28 - Proposal of Rasalila 

Narada said- You kindly tell me how the cowherdesses could have a union with Krishna after three months. 

What is the type of Vrundavana and what is the form of Rasamandala? Krishna was one and the cowherdesses were many; then how could the divine dance be possible? 

O virtuous one, it is quite auspicious to recite or listen to your name. I am getting anxious to listen to the subject. You tell me.

The divine dance of lord is the tattvas of the Puranas and all the divine places of Hari on earth are quite interesting. 

Stita said- On hearing the words of Narada, the sage Narayana delightfully spoke with a smile on his face.

Narayana said- О sage, once lord Krishna went to Vrundavana on the thirteenth day of the bright fort-night of the month of Chaitra. At that point of time Vrundavana was filled with the fragrance of jasmine, kunda and flowers of several creepers. The black-wasps were issuing a hissing sound which was quite charming. The trees had fresh leaves, the sweet voice of cuckoos was echoing in the forest. Since Vrundavana had a lakh of dancing halls, it looked very charming. 

There were enough stocks of sandal-paste, aguru, kasturi, saffron, betels with camphor and other cosmetics for pleasure. 

There were enough of beautiful beds scented with kasturi, sandal-paste, champaka flowers, which could be used for making love-sport. 

The place was illumined with the burning lamps of gems and there were heaps of garlands of different flowers. The Rdsamandala was made in a circular manner and the sandal-paste, aguru, kasturi and saffron were applied there suitably.

There were enough of flower orchards and lakes for water-sports, which were infested with the birds like geese, ducks, water-fouls which were issuing sweet notes; the water was spotless like the crystal gems, having enough of waves. The place was best for the sports, was quite beautiful and could remove the fatigue after the love- sports. 

Curd rice and the fried rice were scattered every where. The place was decorated with the trunks of banana trees. 

The leaves of the mango trees were tied in with cotton strings, which were used for decoration. Besides, the pitchers for welfares were decorated with vermilion and sandal-paste and were suitably placed there. These welfares pitchers were further adorned with coconuts and the garlands of jasmine flowers. Lord Madhusudana smiled at the sight of Rasamandala. 

He playfully played on the flute there, which increased the passion of the cowherdesses.

On hearing it the passion of Radhika was increased and she lost all her senses. Her body became lifeless and her mind was totally devoted to the lord. 

After regaining consciousness in a moment, she heard the same tune of the flute. She got up at once. Now she felt hysterical again and again. Leaving aside all her jobs, she moved out of her house. Looking on all sides she started following the direction of the tune of the flute and proceeded on. 

Devoting her mind to the feet of lord Krishna, she was moving on. She was illumining all the directions with the lustre of her gem-studded ornaments. 

Her friends also lost their senses on hearing the tune of the flute. Getting infested with passion all the cowherdesses discarding all the family traditions moved on. 

Out of all the cowherdesses, friendly to Radha, the thirty-three names are well known. Out of them Susila was quite prominent who was following her. 

The number of cowherdesses who followed them is being mentioned by me. You listen to it. All of them were clad in similar costumes and were of the same age, beauty and virtues. 

Sixteen thousand cowherdesses were following Susila. Chandramukhi was also followed by sixteen thousand cowherdesses. Madhavi was followed by eleven thousand cowherdesses. Kadambamala was followed by ten thousand cowherdesses. 

Kunti was followed by ten thousand cowherdesses. Yamuna was followed by fourteen thousand cowherdesses. 

Jahnavi had nine thousand cowherdesses with her and Chandramukhi had also an equal number of them with her. 

Savitri was followed by fifteen thousand cowherdesses. Parijata was followed by ten thousand cowherdesses. 

Svayamprabha was followed by seven thousand cowherdesses. Sudhamukhi had fourteen thousand cowherdesses with her. 

Subha had fourteen thousand cowherdesses with her and Padma was accompanied by an equal number of cowherdesses. 

Gauripadma had also fourteen thousand cowherdesses with her while Sarvamangala was accompanied by sixteen thousand of them.

