--------------------Chandidasa (circa 15th century)
Radha strikes a classical dance pose to the tune of Krishna's flute. On stretching her upper limbs she allows the spectator an ample glimpse of her beautiful breasts encased in her tight bodice.
When Krishna, sweetness and grace itself, played the flute, its impact was bewitching. Indeed, his flute, with its obvious phallic connotations, is but an extension of his beauty.
The Bhagwata Purana says that when the strains of his flute wafted through Vrindavan, all things became intoxicated with passion. Not even the wives of gods could resist its call. It was as if all of creation for a moment stopped to listen rapt in attention. As he played, clouds bent low to come closer to him, plants and creepers swayed in silent salute, the reeds from which his flute was made wept tears of joy and rivers slowed their pace in involuntary obeisance.
Vallabhacharaya has categorized the sound of Krishna's flute into five kinds: When the lord plays with his flute to the left, passion awakes in women; when his face is to the right, desire surges in both men and women; when his face points upwards, Kama (physical desire) infuses the gods; and when downwards, animals and birds become its prey; and when he plays straight ahead, even insentient things cannot insulate themselves from its effect.
In the popular psyche, Krishna and Radha are the universal symbol for the lover and the beloved. Krishna is the ideal hero, and Radha the ideal heroine.
On a metaphysical level, Radha's sexual passion is nothing but the intense longing of the soul for union with the Absolute. Krishna does not play the flute to seduce the gopis; this is only the melody of the divine calling on his brethren to come to their salvation. The gopis did not leave their husbands, homes and hearth, maddened by the desire for physical union with the Dark One; they were only demonstrating their resolve to sacrifice all in their search for spiritual truth.
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