Rāsa-pañcādhyāyī V - The Rāsa Dance

Chapter-summary verse

In the thirty-third chapter, Hari entered the midst of the circle of gopīs and delighted His beloveds with play in the river and forest.

Bhāgavata 10.33.1

Śrī Śuka said: Hearing Bhagavān's exceedingly charming words, the gopīs abandoned the anguish born of separation, their blessings and desires fulfilled by contact with His limbs.

Editorial note 72

"Exceedingly charming" means captivating.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The word tat may mean "then, dear King." Alternatively, the gopīs' blessings and desires were increased and fulfilled by His body, or by its parts such as His hands and feet.

Editorial note 73

Alternatively, His blessings were increased by the limbs of those gopīs.

Bhāgavata 10.33.2

There Govinda began the rāsa dance, accompanied by those devoted and joyful jewels among women, whose arms were linked with one another.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Rāsa is a particular kind of dance involving many female dancers. He began that playful dance with those whose arms were mutually joined and intertwined.

Editorial note 74

The definition of rāsa is: "When female dancers form a circle, each taking the hand of another whose neck is held by a dancer, their dance is called rāsa."

Bhāgavata 10.33.3

The festival of rāsa began, adorned by the circle of gopīs. Kṛṣṇa, the master of yoga, entered between each pair, embracing both women around the neck, while every gopī thought He stood beside her alone.

Editorial note 75

The festival commenced because of Kṛṣṇa. Alternatively, the expression may be causative: Kṛṣṇa caused it to begin fully.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse beginning "the festival of rāsa" displays their companionship through dramatic description, in a meter four syllables over the norm. The gopīs stood in a circle. Kṛṣṇa entered between every pair and embraced both around the neck, yet each woman thought, "He has embraced only me and stands only beside me." This is why the verse says He entered between every two.

How could one person enter in this way? And if He were present beside everyone, how could each gopī think He was beside her alone? The phrase "the master of yoga" answers this: He possesses inconceivable power.

Bhāgavata 10.33.4

At that very moment the sky became crowded with hundreds of celestial aircraft carrying gods and their wives, whose hearts were swept away by eagerness.

Śrīdhara's commentary

At that instant, the sky became densely filled with hundreds of aircraft belonging to gods accompanied by their wives, their minds pervaded by eagerness.

Bhāgavata 10.33.5

Then celestial drums resounded and showers of flowers fell. The foremost Gandharvas, accompanied by their wives, sang His stainless glory.

Śrīdhara's commentary

They sang the spotless and stainless glory of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Bhāgavata 10.33.6

Within the arena of the rāsa dance arose the mingled sound of the women's bracelets, anklets, and waist bells as they danced with their beloved.

Śrīdhara's commentary

"With their beloved" means together with Kṛṣṇa. "Mingled" means interwoven and tumultuous.

Bhāgavata 10.33.7

There Bhagavān, the son of Devakī, shone magnificently among them, like a great emerald amid golden jewels.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Like a great emerald, a blue jewel, amid golden gems, He shone between the golden-hued gopīs who embraced Him. Or, from each gopī's point of view, the singular "amid" is used without repeating the word for every position.

Bhāgavata 10.33.8

With measured steps, sweeping arms, smiling movements of their brows, bending waists, trembling breasts and garments, and earrings swinging against their cheeks, Kṛṣṇa's brides danced with perspiring faces and loosened braids and waistbands. Singing of Him, they shone like lightning within a mass of clouds.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The preceding verse described how He shone with them; this verse describes how they shone with Him. Their arms moved, their waists bent, and their breasts and garments trembled. Their earrings swung upon their cheeks, and their faces emitted drops of perspiration. The knots of their braids and waistbands were firm, or, under an alternate division of the compound, those knots had become loose.

Kṛṣṇa, manifest there in many forms, resembled a mass of clouds. The many gopīs resembled lightning, their perspiration resembled mist, and their singing resembled thunder. The remaining correspondences may be inferred as appropriate.

