Śrī-Śrī-Gaura-Govinda-Līlāmṛta Guṭikā 27

Baṭu replied, “Hey foolish cowherd! Your svadharma is grazing cows. What do you know of the enjoyment of rasa? You should go in the forest now to graze your cows.” Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa inquired, “Hey Baṭu! You study the rasa-śāstras, don’t you?” Madhumaṅgala replied, “Hey Kṛṣṇa! The rhetoricians believe there are eight rasas, but I think there are only six, including bitter, sour, sweet and so on. After abandoning the rasas embodied in vegetables, soups and other foods, those who endeavor to experience the formless śṛṅgāra-rasa and so on are like thirsty people who abandon pure water and chase after a mirage. It is only useless labor. Those who say that chewing(1) brings the rasa out will not know what that means even after millions of births. It is not possible to chew unembodied rasa. The chewing of embodied rasa in the form of rice, vegetables, sweets and so on is immediately realized.” Curious about Baṭu’s novel conclusions regarding rasa, Śrī Baladeva inquired, “Baṭu, in your opinion, what are sāttvika and anubhāva in the tasting of rasa? What is sañcāri-bhāva and what is sthāyi-bhāva? Please explain.” Baṭu replied, “Haladhara! The rhetoricians think that the sāttvika called tears appears after tasting rasa, but I think tears come before tasting rasa if there is a shortage of food. Moreover, goosebumps and euphoria appear in harmony with such foods. Because of extreme pleasure while eating, my complexion becomes resplendent. Thus, my change of color. When I sometimes shout while eating, that is my broken speech. If there are abundant sweets present and I’m unable to eat much, I feel unhappy and become motionless. You can see my perspiration. You can see that I sometimes pass out after eating a big meal. Lethargy, worry, sleep, joy and so on are sañcāris (passing states) in my tasting of rasa. My sthāyi-bhāva is simply enjoyment, but it is known by various names such as vegetables, soups, sweets, cooked foods and so on.” In this way, Kṛṣṇa, Baladeva and their sakhās began to eat, sunk in the joy of Baṭu’s witty banter.

Behind Rohiṇī Devī, who was engaged in serving food, Kṛṣṇa glanced at Priyājī’s beautiful face and was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. His appetite weakened and he appeared distracted. Seeing that, Yaśodā Mā became anxious and said, “O child! Though being hungry, why do you not eat these carefully prepared foods? A curse on my head! Please eat some more.” Rohiṇī Mā said, “Child! Śrī Rādhā, though being more delicate than a mallikā flower, has cooked all these delicious foods with great effort. If you don’t eat them, this young girl won’t take the trouble to come here again for cooking.” Kṛṣṇa then concealed his emotional state born of seeing Rādhā and slowly began to eat. Seeing this, his two mothers became very happy. Then Yaśodā served Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and their sakhās many kinds(2) of sweet and juicy foods and drinks. After eating, Kṛṣṇa washed his hands and mouth and dried them with a soft towel. He chewed delicious tāmbūla scented with cardamom, cloves and camphor as he walked a hundred steps to his bedroom, where he rested on a jeweled couch. After washing her hands and feet, Śrī Rādhā entered the room and felt great joy upon seeing her lover’s lotus face. Then Yaśodā Mātā instructed Rohiṇī Mātā to feed Śrī Rādhā and her sakhīs. Rohiṇī Mā prepared all the food and gave it to Dhaniṣṭhā. Dhaniṣṭhā then secretly mixed it with the nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips.(3)