Kalika too had sixteen thousand cowherdesses while Kamala had thirteen thousand of them. 

Sixteen thousand cowherdesses followed Durga while Sarasvatl had thirteen thousand of them. 

Bharati had ten thousand cowherdesses, while Aparna had fourteen thousand cowherdesses with her. Rati had ten thousand of cowherdesses with her while Ganga had fourteen thousand of them. 

Ambika was followed by sixteen thousand cowherdesses and Sati was followed by thirteen cowherdesses. 

Nandini was followed by ten thousand cowherdesses and Sundari was followed by thirteen thousand of them. 

Krishnapriya had sixteen thousand cowherdesses while Madhumati also had an equal number of them with her. 

Champa was followed by thirteen thousand cowherdesses while Chandana had sixteen thousand of cowherdesses with her. 

All of them assembled there and for sometime they stood there delightfully. Some of the cowherdesses carried garlands of flowers in their hands. 

Some of the cowherdesses had carried the sandal-paste from Vraja. Some of them carried the white fly-whisks with them. 

Some of the cowherdesses carried kasturi with them. Some of the cowherdesses carried saffron with them. Some of the cowherdesses carried caskets of betel besides the gold and costumes. Some of them reached the place where Radha was delightfully standing. All of them collected there and with their minds filled with joy and the faces smiling, they decorated Radha and blissfully moved forward. On the way they recited the name of lord Hari and while doing so they reached Vrundavana and saw the charming Rasamandala which was looking more beautiful than heaven itself, having been filled with the rays of the moon. 

It was a completely secluded place, filled with flowers, where the fragrant cool breeze was blowing which could increase the passion of the ladies and could infatuate even the sages with passion. All of them heard the sweet tune of cuckoos besides the fine hissing sound of the black-wasps. It looked quite pleasant. 

All the black-wasps had become intoxicated with the extracting of the nectar from the flowers with their females. Thereafter Radha in the auspicious time devoted her mind to the lotus like feet of lord Krishna together with all the cowherdesses and then entered the Rasamandala. The lord was extremely delighted at finding Radha with him.

Getting infatuated with passion, smilingly he followed them. Radha was walking surrounded by the cowherdesses and her body was adorned with all the gem-studded ornaments and she was clad in the divine garments. Smilingly she looked at her beloved and moved on slowly like the lord of the elephant. The beautiful Radha could attract even the minds of the sages. 

In her new costumes and new decoration, she looked extremely charming. Her breasts and pelvic region filled her with fatigue. She had the complexion of beautiful champaka flowers and had the face resembling the full moon of the winter season. Her hair was decorated with the garland of jasmine flowers. She looked at lord Krishna who was of tender age and had the dark complexion; he was quite youthful and adorned with gem-studded ornaments and looked more beautiful than crores of the gods of love. Radha looked at Krishna with passionate eyes, while Krishna looked at Radha, his beloved in the same way. 

The beauty of her body could not be defined. He was delightfully smiling, clad in astonishing costumes and wearing a crown. 

Looking at Krishna with side-glances again and again, Radha covered her face with the cloth. She was then immensely infatuated with love and fainted. All the limbs of her body felt emotional and she lost her senses. 

Lord Hari on the other hand getting ready for the love-sport and feeling injured with the side glances of Radha did not get fainted but on the other hand he stood erect like the log of wood. 

The flute held in his hand, together with the lotus of the play, pitambara and the peacock feathers started shaking. In a moment, infatuated with love, he moved towards Radhika and embraced, her implanting a kiss on her face. 

With the touch of lord Krishna, Radha regained consciousness and also embraced him tightly behaving similarly. 

Krishna stole away the mind of Radha and Radha did so with Krishna’s heart. Thereafter, the passionate lord Hari went to the pleasure-house together with Radha. 

The place was illuminated with lamps of gems and several mirrors were found there. The pleasure house had a large number of beds made of champaka flowers and sprinkled with the sandal-paste.

It had enough of betels with champhor and other materials required for use for the purpose. Krishna resided with Radha there cheerfully. 

