রাধাকৃষ্ণ-সেবন, একান্ত করিয়া মন,
চরণকমল বলি যাঁউ ।
দোঁহার নাম গুণ শুনি, ভক্ত মুখে পুনি পুনি,
পরম আনন্দ সুখ পাঁউ ॥ ৭৬ ॥
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana,
caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu |
doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni,
parama ānanda sukha pāñu || 76 ||
O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively. I am astonished by the sweetness of their lotus feet. By repeatedly hearing about their names, qualities and so on from the mouths of bhaktas, I shall attain the highest joy.
Dedicated Service
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya expresses his desire to obtain the highest joy by hearing from the mouths of bhaktas about the names and qualities of his beloved Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava and to engage in dedicated service to their lotus feet. First he says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana. “O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively.” Or, “I shall worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind.” Singleminded worship means devoting one’s life to exclusively worshiping Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in a focused way or with deep love. In Śri-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa, four kinds of exclusive devotion (ekāntitva) have been mentioned: (1) indifference toward dharma (meaning varṇāśrama-dharma), (2) complete disinterest in karma, jñāna and so on, (3) devotion to love even during difficult times, and (4) devotion to nothing but love. In this way, service to one’s beloved deity is ekānta-sevana. The goal of worship is a life devoted to prema with no interest in anything else. upāsanaṁ tu yathā-śāstra-samāpitaṁ kiñcid ālambanam upādāya tasmin samāna-citta-vṛtti-santāna-karaṇam–tad-vilakṣaṇa pratyayāntaritam iti (from the preface of Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya’s commentary on Chāndogyopaniṣad). “After adopting an object of meditation established according to śāstra, one must thus establish continuous harmony, like a stream of oil, of the faculty of the mind with that object so that other, dissimilar conceptions cannot arrive in the form of obstructions or interruptions.” This is the goal of singleminded service to one’s chosen deity. In his Siddhānta-Ratna, Śrīpāda Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has explained the word sevana as constant pursuit of a goal with one’s body, mind and words. In Prīti-Sandarbha 129 anuḥ, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written sevanaṁ cittānuvṛttiḥ, meaning, the word sevana is defined as performing service after having understood the mind of the one to be served. This is true singleminded sevana. Externally, in one’s sādhaka-deha, perform arcana, vandana, śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on with love and devotion to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. In one’s mind, after understanding the mind of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, contemplate sevā in one’s siddha-deha while remembering the aṣṭa-kāla-līlā (eightfold daily pastimes).
Then he says, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu. “I am astonished by the sweetness of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet.” My mind, like a greedy bee, is constantly absorbed in tasting the sweet nectar of their beautiful feet. The toes of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lotus feet are their petals; the beams of radiance coming from their nails are the stamens; their beauty is the nectar; their fragrance continuously perfumes the horizon. The bee-like eyes of the sakhīs and mañjarīs always relish with deep love the nectarous beauty of their lotus feet.
Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava sādhakas cool their burning hearts by always remembering the lotus feet of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, which are adorned with nineteen symbols. The method of meditation upon the symbols on their lotus feet is as follows: There are eleven marks on the sole of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot, namely a barleycorn near the joint of his big toe; beneath that, a wheel; beneath that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; below that, a flag; an elephant goad at the base of the little toe; below that, a thunderbolt, and on the heel, an octagon surrounded by four swastikas between four ripened rose apples. On his left foot, there are eight symbols: a conch-shell at the base of the big toe; a symbol for the sky at the base of the middle toe; below that, a bow; below that, a cow’s hoofprint; below that, a triangle surrounded by four waterpots; below that, a crescent moon; below that, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of his feet.
There are eleven symbols on the sole of Śrī Rādhā’s left foot: a barleycorn below her big toe; below that, a wheel; below that, an umbrella; a line running from between the big toe and the index toe to the middle of the foot; a lotus at the base of the middle toe; beneath that, a flag; beneath that, a flower; to its right, a bracelet; beneath that, a flower creeper; beneath that, a crescent moon; and an elephant goad at the base of the little toe. There are eight symbols on the sole of her right foot: a conch-shell beneath the big toe; a mountain beneath the middle toe; an altar beneath the ring toe and the little toe; below that, an earring; a chariot beneath the mountain, with a club to its right; a spear on the chariot’s left side, and on the heel, a fish. Thus, there are a total of nineteen different symbols on the soles of her feet. In the Skanda-Purāṇa, several specific marks on the soles of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are mentioned along with the reason for remembering them.
