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KB 1970-1-32 / Description of the Rasa Dance
32 / Description of the Rasa Dance
Thus hearing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
speaking to pacify them, the gopis became very much pleased.
And not only by hearing His words
, but also by touching the hands and legs of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, they became completely relieved
from the great suffering of separation. After this, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead began His rasa dance. When one
dances in the midst of many girls, it is called a rasa dance.
So Krsna began to dance among the most beautiful and fortunate
girls within the three worlds. The gopis of Vrndavana, who were
so attracted to Him, danced with Krsna, hand in hand.
Krsna's rasa dance should never be compared with any kind of
material dance, such as a ball dance or a society dance. The
rasa dance is a completely spiritual performance. In order to
establish this fact, Krsna, the supreme mystic, expanded
Himself in many forms and stood beside each gopi. Placing His
hands on the shoulders of the gopis on both sides of Him, He
began to dance in their midst. The mystic expansions of Krsna
were not perceived by the gopis because Krsna appeared alone to
each of them. Each gopi thought that Krsna was dancing with her
alone. Above that wonderful dance flew many airplanes carrying
the denizens of the heavenly planets, who were very anxious to
see the wonderful dance of Krsna with the gopis. The Gandharvas
and the Kinnaras began to sing, and, accompanied by their
respective wives, all the Gandharvas began to shower flowers on
the dancers.
As the gopis and Krsna danced together, a very blissful musical
sound was produced from the tinkling of their bells, ornaments
and bangles. It appeared that Krsna was a greenish sapphire
locket in the midst of a golden necklace decorated with
valuable stones. While Krsna and the gopis danced they
displayed extraordinary bodily features. The movements of their
legs, their placing their hands on one another, the movements
of their eyebrows, their smiling, the movements of the breasts
of the gopis and their clothes, their earrings, their cheeks,
their hair with flowers -- as they sang and
danced these combined together to appear like clouds, thunder,
snow and lightning. Krsna's bodily features appeared just like
a group of clouds, their songs were like thunder, the
beauty of the gopis appeared to be just like lightning in the
sky, and the drops of perspiration visible on their faces
appeared like falling snow. In this way, both the gopis and
Krsna fully engaged in dancing.
The necks of the gopis became tinted with red due to their
desire to enjoy Krsna more and more. To satisfy them, Krsna
began to clap His hands in time with their singing. Actually
the whole world is full of Krsna's singing, but it is
appreciated in different ways by different kinds of living
entities. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: ye yatha mam
prapadyante. Krsna is
dancing, and every living entity is also dancing, but there is
a difference in the dancing in the spiritual world and
in the material world. This is expressed by the author of
Caitanya-caritamrta, who says that the master dancer is
Krsna and everyone is His servant. Everyone is trying to
imitate Krsna's dancing. Those who are actually in Krsna
consciousness respond rightly to the dancing of Krsna: they do
not try to dance independently. But those in the material world
try to imitate Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
living entities are dancing under the direction of Krsna's maya
and are thinking that they are equal to Krsna. But this is not
a fact. In Krsna consciousness, this misconception is absent,
for a person in Krsna consciousness knows that Krsna is the
supreme master and everyone is His servant. One has to
dance to please Krsna, not to imitate or to become
equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The gopis wanted
to please Krsna, and therefore as Krsna sang, they responded
and encouraged Him by saying, "Well done, well done." Sometimes
they presented beautiful music for His pleasure, and He
responded by praising their singing.
When some of the gopis became very tired from dancing and
moving their bodies, they placed their hands on the shoulders
of Sri Krsna. Then their hair loosened and flowers fell to the
ground. When they placed their hands on Krsna's shoulder they
became overwhelmed by the fragrance of His body which emanated
from the lotus, other aromatic flowers, and the pulp of
sandalwood. They became filled with attraction for Him, and
they began to kiss one another. Some gopis touched Krsna cheek
to cheek, and Krsna began to offer them chewed betel nuts from
His mouth, which they exchanged with great pleasure by kissing.
And by accepting those betel nuts, the gopis spiritually
advanced.
The gopis became tired after long singing and dancing. Krsna
was dancing beside them, and to alleviate their fatigue they
took Sri Krsna's hand and placed it on their raised breasts.
Krsna's hand, as well as the breasts of the gopis, are
eternally auspicious; therefore when they combined, both of
them became spiritually enhanced. The gopis so enjoyed the
company of Krsna, the husband of the goddess of fortune, that
they forgot that they had any other husband in the world, and
upon being embraced by the arms of Krsna and dancing and
singing with Him, they forgot everything. The Srimad-Bhagavatam
thus describes the beauty of the gopis while they were rasa
dancing with Krsna. There were lotus flowers over both their
ears, and their faces were decorated with sandalwood pulp. They
wore tilaka, and there were drops of sweat on their
smiling mouths. From their feet came the tinkling sound of
ankle bells as well as bangles. The flowers within their hair
were falling to the lotus feet of Krsna, and He was very
satisfied.
As stated in the Brahma-samhita, all these gopis are expansions
of Krsna's pleasure potency. Touching their bodies with His
hands and looking at their pleasing eyes, Krsna enjoyed the
gopis exactly as a child enjoys playing with the reflection of
his body in a mirror. When Krsna touched the different parts of
their bodies, the gopis felt surcharged with spiritual energy.
They could not adjust their loosened clothes, although they
tried to keep them properly. Their hair and garments
became scattered, and their ornaments loosened as they forgot
themselves in company with Krsna.
While Krsna was enjoying the company of the gopis in the rasa
dance, the astonished demigods and their wives gathered in the
sky. The moon, being afflicted with a sort of lust, began to
watch the dance and became stunned with wonder. The gopis had
prayed to the goddess Katyayani to have Krsna as their husband.
Now Krsna was fulfilling their desire by expanding Himself in
as many forms as there were gopis and enjoying them exactly
as a husband.
