Basant Panchami in Braj – Celebrating the King of Seasons – Inditales

सदा बसंत रहत वृंदावन पुलिन पवित्र सुभग यमुना तट।

जटित क्रीट मकराकृत कुंडल मुखारविंद भँवर मानौं लट।।

Although Braj is a place of many seasons and festivals, there is one season that is always present in Braj with all its festivity. That is the Spring season or Vasant Ritu – the king among the seasons. Acharya Rasik Ji of Vrindavan even said that the spring season never leaves Braj even for a moment. On the contrary, it is always present in Braj, in service of Shree Radha Krishna. Basant Panchami is celebrated in Braj in the Spring season to commemorate Braj people’s love towards Shree Radha Krishna.

According to astrology and Ayurveda, Vasant Ritu comes in the Chaitra and Vaishakh months of the Hindu calendar. Sushrut, inventor of Shalya Chikitsa or surgery said about Vasant Ritu, “मधुमाधवौ वसन्तः”, which means Madhu(Chaitra) and Madhav(Vaishakh) are Vasant. Taittariya Samhita says “मधुश्व माधवश्व वासन्तिकावृत”, which means Madhu and Madhav together are Vasant Ritu. Taittariya Brahman explains seasons as “तस्य ते वसन्तः शिरः”, which means head of a year is Vasant Ritu. Kalidas explains Vasant Ritu so beautifully in his famous Sanskrit mini-epic, Ritusamhara as “सर्वप्रिये चारूतरं वसन्ते”, which means everything seems so beautiful in Vasant Ritu or Spring season. Famous poetry Geet Govinda composed by poet Jaidev Gosvami says, “विहरति हरिरिह सरस वसंते”, all the directions are very happy after union with Vasant.

However, in North-East India onset of Vasant Ritu or Spring season is considered to be on Vasant Panchami day which is on Panchami or the 5^th day of Shukla Paksha in the Magha month of the Hindu calendar. Shukla Paksha is that fortnight of the lunar month in which the moon goes from new moon to full moon.

Let’s talk about the onset of the spring season. In Magha month, Surya Devata, Sun God, enters Makara Rashi after which the winter season goes on the decline. The arrival of Rituraj Vasant, the king of seasons, on Earth on this fifth day of Shukla Paksha of Magha month is celebrated as a festival. The beauty of mother Earth is at its peak when she welcomes the spring season. At the arrival of the spring season, the whole universe feels intoxicated. Fresh new leaves on the trees, flowers laden branches, mango blossoms, beautiful sound of cuckoo’s cook, yellow colored fields of mustard as if mother earth has draped a yellow odhani, indicating loudly that spring has come.

Braj celebrates the spring season with great delight and gaiety. On the one hand people of the country celebrate this festival by dressing in yellow clothes and worshipping Devi Sarasvati, goddess of intellect, on the other hand, people of Braj celebrate this festival in a very unique way. Vasant Panchami day kick starts the famous 40-day long Holi celebration, the festival of colours in Braj. Vasant Panchami or Basant Panchami is considered the first day of the Holi festival in Braj. In Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, lord Krishna describes himself as spring season.

बृहत्साम तथा साम्नांगायत्री छन्दसामहम।

मासानां मार्गशीर्षोहमृतूनां कुसमाकरः।।

Among scriptures in verse, I am Brihatsama. Among Vaidic verses, I am Gayatri Chhand. Among the six seasons, I am Vasant or Spring season. 

In the villages, towns and temples of Braj, the tradition of celebrating the Vasant festival is continuing ceaselessly till today. The day of Vasant Panchami kick starts Vasant Utsav in Braj. On this day, Thakurji or Lord Krishna is dressed in yellow clothes. All temples are decorated with yellow colored decorations, clothes and flowers. Even the priests dress in yellow-colored clothes and enter the temples to serve the deity. On the occasion of the Vasant Panchami festival, newly blossomed yellow flowers of mustard are offered to Thakurji. Looking at the enchanting looks of their beloved Krishna, the people of Braj get enveloped in his love and affection and instinctively start singing –

“श्यामा श्याम बसंती सलोनी सूरत को श्रंगार बसंती है”

The aura of Shri Radha Krishna is also Vasanti, that is ever fresh. His adornment is also Vasanti.

