Why is Krishna done this ?
Lord Krishna stole the costumes of girls bathing in pond and told them to come out of water.They out of the water full nude , but covered private parts by hands.Then he ordered to raise their hands.So they can’t cover private parts .Is it correct according to Dharma ?
The complete story of Kṛṣṇa Steals the Garments of the Unmarried Gopīs is given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 10.22. Few important verses are as follows:
Gopis' prayer:
kātyāyani mahā-māye
mahā-yoginy adhīśvari
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi
patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
iti mantraṁ japantyas tāḥ
pūjāṁ cakruḥ kumārikāḥ
Each of the young unmarried girls performed her worship while chanting the following mantra. “O goddess Kātyāyanī, O great potency of the Lord, O possessor of great mystic power and mighty controller of all, please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja my husband. I offer my obeisances unto you.”
Why Kṛṣṇa asked Gopis to join their palms above their heads?
yūyaṁ vivastrā yad apo dhṛta-vratā
vyagāhataitat tad u deva-helanam
baddhvāñjaliṁ mūrdhny apanuttaye ’ṁhasaḥ
kṛtvā namo ’dho-vasanaṁ pragṛhyatām
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] You girls bathed naked while executing your vow, and that is certainly an offense against the demigods. To counteract your sin you should offer obeisances while placing your joined palms above your heads. Then you should take back your lower garments.
Further Lord Kṛṣṇa said:
na mayy āveśita-dhiyāṁ
kāmaḥ kāmāya kalpate
bharjitā kvathitā dhānāḥ
prāyo bījāya neśate
The desire of those who fix their minds on Me does not lead to material desire for sense gratification, just as barleycorns burned by the sun and then cooked can no longer grow into new sprouts.
yātābalā vrajaṁ siddhā
mayemā raṁsyathā kṣapāḥ
yad uddiśya vratam idaṁ
cerur āryārcanaṁ satīḥ
Go now, girls, and return to Vraja. Your desire is fulfilled, for in My company you will enjoy the coming nights. After all, this was the purpose of your vow to worship goddess Kātyāyanī, O pure-hearted ones.
Footnotes:
As Krishna says "The desire of those who fix their minds on Me does not lead to material desire for sense gratification", so his further statement "in My company you will enjoy the coming nights" is no where related to sex. It's taking about Rasa lila or or Rasa dance where Lord Krishna, the Yogeshwara completely refrained from desires, feelings and even actions.
The interpretation of this scene and Ras Leela varies. Western Indologists talk of Sri Krishna being a nymphomaniac and sex obsessed heartless Casanova who even co-habited with his own aunt Radha?????. Regarding Sri Krishna stealing the clothes of the bathing nude gopikas, YDS has given a wonderful answer. So I will not repeat it. Ras Leela is translated as 'Pleasure of the Union'. I give below the true interpretation of Ras Leela. Chapters 28 to 33 of the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavad Mahapurana describes Maha Ras Leela and the last chapter explains the allegory.
THE DIVINE DRAMA – SHREE KRISHNA’S RAASA LEELA IN VRINDAVANA
“A little learning is a dangerous thing – drink deep or taste not the Pierrean Spring”. Many a critics of the Sanatana Dharma portray Shree Krishna as a heartless Casanova, whose activities with the Gopikas of Vraja and later the sixteen thousand imprisoned royal maidens, freed from Narakasura, are described as pornography. Your God is promiscuous, practices polygamy (16008 wives) and is incestuous (co-habiting with his aunt Radha) is all rants of little learned fools.
Faith apart – the story of Shree Krishna is fully described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavad Mahapurana. The most erotic event of His lifetime described – RAASA LEELA – where every Gopika dances and co-habits with Shree Krishna, His age was less than ten years. Five chapters describe Raasa Leela – Maharishi Veda Vyasa has taken pains in the last chapter to explain the import of the preceeding chapters – but then who cares with the boring philosophical part.
Chapters 29 to 33 of the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavad Mahapurana describes the Maha Raasa Leela. After the description by Maharishi Lomaharshana, also known as Suta (as he was born of female slave and hence a Sauti), in Chapter 33, stanzas 27 to 29, Emperor Parikshit asks “Maharishi, Lord Krishna is Lord of the Universe. He took human form to destroy unrighteousness and re-establish Dharma.”
“Then why did he do the unrighteous act of touching and co-habiting with other men’s wives? I agree Sri Krishna is self contained and does not need any satisfaction of sensual pleasures, nor have adulterous liaisons, like us humans. What then motivated Him to perform this sinful act?”
Maharishi Suta explains in stanzas 30 to 40 that the Devas (demi-gods) and even God Himself may sometimes perform immoral and sinful acts – but being powerful and acting for the benefit of all living beings their actions do not have any ill-effects, which if performed by mere mortals would result in their destruction. At the time of churning the Ocean, the deadly poison Halahala came out. Lord Shiva drank it up, but any other person, even coming near it would have been burnt to ashes.
These powerful beings (God and demi-gods) are without EGO. When they do any act for the benefit of living beings, they have no desire of worldly rewards. Similarly when they do some immoral / sinful act, there are no evil intentions. The wise do not question either of the actions performed by the Divine One. One has to understand why such acts were performed.
The gopikas of Vraja had fully surrendered themselves to the One who resides everywhere – in their bodies, in their husbands’ bodies too. Even though these women were dancing and co-habiting with Sri Krishna that night, their husbands never thought or felt that their wives were not with them. When the new day dawned, the women were loath to return to their homes, so immersed were they in Sri Krishna, but on His command they returned to their homes and normal routines.
Parikshit, there is just no titillation, no eroticism, no lust with so many beautiful, luscious, well endowed women , young & old, dancing & cohabiting with Him. Veda Vyasa elucidates the description of yearnings of Gopikas are not description of actual illicit physical desires of the married / unmarried women, but symbolic of the yearning of the Atman (Soul) for merging with the Parmatman (The Universal Soul – the Godhead). The Gopikas are the Souls and Shree Krishna the Godhead.
This is the brief summary of Chapter 33 of the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavad Mahapurana. The first paragraph is my own introduction and not in the Purana.
@Ajay Nair You are new to this site. Questions and answers are generraly researched by the members and not blindly copied / posted from various sites. Your question seems to be influenced by various blogs on the scene described. However you deserve an upvote, even though your question hurts the sentiments of many members who are faithful followers of Sanatana Dharma.
