Everything about Ras Lila Dance totally explained
The
Rasa lila or
Rasa dance is part of the traditional story of
Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the
Bhagavata Purana and the
Gita Govinda. The term,
rasa means 'emotion' or 'performance' and
lila is a concept from
Hinduism, which roughly translates to a divine 'play' or 'pastime'.
The rasa lila takes place one night when the
gopis of
Vrindavan, 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
Night of Brahma, a
Hindu unit of time lasting approximately 4.32 billion years. In the Krishna
Bhakti traditions, the rasa-lila is considered to be one of the highest and most esoteric of Krishna's
pastimes. In these traditions, romantic love between human beings in the
material world is seen as merely a diminished, illusionary reflection of the soul’s original, ecstatic spiritual love for Krishna, God, in the
spiritual world.
In the Bhagavata Purana it's stated that whoever faithfully hears or describes the Rasa lila attains Krishna's
pure loving devotion (
Suddha-bhakti).
Etymology
The name comes from the Sanskrit words
rasa and
lila, with
rasa meaning “juice”, “nectar”, "emotion" or "sweet taste" and
lila meaning "pastime". By taking this etymologic breakdown of the word literally, "Rasa lila" means the “sweet pastime” (of
Krishna). It is often freely rendered as "the dance of love".
Performance
In the tradition of
Vaishnavism of Manipur Rasa Lila is depicted within
classic Manipuri dance, and revolves around the same story of the love between Krishna and the cowherd girls and tells the divine love story of Krishna,
svayam bhagavan and
Radha, his divine beloved. This form of dance was started by
Bhagya Chandra in 1779 and in some parts of India is still performed every year on
Krishna Janmashtami (the festival to clebrate Krishna’s
birthday). According to different traditions, the rasa-lila is performed either by boys and girls, or by boys only. The dance is performed holding
dandi or sticks and is often accompanied with folk songs and
devotional music.
The Traditional Rasa Lila performances in Vrindavana are famous throughout the Vaisnava world as an experience of the spiritual world. Rasa Lila performance was started by Swami Sri Uddhavaghamanda Devacharya in the early 15th Century CE at Vamshivata in Vrindavana,
Mathura. He was a prominent saint of the
Nimbarka Sampradaya, 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 Shri
Radha Krishna. These songs describe the eternal spiritual abode of Shri
Radha Krishna, the Sakhis and Nitya Vrindavana Dham - or Nikunja Dham.
As many new devotees of that time couldn't understand the Vraja language, Swami Uddavaghamanda Devacarya trained his
Brahmachari students to play the parts that appeared in the songs in order to get a visual representation of the Lila that was being described. Many were sceptical of this, and attempted to thwart the first enactment. However, at the conclusion of the first Rasa Lila, tradition has it, the Lord Himself appeared and gave the actors his own Crown, and decreed that whenever a qualified actor was to take the part of the Lord, from the moment he put on the crown on his head, it should be understood that he represents the Lila potency of God, and treated with due respect. Shri Radha and Krsna shall be known as Shri Radha Rasavihari.
Since then, the traditional form has remained that actors who are young
Brahmacharis will join a group led by the Swami of that group. The music remains the typical
Dhrupada style of the Vraja Acharyas who penned the songs they heard to the accompaniment of
Sitar and
Pakhawaj and the songs are sung in Vraja Language, a parent to modern
Hindi.
Recently, many people have taken advantage of the religious sentiments and have begun plagiarising this ancient art, and for popularity changing the music to popular music. Yet there are a dedicated few who seek to preserve the traditional form of devotional art known as Rasa Lila.
Books
- Rasa - Love Relationships in Transcendence, by Swami B.V. Tripurari (ISBN 1-866069-10-7)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ras Lila Dance'.
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