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2024-04-27, 4:19 PM |
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Chapter 33: The Râsa Dance
(1)
S'rî S'uka said: 'The gopîs,
thus hearing the most charming words of the Supreme Lord gave, with
their eager hearts fulfilled by [their touching] His limbs, up on the
[cherished] distress of their having been deserted. (2) Right there engaged Govinda in a dance [a râsa,
or sport] in which the faithful jewels among women satisfied joined in
linking their arms together.
(3-4) The festive play commenced with the gopîs
in a circle that was decorated with, in their midst, Krishna, the
Controller of the Mystic Union, who held the women, two by two present
beside Him, by their necks. At that moment was the sky crowded by
hundreds of celestial carriers belonging to the denizens of heaven and
their wives whose minds were carried away in the eagerness of their
respect. (5) Kettledrums then resounded and a rain of
flowers fell down while the chief singers of heaven with their wives
sang of His immaculate glories. (6)
In the circle of the dance there was a great rumor of the bracelets,
ankle and waist bells of the women being together with their Beloved. (7) The Supreme Lord, the son of Devakî,
there with them appeared as handsomely splendid as an exquisite [blue]
sapphire in the midst of golden ornaments. (8)
The way they placed their feet, by the gestures of their hands, their
smiles and playful eyebrows and their bending waists; by their moving
breasts, their clothes, their earrings on their necks and their
perspiring faces; with the braids of their hair, their belts tied tight
and their singing about Him, shone they in the role of Krishna's
consorts as streaks of lightening amidst the clouds. (9) Loudly sang they by whose song the entire
universe is pervaded with their colored throats, dancing joyfully,
delighting in their dedication to the touch of Krishna. (10) One gopî together with
Krishna raising [her voice relative to His] in pure tones of close
harmony was praised by Him who pleased exclaimed: 'excellent,
excellent!' and another one who vibrated along with a special metre He
gave a lot of special attention. (11)
A certain gopî [Râdhâ probably], with her
bracelets and flowers slipping, stood fatigued by the dance aside and
grasped with her arm the shoulder of the Master of the Ceremony ['He
who holds the club']. (12) Somewhere
else placed one Krishna's arm, that was as fragrant as a blue lotus,
upon her shoulder and smelling the sandalwood kissed she it with her
hairs standing on end. (13) Some other
one beautiful with the glittering of her, from the dancing, shaking
earrings placed her cheek next to His and was given the bethel He had chewed. (14)
One of them who with Krishna standing at her side was dancing and
singing with tinkling ankle and waistbells, feeling tired placed
Acyuta's auspicious lotushand on her breasts. (15) The gopîs with His arms around
their necks having attained the Infallible Lord, the Exclusive Lover of
the Goddess of Fortune, as their lover, delighted in singing about Him.
(16) With the lotus flowers behind their ears,
the locks of their hair decorating their cheeks, the beauty of their
perspiring faces and the reverberation of the harmonious sounds of
their armlets and bells, danced the gopîs, with the
flowers braided in their hair scattered, to the hum of the bees
together with the Supreme Lord in the arena of the dance. (17) He, the Master of the Goddess of Fortune,
thus with embraces, touches of His hand, affectionate glances and broad
playful smiles enjoyed the young women of Vraja just like a boy does
playing with His own reflection. (18)
From the bodily contact with Him overflowing in their senses was it for
the Vraja ladies not easy or possible to keep their hair, dresses and
the cloths covering their breasts in good order so that their flower
garlands and decorations were in disarray, o best of the Kurus. (19) Seeing Krishna playing became the goddesses
hovering in the sky entranced and restless of amorous desires and fell
the moon and his followers [the stars] in amazement. (20) Expanding Himself to as many [appearances]
as there were cowherd women present enjoyed He, though being the
self-satisfied Supreme Lord, His Selves playing with them. (21) Of them, fatigued of the pleasure of the
romance, wiped He in loving compassion the faces, my best, with His
most soothing hand. (22) Greatly
pleased by the touch of His fingernails sang the gopîs of
the exploits of their Hero, honoring Him with the nectarean beauty of
their smiles, glances, cheeks and locks of hair, shining golden in the
effulgence of their earrings.