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has remarked that Krsna is self-
sufficient -- He is atmarama. He doesn't need anyone else for
His satisfaction. Because the gopis wanted Krsna as
their husband, He fulfilled their desire. When Krsna saw that
the gopis were tired from dancing with Him, He immediately
began to smear His hands over their faces so that their fatigue
would be satiated. In order to reciprocate the kind hospitality
of Krsna, the gopis began to look at Him lovingly. They were
overjoyed by the auspicious touch of the hand of Krsna. Their
smiling cheeks shone with beauty, and they began to sing the
glories of Krsna with transcendental pleasure. As pure devotees,
the more the gopis enjoyed Krsna's company, the more they
became enlightened with His glories, and thus they reciprocated
with Him. They wanted to satisfy Krsna by glorifying His
transcendental pastimes. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the master of all masters, and the gopis wanted to
worship Him for His unusual exhibition of mercy upon them.
Both the gopis and Krsna entered the water of the Yamuna just
to relieve their fatigue from the rasa dance. The lily flower
garlands around the necks of the gopis were strewn to pieces
due to their embracing the body of Krsna, and the
flowers were reddish from being smeared with the kunkuma on
their breasts. The bumblebees were humming about in order to
get honey from the flowers. Krsna and the gopis entered the
water of Yamuna just as an elephant enters a water tank
with his many female companions. Both the gopis and Krsna
forgot their real identity, playing in the water, enjoying
each others' company and relieving the fatigue of rasa dancing.
The gopis began to splash water on the body of Krsna, all the
while smiling, and Krsna enjoyed this. As Krsna was taking
pleasure in the joking words and splashing water, the demigods
in the heavenly planets began to shower flowers. The
demigods thus praised the superexcellent rasa dance of Krsna,
the supreme enjoyer, and His pastimes with the gopis in the
water of Yamuna.
After this, Lord Krsna and the gopis came out of the water and
began to stroll along the bank of the Yamuna, where a nice
breeze was blowing, carrying the aroma of different kinds of
flowers over the water and land. While strolling on the bank of
the Yamuna, Krsna recited various kinds of poetry. He thus
enjoyed the company of the gopis in the soothing moonlight of
autumn.
Sex desire is especially excited in the autumn season, but the
wonderful thing about Krsna's association with the gopis is
that there was no question of sex desire. It was, as clearly
stated in the Bhagavata description by Sukadeva Gosvami,
avaruddha-sauratah, namely the sex impulse was completely
controlled. There is a distinction between Lord Krsna's dancing
with the gopis and the ordinary dancing of living entities
within the material world. In order to clear up further
misconceptions about the rasa dance and the affairs of Krsna
and the gopis, Maharaja Pariksit, the hearer of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, told Sukadeva Gosvami, "Krsna appeared on the earth
to establish the regulative principles of religion and to curb
the predominance of irreligion. But the behavior of Krsna and
the gopis might encourage irreligious principles in the
material world. I am simply surprised that He would act in such
a way, enjoying the company of others' wives in the dead of
night." This statement of Maharaja Pariksit's was very much
appreciated by Sukadeva Gosvami. The answer anticipates the
abominable acts of the Mayavadi impersonalists who place
themselves in the position of Krsna and enjoy the company of
young girls and women.
The basic Vedic injunctions never allow a person to enjoy sex
with any woman except one's own wife. Krsna's appreciation of
the gopis appeared to be distinctly in violation of these rules.
Maharaja Pariksit understood the total situation from Sukadeva
Gosvami, yet to further clear the transcendental nature of
Krsna and the gopis in rasa dance, he expressed his
surprise. This is very important in order to check the
unrestricted association with women by the prakrta-sahajiya.
In his statement, Maharaja Pariksit has used several important
words which require clarification. The first word, jugupsitam,
means abominable. The first doubt of Maharaja Pariksit was as
follows: Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who
has advented Himself to establish religious principles. Why
then did He mix with others' wives in the dead of night and
enjoy dancing, embracing and kissing? According to the Vedic
injunctions, this is not allowed. Also, when the gopis first
came to Him, He gave instructions to them to return to their
homes. To call the wives of other persons or young girls and
enjoy dancing with them is certainly abominable according to
the Vedas. Why should Krsna have done this?
Another word used here is aptakama. Some may take it for
granted that Krsna was very lusty among young girls, but
Pariksit Maharaja said that this was not possible. He could not
be lusty. First of all, from the material calculation He was
only eight years old. At that age a boy cannot be lusty.
Aptakama means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
self-satisfied. Even if He were lusty, He doesn't need to take
help from others to satisfy His lusty desires. The next point
is that, although not lusty Himself, He might have been induced
by the lusty desires of the gopis. But Maharaja Pariksit then
used another word, yadu-pati, which indicates that Krsna is the
most exalted personality in the dynasty of the Yadus. The kings
in the dynasty of Yadu were considered to be the most pious,
and their descendants were also like that. Having taken birth
in that family, how could Krsna have been induced, even by the
gopis? It is concluded, therefore, that it was not possible for
Krsna to do anything abominable. But Maharaja Pariksit was in
doubt as to why Krsna acted in that way. What was the real
purpose?
Another word Maharaja Pariksit used when he addressed Sukadeva
Gosvami is suvrata, which means to take a vow to enact pious
activities. Sukadeva Gosvami was an educated brahmacari, and
under the circumstances, it was not possible for him to indulge
in sex. This is strictly prohibited for brahmacaris, and what
to speak of a brahmacari like Sukadeva Gosvami. But because the
circumstances of the rasa dance were very suspect, Maharaja
Pariksit inquired for clarification from Sukadeva Gosvami.
Sukadeva Gosvami immediately replied that transgressions of
religious principles by the supreme controller testify to His
great power. For example, fire can consume any abominable thing;
that is the manifestation of the supremacy of fire. Similarly,
the sun can absorb water from a urinal or from stool, and the
sun is not polluted; rather, due to the influence of
sunshine, the polluted, contaminated place becomes disinfected
and sterilized.
