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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 43 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

सङ्केतकुञ्जनिलये मृदुपल्लवेन

कॢप्ते कदापि नवसङ्ग-भय-त्रपाढ्याम् ।

अत्याग्रहेण करवारिरुहे गृहीत्वा

नेष्ये विटेन्द्र-शयने वृषभानुपुत्रीम् ॥ ४३ ॥

saṅketa-kuñja-nilaye mṛdu-pallavena

kḷpte kadāpi nava-saṅga-bhaya-trapāḍhyām |

atyāgraheṇa kara-vāriruhe gṛhītvā

neṣye viṭendra-śayane vṛṣabhānu-putrīm || 43 ||

“Śrī Rādhikā is apprehensive and shy about her first meeting with the king of paramours. When will I eagerly take her by her lotus hand to the bed of tender sprouts that he made in the bower house?”

Charming Śrī Rādhā

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda was tasting unprecedented sevā-rasa while engrossed in his svarūpa. The ocean of prema had begun to churn and in a vision he experienced sevā-rasa mixed with mādhurya-rasa. As a result of that, he felt anxious and wept when the vision ended. Memories, dreams and visions can cause the desire for direct attainment to awaken in a powerful way. It is difficult for him to sustain his life without direct sevā to his cherished one. Weeping, he prayed,

jāno’yaṁ yācate duḥkhī rudann uccair idaṁ muhuḥ |

tat-padāmbhoja-yugmaika-gatiḥ kātaratāṁ gataḥ ||

kṛtvā nija-gaṇasyāntaḥ kāruṇyān nija-sevane |

niyojaya tu māṁ sākṣāt seyaṁ vṛndāvaneśvarī ||

“Tormented by separation from Śrī Rādhā, this miserable person repeatedly cries in a loud voice, asking that Śrī Vṛndāvaneśvarī please show compassion to her own followers and include me among them. Please engage me in her direct service because her lotus feet are my only refuge.” (Viśākhānandada-Stotram 129-130) Such intense yearning is the lifeblood of bhajana. parama nāgara kṛṣṇa, tāhe hao atitṛṣṇa, bhaja tāṅre braja-bhāba laiyā (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 98). “O mind, long for the supreme lover Śrī Kṛṣṇa and worship him in the Vraja mood.” iṣṭe gāḍha-tṛṣṇā rāgera svarūpa-lakṣaṇa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 22.151). “Deep longing for one’s desired object is the natural characteristic of rāga.” If the desire to attain one’s cherished deity is strong, an aversion to anything that is inimical to bhajana will arise. If something is unfavorable for bhajana, even though it may be charitable, it must be given up. Even if one’s iṣṭadeva speaks against bhajana, one should understand it as a test and not accept it. If one’s bhajana is ruined, everything will be ruined. Bhajana is the way, bhajana is the goal. There is no way to attain Śrī Kṛṣṇa without bhajana. Mahāprabhu is always submerged in bhajana-rasa in the company of his bhaktas.

caṇḍidāsa bidyāpati, rāyera nāṭaka-gīti, karṇāmṛta śrī-gīta-govinda |

svarūpa-rāmānanda-sane, mahāprabhu rātri-dine, gāya śune parama ānanda ||

“Along with Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, Mahāprabhu would day and night joyfully hear and sing the songs of Caṇḍidāsa and Vidyāpati, Rāmānanda’s Jagannātha-Vallabha-Nāṭakam, Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam and Śrī-Gīta-Govindam.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 2.77) One must learn about the flow of bhajana from the ācāryas. They are immersed in bhajana-rasa throughout the day and night with no fatigue. A mahājana has written,

chāpānna-daṇḍa rātri-dine, rādhā-kṛṣṇa guṇa-gāne, smaraṇete sadāi goṁyāya |

cari-daṇḍa supti thāke, svapne rādhā-kṛṣṇe dekhe, eka-kṣaṇa byartha nāhi yāya ||

“They spend twenty-two hours and twenty-four minutes, day and night, singing about Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s qualities and meditating. They sleep for one hour and thirty-six minutes. They see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in their dreams. Not a moment is wasted.” Śrīpāda Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī’s bhajana-niṣṭhā (devotion to bhajana) has been described in the sixth wave of Bhakti-Ratnākara:

yadyapi śuṣka-deha bātase hālaya |

tathāpi nirbandha-kriyā saba samādhaya ||

bhūme paḍi praṇami uṭhite nāhi pāre |

ithe ye niṣedhe kichu nā kahaye tāre ||

anukūla haile praśaṁsaye bāra bāra |

dekhiyā sādhanāgraha debeo camatkāra ||

“Even though his emaciated body trembled in the wind, he still performed all of his prescribed actions. Sometimes, when he fell to the ground to offer obeisance, he would be unable to rise. If someone opposed him, he said nothing; if someone was favorable, he would praise that person repeatedly. Even the gods were astonished to see such enthusiasm for sādhana.”