On the day of Vasant Panchami, a pole is erected for Holi which is called danda or khunta. Around this pole, the wood logs are stacked vertically to perform Holika Dahan. Holika Dahan is associated with the annual bonfire on the night before Holi. The story of Holika Dahan (Holika’s death) signifies the triumph of righteousness over evil. The day of Vasant Panchami marks the beginning of celebrations of Holi which takes place forty days later.

Till Holikashtaka or till 8 days prior to Holi, during rajbhog in the afternoon, people play with colors. It’s called Abir-Gulal. In the world-famous temple of Thakur Banke Bihari, another name for Lord Krishna, colors are thrown on devotees as Prasad.

In the Shah Bihari temple of Vrindavan, the Basanti chamber is open for three days from Vasant Panchami. This Basanti chamber is lit with multicolored lighting which heighten the ethereal aura of Thakur Radha Raman Lal, another name of Krishna, seated gracefully in the room. This room is open for these very few days a year. Chandeliers, imported from Belgium, gracefully enhance the beauty of the chamber. People make bamboo umbrellas and decorate them beautifully.

They take out the procession holding their umbrellas and singing Fag songs. In the night they sing Chaita songs. With this procession, Basant Utsav or festival begins in major temples of Vrindavan like Shri Radha Vallabh temple, Shri Radha Raman temple, Shri Raj Bihari Kunj Bihari temple, Shri Radha Damodar temple and other temples of Vrindavan.

कुहू कुहू कोकिला सुनाई। सुनि सुनि नारि परम हरषाई।।

बार बार सो हरिहि सुनावति। ऋतु बसंत आयौ समुझावति।।

फाग-चरित-रस साध हमारै। खेलहिं सब मिलि संग तुम्हारै।।

सुनि सुनि ‘सूर’ स्याम मुसुकाने। ऋतु बसंत आयौ हरषाने।।

Listening to the cuckoo’s sweet cook, all the female friends or Sakhi of Krishna are very happy and they are coaxing Krishna to come with them and play, saying, O beloved, the spring has arrived. Please come with us for the celebrations. In the end, Krishna yields to their requests with an enchanting smile on his face and goes along with his Sakhis to celebrate Vasant Utsav.

In the temples of Vrindavan, Samaaj performed for Vasant Utsav is very enchanting. Samaaj is a style of singing praises to the lord. In oral literature, one such song, ‘Shyama Shyama ke Basant Khel’ is described very elaborately. These songs are performed in front of Thakurji along with traditional musical instruments. This practice of singing Basant is a very old tradition in Braj. Famous singer and saint trio, Swami Shri Haridas Ji, Shri Hariram Vyas Ji and Shri Hit Harivansh Ji, called Haritrai or the trio who praise the Lord, have created many verses praising Basant. In Vrindavan, till today, even after about 500 years, these verses are sung as a temple tradition. In Braj the tradition of Basant worship hence is truly ancient.

Basant Panchami In Braj – Worship

In a scripture called ‘Mahavani’, the Basant worship process is explained pretty elaborately, which is performed in Golok Vrindavan (Eternal Vrindavan where only Radha Krishna and his Sakhis exist) by Krishna’s female friends. Primarily Mahavani elaborates beautifully on how Krishna’s Sakhis offer flowers and songs to Krishna and worship him. It is called Vasant Seva of Shri Radha Krishna.

As Bhoum Vrindavan or Earthly Vrindavan is an image of Golok Vrindavan, similar celebrations are done in Vrindavan and Braj on the occasion of Vasant Panchami. As per “Haribhakti Vilas’, Puja is performed by offering new leaves, flowers and other puja materials to Krishna in various temples on Vasant Panchami. New-grown yellow flowers of mustard are offered to Shri Radha Krishna. Shri Krishna is also served in the form of music performance which is an inseparable part of Seva tradition in Vrindavan and very important for Vasant Panchami celebrations. Vasant Rag starts from this day. Samaj singing involves singing verses in Vasant Rag of classical singing style.

और राग सब बने बराती दुल्हो राग बसंत,

मदन महोत्सव आज सखी री विदा भयो हेमंत।

All other ragas are the marriage party, raga Basant is the bridegroom. It is a joyous festival time after bidding farewell to Hemant Ritu or the winter season. 

