Srimad Bhagavatam – day 744
Lord wanders through the forests of Brindavan
Krishna Srihari
“The Gopikas were fatigued due to dancing while the Lord was fatigued due to the worship offered to him by them. To overcome this exhaustion, accompanied by the Gopikas He entered into the waters of Yamuna. At that moment, swarms of bees that were humming like the Gandharva leaders, hovered around the garland of forest flowers around His neck, which was smeared with Kumkum and which had been crushed due to embracing the Gopikas. The Lord who was stepping into the waters accompanied by all the Gopikas appeared like the elephant-king Gajendra who enthusiastically had broken all the barriers and entered the waters of the pond along with the she-elephants.
The broad and deep River Yamuna with its pure and crystal clear waters was flowing majestically. The Gopikas began to splash water upon the Lord as they sported majestically in the river. The celestials who, seated in their airplanes, were witnessing this event, showered flowers upon the Lord and extolled Him profusely”.
Each Gopika played with the Krishna who was beside her. To any Gopika, none apart from her dearest Krishna was visible. She presumed that she was alone with Him in the river. However, from Krishna’s point of view the area was filled with Gopikas.
This supreme illusion of the Lord is beyond all animation skills. It is a strange and unique creation of the Lord. In movies, such illusory creations are depicted. However here, the Lord had manifested in innumerable identical forms made of flesh and blood.
“Just as elephant-king Gajendra had sported with the she-elephants in the pond, Srikrishna, the Lord of the Self who is complete in all aspects, sported with all the Gopikas in the waters of Yamuna”.
It is impossible to stop elephants from playing in waters. Taking water in their trunks, they sprinkle it in all directions playfully. Forgetting their existence they blissfully play. Here although they compare the Lord with Gajendra, we should remember that the arrogance and pride that existed in Gajendra was non-existent in the Lord. In the previous skandas (cantos) we have covered the story of Gajendra and how he obtained liberation. Merely thinking of Gajendra’s liberation (Gajendra moksha) is adequate to burn down our sins!
“After sporting in those waters, Krishna along with all the Gopikas entered into the nearby groves and wandered leisurely there just as the male intoxicated elephant wanders with its female companions”.
Although it is inapt to compare the Lord’s meaningful sports with that of a male elephant, the parallel is being drawn solely for us to understand the grandeur of the play.
“In addition to the humming bees, the Gopikas too followed the Lord as He wandered through the forests. The cool breeze carried in all directions the fragrance of the flowers from the rivers and the river banks”.
It was as if all the flowers had decided to emit their fragrance at this time considering this as their service to the Lord. Swarms of bees were humming; birds in the forest were chirping melodiously at this hour. Krishna and Gopika were running sportily across the forests akin to intoxicated elephants.
“The Supreme Lord Srikrishna, who is self-willed, thus sported with these Gopikas on these autumn nights. The Gopikas who were overflowing with love towards Him, stole His heart. Calling Him ‘Narayana’ these Gopikas followed him eternally. The Moon with his illumined rays livened up these enchanting nights which became the foundational roots for all the beauty, mirth and other emotions depicted in poetic works”- said Maharishi Śuka.
There are plenty of compositions which extoll this rāsa-kreeda dance. In addition to Bhagavatam, the beauty of this dance has been brought out in the many Puranas and other sacred texts as well. The hidden significance of this dance, the sports of the Lord, the service offered by Mother Nature to the Lord when He was engaged in this dance, have all been elaborately detailed. All the poets who sang in praise of this rāsa dance perhaps were some Gopikas who desired to glorify the Lord and His enchanting sports. Using their divine vision, these poets witnessed the activities of the Lord, the agony of the Gopikas upon separation from the Lord, and the dance of the Gopikas as they penned their compositions. We too should close our eyes and witness this divine dance in our mind.
Emperor Parikshit then enquired, “O revered sage! In order to eliminate unrighteousness and to establish righteousness, the Supreme Lord Srikrishna incarnated on Earth along with Balarama. He is the Lord who establishes the rules of righteousness (dharma) and ethical standards, popularizes them and protects them. how then could this Lord touch another’s wife, which is an unethical deed?”
Although he was noble and righteous, even Parikshit was not spared from this doubt. After all, he was human, wasn’t he? He was the supreme person who had seen the Lord even when he was in his mother’s womb. He was a supreme devotee of the Lord. It is said that the person who remembers him will never be bitten by a snake. In a span of 7 days, he learnt this entire Bhagavatam. Such supreme personality also was not spared from doubt. He had attentively listened to the description of the rāsa dance, the sports of the Lord with the Gopikas and had delighted in them. Yet he wanted to know how the Lord could touch the wife of another man? Even a king like Parikshit, who believed Krishna to be none other than the Supreme Lord, now doubted the Lord.
Krishna Krishna