শীতল-কিরণ-কর, কল্পতরু গুণধর,
তরু-লতা ছয়-ঋতু সেবা ।
গোবিন্দ আনন্দময়, নিকটে বনিতাচয়,
মধুর বিহার অতিশোভা ॥ ৬৭ ॥
śītala-kiraṇa-kara, kalpa-taru guṇa-dhara,
taru-latā chaya-ṛtu sebā |
gobinda ānanda-maya, nikaṭe banitā-caya,
madhura bihāra atiśobhā || 67 ||
Śrī Vṛndāvana is illumined by the soothing rays of the moon. Her trees and creepers are like desire trees; she is served by the six seasons. The sweet pastimes of joyful Govinda with his girlfriends are very beautiful.
The Beauty of Śrī Vṛndāvana
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: By saying tribhubane śobhā-sāra, hena sthāna nāhi āra in the last half of the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given a hint of the splendor of Śrī Vṛndāvana, the most beautiful place in the three worlds. In this verse, he gives a brief description of that beauty: śītala-kiraṇa-kara, kalpa-taru guṇa-dhara, taru-latā chaya-ṛtu sebā. Śītala-kiraṇa-kara means Śrī Vṛndāvana is illumined by the soothing rays of the moon. In the previous verse it was said, bṛndābana-bhūmi tejomaya. The self-luminous Vrajabhūmi personally appears here. Because of this, there is no need for the sun or moon, so they rise only to nourish the earthly līlā. But that sun and moon are not like the material universe; they are cinmaya or spiritual and constantly drop beams of sweetness and charm. In his commentary on the śriyaḥ kāntāḥ verse of Śri-Brahma-Saṁhitā, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written the following regarding the words cid-ānandaṁ jyotiḥ param api tad-āsvādyam api ca: jyotir laukika-līlā-mādhuryāya mahāpralaye’py anaśvaraṁ sūryādi-rūpaṁ yat tatra vartate, tathā teṣām āsvādyam api yat kiñcit tat sarvaṁ cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ param api parama-tattvam eva, na tu prākṛtam. candrārkayoḥ sthitiś ca tatra vilakṣaṇatvenaiva gautamīya-tantre kathitā. samānodita-candrārkam iti hi vṛndāvana-viśeṣaṇam. samānatvaṁ ca rātrau rātrau rākā-candramayatvād iti (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Sandarbhaḥ 172 anuḥ). “Even though the dhāma is self-manifest and self-luminous, still, to reveal the sweetness of the humanlike pastimes, an indestructible sun and moon shine there even after the universal dissolution. That light and everything else to be enjoyed by the residents of that cinmaya-dhāma is spiritual, of the nature of consciousness and joy. Nothing there is material. The uncommon existence of the sun and moon there has been described in the Gautamīya-Tantra. Vṛndāvana has a samānodita-candrārkam or ‘uniformly risen moon and sun.’ There, the full moon rises every night!” The soothing halo of that full moon spreads across the heavens and falls upon the bosom of Vṛndāvana’s spiritual form, keeping the place of Śrī Gopīnātha’s pastimes with the gopīs pleasant, charming and radiant with joy.
All of Śrī Vṛndāvana’s trees and creepers bear the qualities of a kalpa-taru or kalpa-latā (wish-fulfilling tree or creeper). In Śrī-Brahma-Saṁhitā, the words kalpa-taravo drumāḥ mean that every tree in Vṛndāvana is a kalpa-taru. In the Rudra-Yāmala-Tantra, Śrīman Mahādeva said to Śrī Gaurī Devī,
vīthyāṁ vīthyāṁ nivāso’dhara-madhu-suvacas tatra santānakānām
eke rākendu-koṭy-ātapa-viśada-karās teṣu caike kamante |
rāme rātrer virāme samudita-tapana-dyoti-sindhūpameya
ratnāṅgānāṁ suvarṇa-cita-mukura-rucas tebhya eke drumendrāḥ ||
yat-kusumaṁ yadā mṛgyaṁ yat phalaṁ ca varānane |
tat tadaiva prasūyante vṛndāvana-sura-drumāḥ ||
After quoting these two verses in Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Sandarbhaḥ 172 anuḥ, Śrīmat Jīva Gosvāmipāda gives an explanation, the gist of which is, “O one who speaks sweetly! O fair one! Bejeweled wish-fulfilling trees line the paths to Śrī Vṛndāvana. Among them, some of these excellent trees are as brilliant as a full moon with millions of rays. O charming one! Others are splendorous like the newly risen sun. Some trees possess a luster greater than all the rest; they are like mirrors made of gold. O lovely one! When one searches for a particular fruit or flower, the kalpa-vṛkṣas of Śrī Vṛndāvana immediately bring forth that very fruit or flower.” The kalpa-vṛkṣas of Śrī Vṛndāvana are able to give any object of human pursuit to those who desire them. But because such aiśvarya is an obstacle to mādhurya-līlā, it does not manifest itself. Nor do any of the residents there desire it. kalpa-bṛkṣa latāra yāṅhā sāhajika bana, phala-phula binā keho nā māge anya dhana (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.222). “In this natural forest, no one asks for riches other than the fruits and flowers of the desire trees and creepers.” Though bearing all the qualities of kalpa-vṛkṣas and kalpa-latās, the trees and creepers of Śrī Vṛndāvana simply decorate Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastime places with great beauty, thus giving them much delight in their amorous play. The following is written in Śrī-Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛtam 10.83-84:
