Natabara - Lord of Dance

Uh... so wow. If I'd known what this morning would have been like, I definitely would not have been able to sleep last night.

Every day of Chandan-Yatra there are different veshas, depicting different pastimes of Lord Krsna, for example Nauka Keli (Boat Pastimes) or Vastra Harana (Stealing of Gopis’ Clothes). I had been told about the veshas, and that Radha Madhava are usually dressed according to that particular days pastime but nothing prepared me for this mornings darshan.

Firstly let me remind you that I am in Mayapur, the spiritual capital of the world. Nothing is done in halves here, there are no short-cuts, nothing is simplified.

After greeting Nrsimhadeva (completely covered in chandan I might add) and Pancha Tattva, everyone routinely trooped into Radha Madhava's temple room amidst loud kirtan, awaiting the opening of the curtains. The kirtan continued... and we continued waiting. And waiting... ... And waiting some more. Slowly the room was filling up with more people, and the temperature was unrelenting. The anticipation was killing me! Just open the curtains already!

After what seemed like ages, the left curtain was pushed aside slightly and Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaj stepped out with a large conch. The kirtan heightened... "Finally!" I thought. After another agonising ten minutes, the kirtan suddenly stopped, and the whole room was silent. A voice came over the the speakers, explaining the Natabara pastime, the story of Radha and Krsna, and how they danced together in the form of a peacock and peahen.

As the narration ended, four older gurukula boys stepped up in front of the altar and lifted their conches up, and on Gurukula Maharaj's indication, they all began to blow. The sound of five conches sounding simultaneously bought the whole temple room to a standstill. Fidgeting stopped. Whispers stopped. Kids running around stopped in their tracks. The women began to ululate louder and louder. There was an incredible air of auspiciousness, We were about to see LORD KRSNA. That is no ordinary thing.

The conch sound ended and the four boys left the front of the altar, only to return a few seconds later with two more boys, and all holding large trays filled with lit ghee lamps. They all stood in a line holding their trays, ready to offer... and suddenly the curtains were pulled back quickly. A few chorouses of jai and haribol! swept through the room, but mostly everyone seemed to be at a loss for words, spellbound by Sri Sri Radha Madhava's beauty. The boys began to offer their trays to the deities, the Govindam prayers began and the sound of peacocks filled the air. If you closed your eyes you could imagine you really were in the spiritual world.

But who would want to close their eyes with such beauty in front of them. The gopis had peacock feathers around their hair, puffed-sleeve dark teal cholis, tiered skirts made with different shades of green and a layer of peacock feathers down the front. Each held a garba stick in their hands, ready to dance, and each had a layer of chandan spread across her forehead. Madhava had a dhoti that curled around His body and flared out to the side, just like the peacocks feathered tail, His body was smeared with chandan, His eyes seeming even more lotus-like, His gopi-dots delicately framing His face, and thick gold bells around His ankles. And Srimati Radharani... where do I begin. Her rich blue skirt fell away from her body, showing off the curves of Her hips, with paisley designs and peacock feather adorning the front and beautifully complimented by Her rich blue choli. She had delicate paisley designs drawn on Her left hand, and was wearing simple gold jewellery and a pink and yellow flower garland. Behind Her head sat an effulgence of peacock feathers, across Her forehead was a cooling layer of chandan, and my most favorite of all - a mask of gopi-dots around Her eyes. Without a doubt She was the most breathtaking I had seen Her dressed. Ever.

The altar was decorated with simple marigold garlands, fairy lights and a few model peacocks sitting in different places. The simplicity of this set and the attention to detail on the deities and the altar were incredible and I couldn't stop staring at Them. "This really must be what its like to be in the spiritual world" I thought. All I wanted to do was pull on one of those tiered green skirts and teal cholis, grab some garba sticks and dance up there with Them. When oh when will that day be mine?

If I was this blown away by day 1, what will be in store for me tomorrow? Or or the next 20 days? The best part is, the day isn't over yet... Boat festival starts in half an hour.

photographs courtesy of Muralidhara Priya das