South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c8.s5.13

c8.s5.13

The third and the most divine sport of Krishna is his moonlight dance on the sand-banks of the Jumna in the company of the damsels of Brindāvana. The inspired poet Līlāsuka, describing this dance, says that “there, in the circle of dancers (filled with love for Krishna) was seen between damsel and damsel a Mādhava (Krishna) and between Mādhava and Mādhava a damsel; and in the centre of the group again, was the son of Dēvakī playing upon his flute,” thereby indicating in poetic language the mystic significance of the dance. Of the many Gōpī (cow-herd) girls thus in attendance on Krishna in his early life in Brindāvana the most beloved was Rādhā, so much so that Rādhā-Krishna is the name by which he is addressed by the most ecstatic of the zealous Vaishnava cult.