Arup Saikia
(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)
The Keli Gopala is the most popular and influential drama of Sankardeva. It isn’t merely a drama. No other drama in Assam is accorded such an honour. It became a statewide festival as a unifying or connecting force. It is celebrated from the middle of November to half of December and starts on ‘Raax Purnima’ or the full moon day. Like other dramas of Sankardeva, this is also not his fundamental creation but is especially depicted as an Assamese indigenous festival.
ORIGIN: The tradition of Raaxleela started from Krishna’s mythology. The activities of Lord Krishna are playfully enacted here. The first Raaxleela started in Vrindavan, probably in the fourteenth to sixteenth century, by Swami Uddhavaghamanda Devacharya. He was a follower of the Nimbarka cult. The idea of Raxa symbolically grows long before Swami Uddhavaghamanda. Swami Bhattadevacharya taught his disciple Swami Harivyasa Devacharya to imagine or meditate on the image of Radha Krishna in his empty lap. So the seeds of Raxa sprouted informally from before or that time itself. Swami Harivyasa happened to be the guru (mentor) of Swami Uddhavghamanda. Later Vallabhacharya (1478–1531) of the Pushtimarg (Path of Nourishing) sect propounded the Shuddhadvaita (Pure Monotheism) doctrine. His son Vitthalnatha (1516–1586), alias Gusainji, was a great spiritual scholar. He also carried forward his father’s legacy and more popularised the Krishna-centric festival. The Raax eventually spread from the land of Braja to other parts of the country. The other Indian communities, like Gujrati, Manipuri, or Assamese, have moulded the form of Raax in their own way or speciality.
The pattern of the Raaxleela dance is different from that of others. It’s a Krishna-centric dance performed only between Lord and cowherd damsels. Therefore, the dance may be in circular form. Many Indian classical dances, including Kathak, emanated from Raaxleela dance.
The Harivamsa Purana that deals with the origin of Krishna describes Raxa as the “Hallisaka” dance. The dance of ladies centring around a male is called the Hallisaka dance. The steps and movements of the ladies are swayed by rhythm, and they chain their hands, holding with each other. Lord Krishna remains and dances within the cosmic circle. This is called Raas Mandala. Mandala denotes divine circle. Lord mesmerises the Gopis (lady devotees) with his multiple similar forms. Everyone feels Krishna’s fictitious physical presence with the thousands of Gopis.
It’s said that during time immemorial the Yadavas prepared ”Som Rasa” (a fermented drink). During the preparation, the Yadavas used to perform this kind of dance. We think the Yadava is just an example of a community. The other communities also followed suit. The way it is born and performed is not regimented at all for being folk dances. Therefore, the famous commentator of Harivamsa Neelakantha Chaturdhara terms it as “Raas Gana.” This is probably the most genuine social source of ancient Raax. The enjoyment and nature of humanity are the same for all ages, but expression varies and depends on the perspective of civilization. Keli Gopala is performed under moonlight, and club dance is lit by neon bulbs. Are there any connectivity issues? It may sound bizarre or absurd also. But it has connectivity as a dance festival ultimately. The circular dances of men and women are prevalent in many countries and cultures. The men and women mingle in discoid dances that are connected to fertility cults. The Assamese Bihu dance also has an act of circumambulation. Sometimes it’s like a pole dance around a small spike rooted in the earth. Commentator Neelkantha assumes the half-foot-height lengthy spike is a male sexual organ. Almost all the folk dances of the world have been performed on stage since the middle of the twentieth century.
GENRE: What kind of drama is Keli Gopala? Philosophically it bears the character of erotic mysticism. Dr. Maheshwar Neog defends it spiritually by saying: (Sankara takes the story from the Bhagawat Purana and also accepts its ethical interpretation.) He is, therefore, free to put highly erotic suggestions in the lyrics and in the Sutradhara’s narration, even where the Purana isn’t explicit on these points. He, moreover, places his confidence, after Sridhar Swami, in the efficacy of this story in subduing people’s passion and calls it Kama-jaya,’ ‘the subduer of desire.’
It’s like a modern dance drama. But it remains traditional or mythological for the spiritual cap it wears. Hallisaka is sublimated into modern Raaxleela. The ingredients of morality and theology added to it. Dr. Banikanto Kakoti also admitted that Raaxleela originated as a folk dance. All the Gopis want the company of Krishna. So Lord has to remain static in the centre of the Mandala. That all the Gopis come to him in rotation. That’s why it’s Raax Mandala. It’s the justification or necessity of Raax Mandala in Vishnu Purana.
The Keli Gopala, or Raax, comprises all nine devotions, from remembering the Lord to self-submission of the Gopis.
L.N. BEZBARUAH: Famous Assamese litterateur Lakshminath Bezbaruah has scholarly discourse on ‘Bastra Harana Tattva’ and ‘Raxleela Tattva.’ He considers the “Bastra Harana(disrobing of clothes) as an introductory episode of Raaxleela in his article “Bastra Harana a Tattva.” Lord Krishna scrutinises the Vedantic knowledge of the Gopis through the “Bastra Harana.” But they eventually failed. The supreme Lord sent them back for more preparation to attain the sense of one being with the Lord. The name of the next examination is Raaxleela. The monotheistic ideology is the key attribute of it.
So the subject matter of the ‘Bastra Harana Tattva’ and ‘Raxleela Tattva’ are homogeneous and complementary. The Raaxleela started virtually from the time of the disrobing of the female devotees.