Madhusudana chewed the betel offered to him by Radha and similarly Radha chewed the betel offered by Krishna. 

Delightfully Krishna gave to Radha his used betel offered to her which was received devotedly by Radha smiling and then put it in her mouth. 

Thereafter lord Krishna demanded the used betel from Radha which she never gave to Krishna but getting afraid, she fell on the feet of lord Krishna. 

In the meantime,, Krishna, infatuated with passion, lied down with Radha on the beautiful love-bed. 

The lord enjoyed the love-sports with Radha in eight types of opposite directions, using has nails, teeth and hands,

He also implanted on her eight types of kisses as prescribed in the treatise of love (Kemashastra). The passionate Krishna united all the limbs of Radha with those of his own and also embraced her which is always desired by the passionate women. 

Both of them were well-versed in the love sport and the art of making love and as such their love-sport was not coming to an end. 

Similarly lord Krishna appearing in various chambers in human form enjoyed the company of all the cowherdesses in the charming Rasamandala. 

While enjoying love-sports with Radha inside the chamber, he also did so outside it. He embraced the cowherdesses in the Rasamandala everywhere. 

О sage there were nine lakhs of cowherds and nine lakhs of cowherdesses in the Rasamandala making a total of eighteen lakhs. 

They had dishevelled hair bare bodies, broken ornaments, disarranged costumes and getting intoxicated, they fainted with passion

О Narada, the sound from their armlets, small bells from the waist bands, bangles and the anklets made of gems were creating a melodious sound. 

Thus enjoying the love-sport on the grounds they went into the water. They enjoyed water sport for a long time. 

Then all of them came out from the water and putting on the robes, they started looking at the mirrors of gems. 

Thereafter they regained consciousness. Applying sandal-paste, aguru, kasturi and other cosmetics they were adorned with the garland of flowers. 

Thereafter all the cowherdesses chewing the betels with camphor started looking at the mirrors made of gems.

Some of the cowherdesses curiously dragged Krishna by force and started snatching away his flute and costumes. 

Some of the passionate cowherdesses unrobed lord Krishna and snatched away his lower garment and after cutting jokes with him they returned the same to him.

One of them said, Listen to a way out. Thus speaking the cowherdess caught hold of the lord and implanted a kiss on his face with her lips resembling the wood apple, embracing him again and again. 

Some of them smilingly cast side-glances displaying their developed breasts and the pelvic region. 

Some of them caught hold of the lord and seated him on their bodies and offered him the garland of jasmine flowers. 

Some of them snatched away his tuft and placed a peacock feather in it. Some of them encircled his tuft with the garland of flowers.

Some of them handed over the lord to another cowherdess to increase her passion; some of them dragged the lord and with a passionate mind, unrobing him took him in the lap applying the sandal-paste on his body. Someone started dancing and singing before the lord. 

Someone made the lord to dance forcibly. Krishna on the other hand snatched away the robes of someone and unrobing her gave away the costumes to some one else. Thereafter lord Krishna pulled Radha towards himself and embraced her.

Thereafter he decorated the body of someone with the spots of vermilion and kasturi. 

He made her hair and arranged it like a moon. Her cheeks were painted like the beautiful tree leaves. 

He then clads her in beautiful garments purified by fire and adored her lotus-like feet with the best of anklets studded with gems. 

Cleaning the nails, the paint was applied on the feet. She was then adored with all the ornaments and the sandal-paste was applied on her body. Then holding the garland of jasmine flowers, it was placed round her neck, implanting a kiss on her cheek. The collyrium was applied to her lotus-like eyes. 

The nose was decorated with the jewel. The breasts were decorated with the marks of the nails. 

Then a bite was implanted with teeth on the lips which resembled the ripe wood apple. They enjoyed the love-sport in a secluded place in an orchard on the bank of the lake. Thereafter lord Krishna went back to Rasamandala and performed the divine dance there. 