Though being a nitya-parikara, Śrīpāda Sarasvaticaraṇa desired to practice the smaraṇa limb of bhajana while in sādhaka-consciousness. śrī-rādhikā-vadana-candram ahaṁ smarāmi. “I remember the moonlike face of Śrī Rādhikā.” His heart was filled with anguish. Before long, a vision appeared. An image of the līlā of Śrī Yugala’s first meeting manifested before him. Today, Śrī Rādhā, the jewel among eternally youthful girls, is mugdhā: innocent, charming and beautiful.

mugdhā nava-vayaḥ-kāmā ratau vāmā sakhī-vaśā |

rati-ceṣṭāsu savrīḍa-cāru-gūḍha-prayatna-bhāk ||

“A young woman who is beginning to feel passion, is contrary regarding love, is submissive to her friends, who is shy but agreeable during love-play, and who is secretly diligent about that is called mugdhā.” (Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 5.13) Śrīmatī longs to see Kṛṣṇa, but when a girl first meets with her boyfriend, she is apprehensive and shy. This is the mādhurya of the sequential or manifest pastimes. Their eternally perfect sweet love (madhura-rati) gradually blossoms in the succession of līlās, beginning with pūrva-rāga. From the time of their acquaintance with Kṛṣṇa, these mugdhā girls had dedicated themselves to him. But at that time, the desire for love-play had not yet appeared, so there was none, even though their love for him was complete. At the rise of adolescence, Kandarpa appears in the heart as the thirst for sexual union. That longing unites with rati, causing every action of the girls’ bodies, minds and words to become a meditation on making Kṛṣṇa happy.

Śrīmatī was eager to meet with Kṛṣṇa and please him, but she was inexperienced, apprehensive about their first meeting and shy. The sakhīs had previously sent Śyāmasundara to the trysting bower. In the bower house, the impassioned lover created a bed and pillows made of fresh, tender sprouts with his own trembling hands. The bed was soaked with his tears of love. The sakhīs started walking in a particular direction under the pretense of collecting flowers for sūrya-pūjā.  They slowly and carefully led Śrīmatī toward the bower. Svāminī was thinking that her sakhīs must have some mysterious reason for bringing her so far to pick flowers today. Suddenly, she saw Śyāmasundara at the bower gate and felt bashful, contrary, anxious and agitated. With quick steps, she turned and headed for home. Kṛṣṇa was captivated by Śrīmatī’s mood and movements. Śrīmatī is socially equal to her sakhīs, so the sakhīs gestured to the kiṅkarīs, who are devoted to sevā, to assemble. The sakhīs then walked a little out of view under the guise of picking flowers. Even though the kiṅkarīs are also sakhīs, Śrīmatī feels less shy and hesitant with them. Śrīpāda, in dāsī form, is trying to persuade Svāminī to enter the kuñja. Śrīmatī says,

e sakhi e sakhi! lai jani yāha | muñi ati bālika, abanata nāha ||

pāśa yāite aba jiu mora kāṁpe | kāṁcā kamala bhramara karu jhāṁpe ||

dubara deha mora jhāṁpala cīra | yanu ḍagamaga kare nalinīko nīra ||

“O friend! O friend! If you go, I will follow. I am a chaste young girl. If he simply walks by me, I begin to tremble. He is like a bumblebee rushing toward a lotus bud. Cover my delicate body with a cloth, like a lotus immersed in a pond.” (Vidyāpati)

Seeing that Śrīmatī was distressed due to her shyness and apprehension about her first meeting with Kṛṣṇa, the kiṅkarī held her lotus hand and reassured her by saying, “Svāminī! Don’t worry; just go into the kuñja. Glance at the son of the king of Vraja, whom you are always anxious to see, and start a little conversation with him. Don’t miss this opportunity. kāhe ḍarasi dhani calu hāma saṅga, mādhaba nahi paraśiba tuyā aṅga. O fortunate one! What is there to fear? I’m going with you. Mādhava will not touch your body.” (Harivallabha) After comforting her like this, the kiṅkarī carefully held Śrīmatī’s hand and led her to the bed of fresh sprouts. Their first meeting! What a sweet experience! This solitary meeting came about by the many efforts of countless energetic and eager sakhīs. This intense eagerness of Parabrahma for Śrī Rādhā, and the passionate love of the embodiment of mahābhāva for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, can only be known in the heart of a premika-bhakta. They also know how this impossible event becomes possible. The karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs are far from this. Devotees of aiśvarya-jñāna are also far from this. Even the bhaktas of other vraja-rasas, like dāsya, vātsalya and so on find it difficult to comprehend. Only through devotion to Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs and mañjarīs, who have taken shelter of madhura-rasa, can one appreciate the sweetness of this truth. For tasting the varieties of rasa, Parabrahma and his hlādinī-śakti Śrī Rādhā have manifested as two, though being eternally one. Each is the abode of the object of love and the source of love.

The kiṅkarī has taken the young and beautiful Svāminī to the pleasure-bed of the king of paramours and then left the bower. How sweet Svāminī’s graceful form is when her moods of shyness, respect, apprehension, desire, contrariness and so on converge! A brief meeting, therefore a brief delight.