One may also argue that since Krsna is the supreme authority,
His activities should be followed. In answer to this question,
Sukadeva Gosvami has very clearly said that isvaranam,
or the supreme controller, may sometimes violate His
instructions, but this is only possible for the controller
Himself, not for the followers. Unusual and uncommon activities
by the controller can never be imitated. Sukadeva Gosvami
warned that the conditioned followers, who are not actually in
control, should never even imagine imitating the uncommon
activities of the controller. A Mayavadi philosopher may
falsely claim to be God or Krsna, but he cannot actually act
like Krsna. He can persuade his followers to falsely imitate
rasa dance, but he is unable to lift Govardhana Hill. We
have many experiences in the past of Mayavadi rascals deluding
their followers by posing themselves as Krsna in order
to enjoy rasa-lila. In many instances they were checked by the
government, arrested and punished. In Orissa, Thakur
Bhaktivinode also punished a so-called incarnation of
Visnu, who was imitating rasa-lila with young girls. There
were many complaints against him. At that
time, Bhaktivinode Thakur was magistrate, and the government
deputed him to deal with that rascal, and he punished him very
severely. The rasa-lila dance cannot be imitated by anyone.
Sukadeva Gosvami warns that one should not even think of
imitating it. He specifically mentions that if, out of
foolishness, one tries to imitate Krsna's rasa dance, he will
be killed, just like a person who wants to imitate Lord Siva's
drinking of an ocean of poison. Lord Siva drank an ocean of
poison and kept it within his throat. The poison made his
throat turn blue; and therefore Lord Siva is called Nilakanta.
But if any ordinary person tries to imitate Lord Siva by
drinking poison or smoking ganja, he is sure to be vanquished
and will die within a very short time. Lord Sri Krsna's
dealing with the gopis was under special circumstances.
Most of the gopis in their previous lives were great sages,
expert in the studies of the Vedas, and when Lord Krsna
appeared as Lord Ramacandra they wanted to enjoy with Him. Lord
Ramacandra gave them the benediction that their desires would
be fulfilled when He would appear as Krsna. Therefore the
desire of the gopis to enjoy the appearance of Lord Krsna was
long cherished. So they approached goddess Katyayani to have
Krsna as their husband. There are many other circumstances also
which testify to the supreme authority of Krsna and show
that He is not bound to the rules and regulations of the
material world. In special cases, He acts as He likes to favor
His devotees. This is only possible for Him, because He is
the supreme controller. People in general should follow the
instructions of Lord Krsna as given in the Bhagavad-gita and
should not even imagine imitating Lord Krsna in the rasa dance.
Krsna's lifting of Govardhana Hill, His killing great
demons like Putana and others are all obviously extraordinary
activities. Similarly, the rasa dance is also an uncommon
activity and cannot be imitated by any ordinary man. An
ordinary person engaged in his occupational duty, like Arjuna,
should execute his duty for the satisfaction of Krsna; that is
within his power. Arjuna was a fighter, and Krsna wanted him to
fight for His satisfaction. Arjuna agreed, although at first he
was not willing to fight. Duties are required for ordinary
persons. They should not jump up and try to imitate Krsna and
indulge in rasa-lila and thus bring about their ruin. One
should know with certainty that Krsna had no personal interest
in whatever He did for the benediction of the gopis. As stated
in the Bhagavad-gita, na mam karmani limpanti: Krsna
never enjoys or suffers the result of His activities.
Therefore it is not possible for Him to act irreligiously. He
is transcendental to all activities and religious principles.
He is untouched by the modes of material nature. He is the
supreme controller of all living entities, either in human
society, in the demigod society in heavenly planets, or in
lower forms of life. He is the supreme controller of
all living entities and of material nature; therefore, He has
nothing to do with religious or irreligious principles.
Sukadeva Gosvami further concludes that the great sages and
devotees, who are washed clean of all conditional life, can
move freely even within the contamination of material nature by
keeping Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead within their
hearts. In this way also they do not become subject to the
laws of pleasure and pain in the modes of material nature. How,
then, is it possible for Krsna, who appears in His own internal
potency, to be subjected to the laws of karma?
In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord clearly says that whenever He
appears He does so by His internal potency; He is not forced to
accept a body by the laws of karma like an ordinary living
entity. Every other living entity is forced to accept a certain
type of body by his previous actions. But when Krsna appears,
He always appears in a body; it is not forced upon Him by the
action of His past deeds. His body is a vehicle for His
transcendental pleasure which is enacted by His
internal potency. He has no obligation to the laws of karma.
The Mayavadi monist must accept a certain type of body, being
forced by the laws of nature; therefore, his claim to be one
with Krsna or God is only theoretical. Such persons who claim
to be equal with Krsna and indulge in rasa-lila create a
dangerous situation for the people in general. Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already present as
Supersoul within the bodies of the gopis and their husbands. He
is the guide of all living entities, as is confirmed in the
Katha Upanisad, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. The Supersoul
directs the individual soul to act, and the Supersoul is the
actor and witness of all action.
It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that Krsna is present in
everyone's heart, and from Him come all action,
remembrance and forgetfulness. He is the original person to be
known by Vedic knowledge. He is the author of Vedanta
philosophy, and He knows the Vedanta philosophy perfectly well.
The so-called Vedantists and Mayavadis cannot understand Krsna
as He is; they simply mislead followers by imitating the
actions of Krsna in an unauthorized way. Krsna, the Supersoul
of everyone, is already within the body of everyone; therefore
if He sees someone or embraces someone there is no question of
propriety.
Some ask that if Krsna is self-sufficient, why should He at all
manifest pastimes with the gopis, which are disturbing to
the so-called moralists of the world? The answer is that such
activities show special mercy to the fallen, conditioned souls.
