Drama (CC and other books)

Expressions researched:
"drama" |"dramas" |"dramatic" |"dramatical" |"dramatically" |"dramatics" |"dramatist" |"dramatists" |"dramatization" |"dramatizing"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 3.4, Translation and Purport:

"May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love."

This is a quotation from the Vidagdha-mādhava (1.2), a drama compiled and edited by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

CC Adi 4.15-16, Purport:

Such apparent killing by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa took place as a matter of course and was an incidental activity for Him. But the real purpose of Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance was to stage a dramatic performance of His transcendental pastimes at Vrajabhūmi, thus exhibiting the highest limit of transcendental mellow in the exchanges of reciprocal love between the living entity and the Supreme Lord.

CC Adi 10.13, Translation:

Ācāryaratna was also named Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.

CC Adi 10.13, Purport:

Dramatic performances were enacted during the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but the players who took part in such dramas were all pure devotees; no outsiders were allowed. The members of ISKCON should follow this example. Whenever they stage dramatic performances about the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Kṛṣṇa, the players must be pure devotees.

CC Adi 10.13, Purport:

Professional players and dramatic actors have no sense of devotional service, and therefore although they can perform very artistically, there is no life in such performances. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura used to refer to such an actor as yātrā-dale nārada, which means "farcical Nārada."

CC Adi 10.13, Purport:

Sometimes an actor in a drama plays the part of Nārada Muni, although in his private life he is not at all like Nārada Muni because he is not a devotee. Such actors are not needed in dramatic performances about the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa.

CC Adi 10.13, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and other devotees in the house of Candraśekhara.

CC Adi 10.17, Purport:

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu played in dramatic performances in the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously for that length of time.

CC Adi 10.43, Purport:

In the dramas performed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Haridāsa Ṭhākura played the part of a police chief.

CC Adi 10.53, Purport:

Śrī Mādhava Ghoṣa performed a drama known as Dāna-khaṇḍa with the help of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Gadādhara dāsa.

CC Adi 10.135-136, Purport:

Mahārāja Pratāparudra was as powerful as King Indra. The drama named Caitanya-candrodaya was written under his direction.

CC Adi 10.135-136, Purport:

Bhagavān Ācārya was very liberal and simple. His father, Śatānanda Khān, was completely materialistic, and his younger brother, Gopāla Bhaṭṭācārya, was a staunch Māyāvādī philosopher who had studied very elaborately. When his brother came to Jagannātha Purī, Bhagavān Ācārya wanted to hear from him about Māyāvāda philosophy, but Svarūpa Dāmodara forbade him to do so, and there the matter stopped. Once a friend of Bhagavān Ācārya's from Bengal wanted to recite a drama that he had written that was against the principles of devotional service, and although Bhagavān Ācārya wanted to recite this drama before Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara, the Lord's secretary, did not allow him to do so. Later Svarūpa Dāmodara pointed out the drama's many mistakes and its disagreements with the conclusion of devotional service, and the author became aware of the faults in his writing and then surrendered to Svarūpa Dāmodara, begging his mercy.

CC Adi 11.17, Translation:

Śrīla Gadādhara dāsa was always fully absorbed in ecstasy as a gopī. In his house Lord Nityānanda enacted the drama Dāna-keli.

CC Adi 16.102, Purport:

The poetic compositions of Bhavabhūti, or Śrīkaṇṭha, include Mālatī-mādhava, Uttara-carita, Vīra-carita and many similar Sanskrit dramas. This great poet was born during the time of Bhojarāja as the son of Nīlakaṇṭha, a brāhmaṇa. Kālidāsa flourished during the time of Mahārāja Vikramāditya, and he became the state poet. He composed some thirty or forty Sanskrit dramas, including Kumāra-sambhava, Abhijñāna-śakuntalā and Megha-dūta. His drama Raghu-vaṁśa is especially famous.

CC Adi 17.241, Translation:

Thereafter a dramatization of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes was performed in the house of Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. The Lord personally took the part of Rukmiṇī, the foremost of Kṛṣṇa's queens.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.41, Purport:

The Vidagdha-mādhava is a drama of Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī finished this book in the year 1454 Śakābda (A.D. 1532). The first part of this drama is called veṇu-nāda-vilāsa, the second part manmatha-lekha, the third part rādhā-saṅga, the fourth part veṇu-haraṇa, the fifth part rādhā-prasādana, the sixth part śarad-vihāra, and the seventh and last part gaurī-vihāra.