dakṣiṇasya pado’ṅguṣṭha-mūle cakraṁ vibharty ajaḥ |
tatra namra-janasyāri-ṣaḍ-varga-cchedanāya saḥ ||
madhyamāṅguli-mūle tu dhatte kamalam acyutaḥ |
dhātṛ-citta-dvirephānāṁ lobhanāyātiśobhanam ||
padmasyādho dhvajaṁ dhatte sarvānartha-jaya-dhvajam |
kaniṣṭhā-mūlato vajraṁ bhakta-pāpādri-bhedanam ||
pārṣṇi-madhye’ṅkuśaṁ bhakta-cittebha-vaśa-kāriṇam |
bhoga-sampan-mayaṁ dhatte yavam aṅguṣṭha-parvaṇi ||
tathā vāma-padāṅguṣṭha-mūlatas tan-mukhodaram |
sarva-vidyā-prakāśāya dadhāti bhagavān asau ||
padmādīny api cihnāni tatra dakṣiṇa-pādavat ||
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s right foot bears a wheel-symbol (cakra) at the base of the big toe. By that, kāma and the other five enemies of the one who has taken shelter are destroyed. Remembrance of the lotus symbol at the base of his middle toe causes the bee of the bhakta’s mind to be allured. Remembrance of the flag symbol below the lotus causes the bhakta’s victory flag to fly, signifying his conquest over all anarthas. Remembrance of the thunderbolt symbol at the base of his little toe pulverizes the bhakta’s mountain of sins. Remembrance of the elephant goad symbol in the middle of the heel brings the elephant of the bhakta’s mind under control. Remembrance of the barleycorn symbol near the joint of his big toe endows the bhakta with enjoyment and prosperity. Remembrance of the conch-shell symbol at the base of the big toe of his left foot reveals all knowledge to the bhakta. In this way, the glory of the other symbols on both feet can also be understood.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that the beauty, qualities and glory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are indescribable.
Then he says, doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. The illustrious author is revealing that having heard repeatedly from the mouths of bhaktas about Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s names, qualities, pastimes and so on, he now desires to obtain such happiness. The greatness of hearing śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a high-minded bhakta has been repeatedly proclaimed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the cream of all vedānta. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.25, Bhagavān Śrī Kapiladeva said the following to his mother, Devahūti:
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama-vīrya-saṁvido
bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ |
taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani
śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati ||
“O Mother, those who obtain the auspicious association of sādhus will receive the good fortune of hearing talks about my glories from them. Discussions about me heard from the mouths of such holy persons become an elixer for the listener’s heart and ears. As a result of this, faith, attachment and devotion to me gradually appear, accompanied by the destruction of ignorance, illusion and so on.” Repeated hearing of the naturally God-related conversations among the infinitely great kṛṣṇa-bhakta-mahāpuruṣas causes faith in Śrī Bhagavān to awaken in the jīva’s heart. The pure tan-mātras* issuing from the body of a sādhu bless even ordinary, non-religious persons with the extraordinary treasure of bhajana. Gradually, by hearing hari-kathā, ruci (taste) appears; then from the performance of the nine kinds of bhakti-sādhana, the eternally perfect kṛṣṇa-prema, the highest goal of life, appears in the citta (heart/mind). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.25, Śrīla Pṛthu Mahārāja says he wants no other boon from Śrī Bhagavān than to hear śrī-hari-kathā from the mouths of great souls:
sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto
bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā-kaṇānilaḥ |
smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ
kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ ||
“O illustrious one! Bearing drops of nectar from your lotus feet, the air flowing from the mouths of great souls, meaning the nectarous talk about you streaming from their mouths, bestows remembrance of you again to fallen yogīs like me who have forgotten the truth about you. Therefore, there is no need for any other boon.” However, please give me this blessing (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.20.24):
na kāmaye nātha tad apy ahaṁ kvacin
na yatra yuṣmac-caraṇāmbujāsavaḥ |
mahattamāntar-hṛdayān mukha-cyuto
vidhatsva karṇāyutam eṣa me varaḥ ||
“O Lord! I do not desire the boon of liberation in which there is no hope of getting the nectar of your lotus feet, which flows from within the hearts of the greatest sādhus and out through their mouths. Therefore, please give me ten thousand ears for drinking the nectarous talks about you that pour from the mouths of these great souls. This is my request.” By this we are informed of his deep longing to relish śrī-hari-kathā from the mouth of a bhakta and the profound wonder and joy he experiences.
Or, in the first half of this verse, which says rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sebana, ekānta kariyā mana, caraṇa-kamala bali yāñu, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya reveals his desire to serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa with a focused mind and to taste the sweetness of their lotus feet. Then he describes the means to attain that: doṅhāra nāma guṇa śuni, bhakta mukhe puni puni, parama ānanda sukha pāñu. If the names, qualities, pastimes and so on of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are repeatedly heard with a joyful heart (or with enjoyment) from the mouth of a bhakta, resolute service to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is easily performed externally with body, mind and words and internally by loving contemplation of one’s service in the mentally conceived siddha-deha. This is an unfailingly powerful sādhana for attaining success or prema through rāga-bhajana.
*A subtle and primary element, such as sound, taste, touch, sight and smell from which the five mahābhūtas or grosser elements are produced.
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