Sri Bhagavan’s Sweetness (madhurya) and the Way to Experience It

(From Madhurya-Tattva-Vijnana, by Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja)

Sri Jivapada has written, mAdhuryam asamordhvatayA sarva-manoharaM svAbhAvika-rUpa-guNa-lIlAdi-sauSThavam. “Sri Hari’s unequalled and all-attractive natural form, qualities and pastimes comprise his madhurya or sweetness.” Srila Rupa Gosvamipada said, mAdhuryaM nAma ceSTAnAM sarvAvasthAsu cArutA. “Sri Hari’s charm in all circumstances is called his madhurya.” Vraja-dhama is the abode of sweetness and Vrajendranandana Sri Krishna is the direct embodiment of that sweetness. The beauty and charm of his unparalleled, naturally all-attractive form, qualities and pastimes have been clearly displayed within his lila. Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada has written, mahaizvaryasya dyotane vAdyotane ca nara-lIlatvAnatikramo mAdhuryam. yathA pUtanA-prANa-hAritve’pi stana-cUSaNa-lakSmaNa-nara-bAla-lIlatvam eva. mahAkaThora-zakaTa-sphoTane’py atisukumAra-caraNa-traimAsikyottAnazAyi-bAla-lIlatvam. mahAdIrgha-dAmAzakya-bandhatve’pi mAtR-bhIti-vaiklavyam. brahmA-baladevAdi mohane’pi sarva-jJatve’pi vatsa-cAraNa-lIlatvam. tathA aizvarya-sattva eva tasyAdyotane dadhi-paya-cauryaM gopa-strI-lAmpaTyAdikam. aizvarya-rahita-kevala-nara-lIlatvena maugdhyam eva mAdhuryam ity ukteH krIDA-capala-prAkRta-nara-bAlakeSv api maugdhyaM mAdhuryam iti tathA na nirvAcyam (RAga-Vartma-CandrikA 2.3). “Whether great aisvarya is manifest or concealed, so long as there is no inconsistency in the human nature of the pastime, that is called madhurya. For example, even while taking the life of a very powerful demoness like Putana, Sri Krishna maintained his mood as a breast-feeding human child. He also appeared to be a three-month-old child, lying on his back, as he destroyed the solid, heavy cart with his soft, lotus feet. Another time, he became very perturbed out of fear of his mother as she tried to tie him with a long cord. Despite his omniscience, Sri Krishna innocently tended the cows and calves in the pastime wherein Brahma and Baladeva became bewildered. Also, even though his aisvarya was present, it remained hidden as he stole curds and milk and lusted after the gopas’ wives. If the charm of mere human pastimes devoid of aisvarya were to be called madhurya, then the charm of any ordinary playful human child would be known as madhurya, but such a characterization is inappropriate.

The vast degree of aisvarya that is displayed in Sri Krishna’s Vrndavana pastimes, from his childhood up through the crown jewel of all pastimes, the rasa-lila, hasn’t been shown in the lilas of Mathura, Dvaraka or of any other form of God. Still, because all those vraja-lilas have been ornamented with such boundless madhurya, if any awe or hesitation happens to arise within the devotee savoring the lila-rasa, his mind is not completely overcome with aisvarya-jnana. The killing of Putana, the breaking of the cart, the killing of Trnavarta, Bakasura and Aghasura, the lifting of Govardhana, the subduing of Kaliya, consuming the forest fire, the bewilderment of Brahma and countless other lilas bear witness to this. When Brahma stole Sri Krishna’s calves and cowherd boys, Sri Krishna personally assumed the forms of innumerable calves and boys, causing the affectionate gopis and cows to experience vatsalya-rasa. After a year had passed, Brahma saw Sri Krishna and the cowherd boys tending the calves. Not only that, but when he beheld each cowherd boy as a form of Narayana, he became completely bewildered. Therefore, in the prayers of Brahma we find this:

jAnanta eva jAnantu kiM bahUktyA na me prabho |
manaso vapuSo vAco vaibhavaM tava gocaraH ||

“O Lord! If someone in this world claims to know you, then let them do so. What more can be said about that? But not even one drop of the ocean of your glory lies within the range of my body, mind or words.” (BhAg. 10.14.38)

It is completely beyond the reach of human intelligence how Sri Krishna expanded himself into innumerable forms and simultaneously danced between each two gopis in the rasa-lila. Not only that, but after the rasa dance, he dallied in the kunjas with each of the gopis separately. But such aisvarya, being sunk to the floor of the unfathomable ocean of madhurya, also nourishes that madhurya. This is fascinating because the weight of boundless madhurya rests upon boundless aisvarya. Therefore, Srila Gosvamipada says the following:

karuNA-nikuramba-komale madhuraizvarya-vizeSa-zAlinI |
jayati vraja-rAja-nandane nahi cintA-kaNikAbhyudeti naH ||

