Gopalacampu 1.24

Now the twenty-sixth chapter,

The Expansion of the Pastime of the Rāsa Dance.

[1] Now Snigdhakaṇṭha said:

Hearing the sweet words of the foe of Agha, the row of these [maidens] shook off the grief born of separation that had existed before. But here it shook off not merely that, but also any other doubt, for they clearly deemed Him surrendered to them. [1]
So now, to these women whose lovely eyes like wagtail birds dwelt in the blossomed lotus faces, He spoke sweetly again: [2]
"Long has my mind been tormented on your account, and you too have stood steadfast solely for my sake. Therefore, now that this most difficultly obtained desire has been attained, let us celebrate in secret a festival here! [2]
And that is determined to take the form of the rāsa-dance. For:

"The lamp is the moon, fully swollen in autumn; where Vṛndāvana is the stage; and you yourselves are these heroines of glorious Vraja, skilled in the arts. Arrived at such an occasion as this, I, delighted Hari, what else shall I do for a moment—and without that rāsa, O beloveds?" [3]
Thus, the moon who had arisen from the ocean of Vraja, destroying the deepest darkness, having made all those partridge-eyed maidens targets of hundreds of thousands of joys by embracing them all simultaneously without six eyes [that is, not as a third party looking on, but directly], having deeply honoured them, and having occupied the pleasant bank of the sun's daughter, free of mud, free of thickets, and not uneven, for the performance of the rāsa-dance, formed them into the shape of a circle by joining their hands together. [4]

And when the circle was formed:
When the lover arrived at the bank of the Yamunā, His desire was then fulfilled; by that His mind [was filled], and likewise, at every step, both eyes. By that the host of women shining on His body [was fulfilled]; then by that all that was before, after, and every celebration [was fulfilled]. What else shall I say? Even today it does not rest! [4]

Thus, while perceiving the mass of splendour in the circle composed by Himself, the wearer of the forest garland thought: [6]
"Just as the circle of the moon above is bright, so too is the river-bank on earth; / but in that one there is a dark spot, while here are the spotless hosts of lovely women." [5]
"So, ah! If this charming circle of lovely women, shaped like a necklace of gold and gems, forms a connection with a hero behaving like a great emerald in between each pair, then it will attain full delightfulness!" [7]

[8] Considering, "And that can be accomplished only by my entry through such an assumption of form," he stood there and suddenly took up a position whose form matched his desire, though how it occurred even he himself did not comprehend. And then:

Surrounded by Hari and deer-eyed maidens, that riverbank shone charmingly; / by its reflection it imparted likeness to the orb of the moon. ||

That riverbank was a friend of the moon; on that bank was the multitude of arched-brow maidens; / and enveloping that multitude were the bodily forms of the glorious cowherd. ||

And there:
Joining on both sides with the maidens adorning the circle entwined with one another's row of hands, Mādhava at each moment in this undertaking of the rāsa / had his back gently rubbed, enveloped by the cord of her arms, and placed his own arm upon her shoulder. ||

Fair and dark, fair and dark—thus in hundreds of thousands of pairs, / in a circular form, the flute-player stood in the middle, joined with Rādhā. ||

"Hari began the rāsa himself, honouring his youthful age"—since the revered Parāśara spoke aloud thus, / it was only through the cowherd women that it became fruitful; what else should I say? Look, o sirs: my hair has stood on end in splendor! ||

Although at that time she was counted as a beloved among the manifold host of women, / nevertheless Rādhā is consciousness itself, and I consider the others to be her manifestations. ||

So in this manner:
Making the bodiless god embodied by means of his own body / upon the stage of dance, and uniting them, / he embraced him with gestures of the limbs, o friend, / for the auspicious union with the young maidens. ||

Possessing the luster of refined gold, with smiling eyes, their rhythm revealed by the jingling of their bracelet-rows shaken by their swinging, / their limb-movements being the very essence of the bodiless Love through varied steps and play, those women shone amid the forms of emerald Hari. ||

And then:
The sound of the moving chains of bracelets mingling with the anklets of the youthful, arched-brow women, / who partook of the luster of their fresh lover and bore a play expert in the circle of dance-skill, / resounded as a rhythm in the ocean of theatrical paths all the way to heaven. ||

In the rāsa there arose such a web of chiming and rhythm that it drew even the sky-dwellers from afar, as if making them stay before it; / seated upon their platforms called celestial chariots, intoxicated, performing music, song, and spectatordom all at once, they no longer recognized themselves. ||

[9] There the goddesses spoke together: "Look, look!