Bhāgavata 10.33.9

Dancing, their throats colored by melody and their hearts devoted to love, they sang aloud. Delighted by Kṛṣṇa's touch, they filled the universe with their song.

Editorial note 76

The form translated "dancing" may indicate that they sang even while dancing, using an archaic grammatical formation. It may instead express their habitual disposition, or mean that dancing brought them honor from Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīdhara's commentary

They sang while they danced. Their throats were colored by many musical modes. They rejoiced in Kṛṣṇa's physical touch, and "this" means the universe.

Bhāgavata 10.33.10

One gopī raised pure notes in harmony with Mukunda. Pleased, He honored her, exclaiming, "Excellent! Excellent!" She then sang the same melody in the dhruva rhythm, and He bestowed still greater honor upon her.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Together with Mukunda she developed patterns of notes beginning with ṣaḍja. They remained pure and unmixed with those raised by Kṛṣṇa. Pleased, He honored her. She then rendered that same melodic development in the particular rhythm called dhruva.

Bhāgavata 10.33.11

One gopī, exhausted by the rāsa dance, placed her arm upon the shoulder of the mace-bearing Lord beside her, while her bracelets and jasmine flowers loosened.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse describes the playful conduct born from the gopīs' great joy after Śrī Kṛṣṇa honored their dancing and singing. Her bracelets and jasmine flowers were slipping loose.

Bhāgavata 10.33.12

Another gopī smelled Kṛṣṇa's arm, fragrant like a blue lotus and anointed with sandalwood, as it rested upon her shoulder. Her bodily hairs rose in joy, and she kissed it.

Śrīdhara's commentary

His arm possessed the fragrance of a blue lotus.

Bhāgavata 10.33.13

Kṛṣṇa gave His chewed betel to one gopī as she placed her cheek against His. Her cheek was adorned by the radiance of the earrings tossed about by her dancing.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Her cheek was adorned by the luster of her two earrings as dancing made them sway. She joined that cheek to His cheek.

Editorial note 77

The compound may mean that the earrings themselves were made restless by the dance, while her cheek possessed its own natural radiance. Their combined light adorned it.

Bhāgavata 10.33.14

One gopī danced and sang while her anklets and waist bells chimed. Weary, she placed the auspicious lotus hand of Acyuta, who stood beside her, upon her breasts.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Her anklets and girdle rang out.

Bhāgavata 10.33.15

Having attained Acyuta, the beloved who is Lakṣmī's exclusive darling, the gopīs sang of Him and sported while His arms encircled their necks.

Śrīdhara's commentary

This verse indicates that the other gopīs likewise sported with Him, each through her own many graceful gestures.

Bhāgavata 10.33.16

Their faces beautiful with lotus earrings, curls adorning their cheeks, and perspiration, the gopīs danced together with Bhagavān in the rāsa assembly where bees were the singers. Their bracelets, anklets, and bells were the instruments, and garlands slipped from their hair.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and other musicians and singers had become overwhelmed by rasa. The verse therefore displays another kind of musical abundance in the rāsa celebration. Their faces shone with lotus earrings, cheeks adorned by curls, and perspiration. "Sounds" means their little bells. The sounds of bracelets, anklets, and bells served as musical instruments. Their garlands slipped from their hair.

This poetically suggests that their hair, delighted by the rhythm and movement, shook with their heads and showered flowers upon their feet. They danced with Bhagavān in the rāsa assembly whose singers were the bees.

Bhāgavata 10.33.17

In this way the Lord of Lakṣmī sported with the beautiful women of Vraja through embraces, the touch of His hands, affectionate glances, expansive playful smiles, and laughter, like a child playing with its own reflections.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Just as the gopīs sported with Bhagavān through many graceful gestures, Bhagavān sported with them through His own. The comparison to a child, whose play is with its own reflections, shows that He was never overpowered by their charms.

The image teaches that He infused them with His own mastery of every art, fragrance, loveliness, sweetness, and other qualities, and then played with them as a child plays with its reflections.