 

kānu badana heri, uchalita antara, lāje basane mukha jhāṁpa |

īṣad avalokane, chala chala locane, keli-samāgame kāṁpa ||

dekha sakhi rāika ḍhaṅga |

kānuka adaraśe, aiche beyākula, daraśane iha cita-raṅga ||

rāi-badana heri, lubadhala mādhaba, kore baiṭhāyali gorī |

kuca kara paraśane, camaki uṭhaye dhanī, cumbane raha mukha moḍi ||

bhuje bhuje bandhana, dṛḍha-parirambhaṇa, adhare adhara rasa nela |

gobinda dāsa pahuṁ, pūrala manoratha, naba  naba saṅgama bhela ||

“Rādhikā’s heart swelled when she saw Kṛṣṇa’s face; she shyly covered her own face with her veil. She briefly looked at him with restless eyes. She began to tremble as the love-play began. Look, O friend, Rādhikā is flirting! When she could not see him, she was anxious; when she could, she was delighted. Kṛṣṇa was enchanted by seeing Rādhikā’s face, so he sat her on his lap. She was startled when Kṛṣṇa touched her breasts. When he tried to kiss her, she turned her face away. He embraced her and drank the nectar of her lips. Govinda Dāsa says, ‘Prabhu fulfilled his heart’s desire with ever-fresh trysts.’” (Pada-Kalpa-Taru)

The word viṭendra in this verse should be understood to mean “he who is the king of the paramours.” Having accepted this definition, one should not think that there is more than one such paramour in the world. In fact, braja binā ihāra anyatra nāhi bāsa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 4.47). “This love exists nowhere but Vraja.” In Vraja, the Supreme Lord has adopted the mood of a paramour to enjoy the essence of rasa. No one but Vrajendranandana can be such a paramour. In this mood, he is tasting some extraordinary rasa-mādhurī. Because of this, the word indra (king) has been used after the word viṭa (paramour) for this unimaginable transcendental manifestation. Śrīpāda’s mystical vision has ended. He wept as he cried out, “O Rādhā! You are apprehensive and shy about your first meeting with the king of paramours. When will I eagerly take you by your lotus hand to the bed of tender sprouts that he made in the bower?”

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 42 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

प्रेमोल्लसद्रसविलास-विकाशकन्दं

गोविन्द-लोचन-वितृप्तचकोरपेयम् ।

सिञ्चन्तमद्भुतरसामृत-चन्द्रिकौघैः

श्रीराधिकावदनचन्द्रमहं स्मरामि ॥ ४२ ॥

premollasad-rasa-vilāsa-vikāśa-kandaṁ

govinda-locana-vitṛpta-cakora-peyam |

siñcantam adbhuta-rasāmṛta-candrikaughaiḥ

śrī-rādhikā-vadana-candram ahaṁ smarāmi || 42 ||

“I always remember the moonlike face of Śrī Rādhā, which showers its nectarous rays to be drunk by the thirsty cakora-like eyes of Śrī Govinda, and which nourishes the seed of their delightful pastimes of love.”

Śrī Rādhā’s Moonlike Face

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, Śrīpāda prayed in external consciousness that the desire for rādhā-dāsya would awaken in his heart. As much as feeling or realization grows, hope grows to the same degree. Hope becomes very strong while one is absorbed in his or her svarūpa. During the dawn of bhakti, the sādhaka’s realization of his own inadequacy in contrast to his lofty hope causes him to be restless. Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda wrote the following in Utkalikā-Vallarī 26:

kva jano’yam atīva-pāmaraḥ, kva durāpaṁ ratibhāgbhir apy adaḥ |

iyam ullayaty ajarjarā gurur uttarṣa-dhurā tathāpi mām ||

“Where am I, a most foolish person? And where is loving devotion to you, difficult to attain even for bhaktas? Although such devotion is unlikely to happen for me, this great, ever-fresh hope always makes me restless.” Absorption in one’s svarūpa is a beautiful thing. “I am Rādhā’s kiṅkarī.” This absorption removes many anarthas. The sādhaka who is engrossed in his svarūpa feels separation from his cherished one (abhīṣṭa). For one who feels no viraha, not even the desire for meeting can be awakened. There is so much viraha in Vraja. In Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam, Gopakumāra said to Janaśarmā, 

sadā mahārtyā karuṇa-svarair udan 

nayāmi rātri-divasāṁś ca kātaraḥ |

na vedmi yad yat sucirād anuṣṭhitaṁ 

sukhāya vā tat tad utārti-sindhave ||

“O Brāhmaṇa, in Vṛndāvana I would always weep in sorrow. I spent my days and nights overwhelmed by viraha. For a long time, I performed all of my sādhanas. Whether I did that because of happiness or sorrow, I cannot understand.” To get such prema for Śrīman Madana-Gopāla is truly an extraordinary thing. As a result of the increase in longing, the feeling of happiness is crushed and sadness is experienced in an astonishing way. For the kiṅkarī whose heart is devoted to Śrī Rādhā, the viraha state is even more unbearable. Śrīpāda Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmicaraṇa has said,

tvad-alokana-kālāhi-daṁśair eva mṛtaṁ janam |

tvat-pādābja-milal-lākṣā-bheṣajair devi jīvaya ||

“O Goddess! This poor person has died, bitten by the snake of time, your unseen form. A person killed by a snake-bite can be revived by a specific medicine. The red lac painted on your feet is the great medicine that can restore my life. Please revive this dead person with the gift of seeing and touching this lac.” (Vilāpa-Kusumāñjaliḥ 9) If an intelligent person thinks about this, he or she can understand that there is no other example of this fire of separation in the world. If the sādhaka pleases Bhakti Devī, he will never forget Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. She will gradually pull him to those feet through viraha. Śrīpāda’s desire is powerful! “I want nothing but the nectar of your kaiṅkarya-rasa. This desire for service makes my heart and mind constantly restless.” A vision of līlā appeared before his eyes.

