The Rasa-Lila of Krishna and the Gopi girls of Vrindavan is said to be the greatest lila of the lord. In fact, in some sources it is referred to as "sarva-manoram" - "the most beautiful". This amorous pastime of the girls meeting krishna at night and performing a dance together is the aspiration of the devotee.According to the vedic description, Bhagavan (God) is the center and Jiva (ourselves) is the servant. It might not seem to be this way some of the times since the Jiva's being covered up by false ego, false pride, which is materialism. Materialism is the seance of self centeredness while spiritualism is God centered relations. Yet the Jiva may choose whether to have devotion or pride. But God does not associate directly with matter. That is why if Jiva chooses to be in matter, God will vanish. As the Gita says in chapter 7, God is letting them go after whatever they want and even set the field for them to do so. If they want fame and fortune, so they shell have. But their relationship with him they shell not have, and therefor may not know true bliss. Until they will remember to look inside and seek their original relationship with him.
And that is the story of Rasa-Lila, as told in the 10th part of Srimad-Bhagvatam: When the girls were dancing with Krishna and this brought them supreme joy. During this dance, Krishna split into many images for dancing with the girls in Rasa-Mandala - the circle of love. This dance is eternally taking place in the spiritual world and also, even today, is said to be taken place every night in Vrindavan - India at a place called Seva-Kunja.
But then the girls started to feel proud. Out of the joy of the lila, they became absorbed in self pleasure, as sadly many spiritual aspirants do. We see them use yoga and meditation for being absorbed in the self centered joys of inner peace, and by that becoming self centered. This false interpretation is leading them downward. Yet even if we are told of this danger, it is easy to forget. An so did the Gopies who danced with Krishna, feeling pride.
But Bhagavan does not associate directly with matter, and therefor it was on that part that Krishna had suddenly vanished, leaving the girls tormented. They suffered so hard, missing Krishna. Together they acted his tales from memory and showed the same mode of separation the devotees show when crying in ecstasy. Then, they witnessed the footprints of lord Krishna, along with the footprints of another girl. "How special must she be" they said to each other "for he left us, yet did not leave her". They observed their footprints. At a certain point, her footprints stopped and he's continued. "He must have carried her in his arms!" they thought "and here is where he put her down, probably to pick some flowers".
Indeed lord Krishna was with one of the girls. And according to authorities, Radharani was her name. He stayed with her for she was the only one which did not let herself fall to the clutches of false pride. Yet then false pride began to rise as she suddenly noticed how special she was. And special indeed is Sri Radhika. She is the expansion of God's love, Haladini Shakti. From her splits all the Jivas. Special she is indeed and without her no one can reach him. And so, she felt proud, asking him to carry her in his arms as a servant. Krishna replied: "As you wish!" and then vanished from her sight, leaving her alone.
So is the temptation of pride within religion. Religion is not necessarily spiritual. Spirituality set it's center not around the self. Yet God supply his devotee all he needs, including material things, setting the field for his enjoyment. But if a devotee keeps praying for things for his own benefit, is that a God centered relationship or a self centered one? And in this way, he receives all he prayed for, for God provide the world as a father provide his children. And even if the Jivas wish is to forget God, so the field will be set for this act and so shell he receive. And be tormented until he realizes what is his original position.
And so the girls were lamenting the lost of Krishna, observing his lovely footprints. They thought of the joy they have lost and washed Krishna's footprint with their tears. And then a thought had came to their minds, and by that Krishna had re-appered to them. And this was the thought: "our beloved Krishna is walking barefoot on the ground! What if something will cut his foot?" A single unselfish thought, revolving upon the pleasure of the lord. And Krishna may not be harmed by none, for he is the supreme. He is the endless all providing lord of all there is. yet that is not how the devotee sees him. The devotee sees Krishna not as God but as a lover, a friend as equal, sometimes as a small child. But never as an endless impersonal thing. Only as a person. A person who accept our service. And as the Gopies only wish was to serve the lords feet, concerning his benefit, at that point the lord re-appered to them.
