The Folk Message of Maharasaleela

The Public Message of Maharaasleela

Author: Pandit Gangadhar Pathak 'Vedadyacharya' Chief Priest: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Shila Pujan, Ayodhya Shri Vrindavan Dham

Chief Priest Acharya Shri Gangadhar Pathak having Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi lay the cornerstone for the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

ब्रह्मादिजयसंरूढदर्पकन्दर्पदर्पहा । जयति श्रीपतिर्गोपीरासमण्डलमण्डनः ॥ समस्तदुस्तरव्याधिसङ्घध्वंसपटीयसे । अच्युतानन्दगोविन्दनाम्ने धाम्ने नमो नमः ॥

Victory to the Lord of Shri, who crushed the towering pride of Kamadeva (god of desire) whose own pride had subdued even Brahma and others, and who adorns the circle of the gopis' (cowherd maidens) raas! Salutations again and again to that abode named Achyutananda Govinda, supremely potent in destroying the multitude of all impassable diseases.

The divine playground of Shri Vrindavan Dham has from time immemorial been the ras-accomplished capital of bhagvadrasikas (connoisseurs of divine nectar). Among the graceful lilas (divine plays) of Bhagwan Shri Krishnachandra—the ocean of all rasa-nectar, the crest-jewel of rasikas, the crown-gem of all shringara (romantic and aesthetic sentiment), and the embodiment of rasa in a form of sat-chit-ananda (existence-consciousness-bliss)—the unique and peerless Maharaasleela holds the most exalted significance of all due to its innate sweetness and profundity.

Only some supremely fortunate, emotional connoisseur, by the grace of Bhagwan, can taste the essence of the juicy, nectar-sweet ripe fruit that is Shrimad Bhagavata—which emerged from the wish-fulfilling tree of the Vedas, was touched by the beak of Shukadeva, and is infused with the liquid nectar of the Vedic Upanishads and the absolute essence of bhakti (devotion). It is by no means possible for dry intellectuals bogged down in the mud of flawed arguments and devoid of bhagvadbhakti (devotion to the Lord) to enter it. The language style, sweetness, profundity, and perfection of knowledge and bhakti in Shrimad Bhagavata—which is the textual embodiment of the Lord and a treasure born of samadhi (deep meditative absorption)—are wondrous. Not only is it "sweet at every step," but as the saying goes, "The Bhagavata is the true test of the learned," its esoteric meaning is proven to be attainable solely through the grace of Bhagwan. What more can be said of the divine Maharaasleela contained within it!

Persons possessing only ordinary worldly vision who plunge into an ocean of doubt utter wretched, delirious crimes by describing the deeply mysterious and profound raaslila of Bhagwan Shri Krishna as a repulsive form of physical carnal play. The true import of the threefold nature of Maharaasleela—its adhyatmika (spiritual), adhidaivika (divine), and adhibhautika (material) aspects—can be revealed only in a pure inner conscience imbued with bhagvadbhakti, free from flaws like deceit, duplicity, and incapacity.

The raaslila sports described in Shrimad Bhagavata and other texts are not a blemish upon Bhagwan, but rather an adornment, and constitute one of the most hidden characteristics of a purna avatara (full incarnation). That divine form through which all the fractional and total powers of the inconceivable, infinite Bhagwan manifest is alone a purna avatara; that Bhagwan Shri Krishna is the purna avatara is already established by the declaration "Krishna is Bhagwan Himself."

