Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 1 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

निन्दन्तं पुलकोत्करेण विकसन्नीपप्रसून-च्छविं

प्रोर्ध्वीकृत्य भुजद्वयं हरि हरीत्युच्चैर्वदन्तं मुहुः ।

नृत्यन्तं द्रुतमश्रु-निर्झरचयैः सिञ्चन्तमुर्वीतलं

गायन्तं निजपार्षदैः परिवृतं श्रीगौरचन्द्रं नुमः ॥ १ ॥

nindantaṁ pulakotkareṇa vikasan-nīpa-prasūna-cchaviṁ

prordhvīkṛtya bhuja-dvayaṁ hari harīty uccair vadantaṁ muhuḥ |

nṛtyantaṁ drutam aśru-nirjharacayaiḥ siñcantam urvītalaṁ

gāyantaṁ nija-pārṣadaiḥ parivṛtaṁ śrī-gauracandraṁ numaḥ || 1 ||

We praise Śrī Gauracandra, whose handsome body is adorned with hairs bristling in spiritual ecstasy, mocking the beauty of a blooming kadamba flower. With his long arms lifted, he repeatedly shouts “Hari! Hari!” and dances with agile steps. Surrounded by his companions, he delights in singing kīrtana as tears stream from his lotus eyes and soak the earth below.

Rasa-Varṣiṇī Commentary

Invocation (Maṅgalācaraṇa)

Śrīpāda Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, a dear companion of kali-yuga-pāvanāvatāra Śrīman Mahāprabhu, was a recipient of Mahāprabhu’s profound mercy. For this reason, his mind was always deeply absorbed in the bhāva, rasa and līlā-mādhurī of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the embodiment of Vraja’s sweetness. With compassion for those devoted to the most confidential rādhā-dāsya-rasa, he begins this book called Śrī-Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ, which is filled with his own relishable and realized descriptions of Śrī Rādhā’s sweetness as well as prayers for his eagerly desired sevā. In this first verse, he offers an auspicious invocation (maṅgalācaraṇa) in the form of a meditation on his beloved Śrīman Mahāprabhu. granthera ārambhe kari maṅgalācaraṇa, guru vaiṣṇava bhagavān tinera smaraṇa. “Śrī Guru, the Vaiṣṇavas and Śrī Bhagavān are to be remembered in the maṅgalācaraṇa at the beginning of a book.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 1.20)

In order to satisfy three desires left unfulfilled in Vraja, Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vraja-Vihārī Śrī Kṛṣṇa has accepted the nature and complexion of Mahābhāvamayī Śrī Rādhā, becoming fair-skinned and feeling overwhelmed by the sweetness of her mood. If a person sees someone else carrying a burden, he cannot truly understand its weight without bearing it on his own shoulders. In śrī-vṛndāvana-līlā, Kṛṣṇa observed Śrī Rādhā’s sweet nature and personally tasted it as her lover. In gaura-līlā, by accepting her nature and complexion, he has understood the true gravity of her mood. The author of Śrī-Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ has painted within his invocation a beautiful picture of the way in which Śrī Rādhā’s sweet nature has shaped Vraja’s akhaṇḍādvaya-jñāna-tattva Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Moreover, he has appropriately followed the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya’s custom of always prefacing descriptions of prema-mādhurī or līlā-mādhurī with a gaura-candrikā, or glorification of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By specifically singing of Śrī Rādhā’s profound glory, he earnestly anticipates the compassion of Śrī Gaura. In his book Śrī-Caitanya-Candrāmṛta, verse 88, the author has written the following to illuminate this principle:

yathā yathā gaura-padāravinde 

vindeta bhaktiṁ kṛta-puṇya-rāśiḥ |

tathā tathotsarpati hṛdy akasmāt 

rādhā-padāmbhoja-sudhāmbu-rāśiḥ ||

“To the degree that the virtuous bhakta-sādhaka feels devotion to the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurasundara, in that same proportion the nectarous ocean that is Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s lotus feet spontaneously swells in his heart.”

Śrī Gaurasundara brought a lamp-flame of unprecedented rasa, the radiant luster of which has allowed the most devoted sādhakas of the world to see the abstruse path to Śrī Vṛndāvana’s sweet bhajana. He has introduced to even the lowliest of worldly jīvas the method of worship following Vraja’s sentiment of passionate spiritual love. Indeed, this is one of several reasons for his auspicious incarnation. Therefore, a great devotee has written,

yadi gaura nā hata, kimene haita, kemane dharitāma de |

rādhāra mahimā, prema-rasa-sīmā, jagate jānāto ke ||

madhura bṛndā, bipina mādhurī, prabeśa cāturī-sāra |

baraja yubati, bhābera ārati, śakati haita kāra ||

“If there had been no Gaura, what would it have been like? How could we have sustained our lives? Tell me who in this world would have taught us about the glory of Śrī Rādhā, or the limit of prema-rasa? Who would have given us access to the beautiful groves of sweet Vṛndāvana, or the artistic girls of Vraja, or the pain of love? Who would have possessed such power?”

