Lord Krishna leaves with Akroora, soon after the Rasa Leela, making it seem almost as if He had come as Krishna only to dance with the Gopikas, and that indeed was the case, said V.S. Karunakarachariar. The reason goes back to the Rama avatara. Sages, who saw Rama in the forest, found Him so handsome, that they wished they could become women and embrace Him. But Rama was committed to not even glancing at any woman except Sita. So He said that they would have the opportunity to embrace Him when He took the Krishna avatara. It was these sages who were born as Gopikas, and when Krishna danced with them, their wish in a previous birth was fulfilled.
Rasa means taste. And the Upanishad says the best taste is Lord Narayana. He who has enjoyed that taste will never seek another. All tastes are combined in Him. Other tastes bring with them problems too. But the Lord brings joy alone. It is a taste that has no undesirable side effects.
When Krishna danced with the Gopikas, He so ordained, that there was a Krishna between every two Gopikas. There were five lakh Gopikas dancing. So each of the five lakh Gopikas had a Krishna on either side of her! How blessed were the Gopikas, that the Lord should have favoured them to such an extent! It is proof of their devotion to Lord Krishna. Would the Lord have gone out of the way for them, if they had not been so deeply attached to Him?
The non-believer might wonder how He could dance with five lakh Gopikas. When the Gopikas danced with Him, they were not missed at home, for He had taken the form of the Gopikas and carried out their duties in their houses. What is impossible to others is possible with God.
Lord Siva, who along with Brahma had been witness to the Rasa Leela, told Parvati about Krishna's dance. Parvati wondered how Krishna could dance with other people's wives. Siva replied that the whole Universe is Lord Narayana's body. So when He touched the Gopikas, it was as if He was touching Himself. The embrace of the Gopikas by Lord Krishna shows the embrace of the Jivatma by the Paramatma. The Gopikas, because of their intense love for the Lord, were guaranteed liberation.
