Sharad Purnima - Mahaa-Rasa-Uttsava

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An article from 'Pushti-maarga' website of Mahaprabhu Sri Vallabha Acarya:

 

Rasa-Uttsava

 

 

The most esoteric lila of the Lord, and a great collection of many and

varied spiritual experiences for a bhakta, is Rasa-lila of the Lord.

In the Shrimada Bhagvatam, this lila is explained in the tenth canto

of the scripture. Commentators have written volumes on this singular

lila and orators have spoken non-stop for days at a time just on this

one lila.

In its most basic and physical form, it is the circular dance of the

Lord and the gopies, the milk maids, in the woods Vrindavan during the

autumn full moon.

The tribal folk of India have been celebrating the changing of seasons

and the harvest with this sort of dance for a long time. Indeed, the

world over, humans celebrate special events with a communal dance and

often this takes the form of a circle.

Ofcourse, sage Sukacharyaji did not waste his precious energy on

describing the adolescent dalliance of some cowherd to a king who had

less than a few days to live ! Sages over the centuries would not have

wasted their time and energy talking about a simple dance of some

village folk ! There is an esoteric meaning in this lila, as all the

lilas of the Lord. It is one of the most wonderful lilas of the lord

and marks a culmination of all the efforts of a soul to be in close

communication with the universal spirit.

Rasa lila is an Uttsava - a celebration - as it celebrates an amazing

achievement of several life times. Our soul, like all souls, was once

blissfully one with the universal spirit. There was no doubt, no pain,

and no fear in that state. For lila, the Lord separated the soul from

Himself and sent it to play in the universe.

Like a bubble in an ocean, the soul formed an identity of its own and

traversed the vastness of the Lord (for the Lord is the creator and

the creation itself !). Sometimes the bubble hit a bit of turbulence

and felt bit perturbed. Sometimes, it passed through exciting

landscapes and felt giddy with all the beauty around it. However,

after a while, the bubble burst and merged with the ocean. Seamless

and effortless was the merger.

Similarly, the soul's journey through aeons passes through good times

and bad. Sometimes it feels God loves it and sometimes it feels

abandoned. After much search, it realises that the ocean it seeks to

merge with is all around it ! It was never apart from it even for a

fraction of a second !! Than the soul merges with its ocean in a

seamless, effortless, yet joyous union.

Similarly, the soul feeling separated from the Lord yearns for the

bliss it once enjoyed. It looks for it in the world's pleasures and

finds them all to be incomplete. After a lengthy search, it dawns on

it that it needs to be one with the universal spirit (Bhagvan) in

order to enjoy the eternal bliss it seeks.

After much searching, it suddenly dawns on it that the it was never

apart from the Lord and this game of hide and seek is but part of the

divine lila !

The enlightened souls of numerous sages and saints sought various ways

of getting back to that blissful state of oneness with the universe.

Some found it but for a while and others found it a for a fleeting

second. Most thought it a tortuous route to bliss and sought a more

ideal route. Ever merciful, the Lord came and granted them the

opportunity to experience the joy of oneness without the mind-boggling

practices of various schools of yoga. The Lord showed them the easy

route through Bhakti yoga and opened up the easy route to His own lila.

 

Some of the sages and saints became gopies, milk maids, of Vraj in

order to experience what they could not as Rajarshris and even

Brahamarshris. In this form, they saw how easy it was to achieve

bliss. The Lord and His infinite mercy is within our reach, we only

have to stretch out and grab it ! Leaving behind their pre-conceptions

and prejudices, they gradually became free of all the things that

stopped them from enjoying their oneness with the universal spirit.

In His various lilas, the Lord slowly but surely cleansed them and

carefully removed each layer of attachment and maya that covered them.

In the pan-ultimate lila - Chirharan lila - the Lord removed the

dvaita - the duality - from their mind. From that moment on, it was

simply a matter of time before the super-refined souls of the gopies

could enjoy the maha-rasa.

When the skies above Vraj had been cleared of all the rain clouds,

soothing cool fragrant breezes were flowing over its wonderful wood

lands, and rivers & streams of the forest were full of fresh clean

waters, the Lord decided to perform Maha-rasa.

Autumn full moon rose like a golden orb over the horizon and the

landscape of Vrindavan, that blessed forest where Vrinda-devi had

performed such penance out of love for the Lord Hari, was transformed

into a heavenly paradise. The trees and creepers of the forest were

full of fragrant flowers, birds and bees sang intoxicating songs in

its bowers and the waterways of the forest were adorned with lustrous

blooms of lotuses and lilies. At this wondrous time, when the souls of

the gopies were ripe for their ultimate experience, the Lord called

the gopies to Him. The wondrous call of the universal Lord is so

sweet, how can a human explain it but as soothing music ! How can I

"explain" the taste of sugar ? I can only give you metaphors - such as

"sweet", "delightful" etc. To explain it and experience it are two

different things.

