Hare Kṛṣṇa,
The description of the Rāsa dance becomes progressively more esoteric, confidential, and intimate—so much so that it feels technically beyond my present ability to fully grasp its essence. Nevertheless, the following are some key aspects of this lesson that especially stood out to me:
The gopis had only one desire – to please Kṛṣṇa, the best of the dancers. Srila Prabhupada, in Kṛṣṇa book, says that “One has to dance to please Kṛṣṇa, not to imitate or to become equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The gopis wanted to please Krsna, and therefore as Kṛṣṇa sang, they responded and encouraged Him by saying, “Well done, well done.” Unfortunately those in the material world try to imitate Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They they end up dancing under the direction of Krsna’s maya and are thinking that they are equal to Krsna. (Kṛṣṇa, Chapter 33)
There is a description about the word ‘ vadhū. Conventional meaning of vadhūis wife, sister-in-law or else a woman in general. But Sri Sanatana Gosvami says “the golden-limbed gopis are the vadhūs “wives” of beautiful dark-blue Kṛṣṇa in the sense that, just like wives, the gopis are embraced only by Kṛṣṇa, sheltered only by Kṛṣṇa and enjoyed only by Kṛṣṇa.” (SB 10.33.7, Sārārtha-darśini) This is very profound and showcases the constitutional position of the living entity. We are expected to be embraced, sheltered and enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer and we are the enjoyed.
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
sūryāṁśa-kiraṇa, yaiche agni-jvālā-caya
svābhāvika kṛṣṇera tina-prakāra ‘śakti’ haya
“It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṇa has three varieties of energy.” (CC Madhya 20.108-109)
The last thing that stands out is that these gopis are not ordinary personalities. To refute the argument that Kṛṣṇa’s enjoyed with young girls, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura conclusively proves that all these gopis are expansion of Kṛṣṇa’s own form.
“The gopis were the hladini-sakti, pleasure potencies, expanded from Kṛṣṇa’s personal form (svarupa). Similarly Srimad Bhagavatam (3.2.11) states that sva-bimbaṁ refers to Kṛṣṇa’s own form. Therefore the meaning of the verse is: “Kṛṣṇa, expanding Himself in unlimited, fully potent forms, enjoyed with each of the gopis who were manifested from His own internal potency.” (SB 10.33.16, Sārārtha-darśini)
The final takeaway for me is that the rāsa dance reveals the zenith of the jīva’s surrender and prema to Śrī Kṛṣṇa—a level of love so pure that nothing remains except the desire to serve His happiness. Reflecting on this leaves me acutely aware of my own distance from such love, yet deeply inspired to walk, however imperfectly, in the footsteps of those exalted devotees.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 