vicitra-patra-pallava-prasūna-guccha-jālakair
apāram ullasan mahāmaranda-sindhu-nirjharam |
vicitra-rociṣācitaṁ sudhā-rasātmakaiḥ phalaiḥ
smarāmi kṛṣṇa-kānane vicitra-śākhi-maṇḍalam ||
ananta-hari-rādhikā-praṇaya-phulla-vallī-drumaṁ
tad-aṅghri-rasa-vihvalaiḥ khaga-mṛgādibhir maṇḍitam |
tad adbhuta-vilāsavan-nava-nikuñja-puṣpodayaṁ
smarāmy atimahojjvalan madhura-vṛnda-vṛndāvanam ||
“I meditate upon the amazing trees of Śrī Vṛndāvana. They are jubilant with endless varieties of leaves, sprouts and clusters of flowers. They are great fountains of nectar, pervaded by multicolored splendor and filled with nectarous fruits.
“I meditate upon Śrī Vṛndāvana, forever decorated with brilliant and charming qualities. Its ever-new bowers are always filled with the astonishing pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. It is beautified by trees and creepers blooming with boundless love for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and adorned with animals and birds overwhelmed by the rasa from their lotus feet.”
The six seasons always serve Śrī Vṛndāvana. The moon, sun, wind and time are all servants of the līlā. To aid in making Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes pleasant, some groves in Śrī Vṛndāvana are beautified by one season, some by two seasons and some by all six at once, wherein the climates of every season appear simultaneously along with beautiful animals, birds, trees, fruits and flowers.
Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, gobinda ānanda-maya, nikaṭe banitā-caya, madhura bihāra atiśobhā. Śrī Vṛndāvana is illuminated by the cooling rays of its spiritual moon and constantly served by the six seasons. Joyful Śrī Govinda looks very beautiful submerged in the sweeter than sweet rasa of his pastimes in the kalpa-vṛkṣa groves with the girls of Vraja. In this half-verse, the author has indicated the great and inconceivable meeting place of Śrī Gopīnātha with the gopīs in the transcendentally beautiful Śrī Vṛndāvana. In the conversation between Īśvara and Devī in the Svāyambhuvāgama, there is a meditation on the yogapīṭha within the halo of Śrī Vṛndāvana’s incomparable beauty.
pīyūṣa-latikā-kīrṇāṁ nānā-sattva-niṣevitām |
sarvartu-sukhadāṁ svacchāṁ sarva-jantu-sukhāvahām ||
nīlotpala-dala-śyāmāṁ vāyunā cālitāḥ mṛdu |
vṛndāvana-parāgais tu vāsitāṁ kṛṣṇa-vallabhām ||
sīmni kuñja-taṭāṁ yoṣit-krīḍā-maṇḍapa-madhyamām |
kālindīṁ saṁsmared dhīmān suvarṇa-taṭa-paṅkajām ||
nitya-nūtana-puṣpādi-rañjitaṁ sukha-saṅkulam |
svātmānanda-sukhotkarṣa-śabdādi viṣayātmakam ||
nānā-citra-vihaṅgādi-dhvanibhiḥ parirañjitam |
nānā-ratna-latā-śobhi mattāli-dhvani-maṇḍitam ||
cintāmaṇi-paricchannaṁ jyotsnā-jāla-samākulam |
sarvartu-phala-puṣpāḍhyaṁ pravālaiḥ śobhitaṁ pari ||
kālindī-jala-saṁsargī-vayunā kampitaṁ muhuḥ |
vṛndāvanaṁ kusumitaṁ nānā-vṛksa-vihaṅgamaiḥ ||
saṁsmaret sādhako dhīmān vilāsaika-niketanam |
ekī-bhāvo dvayor yatra vṛkṣayor madhya-deśataḥ ||
tad-adhaś cintayed devi maṇi-maṇḍapam uttamam |
trilokī-sukha-sarvasvaṁ suyantraṁ keli-vallabham ||
tatra siṁhāsane ramye nānā-ratnamaye sukhe |
sumano’dhika-mādhurya-komale sukha-saṁstare ||
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tatra prema-bharākrāntaṁ kiśoraṁ pīta-vāsanam |
kalāya-kusuma-śyāmaṁ lāvaṇyaika-niketanam ||
līlā-rasa-sukhāmbhodhi-saṁmagnaṁ sukha-sāgaram |
navīna-nīradābhāsaṁ candrikāñcita-kuntalam ||
“An intelligent person should deeply contemplate the River Yamunā. She is like a creeper filled with nectar; she is always being served by many kinds of creatures; she bestows pleasure in all seasons; her water is crystal clear; she gives happiness to all living beings; she is dark in color, like the petals of a blue lotus; her waves roll gently in the wind; she is perfumed by the pollen of Vṛndāvana’s flowers; she is very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In a bower on the Yamunā’s bank lies the pastime pavilion of the vraja-sundarīs. The earth on her shores is golden, and beautiful golden lotuses grow from her waters.