Shukacharyaji had a difficult job trying to explain the sound of the

Lord's calling to someone who was not as refined as himself. He did an

excellent job, but most of us are unable to understand the bhava and

experience of Shri Shukacharya.

The gopies who were called by the flute were eager to meet their Lord

and ran out to meet Him with great haste. Those who were busy in their

household chores, left the chores half done and ran out despite

protests from their relatives. Those busy with their makeup, left in

such a hurry, they mis-applied their makeup and wearing mis-matched

jewellery in their haste to meet their beloved Lord.

The gopies normally called on each other for the smallest things, and

even went to fetch water with each other. But on this day, of all

days, they went without even thinking to call on their friend !

If indeed this was a tale of clandestine meeting and rendezvous in the

forest between gopies and Krishna, the gopies would made sure their

make-up and jewelry was correct. They would not have left their homes

in the open and would have been more sly about their leaving their

home so late at night.

But this is the tale of a soul suddenly realizing that it now has the

possibility, indeed a rare opportunity, to be one with the universal

Lord. It does not now wait, it can not ! Cows, having seen their young

calves, can not than be restrained with the greatest efforts, as their

love for their young is very intense indeed. Similarly, the gopies

could not wait to be with their Lord.

Gopies made their way to the kadamb tree where Murlidhar stood in a

beautiful tribhang (when the head, torso and the legs are all at

different angles to each other), waiting for them. With a sweet smile,

capable to smiting the very heart of Lakshmi, the Lord welcomed the

gopies with great many pleasantries. But after the welcoming speech,

the Lord said, "Having enjoyed Vrindavan by moonlight, I think it best

if you now return to your loved ones back at home."

The gopies did not know which way to turn ! Having abandoned all and

every for ShriKant, now they were being advised by ShriHari to go back

!! Shedding tears in silence, eyes cast low, they begged the Lord not

to be so cruel. "Having called us here, do not abandon us now. We have

waited so long for this moment. We have not come to see the forest,

and we have no plans to go back. Either accept us or let us die at

your feet ! There are is no other option for us."

Seeing their resolve, the Lord smiled and engaged them in other

thoughts and played the Maha-rasa with them. A great circular

formation was created in which the Lord and his beloved gopies danced

in unison. The Lord danced with such agility and grace, that each gopi

felt that He was dancing exclusively with her ! Later the Lord took

several forms to make sure each gopi had the chance to interact with

him personally.

When the heavenly Gods and sages (who had not reincarnated as gopies)

heard of the Maha-rasa, they all came there to witness the beauty of

it all. The dancing ability and agility of the Lord put the best

amongst them to shame.

If indeed this was a secret meeting of youths in Vrindavan, why would

the Gods have come to witness it ? Why would sages who are too busy

contemplating on the universal spirit, come to watch some young people

dancing in the woods of Vraj ? Sages have no time to waste on care

free dalliance of milk maids and cow-herds. They appreciate the pain

of separation between the universal spirit and the soul and only they

(sages) can appreciate the joy of their reunion.

This was nothing less than the celebration of union of a soul with the

universal spirit. It takes many millenniums before a soul realizes it

has lost its blissful state. It takes further time before it acts

towards regaining that state and further lifetimes before the soul

actually achieves the goal of reunion. Sages, forever compassionate,

came to witness this reunion and cried tears of joy at seeing yet

another soul regain its "blissful" state.

 

 

continued ...

 

at: http://www.geocities.com/pushti_marg/rasa.htm

 

Bhagwat Shah ©

 

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

SHRIMADA BHAGAVATAM

 

The Gopis put on their garments

And got ready for

The loving encouter

With their Beloved Shri Krishna.

 

Their minds were so captivated that

They could not move.

Their bashful glances were

Riveted upon Him.

 

Shrimada Bhagvatam - 10th Canto - Rasa lila - verse 23 ½

 

Enjoy reading more at:

 

http://www.geocities.com/pushti_marg/rasa-23.htm

 

http://www.geocities.com/pushti_marg/rasa-26.htm

 

http://www.geocities.com/pushti_marg/rasa-28.htm

 

 

, pyari_h <no_reply> wrote:

>

> An article from 'Pushti-maarga' website of Mahaprabhu Sri Vallabha

Acarya: