Some verses from Bhāvanā-Sāra-Saṅgrahaḥ, Madhyāhna-Līlā

यत्रोत्फुल्ल-सरोरुहोत्पलचलत्कह्लार-रक्तोत्पलैः

सत्कारण्डव-हंससारसबकक्रौञ्चादिभिश्चञ्चलैः ।

वाप्यो रत्नतटीः सरांस्यपि सुधा-न्यक्कारि-वारीण्यथ

प्रायाद्देशमयं तमेव शरदामोदं नवो मन्मथः ॥ ६४४ ॥

yatrotphulla-saroruhotpala-calat-kahlāra-raktotpalaiḥ

sat-kāraṇḍava-haṁsa-sārasa-baka-krauñcādibhiś cañcalaiḥ |

vāpyo ratna-taṭīḥ sarāṁsy api sudhā-nyakkāri-vārīṇy atha

prāyād deśam ayaṁ tam eva śaradāmodaṁ navo manmathaḥ || 644 ||

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the young god of love, went with the gopīs to a place known as Śaradāmoda, meaning autumn delight, where there were lakes filled with blossoming red and blue lotuses and white water-lilies swaying. Beautiful ducks, swans, cranes, herons, wagtails and so on chattered on the gem-studded shores and the water was sweeter than nectar. (Kṛṣṇāhnika-Kaumudī 3.61)

अथावदत् कुन्दलता निचायतं

वृन्दावनेशौ वनभागमग्रतः ।

इमं शरच्चारुतयेह विश्रुतं

वयस्यया वां शरदा विभूषितम् ॥ ६४५ ॥

athāvadat kundalatā nicāyataṁ

vṛndāvaneśau vana-bhāgam agrataḥ |

imaṁ śarac-cārutayeha viśrutaṁ

vayasyayā vāṁ śaradā vibhūṣitam || 645 ||

Kundalatā said, “O Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, rulers of Vṛndāvana, look at the forest region ahead. Your friend the autumn season has decorated it for you and it is famous for its beauty. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 13.6)

चञ्चत्खञ्जनलोचनाम्बुजमुखी लोलालिमालालका

खेलत्कोककुचा सिताभ्रसिचया रक्तोत्पलौष्ठाधरा ।

कूजत्सारसपालिरम्यरसना नीलोत्पलोत्तंसिका

नाथौ पश्यतमत्र वां शरदियं सेवोत्सुकास्ते सखी ॥ ६४६ ॥

cañcat-khañjana-locanāmbuja-mukhī lolāli-mālālakā

khelat-koka-kucā sitābhra-sicayā raktotpalauṣṭhādharā |

kūjat-sārasa-pāli-ramya-rasanā nīlotpalottaṁsikā

nāthau paśyatam atra vāṁ śarad iyaṁ sevotsukās te sakhī || 646 ||

“O my two monarchs! Your sakhī called Autumn is eager to serve you. Look! The dancing wagtails are her eyes; the lotuses are her face; the restless bees scattered here and there are ringlets of her hair; the playful ruddy geese are her breasts; the white clouds are her clothing; the red lotuses are her lips; the delightful calls of the swans are her waist-bells and the blue lotuses are ornaments for her ears. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 13.7)

जातीभिः सह रङ्गणाभिरखिलाङ्गालङ्कृतिः कैरवै-

रुत्तंसानवतंसकांश्च सुभगै रक्तोत्पलेन्दीवरैः ।

शय्यां कुञ्जगृहे स्वयं निपतितैः शेफालिका-सञ्चयै-

र्निर्मायार्पयितुं शरत्सहचरी वां वर्त्म संवीक्षते ॥ ६४७ ॥

jātībhiḥ saha raṅgaṇābhir akhilāṅgālaṅkṛtiḥ kairavair

uttaṁsān avataṁsakāṁś ca subhagai raktotpalendīvaraiḥ |

śayyāṁ kuñja-gṛhe svayaṁ nipatitaiḥ śephālikā-sañcayair

nirmāyārpayituṁ śarat-sahacarī vāṁ vartma saṁvīkṣate || 647 ||

“Autumn watches the path so she can offer you bodily ornaments made with red raṅgaṇa flowers and night-blooming jasmines. There are chaplets of white water-lilies and ear ornaments made with red and blue lotuses. In the bower house, she has personally prepared a bed of night-blooming jasmines for you. (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 13.7)

स्थलकमलवनान्तः कौसुमं यस्य तल्पं

विमलबहुलतारं व्योम मुक्तावितानम् ।

विकसितचलकाशाश्चामराणां समूहः

स ऋतुरतुलकान्तिर्यत्र राजेव रेजे ॥ ६४८ ॥

sthala-kamala-vanāntaḥ kausumaṁ yasya talpaṁ

vimala-bahula-tāraṁ vyoma muktā-vitānam |

vikasita-cala-kāśāś cāmarāṇāṁ samūhaḥ

sa ṛtur atula-kāntir yatra rājeva reje || 648 ||

“The incomparably beautiful autumn season shines like a king. Within a cluster of land-lotuses sits a flower-petal bed whose pearled canopy is the clear, star-filled sky. Blooming kāśa flowers sway in the breeze like yak-tail whisks.” (Ānanda-Vṛndāvana-Campūḥ 1.68)

अथ वृन्दयोपहृतमम्बुजं हरिः

परिगृह्य हस्तनलिनेन शस्तरुक् ।

समजिघ्रदप्यतुलसौरभैः क्षितौ

जयसि त्वमित्यलघु तुष्टुवे च तत् ॥ ६४९ ॥

atha vṛndayopahṛtam ambujaṁ hariḥ

parigṛhya hasta-nalinena śasta-ruk |

samajighrad apy atula-saurabhaiḥ kṣitau

jayasi tvam ity alaghu tuṣṭuve ca tat || 649 ||

“After that, Śrī Vṛndādevī brought a beautiful lotus flower and eagerly offered it to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He accepted it with his lotus hand and began to sniff it. He praised the lotus by saying, ‘You have conquered the whole world with your unique fragrance.’” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.7)

कमलस्तवे सखि कृते मया कथं

वदनं तवाभवदरालचिल्लिकम् ।

दरशोणमां चटुलिताङ्ग्यवेदिषं

निजगौरव-च्यवनहेतुकं हि तत् ॥ ६५० ॥

kamala-stave sakhi kṛte mayā kathaṁ

vadanaṁ tavābhavad arāla-cillikam |

dara-śoṇam āṁ caṭulitāṅgy avediṣaṁ

nija-gaurava-cyavana-hetukaṁ hi tat || 650 ||

Kṛṣṇa said to Rādhā, “Sakhī! When I was praising the lotus, I noticed that your eyebrows became crooked, your complexion slightly reddened and your limbs were restless. This is because you felt you were being deprived of your own honor.” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.8)

भवतु क्रमादुभयमेव जिघ्रता

यतरद्भवेन्मधुर-सौरभाधिकम् ।

तदवेत्य तस्य जय एव सर्वदा

निजवेणुनाप्यलघु गास्यते मया ॥ ६५१ ॥

bhavatu kramād ubhayam eva jighratā

yatarad-bhaven-madhura-saurabhādhikam |

tad-avetya tasya jaya eva sarvadā

nija-veṇunāpy alaghu gāsyate mayā || 651 ||

“Whatever it may be, after smelling both the lotus and your lotus mouth, I will tell you which one has the sweetest fragrance. I will ever praise the winner loudly with the song of my flute.” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.9)

इति तां निगद्य तदलक्षितं हरिः

परिचुम्ब्य तन्मुखमुवाच विस्मितः ।

अहहातुलः परिमलोऽयमेव तत्

सखि नानृतं त्वमपि मे समक्रुधः ॥ ६५२ ॥

iti tāṁ nigadya tad-alakṣitaṁ hariḥ

paricumbya tan-mukham uvāca vismitaḥ |

ahahātulaḥ parimalo’yam eva tat

sakhi nānṛtaṁ tvam api me samakrudhaḥ || 652 ||

After saying this to Śrī Rādhā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa stealthily kissed her again and again. Astonished, he said, “O friend, O Rādhā! Your mouth has an incomparable fragrance. O lovely one! Please don’t be angry with me for no reason.” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.10)

धिगरे वृथैव परिफुल्ल मूढ किं

त्रपसे न जैत्रवनितास्य-सन्निधौ ।

निजपङ्कजत्व-जलजत्वयोर्द्वयो-

रनुरूपमेव शठ चेष्टसेऽथवा ॥ ६५३ ॥

dhig are vṛthaiva pariphulla mūḍha kiṁ

trapase na jaitra-vanitāsya-sannidhau |

nija-paṅkajatva-jalajatvayor dvayor

anurūpam eva śaṭha ceṣṭase’thavā || 653 ||

After that, Kṛṣṇa said to the lotus, “Shame on you, lotus! O silly one, why are you being cheerful for no reason? Are you not ashamed to be cheerful in front of the girl who defeated you? Or, hey crafty one, are you trying to equate your nature as a lotus with being born of matter? You were born of dull matter, so you are dull, and because of this you remain cheerful.”(1) (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.11)

तरुवल्लि-लास्यविधिशिक्षणं प्रति-

क्षणमेव सक्षणमितो वितन्वता ।

तदुपाहृत-स्वमकरन्द-सौरभो-

च्चय-दक्षिणाभिरपि न प्रसीदता ॥ ६५४ ॥

शृणु कोपने तवमुखाम्बुजाञ्चली-

तटमेव किं नटयता नभस्वता ।

प्रतिलभ्य तत्परिमलान् सुदुर्लभान्

अहमद्य धन्य इति नाभ्यमन्यत ॥ ६५५ ॥

taru-valli-lāsya-vidhi-śikṣaṇaṁ prati-

kṣaṇam eva sakṣaṇam ito vitanvatā |

tad-upāhṛta-sva-makaranda-saurabho-

ccaya-dakṣiṇābhir api na prasīdatā || 654 ||

śṛṇu kopane tava mukhāmbujāñcalī-

taṭam eva kiṁ naṭayatā nabhasvatā |

pratilabhya tat-parimalān sudurlabhān

aham adya dhanya iti nābhyamanyata || 655 ||

“O angry one! O Rādhā! This breeze is proof that the aroma of your mouth is sweeter than that of the lotuses and other flowers. He taught the trees and creepers to dance in continuous joy. Though they offered him the aroma of their own nectar as a gift, he was not satisfied. So he caused the veil on your lovely face to dance, thus giving him a whiff of that incomparable fragrance. Does he not understand that on this day he has become most fortunate?” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Bhāvanāmṛtam 12.12-13)

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1.  In the Sanskrit, the words paṅkajatva and jalajatva are used. Paṅkajatva means the state of being a lotus, and jalajatva can mean either born from water or born from matter. Kṛṣṇa is teasing the lotus by choosing the latter.

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 40 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

तस्या अपार-रससार-विलासमूर्ते-

रानन्दकन्द-परमाद्भुत-सौम्य-लक्ष्म्याः ।

ब्रह्मादि-दुर्गमगतेर्वृषभानुजायाः

कैङ्कर्यमेव मम जन्मनि जन्मनि स्यात् ॥ ४० ॥

tasyā apāra-rasa-sāra-vilāsa-mūrter

ānanda-kanda-paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmyāḥ |

brahmādi-durgama-gater vṛṣabhānu-jāyāḥ

kaiṅkaryam eva mama janmani janmani syāt || 40 ||

“Let me be a maidservant of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu in life after life. She is the embodiment of the love-play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the embodiment of boundless nectar. She is Nandanandana’s most wonderful and gentle Lakṣmī, but is inaccessible to Brahmā and others.”

Being Śrī Rādhā’s Maidservant

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: After Śrīpāda’s mystic vision ended, a deep feeling of humility arose in his heart. Filled with anguish, he prays in sādhaka consciousness to become Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī. “In life after life, let me be Rādhā’s maidservant; I have no other desire.” His mind is enchanted by the sweetness of servitude to Śrī Rādhārāṇī. As the kiṅkarī is a vessel for sweetness, her inner nature is also sweet. “While you are sporting in the bower, the beauty of your eyes will cause your lover to swoon in joy. Let this be the object of my meditation. Your sidelong glance will cause your lover’s flute, crown and cloth to fall off. To drive away his swoon of joy, you will even acknowledge defeat. Then you will require my loyal service. I wish to be your loving maidservant in life after life.” The sādhaka also must taste this sweet service in meditation. A person absorbed in the body will not get a taste of this service. rūpe guṇe ḍagamagī, sadā haba anurāgī, basati kariba sakhīra mājha. “I will live among the sakhīs, who overflow with beauty and good qualities, and to whom I am ever devoted.” The sādhaka must identify with his guru-given siddha-svarūpa and remain submerged in it. For this reason, the transcendental young god of love is worshiped through the kāma-bīja and kāma-gāyatrī. Why is it called gāyatrī? gāyantaṁ trāyate yasmāt gāyatrī tu tataḥ smṛtaḥ. “Because it liberates one who sings it, it is known as gāyatrī.” (Agni-Purāṇa) Through meditation, the sādhaka-self is released from the form made of five elements and given a body, mind and spirit suitable for the sevā of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. Śrīpāda is on the level of mahābhāva. Therefore, even in external consciousness, he feels the low hum of rādhā-dāsya. In this verse, the deep love in Śrīpāda’s heart has awakened a vision of Rādhārāṇī’s wealth of mādhurya. The characteristic of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Ācāryas, who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, is that even the opulence of Śrī Vṛndāvana does not cause them to hesitate due to awe and reverence. It is experienced by them in a pleasant, desirable and enjoyable way. madhuraiśvarya-mādhurya-kṛpādi-bhāṇḍāra (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.44). Vrajadhāma is the abode of mādhurya. Therefore, the devotees here experience both aiśvarya and mādhurya as sweet.

