Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 19

Vrajadhāma: Śrī Rādhā’s Bath and Hiraṇyāṅgī’s Stories About Kṛṣṇa 

Śrī Rādhā and her sakhīs were happily watching the birds play in Yāvaṭa. Meanwhile, the dāsīs placed the articles for Śrīmatī’s bath on her bathing platform and have been waiting for her. After Śrī Rādhā sat on the bathing platform, Lalitā Sakhī lovingly removed her ornaments as though plucking flowers from a golden creeper. The sakhīs and mañjarīs felt great joy at seeing the astonishing beauty of her unadorned limbs. Then two washerman’s daughters named Mañjiṣṭhā and Raṅgavatī arrived with Śrī Rādhā’s bathing garment. Śrīmatī looked timidly in all directions and then put it on. It seemed as though the soft rays of a full moon had covered a statue of lightning. Then Śrīmatī sat on a soft seat and Rati Mañjarī removed her veil, untied her braid and moistened her curly locks with fragrant oil. She groomed her hair with a jeweled comb and then retied it. At Śrī Guru Mañjarī’s signal, the sādhaka-dāsī massaged Śrīmatī’s beautiful limbs with fragrant nārāyaṇa oil. Then she anointed her with a mixture of red powder, saffron, camphor, sandalwood paste and rosewater, as though sanctifying a statue of lightning. After massaging and anointing her, the sakhīs and mañjarīs began to bathe Śrī Rādhā. From a crystal pitcher they poured water scented with roses and other flowers on her head. That crystal pitcher appeared as blue from the luster of Śrī Rādhā’s hair, golden from the luster of her face and ruby-red from the luster of her lips. After Rādhā’s bath, the kiṅkarīs wiped the drops of water from her body with soft white towels. They appeared to be gently removing pearls from a steady streak of lightning using fragments of autumnal white clouds. One kiṅkarī began to carefully squeeze the water from Rādhā’s hair with a white towel. It seemed as though intense darkness veiled by moonlight white as a lotus fiber were shedding tears. Then, to remove the remaining water, Śrī Rādhā held the two ends of a towel and repeatedly struck bunches of her hair with it, scattering tiny drops into the air. After that, the sakhīs adorned her with a red undergarment and lovely blue dress. The deer of Kṛṣṇa’s eyes get willingly entangled in the beautiful net of that blue dress.

Then Śrī Rādhā sat on the dressing platform and a sakhī dried and scented her hair with the smoke from aguru incense. Sudevī arranged Śrīmatī’s hair with a jeweled comb, making a part in it like a Gaṅgā of sweetness, and then tied her braid like a snake to attract Kṛṣṇa’s mind. Lalitā attached an ornament made of cornflowers atop Śrīmatī’s head and a string of nine pearls in the part of her hair. Then with her left hand she slightly lifted Śrīmatī’s moonlike face and with her right painted a beautiful kāma-yantra on her brow. She first drew a circle of musk mixed with liquified aloeswood (aguru). Within that, she drew a delicate lotus with strokes of vermilion and within that, a dot of sandalwood paste mixed with camphor to create the beautiful tilaka. She then made collyrium paint with the glossy lampblack from a camphor lamp and applied it around Śrīmatī’s large eyes. It seemed as though dense darkness had enclosed a pair of lotuses beloved of Sūrya with the net of its own blackness! On Śrī Rādhā’s nose, lovelier than a sesame flower, Lalitā attached an amazing pearl nose-ring, like a seed from a creeper of beauty strung on a golden thread. After that, with Śrīmatī’s smiling face slightly bowed in shyness, Lalitā placed a drop of musk on the middle of her chin, like a baby bee on a golden lotus. Citra Devī painted beautiful leaves on Śrī Rādhā’s breasts with liquified camphor, aloeswood, sandalwood and vermilion. It seemed that by Kandarpa’s desire a charming pair of ruddy geese had risen from a lake of rasa adorned with moss. Indulekhā Sakhī placed jeweled bracelets on Śrīmatī’s arms that resembled full moons divided in two and tied with lotus fiber creepers. Then Campakalatā placed sapphire bangles on Śrī Rādhā’s wrists, nine-jeweled armlets on her lotus-stalk arms and jeweled rings on her leaflike fingers. Viśākhā placed a pearl-decorated crimson bodice on Śrīmatī’s bosom, along with a jeweled necklace and a throat ornament made of golden lattice. Tuṅgavidyā Sakhī then placed a lovely sash on Śrīmatī’s broad hips. It appeared as though Madanarāja had built a jeweled archway on the gateway to his home. Raṅgadevī placed jeweled anklets and toe-rings on Śrīmatī’s lotus feet and a sādhaka-dāsī then painted them with lac-dye. Rasa Mañjarī applied an ointment of camphor mixed with sandalwood paste to Śrīmatī’s beautiful limbs. Tulasī Mañjarī placed a garland of mādhavī flowers around Rādhā’s neck and a līlā-kamala(1) in her hand. Then Raṅgaṇamālā (Rūpa Mañjarī) placed a large jeweled mirror in front of her. When Śrīmatī saw the flawless beauty of her sweet form reflected in the mirror, she was amazed and began to consider, “My sweetheart floats in an ocean of bliss when he perceives only a particle of the luster of my unadorned body. When he sees this elegant, well-dressed and well-decorated beauty, his joy will be immeasurable. If he were to not enjoy this beauty, it would all be in vain.” In this way, Śrīmatī anxiously waited to see Kṛṣṇa. Then a sādhaka-dāsī placed the articles for ārati in Lalitā’s hands and she offered them to Śrī Rādhā.