Śrī Rādhā was walking to the kuñja with her sakhīs, eager to meet with Kṛṣṇa. The radiance from her moonlike face illuminated Vṛndāvana. Having previously arrived at the saṅketa-kuñja (trysting bower), Śyāmasundara is now looking anxiously toward Svāminī’s path. Svāminījī arrived at the bower gate filled with passion, but when she saw Śyāmasundara inside, she pulled up her veil, turned around and started walking away. She said to her sakhīs, “Why did you bring me here?” Seeing the sweetness of her mood at that time, Śyāmasundara felt excited. The sakhīs pulled Priyājī into the bower and brought her to sit on a flower-strewn seat on Kṛṣṇa’s left side. After pulling her veil up, Svāminījī sat down a little distance from Kṛṣṇa. To relish the loving couple’s sweetness and make it surge (through their clever conversation), the sakhīs sat in front of them on a lower seat. To drive away Śrīmatī’s contrary mood, Kṛṣṇa looked at the sakhīs and said, “O girls with eyes like cakoras! What more shall I say about my good fortune today? As I sat and chanted the gaurī-mantra in this solitary kuñja, an auspicious indication of my greatest happiness appeared. These virtuous girls whose bodily effulgences brighten the horizon have unexpectedly arrived before my eyes.” When Śrī Rādhā, the jewel of charming girls, heard Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s statement, her pupils moved to the edge of her wide, lotus-petal eyes. It was as though the beauty of her sidelong glance had given a silent reply to Śyāmasundara’s words. “We are not virtuous; you are the most virtuous. You are dedicated to the memory and enjoyment of your own favorite gaurī (Candrāvalī) in the kuñja.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke again, “O friends, today some astrologer said to me, ‘O king of the rasikas (persons of taste or feeling)! Today your throat will be decorated with a necklace made of gold from the Jambu River.’ When Śrīmatī heard Kṛṣṇa’s words, her eyebrows began to dance in delight. The sweetness of her dancing eyebrows gave a silent reply to Śyāma’s words. “‘Today your throat will be decorated with a necklace made of gold from the Jambu River.’ I don’t know what that means. But as long as I am here, my sakhīs will be here. To make them leave the kuñja, I will go out before them.”

Smiling, the sakhīs said, “Śyāmasundara! You are the son of the king of Vraja, so you have no shortage of golden necklaces. Still, today you have by good fortune received a sura-taru (wish-fulfilling tree of heaven).” Kṛṣṇa replied, “Friends, what you say is true. I will be satisfied with just the first three syllables of sura-taru, not to speak of all four (surata means amorous pleasure).”

When Śrīmatī heard this, her moonlike face became brightened by the splendor of her subtle smile, as white as a kunda flower (jasmine). Even though she tried to conceal the radiance of her smile, born of the bhāva named rati, a little was able to shine through. The amazing, nectarous radiance of the smile on Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face nurtures the seed of her joyful, prema-filled rasika pastimes and provides a drink for Govinda’s thirsty cakora-like eyes. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa turned his face to the left to taste the sweetness of Śrīmatī’s splendorous smile, she also turned her own moonlike face to the left. The swaying of her right earring caused a beautiful glow to reflect upon her cheek. Kṛṣṇa is overwhelmed by joy. The meeting of pride, delight, shyness, anxiety, restlessness, inertia and other sañcārī-bhāvas on Śrīmatī’s moonlike face is creating an effulgence of exquisite beauty. When the nāyaka, thirsty for śṛṅgāra-rasa, sees her moonlike face, the seed of the desire for love-play sprouts in the form of dense goosebumps on his body. Even after drinking the sweet nectar of her moonlike face, he is still not satisfied. His insatiable desire is increasing more and more. The sakhīs and mañjarīs are overwhelmed with joy! The sādhaka will taste this rasa in meditation. How sweet, how clear, how pleasant is the nectar of remembering Śrī Yugala! The sādhaka must enter his or her siddha-svarūpa and try to taste this nectar. One cannot understand this while sitting in the prison of his body. One in the consciousness of being a worldly man or woman is unable to contemplate this supremely delightful love-play. The great teachings of the ācāryas are our support. Through them we will understand the essence of these confidential pastimes. Do not try to submerge your mind in Svāminī’s lotus feet by force, leaving aside the tasting of this rasa. Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face showers its wonderful splendor on Śyāma’s thirsty cakora-like eyes to increase their satisfaction. The transcendental young god of love has lost himself in a stream of the nectar of mādana-rasa. The astonishing splendor of Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face is mādana-rasa, and it maddens even the god of love.

The essential teaching for the sādhaka-bhaktas is that the moon of the material world destroys the darkness of the outer world, whereas remembrance of Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face destroys the darkness of ignorance in the sādhaka’s heart. The sādhaka’s bhakti-kalpa-latā (a creeper that grows toward bhakti) is quickly and fully nourished, the result being flowers of bhāva and fruits of prema. Then he or she gets an unobstructed taste of Śrīmatī’s delightful pastimes of love. As a concomitant result of experiencing the rays of this extraordinary moon, the suffering caused by the three kinds of misery is relieved.(1) In this particular kali-yuga, the astonishing power of the radiance of Śrī Rādhā’s moonlike face has been revealed by Śrī Gauracandra, who has accepted this radiance as his own. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has written,

sūrya-candra bāhirera tamaḥ se bināśe | 

bahir bastu ghaṭa-paṭa ādi se prakāśe ||

dui bhāi hṛdayera kṣāli andhakāra |

dui-bhāgabata-saṅge karāna sākṣātkāra ||

eka bhāgabata baḍa—bhāgabata śāstra |

āra bhāgabata—bhakta bhakti-rasa pātra ||

dui bhāgabata-dvārā diyā bhakti-rasa |

tāhāra hṛdaye tāra preme haya baśa ||

“The sun and moon destroy the darkness of the outer world, thus revealing external things like pots, cloth and so on. The two brothers (Caitanya and Nityānanda) remove the darkness from the sādhaka’s heart, and along with the two kinds of bhāgavatas, cause him to realize his goal. One kind of bhāgavata is the lofty Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the other is the bhakta, the vessel of bhakti-rasa. After the Lord gives bhakti-rasa to the sādhakas through the two kinds of bhāgavatas, he becomes submissive to the prema in their hearts.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 1.97-100)

Śrī Govinda’s senses have sunk into the rasa of Śrī Rādhā’s sweetness. When Rādhā saw his condition, she veiled her face and replied to Kṛṣṇa’s words in a voice choked with emotion. She spoke in soft, sweet tones as though it were a siddha-mantra from the Kandarpa-Āgama-Śāstra for controlling someone. “O wild elephant! Your three-syllable desire will be fulfilled by the she-elephants of the forest. I am a kalpa-latā (a creeper that fulfills all desires). A kalpa-latā itself does not fulfill anyone’s desires. It is that which is given by the kalpa-latā that fulfills the desires of the one who asks. So I am giving these sakhīs to you; let them fulfill your three-syllable desire.” Hearing this, her playful sakhīs said, “If you give your own lover to us she-elephants,(2) we will run into the forest!” Then they all ran out of the kuñja. When Śrī Rādhā also started to leave with them, Kṛṣṇa embraced her and led her back into the kuñja.(3) The kiṅkarī felt blessed to see Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweet pastimes. Śrīpāda’s mystic vision came to an end. Humbly considering that Śrī Rādhā’s sevā is difficult to attain, he said, “If I do not have the good fortune of directly seeing the moonlike face of Śrī Rādhā, a precious jewel among charming girls, then let me always keep it in my mind.”

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 1. ādhibhautika: misery caused by other creatures,  ādhidaivika: misery caused by the gods of nature, and ādhyātmika: misery caused by one’s own mind

2.  The word used here is vana-padminī, which can mean forest-elephant, forest-lotus or beautiful girl of the forest.

3.  This līlā has been quoted from the Ānanda-Candrikā-Vyākhyā of Śrī-Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 4.41.

 

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 41 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

पूर्णानुरागरसमूर्ति-तडिल्लताभं

ज्योतिः परं भगवतो रतिमद्रहस्यम् ।

यत् प्रादुरस्ति कृपया वृषभानुगेहे

स्यात् किङ्करी भवितुमेव ममाभिलाषः ॥ ४१ ॥

pūrṇānurāga-rasa-mūrti-taḍil-latābhaṁ

jyotiḥ paraṁ bhagavato ratimad rahasyam |

yat prādur asti kṛpayā vṛṣabhānu-gehe

syāt kiṅkarī bhavitum eva mamābhilāṣaḥ || 41 ||

“I long to become a maidservant of Śrī Rādhā, who graciously appeared in the home of King Vṛṣabhānu. She is the embodiment of the nectar of absolute love. Her form is brilliant like a streak of lightning. She is most attractive to Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and therefore most mysterious.”