Śrīpāda describes Śrī Rādhā as apāra-rasa-sāra-vilāsa-mūrti. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of the love-play of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the essence of all rasas. Every form of Śrī Bhagavān is a rasa-svarūpa.(1) Śruti says raso vai saḥ, ānandaṁ brahma, but akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti(2) Śrī Govinda is the essence of rasa. He is the foremost of rasikas. Though being a rasa-svarūpa, Brahman is a motionless ocean of joy only and does not taste rasa. Although other forms of Bhagavān taste rasa, they taste the aiśvarya-jñāna-filled contracted love of a bhakta. They are rasikas, but they are not the essence of rasa or the best of rasikas. Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa tastes the pure love of the vrajavāsīs, which is devoid of aiśvarya-jñāna, he is the essence of rasa and the foremost of rasikas. Specifically, because he gets the unabated experience of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s mādanākhya-rasa, which is the highest level of the parakīya-bhāva-filled pure love of the girls of Vraja, he is the foremost of rasikas and the essence of boundless rasa. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of his unabated love-play. Here, the meaning of the word vilāsa is that among the devotees who have taken shelter of dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhura-rasas, some will develop a powerful desire for bhagavat-sevā. The prema in their hearts causes the desire for their sevā to awaken accordingly in the heart of Śrī Bhagavān, the embodiment of condensed existence, consciousness and joy. The characteristic of the prema-sevā of the kāntās (lovers), who have taken shelter of madhura-rasa, is that they desire to serve Śrī Bhagavān with their bodies or their youthful beauty by offering him the gift of blissful union. Their prema awakens a corresponding desire for vilāsa in Śrī Govinda’s mind. Śrī Rādhā’s mādanākhya-prema causes a powerful longing to awaken in the heart of Śrī Govinda, the embodiment of condensed joy. Although being most powerful, to get Śrī Rādhā, who is difficult to attain, he sometimes hides in a corner of her courtyard in fear of old Jaṭilā. Though being the embodiment of all happiness, when he longs for the pleasure of Śrī Rādhā’s company, he forgets everything else and waits in the bower-house, gazing in the direction of her arrival path. Startled by the rustle of a falling leaf, his heart is filled with delight at the possibility of Priyājī’s arrival. Sometimes, even though he is the embodiment of truth, Śrī Govinda disguises himself (in a false form) in the hope of getting Śrī Rādhā’s touch. yogī bhogī nāpitānī, tomāra lāgiyā dānī, ojhā hailāma tomāra kāraṇe. “For your sake, I have become a yogī, a bhogī, a female barber, a tax-collector and a shaman.” (Mahājana) Though he is the embodiment of complete knowledge, he sometimes embraces a creeper, thinking it to be Śrī Rādhā, and becomes overwhelmed with happiness. kanaka-latā, dhari āliṅgaye, tuyā kalebara bhāṇe; paraśe bibaśa, bhaigela mādhaba, mūrache madana bāṇe. “Mādhava embraced a golden creeper, thinking it to be your body. He was rendered helpless by your touch and fell into a swoon from Cupid’s arrows.” (Mahājana) He has a powerful desire for Śrī Rādhā. If he met with some other vraja-sundarī, it would not be fruitful because the other vraja-sundarīs do not possess mādanākhya-mahābhāva. śata-koṭi-gopīte nahe kāma nirbāpaṇa, ihātei anumāni śrī-rādhāra guṇa. “His desire is not allayed among countless gopīs. From this we can infer the qualities of Śrī Rādhā.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.116) Śrī Rādhā’s mādana-bhāva causes the desire for union to awaken in Govinda’s heart. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of the fulfillment of that desire. Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī Śrī Rādhā satisfies Śrī Kṛṣṇa by giving him more indescribable joy than he could even imagine. A mahājana has created a sweet depiction of Śrī Rādhā’s recollection of Śrī Govinda’s efforts to unite with her that is truly unique in the kingdom of prema.

buke buke mukhe, caukhe lāgi thāke, tamū satata hārāya |

o buka ciriyā, hiyāra mājhāre, āmāre rākhite cāya ||

hāra nahoṁ piyā, galāya paraye, candana nahoṁ mākhe gāya |

aneka yatane, ratana pāiyā, thuite ṭhāṁi nā pāya ||

karpūra tāmbūla, āpani sājiyā, mora mukha bhari deya |

hāsiyā hāsiyā, cibuka dhariyā, mukhe mukhe diyā leya ||

sājāñā kācāñā, basana parāñā, ābeśe laiyā kore |

dīpa laiyā hāte, mukha nirakhite, titila nayāna-lore ||

caraṇe dhariyā, yābaka racai, āulāñā bāndhaye keśa |

“We embrace, he gazes at my face, but he still always misses me. He wants to place and keep me in his heart. He adorns my throat with a necklace and smears my body with candana. With great effort he obtains a jewel but doesn’t find a place to put it. He prepares camphor and tāmbūla. Smiling, he holds my chin and puts some in my mouth and some in his. With rapt attention, he dresses and decorates me, then places me on his lap. He holds a lamp in his hand so he can see my tear-moistened face. He applies lac-dye to my feet and ties up my disheveled hair.”

Śrī Rādhā keeps Śrī Govinda bewildered by offering him the possibility of boundless, indescribable lovemaking joy. Because of this, Śrī Rādhā has been called the embodiment of the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the essence of boundless rasa. rātri dina kuñja krīḍā kare rādhā saṅge, kaiśora bayasa saphala kaila krīḍā-raṅge. “Day and night, Kṛṣṇa sports in the bowers with Rādhā, thus making his adolescent years fruitful.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.189)

Moreover, Śrīmatī is ānanda-kanda-paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmī. Śrī Rādhā is Śrī Nandanandana’s most wonderful and gentle Lakṣmī. In śruti, the joyful nature of Brahman has been ascertained as ānandaṁ brahma, ānandam amṛtaṁ yad vibhāti, ānandaṁ brahmaṇo rūpam and so on. Nandanandana Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the kanda or root of that joy because he is Svayaṁ Bhagavān. sei rūpa brajāśraya, aiśvarya-mādhuryamaya, sarba-guṇa-gaṇa ratnālaya, ānera baibhaba sattā, kṛṣṇa-datta bhagabattā, kṛṣṇa sarba-aṁśī sarbāśraya. “That form resides in Vraja, full of both aiśvarya and mādhurya. He is a treasure trove of good qualities and the origin of others’ power. He is the source and refuge of all.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.120) ananyāpekṣi yad-rūpaṁ svayaṁ-rūpaḥ sa ucyate (Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.12). Because his form does not depend on another, he is the root of joy. He is the direct embodiment of bliss. Śrī Śuka Muni said, yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.32). There is no comparison to the good fortune of the vrajavāsīs, whose friend is the absolute Brahman and eternal embodiment of transcendental joy. paramānandaṁ yat tad eva yeṣāṁ mitram (Vaiṣṇava-Toṣaṇī ṭīkā). Śrī Rādhā is ānanda-kanda Śrī Nandanandana’s gentle and wonderful Goddess of Fortune. Lakṣmī, the Goddess of Vaikuṇṭha, is restless and proud of her opulence. Śrī Rādhā, the prema-lakṣmī of Vraja, has a sweet and calm nature. Having experienced her greatness, Bhāgavata Paramahaṁsa Mahāmuni Śrī Śukadeva has introduced her in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the principal gopikā. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the independent Bhagavān himself, in the same way, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the highest state of the parā-śakti. In prema, she is filled with Kṛṣṇa; in rasa, she is Gaurāṅgī; in aiśvarya, she contains all the lakṣmīs; in mādhurya, she is the principal gopikā. Śrī Rādhā, the embodiment of prema, is a calm and gentle lakṣmī. Therefore, she is most amazing. Prema is an extraordinary thing. Śrī Rādhā is the true essence of prema-rasa and the highest refuge of mādana-rasa. Therefore, she is paramādbhuta-saumya-lakṣmī.

Vṛṣabhānu-Nandinī Śrī Rādhā is impossible for even Brahmā and others to attain. Without taking shelter of sakhī-bhāva, it is impossible to get the mercy of this vraja-lakṣmī.

rādhā-kṛṣṇera līlā ei ati gūḍhatara | dāsya-bātsalyādi bhābera nā haya gocāra ||

sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihāṁ adhikāra | sakhī haite haya ei līlāra bistāra ||

sakhī-binā ei līlāya anyera nāhi gati | sakhī-bhābe yei tāṁre kare anugati ||

rādhā-kṛṣṇera kuñja-sebā-sādhya sei pāya | sei sādhya pāite āra nāhika upāya ||

“The pastimes of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are profound. They are not within the range of dāsya, vātsalya and the other bhāvas. Only the sakhīs are qualified; from them the līlā expands. Without the sakhīs, there is no progress in the līlā. One who follows them attains his goal of serving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the bower. There is no other way to attain such a goal.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.201-202, 204-205)

Brahmā, who is a servant of aiśvarya-jñāna (awe and reverence), has no adhikāra (qualification) for the madhura-rasa of Vraja. Even though Brahmā wanted to taste the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s boyhood pastime of eating lunch with his friends on the beach, he was not able to understand or appreciate the difficult-to-attain vraja-līlā. Therefore, he became an offender by stealing Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boys and calves. Needless to say, the kaiśora-līlā (adolescent pastimes) of Kṛṣṇa with the vraja-gopīs, particularly his most confidential nikuñja-līlā with Śrī Rādhā, is in every way difficult to attain. If one cannot drive aiśvarya-jñāna completely from his heart, he has no hope of tasting vraja-mādhurī. It is impossible for Brahmā and the other high-ranking devatās to renounce their aiśvarya-jñāna. Therefore, experiencing the sweetness of Vraja is not within the range of possibility for them.

tādṛg bhagavati premā pāramaiśvarya-dṛṣṭitaḥ | 

sadā sampadyate naiva bhaya-gaurava-sambhavāt ||

kevalaṁ laukika-prāṇa-suhṛd-buddhyā sa sidhyati |

lokālokāt taro yo’sāv atilokottaro’pi yaḥ ||

In their discussion about ascertaining who is qualified for vraja-prema, Śrī Nārada said to Gopakumāra, “Those who regard Śrī Kṛṣṇa as parameśvara (supreme lord) can never attain vraja-prema because of their aiśvarya-jñāna. Those who experience Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a human best friend realize vraja-prema. Though vraja-prema resembles earthly love, it is the greatest treasure beyond both the visible and invisible worlds.” (Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 2.5.82-83) Vraja-rasa-bhajana exists at the highest stage of vraja-prema under the shelter of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet or in sakhī or mañjarī-bhāva. Therefore, it is in every way an inaccessible reality for Brahmā, Rudra and so on. By Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s mercy, that supreme truth has now become the goal for miserable kali-yuga-jīvas. Therefore, Govinda Dāsa has said,

madhura bṛndā, bipina mādhurī, prabeśa cāturī sāra |

baraja yubati, bhābera ārati, śakati haita kāra |

yadi gaura nā ha’ta |

ati satya ei mahābāṇī! jaya gaurahari! mukta-haste braja-prema-dāne tumi-i ati sudakṣa |

baraṇa āśrama, kiñcana akiñcana, kāra kona doṣa nāhi māne |

kamalā-śiba-bidhi, dulaha prema-nidhi, dāna karaye jaga-jane ||

“To enter the sweet forest of Tulasī, intelligence is essential, along with the desire to follow the bhāva of the Vraja girls. If not for Gaura, who would have the power to do so? These great teachings are true. Jaya Gaurahari! You are expert in bestowing the gift of vraja-prema with open hands. Whether one follows varṇāśrama, has little wealth or none, you see no fault. Though the treasure of prema is difficult to attain by Lakṣmī, Śiva and Brahmā, you give it freely to the people of the world.”

Śrīpāda is a dear companion of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the embodiment of kindness. Therefore, although vraja-prema is an unattainable goal for Brahmā and others, it is natural that they pray to be Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s maidservants. The word kaiṅkarya implies “What can I do? What kind of sevā shall I do?” An intense desire for sevā is expressed by the word kaiṅkarya. In the phrase kaiṅkaryam eva, the word eva (indeed, truly) indicates pure rādhā-dāsya or mañjarī-bhāva. They have no interest in physical contact with Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has said, “I bow to your sakhyam (friendship); I take your sakhyam on my head. But my eternal desire is for your dāsyam (servitude).” sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ, dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam (Vilāpa-Kusumāñjaliḥ 16). This kind of pure dāsyam has been indicated by the word eva. “Let me be a maidservant of the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu in life after life.” Śrīpāda’s heart is full of this intense desire to be Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarī.

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(1) Rasa-svarūpa means “embodiment of rasa.”

(2)  Raso vai saḥ means ‘he is indeed rasa,’ ānandaṁ brahma means ‘Brahman is joy’ and akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti means ‘the embodiment of all nectarous rasas.’