CC Madhya 1.41, Purport:

Similarly, the Lalita-mādhava is a description of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in Dvārakā. These pastimes were made into a drama, and the work was finished in the year 1459 Śakābda. The first part deals with festivities in the evening, the second with the killing of the Śaṅkhacūḍa, the third with maddened Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the fourth with Rādhārāṇī’s proceeding toward Kṛṣṇa, the fifth with the achievement of Candrāvalī, the sixth with the achievement of Lalitā, the seventh with the meeting in Nava-vṛndāvana, the eighth with the enjoyment in Nava-vṛndāvana, the ninth with looking over pictures, and the tenth with complete satisfaction of the mind. Thus the entire drama is divided into ten parts.

CC Madhya 2.17, Translation:

In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always expressed bewilderment and lamented in separation from Kṛṣṇa. At such times He used to recite the ślokas from Rāmānanda Rāya's drama, known as Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka.

CC Madhya 8.122, Translation:

“I simply repeat like a parrot whatever instructions You have given me. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Who can understand Your dramatic performances?

CC Madhya 9.150, Translation and Purport:

“"Once Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa playfully manifested Himself as Nārāyaṇa, with four victorious hands and a very beautiful form. When the gopīs saw this exalted form, however, their ecstatic feelings were crippled. A learned scholar, therefore, cannot understand the gopīs" ecstatic feelings, which are firmly fixed upon the original form of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. The wonderful feelings of the gopīs in ecstatic parama-rasa with Kṛṣṇa constitute the greatest mystery in spiritual life.’”

This is a verse spoken by Nārada Muni in the Lalita-mādhava-nāṭaka (6.14), a drama written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

CC Madhya 11.95, Purport:

There are many professional chanters who can perform congregational chanting with various musical instruments in an artistic and musical way, but their chanting cannot be as attractive as the congregational chanting of pure devotees. If a devotee sticks strictly to the principles governing Vaiṣṇava behavior, his bodily luster will naturally be attractive, and his singing and chanting of the holy names of the Lord will be effective. People will appreciate such kīrtana without hesitation. Even dramas about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya or Śrī Kṛṣṇa should be played by devotees. Such dramas will immediately interest an audience and be full of potency. The students of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness should note these two points and try to apply these principles in their spreading of the Lord's glories.

CC Madhya 13.117, Translation:

His eyes and mind fully absorbed in Lord Jagannātha, Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to play the drama of the song with His two arms.

CC Madhya 13.118, Translation:

When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was dramatically enacting the song, He would sometimes fall behind in the procession. At such times, Lord Jagannātha would come to a standstill. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu again went forward, Lord Jagannātha's car would slowly start again.

CC Madhya 20.180, Translation:

“"My dear friend, this dramatic actor appears like a second form of My own self. Like a picture, He displays My pastimes as a cowherd boy overflowing with wonderfully attractive sweetness and fragrance, which are so dear to the damsels of Vraja. When I see such a display, My heart becomes greatly excited. I long for such pastimes and desire a form exactly like that of the damsels of Vraja."

CC Madhya 20.399, Translation:

“‘This is stated in the dramatic literatures as "perfect," "more perfect" and "most perfect." Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in three ways—perfect, more perfect and most perfect.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 1.34, Translation:

Meanwhile, following the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī returned to Vṛndāvana. He desired to write dramas concerning the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

CC Antya 1.35, Translation:

In Vṛndāvana, Rūpa Gosvāmī began to write a drama. In particular, he composed the introductory verses to invoke good fortune.

CC Antya 1.35, Purport:

The introductory portion of a drama, which is written to invoke good fortune, is called nāndī-śloka.

CC Antya 1.36, Translation:

On his way to Gauḍa-deśa, Rūpa Gosvāmī had been thinking of how to write the action of the drama. Thus he had made some notes and begun to write.

CC Antya 1.42, Translation:

"Write a separate drama about me," she said. "By my mercy it will be extraordinarily beautiful."

CC Antya 1.43, Translation:

After having that dream, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī considered, “It is the order of Satyabhāmā that I write a separate drama for her.

CC Antya 1.44, Translation:

"I have brought together in one work all the pastimes performed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana and in Dvārakā. Now I shall have to divide them into two dramas."

CC Antya 1.69, Translation:

"Satyabhāmā ordered me to write two different dramas," Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī thought. “Now I understand that this order has been confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Antya 1.70, Translation:

“Formerly I wrote the two dramas as one composition. Now I shall divide it and describe the incidents in two separate works.

