Dwarka’s King and Vrindavan’s Memory

Krishna lived in Dwarka as its ruler, bound by royal ancestry and duty. Born into the Yadu dynasty as Vasudeva’s son, he had been transferred away in infancy to Gokul  to protect Him from political dangers. In that humble cowherd hamlet, Krishna spent His youth as a simple cowherd boy, charming the villagers with His flute and mischief. 

Duty eventually called Him away – the day came when Krishna reluctantly left Vrindavan to fulfill His princely obligations in Mathura and later at Dwarka. As King of Dwarka, surrounded by opulence and responsibility, Krishna never forgot His beloved friends and forests of Vrindavan. Though adorned with a crown, He remained tied to the rustic love of His childhood home.

Yearning Hearts of the Gopis

Left behind in Vrindavan were Krishna’s dearest devotees – the gopis (cowherd maidens) – and His foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. The gopis especially had given Krishna their hearts completely; from the day He departed, their world lost its color. They remembered His laughter by the Yamuna river and the melodies of His flute at dusk.
 
Each dawn, they waited, eyes on the road, longing day and night for Krishna’s return. Krishna had assured them He would come back soon, and in their innocent faith they clung to that promise even as days stretched into years. Their love was so pure and intense that no comfort could fill His absence. In every rustle of the forest they sought His whisper, in every breeze His touch. The bond between Krishna and His devotees was no ordinary attachment, but a divine love born of complete surrender and attachment.

Reunion Under the Eclipsed Sun

Fate conspired to reunite them many years later on the plains of Kurukshetra – a holy gathering during a solar eclipse. Krishna journeyed from Dwarka with His royal entourage, accompanied by His brother Balarama and sister Subhadra, riding in splendid chariots amidst armed guards and glittering processions. Kurukshetra was filled with kings and sages, chariots rumbling like clouds and elephants moving like dark hills in a scene of grand pageantry. But among the throngs were the simple village folk of Vrindavan, who had traveled by ox-cart for this pilgrimage, not for ritual bathing or diplomacy, but for the sole joy of seeing their beloved Krishna once more.

When Krishna beheld the people of Vrindavan approaching, His royal composure melted into personal joy. The meeting was overwhelming – laughter and tears mingled as they embraced. The Vrajavasis (people of Vrindavan) and the Yadavas of Dwarka greeted each other like family long separated, “crying in jubilation while their smiling faces bloomed like lotus flowers”. Amidst the glitter of Kurukshetra’s royal camp, Krishna’s heart found its true home again in the eyes of those who knew Him as their beloved cowherd. The gopis had eyes only for Krishna, caring nothing for the clamor of kings around them.

In a quiet moment away from the royal crowd, the gopis gathered around Krishna. They did not care for Dwarka’s pomp or Krishna’s crown – they yearned for the the youth who danced with them under Vrindavan’s full moon. They pleaded with Him to return with them to the village: ‘’What joy is there in palaces and councils? Come back to the woodlands and riverbanks where your flute can sing again.’’ They reminded Krishna of the wistful picture of Vrindavan’s peace, the buzzing bees, blooming groves, and familiar cow-paths, free from the din of war horses and courtly duty. Of all the devoted souls, it was Shrimati Radharani, the foremost of the gopis, whose love burned the brightest. She had suffered the deepest pangs of separation. Now, seeing Krishna at last, even dressed as a regal prince, Her joy overflowed. The ancient scripture Srimad Bhagavatam describes that when the gopis finally beheld Krishna in Kurukshetra after such a long separation, they “embraced Him in their hearts through their eyes, attaining a joy so intense that not even perfect yogis can attain it”. 
They would even curse the Creator for making eyelids that dared to blink and steal a split-second glimpse of their beloved. Such was the fervor of their devotion, stopping even time in their minds so nothing would interrupt their gazing upon Krishna.

Krishna was deeply moved by their plea.  With tender words, He comforted them that He had never truly left them in spirit, and their love sustained Him through all the years. Yet, bound by His cosmic mission and the duties in Dwarka, Krishna explained that He could not immediately abandon His role and return to Vrindavan that day. 
For three months, Krishna stayed at Kurukshetra, spending every possible moment in the company of the Vrindavan devotees. When the eclipse festival ended, Vasudeva and the cowherd men prepared to go back to Vrindavan. Though the moment of reunion under the eclipsed sun was fleeting, they again hoped to see Him soon again.

They would even curse the Creator for making eyelids that dared to blink and steal a split-second glimpse of their beloved. Such was the fervor of their devotion, stopping even time in their minds so nothing would interrupt their gazing upon Krishna.

Krishna was deeply moved by their plea.  With tender words, He comforted them that He had never truly left them in spirit, and their love sustained Him through all the years. Yet, bound by His cosmic mission and the duties in Dwarka, Krishna explained that He could not immediately abandon His role and return to Vrindavan that day. 

For three months, Krishna stayed at Kurukshetra, spending every possible moment in the company of the Vrindavan devotees. When the eclipse festival ended, Vasudeva and the cowherd men prepared to go back to Vrindavan. Though the moment of reunion under the eclipsed sun was fleeting, they again hoped to see Him soon again.

Rath Yatra - The Chariot Journey of Love

Hence, Ratha Yatra is the festival where the devotees of Lord Krishna attempt to pull Krishna’s chariot from the Kurukshetra toward Vrindavan, symbolizing the loving relationship between them. The devotion of the gopis did not go unanswered. In spirit, Krishna had resolved that He would return to Vrindavan, not as the boy who left, but in a form and time His devotees could access through their devotion. 

The deeper meaning of this pastime  is that the loving exchange between Krishna and the gopis at Kurukshetra is reenacted in the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival. During Rath Yatra, Lord Krishna is worshiped as Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, who is seated on a colossal chariot and drawn by hundreds of devotees. This represents the gopis literally drawing Krishna back to them, fulfilling their heartfelt wish to bring Krishna home to Vrindavan. 

The three chariots of Jagannath (Krishna), Balabhadra (Balarama), and Subhadra rolling from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple in Puri are not merely an annual procession; they are a spiritual journey of bringing the Lord into our hearts.

As the chariots move, devotees sing songs of Krishna’s childhood pastimes, just as the gopis would do, and call out for the Lord to come to them. It is said that in this festival the Lord joyfully yields to the devotion of His devotees, accepting the journey back to the place of topmost devotion - Sri Vrindavan. The promise Krishna made of His return comes alive each year in each Ratha Yatra festival