jaya jaya sundara nanda-kumāra saurabha-saṅkaṭa-vṛndāvana-taṭa-vihita-vasanta-vihāra

“O handsome son of Nanda, O Lord who enjoys springtime pastimes in the fragrant forest of Vrindavan, all glories to You! All glories to You!”

⁠Srila Rupa Goswami

Vasant Panchami, the season when yellow spring flowers begin to bloom, birds begin to sing in sweet voices and the transcendental pastime of Vasant rasa.

Bg. 10.35

बृहत्साम तथा साम्न‍ां गायत्री छन्दसामहम् ।

मासानां मार्गशीर्षोऽहमृतूनां कुसुमाकर: ॥ ३५ ॥

bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ

gāyatrī chandasām aham

māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ’ham

ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ

Translation

Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

During this spring season the vasanta-rasa of Sri Krsna takes place in Govardhana, at Candra Sarovara, where the moon stops his travels for one entire night of Brahma, a duration of trillions of years. He stays there to have darsana of the dance and to hear the singing of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and the gopis.

Srila Jayadeva Gosvami has described the vasanta-rasa-lila in his Gita-govinda. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to hear this description and weep loudly, with tears rolling down His face and with a melted heart. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta vasanta-rasa has been described as giving vivid evidence of as the prominency of Srimati Radhika over millions of gopis.

Vasant Panchami as a time for celebrating Spring ‘s arrival in Vrindavan by honoring Krishna’ s springtime pastimes, offering Him new leaves, flowers (especially yellow), and fresh shoots, playing the vasanta raga, and performing special arati with yellow flowers, focusing on joyful service and devotion to the Lord, with his teachings emphasizing love for Krishna through bhakti (devotion). He specifically praised the beauty of this season, which marks new life, ideal for Krishna ‘s playful activities in the blossoming forests.

For one month Holi kirtanas will be sung, like, “Aje Viraja me hari he rasija”. Lord Krsna, along with His friends and all the gopis who are under guidance of Srimati Radhika take syringes and sport together. The gopis want to defeat Krsna and He wants to defeat them, and in this way the very melodious songs of Holi will resound everywhere.