The gopis are also expansions of His internal energy, but
because Krsna wanted to exhibit the rasa-lila, they also
appeared as ordinary human beings. In the material world,
pleasure is ultimately manifested in the sex attraction between
man and woman. The man lives simply to be attracted by women,
and the woman lives simply to be attracted by men. That is the
basic principle of material life. As soon as these attractions
are combined, people become more and more implicated in
material existence. In order to show them special favor, Krsna
exhibited this rasa-lila dance. It is just to captivate the
conditioned soul. Since they are very much attracted by
sexology, they can enjoy the same life with Krsna and thus
become liberated from the material condition. In the Second
Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Maharaja Pariksit also explains
that the pastimes and activities of Lord Krsna are medicine for
the conditioned souls. If they simply hear about Krsna they
become relieved from the material disease. They are addicted to
material enjoyment and are accustomed to reading sex literature,
but by hearing these transcendental pastimes of Krsna with the
gopis, they will be relieved from material contamination.
How they should hear and from whom is also explained by
Sukadeva Gosvami. The difficulty is that the whole world is
full of Mayavadis, and when they become professional reciters
of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and when people, without knowing the
effect of the Mayavada philosophy, hear from such persons, they
become confused. Discussion of rasa-lila among people in
general is not recommended because they are affected by
the Mayavada philosophy, but if one who is advanced explains,
and people hear from him, certainly the hearers will be
gradually elevated to the position of Krsna consciousness and
liberated from materially contaminated life.
Another important point is that all the gopis who danced
with Krsna were not in their material bodies. They danced with
Krsna in their spiritual bodies. All their husbands thought
that their wives were sleeping by their sides. The so-called
husbands of the gopis were already enamored by the influence
of the external energy of Krsna; so by dint of this very energy
they could not understand that their wives had gone to dance
with Krsna. What then is the basis of accusing Krsna of dancing
with others' wives? The bodies of the gopis, which were their
husbands', were lying in bed, but the spiritual parts and
parcels of Krsna were dancing with Him. Krsna is the supreme
person, the whole spirit, and He danced with the spiritual
bodies of the gopis. There is therefore no reason to accuse
Krsna in any way.
After the rasa dance was over, the night turned into the brahma-
muhurta (the night of Brahma, a very, very long period, as
mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita)
. The brahma-muhurta takes place about one and a
half hours before sunrise. It is recommended that one should
rise from bed at that time and, after finishing daily ablutions,
take to spiritual activities by performing Mangala-aratrika
and chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. This period is very
convenient for the execution of spiritual activities. When that
auspicious moment arrived, Krsna asked the gopis to leave.
Although they were not willing to quit His company,
they were very obedient and dear to Him. As soon as Krsna asked
them to go home, they immediately left and returned home.
Sukadeva Gosvami concludes this episode of rasa-lila by
pointing out that if a person hears from the right source of
the pastimes of Krsna, who is Visnu Himself, and the gopis, who
are expansions of His energy, then he will be relieved from the
most dangerous type of disease, namely lust. If
one actually hears rasa-lila, he will become completely
freed from the lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the
highest level of spiritual understanding. Generally, because
they hear from Mayavadis and they themselves are
Mayavadis, people become more and more implicated in sex life.
The conditioned soul should hear the rasa-lila dance from an
authorized spiritual master and be trained by him so that he
can understand the whole situation; thus one can be elevated to
the highest standard of spiritual life, otherwise one will be
implicated. Material lust is a kind of heart disease, and to
cure the material heart disease of the conditioned soul, it is
recommended that one should hear, but not from the
impersonalist rascals. If one hears from the right sources with
right understanding, then his situation will be different.
Sukadeva Gosvami has used the word sraddhanvita for one who is
trained in the spiritual life. Sraddha, or faith, is the
beginning. One who has developed his faith in Krsna as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Spirit Soul, can
both describe and hear. Sukadeva also uses the
word anusrnuyat. One must hear from disciplic succession.
Anu means following, and anu means always. So one must
always follow the disciplic succession and not hear from any
stray professional reciter, Mayavadi or ordinary
man. Anusrnuyat means that one must hear from an authorized
person who is in the disciplic succession and is always engaged
in Krsna consciousness. When a person wants to hear in
this way, then the effect will be sure. By hearing rasa-lila,
one will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life.
Sukadeva Gosvami uses two specific words, bhaktim and param.
Bhaktim param means execution of devotional service above the
neophyte stage. Those who are simply attracted to temple
worship but do not know the philosophy of bhakti are in the
neophyte stage. That sort of bhakti is not the perfectional
stage. The perfectional stage of bhakti, or devotional service,
is completely free from material contamination. The most
dangerous aspect of contamination is lust or sex life. Bhaktim
param devotional service is so potent that the more one
advances in this line, the more he loses his attraction for
material life. One who is actually deriving benefit from
hearing rasa-lila dance surely achieves the transcendental
position. He surely loses all traces of lust in his heart.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur points out that according
to Bhagavad-gita, the Brahma day and Brahma night are
periods of solar years expanding to 4,300,000 multiplied by 1,
000. According to Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, the rasa dance
was performed during the long period of Brahma's night, but the
gopis could not understand that. In order to fulfill their
desire, Krsna extended the night to cover such a great period
of time. One may ask how this was possible, and Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakur reminds us that Krsna, although bound by a
small rope, could show His mother the whole universe within His
mouth. How was this possible? The answer is that He can do
anything for the pleasure of His devotees. Similarly, because
the gopis wanted to enjoy Krsna, they were given the
opportunity to associate with Him for a long period. This was
done according to His promise. When Krsna stole the garments of
the gopis while they were taking bath at Cirghat on
Yamuna, Krsna promised to fulfill their desire in some future
night. In one night, therefore, they enjoyed the company of
Krsna as their beloved husband, but that night was not an
ordinary night. It was a night of Brahma, and lasted
millions and millions of years. Everything is possible for
Krsna, for He is the supreme controller.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-second
Chapter of Krsna, "Description of the Rasa Dance."