Some scholars complain that the erotic description of Raaxleela crosses the line of obscenity in many cases. It seems to be contrary to devotional tenets. Even many scholars object to the inclusion of the sensuous game between Krishna and the Gopis in the Bhagawat Purana. Bezbaruah also counters this contention like Dr. Maheshwar Neog from the explanation of the Geeta, Upanishads, Vedas, etc. He also expounds the allegorical verses of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva.
(According to Bezbaruah, there is no action in the activities of the Raax; there is fruit only; there is no desire, there is satisfaction; there is no orgasm, there is pleasure. The final conclusion of this discussion is that just as a tree cannot grow from fried or cooked rice, so one whose mind is devoted to God can never develop animal instincts even if he has a sense of desire in his heart. —Excerpts from “Lakshmi Nath Bezbaruah r Sankardeva Charcha” by Dr. B. Mazumder.
SOURCES: Mahapurush Sankardeva took the story of Raaxleela from various Hindu religious texts. These are mainly available in the Bhagawat Purana, Harivansh Purana, Padma Purana, Vishnu Purana, Brahmavaibarta Purana, etc. But Sankardeva mainly followed from the Bhagawat Purana and Sridhar Swami’s “Bhavartha Deepika.” Sankardeva cherishes this divine love of Krishna in the Dasama, Kirtana, and drama Keli Gopala. The Raaxleela is a product of the Krishna-centric Bhakti movement. The Raaxleela is described in the Shiva Purana, also basing on the amorous play of Lord Shiva and His consort Goddess Gauri. The Bhagawat, Vishnu, and Harivansh Puranas describe the sporting of child Krishna with the ladies of Vraja. The description in the Bhagawat Purana is comparatively long and mystically more vivid than that of the other Puranas. On the other hand, in the Harivansh Purana, the term Raasleela is written as “Hallisaka” dance. The details of the Hallisaka dance are described above. This is a native dance of Gujarat and has been influencing Indian music a lot.
RADHA CHARACTER: The followers of Sankardeva celebrate Raasleela in Assam as Keli Gopala. So naturally it has some differences with other parts of India. The name of Radha isn’t mentioned in the Bhagawat Purana and Bhavartha Deepika of Sridhar Swami, from where Sankardeva takes the main theme. But the name of one particular Gopi, namely Anayaradhitu, is described. Many commentators of the Bhagawat Purana refer to Anayaradhitu as only Radha. On the other hand, the Geet Govinda by twelve-century poet Jayadeva clearly applied the name of Radha. The story of Radha Krishna surfaced in first-century Prakrit literature. That is the “Gatha Saptasati,” one of the ancient Indian love poems. It deals with premarital or extramarital affairs and touches somehow the divinely erotic emotions of Raasleela. Assamese scholar Kaliram Medhi assumes the Radha’s name in Sankardeva’s Keli Gopala as a later addition. Personally, we have also not found Radha’s name in a few printed scripts of Keli Gopala. Because Sankardeva never believes in dualism and no special event is shown with a particular Gopi in Keli Gopala. But these assertions are not unanimous.
PRESENT KELI GOPALA: As other Ankiya dramas of Sankardeva and Madhavdeva, the Keli Gopala has also gone through many changes. Only the format remains; the dialogues and songs are linguistically changed. The songs are rewritten in vernacular modern Assamese language in simplified wordings. The character of Radha is accepted for dramatic interest.
As Radha sings in her entry:
(Oh my Gopala, please come out at once. What wrong have I done? You are not visible to us. Don’t go away, praying for your entire life. Wave of Yamuna, emitting colourful gems. The moon of the sky shaking my mind. Patience I don’t have without you. My life is vain, oh my Gopala.Please come out at once.)
The lyrics of the Gopis’ first entry into the stage of the Keli Gopala is also differently presented in common popular performances of Assam. This is as stated below:
(Oh Lord Krishna, can’t cross the mundane world without chanting your name. Saint Suka saying to king Parikshita—
Say me frolic of Raas,
And the nature of Lord Krishna.
Very beautiful night of autumn.
The moon is rising.
Amorous ladies forgetting everything, Lord Krishna seeing the moon of full moon day.
Face is the reddish sun of Lotus.
No fear, no fear you are Lord with us. No friends, we have except you.)
N.B: Both of the abovementioned songs are translated by a writer, Arup Saikia, from a modern script of Keli Gopala and presented in a Russian performance.
These songs are not available in the original Brajawali Keli Gopala. But the theme and fragrance of the Raasleela are maintained. The entire drama is presented in the line of Sankardeva’s Keli Gopala, like other “Bhaonas” in the post-Sankari era. The Keli Gopala is also one of the seven Ankiya Bhaona dramas of Sankardeva. But for the immense popularity of Keli Gopala, it emerges as an independent brand festival of Assam. The people of Assam celebrate Keli Gopala as Raas Mahotsav for many days or months.
CONCLUSION: Raas Leela, or Keli Gopala, is one of the most appealing and popular traditional dance dramas of Assam and India. It was not performed before the era of Sankardeva. If we judge from an international perspective, Keli Gopala can compete with other traditional dramas of the world in terms of popular style of presentation. There is romance, separation, longing, fighting, and terror, as in full-fledged drama. But the romance is spiritualized. The divinity is reflected through the Gopis. Lord Krishna symbolises the grace of devotion. The changes occur naturally. But the transformation should be within culturally permitted parameters. So, we should preserve it in its traditional form for future generations.