If one’s heart, tormented by the three kinds of afflictions and burnt by the fire of worldly desires, is to be cooled in a stream of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda’s prema-rasa, the only remedy is Śrī Gaurasundara’s mercy. In the Prārthanā of Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya we find the following:

gaurāṅgera duṭi pada, yāra dhana sampada, se jāne bhakati rasa sāra |

gaurāṅgera madhura līlā, yāra karṇe prabeśilā, hṛdaya nirmala bhela tāra ||

ye gaurāṅgera nāma laya, tāra haya premodaya, tāre muñi yāi balihāri |

gaurāṅga guṇete jhure, nitya-līlā tāre sphure, sejana bhakati adhikāri ||

gaura prema rasārṇabe, se taraṅge yebā ḍube, se rādhā-mādhaba antaraṅga ||

“One who has as his greatest treasure the lotus feet of Śrī Gaurāṅga knows the essence of bhakti-rasa. The heart of one who has heard the sweet pastimes of Śrī Gaurāṅga becomes pure. Prema arises within one who chants Śrī Gaurāṅga’s name. To him I say, ‘Bravo!’ He who weeps upon hearing of Śrī Gaurāṅga’s virtues possesses bhakti, and the eternal pastimes of the Lord are manifest within him. One who becomes submerged in the waves of the ocean of gaura-prema-rasa is very dear to Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava.”

In this verse, the author has given an incomparable description of the beauty of Śrī Gaurasundara’s body, overcome by ecstasy, as he relishes kīrtana-rasa. In describing the cause for the appearance of such sāttvika-vikāras, Śrīpāda Rūpa Gosvāmicaraṇa has written the following in Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 2.3.1:

kṛṣṇa-sambandhibhiḥ sākṣāt kiñcid vā vyavadhānataḥ |

bhāvaiś cittam ihākrāntaṁ sattvam ity ucyate budhaiḥ ||

sattvād asmāt samutpannā ye ye bhāvās te tu sāttvikāḥ | 

“When one’s heart is affected either directly by the five primary sentiments toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa, such as servitude, friendship and so on, or somewhat indirectly by the seven secondary sentiments, such as laughter or compassion, this is called sattva by the wise. From sattva, the sāttvika-bhāvas arise.” Having accepted the mood and complexion of Śrī Rādhā, Śrī Bhagavān has become the foremost receptacle of his own love. Therefore, the sāttvika and other bhāvas exist within him in their fullest manifestations. Śrīpāda Kavirāja Gosvāmī has written, tāhe mukhya-rasāśraya, haiyachena mahāśaya, tāte haya sarba-bhābodaya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.79). “Mahāśaya has become the preeminent receptacle of rasa. In him, all bhāvas appear.”

To paint a sweet picture of the incomparable bhāvas that appeared in Śrī Gaurāṅga’s body due to his internal experience of rādhā-rasa-mādhurī, Śrīpāda said, nindantaṁ pulakotkareṇa vikasan nīpa-prasūna-cchavim: “As Śrī Gaurāṅga joyfully danced and sang, the hairs on his handsome body bristled in spiritual ecstasy, mocking the beauty of a blooming kadamba flower.” Fully inflamed sāttvika-bhāvas were being manifested within his body.

ekadā vyaktim āpannāḥ pañcaṣāḥ sarva eva vā |

ārūḍhāḥ paramotkarṣam uddīptā iti kīrtitāḥ || (BRS 2.3.79) 

“If five, six or even all the sāttvika-bhāvas appear at the same time, reaching their highest elevation, they are known as uddīpta.” To indicate the most intense horripilation, Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda has said saghana pulaka yena śimulera taru. “His hairs always bristled like a silk-cotton tree.”