In sat-chit-ananda Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the fully resident sat (existence) shakti relates to karma (action), the chit (consciousness) shakti relates to jnana (knowledge), and the ananda (bliss) shakti relates to upasana (worship). The avatara in whose character these three ideals of karma, upasana, and jnana manifest completely is precisely the purna avatara. These three ideals were fully manifested in the life of Bhagwan Shri Krishna: the complete ideal of karma appeared in the dharmayuddha (war for righteousness) of the Mahabharata, the complete ideal of jnana appeared in the teaching of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, and the complete ideal of upasana appeared in the raaslila. Without the raaslila, the purna avatara of Bhagwan Shri Krishna cannot be established. Because the Mahabharata is a karma-dominant text, the raaslila had no utility within it; however, in the upasana-dominant Shrimad Bhagavata, keeping active life in the background, the supreme, exalted descriptions of Bhagwan Shri Krishna's worshipful sentiments are rendered. Despite writing various karma-dominant texts like the Mahabharata, Bhagavan Vedavyasa (Krishna Dvaipayana) did not experience true peace and bliss within his heart; it was only after composing the bhakti-filled Shrimad Bhagavata that he attained peace and transcendental joy. Therefore, in the publication of raaslila or Shri Krishna's childhood lilas, the position of Shrimad Bhagavata is supreme. Maharaasleela is no ordinary carnal play, but rather the esoteric lila of supreme bhakti.

The mysterious adhibhautika aspect of the Maharaasleela manifested in Shri Vrindavan Dham is also a highly organized public message of the highest order. This form is the supernatural, most exalted lila of the devotional life of the gopis who had dedicated their love to Bhagwan. The gopis were not ordinary women; in accordance with the will of Bhagwan, the Shruti texts declaring "The gopis are cows, the cows are the Vedas," along with divine nymphs, had assumed the forms of gopis and cows.

To participate in the Maharaasleela, the maidens of Vraja had attained the qualification of being enjoyed by Bhagwan through intense spiritual practice (sadhana) and the worship and adoration of Goddess Katyayani. Even after being partial incarnations of deities, they had forgotten their divinity due to the qualification of the human gross body. When Bhagwan Shri Krishna desired to enact the transcendental drama of Maharaasleela on the divine night of Sharad Purnima, He sounded the sweet, devotee-captivating kama-bija (seed syllable of desire) "Kleem" with His flute—"He sang a sweet, charming melody for the dark-eyed ones"—whereby the divine souls who had assumed female states were awakened and arrived near Bhagwan. Only those divine maidens who possessed the qualification acquired through sadhana and worship could be affected by the sound of this kama-bija; therefore, only perfected gopis came. How the gopis, upon hearing the flute-call of Bhagwan, became detached from the world, endured unbearable hardships, attained para-bhakti (supreme devotion), and beheld the sweet, enchanting form of Bhagwan Shri Krishna—the embodiment of sat-chit-ananda, the moon of Vraja, who is the source of bliss dwelling everywhere—is described in the raaslila. As stated:

निशम्य गीतं तदनङ्गवर्द्धनं व्रजस्त्रियः कृष्णगृहीतमानसाः । आजग्मुरन्योऽन्यमलक्षितोद्यमाः स यत्र कान्तो जवलोलकुण्डलाः ॥

Hearing that song which heightens unanga (desire), the women of Vraja, whose minds had been seized by Krishna, secretly set forth, hiding their efforts from one another, to where their beloved was, their earrings swaying rapidly.

Hearing the desire-enhancing flute-call of Shri Krishna, the maidens of Vraja were powerfully drawn and arrived near Bhagwan, concealing their movements from each other. Bhagwan Shri Krishna—who is the subduer of the very subduer of the mind (Manmatha), whose potency is restrained, who revels within Himself (atmarama), and who is the lord of all yogeshwaras (masters of yoga)—"keeping His sexual desire restrained within Himself," sported transcendentally in various enchanting forms. From all the adjectives used for Bhagwan throughout the supremely divine episode of the Maharaasleela, one cannot imagine even the slightest taint of carnal desire in the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna.