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KB 33: Description of the Rasa Dance
CHAPTER THIRTY–THREE
Description of the Rasa Dance
Thus hearing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
speaking to pacify them, the gopis became very much pleased.
They became completely relieved of the great suffering of
separation, not only by hearing the words of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead but also
by touching His hands and legs. After this, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead began His rasa dance. A
dance in the midst of many girls is called a rasa dance.
So Krsna began to dance among the most beautiful and fortunate
girls within the three worlds. The gopis of Vrndavana, who were
so attracted to Him, danced with Krsna, hand in hand.
Krsna's rasa dance should never be compared to any kind of
material dance, such as a ball dance or a society dance. The
rasa dance is a completely spiritual performance. In order to
establish this fact, Krsna, the supreme mystic, expanded
Himself into many forms and stood beside each gopi. Placing His
hands on the shoulders of the gopis on both sides of Him, He
began to dance in their midst. The mystic expansions of Krsna
were not perceived by the gopis because Krsna appeared alone to
each of them. Each gopi thought that Krsna was dancing with her
alone. Above that wonderful dance flew many airplanes carrying
the denizens of the heavenly planets, who were very eager to
see the wonderful dance of Krsna with the gopis. The Gandharvas
and Kinnaras began to sing, and, accompanied by their
respective wives, all the Gandharvas began to shower flowers on
the dancers.
As the gopis and Krsna danced together, a very blissful musical
sound was produced from the tinkling of their bells, ornaments
and bangles. It appeared that Krsna was a greenish sapphire
locket in the midst of a golden necklace decorated with
valuable stones. While Krsna and the gopis danced, they
displayed extraordinary bodily features. The movements of their
legs, their placing their hands on one another, the movements
of their eyebrows, their smiling, the movements of the
gopis' breasts, clothes and earrings, their cheeks,
their hair with flowers -- as Krsna and the gopis sang and
danced these combined to appear like clouds, thunder,
snow and lightning. Krsna's bodily features appeared just like
a group of clouds, the gopis' songs were like thunder, their
beauty appeared to be just like lightning in the
sky, and the drops of perspiration visible on their faces
appeared like falling snow. In this way, the gopis and
Krsna fully engaged in dancing.
The necks of the gopis became tinted with red due to their
desire to enjoy Krsna more and more. To satisfy them, Krsna
began to clap His hands in time with their singing. Actually
the whole world is full of Krsna's singing, but it is
appreciated in different ways by different kinds of living
entities. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: ye yatha mam
prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11]. Krsna is
dancing, and every living entity is also dancing, but there is
a difference between the dancing in the spiritual world and
that in the material world. This is expressed by the author of
the Caitanya-caritamrta, who says that the master dancer is
Krsna and everyone else is His servant. Everyone is trying to
imitate Krsna's dancing. Those who are actually in Krsna
consciousness respond rightly to the dancing of Krsna: they do
not try to dance independently. But those in the material world
try to imitate Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
living entities are dancing under the direction of Krsna's maya
and are thinking that they are equal to Krsna. But this is not
a fact. In Krsna consciousness, this misconception is absent,
for a person in Krsna consciousness knows that Krsna is the
supreme master and everyone else is His servant. One has to
dance to please Krsna, not to imitate or attempt to become
equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The gopis wanted
to please Krsna, and therefore as Krsna sang, they responded
and encouraged Him by saying "Well done! Well done!" Sometimes
they presented beautiful music for His pleasure, and He
responded by praising their singing.
When some of the gopis became very tired from dancing and
moving their bodies, they placed their hands on the shoulders
of Sri Krsna. Then their hair loosened and flowers fell to the
ground. When they placed their hands on Krsna's shoulder they
became overwhelmed by the fragrance of His body, which emanated
from the lotus, other aromatic flowers and the pulp of
sandalwood. They became filled with attraction for Him, and
they began to kiss Him. Some gopis touched Krsna cheek
to cheek, and Krsna began to offer them chewed betel nuts from
His mouth, which they accepted with great pleasure by kissing.
And by accepting those betel nuts, the gopis spiritually
advanced.
The gopis became tired after long singing and dancing. Krsna
was dancing beside them, and to alleviate their fatigue they
took Sri Krsna's hand and placed it on their raised breasts.
Krsna's hand, as well as the breasts of the gopis, are
eternally auspicious; therefore when they combined, both of
them became spiritually enhanced. The gopis so enjoyed the
company of Krsna, the husband of the goddess of fortune, that
they forgot that they had any other husbands in the world, and
upon being embraced by the arms of Krsna and dancing and
singing with Him, they forgot everything. Srimad-Bhagavatam
thus describes the beauty of the gopis while they were rasa
dancing with Krsna. There were lotus flowers over both their
ears, and their faces were decorated with sandalwood pulp. They
wore tilaka, and there were drops of perspiration on their
smiling mouths. From their feet came the tinkling sound of
ankle bells and bangles. The flowers within their hair
were falling to the lotus feet of Krsna, and He was very
satisfied.
As stated in the Brahma-samhita, all these gopis are expansions
of Krsna's pleasure potency. Touching their bodies with His
hands and looking at their pleasing eyes, Krsna enjoyed the
gopis exactly as a child enjoys playing with the reflection of
his body in a mirror. When Krsna touched the different parts of
their bodies, the gopis felt surcharged with spiritual energy.
They could not adjust their loosened clothes, although they
tried to keep them adjusted properly. Their hair and garments
became scattered, and their ornaments loosened as they forgot
themselves in the company of Krsna.
While Krsna was enjoying the company of the gopis in the rasa
dance, the astonished demigods and their wives gathered in the
sky. The moon, being afflicted with a sort of lust, began to
watch the dance and became stunned with wonder. The gopis had
prayed to the goddess Katyayani to have Krsna as their husband.
Now Krsna was fulfilling their desire by expanding Himself in
as many forms as there were gopis and enjoying them exactly
like a husband.