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1. A lotus used as a plaything

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 13 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

वृन्दावनेश्वरि तवैव पदारविन्दं 

प्रेमामृतैक-मकरन्दरसौघपूर्णम् ।

हृद्यर्पितं मधुपतेः स्मरतापमुग्रं 

निर्वापयत् परमशीतलमाश्रयामि ॥ १३ ॥

vṛndāvaneśvari tavaiva padāravindaṁ 

premāmṛtaika-makaranda-rasaugha-pūrṇam |

hṛdy arpitaṁ madhu-pateḥ smara-tāpam ugraṁ 

nirvāpayat parama-śītalam āśrayāmi || 13 ||

“O Goddess of Vṛndāvana! I take refuge in your lotus feet. By holding to his chest those most cooling feet, which are filled with the honey-nectar of love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa allayed his terrible torment from the god of passion.”

Śrī Rādhā’s Lotus Feet

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: In the previous verse, some confusion appeared in Śrīpāda’s mind after his vision of līlā. The pain of separation is unbearable for the premika devotees. Śrīpāda is in the kingdom of mahābhāva; his sweet vision of līlā has agitated his mind. With a sorrowful heart he prays, “O Svāminī! Just once send your holy glance toward this wretched soul.” Svāminī possesses boundless mercy; how can she remain tranquil when she perceives her dear maidservant’s agony of separation? To this question the mahājanas have replied that the sole purpose of viraha (separation) is to enhance the flavor of union.

na vinā vipralambhena sambhogaḥ puṣṭim aśnute |

kaṣāyite hi vastrādau bhūyān rāgo vivardhate ||

“If a piece of clothing is to be dyed, the impurities must be removed with an alkali, thus increasing the intensity of color. In the same way, without viraha, sambhoga (union) is not nourished.” (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 15.3) Viraha is not only a nourisher of union, but it has also been called a rasa. Even in the books of the Gosvāmīs, it has been shown that the rasa of separation is more enjoyable than the rasa of meeting. Therefore, there is so much viraha in pure, sweet vraja-prema. Viraha is seen to be constantly present in the love of the vraja-sundarīs, who possess the highest mahābhāva. Consequently, they always get to savor viraha-rasa. Even at the time of union, the dread of future separation is in their hearts. The greatest devotees feel blessed and gratified to be in the presence of the gopīs’ viraha. Śrīla Uddhava Mahāśaya said to the vrajadevīs, viraheṇa mahābhāgā mahān me’nugrahaḥ kṛtaḥ. “O most fortunate ones, through your feelings of separation you have conferred a great boon on me. If not for your viraha, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would not have sent me here to console you and I would not have been blessed to perceive the glory of your astonishing love.” Feeling strong separation, Śrīpāda thinks, “Without taking shelter at Śrī Rādhā’s most cooling lotus feet, there is no way to mitigate this unbearable pain.” parama-śītalaṁ tavaiva padāravindam āśrayāmi.

