Bhagwan Shree Hari celebrated Rangotsav along with Fuldolotsav.
Bhagwan Shree Hari celebrated Rangotsav along with Fuldolotsav.
Suvrat said:-
After that worship ritual, Shri Hari, attracting the eyes and minds of the devoted crowd by adorning spot, white clothes, came back to his own pedestal, surrounded by his retinue with Somlakhachar and Mukundanand as leaders, then, he quickly ascended it 1.
At that moment, there arose a tremendous sound, hailing him with Jaya-Jaya and the playing of music. And then, Lord Hari satiated the entire devotee- gathering with his loving glances. 2.
Thereupon Kuber Patel along with his body guards Jobanpagi, Takhopagi etc., devotedly came forward and honored him with costly clothes, ornaments, unguents and varied flower-garlands. 3.
People of other villages also honoured him as earlier on Ekadashi day, with salutation, songs and praises, eulogies, clothes, ornaments of varied types, etc. 4.
Soon Kubera and other citizens brought in huge containers filled with saffron-coloured water and hundreds of pitchers containing red liquid. 5.
Also, they fetched pots full of other coloured liquid to pour in and fill the man-made lakes, and huge sacks full of pink powder. 6.
And, eager to play the colour-sport with their lord, they joyfully brought thousands of sprays and other implements to spread colour. 7.
Observing that his devotees were fully prepared and bent upon playing with him, Shri Hari decided to fulfill their wish without losing much time. 8.
Giving away his white attire to the Brahmins, He briskly tied a yellow garb around his waist. Laughing himself and making the devotees laugh also, he quickly picked up a gold spray in his hand. 9.
He sent the female crowds quite far with a sign of his hand. Then, taking up colour in his spray, he permitted his male devotees to play at will. 10.
From the pedestal, he showered sprays of colour-water on the far-off devotees, along with handfuls of pink powder on those nearby, thus treating them all alike. 11.
He was literally bathed in colour by groups of monks sending sprays of coloured water from all sides and handfuls of Gulal at close quarters. 12.
Among themselves too, people played the same sport repeatedly, forming different groups and throwing colour and pink powder at each time. Thus all the men played for a long time in the company of Shri Hari, not only the youths, but even old men and small children. 13.
Later the Munis and attendants gave up groups-sport and started playing colour in pairs, for the pleasures of their lord. 14.
O King, displaying a spray-game as per prevalence in their native place, Ram Pratap and Iccharam made the Master burst into laughter. 15.
Senior monks Gopalanand and Brahmanand played with Muktanand and Nityananda respectively, while my Guru Shatananda played with Sacchidananda and Bhudharananda did so with Shukananda muni. 16-17.
Also, Premananda played with Mahanubhavananda and Purnananda with Chaitanyananda. Both Gunatitananda and Anandananda enjoyed the game mutually as did Dayananda and Nishkulananda, Bhajanananda and Paramananda, Swayamprakashananda and Vridhattmananda. 18-20.
Raghavananda played with sage Jayananda and Sarvajnyanananda with Adhubutanananda, Bhagavadananada and young Atmananda, Shivananda with Yogananda. 21-22.
Varnindra,i.e. advanced celibate Mukandananda sported with Varnin Jayananda, Surakhachar with Somalakhachar, and Alaya with Bhrugujit. 23.
King Vastakhachar played with Hemanta-sinha, Prayagaji with Mayaram Bhatta, Jobanpagi with Kuber Patel. 24.
So did other people in the rows begin enjoying the sport pair- wise; but the pairs kept changing too. 25.
Soma-varma, unable to operate the spray with ease, suddenly picked up a whole pitcher and quickly poured it on Surakhachar’s head. Thereupon the latter, being stronger, felled him on the ground and smeared his entire face, including eyes, with handfuls of Gulal and began to laugh aloud profusely. 26 - 27.
Seeing this, i.e. a weak player over-powered by the stronger one, Brahmananda abruptly left sport with Nityananda and caught hold of Surakhachar. He smeared Surakhachar’s wet face too with Gulal. 28.
In return, the latter held him by his Shikha (tuft of hair on the crown), and with his strong fist, threw so much Gulal into his eyes, that the monk could not see anything. 29 - 30.
At this blocking of his vision, the sage got confused; and forgetting that Surakhachar had a bald head, began to run his hand over it again and again to catch hold of his Shikha! 31.
Lord Hari felt greatly amused at all this. Instantaneously, he jumped from his pedestal, caught hold of Surakhachar’s head, and poured a full pitcher of colour over his head, He repeatedly threw over his head fistfuls of Gulal so that the tall and hefty Surakhachar appeared like a mountain-heap of rubies to all the onlookers. 32-33
Suddenly, Mayarama threw Gulal into the eyes of Prayagaji. With his vision blurred, the latter picked up a pitcher full of colour to pour upon him. Easing colour on his own face, Mayarama bent his back very low, and fled from there causing laughter of Shri Hari and all other spectators. 34-35.
While the pair-wise colour-sports proceeded in this manner, the Lord mounted a brisk horse and swiftly went around the entire crowd, with the desire to show them all his own body dripping with colour. 36-37.
On seeing this, many monks and men ran after him in groups, singing His praises and also throwing more colour-water on Him at every step. 38.
After thus going around and offering his Darshana to the whole crowd, the Lord went up to the lake situated south of the city, so as to return in time for the grand offering of food-ritual to God. 39.
There he played water-sport with all the devotees; and then, after bath, asked them to return to their respective homes, while he returned to his abode. 40.
There he took a ritual bath and then offered fifty six varieties of rituals to Lord Nar-Narayan. 41.
Worshipping the image once more with lustration (Arati), he removed it from the swing and gave it away to an honorable Brahmin. 42.
Having tied his yellow garment, with a red towel and wrapped that around His waist, the Lord repeatedly moved along rows of those monks with His brisk lotus-feet, and satiated them with various food items prepared with profuse ghee, sugar and other ingredients. 43 - 44.
Thereafter Swami had his meals at the house of his younger brother, returned to his own abode, and rested for few moments. 45.
When the sun reached the setting point on sunset-hill and lamps were lit in the temple, He ascended His high pedestal once more. 46.
He recited the God’s names along with the devotees arriving at that hour, and then made a sign with His hand to have them seated. 47.
On seeing them sit down silently that very moment fixing their gaze on His lips, Shri Hari possessing the wealth of endless virtue, began to preach as follows, intent on the betterment of the lives of His devotees. 48
Thus ends the fiftyeidhth chapter entitled, ‘Narration of sport of colours at the time of the celebration of festival of Spring,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra. (the rules of the code of conduct). 58