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has remarked that Krsna is self-
sufficient -- He is atmarama. He doesn't need anyone else for
His satisfaction. But because the gopis wanted Krsna as
their husband, He fulfilled their desire. When Krsna saw that
the gopis were tired from dancing with Him, He immediately
began to wipe His hands over their faces so that their fatigue
would be relieved. In order to reciprocate the kind hospitality
of Krsna, the gopis began to look at Him lovingly. They were
overjoyed by the auspicious touch of the hand of Krsna. Their
smiling cheeks shone with beauty, and they began to sing the
glories of Krsna with transcendental pleasure. As pure devotees,
the more the gopis enjoyed Krsna's company, the more they
became enlightened with His glories, and thus they reciprocated
with Him. They wanted to satisfy Krsna by glorifying His
transcendental pastimes. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the master of all masters, and the gopis wanted to
worship Him for His unusual exhibition of mercy upon them.
The gopis and Krsna entered the water of the Yamuna just
to relieve their fatigue from the rasa dance. The lily-flower
garlands around the necks of the gopis were strewn to pieces
due to the gopis' embracing the body of Krsna, and the
flowers were reddish from being smeared with the kunkuma on
their breasts. The bumblebees were humming about in order to
get honey from the flowers. Krsna and the gopis entered the
water of the Yamuna just as an elephant enters a water tank
with his many female companions. Both the gopis and Krsna
forgot their real identities, playing in the water, enjoying
each other's company and relieving the fatigue of rasa dancing.
The gopis began to splash water on the body of Krsna, all the
while smiling, and Krsna enjoyed this. As Krsna was taking
pleasure in the joking words and splashing water, the demigods
in the heavenly planets showered flowers. The
demigods thus praised the superexcellent rasa dance of Krsna,
the supreme enjoyer, and His pastimes with the gopis in the
water of the Yamuna.
After this, Lord Krsna and the gopis came out of the water and
began to stroll along the bank of the Yamuna, where a nice
breeze was blowing, carrying the aroma of different kinds of
flowers over the water and land. While strolling on the bank of
the Yamuna, Krsna recited various kinds of poetry. He thus
enjoyed the company of the gopis in the soothing moonlight of
autumn.
Sex desire is especially excited in the autumn season, but the
wonderful thing about Krsna's association with the gopis is
that there was no question of sex desire. It was, as clearly
stated in the Bhagavata description by Sukadeva Gosvami,
avaruddha-saurata -- the sex impulse was completely
controlled. There is a distinction between Lord Krsna's dancing
with the gopis and the ordinary dancing of living entities
within the material world. In order to clear up further
misconceptions about the rasa dance and the affairs of Krsna
and the gopis, Maharaja Pariksit, the hearer of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, told Sukadeva Gosvami, "Krsna appeared on the earth
to establish the regulative principles of religion and to curb
the predominance of irreligion. But the behavior of Krsna and
the gopis might encourage irreligious principles in the
material world. I am simply surprised that He would act in such
a way, enjoying the company of others' wives in the dead of
night." This statement of Maharaja Pariksit's was very much
appreciated by Sukadeva Gosvami. The answer anticipates the
abominable acts of the Mayavadi impersonalists who place
themselves in the position of Krsna and enjoy the company of
young girls and women.
The basic Vedic injunctions never allow a person to enjoy sex
with any woman except his own wife. Krsna's appreciation of
the gopis appeared to be distinctly in violation of these rules.
Maharaja Pariksit understood the total situation from Sukadeva
Gosvami, yet to further clarify the transcendental nature of
Krsna and the gopis in the rasa dance, he expressed his
surprise. This is very important in order to check the
unrestricted association with women by the prakrta-sahajiyas.
In his statement, Maharaja Pariksit has used several important
words which require clarification. The first word, jugupsitam,
means "abominable." The first doubt of Maharaja Pariksit was as
follows: Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
had advented Himself to establish religious principles. Why
then did He mix with others' wives in the dead of night and
enjoy dancing, embracing and kissing? According to the Vedic
injunctions, this is not allowed. Also, when the gopis first
came to Him, He gave instructions to them to return to their
homes. To call the wives of other persons or young girls and
enjoy dancing with them is certainly abominable according to
the Vedas. Why should Krsna have done this?
Another word used here is apta-kama. Some may take it for
granted that Krsna was very lusty among young girls, but
Pariksit Maharaja said that this was not possible. He could not
be lusty. First of all, from the material calculation He was
only eight years old. At that age a boy cannot be lusty.
Apta-kama means that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
self-satisfied. Even if He were lusty, He doesn't need to take
help from others to satisfy His lusty desires. The next point
is that, although not lusty Himself, He might have been seduced
by the lusty desires of the gopis. But Maharaja Pariksit then
used another word, yadu-pati, which indicates that Krsna is the
most exalted personality in the dynasty of the Yadus. The kings
in the dynasty of Yadu were considered to be the most pious,
and their descendants were also like that. Having taken birth
in that family, how could Krsna have been seduced, even by the
gopis? It is concluded, therefore, that it was not possible for
Krsna to do anything abominable. But Maharaja Pariksit was in
doubt as to why Krsna acted in that way. What was the real
purpose?
Another word Maharaja Pariksit used when he addressed Sukadeva
Gosvami is suvrata, which means to take a vow to enact pious
activities. Sukadeva Gosvami was an educated brahmacari, and
under the circumstances it was not possible for him to indulge
in sex. This is strictly prohibited for brahmacaris, and what
to speak of a brahmacari like Sukadeva Gosvami. But because the
circumstances of the rasa dance were very suspect, Maharaja
Pariksit inquired for clarification from Sukadeva Gosvami.
Sukadeva Gosvami immediately replied that transgressions of
religious principles by the supreme controller testify to His
great power. For example, fire can consume any abominable thing;
that is the manifestation of the supremacy of fire. Similarly,
the sun can absorb water from a urinal or from stool, and the
sun is not polluted; rather, due to the influence of the
sunshine, the polluted, contaminated place becomes disinfected
and sterilized.
