A God that Dances

“As we begin the famous narration of Lord Krishna’s rasa dance, a dance of love with beautiful young girls, questions will inevitably arise in the minds of ordinary people regarding the propriety of God’s romantic dancing with many young girls in the middle of a full-moon autumn night. In his description of the Lord’s rasa dance in ‘Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,’ Srila Prabhupada painstakingly explains the spiritual purity of these transcendental activities. Those advanced in the science of Krishna - the great teachers, or acaryas - leave no doubt that Lord Krishna is full and satisfied in Himself, free of all material desire, which is, after all, a sense of incompleteness or lack.” (SB 10.29.1)

Five chapters in Canto Ten of Srimad-Bhagavatam famously depict Krishna’s intimate exchanges with the gopis of Vrindavana. These chapters, called the rasa-pancadhyaya, are known for their emotional intensity and aesthetic beauty. They have, however, also attracted criticism from mundane moralists and those unfamiliar with the spiritual truths which underpin such pastimes. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis that Krishna danced with also had husbands and children, and in order to meet Krishna, they abandoned responsibility, religiosity and seemingly their very chastity. The British court judge, Arnold Joseph, for example, once criticised: “It is Krishna, the darling of 16,000 gopis, Krishna the love hero, who tinges the whole system with the stain of carnal sensualism or strange transcendental lewdness.”

The Srimad-Bhagavatam thus clarifies why Krishna, the protector of dharma, seemingly violated dharma by having such intimate relations with the wives of others. Maharaja Pariksit placed this understandable confusion before Sukadeva Goswami, who offered a variety of explanations to resolve any doubts. Some of the main points that Srila Prabhupada emphasises are as follows:

Physical – by material calculation, Krishna was only 8-years-old, an age at which uncontrolled lust is not exhibited. Furthermore, Krishna is referred to as apta-kama, one who is self-satisfied, not in need of any external element to fulfil a void.

Familial – one may doubt whether Krishna was seduced, but Krishna is referred to yadu-pati, the most exalted of the Yadu dynasty. His glorious family lineage adds weight to his spotless character.

Transcendental – as the Supreme Lord, Krishna often transgresses moral boundaries and simultaneously remains untouched, thus demonstrating His transcendental nature. For example, when the sun absorbs urine, it not only remains unpolluted, but also disinfects the contaminated place.

Relational – Krishna acted in this way to fulfil the desires of the gopis, who had intensely prayed and performed unimaginable austerities for the opportunity to have such relationships with Him.

Special – the Lord performed these pastimes to specially benedict conditioned souls who are attached to sense gratification, of which sex desire is the most entangling. By meditating on these pure and intimate pastimes, one’s heart is cleansed and they are freed from their lusty tendencies.