Jhulana-yatra

Expressions researched:
"Jhulan-yatra" |"Jhulana yatra" |"Jhulana-yatra" |"Jhulanayatra" |"days of the Jhulana" |"jhulan or swing"

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 9:

As we have already explained, there are different ceremonies to be observed, such as the birthday of Kṛṣṇa, the birthday of Lord Rāmacandra, the birthday of some prominent Vaiṣṇavas, the ceremony of Jhulana-yātrā with the Lord sitting on a swing, and Dola-yātrā (the Lord's activities in the month of March). In all festivals the Lord is seated on a car, and the car moves through different streets of the city so that people may take advantage of visiting the Lord. In the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa it is said, "In such a ceremony, if even a caṇḍāla (dog-eater), simply out of curiosity, sees the Lord on the cart, he becomes counted as one of the associates of Viṣṇu."

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- San Francisco, July 5, 1970:

So this Ratha-yātrā Festival is a mass movement for enlightening people to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got many other festivities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We have got Janmāṣṭamī, Śrī Rāma-navamī, Dola-yātrā, Jhulana-yātrā. So there are twelve months, but we have got twenty-four festivals as big as this Ratha-yātrā Festival. So if you kindly take to them, then as advised by Lord Caitanya, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31), you will always be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and there will be no scope of your frustration and confusion. For this purpose especially, I came in this meeting, that you kindly accept this humble instruction that wherever you may be, in whatever position, in whatever condition, you kindly chant these sixteen names (everyone chants), Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Jayapataka -- Los Angeles 1 August, 1969:

Regarding Jhulanayatra Ceremony, during these five days the Deities' clothings 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. You have mentioned that you have been invited to attend some "World Brotherhood Conference," and if it is convenient, you may go there with your Sankirtana Party, chant Hare Krishna, give some talk on Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and distribute Prasadam. That is our only business, and we can do these activities anywhere; it doesn't matter on the street or in some "World Brotherhood Conference."

Letter to Govinda -- Los Angeles 17 August, 1969:

Regarding celebrations of other holidays, they will be described as to how they should be celebrated in future memos to all of the temples. I think by now you must have received instructions how to celebrate Jhulana yatra festival.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Giriraja -- Los Angeles 8 June, 1972:

The deity program must be improved very gorgeously. Flower garlands should be expanded, and all expenditures for the deities must be expanded without any miserly contemplation. Our temple should be so gorgeously decorated that we shall excel all Bombay temples. This is my idea. Try to fulfill it. When they hear that we decorate our deities so gorgeously, people will throng, and on festival days especially, like Janmastami, Jhulana Yatra, etc. So four or five devotees should be always engaged in deity worship.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 5 January, 1973:

Yes, that is correct, the deities should never be bathed with water or something like that. Always bathe them with the mantra process. Of course the big deities should be bathed daily! Should not the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if He is recommending to us as brahmanas to bathe so many times, should he not also take bath? There is no objection either to applying the jewels to Their bodies with beeswax or to swinging them in the public functions in the temple on Sunday, so long there is very nice jhulan or swing being profusely decorated. Radha and Krsna may be swung in this way, but you may avoid swinging Lord Jagannatha like that. Yes, that will be very nice if your men go to South America for opening some new centers. They may write to me in that connection.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Dhananjaya -- Indre, France 11 August, 1975:

I am very glad to note that you are having the Phool bangla. It will be very popular. Tell me how it was held. That you are expecting 30,000 people for Jhulana Yatra is wonderful. You should distribute liberally prasadam. Aksayananda Maharaja will supply money. Let each man be given prasadam. That is our special program.

SB Canto 1

SB 1.11.24, Translation and Purport:

When Lord Kṛṣṇa passed over the public roads, all the ladies from the respectable families of Dvārakā went up to the roofs of their palaces just to have a look at the Lord. They considered this to be the greatest festival.

To have a look at the Lord is a great festive occasion undoubtedly, as it was considered by the metropolitan ladies of Dvārakā. This is still followed by the devout ladies of India. Especially during the days of the Jhulana and Janmāṣṭamī ceremonies, the ladies of India still throng up in the greatest number at the temple of the Lord, where His transcendental eternal form is worshiped. The transcendental form of the Lord installed in a temple is not different from the Lord personally. Such a form of the Lord is called arcā-vigraha, or arcā incarnation, and is expanded by the Lord by His internal potency just to facilitate the devotional service of His innumerable devotees who are in the material world. The material senses cannot perceive the spiritual nature of the Lord, and therefore the Lord accepts the arca-vigraha, which is apparently made of material elements like earth, wood and stone but actually there is no material contamination.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- August 26, 1975, Vrndavana:

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: So far, there wasn't any surplus. Now there's a surplus...

Prabhupāda: Where is the surplus?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Now it will start coming. Now it is... From Jhulana-yātrā our income has picked up.

Prabhupāda: But you have got money?

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Now we will have a surplus.

Prabhupāda: You'll... Again "to be."

Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: End of this month.

Prabhupāda: Again "to be." Again, at the end of this month, again "to be." Again "will be." Say "We have no money." That's all. Why do you say indirectly? "It will be." So many managers and so many discrepancies.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- October 12, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What do you want, Śrīla Prabhupāda? The fan. You want it more?

Prabhupāda: No.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Stop the fan.

Prabhupāda: Oh, it is going on?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, a little bit.

Prabhupāda: Switch it off.

Upendra: Decrease. (break)

Jayapatākā: At first some of the devotees were disturbed, but after the Balarāma Appearance and Jhulan Pūrṇimā procession, that gave everyone new encouragement, because they saw how much the local people were appreciative of your work, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Everything will be settled up. Don't be disheartened. So when you left Māyāpur, things were in order? Hmm?

Jayapatākā: When I left Māyāpur, then everything was in order. Nitāicānda and Sarva-bhāvana Prabhu, as well as Pañca-ratna, are there. Actually, one of our workers, he is filing his own case against thirteen Māyāpur villagers, because they had attacked him while he was riding on his bicycle. So that was the only disturbance that had happened in the past month. But he's doing a case against them, and the police said that they would prosecute against them for what they did. So because the people are of such a bad nature, they are continually making such mistakes. This is even getting the authorities against them.

Prabhupāda: Yes, they are guṇḍās. (laughter)

Room Conversation -- October 13, 1977, Vrndavana:

Rāmeśvara: This is the Deities' clothes, on Janmāṣṭamī.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrī-Śrī-Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa. Los Angeles Mandir. Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa.

Rāmeśvara: These were the nightclothes offered on Janmāṣṭamī to the Deities.

Prabhupāda: See that it does not touch...

Hari-śauri: Don't touch Prabhupāda's feet with the painting.

Rāmeśvara: This was a flower outfit offered on Janmāṣṭamī. They had three outfits.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Three different sets of clothing, all new, were offered to the Deities on Janmāṣṭamī. And this one is made completely of flowers.

Rāmeśvara: The next morning They were offered another set of new clothes for Vyāsa-pūjā.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think you must go there, Śrīla Prabhupāda, again. They are calling you to come.

Rāmeśvara: These are the new clothes for Jhulan-yātrā.

Prabhupāda: I have given them the philosophy of "American money and Indian culture." Combined together, the face of the world will...

Hari-śauri: Change.

Prabhupāda: Don't keep Indian culture airtight, and don't keep American money for sense gratification. Use it for Kṛṣṇa. So they are doing that. And Kṛṣṇa is giving them intelligence. Bhakti-yogaṁ dadāmi tam.

Rāmeśvara: These are the new clothes for Rādhāṣṭamī.

Prabhupāda: Any respectable Indian who goes to our temple, and they give us as they want. There is no such temple in India.

Rāmeśvara: These were the new clothes for Balarāma's Appearance Day.

Guest (2): (Bengali about Calcutta mandir)

Rāmeśvara: These are new clothes at New York. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)