Lord Krishna's dances with
Radha are commonly referred to as the Ras Lila , and his dances with the gopis or milkmaids are the Maha-Ras. Lord Krishna's dances with Radha are to be understood as the representation of the yearning of the individual soul to merge with the divine soul. These are therefore Cosmic dances. Chiefly dances of devotion and surrender, these dances convey the message that the perfect harmony of spiritual life is achieved by renouncing the worldly ego, and yogic calm and inner peace can be secured by breaking free from worldly bondage and becoming one with the Supreme Soul.
Maha-ras with the gopis teaches a valuable lesson against possessiveness and exhorts one to try and understand the meaning of true love. When each gopi becomes conceited that Krishna is dancing with her and belongs to her alone, Krishna disappears from her side and appears beside another. Krishna is there for everyone and he cannot be the sole possession of one individual. Possessiveness can only pave the way for pain and disillusionment. Krishna tries to teach the gopis that sincere love is in giving and not receiving. The gopis of Brindavan were willing to renounce all worldly things for being one with Lord Krishna, which is a clear depiction of the effort of the human soul to get released from worldly bondage.
Understanding the ras lila as a mere physical craving would be wrong. The Ras Lila should be seen as a Bhav Lila - completely devoid of physical sensations. The celestial, spiritual form of a gopi participated in the Ras, not her physical body. Totally above the carnal level, the Ras lila was a Divine Communion between human souls and the Supreme Soul, the jivatama and the paramatma.
At present Ras lila has developed as a popular folk dance drama of northern India, mainly
Manipur and
Uttar Pradesh based on incidents from the life of Krishna. Solo and group dances are combined with singing, chanting, and instrumental accompaniment.