Waiting to eat, Śrī Rādhā bashfully lowered her head and covered it with the border of her dress. Seeing this, Yaśodā Mā spoke affectionately to her, “O Rādhā, am I different from your mother? Why are you being so shy? Whenever I see Kṛṣṇa, I feel great joy; I also feel great joy whenever I see you. I always praise your beauty, qualities and work. Please take your meal in front of me today. O Lalitā! O Viśākhā! All of you girls give up your shyness and have some food in my home. Please freely eat, rest, laugh and play just as in your own mother’s home.” After hearing Yaśodā’s words of favor and affection, Śrī Rādhā and her sakhīs happily partook of the nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Then, Śrīmatī and her sakhīs washed their hands and mouths and went to her bedroom. They sat on a jeweled couch while the mañjarīs offered them tāmbūla, and the sādhaka-dāsī began to fan them, wave a cāmara and perform other sevās appropriate for the time. With Yaśodā Mā’s permission, Rūpa Mañjarī and the other kiṅkarīs ate the food remaining on the plates of Śrī Rādhā and her sakhīs and then came to join them. After that, the guru-mañjarīs took their meals and the sādhaka-dāsī ate everyone’s food remnants. The sādhaka-dāsī then washed her hands and mouth, cleaned the dishes and came to sit at her gurudevī’s feet in the presence of Śrī Rādhā. Śrīmatī kindly gave pieces of her chewed tāmbūla to each of the kiṅkarīs. When Śrī Rādhā lay down, the sādhaka-dāsī began to massage her lotus feet, as instructed by her guru-mañjarī. Then the mañjarīs all took rest in their respective places.

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1. The word ‘chew’ can also mean ‘to meditate on or ponder.’

2. Foods to be chewed, to be sucked, to be licked and to be drunk

3. His food remnants

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 20 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

श्रीराधिके सुरतरङ्गि-नितम्बभागे 

काञ्चीकलापकलहंस-कलानुलापैः ।

मञ्जीर-शिञ्जित-मधुव्रत-गुञ्जिताङ्घ्रि-

पङ्केरुहैः शिशिरय स्वरसच्छटाभिः ॥ २० ॥

śrī-rādhike surata-raṅgi-nitamba-bhāge 

kāñcī-kalāpa-kalahaṁsa-kalānulāpaiḥ |

mañjīra-śiñjita-madhuvrata-guñjitāṅghri-

paṅkeruhaiḥ śiśiraya sva-rasa-cchaṭābhiḥ || 20 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! O one whose hips delight in making love! By the sweet, swanlike sounds of your waist-bells, by your lotus feet, on which anklets tinkle like humming bees, and by the splendor of your own essence, please cool my burning heart.”

Abhisārikā(1) Śrī Rādhā

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: While absorbed in his svarūpa, Śrīpāda has experienced amazing visions. He feels that he is in the presence of Śrī Rādhārāṇī. The relishing of rasa is always intrinsic to sevā. Because in his soul Śrīpāda has fully accepted himself as a maidservant of Śrī Rādhā, her sweetness has awakened the experience of various rasas within his heart. In a vision, there is no personal effort; a vision is natural and spontaneous. If one’s heart is suitable, a stream of līlā appears within it. Visions of līlā do not occur spontaneously in a heart full of material qualities. Sādhana-bhakti gradually lifts the sādhaka’s mind and heart beyond the modes of nature. Śrī Bhagavān told Śrī Uddhava that his work is to lift the sādhaka’s awareness above the modes of material nature through the process of bhakti.

martyo yadā tyakta-samasta-karmā, niveditātmā vicikīrṣito me |

tadāmṛtatvaṁ pratipadyamāno, mayātmabhūyāya ca kalpate vai ||

“O Uddhava, when a mortal abandons all duties and dedicates himself to me, I want to give him special distinction above the jñānīs and yogīs. He attains immortality and my nature, meaning he gets a transcendental body as my companion and is blessed with my sevā.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.29.34)

If one’s mind remains at the feet of his cherished deity, a gentleness or pleasantness of the mind is experienced. By the mercy of līlā, a condition arises such that even if one tries to forget the form, qualities and so on of the cherished one, it cannot be done. For jīvas like me, it is certainly the opposite condition. Even if we want to forget worldly life, our body and things related to the body, we cannot. For us, the situation is so bad that even though we know how enjoyable Śrī Rādhā’s service is, we still cannot adopt it. We are intoxicated by our engrossment in the transitory body. This bodily obsession is a problem because it carries away the mind. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has given us the following instruction in Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 101:

āna kathā nā baliba, āna kathā nā śuniba, sakali kariba paramārtha |

prārthanā kariba sadā, lālasā abhīṣṭa-kathā, ihā binā sakali anartha ||

“I shall neither speak nor hear of other topics. I shall do everything for the highest purpose. I pray that I may always long to hear about the pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. Other than this, everything is useless.”

