Krishna was born in a royal family but grew up in a cowherd’s home. Nanda, his foster father, was the chief of the cowherds, but still a cowherd. Yashodha was not his natural mother, but she did not know that. Krishna is seen as a divine incarnation because many prophecies were made about his coming.
Certain yogis, especially Krishna Dwaipayana, a great sage who later came to be known as Vyasa Muni, was searching for this special child who would be born on that particular day. He identified Krishna as this being whom the yogis had been waiting for, for a long time. Because of all these prophecies about his life, the way he lived, and what he delivered later on, he was generally referred to as “The Deliverer.” He was supposed to deliver people out of their misery, pain, and limitations.
At one point, the communities from Gokula and Barsana migrated to Vrindavan, a lusher and greener space. In many ways, these new settlements dropped old conventions and were more exuberant because they were uprooted from their old traditional homes and found a new place that was rich and beautiful. Especially the youth and children enjoyed much more freedom than they did ever before. Things were different.
There was a new sense of exuberance and freedom in the community. Radhe, who was a little older than the rest of the group, had always been a free spirit, and she had earned a certain type of freedom in society. She led the girls and Krishna led the boys, and a whole joyful mingling happened. Krishna was 7; Radhe was 12; with them was a whole group of children around that age.
At the time of the Holi festival, when everything was in full bloom, on a full moon evening, these boys and girls gathered on the banks of river Yamuna. Because of this new place, the old conventions broke, and for the first time, these little boys and girls went to bathe at the same time. Initially, they started playing, splashing water, throwing sand, and looking at each other, hurling words, and having fun.
After some time, they began to dance, and they danced and danced because they were in such an exuberant and joyful state. Slowly, the clumsier ones dropped off, one by one. When Krishna saw a lot of them dropping off, he took out the flute from his waistband and started his enchanting play. It was irresistible; everyone stood up, gathered around him, and once again they swayed and swayed, almost half the night.
This was the first incident of Ras Leela, where a simple joyful mingling of people rose to a transcendental state. When this Ras Leela began, Shiva was meditating in the mountains. Krishna had always been a devotee of Shiva. Not a day passed for Krishna without visiting the Mahadeva temple, morning and evening; it always happened throughout his life, wherever possible.
So, Shiva was meditating, and suddenly, he became aware that what he achieved through meditation, they were just dancing their way to it. He was amused that this little boy, his devotee, was taking people to transcendental states, simply dancing and blowing on a piece of bamboo. Shiva wanted to witness the Ras. He got up and walked down to the banks of Yamuna.
He wanted to cross the Yamuna and see what was happening. But Vrindevi, the river goddess, stood up and said, “You cannot go there.” Shiva said, “What? I can’t go?” She said, “No. This is Krishna’s Rasa. No man is allowed. If you want to go there, you have to go as a woman.”
Shiva has always been considered as the ultimate masculinity. The phallic symbol and all those things are to show that he is masculinity personified. It was a strange request for Shiva to become a woman. However, the Rasa was going on in full swing. He wanted to go. But the river goddess rose and said, “If you are willing to at least dress up as a woman, I will let you pass. Otherwise – no.” Shiva looked around; anyway, no one was looking. He said, “Okay, give me a gopi’s clothes.” So Vrindadevi produced a gopi’s clothes for him. He wore them and went across. He was such a sport.
So even Shiva has to become a woman if he wants to be in the Ras Leela.
And this dance of love, blissfulness, and transcendence continued...