The moon rays filled the outside of the Rasamandala. The fragrant flowers, the sandal paste, aguru and sandal added fragrance to the cool breeze and the group of black wasps created a hissing sound. The cuckoos issued sweet notes. Lord Krishna the teacher of the yogis, who stole away the hearts of the cowherdesses took to many human bodies and again decorated all the cowherdesses. О Narada the sound of small bells, anklets started emerging and all the cowherdesses fainted as a result of the first encounter of the love-sport. 

They were lying still and inert and their bodies were feeling emotional. Getting free from the love-sport they regained consciousness. 

Their breasts were scratched and injured by lord Krishna with his nails and teeth. 

Their stiff pelvic regions were carved with the nails and all the small bells of the waist-bands and the hair were loosened. 

The beautiful costumes and the pleasant appearance were disturbed. Krishna the lord of the love-sport delightfully embraced them in nine different ways and implanted on other bodies kisses in eight different ways and decorated them in sixteen ways. He embraced the damsels tightly uniting all their limbs with his own. There are sixteen types of the rays of the ladies and they were decorated accordingly. 

The people well-versed in the scriptures of love were unaware of different kinds of them. The passionate Krishna applied twelve types of cosmetics to them. 

Lord Krishna enjoyed love-sports as is prescribed in the Kamashastra. Whatever types of make-up was requited in the beginning, in the middle or the end of the love-sport by the cowherdesses, the lord used much more than that. With the scratches of the armlets of the cowherdesses and the paint of the feet, the body of lord Krishna looked quite beautiful like the charm of the mountain of red orchard. Thus with the completion of the divine dance all the gods together with their attendants end families reached the Rasamandala with curiosity. They were mounted over the chariots of gold and were surrounded by their attendants. 

They were filled with passion and their hairs stood at ends. All the ascetics the sages, the siddha, the manes, Vidyadhara, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Rakshasas and Kinnaras also arrived there delightfully. 

Lord Shiva accompanied by Parvati also arrived there mounted over the chariot of gold. The chariot was inlaid with diamonds and the gems, it was covered with beautiful cloth and had white fly- whisks and had the stops of gems. It had a hundred wheels which were beautifully painted. It moved with the speed of the mind, the top of the chariot was decorated with the pitcher made of gems which were illumining. Mahakala was lodged to the left of Shiva while Nandikeshvara appeared to his right. 

Karttikeya and Ganesa were lodged in the front, Pingalaksha and other attendant were lodged towards the feet. 

All the kshetrapalas and eight bhairavas were also there, Durga with a smiling face, casting a side-glance was lodged at the chest of Shiva.

Brahma the creator of the universe also arrived there with a Bharati mounted over a golden chariot, the Saptarshis were lodged to his left while Sanaka and other sages were lodged to the right. 

Dharma the witness of all the deeds, was also mounted over a golden chariot. A smiling image of Sat! was implanted on his chest,

She was casting a side-glance on her lord, getting infested with passion. Dharma was surrounded by the attendants who emitted divine lustre. Similarly, Indra accompanied by his spouse, the moon accompanied by Rohini. Agni accompanied by Svaha and Surya accompanied by Sanjna were also present there. 

Kamadeva with Rati and Dikpalas and all the stars together with their spouses also arrived there.

All of them were witnessing the divine dance of Rasamandala remaining in the sky. Some of them were Infested with passion while others were fainted. 

For a period of two ghadls, all the gods kept on smiling delightfully and started raining, flowers and sandal-paste. 

The sages, dropped the rain of the garland of flowers, scented with kastiiri. Looking at the divine dance in Rasamandal all the spouses of the gods were infested with passion. 

Thereafter Puma-Brahman and eternal Krishna after enjoying the love-sport with Radha on the ground entered the water of the Yamuna. 

The illusion of lord Krishna accompanied the cowherdesses. All of them getting infested with passion started enjoying the water-sport with Krishna. 

The passionate Madhava himself offered water to Radhika who in turn offered water thrice to Madhava in her hand-cups. 

Thereafter the lord unrobed Radhika broke her garland and unmade the locks of her hair. 

