Tattva-viveka

Vastra-harana lila

Citta Hari Dasa - May 19, 2014 10:59 pm

Okay folks, I've got a question. Which subcategory of srngara-rasa would the gopi vastra harana liila be in? It's not sambhoga, nor vipralambha, nor purva-raga either since the gopis finally meet Krsna in person. I was hoping Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura would give some insight on it in his Bhagavatam tika but alas, no.

Swami - May 21, 2014 2:33 am

These kumaris are considered nitya siddhas whose love for Krsna is unfolding in the prakata lila. They are of two types: svakiya and parakiya. They both chant the same mantra to Katyayani but with different meanings/intentions. The parakiya kumaris are headed by Dhanya and they are younger than Radha and others, who by that time were already married. In this lila there is a promise of future samrddhiman sambhoga, the most complete sambhoga. The lila itself is more like purva raga, which is a type of vipralambha, wherein their ideal is fulfilled in a promise to be realised in the future. The chastising of Kaliya, during which the gopis were present, is also considered purva raga and thus similar.