The Desire to Become Śrī Rādhā’s Kiṅkarī

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s mind is submerged in the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā’s kaiṅkarya-rasa. Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet are very difficult to attain, inaccessible to even Brahmā and others. In the previous verse, Śrīpāda prayed, “Let me be Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī in life after life.” Although a bhakta has no birth caused by bondage to worldly actions, still, the intense desire for rādhā-dāsya has been embodied in this kind of language. Language is the gateway to expressing one’s thoughts. The desire to be Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī has swallowed all other desires. The high-minded bhakta prays, “May my undivided thirst be centered on Govinda’s lotus feet.” But the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava is not satisfied by this. As long as his undivided thirst does not take shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, he incessantly thinks, “Where are you, Rādhārāṇī?” If his mind remains at his cherished one’s feet, the mind’s tenderness and sweetness will be realized. Śrīpāda Sarasvaticaraṇa has become submerged in the extraordinary grace of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. In his heart, he fully accepts himself as Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī. Though getting the mercy of Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas in the yuga of Mahāprabhu, jīvas like me have been deprived because of our offenses. Even though we understand the greatness of being Rādhā’s kiṅkarī, we are still unable to accept it. Having accepted the impermanent body and things related, we have become mad. Engrossment in the body is useless; it diverts the mind from the cherished one’s feet. For this reason, the mahājana resolves, āna kathā nā baliba, āna kathā nā śuniba, sakali kariba paramārtha. prārthanā kariba sadā, lālasā abhīṣṭa-kathā, ihā binā sakali anartha. “I will neither speak nor hear of any other topic; I will devote everything to the highest truth. I will always pray longingly to hear the stories of my deity. Other than this, all talk is useless.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 101). If the sādhaka engages his mind like this, after a few days of bhajana, his heart will begin to long for such realization. When Śrīmatī sees this, her stream of mercy will descend and the sādhaka will be blessed. Śrīpāda is a recipient of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s profound mercy. With an anxious heart, he prays, syāt kiṅkarī bhavitum eva mamābhilāṣaḥ. “My hope of becoming Śrīmatī’s maidservant is far-fetched, but it seems such a desire has awakened in my heart. It would be good if I could die with this desire still in my heart.” The sweetness of Śrīpāda’s humble prayer is amazing. This powerful desire pulls the sādhaka toward his object of worship. Countless material desires constantly arise in the heart of a jīva like me, but the desire to be Rādhā’s kiṅkarī does not even appear in a dream? Śrīpāda’s beautiful mind has been perfumed by the fragrance of his desire to be Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī. It is as though Śrī Rādhārāṇī has cooled Śrīpāda’s heart and taken her seat there. This verse is his sweet recollection of rādhā-tattva that he realized in his own heart.

Śrī Rādhā is the full embodiment of anurāga-rasa (passionate love). When anurāga becomes full and boundless, it manifests like the sun in one’s heart-cave and drives away the darkness of sensual desires. By focusing on Kṛṣṇa’s happiness, the subtle faculties of the mind are illumined and then anurāga becomes mahābhāva. Śrī Rādhā’s form is shaped by that mahābhāva-rasa. mahābhāvojjvala-cintā-ratnodbhāvita-vigrahām. “Śrī Rādhā’s form is made of mahābhāva-cintāmaṇi.” From prema up to mahābhāva, all sthāyī-bhāvas that are nourished or revealed by vibhāvas, anubhāvas and so on become rasas.(1) Mahābhāvamayī Śrī Rādhā is constantly pervaded by uddīpanas, anubhāvas and sāttvika-vikāras, as well as by sañcārī-bhāvas like joy, dejection and so on.(2) For this reason, she has been called the embodiment of mahābhāva-rasa. kṛṣṇamayī—kṛṣṇa yāṁra antare bāhire, yāṁhā yāṁhā netra paḍe tāṁhā kṛṣṇa sphure. “The word kṛṣṇamayī refers to one who experiences Kṛṣṇa within and without. Wherever she looks, Kṛṣṇa appears.”(Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 4.85) Even Śrīmatī’s clothing, ornaments, perfumes and so on are all made from the ingredients of śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema.(3)

… nija lajjā-śyāma-paṭṭa-śāṭī paridhāna |

kṛṣṇa-anurāga dvitīya aruṇa basana | praṇaya-māna-kañculikāya bakṣa ācchādana ||

saundarya-kuṅkuma, sakhī praṇaya candana | smita-kānti karpūra—tine aṅga bilepana ||

kṛṣṇera ujjvala-rasa mṛga-mada-bhara | sei mṛga-made bicitrita kalebara ||

pracchanna-māna-bāmya dhammilla binyāsa | dhīrādhirātmaka guṇa aṅge paṭabāsa ||

rāga-tāmbūla rāge adhara ujjvala | prema-kauṭilya netra yugale kajjala |

sudīpta sāttvika-bhāba harṣādi sañcārī | ei saba bhāba-bhūṣaṇa saba aṅge bhari ||

kilakiñcitādi bhāba biṁśati bhūṣita | guṇa-śreṇī-puṣpa-mālā-sarbāṅge pūrita ||

saubhāgya tilaka cāru lalāṭe ujjvala | prema-baicitrya ratna hṛdaye tarala || ityādi ||

“Śrī Rādhā donned a red petticoat representing her love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and then a dark blue, silken skirt representing her shyness.(4) Her love-born anger covers her breasts as a bodice. Her beauty is symbolized by saffron (kuṅkuma), her love for her sakhīs by sandalwood paste (candana) and her smiling countenance by camphor (karpūra). These three are spread on her body as unguents. Her body is painted with fragrant musk that denotes her passion for Kṛṣṇa. Her contrariness caused by concealed anger takes the form of her hair tied in a bun. A silk shawl represents her dhīrādhīra quality. (A dhīrādhīra-nāyikā is a type of heroine whose anger is partially exhibited.) Her attachment for Kṛṣṇa is expressed as her lustrous lips reddened by tāmbūla. The collyrium around her eyes symbolizes her craftiness born of love. Her nature is pure and luminous, with transitory feelings of joy and such. All these ornaments of love adorn her limbs. She is decorated with twenty bhāvas (emotional states) including kilakiñcita (amorous agitation, weeping, laughing and so on). Her virtues are depicted by the flower garlands on every limb. Her good fortune is shown by the beautiful and radiant tilaka on her forehead and a sparkling jewel on her bosom symbolizes the diversity of her prema.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.168-176)