Some say such devotion is only a step before reaching the lord in his endless, impersonal features and that the devotee must in time abandon the devotion in order to reach the higher goal. But would that be true devotion? If you hold your lovers hand only for him to help you climb up a hill, in an intention to cast him away once you'll reach the top, is that loving devotion? If we agree that love and devotion is the way for spiritual elevation, then we must accept that the supreme goal it a state of eternal devotional relationship. Otherwise it isn't devotion at any part of the way. And if that is the supreme goal, there is in fact nothing higher.
And that is the story of Rasa-Lila, as told in the 10th part of Srimad-Bhagvatam: When the girls were dancing with Krishna and this brought them supreme joy. During this dance, Krishna split into many images for dancing with the girls in Rasa-Mandala - the circle of love. This dance is eternally taking place in the spiritual world and also, even today, is said to be taken place every night in Vrindavan - India at a place called Seva-Kunja.
But then the girls started to feel proud. Out of the joy of the lila, they became absorbed in self pleasure, as sadly many spiritual aspirants do. We see them use yoga and meditation for being absorbed in the self centered joys of inner peace, and by that becoming self centered. This false interpretation is leading them downward. Yet even if we are told of this danger, it is easy to forget. An so did the Gopies who danced with Krishna, feeling pride.
But Bhagavan does not associate directly with matter, and therefor it was on that part that Krishna had suddenly vanished, leaving the girls tormented. They suffered so hard, missing Krishna. Together they acted his tales from memory and showed the same mode of separation the devotees show when crying in ecstasy. Then, they witnessed the footprints of lord Krishna, along with the footprints of another girl. "How special must she be" they said to each other "for he left us, yet did not leave her". They observed their footprints. At a certain point, her footprints stopped and he's continued. "He must have carried her in his arms!" they thought "and here is where he put her down, probably to pick some flowers".
Indeed lord Krishna was with one of the girls. And according to authorities, Radharani was her name. He stayed with her for she was the only one which did not let herself fall to the clutches of false pride. Yet then false pride began to rise as she suddenly noticed how special she was. And special indeed is Sri Radhika. She is the expansion of God's love, Haladini Shakti. From her splits all the Jivas. Special she is indeed and without her no one can reach him. And so, she felt proud, asking him to carry her in his arms as a servant. Krishna replied: "As you wish!" and then vanished from her sight, leaving her alone.
So is the temptation of pride within religion. Religion is not necessarily spiritual. Spirituality set it's center not around the self. Yet God supply his devotee all he needs, including material things, setting the field for his enjoyment. But if a devotee keeps praying for things for his own benefit, is that a God centered relationship or a self centered one? And in this way, he receives all he prayed for, for God provide the world as a father provide his children. And even if the Jivas wish is to forget God, so the field will be set for this act and so shell he receive. And be tormented until he realizes what is his original position.
And so the girls were lamenting the lost of Krishna, observing his lovely footprints. They thought of the joy they have lost and washed Krishna's footprint with their tears. And then a thought had came to their minds, and by that Krishna had re-appered to them. And this was the thought: "our beloved Krishna is walking barefoot on the ground! What if something will cut his foot?" A single unselfish thought, revolving upon the pleasure of the lord. And Krishna may not be harmed by none, for he is the supreme. He is the endless all providing lord of all there is. yet that is not how the devotee sees him. The devotee sees Krishna not as God but as a lover, a friend as equal, sometimes as a small child. But never as an endless impersonal thing. Only as a person. A person who accept our service. And as the Gopies only wish was to serve the lords feet, concerning his benefit, at that point the lord re-appered to them.
Some say such devotion is only a step before reaching the lord in his endless, impersonal features and that the devotee must in time abandon the devotion in order to reach the higher goal. But would that be true devotion? If you hold your lovers hand only for him to help you climb up a hill, in an intention to cast him away once you'll reach the top, is that loving devotion? If we agree that love and devotion is the way for spiritual elevation, then we must accept that the supreme goal it a state of eternal devotional relationship. Otherwise it isn't devotion at any part of the way. And if that is the supreme goal, there is in fact nothing higher.
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