One may also argue that since Krsna is the supreme authority,
His activities should be followed. In answer to this argument,
Sukadeva Gosvami has very clearly said that the isvara,
or supreme controller, may sometimes violate His own
instructions, but this is possible only for the controller
Himself, not for the followers. Unusual and uncommon activities
by the controller can never be imitated. Sukadeva Gosvami
warned that the conditioned followers, who are not actually in
control, should never even imagine imitating the uncommon
activities of the controller. A Mayavadi philosopher may
falsely claim to be God or Krsna, but he cannot actually act
like Krsna. He can persuade his followers to falsely imitate
the rasa dance, but he is unable to lift Govardhana Hill. We
have many experiences in the past of Mayavadi rascals who
delude their followers by posing themselves as Krsna in order
to enjoy rasa-lila. In many instances they were checked by the
government, arrested and punished. In Orissa, Thakura
Bhaktivinoda punished a so-called incarnation of
Visnu who was imitating the rasa-lila with young girls. There
were many complaints against the so-called incarnation. At that
time Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a magistrate, and the government
deputed him to deal with that rascal, and he punished him very
severely. The rasa-lila dance cannot be imitated by anyone.
Sukadeva Gosvami warns that one should not even think of
imitating it. He specifically mentions that if, out of
foolishness, one tries to imitate Krsna's rasa dance, he will
be killed, just like a person who wants to imitate Lord Siva's
drinking of an ocean of poison. Lord Siva drank an ocean of
poison and kept it within his throat. The poison made his
throat turn blue, and therefore Lord Siva is called Nilakantha.
But if any ordinary person tries to imitate Lord Siva by
drinking poison or smoking ganja, he is sure to be vanquished
and will die within a very short time. Lord Sri Krsna's
dealings with the gopis occurred under special circumstances.
Most of the gopis in their previous lives were great sages,
expert in the study of the Vedas, and when Lord Krsna
appeared as Lord Ramacandra they wanted to enjoy with Him. Lord
Ramacandra gave them the benediction that their desires would
be fulfilled when He would appear as Krsna. Therefore the
desire of the gopis to enjoy the appearance of Lord Krsna was
long cherished. So they approached Goddess Katyayani to have
Krsna as their husband. There are many other circumstances
which also testify to the supreme authority of Krsna and show
that He is not bound by the rules and regulations of the
material world. In special cases, He acts as He likes to favor
His devotees. This is possible only for Him, because He is
the supreme controller. People in general should follow the
instructions of Lord Krsna as given in the Bhagavad-gita and
should not even imagine imitating Lord Krsna in the rasa dance.
Krsna's lifting of Govardhana Hill and His killing of great
demons like Putana are all obviously extraordinary
activities. Similarly, the rasa dance is also an uncommon
activity and cannot be imitated by any ordinary man. An
ordinary person engaged in his occupational duty, like Arjuna,
should execute his duty for the satisfaction of Krsna; that is
within his power. Arjuna was a fighter, and Krsna wanted him to
fight for His satisfaction. Arjuna agreed, although at first he
was not willing to fight. Duties are required for ordinary
persons. They should not jump up and try to imitate Krsna and
indulge in rasa-lila and thus bring about their ruin. One
should know with certainty that Krsna had no personal interest
in whatever He did for the benediction of the gopis. As stated
in the Bhagavad-gita, na mam karmani limpanti: [Bg. 4.14] Krsna
never enjoys or suffers the results of His activities.
Therefore it is not possible for Him to act irreligiously. He
is transcendental to all religious duties and principles.
He is untouched by the modes of material nature. He is the
supreme controller of all living entities, whether in human
society, in demigod society in the heavenly planets, or in
lower forms of life, and He is also the supreme controller of
material nature; therefore, He has
nothing to do with religious or irreligious principles.
Sukadeva Gosvami further concludes that the great sages and
devotees, who are washed clean of all conditioned life, can
move freely even within the contamination of material nature by
keeping Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within their
hearts. In this way they also do not become subject to the
laws of pleasure and pain in the modes of material nature. How,
then, is it possible for Krsna, who appears by His own internal
potency, to be subject to the laws of karma?
In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord clearly says that whenever He
appears He does so by His internal potency; He is not forced to
accept a body by the laws of karma, like an ordinary living
entity. Every other living entity is forced to accept a certain
type of body by his previous actions. But when Krsna appears,
He always appears in a body that is not forced upon Him by the
action of His past deeds. His body is a vehicle for His
transcendental pleasure pastimes, which are enacted by His
internal potency. He has no obligation to the laws of karma.
The Mayavadi monist must accept a certain type of body, being
forced by the laws of nature; therefore, his claim to being one
with Krsna, or God, is only theoretical. Such persons who claim
to be equal with Krsna and indulge in rasa-lila create a
dangerous situation for the people in general. Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, was already present as the
Supersoul within the bodies of the gopis and their husbands. He
is the guide of all living entities, as is confirmed in the
Katha Upanisad: nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. The Supersoul
directs the individual soul to act, and the Supersoul is the
actor and witness of all action.
It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that Krsna is present in
everyone's heart and that from Him come all knowledge,
remembrance and forgetfulness. He is the original person to be
known by Vedic knowledge. He is the author of the Vedanta
philosophy, and He knows the Vedanta philosophy perfectly well.
The so-called Vedantists and Mayavadis cannot understand Krsna
as He is; they simply mislead their followers by imitating the
actions of Krsna in an unauthorized way. Krsna, the Supersoul
of everyone, is already within the body of everyone; therefore
if He sees someone or embraces someone there is no question of
impropriety.
Some ask that if Krsna is self-sufficient, why did He at all
manifest the pastimes with the gopis, which are disturbing to
the so-called moralists of the world? The answer is that such
activities show special mercy to the fallen, conditioned souls.
