Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 17.117

jala pana kariya nace hana vihvala

yamunakarshana-lila dekhaye sakala

SYNONYMS

jala -- water; pana kariya -- after drinking; nace -- dances; hana -- becoming; vihvala -- ecstatic; yamuna-akarshana -- attracting the river Yamuna; lila -- pastimes; dekhaye -- sees; sakala -- everyone.

TRANSLATION

After drinking the water, Lord Caitanya became so ecstatic that He began to dance. Thus everyone saw the pastime of attracting the river Yamuna.

PURPORT

Yamunakarshana-lila is the pastime of attracting the Yamuna. One day, Sri Baladeva wanted the Yamuna River to come before Him, and when the river Yamuna refused, He took His plow, wanting to dig a canal so that the Yamuna would be obliged to come there. Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the original form of Baladeva, in His ecstasy He asked everyone to bring honey. In this way, all the devotees standing there saw the yamunakarshana-lila. In this lila, Baladeva was accompanied by His girlfriends. After drinking a honey beverage called Varuni, He wanted to jump into the Yamuna and swim with the girls. It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.65.25-30, 33) that Lord Baladeva asked the Yamuna to come near, and when the river disobeyed the order of the Lord, He became angry and thus wanted to snatch her near to Him with His plow. The Yamuna, however, very much afraid of Lord Balarama's anger, immediately came and surrendered unto Him, praying to the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and admitting her fault. She was then excused. This is the sum and substance of the yamunakarshana-lila. The incident is also described in the prayer of Jayadeva Gosvami concerning the ten incarnations:

vahasi vapushi visade vasanam jaladabham

halahati-bhiti-milita-yamunabham

kesava dhrita-haladhara-rupa jaya jagad-isa hare

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness