Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 25
Balarāma Visits Vraja: Consoling the Gopīs and Dragging the Yamunā
स्रग्व्येककुण्डलो मत्तो वैजयन्त्या च मालया । बिभ्रत् स्मितमुखाम्भोजं स्वेदप्रालेयभूषितम् । स आजुहाव यमुनां जलक्रीडार्थमीश्वर: ॥ २४ ॥ निजं वाक्यमनादृत्य मत्त इत्यापगां बल: । अनागतां हलाग्रेण कुपितो विचकर्ष ह ॥ २५ ॥
sragvy eka-kuṇḍalo matto vaijayantyā ca mālayā bibhrat smita-mukhāmbhojaṁ sveda-prāleya-bhūṣitam
Intoxicated with joy, Lord Balarāma sported flower garlands, including the famous Vaijayantī. He wore a single earring, and beads of perspiration decorated His smiling lotus face like snowflakes. The Lord then summoned the Yamunā River so that He could play in her waters, but she disregarded His command, thinking He was drunk. This angered Balarāma, and He began dragging the river with the tip of His plow.
FAQs
In this verse, Balarāma calls the Yamunā because He wishes to enjoy jala-krīḍā—divine water-sport—revealing the Lord’s playful līlā with sacred nature.
The Vaijayantī garland is a special divine ornament of the Lord, highlighting His supreme, auspicious, and transcendental beauty as He performs līlā.
It teaches seeing the sacred in nature and remembering the Lord’s presence through devotional contemplation of His līlā rather than mundane enjoyment.