জলদ-সুন্দর-কাঁতি, মধুর মধুর ভাতি,
বৈদগধি অবধি সুবেশ ।
পীত-বসন-ধর, আভরণ-মণিবর,
মযূরচন্দ্রিকা করু কেশ ॥ ৬২ ॥
jalada-sundara-kāṅti, madhura madhura bhāti,
baidagadhi abadhi subeśa |
pīta-basana-dhara, ābharaṇa-maṇibara,
mayūra-candrikā karu keśa || 62 ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion is like a beautiful dark raincloud; his radiance is sweeter than sweet. The best of dressers, he wears a brilliant yellow cloth, jeweled ornaments, and a peacock feather in his hair.
टीका–मधुर मधुर–मधुरादपि मधुरम् अतिशयमधुरमित्यर्थः ।
Kṛṣṇa is the Best of Dressers
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: After explaining smaraṇāṅga-bhakti, the rāga-sādhaka’s principal sādhana, Śrīla Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya discussed the meditator’s enjoyment of his beloved deity’s mādhurya. At that time, a vision of the beautiful form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of sweetness, appeared before his love-filled eyes. Therefore, in four verses he describes the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form and the method of dressing and decorating it. He sees that Vṛndāvana has been illumined by the splendor from Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dark-cloud body. Therefore, he first describes his beautiful complexion: jalada-sundara-kāṅti, madhura madhura bhāti. An amazing magical charm has been kept within the descriptions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form given by the great premika devotees. Truly, they are wizards at describing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is beyond the range of the senses; he is only perceptible to the love-filled eyes of the premika devotees. Though no language or sentiment in the material world can describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, still, the loving sentiments and language of the premika poets are so powerful that through only a few words they can awaken an unprecedented taste of Bhagavān’s divine sweetness in the hearts and minds of the audience. Thoughtful, rasika devotees will realize that these few words of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya (jalada-sundara-kāṅti, madhura madhura bhāti) have given us an idea of just how amazing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s appearance is. By these words we generally take jalada to mean that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s luster is more beautiful than a new raincloud. His sweeter-than-sweet form is very attractive! The poets have compared Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form to a blue lotus, a sapphire, ground collyrium, a new raincloud and many other things. But truly, how is it possible to compare Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form with all those worldly objects? Those who can perceive it say that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is incomparable. He can only be compared to himself. Still, they try to give a little idea of his beauty to the bhaktas who are thirsty for devotion to him, as Śrīla Govindadāsa has written in his Padāvalī: kubalaya nīla-ratana, dalitāñjana megha-puñja, jini baraṇa suchānda. The kubalaya or blue lotus is no doubt soft and smooth, but at night it contracts or withers. So then he says, nīla-ratana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion is like a sapphire. A sapphire shines with the same splendor, day or night; but is it as brilliant as Kṛṣṇa’s splendor? Therefore he says, dalitāñjana. Ground collyrium is no doubt glossy, but is there any rasa in that? Therefore he says, megha-puñja. There is indeed rasa (water) in a cluster of rainclouds, but is there much sweetness in them? Therefore he says, jini baraṇa suchānda. Even if the softness and smoothness of a blue lotus, the splendor of a sapphire, the gloss of ground collyrium and the freshness of a cluster of clouds were all joined together, they would not compare to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion. It is incomparable. Then why make the effort of giving the example of a new raincloud? The bhakta poets have also shown the significance of that; Śrīla Jñānadāsa has written of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s attraction to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form:
ki rūpa dekhilāma kālindī-kūle | aparūpa megha kadamba-mūle ||
acala capalā meghera gāya | mṛgāṅka-rahita śaśāṅka bhāya ||
nāciche mayūra jalada’pari | ali-kula āche cāṅdere gheri ||
āra aparūpa kahila nahe | yathā megha tathā bāri nā rahe ||
hṛdaya-ākāśe udaya kari | nayana-yugale bahāya bāri ||
hena mane laya bijuri haye | jaḍāye thāki meghera gāye ||
jñānadāsa kahe nā kaha āna | ye kahilā dhani sei-ta pramāṇa ||
Śrī Rādhārāṇī says, “What form have I seen beneath the kadamba trees on the banks of the Yamunā? It is incomparably beautiful! It is a very amazing cloud. Restless lightning is beautified by the clouds in the sky, but this cloud beautifies steady lightning (his yellow cloth). A full moon is seen within a cloud in the sky, but that moon has spots. A spotless full moon (face) shines beautifully within this extraordinary cloud. This moon has a unique quality in that it is surrounded by a beautiful swarm of bees (curling locks of hair). This cloud also has a unique quality: if a peacock on the ground sees a cloud in the sky, he begins to dance. But a peacock is dancing on top of this cloud (a crown of peacock feathers on his head). Wherever this cloud is, there is no rain; but after appearing in the sky of the seer’s heart, it causes tears to rain from her eyes. Having seen it, I think to myself, ‘Let me become lightning and remain in this cloud’s embrace.’ Jñānadāsa says, ‘Beautiful Rādhe! Please don’t speak of anything else; you have spoken the truth.’” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has therefore said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful, dark raincloud complexion is sweeter than sweet.
