The Raas Leela on the Autumn Full Moon

It was the full moon of autumn. Vrindavan glowed in the moonlight and flowers were in bloom. Then Krishna played His flute. Hearing its tune, the gopis, one milking a cow, one serving food, one dressing up, left everything and ran.

Krishna tested their love. He said: it is night, the forest is frightening; go home and do your duties. The gopis wept and said: our hearts live in You; our feet will not move a single step away from Yours. Pleased by their selfless love, Krishna walked and played with them on the bank of the Yamuna.

But when a little pride rose in the gopis, the thought that Krishna was theirs alone, He suddenly vanished. Distressed, the gopis wandered asking the trees, vines and deer: have you seen our Shyam? Then they sat by the Yamuna and sang with aching hearts. This is the Gopi Geet.

Hearing their true call, Krishna appeared again, smiling. Then the Raas began. In the circle of gopis, Krishna took so many forms that there was a Krishna between every two gopis, and each gopi felt that Kanha was with her alone. The devas showered flowers from the sky.

Parikshit asked what this leela meant. Shukdev explained: it is the meeting not of bodies but of the soul with the Supreme. The gopis' love was completely selfless; they sought not their own happiness but only Krishna's. That is why the devotional tradition holds the gopis as the highest ideal of loving devotion.