রাধিকা প্রেয়সীবরা, বামা দিক্-মনোহরা,
কনক-কেশর-কান্তি ধরে ।
অনুরাগে রক্তশাড়ী, নীলপট্টমনোহারী,
মণিময় আভরণ পরে ॥ ৮৯ ॥
rādhikā preyasī-barā, bāmā dik-manoharā,
kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare |
anurāge rakta-śāḍī, nīla-paṭṭa-manohārī,
maṇimaya ābharaṇa pare || 89 ||
Śrī Rādhikā is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dearest sweetheart. She is strong-willed by nature; she charms the whole world. Her complexion is golden like the filaments of a lotus. She wears a crimson petticoat to express her hidden love. She looks enchanting wearing her dark blue dress and adorned with jeweled ornaments.
टीका–नीलपट्ट-कृष्णवर्ण-सादृश्येन । अनुरागे–अनुरागेण हेतुना । वामा–वाम स्वभाव ॥
Kṛṣṇa’s Favorite: Śrī Rādhā
Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the commentary on the pīriti sukhera duṅhu bandhu segment of the previous verse, it was said that without Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is unable to find joy even in the company of countless gopīs. In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya explains the reason for that by describing Śrī Rādhārāṇī. He first says, rādhikā preyasī-barā, bāmā dik-manoharā, kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare. Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the crest jewel of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers. All of the vraja-gopīs who are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers are to be regarded as Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bodily expansions; Śrī Rādhā is incomparable in beauty, good qualities and prema. We find the following description in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, chapter 4:
kṛṣṇa-kāntā-gaṇa dekhi tribidha prakāra |
eka lakṣmī-gaṇa pure mahiṣī-gaṇa āra ||
brajāṅganā-rūpa āra kāntā-gaṇa sāra |
śrī-rādhikā haite kāntā-gaṇera bistāra ||
lakṣmī-gaṇa tāṅra baibhaba-bilāsāṁśa-rūpa |
mahiṣī-gaṇa baibhaba-prakāśa-svarūpa ||
ākāra svabhāba bhede braja-debī-gaṇa |
kāya-byūha-rūpa tāṅra rasera kāraṇa ||
bahu kāntā binā nahe rasera ullāsa |
līlāra sahāya lāgi bahuta prakāśa ||
tāra madhye braje nānā bhāba rasa-bhede |
kṛṣṇake karāya rāsādika līlāsvāde ||
gobindānandinī rādhā gobinda-mohinī |
gobinda-sarbasva sarba-kāntā-śiromaṇi ||
“Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers are seen to be of three types: the goddesses of fortune, the queens of Dvārakā and, best of all, the beautiful girls of Vraja. They are all expansions of Śrī Rādhikā. The lakṣmīs are partial expressions of her vaibhava-vilāsa and the queens represent her vaibhava-prakāśa. The Vrajadevīs are all unique in appearance and nature. They are expansions of Śrī Rādhā’s body and are the instruments of rasa. Without many lovers the rasa does not come forth, so there are many manifested in Vraja with various natures and sentiments favorable to the līlā. They cause Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enjoy the rāsa-līlā and other pastimes. Śrī Rādhā gives joy to Govinda, enchants Govinda and is everything to Govinda. She is the crest-jewel of his lovers.”
The reason that Śrī Rādhārāṇī is everything to Govinda, and the crest-jewel of all his lovers, is that present within her is the mahābhāva (great love) known as mādana, which intoxicates the transcendental young God of Love Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This treasure of love belongs only to Śrī Rādhārāṇī. She possesses extraordinary qualities that have arisen from this mādanākhya-mahābhāva which are not possible in any other lover. A few of those qualities can be seen in this verse from the Bṛhad-Gautamīya-Tantra:
devī kṛṣṇa-mayī proktā rādhikā para-devatā |
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva-kāntiḥ sammohinī parāḥ ||
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva-kāntiḥ sammohinī parāḥ ||
“Śrī Rādhikā has been described as devī, kṛṣṇa-mayī, para-devatā, sarva-lakṣmī-mayī, sarva-kānti, sammohinī and parā.” These qualities have been explained in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.84-88:
debī kahi–dyotamānā paramā sundarī |
kimbā kṛṣṇa-pūjā-krīḍāra basati nagarī ||
kṛṣṇa-mayī–kṛṣṇa yāra antare bāhire |
yāṅhā yāṅhā netra paḍe tāṅhā kṛṣṇa sphure ||
kimbā prema-rasa-maya kṛṣṇera svarūpa |
tāṅra śakti tāṅra saha haya eka-rūpa ||