These are the particulars of the embodiment of the nectar of fully developed love! Mahābhāva must be understood through love—there is no other way. Śrī Rādhā is taḍil-latābhaṁ paraṁ jyotiḥ, radiant like a streak of lightning. One’s eyes are dazzled by the intense brightness of worldly lightning, but the lightning of mahābhāva-rasa soothes them. Countless waves of nectar play in the seer’s heart and mind. For this reason, that light is called parama, meaning excellent, delightful and bestowing all happiness. Vṛndāvana is brightened by Śrī Rādhā’s beautiful golden luster. nava-campaka-gaura-kāntibhiḥ, kṛta-vṛndāvana-hema-rūpatām; bhaja kām api viśva-mohinīṁ madhura-prema-rasādhidevatām. “Just worship the world-enchanting Śrī Rādhā, the presiding deity of sweet prema-rasa. Her complexion, golden like a new campaka flower, causes the verdant forests of Vraja to appear as golden.”(Saṅgīta-Mādhava 1.2) Arjuna said in Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 11.40, sarvaṁ samāpnoṣi tato’si sarvaḥ. “Because you pervade everything, you are everything.” In the same way, because Śrī Kṛṣṇa pervades the universe, he is called Viśva, the universe. Therefore, the name Viśva-Mohinī means that Rādhā’s pleasant golden complexion enchants Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam, Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has repeatedly described Kṛṣṇa as a jyoti or light, such as “A smile has bloomed on Jyoti’s face,” or sometimes, “A peacock feather has been placed on Jyoti’s head.” Therefore, this dark blue light appears to be embodied. The embodiment of the nectar of absolute love, Śrī Rādhā, who appears as a brilliant streak of lightning, is also the enchantress of Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s embodied light. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s heart and mind become soaked with ānanda-rasa when he sees Śrīmatī’s golden effulgence. Therefore, it has been said that her jyoti is bhagavato ratimat, meaning it is most desirable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The use of the word bhagavān in mādhurya-līlā hints at a particular flawless principle. Though being the fullest abode of the six kinds of aiśvarya, such as all power, courage, fame, wealth and so on, he constantly longs to taste Śrī Rādhā’s sweetness. Svarūpa (form, nature) and aiśvarya (opulence, power) serve as support for mādhurya (sweetness). He who is filled with unequaled aiśvarya and mādhurya is enchanted by the beauty and sweetness of Śrī Rādhā. Or, bhaga śrī kāma māhātmye iti abhidhānāt. Other definitions of the word bhaga, such as wealth, pleasure, greatness and so on can be found in a dictionary. Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the original abode of limitless beauty and sweetness, is also most eager to relish Śrī Rādhā’s beauty. vidhūnayati rādhike! tri-jagad eṣa rūpotsavaḥ. “O Rādhā! This festival of your beauty is causing the three worlds as well as myself to tremble.” (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 4.8) Śrī Rādhā’s amazing golden radiance cools the heart of Śrī Govinda, the abode of boundless beauty. Her effulgence has so much influence upon Saccidānanda Śrī Kṛṣṇa because it arises from mahābhāva. The mahājana Vidyāpati said the following about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pūrva-rāga:

yaṁhā yaṁhā pada-yuga dharai | taṁhi taṁhi saroruha bharai ||

yaṁhā yaṁhā jhalaka ta aṅga | taṁhi taṁhi bijurī-taraṅga ||

ki heriluṁ aparūpa gorī | paiṭhala hiya māhā mori ||

yaṁhā yaṁhā nayana-bikāśa | taṁhi kamala parakāśa ||

yaṁhā lahu hāsa sañcāra | taṁhi taṁhi amiyā bithāra ||

yaṁhā yaṁhā kuṭila kaṭākha | taṁhi madana-śara lākha ||

heraite so dhani thora | aba tina bhubana agora ||

puna kiye daraśana pāba | taba mohe iha dukha yāba ||

bidyāpati kaha jāni | tuya guṇe deyaba āni ||

“Wherever her feet touch, lotuses abound. Wherever there is a glimpse of her limbs, there is a flash of lightning. What incomparable golden form have I seen? She has entered within my heart. Wherever her eyes open, there a lotus blooms. Wherever her gentle smile appears, there nectar spreads. Wherever she casts a crooked, sidelong glance, there go countless arrows of the god of love. Having seen this fortunate girl for just a moment, the three worlds are astonished. Will I get to see her again? If so, then my misery will go away.” Vidyāpati says, “I know you will attract her through your charm.”

