The Raas Leela

On the night of Sharad Purnima the gopis left everything at the call of Krishna's flute, and in the Maha-Raas the Lord appeared beside each one of them. It is the leela of the soul's pure love for God.

It was the full moon of autumn, Sharad Purnima. The moon poured down its cool, gentle light, and the forests of Vrindavan were fragrant with jasmine. On that divine night, Shri Krishna, taking the help of his Yogamaya, resolved to perform the Raas, and he played his flute on the bank of the Yamuna.

As soon as the sweet sound of the flute reached the gopis, they forgot everything else. Some were milking cows, some were cooking, some were feeding their children, but all left their work unfinished and set out toward the Lord. Those who were held back at home closed their eyes and reached him in meditation. Testing them, Krishna said, "The night is fearsome. Go back to your homes." The gopis replied, "Lord, you are the true beloved and the very Self of all beings. Leaving your feet, where could we go?"

The Lord accepted their sincere love. But when a trace of pride entered their minds, the thought that the Lord belonged to them alone, Krishna suddenly vanished. Heartbroken, the gopis wandered from grove to grove, asking the trees and vines where he had gone and acting out his leelas. At last, sitting on the bank of the Yamuna, they sang a song full of longing, famous as the Gopi Geet.

Hearing their call, the Lord appeared again, smiling, and told them that he could never repay the debt of their love. Then the Maha-Raas began. The Lord manifested himself in many forms, so that every gopi felt Krishna was standing beside her alone. The gods watched this divine scene from the sky and showered flowers.

The saints explain that the Raas Leela is not a story of worldly love. The gopis are souls longing to meet their true Lord, the Supreme Self, and the flute is his call to them. Shri Shukadeva says that whoever hears this leela with faith is freed from the disease of desire in the heart and attains supreme devotion to the Lord.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 29–33

Place

Vrindavan, on the bank of the Yamuna

Lesson

The Lord is reached through selfless love, and he slips away the moment pride appears.