He splashed so much of water over Radhika that her entire make-up was washed out. The eye-brows looked surprising, the paintings of the lips and the collyrium of the eyes were also washed out. 

The lord embraced the unrobed Radhika and went beneath the water and enjoying the water sport again emerged over-the water. 

Radhika who was bending because of love sport and was smiling getting unrobed, was dragged by Krishna and the water and displaying her reflection in the water of Yamuna, he took her out of it. The Radhika also caught hold of Krishna forcefully with a jump and snatching away his flute, she dragged him in anger for a long distance. 

She also unrobed him taking away his pitambara and also broke away the vanamala. She then started splashing water over him again and again. Thereafter Radhika dragged Hari in the deep water who was drowned there.

Thereafter Madhava got up at once and caught hold of Radhika and smilingly embraced her implanting kisses on her again and again. 

Similarly, all the images of lord Krishna behaved Similarly, with all other cowherdesses in the waters of Yamuna.

Thereafter, the unrobed Krishna and Radha reached the bank of the Yamuna. Radha then begged for her costumes from Krishna smilingly. 

Thereafter Madhava returned to Radhika all her costumes and the beautiful garments, who intum returned the robes of Krishna together with the flute. 

She than painted the body of Krishna with sandal-paste, aguru, saffron and kasturi. Thereafter Radha decorated the hair of lord Krishna who influences the cowherdesses and tied the garland of jasmine flowers on his head. 

Thereafter lord Krishna also arranged a beautiful hair-do for Radha and painted her cheeks with tree leaves. 

He decorated her forehead with the spot of kasturi and vermilion and under the same, a small spot of sandal-paste was also painted.

He then made the marks with his nails on the breasts and this and clad her in sanctified garments. 

Applying the sandal-paste, aguru, kasturi and saffron over her body. He embraced her implanting kisses again and again. 

Again embracing her, he if adorned her neck with a necklace and other ornaments on the body besides anklets on the feet. 

Her nails and feet were again painted with red core. Similarly, the reflections of the lord also decorated the cowherdesses separately.

Thereafter, the intoxicated cowherdesses reached the Rasamandala which was filled with the rays of the moon and was located at a secluded place. 

The fragrance of madhavl, ketaki, kunda, malatl, campaka and jasmine flowers was spread over the entire Rasamandala. 

Finding the beautiful flowers there Radhika deputed some of the cowherdesses for collecting the flowers. 

Some of them were asked to make the garments and some of them were asked to make the betels while others were asked to make the sandal-paste. 

Radhika looked with side-glances and wearing smile on her face, she offered the sandal-paste and betels to Krishna lovingly which were handed over to her by the cowherdesses. 

Some of the cowherdesses started playing on musical instruments together with Krishna and some were engaged in musical drum. 

Thus Radhika enjoying the company of Krishna in the Rdsamandala and the love-sports roamed about in the beautiful secluded places with Krishna. 

She roamed about with Krishna in beautiful flower orchards, the banks of the lakes, mountain caves, charming rivers and rivulets, completely deserted places, cremation grounds, the caves of the mountains and the thirty-three forests which are desire to be visited by the ladies. These include Bhandlra-vana, Srl-vana, the beautiful kadamba-vana, Tulasi-vana, Nimbaranya, Madhu-vana, citron-forest, coconut-forest, betel nut-forest, banana-forest, jujubi-forest, wood apple-forest orange forest, Ashvattha forest, bamboo forest, pomegranate forest, Mandara forest, tala forest, mango forest, ashoka forest, palm forest, mango-forest, hog-plum-forest, silk fruity forest, teak-wood forest, thorny forest, lotus forest, jasmine forest, thick forest, Srikhanda forest and the most surprising and developed saffron forest. They roamed about in these, forests for thirty days and nights but their mind was still not satisfied. 

The mind of the passionate damsels is never satisfied with the love-sports but they become more and more desirous for the same as the ghee in flames the fire. 

All the gods and goddesses and the sages were quite surprised with the divine dance and praising if they left for their abodes. Many of the passionate goddesses took the birth on earth in royal families with the hope of enjoying the lave sports.