Experiencing India’s Spiritual Heart - A River Voyage from Kolkata to Varanasi

Ras Lila

Culture and tradition on Antara River Cruises routes

What is Ras-lila?

The divine love between Radha and Krishna manifests in many poetic and lyrical ways in the eyes of their devotees, through history. Whether it is the platonic love of friends, or something more intimate, it is tinged with the sweetness inherent in its very name…ras lila. Literally, ras means nectar and lila means dance, or play…. but with Krishna’s story it takes on deeper meanings – the sweetness becomes blissful emotion and the dance the divine movement of the cosmos.

The story of ras lila goes like this: on a full moon night, Krishna plays His magical flute, and the gopis  (the milk-maidens, led by Radha, who are His ardent followers and friends) sneak away from their homes to sing, dance and play hide-and-seek with Him all night. Jealous, Radha complains of the pain of separation from her lover and that He is neglecting her for the other gopis, who in turn enjoy the pleasures of His warm caresses.

Krishna and Radha’s Ras-lila in Culture

In Hindu texts of the Bhakti tradition like the Bhagavat Purana, ras-lila is seen as a depiction of soulful love and can be interpreted as the intense, ecstatic and spiritual devotion of human beings to Lord Krishna.

anganam anganam antara madhavo
madhavam madhavam cantarenanganah
ittham akalpite mandale madhya-gah
sanjagau venuna devaki-nandanah

(Lord Madhava stood between each pair of gopis, and a gopi was situated between each pair of His manifestations. And Sri Krishna, the son of Devaki also appeared in the middle of the circle, playing upon His flute and singing.)

– Srimad Bhagavatam 

The divine union of Krishna and his Radha and gopis is depicted in many of the classical dance forms of India, including Kathak, Manipuri, Bharatanatyam and more.

‘Murali ki dhun sun aye radha, Jamuna ke tat par…’

(Hearing the sound of the flute, Radha rushed to the banks of the Yamuna…)

 – Kathak bol

Many poets have written about this eternal love, which transcends the physical and lustful, to cross over into a mind-bending love of a higher type. Chief among them is the epic Geet Govinda by the poet Jayadev.

‘Vigalita-vasanam, parihruta-rasanam, ghataya jaghanam api dhanam .
kisalaya-shayane pakaja-nayane, nidhim iva harsha-nidanam’

(O blue lotus-eyed Radha, loosen your desires & drink the bhakti rasa. Be with your lover’s joyful fulfillment, on a bed of freshly sprouted leaves)

(Radhe)||6||

-From Geet Govinda by Jayadeva, 12 century CE

There have been medieval women poets from the 15th and 16th century who have spoken of it beautifully, too. The last nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah wrote Urdu poetry inspired by the ras-lila.

‘Unke peeche main chupke se jaake

Ye gulal apne tan pe lagake

Rang doongi unhe bhi lipatke…’

(I’ll go behind him, cover my body with colour

Then I’ll wrap my arms around Him

And colour him, too…’)

-Wajid Ali Shah, as performed by Sardari Begum

Ras-Lila Today

In Vrindavan, or Vraj bhumi, where Krishna and Radha were said to have lived, their love is celebrated by depictions of ras-lila, and by vibrant festivals like Holi. Indeed, one of the stories of the origin of Holi is that Krishna complains that He is dark and Radha is fair, so His mother suggests He smear Radha with powdered colour and change her complexion to any that He wants. And so Holi becomes about playing pranks and naughty frivolity among friends. In Bengal, and parts of Assam, Rasa Purnima, the last day of the month of Kartik, is the day to celebrate this adoring relationship. The Gaudiya form of Vaishnavism (the worship of Vishnu; Krishna is usually considered one of Vishnu’s avatars) was born in Bengal with a deep connection to Vrindavan. It claims that Krishna Himself is the supreme deity, not an incarnation… and that He is at eternal play (lila) with Radha, His eternal consort.

In Nabadwip, this eternal love is celebrated through the Rash (derived from ras) Mela, a month-long festival where clay idols of Krishna and Radha are carried through the streets (Rash Yatra) by followers of all religions, and song and ecstatic dance accompanied by traditional instruments like mridangas and kartals fill the air, creating a vibe of spiritual abandon. The credit for this celebration goes to King Krishna Chandra Roy of Nadia. The town is sometimes even called ‘gupto brindaban’, or the hidden Vrindavan.

In Mayapur, thousands of pilgrims visit the city which is decorated with beautiful rangoli, girls dressed as gopis and lamplit processions. Delicious sweets are prepared and offered to the deities. The ISKON Temple in Mayapur becomes the fulcrum of these celebrations.

On Antara’s Holi Cruise, feel your spirituality and senses heightened by these blissful celebrations. Play the festival of colour, Holi on board, and visit Nabadwip and Mayapur to partake in the devotion and depictions of the divine ras-lila. Celebrations and enactments of Ras Lila in Assam can be experienced on our Epic Cruise on MV Ganga Vilas.