kṛṣṇa-bāñchā-pūrti-rūpa kare ārādhane |
ataeba ‘rādhikā’ nāma purāṇe bākhāne ||
“The word devī means a brilliant and most beautiful young woman; or it can also mean the abode of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and worship. Kṛṣṇa-mayī means one for whom Śrī Kṛṣṇa is within and without; wherever her eyes may fall, Kṛṣṇa appears. Or, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is filled with the nectar of love and his śakti is identical with him. Through her worship she fulfills all of Kṛṣṇa’s desires; she is therefore known in the Purāṇas as Rādhikā.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.28 says the following:
anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ |
yan no vihāya govindaḥ prīto yām anayad rahaḥ ||
During the great rāsa dance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Śrī Rādhārāṇī from the circle of gopīs and disappeared. When searching diligently for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the other gopīs came upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus footprints. After seeing that Candrāvalī and their other rivals had become extremely perturbed, Śrī Rādhā’s gopī friends said, “This girl has surely given abundant service to Bhagavān Lord Hari because Govinda abandoned all of us and led her with great pleasure to a secluded place.” From Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.89-95:
ataeba sarba-pūjyā parama-debatā |
sarba-pālikā sarba-jagatera mātā ||
‘sarba-lakṣmī’-śabda pūrbe kariyāchi byākhyāna |
sarba-lakṣmī-gaṇera teṅho haya adhiṣṭhāna ||
kimbā ‘sarba-lakṣmī’–kṛṣṇera ṣaḍ-bidha aiśvarya |
tāṅra adhiṣṭhātrī śakti–sarba-śakti-barya ||
sarba-saundarya-kānti baisaye yāṅhāte |
sarba-lakṣmī-gaṇera śobhā haya yāṅhā haite ||
kimbā ‘kānti’-śabde kṛṣṇera saba icchā kahe |
kṛṣṇera sakala bāñchā rādhātei rahe ||
rādhikā karena kṛṣṇera bāñchita pūraṇa |
‘sarba-kānti’-śabdera ei artha bibaraṇa ||
jagata-mohana kṛṣṇa, tāṅhāra mohinī |
ataeba samastera parā ṭhākurāṇī ||
“Therefore, Śrī Rādhā is to be worshiped by all. She is the supreme goddess, the guardian of all and the mother of the entire world. I have already given one explanation of the phrase sarva-lakṣmī: she is the basis of all the goddesses of fortune. Or, sarva-lakṣmī means she is the presiding deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s six opulences. She is the greatest of all śaktis. Sarva-kānti means that all beauty and grace rest within her; the loveliness of the lakṣmīs originates in her. Or, the word kānti can mean the totality of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires; all of his desires live in Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Rādhikā fulfills all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires. This is the meaning of sarva-kānti. Śrī Kṛṣṇa enchants the entire universe, but Śrī Rādhā enchants even him. Therefore, she is the supreme goddess.”
For these reasons, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s most beloved sweetheart. Moreover, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya describes her as vāmā, meaning she is strong-willed by nature. aher iva gatiḥ premṇaḥ svabhāva-kuṭilā bhavet; ato hetor ahetoś ca yūnor māna udañcati. “Just as the movement of a snake is by nature crooked, in the same way, the movement of prema is naturally crooked. Therefore, with or without cause, the pride of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his Vraja girlfriends may at any time appear.” Śrī Rādhārāṇī is above all others. We see the following in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.160-162:
gopī-gaṇa madhye śreṣṭhā rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī |
nirmala-ujjvala-rasa-prema-ratna-khani ||
bayase ‘madhyamā’ teṅho–svabhābete samā |
gāḍha prema-bhābe teṅho nirantara ‘bāmā’ ||
bāmya-svabhābe ‘māna’ uṭhe nirantara |
uṅhāra bāmye uṭhe kṛṣṇera ānanda-sāgara ||
“Among all the gopīs, Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the best; she is a jewel-mine of pure and passionate love. In age, she is neither youngest nor oldest. She is equable in disposition. Though deeply in love, she remains strong-willed. From her contrary nature, indignation rises within her, causing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s ocean of joy to swell.”