CC Antya 1.118, Translation:

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Rūpa, please recite that verse from your drama which, upon being heard, makes all people's unhappiness and lamentation go away.”

CC Antya 1.123, Translation:

Rāmānanda Rāya inquired, "What kind of drama are you writing? We can understand that it is a mine of conclusive statements."

CC Antya 1.124, Translation:

Svarūpa Dāmodara replied for Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: “He wanted to compose a drama about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He planned to describe in one book both the pastimes of Vṛndāvana and those of Dvārakā and Mathurā.

CC Antya 1.126, Translation and Purport:

"The two plays are called Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava. Both of them wonderfully describe ecstatic emotional love of God."

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura informs us in this connection that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī finished the drama known as Vidagdha-mādhava in the year Śakābda 1454 (A.D. 1532) and the Lalita-mādhava in Śakābda 1459 (A.D. 1537). The discussion between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī at Jagannātha Purī took place in Śakābda 1437 (A.D. 1515).

CC Antya 1.134, Translation and Purport:

Rāmānanda Rāya inquired, "How have you introduced the assembly of the players?"

Rūpa Gosvāmī replied, “The players assemble at a suitable time under the heading of pravartaka.

In a drama all the actors are called pātra, or players.

CC Antya 1.134, Purport:

When Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya inquired about the arrangement for introducing the assembly of players in the drama, Rūpa Gosvāmī replied that when the players first enter the stage in response to the time, the introduction is technically called pravartaka.

CC Antya 1.137, Translation and Purport:

Rāmānanda Rāya said, "Please recite the prarocanā portion so that I may hear and examine it."

Śrī Rūpa replied, “I think that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's desire to hear is prarocanā.

The method of inducing the audience to become more and more eager to hear by praising the time and place, the hero and the audience is called prarocanā. This is the statement regarding prarocanā in the Nāṭaka-candrikā:

deśa-kāla-kathā-vastu-sabhyādīnāṁ praśaṁsayā

śrotṟṇām unmukhī-kāraḥ kathiteyaṁ prarocanā

Similarly, the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (6.286) says:

tasyāḥ prarocanā vīthī tathā prahasanā-mukhe

aṅgānyatronmukhī-kāraḥ praśaṁsātaḥ prarocanā

Any literature presented in Sanskrit must follow the rules and regulations mentioned in the authoritative reference books. The technical inquiries by Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya and the replies of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī indicate that both of them were expert and fully conversant with the techniques of writing drama.

CC Antya 1.172, Translation:

Having heard these verses recited by Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya said, "Your poetic expressions are like continuous showers of nectar. Kindly let me hear the introductory portion of the second drama."

CC Antya 1.185, Translation and Purport:

“This introduction is technically called udghātyaka, and the whole scene is called vīthī. You are so expert in dramatic expression that each of my statements before you is like a wave from an ocean of impudence.

In this connection Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura again quotes the following verse from the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (6.288):

udghātyakaḥ kathodghātaḥ prayogātiśayas tathā

pravartakāvalagite pañca prastāvanā-bhidāḥ

Thus the technical names for the five kinds of introductory scenes of the drama are listed as udghātyaka, kathodghāta, prayogātiśaya, pravartaka and avalagita. When Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya inquired which of these five Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī had used to accomplish the technical introduction to his drama Lalita-mādhava, Rūpa Gosvāmī replied that he had used the introduction technically called udghātyaka. According to the Bhāratī-vṛtti, three technical terms used are prarocanā, vīthī and prahasanā. Thus Rūpa Gosvāmī also mentioned vīthī, which is a technical term for a certain type of expression. According to the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (6.520):

vīthyām eko bhaved aṅkaḥ kaścid eko ‘tra kalpyate

ākāśa-bhāṣitair uktaiś citrāṁ pratyuktim āśritaḥ

CC Antya 1.185, Purport:

The vīthī beginning of a drama consists of only one scene. In that scene, one of the heroes enters the stage, and by means of opposing statements uttered by a voice from the sky (offstage), he introduces the abundant conjugal mellow and other mellows to some degree. In the course of the introduction, all the seeds of the play are planted. This introduction is called udghātyaka because the player dances on the stage. This term also indicates that the full moon enters the stage. In this case, when the word naṭatā ("dancing on the stage") is linked with the moon, its meaning is obscure, but because the meaning becomes very clear when the word naṭatā is linked with Kṛṣṇa, this type of introduction is called udghātyaka.