Moreover, prordhvīkṛtya bhuja-dvayaṁ hari harīty uccair vadantaṁ muhuḥ: “With his long arms raised high, he loudly cries ‘Hari! Hari!’ again and again.” In this part of the verse, the anubhāva named krośana (crying) has been mentioned. anubhāvās tu cittastha-bhāvānām avabodhakāḥ (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 2.2.1). “That behavior which indicates the state of one’s mind or heart is called an anubhāva.” If love is experienced in one’s heart, it manifests externally as some type of transformation. He from whose mouth this delectable sound of “Hari! Hari!” has come forth, resounding in both the animate and inanimate, has drowned everyone in kṛṣṇa-prema-rasa. After observing this loud saṅkīrtana, Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura revealed this mystery:

tumi yei kariyācha ucca saṅkīrtana | 

sthābara-jaṅgamera sei hayata śravaṇa ||

śunitei jaṅgamera saṁsāra haya kṣaya | 

sthābare se śabda lāge—tāte pratidhvani haya ||

pratidhvani nahe sei—karaye kīrtana | 

tomāra kṛpāya ei akathya kathana || (CC. Antya 3.69-71)

“You have chanted loudly so that everything animate and inanimate may hear it. When the animate hear it, the cycle of their worldly life is finished. When the sound touches the inanimate, it seems to echo, but it is not really an echo: they are chanting! By your mercy, the inexpressible is expressed.” This one who dances with agile feet moistens the ground with a stream of tears. nṛtyantaṁ drutam aśru-nirjhara-cayaiḥ siñcantam urvītalam. Dancing is also a type of anubhāva. He is like mādhurya personified when he gracefully dances with his companions. After experiencing the sweetness of Śrī Gaurasundara’s dancing, the poet Śekhara Rāya wrote the following:

madhura madhura gaurakiśora madhura madhura nāṭa |

madhura madhura saba sahacara madhura madhura hāṭa ||

madhura madhura mṛdaṅga bājata madhura madhura tāna |

madhura rase mātala bhakata gāoye madhura gāna ||

madhura helana madhura dolana madhura madhura gati |

madhura madhura bacana sundara madhura madhura bhāti ||

madhura adhara jini śaśadhara madhura madhura hāsa |

madhura ārati madhura piriti madhura madhura bhāṣa ||

madhura yugala nayana rātula madhura iṅgite cāya |

madhura premera madhura bādare bañcita śekhara rāya ||

Sweet sweet Gaurakiśora, sweet sweet dancing,

Sweet sweet companions all, sweet sweet celebration.

Sweet sweet mṛdaṅga beats, sweet sweet tunes,

On sweet rasa drunken, bhaktas sweet songs singing.

Sweet moonlight, sweet swinging, sweet sweet movements,

Sweet sweet words, pleasant sweet sweet glow.

Sweet lips, sweet sweet smile conquers the moon,

Sweet ārati, sweet love, sweet sweet talk,

Sweet reddened eyes pray with sweet intention,

Śekhara Rāya is enchanted by this sweet, sweet rain of prema.

While dancing, the sāttvika-bhāva named aśru (tears) has manifested in his lotus eyes in an extraordinary way. In the pastime of Mahāprabhu dancing before Jagannātha’s chariot, Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmipāda wrote,

jalayantra-dhārā yena bahe aśru-jala |

āśapāśa loka yata bhijila sakala || 

“Tears streamed as though from a fountain, soaking everyone around.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 13.105)

Seeing a sāttvika-vikāra of such an extraordinary nature, one may think, “How did the Gaṅgā of his feet get up to his face?” āpane kari āsvādane, śikhāilā bhakta-gaṇe, prema-cintāmaṇira prabhu dhanī: “The Lord is rich in the cintāmaṇi of love; while experiencing it himself, he also taught the devotees.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 2.81) It is not that the Lord has only spread nāma and prema by his instructions, but he has also revealed himself in the world as a luminous role model for experiencing a particular type of prema-rasa. Just by seeing the sweet form of Śrī Gaura as he sang and danced in ecstasy, the people of the world voluntarily surrendered at his lotus feet and were blessed with initiation into his prema-mantra.

As the Lord continued dancing with agile feet, the luster of his golden complexion illuminated the surroundings as far as the eye could see. Harināma flowed incessantly from his mouth; the Gaṅgā and Yamunā streamed from his lotus eyes, washing his lustrous body and soaking the ground. From time to time he stumbled, fell and rolled in the dust like a golden mountain. The hair on his body bristled like the filaments of a kadamba flower. Not to speak of seeing his bodily charm directly, even by remembrance or meditation the stone-hearted experience rasa! Before describing the sweetness of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s love, the author has offered obeisance at the feet of the beautiful dancing form of Śrī Gaurasundara, the incarnation of divine love, along with his companions: gāyantaṁ nija-pārṣadaiḥ parivṛtaṁ śrī-gauracandraṁ numaḥ.