Bhāgavata 10.33.18

O best of the Kurus, their senses overwhelmed by the intense joy of bodily contact with Him, the women of Vraja could not readily arrange their hair, garments, or breast coverings, for their garlands and ornaments had loosened.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse explains that the gopīs were overwhelmed by Bhagavān's play. Their senses became powerless through the intense joy produced by contact with His body. They were unable to restore their loosened hair and clothing to their former arrangement. Their garlands and ornaments had slipped.

Editorial note 78

"Readily" means with deliberate attention.

Bhāgavata 10.33.19

Seeing Kṛṣṇa's play, the celestial women fainted, afflicted by desire. The moon and his retinue were also struck with wonder.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Not only the gopīs' senses were overwhelmed; those of the goddesses were also. The statement about the moon suggests this: astonished, the moon forgot his motion, and all the planets that followed him remained fixed in their places. The gopīs therefore sported at ease through nights of extraordinary length.

Bhāgavata 10.33.20

Making Himself as numerous as the cowherd women, Bhagavān sported playfully with them, although He delights within Himself.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Each gopī had prayed, "O Kātyāyanī, great Māyā, great yoginī and sovereign goddess, please make the son of Nanda Gopa my husband. I bow to you." Bhagavān had likewise promised each of them, "Return to Vraja, girls. Your vow is fulfilled; you will sport with Me during these nights." In fulfillment of both prayer and promise, He made Himself as numerous as they were and sported with them. "As numerous" means equal to however many gopīs there were.

Editorial notes 79-80

The cited verses are Bhāgavata 10.22.4 and 10.22.27.

Bhāgavata 10.33.21

Compassionate Kṛṣṇa lovingly wiped the faces of the gopīs, who had grown weary from their abundant play, with His soothing hand, dear King.

Editorial note 81

An alternate reading gives "wearied by amorous play."

Śrīdhara's commentary

This verse expresses the extraordinary degree of His compassion.

Bhāgavata 10.33.22

Their cheeks splendid with the radiance of swinging golden earrings and curling locks, the gopīs honored the foremost Lord with nectar-like smiling glances and sang of His deeds. They rejoiced in the touch of His fingernails.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse describes the conduct of the supremely delighted gopīs. Their cheeks were beautified by the radiance of moving golden earrings and curls. With smiling glances made nectar-like, they honored Kṛṣṇa, their husband and the foremost Lord, and sang of His deeds. His fingernails' touch filled them with joy.

Bhāgavata 10.33.23

To dispel His fatigue, Kṛṣṇa entered the water with the gopīs. Their bodily contact had crushed His garland and stained it with the kuṅkuma from their breasts. He was followed by swarms of bees singing like Gandharva chiefs, like a lordly elephant who has broken through a dike and enters the water with his females.

Editorial note 82

An alternate reading gives "their own breast-kuṅkuma."

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse now describes their play in the water. Contact with their bodies had crushed and massaged His garland, which was consequently colored by their breast-kuṅkuma. Kṛṣṇa entered the water followed by swarms of bees that sang like leaders of the Gandharvas. "Having broken the dike" describes an elephant that has torn through an embankment; it also indicates that Kṛṣṇa Himself had crossed the conventional boundaries of worldly custom and Vedic rule.

Bhāgavata 10.33.24

In the water the laughing young women drenched Him from every side and looked upon Him with love. Praised by the flower-showering celestials, He who delights in Himself sported there like a king of elephants.

Editorial note 83

An alternate reading means "drenched with love."

Editorial note 84

"Delighting in Himself" may mean that He is self-satisfied, that His delight rests in those who are His own, or that the water play is His own unique delight.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Though self-delighting, He sported there, either amid the circle of gopīs or in the water.

Bhāgavata 10.33.25

Then Kṛṣṇa wandered in a grove where breezes carried the fragrance of flowers growing on land and water to every quarter and riverbank. Surrounded by swarms of bees and groups of women, He resembled a rutting elephant with his females.

