The Secrets of Rasa Purnima
Rāsa Lilā, one of the sweetest pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna
The word “rāsa” is derived from the Sanskrit word “rasa”. ‘Rasa’ means divine mellow or transcendental bliss. It is attained only by those who perform unalloyed devotion to the Lord. By the mercy of the internal potency or svarupa shakti of the Lord, the conditioned souls overcome the bondage of three material qualities and surpass the attribute-less, form-less manifestation i.e. Brahman and finally reach the realm of Vishuddha Sattva. At this level the transcendental bliss is attained. “Līlā” indicates the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna in association with His internal potency, Yogamaya. This pastime is recorded in Puranas and Vaishnava texts. Srimati Radharani and Lord Sri Krishna are the central characters of this pastime. Other cowherd maidens associate them.
Scriptural authority of Rāsa Lilā:
Padma Purana (52.103-105) mentions two times Rāsa: autumnal and springtime. Brahma Vaivarta Purana (Brahma Khanda, Chapter 5) describes the springtime Rāsa, while Vishnu Purana and Srimad Bhagavatam give the accounts of autumnal Rāsa. Hari Vamsha says that Sri Krishna performed “hallisha nritya” (playful dance) with Srimati Radharani and other Gopis who were her expansions and considered to be no different from her. When the dance is rhythmic and performed with different movements, it is called “Rāsa”. According to Vishnu Purana, Krishna performed Rāsa with the Gopis (cowherd maidens). Sridhara Swami commented that Rāsa is a kind of dance that is performed by several women together: “raso nama vahu nartakiyukte nritya viseshah”. Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, one of the commentators on Srimad Bhagavatam, said, “nritya gita cumbana ali jana dinam rasanam samuho rasas tanmayi ya krida va rasa krida”.
Description of Rāsa Lilā in Srimad Bhagavatam:
The gopis prayed to Lord Sri Krishna and recited different hymns. They began to weep loudly. Then Lord Sri Krishna appeared before them in His yellow attire and with a flute. The Gopis went mad with joy to see Him. The Lord who attracts even the cupid, started playing with the Gopis on the bank of the river Yamuna. The banks of the Yamuna were full of flowers,
The bees were buzzing with their sweet smell and singing melodiously. The full moon of autumn spread its beams like the petals of jasmine. It seemed that all the splendors of the entire three worlds were combined and embodied in the form of Sri Krishna that night. He is encircled by the Gopis. The Gopis joyfully held each other’s hands. Shri Krishna, the master of all yogic power, expanded Himself and entered between each of the two Gopis. The Rāsa dance started. Every Gopi saw Sri Krishna holding her hand.
“rāsotsavaḥ sampravṛtto gopī-maṇḍala-maṇḍitaḥ
yogeśvareṇa kṛṣṇena, tāsāṁ madhye dvayor dvayoḥ”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.3)
Every Gopi thinks, He Who is the master and the refuge of the world, is also my consort and shelter too. He is only mine. For so long they meditated on Lord Krishna in their hearts and realized His presence there- now they saw that He was close to them. Sri Krishna is inside the heart of the gopis. Sri Krishna is outside Sri Krishna is everywhere in the world. The Gopis are dancing. Sri Krishna is dancing. The supreme personality of Godhead, Hari who is the final conclusion of Vedanta, is dancing. They saw Sri Krishna between each pair of the Gopis. Sri Krishna is at their left, at their right. They saw Sri Krishna. Near them, they saw Sri Krishna. The Gopis saw nothing but only Sri Krishna in the world. Rāsa means to see Sri Krishna, the embodiment of rasa, everywhere; to cherish His sweet mellow in every mood. He is the personification of rasa and bliss – “raso vai sah”.
Initiation of Rasa Lila by Sri Krishna at Sridham Vrindavan:
The Srimantagavata records that the Rāsa pastime was held on the full moon day of autumn. From the previous chapter, it is known that Govardhana Puja was performed on the new moon day of Kartika month and Bhratr Dvitiya on the next day. Then due to the cessation of yearly sacrifice for Indra, Indra got angry. His anger caused storms and heavy rain. Lord Krishna lifted up the Govardhana mountain and held it up for seven days till the ninth day of the bright fortnight. Krishna was only seven years old at that time. On the tenth day, the people of Vrindavan marvelled at Krishna’s activities and discussed Him among themselves. The next day Nanda Maharaj observed Ekadashi. Then on the twelfth day, Nanda Maharaja was seized by Varuna’s attendants while bathing in the Yamuna. Krishna rescued him. Then Shri Krishna showed the Vaikuntha loka to Nanda Maharaja along with other Gopas. The Gopis of Vraja observed a month-long Katyayani vrata to attain Lord Krishna as their husband. Finally, the full moon day arrived. The Purnima of the month of Asvina is called the Sharadiya Purnima (autumnal full moon day). From the narration of Srimad Bhagavatam, it is known that on this Sharadiya Purnima Tithi, Sri Krishna manifested the Rāsa pastime with the Vraja Gopis. At this time Shri Krishna was only eight years old.
Observing the Katyayani vrata by the Braja-Gopis:
The twenty-second chapter of the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam mentions the katyayani vrata of the gopis. Their purpose was to obtain Lord Krishna as their husband. Sukadeva Goswami said, that in the first month of Hemanta (late autumn), the unmarried daughters of Gokula performed a vow to worship the goddess Katyayani. For the whole month, they only ate Haviṣyānna. O King, bathing in the waters of the Yamuna at sunrise, the Gopis made earthen idols of goddess Durga. Then they worshipped her with various paraphernalia including sandalwood paste as gandha, a lamp, fruit, betel nut, fresh leaves, scented garland, and incense stick.
“O goddess Kātyāyanī, O great potency of the Lord, O possessor of great mystic power and mighty controller of all, please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto you.” Each of the gopis chanted this mantra and worshipped goddess Katyayani. The mantra is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam:
“kātyāyani mahā-māye mahā-yoginy adhīśvari
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ dev patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ”
Many people think that the terms Mahamaya and Durga refer to external energy. But this is not true. The Gopis of Vrindavan spent a whole month worshipping Yogamaya, the internal potency of Krishna. Their only desire is to get Lord Krishna as their husband. With the blessings and assistance of Yogamaya Lord Krishna fulfilled the desires of the gopis by manifesting Rāsa Lila.
Completion of the Katyayani Vrata and getting Krishna as husband:
Sri Krishna remembered the prayer of the Gopis to goddess Katyayani to have Him as their husband. He thought that the full moon night of autumn would be the perfect time to dance with them. So He would fulfill their desire on that night. Because Sri Krishna, while stealing the garments of the Gopis, admitted to them, “O delicate girls, you have attained your goal. Now everyone goes to their own home. You will be able to be with me in the coming nights.”
“bhagavān api tā rātṛīḥ śāradotphulla-mallikāḥ
vīkṣya rantuṁ manaś cakre yoga-māyām upāśritaḥ”
upon seeing that autumn night scented with blooming jasmine flowers, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna desired to manifest His loving pastimes. He employed His internal potency Yogamaya, who is called “aghatana ghatana patiyasi” (capable of making the impossible possible. Here in Srimad Bhagavatam the phrase ‘bhagavān api’ is used. It implies that Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is complete in six opulence. He has no desire unfulfilled. But still He wanted to enjoy the company of the Gopis. This phrase indicates the dance of Lord Krishna with the Gopis is not the same as the way an ordinary boy dances with young girls. Srimad Bhagavatam also says, “yoga-māyām upāśritaḥ” which means that under the influence of Yogamaya Sri Krishna enjoyed dancing with the Gopis. He could never be influenced by Mahamaya, like ordinary men.
Rāsa Lilā is devoid of the slightest trace of a sense of enjoyment:
In this material world, the dance of the young boys and girls occurred under the control of Mahamaya, who is the external potency of the Lord. But the Rāsa dance of Krishna along with the Gopis was held at the transcendental state of Yogamaya’s influence. The difference between Yogamaya and Mahamaya is like that of gold and iron, as stated in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. Both gold and iron are metals. But qualitatively they are completely different. So although Lord Krishna’s Rāsa pastime apparently appears to be an ordinary meeting of young boys and girls, qualitatively it is completely different. The great Acharyas have determined this difference. Because they can distinguish the unalloyed Krishna prema and mundane enjoyment. This material universe is the realm of Mahamaya. Therefore the dance of ordinary men and women is motivated by the desire for sense gratification. But as soon as Lord Krishna called the Gopis through the sound of His flute, the Gopis rushed to Rāsasthali very eagerly. Their sole purpose was to satisfy Lord Krishna’s supra-mundane desires. Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Goswami, author of Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita, says,
“ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma”
Translation: The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].
The parakiya prema for Lord Krishna is transcendental and free from blemishes:
Then all the gopis who desired Krishna as their husband were already married. But even so, they hoped to get Lord Krishna as their husband. Their mode was like that of a lover. This is called parakiya prema. When a married man or woman desires another woman or man, it is called parakiya prema. Actually, Sri Krishna is the master of everyone. Because He is the ultimate enjoyer. All the gopis desired Krishna as their husband. But it was not possible for Krishna to marry all of them. They had a natural desire to have Lord Krishna as their husband. Therefore it is called parakya prema. This is present only in the spiritual world or Goloka dhama. All the distortions that are seen in the extramarital affairs in this material world, the transcendental parakiya prema in Goloka Vrindavana have no such distortions. The parakiya rasa in this material world is very abominable. But in the spiritual world, the exchanges between Lord Krishna and the Gopis are the most glorious. The devotional exchanges between Krishna and His devotees have various modes like dasya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parental love), madhurya (conjugal love). Among all of these relationships, the parakiya rasa is the best. This physical world is the opposite reflection of the spiritual world. It is just like the water image of a tree next to a pond. As the top of a tree is seen as the lowest in the reflection, the transcendental love, when it is perverted in this material world, appears very abominable. So when ordinary people attempt to imitate Lord Krishna’s Rāsa pastime, they only attain the hideous and distorted reflection of the transcendental prema. It is never possible to enjoy the parakiya rasa in this mundane world.
In Srimad Bhagavatam, it is said that we should not try to enjoy the parakiya rasa even in dreams and imagination. Those who do, simply drink the poison.
Moments before the Rāsa Lila:
It was the full moon night of autumn. Lord Krishna, the supreme enjoyer, desired to cherish the company of the Gopis. The king of the stars, Chandra (moon) rose in the sky with all his beauty. It was the most beautiful night. When the full moon rose, everything was bathed in its crimson glow. It seemed as if the entire sky became colored with the hue of kumkum. When the husband returns home after many days from abroad, he paints his wife’s face with kumkum. Similarly, the eastern sky was colored with the shine of the moon. Krishna desired to be with the Gopis. The forests are filled with the fragrant blooming flowers. The surroundings became pleasant and festive. Then Lord Krishna started playing his flute. All the gopis of Vrindavan were enthralled.
The Vraja Gopis had an intense natural affection for Lord Krishna:
All these Gopis were naturally very attracted to the beauty of Krishna. When they heard
Krishna’s flute, they yearned to gratify Krishna’s senses. As soon as they heard the sound of the flute, they left all their work and ran to where Krishna was standing. While they were running fast, their earrings were moving. They all rushed towards Vanshi Vata. Some of them were milking cows, but leaving that milking, they immediately ran to Lord Krishna. One of them was boiling milk in the oven, she immediately ran to Lord Krishna, not caring whether the milk spilled or not. Some of them were breastfeeding their babies, and some were serving food to the family members. But they left all that work and immediately ran to meet Lord Krishna. Many were serving their husbands and some were eating, but they left all the service and food and immediately went out to meet Lord Krishna. Some of them were adorning their faces or beautifying themselves before meeting Lord Krishna. But unfortunately, they could not complete their adornment or their dressing beautifully. Immediately they set out to meet Krishna. When the gopis were leaving their home in a rush, their husbands, fathers, and brothers were shocked. They wondered where they were going! They were young women. So they were under the supervision of their husbands, elder brothers, or fathers. Their guardians forbade them to approach Lord Krishna. But they didn’t listen to them. When one is fully absorbed in Krishna’s consciousness, he or she no longer cares about worldly duty. No matter how important it is. The nectar of Krishna consciousness is so sweet that it gives relief from all kinds of physical attachments.
Lord Krishna tests the Vraja Gopis:
When all the Gopis assembled before Sri Krishna, He welcomed them. At the same time, He began to discourage them by His eloquence. He wanted to bewilder them with His eloquence and so He said, “O the women of Vraja, you are very fortunate and very dear to Me. I am very glad that you are here. Hope everything in Vrindavan is fine. Now please order me, what can I do for you? Why have you come here late at night? Please take your seat. And tell me what I can do for you.” The Gopis came to enjoy the company of Lord Krishna, to dance with Him, to embrace and kiss Him. But when Sri Krishna began to speak to them in this manner, they were very surprised. He began to treat them as if they were ordinary ladies. So they started laughing and listened to Krishna with great interest. When Krishna saw that they were laughing at Him, He said, “O Sakhis, you must know that it is late at night. This forest is very dangerous. At this time all the fierce animals like tigers, bears, foxes, wolves, etc are roaming in this forest. So you will not find any safe place here. Wherever you go, these ferocious beasts are roaming in search of their prey. So I think you are taking a big risk by coming here late at night. Go home now without any delay.”
The Gopis passed this test of Krishna:
The Gopis began to sigh in deep sorrow. Without looking at Krishna’s face, they bowed their heads. They kept looking at the ground and drawing lines with their toes. Tears were pouring down from their eyes. As a result, all of the facial adornments were washed away by the tears. The kumkum of the chest mixed with their tears and started falling on the ground. They could not say anything to Krishna but just stood there silently weeping. Their silence showed how deeply their hearts were wounded. Finally, they started saying in a trembling voice, “You are very unkind. You shouldn’t talk like that. We have surrendered ourselves completely unto You. Please accept us. Do not speak unkindly. We know that You are the Supreme Lord and You can do whatever You want. But it does not befit You to treat us cruelly. We have abandoned everything and run to You, taking refuge only in Your lotus feet. We know that You are completely independent and can do whatever you want.
Participation of Vraja Gopis in Rāsa Lila:
Then the Supreme Lord Krishna started his Rāsa dance with those Gopis. When someone dances among many girls, it is called Rāsa dance. Thus Shri Krishna began to dance with the most beautiful and fortunate women of the entire three world. The Vraja Gopis were very much attracted to Krishna. They started dancing with Sri Krishna holding His hands. This dance of Lord Krishna can never be compared with any dance of the material world. This dance is completely transcendental. To illustrate that point, Sri Krishna, the master of all mystic power, spread Himself numerous times and danced with each gopika.
Srila Prabhupada’s description of Sri Krishna’s Rasalila:
As promised during Vastraharana lila, Shri Krishna took the assistance of His Yogamaya in that night. He started playing His flute. Hearing the aphrodisiac melody, the gopis abandoned their household chores in an unfinished or half-finished state. They proceeded towards Lord Krishna with unstoppable speed. When some Gopis with physical bodies were prevented from going by their husbands and other elders, at the will of Shri Krishna, they immediately left the material body and reached Sri Krishna. Shri Krishna asked the reason for the arrival of the Gopis. He told them that there were wild animals. Therefore a woman should not stay there during the night. Their husbands and sons are looking for them for household activities. The only duty of a woman is to serve her husband and son. The service to a paramour is reprehensible and sinful for a chaste wife. Especially one can attain unalloyed love for Krishna only by hearing about Krishna, seeing His images, meditating and chanting on Him; not by staying close. So they should return to the home. The Gopis were saddened to hear this and started crying for a while. Then they got a little angry and said that it did not befit Krishna to abandon those women whose only intention was to serve Him by giving up everything. Through the service of husband and sons, one only attains distress. But through the service of Krishna, the Supersoul of every living entity, all the one can be perfected from all aspects. Which woman does not fall from her own duties after listening to Krishna’s flute and seeing His attractive appearance? As Vishnu is the protector of demigods, Krishna is also the destroyer of the distress of the residents of Vraja. So it is the exclusive duty of Lord Krishna to remove the distress of the gopis. When the all-pervading Lord Krishna heard the lamentations of the gopis, He manifested various pastimes to please them. At this the Gopis became proud. To dispel their pride, Krishna disappeared from Rasasthali.
