ঈষৎ মধুরস্মিত, বৈদগধি-লীলামৃত,
লুবধল ব্রজবধূবৃন্দ ।
চরণ-কমল পর, মণিময় নূপুর,
নখমণি যেন বালচন্দ্র ॥ ৬৪ ॥
īṣat madhura-smita, baidagadhi-līlāmṛta,
lubadhala braja-badhū-bṛnda |
caraṇa-kamala para, maṇimaya nūpura,
nakha-maṇi yena bāla-candra || 64 ||
By his gentle, sweet smile and the nectar of his clever pastimes he allures the girls of Vraja. He wears jeweled anklets on his lotus feet and his toenails are like brilliant crescent moons.
The Ardent Desire of the Girls of Vraja
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse the most honorable author is describing the beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s gentle smile, his expertise in the nectar of līlā, his anklets and his moonstone-like nails. raso vai saḥ, sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ madhu. The premika poets are the best guides in how to experience Śrī Bhagavān in his sweet and charming form and in how to taste that most excellent vraja-līlā-rasa. A fountain of Vraja charm gushes in their narrations. By a slight experience of such mādhurya, the sanctity of Goloka is transmitted even into a mind scented with desires for sense-objects. The current of the Mandākinī of prema-bhakti flows even into a hot and dry desert-like heart. Moreover, the nature of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya is such that even though the premika may taste abundant sweetness, a deep hunger for more is awakened in him and his enjoyment becomes boundless. Śrīman Mahāprabhu was floating in an endless river of mādhurya as he described Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness to Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda. Prabhu said to Śrī Sanātana, “Sanātana! Kṛṣṇa’s mādhurya is an ocean of nectar; my mind is feverish and I want to drink it all. Unfortunate as I am, my physician does not give me even one drop.” As much enjoyment, that much thirst; as much thirst, that much enjoyment!
Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first describes Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s smile and the nectar of his pastimes: īṣat madhura-smita, baidagadhi-līlāmṛta, lubadhala braja-badhū-bṛnda. By his delightful smile and the nectar of his clever pastimes, or by the sweetness of his mood and his skillful gestures in the arts of amorous sport, he allures the girls of Vraja. Śrīmad Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has described the power of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s smile:
prapanna-janatā-tamaḥ-kṣapaṇa-śāradendu-prabhā-
vrajāmbuja-vilocanā-smara-samṛddhi-siddhauṣadhiḥ |
viḍambita-sudhāmbudhi-prabala-mādhurī-ḍambarā
bibhartu tava mādhava smita-kaḍamba-kāntir mudam ||
“O Mādhava! May the luster of your charming smile bless me with boundless joy. Like moonlight, your smile destroys the darkness in the hearts of those who take refuge in you. It increases the loving feelings of the lotus-eyed girls of Vraja and surpasses the sweetness of an ocean of nectar.” (Śrī-Govinda-Virudāvali 19) In the narration of śrī-rāsa-līlā in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the vraja-sundarīs themselves have repeatedly described their longing for the mādhurya of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s smile and his expertise in the amorous arts. Upon hearing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s words of rejection, they replied in verse 10.29.35,
siñcāṅga nas tvad-adharāmṛta-pūrakeṇa
hāsāvaloka-kala-gīta-ja-hṛcchayāgnim |
no ced vayaṁ viraha-jāgny-upayukta-dehā
dhyānena yāma padayoḥ padavīṁ sakhe te ||
“O Kṛṣṇa! With a stream of nectar from your lips, please extinguish the fire of passion in our hearts, ignited by your smiling glance and the sweet sound of your flute. Otherwise, O friend, we shall burn in the fire of your separation, and by remembering your lotus feet at every moment, we shall be brought to you in our next lives.” Moreover, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.38, they said,