Śrīdhara's commentary

After describing play on land and in water, the verse describes play in the forest. In the Yamunā grove, breezes bearing the fragrance of flowers from land and water delighted the edges of every direction. Alternatively, "direction, bank, and ground" may all describe the grove. He was surrounded by groups of bees and women.

Bhāgavata 10.33.26

Thus the Lord whose resolve is always fulfilled, attended by those loving women, enjoyed all those nights radiant with moonbeams and containing every rasa praised in autumnal poetry, while keeping the force of passion contained entirely within Himself.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse concludes the rāsa play. Kṛṣṇa, whose resolve is true, remained amid a host of loving women and enjoyed all those nights. They were the abode of the rasas described in poetry about autumn. Alternatively, the accusative "nights" expresses the full extent of time: He enjoyed the autumn stories celebrated in poetry, which are the abode of erotic rasa.

Even so, His generative power remained contained within Himself and was never discharged. This declares His conquest of desire.

Editorial note 85

He enacted every autumnal poetic episode that poets of all regions and times could possibly describe.

Bhāgavata 10.33.27, mūla-only supplement

Śrī Parīkṣit said: Bhagavān, the Lord of the universe, descended with a portion of His power to establish dharma and bring its opposite to an end.

The commentary TEI supplies no separate gloss on this verse. The standalone GRETIL mūla labels the same text 10.33.026 because its earlier machine segmentation differs.

Bhāgavata 10.33.28

O brāhmaṇa, Kṛṣṇa is the speaker, practitioner, and protector of the boundaries of dharma. How, then, could He act contrary to them by touching other men's wives?

Śrīdhara's commentary

"Contrary" means the adharma opposed to dharma; "He acted" means He performed it. This would not be merely an ordinary violation like eating forbidden meat, but an exceptionally bold transgression. The words "touching other men's wives" express the severity of the question.

Bhāgavata 10.33.29

The Lord of the Yadus is fully satisfied in Himself, yet He performed what appears reprehensible. What was His intention? O observer of sacred vows, please dispel this doubt of ours.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Someone may reply that this is not adharma for one whose desires are fulfilled. If so, the King asks, why would one devoid of desire perform a condemned act, and with what intention? This is the question posed in the verse beginning "fully satisfied."

Bhāgavata 10.33.30

Śrī Śuka said: Powerful sovereigns are sometimes seen to overstep dharma and perform audacious acts. Such conduct does not taint those endowed with extraordinary power, just as fire is not defiled though it consumes everything.

Editorial note 86

"Sovereigns" means those not dependent upon karma and similar constraints.

Editorial note 87

Fire's consuming everything does not make it impure.

Śrīdhara's commentary

To answer the objection concerning the Supreme Lord by an argument from the lesser to the greater, Śuka first describes the general conduct of exalted beings. Prajāpati, Indra, Soma, Viśvāmitra, and others are seen to overstep dharma and perform daring acts, yet those deeds do not become faults in such powerful beings.

Bhāgavata 10.33.31

One who lacks such sovereign power must never imitate this conduct, even mentally. A fool who does so is destroyed, just as anyone other than Rudra would be destroyed by consuming the poison born from the ocean.

Śrīdhara's commentary

One might object that, according to the principle "whatever a great person does, others follow," someone else should do the same. The verse beginning "one must never imitate this" answers. A person without sovereign power is dependent upon the body and other limitations. Anyone other than Rudra who consumed that poison would perish.

Bhāgavata 10.33.32

The words of powerful sovereigns are true, although their conduct is exemplary only on some occasions. An intelligent person should follow only the conduct that accords with their own instructions.

Śrīdhara's commentary

How, then, does the conduct of the virtuous possess authority? This verse answers. The words of such exalted beings are true, so one should certainly practice what they teach. Their conduct, however, is authoritative only in certain cases. Therefore one should imitate only those acts that accord with, and do not contradict, their own teaching.