(23) With His garland crushed and smeared by the kunkuma
of their breasts, entered He, as the leader of the Gandharvas
accompanied by the swiftly following bees, being tired, in order to
dispel the fatigue, the water not unlike a bull-elephant does with his
wives having broken the irrigation dikes [or the normal rules of
conduct]. (24) In the water was He from all sides splashed
by the girls eyeing Him with love and laughter, my best, and being
worshiped from the heavenly carriers with a rain of flowers reveled He,
who is personally always pleased within, there in playing like the king
of the elephants [see also 8.3].
(25) Just like an elephant dripping rut with his
wives He then passed, surrounded by the lot of His bees and women,
through a grove reaching the Yamunâ that everywhere was filled
with the fragrance carried by the wind from the flowers in the water
and on the land. (26) In this
manner spent He, the Truth of all Desire, with His many adoring
girlfriends the night that was so bright of the moonlight. Thereby
manifested He within Himself all the romantic gestures in enjoying all
those autumn nights that are so very inspiring to poetic descriptions
of transcendental moods [or rasas].'
(27-28) S'rî Parîkchit said: 'To establish
the dharma and to subdue the ones defiant, descended indeed He, the
Supreme Lord, the Controller of the Universe with His plenary portion
[Balarâma]. How could He, the original speaker, executor and
protector of the codes of moral conduct, behave so to the contrary o
brahmin, in touching the wives of others? (29)
What did He, so self-satisfied, have in mind with this assuredly
contemptible performance, o best of the vowed, please dispel our doubt
about this.'
(30) S'rî S'uka said: 'The transgression of
dharma and thoughtlessness, as can be observed with spiritual
authorities, does not mean they are at fault. They are much like an
all-consuming fire [which is not affected by what it consumes]. (31) Someone not in control [with himself] most
certainly mustn't even think of ever doing a thing like this; such a
one, acting out of foolishness, would find his destruction as good as
anybody else but Rudra would with [drinking] the poison from the ocean
[see 8.7]. (32) True are the words of the ones in
control [with the Lord, with themselves] and what they do
should by people of intelligence [only] in some cases be taken as an
example to follow, namely in those cases in which that what they do is
in accord with that what they said [see also B.G. e.g. 3:
6-7, 3:
42, 5:
7]. (33) As good as, my best, there for those whose
acts are egoless is no advantage to be found with what they in their
piety do, will they neither suffer any disadvantage when they act
contrary to the expectations. (34)
How then can we in connection with the Controller of those who are
controlled - all the created beings, animals, human beings and denizens
of heaven - speak of right or wrong? (35)
The sages, whose bondage of karma by serving the dust of the lotus feet
has all been washed away, are satisfied by the power of yoga and act
freely, they, on His account, never get entangled; in what sense could
one speak of a state of bondage with those who according His will have
accepted bodies of a transcendental nature? [see vapu]. (36)
He who within the gopîs and their husbands, indeed within
all embodied beings, lives as the Supreme Witness, has assumed His form
to sport in this world. (37)
Assuming a humanlike body to show His mercy to His devotees, does He
engage in pastimes about which one hearing becomes dedicated to Him
[see also 1.7: 10]. (38) Even though
the cowherd men of Vraja were bewildered by the power of His mâyâ
were they not jealous with Krishna; they all assumed that their wives
stood by their side. (39) Even though
they didn't want to went the gopîs, the sweethearts of
the Supreme Lord, on Krishna's advise home after that [endless] night
of Brahmâ had passed. (40)
Anyone who
faithfully listens to or gives an account of this pastime of Lord
Vishnu with the cowherd girls of Vraja, will obtain the transcendental
devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he will quickly become sober
and manage to drive away the disease of lust in the heart.'
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