute has again be­come angry and fallen on the ground."

Kusumasava said, "Such intelligence of Brhaspati cannot be found in anyone of Your age. It is not astonishing that Radha, whose perfect, fault­less, and auspicious form takes away my friend's intelligence, has also stolen His enchanting flute whose form is inauspicious and full of holes. But Krsna, the amazing thing is that You saw that I had taken the flute from You, so how did they get it? 0 friend, with the hue of a tamala tree,

Damodara, rejoicing with pleasure, took the flute and played it sweetly And as the beautiful gopis displayed various symptoms of ecstatic bliss the festival came to a close.

Chapter Twenty-two The Swing Festival Pastimes

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 bom 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 vinas, 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 ho\ 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 ]eweled-pichkaris 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 agum 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. Their 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-kamapura, the crest-jewel of rasikas, conclude the book entitled Ananda Vrndavana Campu, which parallels the Vrndavana pastimes of the Lord described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. I have not described the Bhagavatam chapters about the Gopis Songs in Separation, the Killing of Arista and Kesi, the Coming of Akrura, and Entering the Arena of Kamsa because I consider them unsuitable to the sweet mood of madhurya Vrndavana.

The confidential pastimes of Krsna, the embodiment of transcendental wonder, are eternal by nature and constantly present in their manifest and unmanifest forms. What is the proof that Krsna's transcendental abode of Vrndavana exists eternally, though invisible to the material eye? In answer to this query, the Srimad Bhagavatam states: -

jayati jana-nivdso devakl-janma-vddo^ yadu-vara-parisat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam sthira-cara-vrjina-ghnah su-smita-sri-mukhena, vraja-pura-vanitdndm vardhayan kdma-devam

"Lord Sri Krsna is He who is known as jana-nivdsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakmandana or Yasoda-nandana, the son of Devaki and Yasoda. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopis of Vrndavana. May He be all glorious and happy!" (SB 10.90.48)

The eternal nature of Krsna's pastimes is established by using the present tense in the Bhagavatam verse quoted above. It should be understood that the etemality of Krsna's pastimes is preserved by His inconceivable energy (acintya-sakti). This spiritual energy produces both manifest and unmanifest abodes. One cannot say that Krsna, who possesses inconceiv­able energy, does not have the power to maintain eternal places of mani­fest and unmanifest pastimes. Nor can it be said that His young lovers, the lotus-eyed gopis of Vrndavana, cannot be divided into different groups

such as nitya-siddha gopis and sadhana siddha gopis like the sruti-caris and muni-caris.

Nor can Vrndavana, the place of His transcendental pastimes, exist in an unmanifest state. Why can't the pastimes of Hari in Vrndavana be both manifest and unmanifest eternally? 0 person fond of arguing! Give an answer to this one question. Do the manifest and unmanifest pastimes exist eternally and simultaneously? There are millions of universes, and as a particular pastime ends in one universe it simultaneously manifests in another. If they do not start in a particular universe, what is the ques­tion of disappearing? According to this method, the manifested pastimes remain eternally, always situated at some particular place. It is just like the sun, seemingly moving through days and nights, and appearing se­quentially in all the seven continents.

Although a pastime seems to disappear in one universe, it actually con­tinues to exist there in unlimited unmanifest forms. It reveals itself through different characteristics as described in Sanatana Gosvami's Brhad-Bhagavatamrta. How could one Krsna simultaneously enter different temples to marry each of the sixteen thousand women along with the inhabitants of Dvaraka, and also manifest Himself in many forms along with forms of all His elders such as Vasudeva? Just as Krsna, without any assistance from His expansions, manifested many forms of Himself and His associates in Dvaraka, could He not also manifest such things in Vrndavana?

The Srimad Bhagavatam conclusively proves that Krsna is full of unlim­ited powers. Though He stays eternally in Vrndavana (unmanifest), He goes off to Mathura. In His unmanifest form Krsna stays in Vrndavana and eternally performs pastimes with the gopis. Krsna also burned in sepa­ration from the gopis in His manifest form.

It is said, therefore, that nothing is impossible or astonishing for the Supreme Person, Yasodanandana, who is full of unlimited powers and beyond all conceptions! If Krsna as Devakinandana showed such great­ness in marrying all the princesses, could He not do much more as Yasodanandana, His most perfect, and complete manifestation? All such things perfectly befit the unlimited nature of Krsna.

Kavi-karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, whose very life is Sri Caitanya, has written this campu with a wealth of poetic knowledge. It has arisen by the mercy of Sri Krsna Caitanya, and by the pure intelli­gence attained from remembrance of the lotus feet of Sri Natha.

Sri Sri Gandharvika-Giridhari kijai!