Moreover, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is dik-manoharā, meaning she captivates all the mobile and immobile creatures in all ten directions. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda has described Śrī Rādhā’s enchanting form in his Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.29-39:
vara-sīmanta-rasāmṛta-saraṇī-dhṛta-sindūra-surekhām |
śrī-vṛṣabhānu-kulāmbudhi-sambhava-subhaga-sudhākara-lekhām ||
smaratu mano mama niravadhi rādhām |
madhupati-rūpa-guṇa-śravaṇodita-sahaja-manobhava-bādhām ||
surucira-kavari-virājita-komala-parimala-malli-sumālām |
mada-cala-khañjana-khelana-gañjana-locana-kamala-viśālām ||
mada-karirāja-virājad anuttama-calita-lalita-gati-bhaṅgīm |
atisukumāra-kanaka-nava-campaka-gaura-madhura-madhurāṅgīm ||
maṇi-keyūra-lalita-valayāvali-maṇḍita-mṛdu-bhuja-vallīm |
pratipadam adbhuta-rūpa-camatkṛti-mohana-yuvati-matallīm ||
mṛdu-mṛdu-hāsa-lalita-mukha-maṇḍala-kṛta-śaśi-bimba-viḍambām |
kiṅkiṇi-jāla-khacita-pṛthu-sundara-nava-rasa-rāśi-nitambām ||
citrita-kañculikā-sthagitodbhaṭa-kuca-hāṭaka-ghaṭa-śobhām |
sphurad-aruṇādhara-sīdhu-sudhā-rasa-kṛta-hari-mānasa-lobhām ||
sundara-cibuka-virājita-mohana-mecaka-bindu-vilāsām |
sakanaka-ratna-khacita-pṛthu-mauktika-ruci-rucirojjvala-nāsām ||
ujjvala-rāga-rasāmṛta-sāgara-sāra-tanuṁ sukha-rūpām |
nipatita-mādhava-mugdha-mano-mṛga-nābhi-sudhā-rasa-kūpām ||
nūpura-hāra-manohara-kuṇḍala-kṛta-rucim aruṇa-dukūlām |
pathi pathi madana-madākula-gokula-candra-kalita-pada-mūlām ||
rasika-sarasvatī-gīta-mahādbhuta-rādhā-rūpa-rahasyam |
vṛndāvana-rasa-lālasa-manasām idam upageyam avaśyam ||
“May my mind always remember Śrī Rādhā, who appeared from the ocean of Vṛṣabhānu’s family like a lovely crescent moon. She wears a beautiful vermilion streak in the part of her hair, which is like a channel for the flow of nectar. When she hears about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities and so on, she spontaneously feels lovesick. In her beautiful braid she wears a splendid garland of soft and fragrant jasmine flowers. The movements of her large eyes, excited with joy, defeat the dancing of a restless wagtail. Her captivating gait is graceful like that of an elephant king in rut. Her delicate and charming form is yellowish in color, like a fresh golden campaka flower. Her soft, slender arms are adorned with jeweled armlets and bangles. At every moment, her extraordinary and astonishing beauty creates wonder in all the young women. Her delightful, gently smiling face is more radiant than a full moon. She wears strings of tiny bells around her shapely hips, the embodiments of ever-fresh rasa. A colorful bodice covers the beauty of her flawless, golden-pot breasts. The nectar of her beguiling reddish lips allures Śrī Hari’s mind. Her exquisite chin is adorned with an elegant dot of musk, and her lovely nose is enhanced by the luster of a large pearl set in gold and jewels. Her body is the essence of the ocean of the nectar of passionate love. She is the embodiment of happiness. The enchanted deer of Mādhava’s mind has fallen into the well of nectar that is her navel. Her bodily luster is made brighter by her ankle bells, necklaces and earrings; she wears a crimson dress. Gokulacandra becomes intoxicated by love when he sees Śrī Rādhā’s footprints on the pathways. Those whose hearts and minds long for vṛndāvana-rasa should sing about the mysterious and extraordinary form of Śrī Rādhā as described by the rasika Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.”
Another reading is bāma-dike manoharā, which means “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved Śrī Rādhā looks very beautiful standing at his left side.” Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda wrote the following in Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.43:
cetaḥ kām api kunda-sundara-sudhā-niḥsyandi-mandasmita-
jyotir-mohana-vaktra-candra-vigalat-premāmṛtāmbho-nidhim |
pratyaṅgocchalitānurāga-sahajānaṅgotsavaikāvadhiṁ
śrī-vṛndāvana-candra-durmada-manaś-caurīṁ kiśorīṁ smara ||
“O mind! Always remember Śrī Rādhā, the indescribable jewel among young women, who steals the lovesick mind and heart of Śrī Vṛndāvanacandra. An ocean of sweet love flows from her captivating moonlike face, illumined by the luster of her gentle smile, beautiful and oozing nectar like a jasmine flower. Passion surges through her every limb; she is the singular limit of the natural festival of love.”
Then, to describe the beauty of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s complexion, dress and ornaments, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare, anurāge rakta-śāḍī, nīla-paṭṭa-manohārī, maṇimaya ābharaṇa pare. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, whose complexion is golden like the filaments of a lotus, looks enchantingly beautiful as she stands on the left side of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose complexion is deep-blue, like a brilliant sapphire. The love for Kṛṣṇa in her heart manifests as a scarlet petticoat on her lovely form. Red is the color of anurāga or passion. Śrīmatī keeps her love for Kṛṣṇa hidden in her heart; accordingly, she wears a scarlet undergarment. Śrīmatī is devoted to Śyāma, so she has great fondness for the color blue. She always looks very charming in her elegant dark blue dress. For Śyāma’s happiness, Śrīmatī adorns her graceful limbs with ornaments made of gems and jewels.
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