CC Antya 1.185, Purport:

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya used highly technical terms when he discussed this subject with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī stated that Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya was a greatly learned scholar of bona fide dramatic composition. Thus although Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was quite fit to answer Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya's questions, due to his Vaiṣṇava humility he said that his words were impudent. Actually both Rūpa Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya were scholarly experts in composing poetry and presenting it strictly according to the Sāhitya-darpaṇa and other Vedic literatures.

CC Antya 4.225, Translation:

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also compiled two important dramas named Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava, from which one can understand all the mellows derived from the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

CC Antya 5 Summary:

A brāhmaṇa from Bengal composed a drama about the activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and went to Jagannātha Purī to show it to the associates of the Lord. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, heard the drama, he discerned a tinge of Māyāvāda philosophy and pointed it out to the author. Although Svarūpa Dāmodara condemned the entire drama, by reference to secondary meanings of the introductory verse he nevertheless satisfied the brāhmaṇa. That brāhmaṇa poet thus became greatly obliged to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, renounced his family connections and stayed at Jagannātha Purī with the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Antya 5.14, Translation and Purport:

“Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya has taken these two girls to a solitary place in his garden, where he is teaching and directing them to dance according to the songs he has composed for his drama.

The drama being rehearsed by Rāmānanda Rāya and the two young girls was the well-known Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka. The songs and dances were meant for the pleasure of Lord Jagannātha; therefore Rāmānanda Rāya was personally giving instructions on how to sing and dance for the drama.

CC Antya 5.20, Translation and Purport:

Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya used to act in that way because he thought of himself in his original position as a maidservant of the gopīs. Thus although externally he appeared to be a man, internally, in his original spiritual position, he considered himself a maidservant and considered the two girls gopīs.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya: "Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya composed a drama named Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka, and he engaged two young girls who were professional dancers and singers to demonstrate the ideology of the drama. Such girls, who are called deva-dāsīs, are still employed in the temple of Jagannātha, where they are called māhārīs. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya engaged two such girls, and because they were meant to play the parts of gopīs, he taught them how to awaken thoughts like those of the gopīs. Because the gopīs are worshipable personalities, Rāmānanda Rāya, who considered the two girls gopīs and himself their maidservant, engaged in their service by massaging their bodies with oil to cleanse them completely. Because Rāmānanda Rāya always placed himself in the position of a maidservant of the gopīs, his rehearsal with the girls was actually on the spiritual platform."

Because there was no question of personal sense gratification when Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was serving the girls, his mind was steady and his body untransformed. This is not to be imitated, nor is such a mentality possible for anyone but Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will explain. The example of Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya is certainly unique. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta has given this description because in perfect devotional service one can attain such a position. Nevertheless, one must understand this subject very seriously and never attempt to imitate such activities.

CC Antya 5.22, Translation:

Rāmānanda Rāya directed the two girls how to dance and express the deep meaning of his songs through dramatic performances.

CC Antya 5.91, Translation:

A brāhmaṇa from Bengal wrote a drama about the characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and came with his manuscript to induce the Lord to hear it.

CC Antya 5.93, Translation:

First the brāhmaṇa induced Bhagavān Ācārya to hear the drama, and then many other devotees joined Bhagavān Ācārya in listening to it.

CC Antya 5.94, Translation:

All the Vaiṣṇavas praised the drama, saying, "Very good, very good." They also desired that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu hear the drama.

CC Antya 5.99, Translation:

Bhagavān Ācārya submitted to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, “A good brāhmaṇa has prepared a drama about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that appears exceptionally well composed.

CC Antya 5.104-105, Translation:

“A poet who does not know the grammatical regulative principles, who is unfamiliar with metaphorical ornaments, especially those employed in drama, and who does not know how to present the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa is condemned. Moreover, the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are especially difficult to understand.

CC Antya 5.108, Translation:

"The standard for writing dramas has been set by Rūpa Gosvāmī. If a devotee hears the introductory portions of his two dramas, they enhance his transcendental pleasure."

CC Antya 5.109, Translation:

Despite the explanation of Svarūpa Dāmodara, Bhagavān Ācārya requested, "Please hear the drama once. If you hear it, you can consider whether it is good or bad."

CC Antya 5.131, Purport:

"By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact." (SB 1.2.18)

This is the proper process, but people are accustomed to being misled by professional Bhāgavatam reciters. Therefore Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī herein advises that one should not hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from professional reciters. Instead, one must hear and learn the Bhāgavatam from a self-realized Vaiṣṇava. Sometimes it is seen that when a Māyāvādī sannyāsī reads the Bhāgavatam, flocks of men go to hear jugglery of words that cannot awaken their dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes people go to see professional dramas and offer food and money to the players, who are expert at collecting these offerings very nicely. The result is that the members of the audience remain in the same position of gṛham andha-kūpam, family affection, and do not awaken their love for Kṛṣṇa.