How gentle are the hearts of Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs! Their hearts are filled with sweetness! heri duṅhu lābaṇi, duṅhu sambhāṣaṇa śuni, sakhī āṅkhi śrabaṇa juḍāya. “The sakhī’s eyes and ears are satisfied by seeing the divine couple’s beauty and hearing their sweet conversations.” (Ṭhākura Mahāśaya)

Śrīpāda’s heart and mind are in the kingdom of līlā. In his siddha form, he has received a vision of Śrīmatī’s abhisāra-līlā. Śrīmatī’s body had become paralyzed by the intoxicating sound of Kṛṣṇa’s bamboo flute. Absorbed in his spiritual form as a kiṅkarī, Śrīpāda has brought news of Kṛṣṇa, hoping to enable Rādhā’s body and mind to reach the rendezvous place. She quickly dressed Śrīmatī in clothing suitable for the tryst. This is how to serve one maddened by prema. By captivating Śrīmatī’s mind with sweet words about Kṛṣṇa, she was able to put all the ornaments in their proper places. If she had let Śrī Rādhā dress and decorate herself, it would have been a disaster. The mahājana Vaṁśīvadana has sung,

rāi sāje bāṁśi bāje paḍi gela ula |

ki karite kinā kare saba haila bhula ||

mukure āñcaḍi rāi bāndhe keśa-bhāra |

pāye bāndhe phulera mālā nā kare bicāra ||

karete nūpura pare jaṅghe pare tāḍa |

galete kiṅkiṇī pare kaṭitaṭe hāra ||

caraṇe kājara pare nayane ālatā |

hiyāra upare pare baṅkarāja pātā ||

“While Śrī Rādhā was getting dressed, she heard the sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute and became disoriented. Not knowing what to do or how to do it, she bungled everything. She combed her hair with a mirror and then tied it in a clump. Without thinking, she tied flower garlands on her feet, put ankle-bells on her hands, armlets on her shanks and waist-bells on her neck. She placed a necklace on her waist, collyrium on her soles, lac-dye around her eyes, and a foot-ornament on her bosom.”

As a result of being oblivious to her body at the time of abhisāra, Śrīmatī’s dressing of herself can be a problem. This time, Śrīpāda, in his kiṅkarī form, has positioned all the clothing and ornaments in their proper places. From a distance comes the sweet, heart-tugging call of the flute. It distinctly sounds out Śrī Rādhā’s name. How can Śrīmatī possibly remain calm? The dam of her composure has broken. She says,

ki kahiba re sakhi! iha duḥkha ora |

bāṁśi-niśāsa-garale tanu bhora ||

haṭha sañe paiṭhaye śrabaṇaka mājha |

taikhane bigalita tanu-mana lāja ||

bipula pulaka pari-puraye deha |

“What can I say, O friend? This is the limit of misery! My body is overwhelmed by the poisonous breath of that flute. When it forcefully enters my ears, the modesty of my body and mind melts and I am filled with a deep feeling of joy.”

