Raas Leela on Sharad Purnima

Raas Panchaadhyayi (Raas leela) is as significant in the Shrimad Bhagavat as is our soul within our body. Raas Panchaadhyayi is referred to the five sections (section 29 to 33) in the second part of the tenth chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavat. Pujya Bhaishri describes the journey of a Gopi on the night of the Raas and its significance in this article.

A Gopi is one who desires nothing from Shri Krishna. She wants only Shri Krishna himself. She wants to create a Raas with Shri Krishna and play with him. She wants to be happy on seeing Shri Krishna’s happiness.

Shri Shukdevji says, “Shri Krishna desired to perform a Raas leela on seeing the divine night of Sharad Purnima and the majestically flowered forest”. God does not have any desires. He is content.

What is Raas? It is the war between Kaam Dev and Shri Krishna. Kaam Dev was egoistic about having interrupted Shri Shivji’s meditation and decided to approach Shri Krishna and said, “I want to fight with you.” God agreed. However, Kaam Dev put forward a condition, “Will you come with the beautiful Gopis of Vraj, and against who even the celestial ladies of heaven appear pale, on the full moon day of the month of Ashvin in Vrindavan?” This way Kaam Dev asked for a favourable environment for himself but God agreed. Kaam Dev also said that he did not want the presence of his father, the mind.

Therefore, on the night of Sharad Purnima, God played his flute and as soon as the Gopis heard this, he stole their minds. This way, the Gopis were without any desires, whereas God had stolen the Gopis minds, thus he desired to play the Raas. The sound produced by God from his flute increased kaam (desire) in the Gopis but this kaam was related to Shri Krishna.

In normal circumstances, kaam (lust), anger, fear and spite are not good emotions. However, when these feelings develop in one whose mind Shri Krishna has stolen, then it results in one’s welfare. This is why those who have fought with Shri Krishna and been angry upon him have received emancipation, for example, Shishupal and Kans.

Similarly, the kaam developed in Gopis is attached to Shri Krishna which led to the Gopis getting excited and therefore they woke up from a deep sleep.

Shri Krishna called each Gopi by her name with the sound of his flute. Each Gopi thought that she has been summoned on her own and thus left the house without telling anybody. Now for a woman, it is difficult to go on her own in the forest at night.

A woman is bound by several boundaries of decency. However, the Gopis’ love was such that it gave them courage, despite the fear in their minds. Where there is fear and selfishness, this is known as lust. Ravan was very powerful but due to lust, when he went to kidnap Sitaji in the form of an ascetic, he got scared just on the movement of a leaf on a tree! Bushundiji says that Oh Garud, similarly a human on the wrong path loses intelligence and power and remains only with fear.

Here, the Gopi have no fear in their minds. Why? Because the Gopis are not doing anything wrong. They are proceeding to achieve their goal in life. Playing with Shri Krishna is achieving God. To desire Shri Krishna is a good thing. Desires related to Shri Krishna is a great fortune hence the Gopis are fearless.

All the Gopis felt that Shri Krishna is calling each one by her name. Each one thought that she was on her own when actually there were many of them. This means that in this world, there are many people treading on the path to achieve God, but we have to pursue our journey on our own. There is no secrecy in our relationship with God but there is privacy.

So, the Gopis left everything they had including family, wealth, happiness and comfort and reached where Shri Krishna was in Vrindavan. Shri Krishna welcomed all the Gopis.

At this point, Shri Krishna tested via a conversation with the Gopis that they want nothing but him. Their sacrifice for the worldly pleasures is not out of exuberance. God was pleased and said to the Gopis, “Come, and let us play the Raas.”