Hari attained song; through the song, the host of lovely women; / then the lovely women attained song; and through the song, Hari again! ||

Perceive the sandbank radiant with Kṛṣṇa, and dark Kṛṣṇa as a courtyard for embrace! / The singing is composed by women; the song is a symphony accompanied by song!" ||

[10] There, in the very beginning, a combination of gentle lāsya dance arose. [11] Namely, with dramatic acting as follows:

Moving the eyes steered by the actress of the eyebrow, dancers performed the lāsya / upon the heart-ravishing, playfully sporting [gods], delightful with limbs moving in graceful gestures, who performed the gentle dance. ||

[12] But when the music of the sky-dwellers, excellent in the prowess of the triple symphony, arose, the circle of the vigorous tāṇḍava dance with dramatic acting ensued, as follows:

When the rising music of drums, kettledrums, tabors, and damarus had arrived at the mṛdaṅga, / and the music, a sound known to the wisdom of the celestial station, suddenly shone forth, / then those dancers, eager with boldness in the contact with the arrangement of fierce dance-rules, executed countless clusters of contractions of feet, hands, necks, and hips. ||

[13] And there, just like skilled weapons-masters displaying their manual forms, their steadfast adherence to their targets without straying was observed. For instance:

Releasing and releasing the clasp of hands here, taking support of the rhythm and exhibiting hand-gestures, / the fair and dark figures, their measure fulfilled through agility, were likewise united again in the joy of the rāsa. ||

Masses of blossoms fell incessantly upon the circle of dark and fair bodies, / wherein lay the marvel: rain above, and below a cloud with a streak of lightning. ||

[14] There the gods and goddesses, overcome afresh by their gracious emotions, addressing the lotus-eyed Lord as if directly present, and inwardly realizing through the influence of yogamāyā what was appropriate to each, sang aloud this lovely [hymn], surrounded by the tumult of instruments:

[15] Thus, bringing this together, it is sung:

Victory, victory to the essence of good qualities! / O incarnation shining in Gokula, wishing to manifest the greatest good in the world! [Refrain] ||a

O Lord whose service is contemplated by the consorts of the lotus-born Brahmā, Śiva, and the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha! / You shine in the rāsa, enveloped in amorous play with your own lovely women. ||b

With your retinue like actors, master of all the arts, you produce mutual delight; / spreading immense bliss through embraces and other pleasures, you have removed all pain from the cowherd women. ||c

O Lord of manifold forms within the circle surrounded by sattva-born emotions born of mutual glances! / Full of captivating power gathered by the wager of glances created by the young maidens of Vraja! ||d

O Lord, every maiden, like lightning, displays along with you, who resemble a rain-cloud, / pastimes entwined with the sport of eyebrows, actions of hand-shoots, and the holding of lotus-feet, / as well as the changes of horripilation, perspiration, and the movement of jewel-earrings, with waves of waist-bendings. ||e

This comparison reveals: "Does your gradation of measure [exist] even thus?" ||f

With very sweet throat, eager for dance, delighted only in love for you, / their minds overcome by the intoxication of the nectar of your touch, purchased by pure loving emotion... ||g

"O Lord whose might pervaded the universe through the joy born of the song among the young women! You who shine, sharing their happiness—homage to this Lord! [h]
She who, along with You who protect wonder, sings the pure scales of notes—she, held captive by her own virtues, renders what is to be sung by all. [i]
Surpassing that, she who turns her joy into a circle in song—she is glorious Rādhā, with devotion awakened, held in high regard by You. [j]
She who, in the rāsa, in the sport born of fatigue, has her jasmine bracelet slipping—she, having glittering ornaments, places her hand on Your shoulder with excellent artistry. [k]
And she who delightfully kisses the iron-bar of Your arm over Your shoulder—she rejoices, and that her body's hair should bristle with joy cannot be calculated. [l]

"O bearer of swinging earrings, whose cheek is a fine mirror, on the pretext of touching it, by exchanging the betel nectar, You attain moisture in giving a kiss! [m]
This girl, having made sweet rhythm born of the tinkling during dancing, singing, and turning, placed Your matchless lotus hand upon her heart, O younger brother of Rāma! [n]

"Now, O You whose body is leaned upon by women fatigued by the course of the rāsa, O You around whom supreme affection has arisen for the resting of the whirling maidens! [o]
O Charmer who wear a garland of masses of bright fame ascertained by poets! Victory, victory, victory, victory! Victory, victory, victory, victory! Victory, victory, O You who sport in the rāsa!" [p] [22]
Regarding the phrase "You shine in the rāsa with revolving pastimes", they describe that form thus: [16]
"The form which is the crest-jewel of His eternal loveliness, which He brought into human guise here to display the foremost status of His power and opulence; from which even His own all-knowing self is astonished with wonder; upon that very ornament of ornaments, these [maidens] bestowed beauty with their own beauty." [23]
As it is said: "Which is suitable for mortal play" and "there He shone exceedingly", and so forth. [17]
This being so, with regard to glorious Rādhikā, praise was established a fortiori. [18] With the words "among the young women" and so forth, they describe: [19]

"Of those maidens of Vraja, who by nature never bear children, the whole universe was filled with their fertile virtues, as if by their descendants." [24]
And with the words "She who, along with You" and so forth, they praise in verse: [20]
"She whose singing made Śarva, Brahmā, the lord of gods, and the foremost sky-dwellers continually fall into delusion, and who sang making that very beloved follow her; we revere Rādhikā who, though creating with Him other wonders intent on fascination, makes them futile through the movement of her distinct melody." [25]
Directed towards her alone, with "O bearer of swinging earrings" and so forth, they compose poetry: [21]
"It was proper that He previously sipped the nectar of her lower lip twice; otherwise, how could He eat the betel prepared by a dvija [twice-born / tooth]?" [26]
Moreover:
"The body of Kṛṣṇa shines forth as the very root of love—such an experience was always current among the people within Nanda's Vraja; He who considered Himself indebted with love towards these beloveds—above even them I praise only Rādhikā, the crest jewel of treasure famed on high." [27]

"Rādhā, having completely brought her beloved under her control, sports with him, / as if Śivā, saying 'I am not like that,' hides half her body inside Śiva's under that guise."
Or rather:
"That condition of the two Rudras, who merge with each other half-body by half-body, / which is conjectured by poets, may rather be understood as spoken by me here: / For Rādhikā and Mādhava, who are known throughout the three worlds as complete in their forms of love— / is it not improper that they, though unequaled even in that, should also lack completeness of limbs?"
[22] This being so:
When the divine instrumental music and singing grew slack with joy, / the humming of ornaments and bees took their place in that time of substitution; / and when exhaustion arose, the powerful dancer's art turned to gentle dance in such a way / that the distinguished assembly headed by hair-crests and ear-ornaments was likewise made to dance with delight.
Thus, exchanging embraces, caresses of the hand, / tender glances, and boundless playful laughter with his beloveds while dancing, / he revealed the reflections alongside the original forms.
And then:
"The garlands, braids of hair, garments on their pair of breasts, ornaments, and other clothes / they were not able to arrange again and again at the end of the festival of the rāsa; / even now, when that is merely meditated upon, the hosts of sages forget everything— / what wonder is it, then, that such happens here to his beloveds in that direct encounter with him?"
And seeing that rāsa, the celestial women in the sky were stricken with desire and fell into a swoon; / let that be set aside for now, but hear the greatest [marvel]: / this wheel of luminous bodies, marked by the moon and others, which constantly revolves in the sky, / was brought to a standstill by that sweetness which causes sheer wonder!
[23] Thus, while they, yearning for the divine play, had their actions suspended out of extreme absorption alongside their beloved, the sport of the rāsa ceased. [24] And when it ceased, along the juncture of that lack of awareness, those couples disappeared separately into arbor after arbor as appropriate. Having disappeared, each couple applied itself to decorating one another's attire. [25] And there, their every arrangement of speech and the like was accompanied by embraces and the like. As follows:

"Alas! Without me, your lover, darkness arose within you!" / To him who was speaking thus and embracing her, she drenched him with her tears.
And then:
"Alas! Fatigue has clearly arisen from sporting with me for her, / who is delicate as the fresh sprout of a young tree, / and alas, it was not noticed by me!" Saying this separately, with tearful eyes, / he repeatedly wiped the drops of sweat from their faces.
When tears were to be wiped away, Hari shed tears; when sweat, he shed sweat / during the exhaustion born of the sport of the rāsa / among the fair-browed women of the cowherd clan.
[26] There, when the questions were asked of Vṛndā by the armies of Vṛndā's female companions who carried abundant paraphernalia, the description of Śrī Kṛṣṇa was as follows:

"A tearful gaze, fanning with the hem of his garment, wiping the locks on her face and the like, / kissing the inner cheek, placing a pair of garments, anointing the body, / offering betel, conversation of extraordinary sweetness, and singing praises— / this is Kṛṣṇa's action toward his beloveds, dispelling the exhaustion of the rāsa."
[27] Then, the description of the beloveds is as follows:
"A crooked, smiling glance, fanning with fresh leaves, gently massaging the limbs / on account of their tenderness, fastening the loosened garlands and garments, / thoroughly bringing joy with playful jokes touching the core, and offering betel leaves— / this is the action of the beloveds toward Kṛṣṇa, dispelling the exhaustion of the rāsa."
[28] Then, as she came in person and, seeing it directly, thought otherwise, they said again with a smile:
"O queen, having joyfully and deliberately put on attire upon their bodies, / this multitude of pairs of Hari and the Vraja brides was seen by each other; / but since that disappeared in an instant, O friend, what can we say? Let that secret / swallow up your excellent [inquiry] as untrue, but let it not come to light!"
[29] Then Vṛndā thought with a smile in her heart: "They speak the truth, for these couples are seen repeatedly undertaking a distinct amusement of song, having splendid attire that dispels exhaustion and delights all the senses."

[30] Then Snigdhakaṇṭha delivered the conclusion:
"O Rādhā, this lover of yours, who is difficult to attain even for everyone, / desires to choose the other gopīs only in order to choose you, who are his innermost intimate!"
Thus, in the glorious Gopālacampū,
ends the twenty-sixth chapter,
entitled
"The Expansion of the Sport of the Rāsa."
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