tan naḥ prasīda vṛjinārdana te’ṅghri-mūlaṁ
prāptā visṛjya vasatīs tvad-upāsanāśāḥ |
tvat-sundara-smita-nirīkṣaṇa-tīvra-kāma-
taptātmanāṁ puruṣa-bhūṣaṇa dehi dāsyam ||
“O remover of all miseries! We have abandoned our homes and have come to you with the hope of serving your lotus feet. O jewel among men! Your smiling, sidelong glances are causing our bodies and minds to burn in the fire of love. Please be gracious to us and give us the sevā we desire.” In the śrī-gopī-gītā, verse 10.31.10, they said,
prahasitaṁ priya prema-vīkṣitaṁ
viharaṇaṁ ca te dhyāna-maṅgalam |
rahasi saṁvido yā hṛdi-spṛśaḥ
kuhaka no manaḥ kṣobhayanti hi ||
“O dear one! O crest jewel of rogues! Our hearts and minds have become perturbed by seeing your gentle smile, your loving sidelong glances and your seductive gestures; by hearing your joking words and by the sound of your flute in a lonely place.” Moreover, in verse 10.31.17 they said,
rahasi saṁvidaṁ hṛc-chayodayaṁ
prahasitānanaṁ prema-vīkṣaṇam |
bṛhad-uraḥ śriyo vīkṣya dhāma te
muhur atispṛhā muhyate manaḥ ||
“Our romantic conversations with you in solitary places; your smiling face and loving glances, which incite passion in our hearts; seeing your broad chest, the abode of beauty: all these cause our minds to swoon again and again with desire.” In the mahājanas’ poetic narrations of Śrī Rādhā’s pūrva-rāga, splendid descriptions are found of the vraja-sundarīs being enchanted by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweet, slightly smiling face and his skill in the amorous arts. From the Pada-Kalpa-Taru:
cikaṇa kālā galāya mālā bājana-nūpura pāya |
cūḍāra phule bhramara bule teracha nayāne cāya ||
kālindīra kūle ki āja pekhaluṅ chaliyā nāgara kāna |
ghara mu yāite nāriluṅ sai ākula karila prāṇa ||
cānda-jhalamali mayūrera pākhā cūḍāya uḍaye bāya |
īṣata hāsi madhura bāṁśī madhura madhura gāya ||
rasera bhare aṅga nā dhare keli-kadambe helā |
kulabatī satī yubatī janāra parāṇa laiyā khelā ||
śrabaṇe cañcala makara-kuṇḍala pindhana piyala bāsa |
rātā utapala caraṇa yugala nichani gobinda dāsa ||
“His complexion is dark, he wears a garland round his neck and jingling anklets on his feet. Bees caress the flowers in his hair. He looks with sidelong glances. Did I see the beguiling lover Śrī Kṛṣṇa on the banks of the Kālindī today? I am unable to go home; he has made my heart anxious. The peacock feathers on his crown, which shimmer like the moon, flutter in the breeze. He smiles slightly, plays his flute sweetly and sings even more sweetly. Unable to bear the weight of rasa, he leans against a favorite kadamba tree. He steals the hearts of chaste girls from virtuous families and then toys with them. Dolphin-shaped earrings swing from his ears and he wears yellow clothing. Govinda Dāsa worships his reddish lotus feet.” Again, from the Pada-Kalpa-Taru:
ḍhala ḍhala sajala, jalada tanu śohana, mohana ābharaṇa sāja |
aruṇa nayana gati, bijurī camaka jiti, dagadhala kulabatī-lāja ||
sajani! yaba dhari pekhaluṅ kāna |
taba dhari jaga bhari, bharala kusuma-śara, nayane nā heriye āna ||
majhu mukha daraśi, bihasi tanu moḍai, bigalita mohana baṁśa |
nā jāniye kona, manorathe ākula, kiśalaya-dale karu daṁśa ||
ataye se majhu mana, jvalatahi anukhana, dolata capala parāṇa |
gobinda dāsa, michai āśoyāsala, abahuṅ nā milala kāna ||
“His beautiful body is like a dark raincloud decorated with captivating clothing and ornaments. The movements of his reddish eyes are more beautiful than a flash of lightning; he scorches the modesty of virtuous girls. Friend! I saw Kṛṣṇa walking on the path. Since then, the entire world has been covered with Cupid’s arrows. My eyes see nothing but Kṛṣṇa. When he sees me, he smiles and curves his body. His charming flute slips from his hand. Confused and agitated by desire, he begins to chew a tender leaf.* Therefore, my mind burns constantly and my restless heart wavers. Govinda Dāsa consoles himself with a fantasy; he still has not met Kṛṣṇa.”
