Krishna and Radha dancing the Rasalila, Jaipur, 19th century

The rasalila (), also rendered the raslila or the ras dance, is part of the traditional story of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

described in Hindu scriptures such as the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

and literature such as the

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' ( sa, गीत गोविन्दम्; ) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and '' gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Git ...

, where he dances with

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also d ...

and the

gopis Gopi ( sa, गोपी, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of Krishna within the Vaishnavism and Krishnaism traditions for their unconditional love and devotion ('' Bhakti'') to god Krishna as described in the ...

Vraja Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...

. Rasalila has also been a popular theme for other India classical dances including

Bharatanatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

Odissi Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.Manipuri Manipuri may refer to: * something of, from, or related to: ** the modern-day Indian state of Manipur ** the historical Manipur (princely state) * Meitei language, the major language of the state ** Manipuri script, a writing system used for the l ...

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

, and

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards ...

. The Indian classical dance of Kathak evolved from the rasalila of

and ''Manipuri Raas Leela Classical Dance'' (

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childhoo ...

a) also known as ''Natwari Nritya'', which was revived in 1960s by the Kathak dancer,

Uma Sharma Uma Sharma (born 1942) is a kathak dancer, choreographer and teacher. She is also runs the Bharatiya Sangeet Sadan, Delhi, a classical dance and music academy, situated in New Delhi, founded by her father in 1946. She is most known for reviving ...

Etymology

The term, ''

rasa Rasa may refer to: Indian culture * Rasa (aesthetics), a concept in the Indian performing arts * Rasa (theology), a concept of nectar or emotional rapture related to Krishna devotion * Rasā, a mythical river mentioned in the Rigveda * Rasa li ...

'' meaning "aesthetics" and ''

lila Lila or LILA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lila'' (album), debut album by American country music singer Lila McCann * ''Lila'' (movie), a 1968 sexploitation film * The Meaning of Lila, a comic strip written by John Forgetta and L. A ...

'' meaning "act," "play" or "dance" is a concept from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

, which roughly translates to "play (lila) of aesthetics (rasa)," or more broadly as "Dance of Divine Love". Apart from the definition above, the term also comes from the Sanskrit words ''

'' and ''

'', with ''rasa'' meaning "juice", "nectar", "emotion" or "sweet taste" and ''lila'' meaning "act". By taking this etymological breakdown of the word literally, "rasalila" means the "sweet act" (of

). It is often freely rendered as "the dance of love".

Legend

The rasalila takes place one night when the

gopi Gopi ( sa, गोपी, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of Krishna within the Vaishnavism and Krishnaism traditions for their unconditional love and devotion ('' Bhakti'') to god Krishna as described in the ...

s of

a, upon hearing the sound of Krishna's flute, sneak away from their households and families to the forest to dance with Krishna throughout the night, which Krishna supernaturally stretches to the length of one

kalpa Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena. Team history Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuop ...

, a

Hindu unit of time Hindu units of time are described in Hindu texts ranging from microseconds to trillions of years, including cycles of cosmic time that repeat general events in Hindu cosmology. Time ( ) is described as eternal. Various fragments of time are des ...

lasting approximately 4.32 billion years. In the Krishna Bhakti traditions, the rasa-lila is considered to be one most beautiful depiction of soulful love. In these traditions, romantic love between human beings in the material world is seen as a reflection of the soul's original, ecstatic spiritual love of Krishna, in his spiritual world,

Goloka Goloka ( sa, गोलोक) or Goloka Vrindavan () is the celestial abode of the Hindu god Krishna and his divine consort Radha. In the ''Bhagavata Purana'', Krishna is portrayed as the highest person who resides in Goloka. According to Gaudi ...

. In the Bhagavata Purana it is stated that whoever faithfully hears or describes the rasalila attains Krishna's ''pure loving devotion'' (

Suddha-bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to de ...

). Just as a child plays at its own will with its reflection in a mirror, with the help of his

Yogamaya Yogamaya (), also venerated as Vindhyavasini, Mahamaya, and Ekanamsha, is a Hindu goddess. In Vaishnava tradition, she is accorded the epithet Narayani, and serves as the personification of Vishnu's powers of illusion. The deity is regarde ...

, Krishna sported with the gopis, who are regarded to have been shadows of his own form.

