jaya jaya sundara nanda-kumāra
saurabha-sańkaṭa-vṛndāvana-vihita-vasanta-vihāra
“O handsome son of Nanda, O Lord who enjoys springtime pastimes in the fragrant forest of Vrndavana, all glories to You! All glories to You!”
- Srila Rupa Goswami
Vasanta Pancami usually takes place during the month of January or February, and marks the first official day of spring. The spring season signifies new life and joy, and Mother Nature shares that jubilation in the form of blossoming flowers and flourishing trees. It is indeed a very beautiful time of the year. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita,'ham ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ:“...and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.”
Traditionally in Vrndavan, Vasanta Pancami is celebrated very wonderfully. All the deities are dressed and decorated in beautiful yellow cloth and elaborately decorated, and everyone dresses in various shades of yellow or green.
In the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir, Sri Sri Radha Madhava are offered a new dress designed by the community devotees and decorated with many flowers. Everything, from the cloth to the jewellery to the decorations and even the complexion of Srimati Radharani and the gopis, is yellow.
The white marble of the gopis’ forms is given a golden hue using a specially prepared mixture of saffron powder and water, personally prepared by His Grace Jananivas Prabhu. Along with a small group of pujaris, Jananivas Prabhu carefully applies the fragrant pigmented mixture on the gopis’ bodies with a soft cloth.
The deities look so breathtakingly beautiful in Their new flower-bedecked outfits, which perfectly complement Their golden complexions, and the heavenly aroma from the bodies of Srimati Radhika and Her sakhis permeates the temple hall, and amplifies the sweetness and ecstasy of the devotees.
The Vasanta season is celebrated as the best of seasons, not only because it represents life and joy, but because it is the most fortunate of all the seasons, as Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the Vasanta season.
“King Vasanta (the personification of the spring season) heard that Lord Gauranga would appear in the flower bearing spring, and he became jubilant and ecstatic and began to dance with his five brothers (who represent the other five seasons).”
- Sri Navadvipa Dham – A Pilgrim’s Guide
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