After seeing the manner in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa had been dressed and decorated, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, baidagadhi abadhi subeśa. kalā-vilāsa-digdhātmā vidagdha iti kīrtate (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ). One who is highly skilled in various kinds of practical arts and love sports is called vidagdha. The way that Śyāmasundara is adorned with clothing and ornaments indicates his boundless expertise in amorous play and the practical arts. The dhīra-lalita-nāyaka (calm and charming lover) Śrī Nandanandana is unique in the excellence of his beauty, the manner of his dressing and decorating, and in the sweetness of his moods and gestures. But this discussion is not about an ordinary worldly lover. Vrajendranandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is more beautiful than all other forms of Śrī Bhagavān, beginning from the transcendental lover Śrī Nārāyaṇa, the origin of the lords of the spiritual sky. If considered impartially, it will be understood that there is no such sweetness of form anywhere else, nor is there such a manner of dressing and decorating. Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s dear companion Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya has described this in his Śrī-Jagannātha-Vallabha-Nāṭaka:
mṛdutara-māruta-velli-pallava-vallī-valita-śikhaṇḍam |
tilaka-viḍambita-marakata-maṇi-tala-bimbita-śaśadhara-khaṇḍam ||
yuvatī-manohara-veśam |
kalaya-kalānidhim iva dharaṇīm anu pariṇata-rūpa-viśeṣam ||
khelā-dolāyita-maṇimaya-kuṇḍala-ruci-rucira-nava-śobham |
helā-taralita-madhura-vilocana-janita-vadhūjana-lobham ||
“The peacock feather upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s head moves slightly in the gentle breeze. The beautiful sandalwood-paste tilaka on his dark blue forehead appears like a crescent moon reflected on the surface of an emerald. His manner of dress is very captivating to the young girls. It is as though the autumnal full moon has assumed an extraordinary form and descended upon the earth. Jeweled earrings in the shape of dolphins happily swing to and fro upon his ears. His playful, restless and charming eyes awaken strong desire in the hearts of the girls.” The bhaktas can easily understand that there is no description anywhere of another form of Bhagavān having such expertise in dressing. In Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya’s quoted verse there is an unprecedented conjunction of circumstances regarding the manner of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dress and the course of his emotions that is most enjoyable to the devotees.
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya himself describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s artistic manner of dress in the next three and a half verses. First, in the second half of this verse he says, pīta-basana-dhara, ābharaṇa-maṇibara, mayūra-candrikā karu keśa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s brilliant yellow cloth shines like lightning on his dark body, more beautiful than a fresh raincloud. Ornaments made of colorful precious jewels become more beautiful on his handsome form. Or alternatively, the kaustubha, that best of jewels, glimmers upon his throat. A crown of peacock feathers has been placed atop his locks of curling hair. Once, in Nīlācala, Śrīman Mahāprabhu had a vision of Śrī Vṛndāvana while in a flower garden near the beach. In the mood of a gopī in the rāsa dance, he began to ask the trees, creepers and so on about news of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Seeing Kṛṣṇa, the enchanter of countless gods of love, beneath a kadamba tree, he fell into a swoon. After Svarūpa Dāmodara and the other bhaktas revived him, he was filled with emotion and spoke incoherently. He then had a pleasant memory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unprecedented beauty (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 15.64-68):
naba-ghana snigdha-barṇa, dalitāñjana cikkaṇa,
indībara nindi sukomala |
jini upamāna-gaṇa, hare sabāra netra-mana,
kṛṣṇa-kānti parama prabala ||
kaha sakhi! ki kari upāya? |
kṛṣṇādbhuta balāhaka, mora netra cātaka,
nā dekhi piyāse mari yāya ||
saudāminī pītāmbara, sthira rahe nirantara,
muktā-hāra baka-pāṅti bhāla |
indra-dhanu śikhi-pākhā, upare diyāche dekhā,
āra dhanu baijayantī-māla ||
muralīra kala-dhvanī, madhura garjana śuni,
bṛndābane nāce mayūra-caya |
akalaṅka pūrṇa-kala, lābaṇya-jyotsnā jhalamala,
citra-candrera tāhāte udaya ||
līlāmṛta bariṣaṇe, siñce caudda-bhubane,
hena megha yabe dekhā dila |
durdaiba-jhañjhā-pabane, megha nila anya-sthāne,
mare cātaka pīte nā pāila ||
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion is most beautiful; it has no comparison and it steals the eyes and minds of all. It is cooling like a new raincloud, lustrous like ground collyrium and softer than a blue lotus. Tell me, friend, what can I do? Kṛṣṇa is a wonderful cloud and my eyes are cātaka birds. If they cannot see him, they will die of thirst. His yellow dress is like steady lightning; his pearl necklace is like a row of white herons. He wears two rainbows: one, the peacock feather upon his head, and the other, his vaijayantī garland. After hearing the sweet rumble of his mellow flute, the peacocks in Vṛndāvana begin to dance. An amazing spotless full moon appears within this cloud, haloed by the shimmering moonlight of his charm. This cloud soaks the fourteen worlds with a shower of the nectar of his pastimes. When I once got to see him, he was blown to another place by the stormy wind of misfortune. The cātakas will die if they cannot drink.” Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has described with delicious similes and other literary devices Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s raincloud complexion, yellow cloth, jeweled ornaments and peacock feather crown. Truly, there is nothing comparable in this world.
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