According to the Shri Vishnu Mahapurana as well, Shri Krishna in seclusion uttered a sweet, melodious tone that captivated the minds of eligible women, hearing which the gopis immediately ran to the Lord:

विना रामेण मधुरमतीव वनिताप्रियम् । जगौ कलपदं शौरिस्तारमन्द्रकृतक्रमम् ।। रम्यं गीतध्वनिं श्रुत्वा सन्त्यज्यावसथांस्तदा । आजग्मुस्त्वरिता गोप्यो यत्रास्ते मधुसूदनः ॥

Without Rama (Shri Krishna), the descendant of Shura (Shauri), who is exceedingly sweet and dear to women, sang a melodious verse with high and low modulations. Hearing that charming sound of song, the gopis then abandoned their homes and hastened to where Madhusudana was.

This divine proclamation of the kama-bija is indicative precisely of the culmination of all worldly desires. The flute-call of Bhagwan is unprecedented; its sweetness manifests from the convergence of multiple notes. The flute has numerous holes from which different sounds emerge, but from the mingling of them all arises a single supremely sweet sound—meaning the sweetness of the flute's sound is the fruit of the merging of multiple rasas.

In truth, Bhagwan is "Raso vai sah"—He is the embodiment of rasa. Divine rasa itself, pervading through nature, abides in the world sometimes as love, sometimes as desire (kama), sometimes as affection, sometimes as parental love (vatsalya), sometimes as reverence (shraddha), and sometimes as other forms. To take the single, non-dual Brahman-rasa and turn it into many rasas such as desire, love, affection, and reverence, and thereby bind the jiva (individual soul) in the world—that is the work of Maya. The jiva continues to experience bliss with a mind captivated by various worldly infatuating rasas until, by the grace of Bhagwan, the veil of delusion and Maya is shattered.

All the rasas in the world can be but a ten-millionth or billionth part of the divine rasa. When, by the grace of Bhagwan, this knowledge dawns, one begins to taste a single, non-dual love-rasa as the root of love in the entire dualistic universe. Then the fortunate jiva abandons the entire worldly illusion, becomes infatuated with the sole divine rasa, and turns into a loving devotee of Bhagwan. Hearing the kama-bija sounded by the divine flute, the gopis, whose every desire had ceased, also renounced all fleeting worldly love, became detached, and took refuge in Bhagwan. Detachment from the world and attachment to divine love arise only when one perceives the joy-rasa of the sole Bhagwan within affection, love, desire, and other rasas; then the jiva sees nothing except "Shri Krishna is my refuge." When Bhagwan Shri Krishna sounded the enchanting kama-bija formed from the union of all rasas upon His flute, for the gopis to develop detachment, leave the world, and take refuge at the lotus feet of Bhagwan was the natural, exalted sentiment of bhakti itself. Bhagwan called those gopis through the flute-sound in the lila of conquering desire, sported with them divinely, and fulfilled their desires. The flute-sound of Bhagwan is "anangavardhana"—meaning it enhances the desire to be immersed in the bliss of the Supreme Lord.

Bhagwan tests the firmness of a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) in various ways, which is also extensively seen in the Maharaasleela episode of Shrimad Bhagavata. First, Bhagwan gives the gopis various honeyed teachings to remain bound in the worldly wheel of familial attachment, but before the gopis' firm devotional passion, Bhagwan's worldly teachings could not separate them from divine love and divine proximity. The gopis succeeded in Bhagwan's test.

They came secretly to Bhagwan, "hiding their efforts from one another," which clearly demonstrates their state of complete detachment. When a mumukshu (seeker of liberation) jiva becomes detached from the world and sets out in search of Bhagwan, who is the embodiment of bliss, it is always done secretly—not by publishing it in newspapers. The gopis, enamored of Bhagwan, abandoning the prohibitions of husbands, fathers, brothers, relatives, and others, became single-mindedly devoted to Shri Krishna, renounced all worldly illusion, and rushed to the shelter of Bhagwan. When intense detachment arises in the mind of a seeker, he leaves all worldly activities half-done and runs to the refuge of the embodiment of supreme bliss.

