Evolution of love

Raskhan

Raskhan

Raskhan was an ardent devottee of Vasudev Krishna. This story is about how a Muslim turned in to a devotee of Vasudev Krishna.

Raskhan lived between 1540 to 1628 AD when Muslim King Humun was ruling in India at that time. One day Raskhan witnessed a picture of LORD KRISHN in a Paan Shop at Delhi in India.He enquired about the photograph. The shop owner told him that he is LORD KRISHNA and he lives in Vrindavan.
Raskhan was attracted by that picture. As saints says that in Kaliyug, there is no diffrence between physical appearance of KRISHNA and a picture of of LORD KRISHNA. Raskhan was so fascinated by the appearance of Vasudev Krishna in that picture that he developed a desire to meet Vasudev Krishna.

Then he bought a ‘Pathani Dress’ as a gift for LORD KRISHNA and started his journy towards Vrindavan. After the journy of some days, at last he reached Vrindavan. He was enquiring about LORD KRISHNA’s residence. People told him that Sh. Krishna live in ‘Banke Bihari Ji’ temple. He reached there in the evening but the local people did not allow him to go inside the temple because he was a ‘Muslim’ by the religion.

Then, Raskhan started weepin in front of the temple while memorising the beauty of LORD KRISHNA, which he had seen in the picture. The temple was closed in the night. On the other side, when Vasudev Krishna observed that his devotee is waiting for him outside the temple, He came out to meet Raskhan. Raskhan then offered him to wear that Pathani Dress, which he had brought with him, and then, company him to have a walk in the gardens of Vrindavan. Vasudev Krishna agreed.

When the temple was re-opened in the morning, the Lord was not there. The Purohits were very upset. They started to locate Vasudev Krishna. Then an old gardner told about two strangers who were roaming about in the garden the whole night. Vasudev Krishna also got this news and by the consent of Raskhan, He ran hurridly towards the temple and did not change his Pathani Dress. People again opened the doors of temple and noticed that Vasudev Krishna was standing on the same place in a Pathani dress.

Now the Purohits repented. They were wrong. They have restricted a true devotee to meet Vasudev Krishna. They realised their mistake. The people did understand that Krishna has accepted his devotee that was ‘Raskhan.’

After this, Raskhan stayed in Vrindavan through out his life and never returned back to Delhi. It is beleived that Vasudev Krishna alway met to Raskhan in physical form. Raskhan has explained his devotion towards LORD KRISHNA, in his writings. When we go through his writings, we realise as if these writings, had been written when Vasudev Krishna was sitting in front of the Raskhan.

The ‘Samadhi’ of this great devotee and poet is there on ‘Bramand’ Ghat’, beside the river Yamuna in Vrindavan Dham. This is very calm and peaceful place.

His poetry

Raskhan is widely acknowledged as a great poet, having dedicated most of his creations to Lord Krishna. Sujan Raskhan and Prem Vatica are some of his available creations. Raskhan Rachnavali is the collection of Raskhan's poetry. His creations describe the beauty of not only Lord Krishna but also his relations with his beloved Radha. His poetry is in the form of Doha, Padawali and Savayya.

Ras Khan's Brij Bhasha writings are numerous, the five most important being the Sujana Raskhana, the Premavatika, the Danalila, the Astayama and a collection of Padas [couplets]. Of these the most well-known is the Premavatika ['The Forest of Love'].

The Premavatika consists of fifty-three verses, most of which deal with the nature of true spiritual love, using the love between Radha and Krishna as a model. Ras Khan begins the work, by saying:

The dwelling of Love is Shri Radhika,
the son of Nanda [i.e. Krishna] is Love's colour.

But the path of Love is not easy, he tells us:

Everybody says: "Love! Love!"
but nobody knows Love,

he adds, because

If a person knows Love,
why would the world weep?.

After this, he launches into a long discussion about the nature of divine love thus:

Love is inaccessible, incomparable, immeasurable
It is like the ocean -
He who comes to its shore will not go back
When he drank the wine of Love,
Varuna became the Lord of the waters
Because he drank poison out of Love,
the Lord of the Mountain [Shiva] is worshipped.

When the traveller on the mystical path begins to understand the nature of true love, then external rituals and bonds begin to lose their meaning for him. Thus, says Ras Khan:

The rules of the world, the Veda and the world, shame, work and doubt

All these you give up once you practise love
For what are regulations and negations when compared to Love?

'Without Love everything is useless', Ras Khan notes, and then adds:

Of Shruti, Puranas, Agamas and Smritis, Love is the essence of all.

Without the knowledge of Love there is no experience of ananda [bliss]

Knowledge, acting and worship, all of these are the root of pride

Reading the Shastras you become a Pandit, reciting the Quran, a Maulvi But if you have not known Love in that, what is the use, asks Ras Khan?"

From here Ras Khan starts an intricate description of the path of Love and surrender to God, in the process questioning all orthodoxies, all formalisms and all man-made divisions. This is in a sense the essence of his message. He ends his work with the following lines:

Tearing his heart away from a haughty woman [i.e. the snares of the world]