Performance

Rasalila has been a popular theme in

, and

dance forms. rasalila is a popular form of folk theatre in the regions of

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the to ...

a in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Nathdwara Nathdwara is a town near Rajsamand city in the Rajsamand district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located in the Aravalli hills, on the banks of the Banas River and is 48 kilometres north-east of Udaipur. Shrinathji, is a swarup ...

amongst various followers of

pushtimarg Pushtimarg (), also known as ''Pushtimarg sampradaya'' or ''Vallabha sampradaya'', is a subtradition of the Rudra Sampradaya (Vaishnavism). It was founded in the early 16th century by Vallabhacharya (1479–1531) and is focused on Krishna.

or the

vallabh sect Pushtimarg (), also known as ''Pushtimarg sampradaya'' or ''Vallabha sampradaya'', is a subtradition of the Rudra Sampradaya (Vaishnavism). It was founded in the early 16th century by Vallabhacharya (1479–1531) and is focused on Krishna.

and other sects in the regions of India. It is also seen in

gaudiya vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meani ...

Nadia Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: ...

a district of West Bengal which is also known for Raas Utsava. Vanga Raas of Santipur is the main festival of this town,

Nabadwip Nabadwip (), also spelt Navadwip, anciently Nadia or Nudiya, is a heritage city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is regarded as a holy place by Hindus, and is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Famous for Rass fest ...

also has Shakta Raas. The Raas Leela (Raas Mahotsav) is also observed as one of the State Festivals of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

which usually is celebrated during late November or early December. During Raas Mahotsava, several thousand devotees visit the holy temples and

satra Satra Corporation was a US trading and metal processing company. It is primarily known in the United Kingdom for its Satra Motors Limited subsidiary, which was the official importer and distributor of Soviet Union cars and motorcycles in that c ...

s of Assam every year. The Raas Mahotsav of Majuli, Nalbari and of Howly are noteworthy. Rasa Lila in Manipuri dance style

In the tradition of

Vaishnavism of Manipur Manipuri Vaishnavism, also known as Meitei Vaishnavism ( mni, Bhei-sna-bh Lāi-nīng), is a regional variant of Gaudiya Vaishnavism with a culture-forming role in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur. The Manipuri Vaishnavas do not worsh ...

''Raas Leela'' is depicted within Manipuri classical Indian dance and revolves around the story of love between Krishna and

, his divine beloved. This form of dance was started by

Bhagya Chandra Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba (also Rajarshi Bhagya Chandra, Jai Singh Maharaja) (1748–1799) was a Meitei monarch of the 18th century CE. The inventor of the Manipuri Raas Leela dance, with his daughter ''Shija Lailoibi'' playing as Radha at ...

in 1779 and in some parts of India is still performed every year on

Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

(the festival to celebrate Krishna's ''birthday''). According to different traditions, the rasa-lila is performed either by boys and girls, or by girls only. The dance is performed holding ''dandi'' (sticks) and is often accompanied with folk songs and

devotional music A devotional song is a hymn that accompanies religious observances and rituals. Traditionally devotional music has been a part of Hindu music, Jewish music, Buddhist music, Islamic music and Christian music. Each major religion has its own tr ...

. The traditional rasalila performances in Vrindavan are famous throughout the Vaishnava world as an experience of the spiritual world. rasalila performance was started by Swami Sri Uddhavaghamanda Devacharya in the early 15th Century CE at Vamshivata in Vrindavan,

. He was a prominent saint of the

Nimbarka Sampradaya The Nimbarka Sampradaya (IAST: ''Nimbārka Sampradāya'', Sanskrit निम्बार्क सम्प्रदाय), also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, and Sanakādi Sampradāya (सनकादि सम्प्रदाय), is ...

, and disciple of the world-renowned Swami Sri Harivyasa Devacarya. The Vani literature of Vraja is the transcription of the songs that were heard by Swami Harivyasa Devacarya and his Guru, Swami Shri Shribhatta as they meditated on the Nitya Lila of

. These songs describe the eternal spiritual abode of

, the Sakhis and Nitya Vrindavana Dham - or Nikunja Dham. It became more prominent utsava in 16th and 17th century, when Mahaprabhu Shri

Vallabhacharya Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu (1479–1531 CE), also known as Vallabha, Mahaprabhuji and Vishnuswami, or Vallabha Acharya, is a Hindu Indian saint and philosopher who founded the Krishna-centered PushtiMarg sect of Vaishnavism in the Braj(Vraj ...

and

Vitthalanatha Vitthala-natha or Vitthalanath ( IAST: Viṭṭhalanātha, c. 1516–1588), popularly known as Gusainji, was an Indian philosopher. He was the younger son of Vallabhacharya, who founded the Pushtimarg religious sect of Hinduism. Names The ...

gusaiji made it more popular.

References

Bibliography

*''Dance of Divine Love: The rasalila of Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana, India's classic sacred love story'', by Graham M. Schweig. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; 2005 (). *''Rasa - Love Relationships in Transcendence'', by

Swami B.V. Tripurari Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used ei ...

() *''Theatre and Religion on Krishna's Stage'', by David Mason, New York: Palgrave, 2009 *"Essays on Indo-Aryan Mythology", by Narayan Aiyangar, 1898 () ()

External links

rasalila
at

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