Sri Banke Bihari ji ke sawaiya, 29 of 144, Maharaas in Vrindavan

२९.

मण्डल रास बिलास महा रसमण्डल श्री वृषभान दुलारी।

पंडित कोक चला गुण मण्डित कोटिक राजत गोपकुमारी॥

प्रीतम के भुज दण्ड में शोभित संग में अंग अनंगन वारी।

तान तरंगन रंग बढ़्यो, ऐसे राधिका माधव की बलिहारी॥

God is always in union (Maharaas) with creation, though we don’t always realize it. This sawaiya verse by a Braj poet, depicts the episode when God came as Sri Radha and Krishna - to love and be loved.

Gopis of Vrindavan had prayed to Ma Katyayani on the banks of River Yamuna (Yamuna ji is also Krishna’s wife and she is a symbol of love, a giver of devotion to Krishna.) The prayer was to have Krishna as their master/caretaker/husband. God is already everyone’s caretaker and master.

To fulfill the Gopis’ prayer, Krishna gave them the experience of Maharaas. They experienced a union with God which resulted in a bit of pride for a little while. To do away with their pride/ego, Krishna disappeared from the Maharaas. The Gopis had already experienced divine unity and felt themselves non-separate from Krishna, even while searching for him. ‘Krishnoham,’ says one Gopi. ‘I am Krishna.’

In this sawaiya verse, thousands of Gopis have surrounded Sri Radha Madhav (another name for Krishna). There is music and joy in the air. The poet feels short of words to describe the joy he feels on experiencing the above scene and seeing the divinity shine through the Gopis and Sri Radha Madhav.

The Divine’s love is all attractive.