Bhāgavata 10.33.33

O Lord, egoless beings have no selfish gain from virtuous conduct in this world, nor do they suffer loss from conduct contrary to it.

Śrīdhara's commentary

One may ask why exalted beings perform such daring acts at all. The verse answers: their only remaining task is to exhaust the momentum of karma already begun; there is nothing else for them to attain.

Bhāgavata 10.33.34

What connection with good or evil, then, could there be for the sovereign Lord of all beings, animal, human, and divine, and of all those who are governed by Him?

Editorial note 88

When egoless living beings who are governed have no connection with good or evil, what need is there to say that the ruler of all beings in animal, human, and divine forms has none? The words "there is none" are supplied from the preceding verse.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse returns to the subject at hand: how much less could the Lord have any connection with good or evil? Nothing more need be said.

Bhāgavata 10.33.35

Even sages who are satisfied by serving the pollen of His lotus feet, and whose every bond of karma has been shaken away by the power of yoga, move freely without becoming bound. How, then, could bondage touch Him who assumes a body by His own will?

Śrīdhara's commentary

The verse makes the point explicit. These devotees are satisfied by service to the pollen of His lotus feet. Alternatively, service is fixed upon that pollen and they are therefore satisfied devotees. Knowers of truth likewise do not become bound and never incur bondage.

Bhāgavata 10.33.36

He who dwells within the gopīs, their husbands, and indeed every embodied being is their overseer. The same Lord assumes a body here only for divine play.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The previous answer provisionally accepted that the gopīs were other men's wives. Now the verse teaches that, because Bhagavān is the indwelling Self of all, there can be no question of His approaching another's wife. He who moves within everyone is the overseer, the witness of intellect and all other faculties. That very Lord assumes a body for play; He is not comparable to ordinary embodied people such as us, for whom such conduct would be a fault.

Bhāgavata 10.33.37

For the sake of bestowing grace upon living beings, He assumes a human body and performs such pastimes that one who hears them becomes devoted to Him.

Editorial note 89

An alternate reading gives "for the sake of His devotees."

Editorial note 90

An alternate reading gives "remembering them" instead of "hearing them."

Śrīdhara's commentary

One might still ask why the desireless Lord engages in an apparently censured act. The answer is that He does so to make even those most turned away from Him, whose minds are attracted by erotic rasa, become His own devotees.

Bhāgavata 10.33.38

The residents of Vraja, bewildered by His māyā and each thinking that his own wife remained beside him, felt no resentment toward Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīdhara's commentary

Others who behave improperly may claim that their acts are just like Kṛṣṇa's. This verse answers them. Those who act so without possessing such divine sovereignty must be known as sinners. This is the intended sense.

Bhāgavata 10.33.39

When the night of Brahmā drew to its close, the gopīs, though unwilling, returned to their homes with Vāsudeva's permission, for Bhagavān was their beloved and they were beloved by Him.

Editorial note 91

The compound may mean either "those for whom Bhagavān was dear" or "those who were dear to Bhagavān."

Śrīdhara's commentary

"When the night of Brahmā drew to its close" means when the sacred brāhma-muhūrta before dawn arrived.

Bhāgavata 10.33.40

A sober person who faithfully and repeatedly hears or describes this play of Viṣṇu with the women of Vraja attains supreme devotion to Bhagavān and swiftly casts away desire, the disease of the heart.

Śrīdhara's commentary

The result of hearing and recounting Bhagavān's rāsa play, which manifests His conquest of desire, is precisely the conquest of desire. Having become steady through attaining supreme devotion, one swiftly casts away the heart's disease of lust.

Editorial note 92

Alternatively, kāmam may mean "abundantly": after swiftly attaining devotion as fully as desired, one soon casts off every disease of the heart, beginning with lust.

Closing verse

This Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, composed by Śrīdhara, servant of Śrī Paramānanda, takes the Tenth Canto of Śrī Bhāgavata as its support.

Colophon

Thus ends the commentary called Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on the thirty-third chapter in the first half of the Tenth Canto of the great Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa.