The Dance Of Divine Love - The Raas Leela

Fluid notes of the flute pure,
Fluffy, fleecy clouds azure.
Fading colours, hues of twilight,
Falling streams, liquid moonlight.

The echoes of the flute-laden wind,
The shadowy darkness carried within.
Tinsel notes scattered and sprayed,
Music of the universe the flute played.

The 'gopis' worked hard, like beavers they toiled,
The butter they churned, the milk they boiled.
From the heart of the Brindavan forests deep,
The honeyed tones their beings did seep.

In a trance-like state, the gopis swayed,
It was Lord Krishna's call from far away,
The gopis towards the forest made their way...

Floating fragrance of the 'kadamba' tree,
The songs of the birds hushed, ceased.
Free flowing ripples, the Yamuna river,
Molten moon causing a quiver.

Moving fingers the flute caressed,
Lilting melody when they came to rest.
The poignant notes rang out clear,
The gopis searching drew near.

Thirsty eyes drank in the scene,
The silhouette outlined by the moonbeam.
Magnetic eyes, mysterious gleam,
Shining body with a blue sheen.

The gopis Lord Krishna did surround,
Their bangles, their anklets made a tinkling sound.
Swirling skirts and dancing feet,
Whirlpool of colours, rhythmic beat.

Round and round the gopis spun,
Round the fulcrum, the axis, the central sun.
Lord Krishna magically transformed,
And danced with the gopis in multiple forms.

The 'Dance Of Divine Love' the 'Raas Leela' was seen,
By heaven , by earth and the stars between.
Lord Shiva himself as 'gopishvara' witnessed the scene...

The gopis overcame one by one,
Their material wants till there was none.
The ego, the attachments which traversed deep,
No longer held on to make them weep.

Layer by layer they cast off,
Familial,emotional and mental ties thereof.
Only love and devotion to the Lord remained,
With every breath, every beat, His thought they retained.

Raised fervour, rapid tempo,
Rising music, resounding crescendo!
With Lord Krishna the forms fused ,
Soon those very forms diffused...

No shape, no form, no gender,
Each identity in total surrender.
Individual souls with the universal soul,
The whole the part, the part the whole.
Just the one consciousness sole...


Footnotes
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Gopis - The 'cow-herd' girls
Kadamba - Evergreen tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia.
Gopishvara - The female form taken by Lord Shiva to participate in the dance of Lord Krishna and the gopis.