Gautam Saha: Lord Krishna is Raas Behari, the reservoir of each and every relationship
One can relate with him at any level, in love or hate, in enmity or in kinship
The Lord will play the game by the rules you yourself set
To discharge His part of the deal, He will never forget
As the son of mother Yashoda and Nand Maharaj
He enabled them to exchange with Him “vaatsalya raas”
He was the perfect child, a bundle of mischief and joy
He played in mother Yashoda’s lap, her own dear boy
The cowherd boys of Brindaavan related with the Lord in “sakha raas”
They played and fought, and snatched food from each other, as pals
They laughed together and they cried together, as cronies
They faced dangers together and shared their food as buddies
As a friend to the simple cowherd boys of Brindaavan, with whom He played ball
He wrestled with them, and in pure friendship and equality, He took many a fall
When Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama took on the mighty wrestlers sent by Kamsa
They killed the two powerful giants in a trice, thus thwarting the evil designs of Kamsa
Kamsa was always obsessed with Lord Krishna, but with inimical thought
To kill Krishna was his sole obsession, to go to any length his mind was fraught
The Lord was in no hurry, he accepted the challenge to a wrestling bout
When the time was ripe, He snuffed out Kamsa’a life without harbouring any doubt
With the simple cowherd girls of Vrindavan the Lord exchanged “maadhurya raas”
Which has been explained by the great achaaryas as the highest form of “raas”
Mirabai also related with the Lord in “maadhurya raas”, in great intensity
The Lord is so magnanimous that He grants fully everyone’s wish for intimacy
Lord Krishna also accepts “santa raas”, a relationship in neutrality
The great devotee Prahalad related with Him in this form of affinity
We can relate to Raas Behari in “daasya raas”, as He consents to be our master
Since everything the Lord does is perfect, He will always be our perfect master
To relate with Raas Behari as His servants is our rightful position
Since the Lord is the Supreme Master of all creatures and the entire creation
To be in such a position is not a diminution of ourselves, or our identity
But a wise decision, where the benefits will accrue to us for all eternity !
Gautam Saha