“An intelligent sādhaka should deeply contemplate the flower-covered Śrī Vṛndāvana, the sole abode of amorous sports. That Vṛndāvana is brightly colored with ever-fresh flowers; is always filled with happiness; is full of sense objects that increase the pleasure born of one’s realization of his own true nature; brings delight with the sounds of her different kinds of birds and so on; is beautified by various kinds of jeweled creepers; is adorned with the humming sounds of drunken bees; is decorated with cintāmaṇi (desire-fulfilling gems); is pervaded by moonlight; is filled with fruits and flowers of all seasons; green and tender leaves abound everywhere; a gentle Malayan breeze always blows across the waters of the Kālindī; many different kinds of beautiful trees and birds reside there.
“O Devī! At one place in Vṛndāvana a pair of kalpa-vṛkṣas have grown together. Imagine beneath them a pavilion decorated with exquisite gems. It is the abode of happiness for the three worlds, a beautiful yantra and a favorite place for Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Within that lies a charming, jewel-studded throne, covered by a cushion soft as a flower, elegant and comfortable. On that throne sits a love-struck teenage boy dressed in yellow cloth. His complexion is dark blue, like a grass-pea flower. He is the singular abode of charm. He is submerged in an ocean of happiness born of his nectarous pastimes; he is himself an ocean of happiness. His complexion is the color of a new cloud and his hair is always adorned with a peacock feather.” He plays his flute softly and sweetly with his flower-bud lips, and when the countless loving young girls of Vraja hear this subtle madhura sound, they are attracted and come to him from all sides. Vṛndāvana is inundated with a flood of the sweet nectar of the Vraja girls’ loving pastimes with Śrī Govinda, the direct embodiment of the erotic sentiment. Like this, they remain immersed in the play of ever-fresh rasa. The poet Vidyāpati has sung the following:
naba bṛndābana, naba naba taru-gaṇa, naba naba bikasita phula |
nabala basanta, nabala malayānila, mātāla naba ali-kula ||
biharai nabala-kiśora |
kālindī-pulina, kuñja naba śobhana, naba naba prema bibhora ||
nabala rasāla, mukula-madhu-mātiyā, naba kokila-kula gāya |
naba yubatī-gaṇa, citta umatāyai, naba rase kānane dhāya ||
naba yubarāja, nabala naba nāgarī, mīlaye naba naba bhāti |
niti niti aichana, naba naba khelana, bidyāpati-mati māti ||
“In fresh Vṛndāvana, a fresh adolescent boy sports among fresh trees bearing freshly blooming flowers. Springtime is fresh, fresh Malayan breezes blow gently and drunken young bees buzz about. Overwhelmed by fresh love, he wanders in a beautiful fresh bower on the banks of the Yamunā, filled with the singing of young cuckoos high on the nectar from fresh mango blooms. Fresh young girls, with hearts excited by fresh rasa, run through the forest. The young prince meets his young lover and their splendor is doubly fresh. Fresh pastimes like this always bewilder Vidyāpati’s mind.”
In some books, another verse is seen either before or after the current one: pūrṇacandra, samajyoti, cid-ānandamaya-mūrti, mahālīlā-daraśana lobhā; duṅhu preme ḍagamagi, doṅhe doṅhā anurāgī, duṅhu-rūpe duṅhu-mana lobhā. “In this supremely beautiful Vṛndāvana, Śrī Govinda, whose bodily splendor is more radiant and cooling than a full moon, who is the condensed form of consciousness and joy, who is eager to witness his wonderful pastimes, this Śrī Govinda is submerged in līlā-rasa with the girls of Vraja. Moreover, in Śrī Vṛndāvana, Śrī Rādhārāṇī surpasses all in love, beauty and sweetness; she is the crest-jewel of all the girls of Vraja. Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava are submerged in mutual love; they are deeply devoted to each other and their hearts and minds are allured solely by their love for each other.”