Moreover, this supreme light in the form of a bolt of lightning is also mysterious. Śrī Rādhā is the most profound truth. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.11, Śrī Śuka Muni has described the glory of Śrī Rādhā’s love in a hidden way. apy eṇa-patny upagataḥ ityādi. In his Laghu-Toṣaṇī commentary on this verse, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has given a simple explanation of Śrī Śuka Muni’s intention regarding the revelation of the unfathomable rādhā-tattva. Thus, athātreti vicāryate kām apy ādāya śrī-bhagavān-antarhitaḥ iti vyakti-bhaviṣyad api pūrvaṁ yan-munīndraḥ svayaṁ nasphuṭam uktavān tasyāyam abhiprāyaḥ. satsv api nānā-bhagavad-āvirbhāveṣu mama svayaṁ bhagavati śrī-kṛṣṇākhya eva tasminn āgraha-viśeṣa iti. tathā satsv api nānā tat-tat-parikareṣu śrī-vrajavāsiṣv eva sa iti. tathā satsv api teṣu śrī-vraja-devīṣv eva tato’py adhikataraḥ sa iti rahasyaṁ sarve’pi jñātavanta eva. kintu tāsv api satīṣu śrī-rādhikāyām evādhikatamaḥ sa iti na jñātavantaḥ. tad etan mad-āgraha-tāratamyaṁ ca tat-tad-utkarṣa-tāratamyād eva. asyāḥ parama-rahasyāyās tad etat tu sākṣāj jñāpayituṁ saṅkucati mac-cittam. jñāna-khalatā-bhiyā vijñāpayitum apīcchati tasmād asyāḥ sakhīnāṁ vacanāt tatrāpratītau ca pratipakṣānām api vacanād vyañjanaiva-vṛttyā yathāvasaraṁ madhye madhye prakaṭayiṣyāmaḥ. yadi ca jātu svayam apy āveśavaśāt prakaṭayiṣyāmaḥ tadā nāma tu tasyāḥ sākṣān na vakṣyāma iti. The meaning is that during the rāsa-līlā, Śrī Bhagavān took one gopikā and vanished. Although this was later clearly revealed in the words of Śrī Śukadeva, at the time of the disappearance, he did not mention it. His intention in this is that he was thinking, “Although there are stories of the various incarnations of Śrī Bhagavān in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I have a special interest in Vrajendranandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Even among the various parikaras (companions), I am most interested in the vrajavāsīs. Moreover, though there are many vrajavāsīs, I am most interested in the vrajadevīs. My audience has been able to understand this. But among the vrajadevīs, my greatest interest is in Śrī Rādhā, which my listeners cannot understand. Śrī Rādhā’s preeminence is most difficult to comprehend. Therefore, my mind and heart hesitate to make this known to them directly. On the other hand, if I know but do not speak about this, the fault of concealing knowledge arises. So, to protect both sides, I will reveal Śrī Rādhā’s greatness through the words of her sakhīs. However, the common people may lack faith in the words of Rādhā’s sakhīs because she is their dear companion: of course they will speak highly of her. Because of this, from time to time I will reveal Śrī Rādhā’s greatness through figurative expressions in the speech of both her rivals and her friends. Even if, in rapture, I were to speak about it myself, I will never directly mention Śrī Rādhā’s name.” Like this, Śrī Rādhā is a great mystery in all śāstras. At the conclusion of Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā, Śrī Bhagavān told Arjuna that the greatest secret is devotion based on the acceptance of shelter at the Lord’s feet (18.64-66). Prema is the fruit of bhakti and the essence of prema is mahābhāva. mahābhāva-svarūpā śrī-rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 4.69). “Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the embodiment of mahābhāva.” Therefore, according to kaimutika-nyāya (the logic of ‘how much more’ or ‘even more so’), the supreme mystique of Śrī Rādhā is naturally inferred. Though being such a mystical tattva, she appeared in the home of King Vṛṣabhānu to give her mercy to the jīvas. Because of this, the people of the world have found her. Otherwise, this mysterious tattva would have remained unknown to the world of jīvas. Śrīpāda is saying, “May my desire for service at the feet of the merciful Śrī Rādhā be nourished. O Rādhā! Let your causeless mercy fulfill this desire. You have appeared in the home of King Vṛṣabhānu bearing your spontaneous mercy. Please let a drop of that fall on this poor soul.” This is the implication.

Or, if Śrīpāda’s Vedantic friends should say, “Śrīpāda! Since your birth you have worshiped the radiant Brahman and are versed in all the śāstras. Why now are you so eager to be the maidservant of a human cowherd girl? And having given up the desire for mukti (liberation), you now long to serve her in life after life. Are you deranged?” In reply, he says, “Friends! You do not understand. Your nirviśeṣa-brahma(5) is the bodily luster of Śrī Govinda, who has been astonished and enchanted by the lightning-like effulgence of the object of my worship, Śrī Rādhā. She has assumed the more brilliant radiance of saviśeṣa-anurāga-rasa and appeared in the home of King Vṛṣabhānu. I long to be her dāsī. She is the supreme mystical light. Therefore, she is ever unknowable to minds tainted by the contemplation of Brahman.”

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1. A sthāyī-bhāva is a permanent condition of mind, a vibhāva is any condition that excites or develops a particular state of mind or body, and an anubhāva is an external sign or effect of emotion.

2.  Uddīpana means incitement, inspiration; sāttvika-vikāra means a state of body caused by some natural emotion; sañcārī-bhāva means a transient or evanescent feeling that strengthens the prevailing sentiment.

3.  Lavaṇākara-nyāya (the logic of salt water) says that whatever falls into salt water very quickly becomes salty itself.

4.  “Śrīmatī’s delicate crimson ruffled petticoat was effulgent like the sun. Upon that she tied a golden-threaded dress that kissed the tips of the moon-like nails on the toes of her lotus feet.” (Kṛṣṇāhnika-Kaumudī 2.65)

5.  Nirviśeṣa means without distinctions or qualities. Saviśeṣa means with them.