Religion
| By : Ajit Hari Sahu | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 29 Aug, 2005 | Total Views : 531 |
Sri Krishna, born to the royal couple Vasudeva-Devaki in prison in Mathura, was brought up by Nanda and Yasoda in Gokula. Thus transplanted, he grew up in sylvan surrounding of Brindaban playing with simple-souled cowherds and milkmaids. Gradually he grew into a handsome youth and was beloved of all. He played on his bamboo flute and performed many captivating adventures. One day he came to Brindaban accompanied by Balrama and played there in the company of Gopis, the cowherds on the banks of the river Yamuna. There in a pool lived the wicked and hideous hundred-hooded serpent Kaliya, a veritable menance to the simple folk. He had turned the water of the pool into a mass of burning poison, and the whole Yamuna got polluted.and
Krishna recognizing the plight of simple folk thought of taming the evil-souled serpent and at once jumped into the pool, and then ensued a fierce fight, Krishna, remembering divine powers, bent down the heads of Kaliya with both his hands and mounted the central one and began to perform Tandava Dance. Krishna jumped violently from one to another till the monster fainted away with shiver, vomiting blood because of rishna's severe blows. When Kaliya came to sense again, he begged Krishna's forgiveness and mercy and prayed that his life may be spared. Krishna took pity on him and ordered him to leave the pool at once for good and retire to the ocean along with his family. Kaliya bowed in obeisance and retired to the ocean. The evil serpent having departed, the cowherds and cowgirls heaved a sigh of great relief and over whelmed with joy embraced Krishna again and again. They shed tears of joy and lauded Krishna in many a song. Having vanquished Kaliya, performed tandava and lauded by the cowherds and praised by womenfolk, he returned to Gokula. Unlike Shiva's tandava, this fierce and violent dance of boy Krishna, symbolizes that aspect of divinity which subdues and annihilates the evil forces opposed to dharma, righteousness and upright living.
Krishna, the supreme dancer and amorous adventure the many puranic texts, played rasa-lila with the gopis general and radha in particular. One day Krishna ran across the gopis bathing in the river Yamuna, bewitched by Krishna's celestial beauty they were calling out his name while bathing Krishan stole their clothes and climbed up a tall Kadamba tree. The gopis, trying to hide their naked bodies in the water prayed and pleaded with Krishna, but he did not relent and asked them to come out one by one to the tree to receive their garments back. They had no alternative but to obey him. Finally, to assuage their enraged feelings of modesty, he promised to have dance with them in the coming autumn.
When the autumn season came, one full moonlit night Krishna came to the forest and called the gopis by playing on his magic flute and they came rushing, having abandoned their homes to where Krishna was. Krishna teased the gopis with his many a youthful prank and then engaged himself in dance with the love-distracted cowgirls. He took each of the gopis by the hand and formed a circle and the rasa began. Krishna to the melodious tune of their tinkling ornaments, pipes, cymbals and mridangas. He himself played on flute. They danced as if in a trance in a circle with their hands interlocked. Govinda was in the center of the circle and also between each of two cowgirls. The milkmaids danced deliriously in gay abandon and dallied with Madhava and thought they had possessed Madhava solely as their own. But then suddenly Govinda slipped away with one of them, and later it was revealed that she was Radha, the symbol of pure spiritual love and devotion. Krishna left them to break their pride.
When the gopis found themselves left alone, they began to cry and ran in all directions to search him out. Finally they found out his foot prints along with those of Radha. While the gopis distracted and smitten with the arrows of love lamented and wailed Krishna's separation, Radha was full of great bliss and regarded herself the most asked highly blessed. She felt too proud to be so singled out, and so asked Krishna to carry her on his shoulders. But annoyed her pride, Krishna instantly disappeared leaving Radha alone weeping and wailing.
The gopis found Radha, and they began their search afresh. In the dense forest they could not continue their search farther. They sat down in the sands of Yamuna, talked of Krishna till they almost swooned smitten with love for him. When they came a little to their senses again, they tossed on the sand calling his sweet names. Realising gopis plight Krishna appeared there and at their appeal and entreaties, he relented, and they began to dance again. Krishna made himself manifold with his power of maya (illusion), and danced and played with each of them in the circle while their armlets, bracelets and anklets tinkled merrily. They danced and dallied on the banks of Yamuna in the soft moonlit night made fragrant with flowers and the breeze laden with scandal scent. The cuckoos sang and bees buzzed, and the Brij-maids played on lutes. It was so rapturous that time and all sense of body and mind were totally forgotten. The dance, dalliance and whirl continued for six months with dark Krishna in their midst. The Braj-balas satisfied and fulfilled returned to their respective homes and no one knew they had been there away from their hearths and homes.
