Krishna's Rasa Leela Pastime (VIDEO)

 

𝟐𝟒 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 [𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐚, 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞]

Sri Krishna Madhura Utsava

Sri Krishna Madhura Utsava is another celebration of the rasa dance, in which Krishna dances with many of His cowherd girlfriends in the moonlight, on the banks of the river Yamuna in Vrindavan.

𝗦𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗵𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗮'𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗮'𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗮-𝗹𝗶𝗹𝗮:

"Devotee: You said... If these pastimes of rāsa-līlā are only for liberated souls, and yet in Kṛṣṇa book, in Nectar of Devotion, there are some descriptions of pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: That is very cautiously mentioned. Yes. It had to be given because it is part of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. We cannot avoid it. Therefore it has to be heard from right person. He will be cautious to present the things. Anuśṛṇuyāt. The injunction is one should hear from a person bona fide, anuśṛṇuyāt, not directly. Not directly."

(Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Surat, January 3, 1971)

"So this discussion of rāsa-līlā is the summit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not ordinary thing. They're purely spiritual. There is nothing material. But because we are not completely free from material concept of life, we may think that Kṛṣṇa's līlā is something like this material. So that is offense. But that is the ultimate goal, to understand Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā.

But you have to wait for relishing that Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā, to become more perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anarthāpagamam. Anartha means when one is freed from all anarthas. But it is so nice, even those who are with anartha, misgivings, if they are devotee, if they have got full surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, so they also will derive benefit."

(Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Los Angeles, November 15, 1968)

"Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā is not so cheap. Therefore they are called sahajiyā. They have made it cheap. If they want to read Bhāgavatam---immediately rasa-līlā. If they want to hear something about Kṛṣṇa---immediately rasa-līlā. Because it appears similar, just like young boy, young girls. But it is not that. It is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ [Bs. 5.37]. Rādhārāṇī's expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy, and the gopīs are expansion of Rādhārāṇī's body. They are not ordinary things."

(Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Calcutta, January 30, 1973)

"Don't think that Kṛṣṇa had rāsa dance with ordinary girls or Kṛṣṇa was ordinary man. As Kṛṣṇa was not man, He's God, similarly, the gopīs and Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī, they're internal potency of God, or Kṛṣṇa. This is... This should be understood. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]. Kṛṣṇa says, "Mūḍhas, rascals, they think that I am a human being, ordinary human being." And therefore they imitate. Sometimes the rascals imitate rāsa dance. "Kṛṣṇa had rāsa dance; then we can have also rāsa..." 

But they do not understand that Kṛṣṇa's rāsa dance is not ordinary ball dance like that. No. It is an imitation, perverted imitation. Because the tendency's there in Kṛṣṇa, therefore we have also got the tendency. But we do not know how to enjoy that dancing spirit. That is our illusion. We think this ordinary dance and Kṛṣṇa's dance is the same thing. No. That dancing, to take part in that dancing, it requires many, many millions of years' tapasya. It is not ordinary thing. Itthaṁ brahma-bhūta... There is a verse that kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]. To join with the rāsa dance of Kṛṣṇa, or to play with Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy, it requires kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ, many, many millions of births' pious activities.

So Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in Vṛndāvana with the cowherds boy and with the gopīs, they are all spiritual. They are not material. But Kṛṣṇa manifests, exhibits the līlā, coming here personally so that you may hear about Kṛṣṇa and you may be attracted = "So how I can go and play with Kṛṣṇa? How I can go and dance with Kṛṣṇa?" Or "How I can become a..., in paternal affection with Kṛṣṇa? How I can become a tree, a grass, in Vṛndāvana, so that Kṛṣṇa may trample over me?" This is called kṛṣṇa-prema. So Kṛṣṇa practically demonstrates, for the facility of the conditioned soul."

(Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Vrindavana, March 15, 1974)