The gopis are expansions of His internal energy, but
because Krsna wanted to exhibit the rasa-lila, they
appeared as ordinary human beings. In the material world,
pleasure is ultimately manifested in the sex attraction between
man and woman. The man lives simply to be attracted by women,
and the woman lives simply to be attracted by men. That is the
basic principle of material life. As soon as these attractions
are combined, people become more and more implicated in
material existence. In order to show them special favor, Krsna
exhibited this rasa-lila dance. It is just to captivate the
conditioned souls. Since they are very much attracted by
sex, they can enjoy the same life with Krsna and thus
become liberated from the material condition. In the Second
Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Maharaja Pariksit also explains
that the pastimes and activities of Lord Krsna are medicine for
the conditioned souls. If they simply hear about Krsna, they
become relieved of the material disease. They are addicted to
material enjoyment and are accustomed to reading sex literature,
but by hearing these transcendental pastimes of Krsna with the
gopis, they will be relieved of material contamination.
How they should hear and from whom is also explained by
Sukadeva Gosvami. The difficulty is that the whole world is
full of Mayavadis, and when they become professional reciters
of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and when people, without knowing the
effect of the Mayavada philosophy, hear from such persons, they
become confused. Discussion of the rasa-lila among people in
general is discouraged because they are affected by
the Mayavada philosophy, but if one who is advanced explains
and people hear from him, certainly the hearers will be
gradually elevated to the position of Krsna consciousness and
liberated from materially contaminated life.
Another important point is that none of the gopis who danced
with Krsna were in their material bodies. They danced with
Krsna in their spiritual bodies. All their husbands thought
that their wives were sleeping by their sides. The so-called
husbands of the gopis were already enamored with the influence
of the external energy of Krsna; so by dint of this very energy
they could not understand that their wives had gone to dance
with Krsna. What then is the basis of accusing Krsna of dancing
with others' wives? The bodies of the gopis, which were their
husbands', were lying in bed, but the spiritual parts and
parcels of Krsna were dancing with Him. Krsna is the supreme
person, the whole spirit, and He danced with the spiritual
bodies of the gopis. There is therefore no reason to accuse
Krsna in any way.
After the rasa dance was over, the night -
- a night of Brahma, a very, very long period, as
mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita -- turned into the brahma-
muhurta. The brahma-muhurta takes place about one and a half
hours before sunrise. It is recommended that one should rise
from bed at that time and, after finishing daily ablutions,
take to spiritual activities by performing mangala-arati and
chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. This period is very convenient
for the execution of spiritual activities. When that auspicious
moment arrived, Krsna asked the gopis to leave. Although His
beloveds were not willing to quit His company, they were very
obedient to Him. As soon as Krsna asked them to go
home, they immediately left and returned home. Sukadeva Gosvami
concludes this episode of the rasa-lila by pointing out that if
a person hears from the right source about the pastimes of
Krsna, who is Visnu Himself, and the gopis, who are expansions
of His energy, then he will be relieved of the most dangerous
type of disease, namely lust. In other words, one who actually
hears the rasa-lila will become completely freed from the
lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the highest level of
spiritual understanding. Generally, because they hear the rasa-
lila from Mayavadis and they themselves are Mayavadis, people
become more and more implicated in sex life. The conditioned
soul should hear the rasa-lila dance from an authorized
spiritual master and be trained by him so that he can
understand the whole situation. Thus one can be elevated to the
highest standard of spiritual life; otherwise one will be
implicated. Material lust is a kind of heart disease, and to
cure the material heart disease of the conditioned soul, it is
recommended that one should hear, but not from the
impersonalist rascals. If one hears from the right sources with
right understanding, then his situation will be different.
Sukadeva Gosvami has used the word sraddhanvita for one who is
trained in spiritual life. Sraddha, or faith, is the
beginning. One who has developed his faith in Krsna as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Spirit Soul, can
both describe and hear the rasa-lila. Sukadeva also uses the
word anusrnuyat. One must hear from the disciplic succession.
Anu means "following," and anu also means "always." So one must
always follow the disciplic succession and not hear from any
stray professional reciter, whether a Mayavadi or an ordinary
man. Anusrnuyat means that one must hear from an authorized
person who is in the disciplic succession and is always engaged
in Krsna consciousness. When a person hears the rasa-lila in
this way, the effect will be sure: he
will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life.
Sukadeva Gosvami uses two specific words, bhaktim and param.
Bhaktim param means execution of devotional service above the
neophyte stage. Those who are simply attracted to temple
worship but do not know the philosophy of bhakti are in the
neophyte stage. That sort of bhakti is not the perfectional
stage. The perfectional stage of bhakti, or devotional service,
is completely free from material contamination. The most
dangerous aspect of contamination is lust, or sex life. Bhaktim
param devotional service is so potent that the more one
advances in this line, the more he loses his attraction for
material life. One who is actually deriving benefit from
hearing the rasa-lila dance surely achieves the transcendental
position. He surely loses all traces of lust in his heart.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura points out that according
to the Bhagavad-gita, Brahma's day and Brahma's night are
periods of solar years expanding to 4,300,000 multiplied by 1,
000. According to Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the rasa dance
was performed during the long period of Brahma's night, but the
gopis could not understand that. In order to fulfill their
desire, Krsna extended the night to cover such a great period
of time. One may ask how this was possible, and Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura reminds us that Krsna, although bound by a
small rope, could show His mother the whole universe within His
mouth. How was this possible? The answer is that He can do
anything for the pleasure of His devotees. Similarly, because
the gopis wanted to enjoy Krsna, they were given the
opportunity to associate with Him for a long period. This was
done according to His promise. When Krsna stole the garments of
the gopis while they were taking a bath at Ciraghata on the
Yamuna, He promised to fulfill their desire in some future
night. In one night, therefore, they enjoyed the company of
Krsna as their beloved husband, but that night was not an
ordinary night. It was a night of Brahma, lasting
millions and millions of years. Everything is possible for
Krsna, for He is the supreme controller.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-third
Chapter of Krsna, "Description of the Rasa Dance."
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