After speaking like this, Śrīmatī fell silent! Having experienced Kṛṣṇa through the captivating sound of his flute, she was ready to calm down. Seeing this, Śrīpāda, in his kiṅkarī form, said, “O Rādhikā! No one knows how to serve Kṛṣṇa like you. His desire has been made clear by his flute calling your name. Now you must help him realize that desire. And why do you delay? Quickly; go to your rendezvous. O one whose hips delight in making love! There is so much passion for lovemaking expressed in your hips, but because of their weight, you are unable to move quickly. This is why I’m telling you to hurry. When you walk slowly before your lover at the meeting place, the sash-bells on your broad hips will proclaim Cupid’s commands, like swan-calls on the banks of the Yamunā. rasatu rasanāpi tava ghana-jaghana-maṇḍale ghoṣayatu manmatha-nideśam (Jayadeva). The beauty of your broad hips will wring out the mind of your lover. He will be astonished to hear the sound of your waist-bells.”

rādhā-śroṇir iyaṁ samāna-pulinaiḥ satyā kaver gīr iyaṁ

yad-veṇī yamunā tad eva pulinaṁ kāñcī marālī-tatiḥ |

no cet tatra harer mano-naṭavaraḥ śrī-rāsa-lāsyaṁ kathaṁ

svābhir vṛtti-sakhī-naṭibhir aniśaṁ kurvan na viśrāmyati ||

“The poet’s statement that ‘Śrī Rādhā’s hips are like the banks of the Yamunā’ is true. The braid of hair fallen between her hips is the Yamunā, her hips are the banks and her waist-bells the flocks of swans. If this is not so, then why does the king of dancers (Kṛṣṇa’s mind) dance tirelessly with the gopīs (his thoughts) in the beautiful rāsa dance on those banks?” (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 11.60)

The kiṅkarī is saying, “Your abhisāra is so amazingly sweet. With each step, the anklets on your lotus feet tinkle like the humming of bees. Enticed by the wonderful fragrance of your lotus feet, the real bees follow you. Thinking the tinkling of your anklets to be the humming of bees, they also hum along sweetly.”

calaite caraṇera, saṅge calu madhukara, makaranda pāna kī lobhe |

saurabhe unamata, dharaṇī cumbaye kata, yāṅhā yāṅhā pada-cihna śobhe ||

  “As she walks, the restless bees drink eagerly the nectar of her lotus feet, and intoxicated by their fragrance, the bees repeatedly kiss the earth wherever they find her beautiful footprints.” (Mahājana)

“O Śrī Rādhikā! In this way, by traveling to the meeting place, sva-rasa-cchaṭābhiḥ śiśiraya svasyātipriya-janasya śrī-kṛṣṇasya cchaṭābhiḥ aṅga-kāntibhiḥ śiśiraya tapta-hṛdayaṁ śītalī-kuru, let your heart, burning from separation, be cooled by the dark, cloud-like complexion of your beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of rasa.” Or, sva-rasa-cchaṭābhiḥ svīya-rasa-mādhurībhiḥ taptaṁ śrī-kṛṣṇaṁ śītalī-kuru. “Let Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who burns in separation from you, be cooled by your own rasa-mādhurī.” Or, “by meeting with Śyāmasundara, the splendor of your unprecedented rasa will manifest, and with it you will cool the burning heart of this person who has desired it for so long.” Or, at the time of Śrīmatī’s abhisāra, the kiṅkarī has prayed that her own senses be cooled by their objects: Śrī Rādhā’s sound, touch, beauty, taste and fragrance. She has prayed that her ears be cooled by hearing the sound of Śrīmatī’s waist-bells; her eyes by seeing the beauty of Śrīmatī’s hips; her tongue by describing the sweetness of her romantic pastimes; her nose by smelling the fragrance of her lotus feet, surrounded by humming bees; and her skin by the touch of those lotus feet.

Because this prayer arose from his svarūpa, it is filled with mādhurī. Even a sādhaka absorbed in his svarūpa experiences Śrīmatī’s sound, touch and so on while meditating. There is nothing in the world more pleasant than immersion in one’s svarūpa. Therefore, the sādhaka always thinks, “I am close to Śrī Rādhā.” Attachment for the material world diminishes and smaraṇa gradually becomes deeper and deeper until eventually a mystic vision appears. For Śrīpāda, the līlā-rasa has been flowing in a stream of uninterrupted visions.

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1. A woman who goes to meet her lover

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