#raslila

[hinducosmos]

Charan Das ki Bagichi, Shahjahanabad, Delhi, India

Sam Dalrymple wrote: The ceiling is covered in gorgeous frescoes. And here comes a tragedy. In just the last fortnight, a careless new 'renovation' (pics 9-10) destroyed perhaps the oldest Vaishnav frescoes in Delhi...

(via Instagram: Sam Dalrymple)

[kalyan-gullapalli]

Post # 103

How does one really understand Raas Leela?

There a Bollywood song, which goes like this:

The protagonist affirms that women are the most powerful intoxicants. He observes that everyone he knows indulges in this intoxication, with multiple partners. He is frustrated that when others do it, it is called Raas Leela. However, when he does it, he is said to be of loose moral character. This naughty, rebellious song has always brought a smile on my lips.

Recently, I saw the below picture and was reminded of that song and its lyrics...

My big question is: How does one understand (and explain) the Madhurya bhava in Raas in today's context?

I think, one cannot even begin to understand esoteric Hindu concepts like the Raas, the erotic temple architecture of Khajuraho and Konark, or even the magnanimity of the art and science of Kamasutra, unless one recognizes the following:

1. The Hindu way of life gives a great deal of importance to the physicality or material aspect of life. In fact, the four pillars of Purushatha (the essence of human life) are - Dharma (conduct), Artha (material wealth), Kama (desire) and Moksha (liberation).

Sanatana Dharma, in no way, de-emphasizes individual aspiration or desires for material well-being.

2. Having said that, Sanatana Dharma recognizes that physicality is just a small aspect of the entire experience of human life. In fact, when a human being makes a conscious attempt to transcend physicality, numerous other dimensions of life explode. These supra-physical dimensions have the capability to bridge the gap between human and divine.

In fact, the more a human transcends the physical (not avoids it, but fully experiences it and then transcends it), the closer he gets to divine.

I recall reading somewhere a legend that goes like this - Lord Shiva, the alpha male, after an intense love making session with Goddess Parvati, who has just experienced the zenith of erotic pleasure, tells her, "O Devi! What you think is the height of pleasure is not even a tickle for me. Because, when I close my eyes and meditate, the bliss that I experience cannot be explained nor can it be compared to any orgasm my body experiences."

With this backdrop, let's understand Raas Leela!

Raas = Ras = Juicy = Pleasure = Madhurya bhava

Leela = Divine activity

Raas Leela = Divine pleasure - Lord Krishna's divine, playful, pleasurable dancing and singing with his devotees, Gopis.

Raas Leela begins when Krishna plays his flute on a moonlit night, the soft music wafts through the pastures of Vrindavan and reaches the Gopis. The night is perfect – flowers bloom in the full moon, and gentle, cool breeze blows from the banks of Yamuna.

The tune attracts the Gopis, their passion surged and as if in trance, they run to meet their beloved Kanhaiya leaving all their fears, bondages, patience and shyness behind. Some of them are intercepted by their husbands, brothers and fathers and dragged back to home. But only their physical bodies stay put, their souls reach Krishna.

Krishna, the ultimate Yogi, uses Yogmaya to replicate himself to as many physical forms as there are his devotees and becomes one with each of them - in all ways - least of all physical! Because these Gopikas have completely and unconditionally surrendered themselves to him.

How do the Gopika-devotees feel when this divine union happens with their beloved? It is impossible to express that feeling on paper. It can only be experienced. Have you ever sat by yourself and felt untold love, gratitude or devotion for anything or anybody? Can you recollect that feeling in your heart? That sweet and painful feeling in your heart? Now multiply it a trillion times. That's how the Gopis must have felt that night. That's the best I can do to articulate Madhurya bhava.

At that time, their physical bodies were the last thing the Gopis must have been concerned with. They were on the verge of liberation from their physicality!!!

Now, who were these Gopis and what had they done to deserve the Lord's grace?

Lore has it that during Treta Yuga, when Lord Rama was exiled to forest for 14 years, he met many saints, sages and Tapasvis, but he was unable to spend ample time with all of them. Saddened, these sages pleaded with Lord Rama to spend more time with them. Lord Rama promised that one day he will, but not in this lifetime.

These sages died and took rebirths after rebirths and performed tapasya for yugas. Finally, in Dwaparyuga, they were reborn as Gopis and became devotees of Lord Krishna.

Raasa Leela was the Lord's way of fulfilling his promise, by showering his infinite grace on his devotees and making them one with him.

[indizombie]

The long-standing inclusion of song and dance in Hindi film borrows from Hollywood musicals and also signals the early contributions of cultural laborers from Parsi theater, Sanskrit drama, and Persian poetry, as well as professionally displaced courtesans who served as singers and dancers. With the intention of creating a pan-Indian and yet still globally acceptable style, film dance draws widely from classical Indian forms of bharatanatyam and kathak, rural and folk styles such as raslila and bhangra, and “Western” popular styles, including salsa, disco, hip hop, and jazz. In pursuit of innovation, Hindi film choreographers have appropriated or mimicked techniques without substantial training; this makes Bollywood dance a promiscuous form that feels both familiar and alien to those who come to it anew.

Kareem Khubchandani, 'Snakes on the Dance Floor: Bollywood, Gesture, and Gender'

[hinducosmos]

A Large Picchavai Depicting the Rasalila 20th Century. Rajasthan, India. 241 x 185 cm. gouache and gold on cloth, framed and glazed. (via Bonhams)

[hinducosmos]

Krishna Rasa lila on the ceiling at Badal Mahal Taragarh Fort, Bundi, Rajasthan, India.

The_lost_travellers wrote : The Badal Mahal is located in the premises of the Taragarh Fort. The walls of this majestic palace are covered with exquisite paintings.

(via Instagram: Travel/ Love/ Photography @the_lost_travellers)

[hinducosmos]

Inside the beautiful Garh Palace, Jhalawar, Rajasthan

Aman Channa wrote : The Jhalawar fort, also known as the Garh Palace is located in the centre of the town. The fort was built by Maharaja Rana Madan Singh in 1845 AD. The Palace is now converted into a Museum and has some finest examples of Hadoti school of arts.

(via Aman Channa @pixcellence_by_aman.channa)

[hinducosmos]

Radha Krishna Raas Lila Artist: Mayur Sharma (via Fine Art America)

[hinducosmos]

Rasa Mandala Artist: Pranab Narayan Das Natural pigments on tussar silk 16.75 x 16.75 in (42.5 x 42.7 cm)

Pattachitra painting developed around religious centres in Odisha like Konark, Bhubaneswar and Puri, and recalls the ancient murals of the region dating back to the 5th century BC. These finely detailed works are created on layers of primed cloth or patta, and usually feature religious subjects, particularly the gods Jagannath, Vishnu and Krishna.

(via www.saffronart.com)