CC Antya 5.161, Translation:

In the course of the narration, I have also told about the drama by the poet from Bengal. Although he was ignorant, because of his faith and humility he nevertheless obtained shelter at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Antya 18.30, Translation:

The waves carried Him here and there like a piece of dry wood. Who can understand this dramatic performance by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

CC Antya 19.98, Translation:

"The dramatic actor Madana-mohana has opened a shop of scents that attract the women of the world to be His customers. He delivers the scents freely, but they make the women all so blind they cannot find the path returning home."

CC Antya 20.67-68, Translation:

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu read the verses of Jayadeva's Gīta-govinda, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, of Rāmānanda Rāya's drama Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka, and of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura's Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, He was overwhelmed by the various ecstatic emotions of those verses. Thus He tasted their purports.

CC Antya 20.103, Translation:

The First Chapter describes how Rūpa Gosvāmī met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the second time and how the Lord heard his two dramas (Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava).

CC Antya 20.111, Translation:

That chapter also describes how Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī rejected the drama of a poet from Bengal and established the glories of the Deity.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 32:

"And out of all songs, what song do you think is the best of all?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked. And Rāmānanda replied that any song which describes the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the best song. In conditional life, the soul is captivated by sex. All fictions—dramas and novels—and material songs describe love between men and women. Since people are so attracted to this kind of literature, Kṛṣṇa appeared in this material world and displayed His transcendental loving affairs with the gopīs. There is an immense literature dealing with the transactions between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who takes shelter of this literature or of the stories about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa can enjoy actual happiness. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.36) it is said that the Lord displayed His pastimes in Vṛndāvana in order to reveal His actual life. Any intelligent person who tries to understand the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is most fortunate. The songs that tell of those pastimes are the greatest songs in the world.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 23:

Generally, those who are expert in writing drama choose to call Cupid the ideal dhīra-lalita, but we can more perfectly find in the personality of Kṛṣṇa all the characteristics of dhīra-lalita.

Nectar of Devotion 34:

Whenever there is a recitation of poetry or a dramatic play on the different pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the audience develops different kinds of transcendental loving service for the Lord. They enjoy different types of vibhāva, anubhāva and sañcāri-bhāva.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 7:

The conditioned soul has a natural aptitude to hear something about other conditioned souls in the form of fiction, drama and novel. That inclination to hear something about others may be utilized in hearing the pastimes of the Lord. Then one can immediately evolve to his transcendental nature. Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are not only beautiful; they are also very pleasing to the mind.

Krsna Book 21:

Another gopī expressed her opinion that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, while tending the cows, appeared just like actors going to play on a dramatic stage. Kṛṣṇa was dressed in glowing garments of yellow, Balarāma in blue, and They held new twigs of mango tree, peacock feathers and bunches of flowers in Their hands. Dressed with garlands of lotus flowers, They were sometimes singing very sweetly among Their friends.

Krsna Book 41:

While Akrūra was offering his prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord disappeared from the water, exactly as an expert dramatic actor changes his dress and assumes his original feature. After the viṣṇu-mūrti disappeared, Akrūra got out of the water. Finishing the rest of his ritualistic performance, he went near the chariot of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa and was struck with wonder. Kṛṣṇa asked whether he had seen something wonderful within the water or in space.

Krsna Book 43:

When Kṛṣṇa entered the wrestling arena with Balarāma and Their friends, He appeared differently to different people according to their different relationships (rasas) with Him. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of rasas, both favorable and unfavorable. He appeared to the wrestlers exactly like a thunderbolt. To the people in general He appeared as the most beautiful personality. To the females He appeared to be the most attractive male, Cupid personified, and thus He increased their lust. The cowherd men who were present there looked upon Kṛṣṇa as their own kinsman, coming from the same village of Vṛndāvana. The impious kṣatriya kings who were present saw Him as the strongest ruler and their chastiser. To the parents of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā, He appeared to be the most loving child. To Kaṁsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty, He appeared to be death personified. To the unintelligent, He appeared to be an incapable personality. To the yogīs present, He appeared to be the Supersoul. To the members of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty He appeared to be the most celebrated descendant. Thus appreciated differently by different kinds of people present, Kṛṣṇa entered the wrestling arena with Balarāma and His cowherd boyfriends. Having heard that Kṛṣṇa had already killed the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṁsa knew beyond doubt that Kṛṣṇa was formidable. He thus became very much afraid of Him. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had long arms. They were beautifully dressed, and They were attractive to all the people assembled there. They were dressed as if They were going to act on a dramatic stage, and They drew the attention of all people.

