Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 4

The end of night had come. Accustomed to performing sevā at this time, the sādhaka-dāsa woke and washed his hands, face and so on. Then he woke Śrī Gurudeva, massaged his feet and assisted him in washing his hands and face. He served all of his gurus in this way. Śrīvāsa’s garden is enchanting at the end of night. The soft, vernal breeze on the bosoms of the mallikā and mālatī flowers caused them to awaken and sway slowly as though dancing. Caressed by the breeze and the moonlight, the flowers opened and spread their fragrance to the horizon. That fragrance roused the bees, and while emitting a soft, sweet hum, they began to drink the flowers’ nectar. The cuckoos and other birds began to warble sweetly in the fifth note.

By the order of Śrī Gurudeva and in allegiance to Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana and the other Gosvāmīs, the sādhaka-dāsa prepared the articles required for sevā at the end of night. First, he cleansed the veranda around Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s pavilion with perfumed water and a golden broom, then wiped it dry with a fine cloth. Then he placed a carpet on the eastern side of the veranda and upon that three jeweled seats for the three Prabhus. The seats each had back and side pillows and a soft cushion. For them to wash their mouths and so on, he provided golden pots filled with water and covered with fine cloths. Nearby, he kept small basins made of gold. After picking flowers and stringing them into garlands, he then ground sandalwood paste, saffron and other substances to make tilaka for the three Prabhus. This he stored in a golden cup. For ārati, he arrayed ghee and camphor lamps, fragrant flowers, incense and other articles upon a jeweled platter. He placed mṛdaṅgas and karatālas in the appropriate place on a golden four-legged table. Then he cleaned the verandas of the sleeping houses of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu with fragrant water and a golden broom.

At that time Śrīman Mahāprabhu was awakened by the fragrance of the flowers and the sweet sounds of the birds and the bees. He had a pleasant memory of Śrī Vṛndāvana and, absorbed in prema, he began to roar, waking all the others. Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu rose from their beds. The servants assisted them and their associates in washing their faces and so on. Everyone then came to Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s sleeping house and peeked through the windows, eager to see his beauty as he awoke. 

Śrīman Mahāprabhu is lying on a jeweled bedstead with a mattress as soft and white as the foam on milk, which is suitable for the season. Śrī Gaurasundara’s limbs are the color of molten gold, his arms hang down to his knees, he has large lotus-petal eyes and he is clothed in reddish upper and lower garments. He is adorned with sāttvika-bhāvas such as tears and trembling like that of the divine lovers Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava as they embrace while lying in a Vraja-bower. Whether he is awake or dreaming is not clear as he speaks indistinct sweet words with half-closed eyes. Above his bed hangs a multicolored, tasseled canopy decorated with gemstones and symbols of lotuses, swastikas and so on, and tied to four golden poles at the bed’s four corners. Bathed in the luster of Śrī Gaurāṅga’s smooth and radiant body the jeweled lamps appear like campaka buds. Around the bed, pots of fragrant water, drinking cups, bowls of tāmbūla, a cāmara, a peacock-feather fan and other articles for sevā have been placed on golden tables. Beautiful parrots sit in golden cages. At Śrī Svarūpa Gosvāmī’s signal, the parrots began to awaken Mahāprabhu with respectful words. “O Lord Viśvambhara! O Śacīnandana! O Navadvīpa-Candra! May you be victorious. The night has become morning. The sun has clearly risen in the east. The bees have begun to hum, excited by the sweet fragrance of blossoming flowers awakened by the gentle touch of the moonlight and the Malaya breeze. The cuckoos and other birds are warbling in sweet tones. Your beloved Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Svarūpa-Dāmodara and the other bhaktas are standing around your sleeping-house waiting for you to awaken. All the town’s brāhmaṇas are going home after bathing in the Gaṅgā and reciting hymns. Please go sleep in your own house until your anxious mother comes to wake you.”