Varsha-Śarad Varṇana

The 20th chapter of the 10th Skanda of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa describes the rainy season (varsha ṛtu) and the autumn season (śarad ṛtu) in Vṛndāvana. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa is the main witness and takes part in both. Each natural sign of the two seasons is matched to a quality of the sādhu (holy person), the mumukshu (one who seeks moksha, liberation) or the devotee. The chapter is more than poetry. It teaches how a person changes within.

The rainy season in Vṛndāvana

The Bhāgavata shows the first monsoon in Vṛndāvana through the eyes of the gopas and Kṛshṇa, who lived it together. Heavy dark clouds roll in and cover the sky. Lightning flashes and thunder rolls. The dry earth gives out the scent of the first rain. The rivers swell and run. Seeds that lay asleep in the ground sprout, and the forest turns green with new growth.

Teachings run through the description:

  • The clouds rain on all alike, whoever asks. They are like a great teacher who gives knowledge to all without choosing.
  • The rivers rush with fresh water to fill the ocean. They are like the mumukshu who returns to the Supreme from whom he came.
  • The sleeping seeds spring to life at the first rain. They are like jīvas (living beings) who are touched by a guru’s grace and wake suddenly from their long sleep in saṃsāra.
  • The land parched by summer drinks the rain with thanks. It is like the heart that receives teaching on the ātma-tattva (the truth of the self) after a long thirst.
  • The frogs were silent in the dry months, and now they sing loudly in the rain. With gentle irony they are likened to brāhmaṇas who are silent in dry times but recite the Vedas at length when rich patrons appear.
  • The lightning flashes and disappears in the clouds. It is like a restless mind that cannot rest on any one thing.

(Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skanda, Chapter 20)

The autumn season

When the rains end, autumn (śarad ṛtu) comes, and the Bhāgavata shows a different kind of change. The skies clear and become transparent. The lakes, which the floods had churned to mud, settle and turn crystal clear. The lotus blooms again in the clean water. The air turns cool and pleasant.

The teachings for autumn:

  • The water that the floods had muddied becomes clear again. It is like the antaḥkaraṇa (the inner instrument of mind) that, after the storms of rajas and tamas, returns to the purity of sattva through sādhana (spiritual practice).
  • The moon that was hidden behind rain clouds now shines in full clarity. It is like the ātman, whose own light shows when the clouds of ajñāna (ignorance) are gone.
  • The merchant who was kept in by the rains now sets out on his journey. He is like the mumukshu who, after a time of inner preparation, sets out on the path to moksha with clear purpose.
  • The clear pond with its lotus flowers is like the mind of the jñānī (knower), in which beauty and peace appear of themselves once the clear nature of the ātman is fixed.

(Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skanda, Chapter 20)

Kṛshṇa in both seasons

All through the chapter, Kṛshṇa lives these seasons with the gopas and gopīs. He enjoys the rain and plays in the forest streams. He adorns himself with fresh forest flowers. His dark form suits the green of the monsoon and then the bright autumn sky. His presence turns the seasons from plain events of nature into events of deep meaning. The Veṇu Gīta and the Vastrāpaharaṇa episodes come after this chapter. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skanda, Chapter 20)

Sources

  • Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skanda, Chapter 20