Suddenly, a vision of līlā appeared before viraha-stricken Śrīpāda’s eyes. Śrīmatī is waiting anxiously at the meeting place and Śyāmasundara is a little late arriving. Holding the neck of her sakhī, Śrīmatī laments:

bandhura lāgiyā śeja bichāyaluṅ gāṅthiluṅ phulera mālā |

tāmbūla sājāluṅ dīpa ujāraluṅ mandira haila ālā ||

sai, pāche esaba haibe āna |

se hena nāgara guṇera sāgara kāhe nā milana kāna ||

śāśurī-nanade bañcanā kariyā āiluṅ gahana bane |

baḍa sādha mane e rūpa yaubane milaba bandhura sane ||

patha pāne cāhi kata nā rahiba kata prabodhiba mane |

rasa-śiromaṇi āsiba ekhani dīna caṇḍīdāsa bhane ||

Dīna Caṇḍīdāsa narrates, “For my lover, I have prepared our bed and strung flower garlands, made tāmbūla and lit a lamp to brighten the room. Sakhī, I fear all this may have been for naught. There may be no union with my dear Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of good qualities. After deceiving my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, I have come to this dense forest in my youth, yearning to meet my lover. How long shall I closely watch the path, thinking that Rasa-Śiromaṇi will soon arrive?”

In his kiṅkarī form, Śrīpāda encourages the forlorn Śrī Rādhā to endure: “Just be a little patient; your beloved will come soon.” After a short while, Kṛṣṇa arrived. Though delighted that he had come, Śrī Rādhā felt slightly offended and contrary because he was late. Donning her veil, she looked back in Kṛṣṇa’s direction and sat down. The King of Charm must now do some smooth talking to drive away the beautiful Śrī Rādhā’s indignation. Sitting at her feet, with folded hands he begins to plead:

cāha mukha tuli rāi cāha mukha tuli | nayāna-nācane nāce hiyāra putalī ||

abhimāna dūra kari cāha ekabāra | dūre yāu saba mora hiyāra āṅdhāra ||

rāi, kata parikhasi āra | tuyā ārādhana mora bidita saṁsāra ||

pīta pindhana mora tuyā abhilāṣe | parāṇa camake yadi chāḍaha niśvāse ||

leha leha leha rāi sādhera murali | paraśite cāhi tomāra caraṇera dhūli ||

tuyā mukha nirakhite āṅkhi bhela bhora | nayana-añjana tuyā para-cita-cora ||

rūpe guṇe yaubane bhubane āgali | bihi niramila tohe pirīti putali ||

eta dhane dhani yei se kene kṛpaṇa | jñāna-dāsa kahe—kebā jānibe marama || 

“Please lift your face and look at me, Rādhā! Your dancing eyes make my heart dance like a puppet. Give up your anger and look, just once. Send all the gloom of my heart far away. Rādhā, how much more will you test me? The whole world knows I adore you. I wear the color yellow because of my affection for you. My heart blooms in wonder if you simply sigh. Out of love for you, my muralī flute plays of its own accord. I want to touch the dust of your lotus feet. My eyes are enchanted by your lotus face. The collyrium on your eyes steals my heart. You are a storehouse of beauty, good qualities and youth in the world. The creator made you as an embodiment of love. O blessed one, you have so much wealth. Why be a miser?” Jñāna Dāsa says, “Who can fathom the heart?”

Now, even though Kṛṣṇa made various attempts to change Śrīmatī’s mind, he could not do so. His heart burns in the intense fire of love. He keeps thinking, “Please, let me touch your beautiful feet just once.” Then, a wave of rasa rose in his heart. A mahājana has written, hiyāra mājhāre uṭhe rasera hilloli; (yabe) paraśite cāhi tomāra pāyera aṅgulī. “When I wish to touch your beautiful toes, a wave of rasa rises in my heart.” 