Then, in the second half of this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya describes the beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, his jeweled anklets and his toenails. caraṇa-kamala para, maṇimaya nūpura, nakha-maṇi yena bāla-candra. The significance of comparing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s incomparable feet with lotuses has been shown by Śrī Kavi Karṇapūra in the maṅgalācaraṇa (prayer for success) of his Śrī-Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ (verse 1.2):
śoṇa-snigdhāṅgulī-dala-kulaṁ jāta-rāgaṁ parāgaiḥ
śrī-rādhāyāḥ stana-mukulayoḥ kuṅkuma-kṣoda-rūpaiḥ |
bhakta-śraddhā-madhu-nakha-mahaḥ-puñja kiñjalka-jālaṁ
jaṅghā-nālaṁ caraṇa-kamalaṁ pātu naḥ pūtanāreḥ ||
“May the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Pūtanā, always protect us. His tender, crimson toes are the petals; the saffron from Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts is the pollen; the faith of his bhaktas is the honey; the radiance of his toenails is the cluster of filaments and his shanks are the stalks.” Jeweled anklets always jingle melodiously on his lotus feet. After perceiving that sound, Śrīpāda Līlāśuka wrote the following in Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam 16:
maṇi-nūpura-vācālaṁ
vande tac-caraṇaṁ vibhoḥ |
lalitāni yadīyāni
lakṣmāṇi vraja-vīthiṣu ||
“I worship Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, whose jeweled anklets always jingle sweetly and whose charming impressions are found on the pathways of Vraja.” Then, during a mystical experience of the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s anklets, he said in verse 17,
mama cetasi sphuratu ballavī-vibhor
maṇi-nūpura-praṇayi-mañju-śiñjitam |
kamalā-vane-cara-kalinda-kanyakā-
kalahaṁsa-kaṇṭha-kala-kūjitādṛtam ||
“May the captivating sound of the jeweled anklets on the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the lover of the gopīs, manifest in my thoughts. This tinkling sound is sweeter than even the sweet calls of a swan wandering through a lotus cluster in the Kālindī River.” Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya describes the mādhurya of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s toenails: nakha-maṇi yena bāla-candra. His toenails are like brilliant crescent moons. The reading nakha-maṇi jhalamala candre is also seen, meaning his jewel-like toenails shimmer like the moon. Śrīpāda Kavi Karṇapūra has written the following in his Śrī-Caitanya-Candrodaya-Nāṭakam 7.12:
līḍhāneva pathaś cakora-yuvatī-yūthena yāḥ kurvate
sadyaḥ sphāṭikayanti ratna-ghaṭitāṁ yāḥ pāda-pīṭhāvalīm |
yāḥ prakṣālita-mṛṣṭayor jala-lava-prasyanda-śaṅkākṛtas
tāḥ kṛṣṇasya padābjayor nakha-maṇi-jyotsnāś ciraṁ pāntu naḥ ||
“May the splendor from the jewel-like nails on Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet always protect us. After attracting some young cakorī birds (who subsist on moonlight), this radiance seems to make them lick the path where he walked.** It instantly causes the jewel-studded footstools to sparkle like crystal. Seeing this splendor makes us wonder if glistening drops of water are oozing from the tips of his lotus feet, though they’ve been washed and dried.”***
*I based my translation of this poem on the explanation given in the Vaiṣṇava Padāvalī, edited by Śrī Harekṛṣṇa Mukhopādhyāya. At this point in the text, he inserts parenthetically, “By this gesture, is he making known his intention to kiss my lips?”
**The young cakorīs think there must be some drops of moonlight on the path.
***If his feet have been washed and dried, why are there still drops of water on his toes? Ah, it’s the splendor of his nails!