Krsna Book 45:

After hearing only once from Their teacher, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma learned all the arts and sciences. In sixty-four days and sixty-four nights, They learned all the necessary arts and sciences required in human society. During the daytime They took lessons on a subject from the teacher, and by nightfall They were expert in that department of knowledge.

First of all They learned how to sing, how to compose songs and how to recognize the different tunes; They learned the favorable and unfavorable accents and meters, how to sing different kinds of rhythms and melodies, and how to follow them by beating different kinds of drums. They learned how to dance to the rhythm of melody and different songs. They learned how to write dramas, and They learned the various types of painting, beginning from simple village arts up to the highest perfectional stage.

Krsna Book 45:

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma learned the art of dressing hair in various styles and fixing a helmet in different positions on the head. They also learned how to set up a theatrical stage, how to decorate dramatic actors with clothes and with flower ornaments over the ear, and how to sprinkle sandalwood pulp and water to produce a nice fragrance. They also learned the art of performing magical feats. Within the magical field there is an art called bahu-rūpī, by which a person dresses himself in such a way that when he approaches a friend he cannot be recognized.

Krsna Book 45:

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also learned how to make various syrups and beverages required at various times, having various tastes and intoxicating effects. They also learned different types of sewing and embroidery work, as well as how to manipulate thin threads for dancing puppets. This art includes how to string wires on musical instruments, such as the vīṇā, sitar, esarāja and tamboura, to produce melodious sounds. Then They learned how to make and solve riddles. They learned the art of how even a dull student can very quickly learn the alphabet and read books. Then They learned how to rehearse and act out a drama. They also studied the art of solving crossword puzzles, filling up the missing spaces and making complete words.

Krsna Book 70:

The Lord would say good-bye in all the sixteen thousand palaces, and again He would become one and enter the Sudharmā assembly house in procession with other members of the Yadu dynasty. After entering the assembly house, He used to sit on the exalted royal throne and would be seen to emanate glaring rays of transcendental effulgence. In the midst of all the great heroes of the Yadu dynasty, Kṛṣṇa resembled the full moon in the sky surrounded by multiluminaries. In the assembly house were professional jokers, dancers, musicians and ballet girls, and as soon as the Lord sat on His throne they would begin their respective functions to please the Lord and put Him in a happy mood. First of all the jokers would talk in such a way that the Lord and His associates would enjoy their humor, which would refresh the morning mood. The dramatic actors would then play their parts, and the dancing ballet girls would separately display their artistic movements. All these functions would be accompanied by the beating of mṛdaṅga drums and the sounds of the vīṇā, flutes and bells, followed by the sound of the muraja, another type of drum. To these musical vibrations, the auspicious sound of the conchshell would be added. The professional singers called sūtas and māgadhas would sing, and others would perform their dancing art. In this way, as devotees, they would offer respectful prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes the learned brāhmaṇas present in that assembly would chant Vedic hymns and explain them to the audience to the best of their knowledge, and sometimes some of them would recite old historical accounts of the activities of prominent kings. The Lord, accompanied by His associates, would be very much pleased to hear them.

Krsna Book 72:

Bhīmasena and King Jarāsandha engaged themselves in fighting, and with their respective clubs, which were as strong as thunderbolts, they began to strike each other very severely, both of them being eager to fight. They were both expert fighters with clubs, and their techniques of striking each other were so beautiful that they appeared to be two dramatic artists dancing on a stage.

Krsna Book 74:

We are all very much surprised that Your Lordship can play the part of an ordinary human being, but we can understand that You are performing these activities just like a dramatic artist.

Krsna Book 89:

"If the brāhmaṇas feel unwanted separation from their wives and children," Arjuna continued, "and the kṣatriya kings do not take care of them, then such kṣatriyas are to be considered no more than stage players. In dramatic performances in the theater, an actor may play the part of a king, but no one expects any benefits from such a make-believe king. Similarly, if the king or the executive head of a state cannot give protection to the head of the social structure, he is considered merely a bluffer. Such executive heads simply live for their own livelihood while occupying exalted posts as chiefs of state. My lord, I promise that I shall give protection to your children, and if I am unable to do so, then I shall enter into blazing fire so that the sinful contamination which has infected me will be counteracted."