At Śrī Gurudevī’s signal, the sādhaka-dāsī then brought a golden basin and a golden pitcher filled with scented water. After helping Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa wash their faces, she lovingly dried them with a piece of fine cloth. Then she offered nectarous fruit drinks and tāmbūla to them, decorated them with garlands and sandalwood paste and showed them a jeweled mirror. All the sevā was heartfelt and performed with affection. After that, the sādhaka-kiṅkarī placed a previously prepared ārati-tray in the hands of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī, who then passed it on to Lalitā. Śrī Lalitā offered ārati to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. The ārati was a great celebration of love. After burning away any misfortune surrounding Śrī Yugala with lamps of ghee and camphor, she removed all inauspiciousness from them with a soft cloth. She then sprinkled their bodies with nectar-like water poured from a conch shell.* Some of the sakhīs fanned them with cāmaras, while others clapped their hands or played karatālas. Others began to shower them with flowers while making the ulu sound. After seeing Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s effulgent beauty, everyone immersed themselves in joyful singing and dancing.
Navadvīpa: The Three Prabhus’ Ārati and Ecstasies
Śrīman Mahāprabhu sat on his bed surrounded by his companions in the sleeping pavilion of Śrīvāsa’s flower garden in Śrī Navadvīpa. Absorbed in prema, Prabhu remembered Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s ārati in the Vraja bower and let out a joyful roar. The bhaktas heard this, returned to external consciousness and finished the ārati song. Śrīman Mahāprabhu returned to external consciousness and affectionately embraced Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu. All the bhaktas then offered daṇḍavat-praṇāma at Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet. Mahāprabhu sat on an ornate, bejeweled seat on the verandah, with Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu on his right and Śrī Advaita Prabhu on his left. Then, at Śrī Gurudeva’s signal, the sādhaka-dāsa brought a golden basin and scented water in a golden pitcher. He assisted the Three Prabhus in washing their faces and drying them with a fine cloth. Then he dressed and decorated them, adorned them with garlands and sandalwood paste, and showed them a jeweled mirror. After that, he gave the ārati articles to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, who passed them on to Śrī Svarūpa Gosvāmī, who offered them to the Three Prabhus. Upon seeing his complexion in the mirror, Śrīman Mahāprabhu became absorbed in vraja-bhāva. Śrī Svarūpa understood Mahāprabhu’s mind, so he began to sing songs about Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa leaving the nikuñja-mandira and going home, as well as about other pastimes in Vraja. Hearing this, everyone became absorbed in the mood and sank into vraja-rasa.
*This seems out of order, but that’s what it says.
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