Śrī Rādhā sat on a jeweled seat with her feet resting on a footstool below. Suddenly, just as Rasarāja grabbed Śrīmatī’s feet to place them on his head, out of modesty Śrīmatī simultaneously pulled her feet away. As they both pulled, her lotus feet landed on Śyāmasundara’s chest! It looked as though two red lotuses had bloomed from the heart of the blue Yamunā. Śyāmasundara’s bluish chest was so beautiful smeared with the red lac melted from Śrīmatī’s perspiring lotus feet! Śrīpāda Kavi Karṇapūra has skillfully described this beauty:

śrīvatsasya ca kaustubhasya ca ramādevyāś ca garhākaro

rādhā-pāda-saroja-yāvaka-raso vakṣaḥ-sthala-stho hareḥ |

bālārka-dyuti-maṇḍalīva timiraiś chandena vandī-kṛtā

kālindyāḥ payasīva pīva-vikacaṁ raktotpalaṁ pātu vaḥ ||

“May Śrī Rādhā’s foot-lac smeared upon Śrī Hari’s chest protect you all. It is more beautiful than the Śrīvatsa, Kaustubha and Ramādevī (Lakṣmī) on his chest. The beauty of the radiant red lac on Kṛṣṇa’s smooth dark chest is incomparable. It is like the rays of the newly-risen sun are being offered prayers by the darkness, or a red lotus has blossomed within the dark waters of the Kālindī.” (Alaṅkāra-Kaustubhaḥ 8.59)

The cooling touch of her lotus feet has allayed the terrible fire of love burning in Nāgarendra’s heart. He is a madhupati, a rasika bee. A bee cools himself by drinking the honey from lotuses, but here, the madhupati cools himself by placing a lotus foot upon his chest. To have a pair of them is even more uncommon. Even though a lotus is soothing, it excites a person pierced by Cupid’s arrows and increases his suffering. But the wonderful coolness of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet relieves Madhupati’s agony of love. After being shown the transcendent characteristics of these extraordinary lotus feet, Śrīpāda said, premāmṛtaika-makaranda-rasaugha-pūrṇam. “They are filled with a stream of the flower-nectar of love.” Premāmṛta-rasa is the honey from her lotus feet, meaning that an endless stream of the nectar of love is oozing from her lotus feet, and it extinguishes Madanamohana’s burning desire. In this rasa, the coolness of nectar and the intoxicating quality of honey exist simultaneously. Moreover, the word makaranda-rasa (flower-honey) is also suggestive of the term madhu-sneha:

madīyatvātiśaya-bhāk priye sneho bhaven madhu |

svayaṁ prakaṭa-mādhuryo nānā-rasa-samāhṛtiḥ ||

The type of affection characterized by a sense that “Kṛṣṇa is mine” is known as madhu-sneha.(1) Candrāvalī possesses ghṛta-sneha (love that is like ghee) and Śrī Rādhā possesses madhu-sneha (love that is like honey).(2) In madhu-sneha, various rasas are combined and it has thus been called rasaugha, a flood of rasa. When sneha reaches an elevated state, it is known as māna (pride). (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 14.93-94)

snehas tūtkṛṣṭatāvāptyā mādhuryaṁ mānayan navam |

yo dhārayaty adākṣiṇyaṁ sa māna iti kīrtyate ||

“When sneha becomes elevated, it manifests a new and amazing sweetness and assumes a crooked nature. That is called māna.” (Ujjvala-Nīlamaṇi 14.96) By the touch of that elevated sneha-rasa, Rasarāja’s burning desire has been alleviated.

By holding Śrīmatī’s lotus feet to his chest, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has caused her māna to run away. Śrīpāda was blessed in his kiṅkarī form with an experience of the sweetness of their union. Suddenly, his mystic vision ended. His heart burned in the fire of separation. To allay this terrible pain, he prayed for shelter at Śrīmati’s most cooling lotus feet. By holding those feet to his chest, Śrī Kṛṣṇa also got relief from the passion god’s torment. “Your cooling lotus feet are my only refuge from the pain of separation.”

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1. See verses 170-171 in Dhyānacandra’s Paddhati.

2. Rādhā thinks, “Kṛṣṇa is mine.” Candrāvalī thinks, “I am Kṛṣṇa’s.”

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