Assuredly, various honeyed obstacles arise on the path of dharma. In the night of illusion (Maya), cruel animal-like enemies such as desire, anger, greed, and delusion frequently torment even the detached. These enemies seek to push them back into the ocean of worldly existence. Those mahatmas who can discard all these obstacles and advance firmly upon the path of dharma—"The wise ever behold that supreme abode of Vishnu"—they alone ultimately attain the supreme bliss of the Brahman-state.

Bhagwan also struck fear into the gopis in various ways regarding this world and the next, but the gopis, devoted to divine love, did not abandon their refuge in Shri Krishna. In truth, Bhagwan alone is the soul and relation of all beings, and consequently no domestic duty remained unfulfilled for the gopis. Bhagwan Himself proclaimed in the Gita: "Abandon all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone; come to the shelter of Me, the sole Supreme Lord, forsaking all ordinary duties and dharmas." If there is any possibility of sin arising from the abandonment of ordinary dharma, do not worry; I will free you from all those sins. Passing the test, the gopis actualized this very true principle of Bhagwan, as a result of which:

इति विक्लवितं तासां श्रुत्वा योगेश्वरेश्वरः । प्रहस्य सदयं गोपीरात्मारामोऽप्यरीरमत् ।।

Hearing these distressed words of those women who loved Him with a beloved's heart, Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the lord of all yogeshwaras, smiling with compassion and abiding in His own true nature, fully satisfied the gopis in every way.

If pride or ego happens to arise in the seeker subsequent to attaining the realization of Bhagwan, the affectionate Lord shows a slight chastisement inwardly, destroying the pride or ego that acts as an obstacle to the devotee's progress, and rendering the path of bhakti free of thorns. This flaw had arisen in the gopis as well; therefore Bhagwan—

"तासां तत्सौभगमदं वीक्ष्य मानं च केशवः । प्रशमाय प्रसादाय तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ||"

Seeing their intoxication with good fortune and their pride, Keshava disappeared right then and there to subdue and grace them.

Although the gopis were goddesses, the influence of the illusory body upon them was nevertheless natural. With Bhagwan suddenly hiding Himself, the gopis became extremely distressed, wept aloud, and began searching everywhere for the all-pervading Bhagwan Shri Krishna. This state of the gopis is called the state of bhaktanutapa (remorse/repentance of the devotee), which is highly glorified in the scriptures. It is solely through the tears of such repentance that all the flaws of the devotee's inner conscience are washed away, purifying the mind so that Bhagwan can take His seat upon the throne of the devotee's heart. It is also stated in the Yoga Shastras: "To those of intense zeal, is near." The intense momentum of a devotee's melted heart toward Bhagwan can grant the vision of Bhagwan very swiftly. The gopis too became absorbed in the sentiment of Shri Krishna and began enacting His childhood lilas and other events. In this manner, Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the Lila-Purushottama, made the gopis drink the nectar of unmanifest, pure love through His transcendental lila.

These esoteric truths prove that the raas described in Shrimad Bhagavata and other texts is neither allegory nor imagination; it is absolute truth, and the tasting of shringara in the form of union, sporting, and the like took place precisely as described. This was the divine union of an unmanifest hero and heroine. Its hero was sat-chit-ananda, the supreme, absolute, full Parrahman, independent, self-willed, the delight of Vraja, Bhagwan Shri Krishna; and the heroine was the presiding deity of Shri Krishna's life-breath, the embodiment of His hladini shakti (bliss-potency), Goddess Radha Herself, along with the gopis who were expansions of Her form (kayavyuha). There is no place for mundane carnal lust in this unmanifest divine lila. The gopis are various mental dispositions that, when directed downward, sustain worldly transactions, and when directed upward, attain the proximity of Bhagwan, satisfying the jiva with supernatural bliss and blessing its life. The absolute surrender of the jiva is the supreme purpose of this Maharaasleela sport of Bhagwan. That is all for now.

— Pandit Gangadhar Pathak 'Vedadyacharya' — Chief Priest: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Shila Pujan, Ayodhya Patron: Shri Sarveshwar Jayaditya Panchangam, Jaipur

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