“When that most wonderful son of the king of Vraja is present before us, because he is so compassionate, gentle and sweetly powerful, we never feel even a speck of anxiety.” The message of this extraordinary assurance is that the one to be served is as sweet and compassionate as he is powerful. If that were not the case, fallen jivas like me, who have always been averse to the Lord and are devoid of any sadhana-bhajana, would find it completely impossible to cross by their own power the troublesome ocean of worldly life and attain seva at Sri Krishna’s lotus feet. The vrajavasis, with their pure, sweet sensibilities, always taste this incomparable madhurya of Sri Vrajarajanandana. Srila Visvanatha Cakravartipada has written, Izvaro’yam ity anusandhAne’pi hRt-kampa-janaka-sambhrama-gandhasyAnudgamAt svIya-bhAvasyAtisthairyam eva yad utpAdayati tan mAdhurya-jJAnam (RAga-Vartma-CandrikA 2.5) “If after close scrutiny one considers that ‘He is God,’ but one’s own bhava (sambandha) remains firm and not even the scent of the awe and reverence that causes one’s heart to pound arises, that is called madhurya-jnana.” Srila Visvanatha has given evidence in this example: ‘vandinas tam upadeva-gaNA ye gIta-vAdya-balibhiH parivavruH.’ iti ‘vandyamAna-caraNaH pathi vRddhaiH’ iti ca yugala-gItokteH, goSThaM prati gavAnayana-samaye brahmendra-nAradAdibhiH kRtasya kRSNa-stuti-gIta-vAdyaM pUjopahAra-pradAna-pUrvaka-caraNa-vandanasya dRSTatve’pi zrIdAma-subalAdInAM sakhya-bhAvasyAzaithilyam. tasya tasya zrutatve’pi vraja-bAlAnAM madhura-bhAvasyAzaithilyam. tathaiva vraja-rAja-kRta-tad-AzvAsana-vAkyair vrajezvaryA api nAsti vAtsalya-zaithilya-gandho ’pi pratyuta dhanyaivAhaM yasyAyaM mama putraH paramezvara iti manasy abhinandane putra-bhAvasya dArDhyam eva. yathA prAkRtyA eva mAtuH putrasya pRthvIzvaratve sati tat-putra-bhAvaH sphIta evAvabhAti. evaM dhanyA eva vayaM yeSAM sakhA ca paramezvara yAsAM preyAn paramezvara iti sakhAnAM preyasInAM ca sva-sva-bhAva-dArDhyam eva jJeyam.

“By quoting from Srimad-Bhagavata, Sripada Visvanatha gives evidence showing that even after seeing or hearing of Sri Krishna’s extraordinary aisvarya, his Vraja companions, steeped in madhurya-jnana, experience no awe or hesitation or any weakening of their relationship with Krishna. In yugala-gita of Srimad-Bhagavata (10.35), when Sri Krishna and his friends were returning home from the northern pasture with the cows, one gopi, after determining the cause for his delay, soothed Mother Yasomati, saying, ‘O Yasoda! Krishna will be a little late coming home because the Gandharvas and other demigods are worshipping him with vocal and instrumental music, flowers, and so on. Moreover, on the path, Brahma and other wise ones praised his lotus feet.’ From the statements in sri-yugala-gita, we can understand that even though Sridama, Subala and Krishna’s other friends directly witnessed Brahma, Indra, Narada and other devas worshipping Krishna with prayers, songs, instrumental music, showers of flowers and so on, their feelings of friendship with him didn’t weaken at all. And even after hearing of all this from Krishna’s friends, the young girls of Vraja didn’t lose even a drop of their madhura-bhava for him. After the lifting of Govardhana Hill, when Sri Nanda Maharaja’s subjects described to him Sri Krishna’s extraordinary display of power, he comforted them by telling them of Sri Garga Muni’s statement that the qualities or power of Sri Narayana would be manifest in Sri Krishna. Because of those words of assurance, even though she heard the tales of Sri Krishna’s power, Vrajesvari Mata’s motherly affection didn’t diminish at all. Rather, she thought, ‘My son is God; therefore I’m very fortunate.’ By the appearance of such deep motherly feelings in her heart, the firmness of her conception of Krishna as her son is established. Even in this world it is seen that if some mundane mother’s son has become king of the earth, rather than her motherly affection toward him being diminished, it is actually further nourished and strengthened. In the same way, when Krishna’s sakhas say, ‘We are very lucky that our friend is God,’ or when his girlfriends say, ‘Our beloved is God; therefore we are very fortunate,’ it may be understood that their particular moods have been nourished.”

Like a piece of straw in a milk cauldron, in Vraja, aisvarya remains immersed deep within the pure ocean of madhurya. But just as when the milk is heated, the straw floats to the surface, when the Vrajavasis’ pure ocean of raga becomes heated and agitated by the fire of viraha, then aisvarya becomes perceptible. Sripada Baladeva Vidyabhusana has written, mAdhurya-niSThAnAm aizvarya-jJAnaM triveNyAM sarasvatI-pravAhavad gauNatayAsti. virahe vismaye vipadi ca tasyodaya parvaNi sArasvatasyeva pravAhasya (SiddhAnta-Ratna). “Like the current of the Sarasvati in the TrivenI, the aisvarya-jnana of bhaktas established in madhurya remains subordinate, but like the flow of the Sarasvati on the full moon day, it appears during times of separation, wonder and adversity.” But because of the absence of awe and reverence even at the appearance of aisvarya-jnana, it can’t really be called aisvarya-jnana. The nature of Vraja’s pure madhurya-jnana is such that, even though the Vrajavasis see with their own eyes the evidence of Sri Krishna’s boundless opulence, not even a little hesitation appears within their hearts. Indeed, rather than their relationship with Krishna diminishing, it is actually nourished. dekhile nA mAne aizvarya kevalAra rIti (C.C.). “The nature of the purest ones is that if they see aisvarya, they don’t acknowledge it.” Sri Jivapada has referred to this pure love of Vraja as the means to experience madhurya. Here ‘pure love’ or suddha-priti is described as being vraja-priti, devoid of even the scent of the awe and reverence of aisvarya-jnana. As much as love is devoid of limiting properties, to that degree the love is pure. In the kingdom of prema, even aisvarya-jnana is a limiting property. Other than Vraja, in all the other abodes of Bhagavan, love is mixed with aisvarya-jnana. In Vraja, love is pure, limitless prema, devoid of aisvarya-jnana.