The Story Behind Raas Leela
Once upon a time, when Krishna was 8 years old, it was right around Holi so everyone had an extra pep in their step. One night during a full moon, all the boys and girls from the village gathered by the Yamuna River. They were having a jolly ol' time splashing water on each other, when suddenly their play turned into....
A DANCE PARTY!
You know how we all had that one friend in college who could literally dance all night, while you and everyone else were ready to leave the club at 2am?
Krishna was that friend.
In an effort to keep everyone "on the dance floor," he bust out his flute and started playing. The feeling was the same as when your favorite dance song comes on.
That's sort of the effect Krishna's flute had on all the gopis. They were so enchanted by the melody, that they danced into the night. This night was the first of many raas leela Krishna had. Guess you can say he was the OG of getting turnt up on a Tuesday.
"Raas" comes from the Sanskrit word "rasa" which means juice, nectar or sweet juice. "Leela" means "act". Combined, raas leela rougly translates to "sweet act" (of Krishna), and is often referred to as the dance of love.