Rasik Shiromani Swami Haridas is singing praises of this divine Ras festival in Ras Nukunj of Vrindavan where Kunjbihari is celebrating Vasantotsav. Kunjbihari is another name for Krishna.

कुंजबिहारी कौ बसन्त सखि, चलहु न देखन जाँहि।

नव-बन नव निकुंज नव पल्लव नव जुबतिन मिलि माँहि।

बंसी सरस मधुर धुनि सुनियत फूली अंग न माँहि।

सुनि हरिदास” प्रेम सों प्रेमहि छिरकत छैल छुवाँहि।।

Krishna’s Sakhi or a female friend is asking all her friends to come with her to the garden, full of new leaves and engulfed in the divine feeling of Vasant, where Krishna is playing a sweet tune on his flute. Everyone present in the garden is soaked in divine happiness. Colours being thrown on them is nothing but Krishna’s love showered on them.

‘मधु मुकुल’ or Madhu Mukul composed by Bharatendu Babu has these lines which describe Basant as,

एहि विधि खेल होत नित ही नित, वृन्दावन छवि छायो।

सदा बसन्त रहत जँह हाजिर,कुसुमित फलित सुहायो।।

At the divine recreation area, games of Basant are being played continuously. The season of Basant never leaves this place. On the contrary, it stays here forever, continuously flowering and blossoming.

Vrindavan and Basant are inseparably connected. You can never talk enough about it. The whole life of Krishna is a representation of novelty, a symbol of exuberance, the epitome of happiness. Which season can be better than Vasant where Krishna himself is exhilarated? The arrival of this season brings greenery all around. Shedding the laziness of the winter season, nature once again starts blossoming as if shedding old clothes, it’s ready to cover itself with bright colorful new clothes. The whole atmosphere is filled with peculiar energy. Mustard fields are full of yellow-colored flowers which fill the human heart with warmth.

Vasant in reality is nothing but a hidden message given to the entire humanity by Shri Krishna, in which he is coaxing all of us to resurrect happiness in life, ignoring all of our ailments and sufferings so that joy and happiness stay all around us forever because as long as happiness is there, there is the essence in life and as long as the essence is there, only then there is a novelty. There is pleasure in the essence of life as long as it is novel and fresh. As it gets stale, degeneration starts. Retrogress starts. Always make your life as Vrindavan so that novelty and freshness persist in life and Krishna himself stays in your heart forever as the epitome of happiness or ‘Rasmurti’.

नवल वसंत, नवल वृंदावन, नवल ही फूले फूल,

नवल ही कान्हा, नवल सब गोपी, नृत्यत एक ही तूल।

नवल ही साख, जवाह, कुमकुमा, नवल ही वसन अमूल,

नवल ही छींट बनी केसर की, भेंटत मनमथ शूल।

नवल गुलाल उड़े रंग बांका, नवल पवन के झूल,

नवल ही बाजे बाजैं, “श्री भट” कालिंदी के कूल।

नव किशोर, नव नगरी, नव सब सोंज अरू साज,

नव वृंदावन, नव कुसुम, नव वसंत ऋतुराज ।

 A new spring, new Vrindavan, new flowers have sprouted

Kanha looks new, as do Gopis as they dance together

Flowers are new, saffron is new and Kamdevs arrows are new

On the banks of Yamuna, new air flows making the colors spread far & wide

New adolescents, new town,  new instruments

New Vrindavan, new flowers with a new Vasant season           

This is a guest post by Sushant Bharti.

Sushant Bharti is a Conservation Architect. He graduated from the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Vastukala Academy College of Architecture. He has a keen interest in understanding the cultural aspect of India. Along with architectural diversity, his main area of research is around the ‘Cultural Heritage of Braj’ and “Indian Temple Architecture”. Currently, he is working as a Research Assistant at the National Museum Institute, National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi.

Read Sushant’s post on –

RasikPriya – The Geet Govind of Bundelkhand

Sanjhi Art – Folk Art of Decoration at Braj Vrindavan

Phool Bangla Tradition of Braj: In The Light of Vrindavan

Translation –  Madhumita Tamhane