Sunday, February 20, 2022

Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 5

After hearing the parrot’s words, Mahāprabhu lay in bed for a while absorbed in thought, then stretched his limbs like a golden bow. Sitting up, he yawned, and the luster from his teeth appeared like a camphor lamp being offered to his moonlike face. His nostrils flared. The hairs on his body bristled like the filaments of a kadamba flower. During a sweet memory of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s lethargy from drinking rasa in a Vraja bower, a stream of tears flowed from his lotus eyes like the Mandākinī flowing from a golden Meru. His breathing was quick, his eyes reddened with emotion.

After seeing the amazing sāttvika-bhāvas on Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s body, the two Prabhus joyfully entered his sleeping house along with the bhaktas and sat down in their respective places. Understanding Mahāprabhu’s bhāva, Svarūpa Gosvāmī began to sing about Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s end-of-night pastimes in the bowers of Vraja. When Śrīman Mahāprabhu heard the song, he became immersed in the līlā in the mood of Śrī Rādhā. The two Prabhus and the bhaktas all became immersed in vraja-līlā in their siddha-svarūpas. By Śrī Guru’s mercy, the sādhaka also immersed himself in the service of vraja-rasa in his own mañjarī-svarūpa.



Niśānta-Līlā: Vrajadhāma (2 hours 24 minutes)

From 3:36 AM to 6:00 AM


Śrī-Vraja-Līlā-Vandanā:


श्रीराधाप्राणबन्धोश्चरणकमलयोः केशशेषाद्यगम्या

या साध्या प्रेमसेवा व्रजचरितपरैर्गाढलौल्यैकलभ्या ।

सा स्यात् प्राप्ता यया तां प्रथयितुमधुना मानसीमस्य सेवां 

भाव्यां रागाध्वगाहैर्व्रजमनुचरितं नैत्यिकं तस्य नौमि ॥


śrī-rādhā-prāṇa-bandhoś caraṇa-kamalayoḥ keśa-śeṣādy-agamyā

yā sādhyā prema-sevā vraja-carita-parair gāḍha-laulyaika-labhyā |

sā syāt prāptā yayā tāṁ prathayitum adhunā mānasīm asya sevāṁ 

bhāvyāṁ rāgādhvagāhair vrajam anucaritaṁ naityikaṁ tasya naumi ||


“Loving service to the lotus feet of Śrī Rādhā’s beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa is beyond the reach of Brahmā, Śiva and Śeṣa, and can only be attained by those who long deeply for the Vraja life. This sevā must be meditated upon by those devoted to the path of rāga. Now I praise Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s daily pastimes in Vraja in order to spread this meditation to others.”


Śrī-Vraja-Līlā-Aṣṭakāla-Sūtra:


कुञ्जाद्गोष्ठं निशान्ते प्रविशति कुरुते दोहनान्नाशनाद्यां

प्रातः सायं च लीलां विहरति सखिभिः सङ्गवे चारयन् गाः ।

मध्याह्ने चाथ नक्तं विलसति विपिने राधयाधापराह्णे

गोष्ठं याति प्रदोषे रमयति सुहृदो यः सः श्रीकृष्णोऽवतान्नः ॥


kuñjād goṣṭhaṁ niśānte praviśati kurute dohanānnāśanādyāṁ

prātaḥ sāyaṁ ca līlāṁ viharati sakhibhiḥ saṅgave cārayan gāḥ |

madhyāhne cātha naktaṁ vilasati vipine rādhayādhāparāhṇe

goṣṭhaṁ yāti pradoṣe ramayati suhṛdo yaḥ saḥ śrī-kṛṣṇo’vatān naḥ ||


“May Śrī Kṛṣṇa protect us. At the end of night he leaves the forest bower and goes to his home. In the morning and early evening, he milks the cows and eats his meals. In the forenoon, he goes with his friends to graze the cows. At midday and late at night, he sports with Śrī Rādhā in the forest. In the afternoon he returns home, and in the late evening, he enjoys activities with his family and friends.”


Śrī-Vrajadhāma-Niśānta-Līlā-Sūtra:


रात्र्यन्ते त्रस्त-वृन्देरित बहुवि-रवैर्बोधितौ कीरशारी-

पद्यैर्हृद्यैरहृद्यैरपि सुखशयनादुत्थितौ तौ सखीभिः ।

दृष्टौ हृष्टौ तदात्वोदित-रतिललितौ कक्खटीगीः सशङ्कौ

राधाकृष्णौ सतृष्णावपि निजनिजधाम्न्याप्ततल्पौ स्मरामि ॥


rātry-ante trasta-vṛnderita bahuvi-ravair bodhitau kīra-śārī-

padyair hṛdyair ahṛdyair api sukha-śayanād utthitau tau sakhībhiḥ |

dṛṣṭau hṛṣṭau tadātvodita-rati-lalitau kakkhaṭī-gīḥ saśaṅkau

rādhā-kṛṣṇau satṛṣṇāv api nija-nija-dhāmny-āpta-talpau smarāmi ||


“I remember Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa at the end of night. Alarmed that daylight has come, Vṛndādevī sends some parrots and mynahs to waken them with the loud sounds of both pleasant and unpleasant poetry. Along with their sakhīs, they then rise from their peaceful slumber. Seeing each other, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa become joyful and long for more lovemaking, but then they hear the monkey Kakkhaṭī screeching, become afraid and return to their respective homes and beds.”


The Beauty of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s Sleeping and Rising from Bed


The best part of the spiritually sweet abode Śrī Vṛndāvana is Śrī Govinda-Sthalī. Śrī Yamunā flows to the north and embraces Govinda-Sthalī with two waterfall arms in the east and west. The area is sloped like the back of a tortoise. A jeweled temple for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa called the yogapīṭha sits in the middle, with four desire-fulfilling trees in the surrounding four corners. Within that there are four pavilions and four bowers. There is a mādhavī pavilion in the northeast corner, a mālatī pavilion in the southeast, a navamallikā pavilion in the southwest and a svarṇayūthī pavilion in the northwest. Śvetāmbuja Kuñja is in the north and is the place where Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa play games of dice. Nīlāmbuja Kuñja is in the east and is where they are dressed and decorated. They take their meals in Aruṇāmbuja Kuñja in the south and sleep in Hemāmbuja Kuñja in the west. Surrounding that are the kuñjas of the aṣṭa-sakhīs. Outside of that, the number of kuñjas doubles with each circle to sixteen, thirty-two and so on to accommodate countless more sakhīs. In a circle outside of that are the kuñjas of the four doorkeeper sakhīs: Vṛndā in the east, Vṛndārikā in the south, Menakā in the west and Muralā in the north.


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