Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 36 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

क्रीडासरः कनकपङ्कज-कुड्मलाय

स्वानन्दपूर्णरसकल्पतरोः फलाय ।

तस्मै नमो भुवनमोहन-मोहनाय

श्रीराधिके तव नवस्तनमण्डलाय ॥ ३६ ॥

krīḍā-saraḥ kanaka-paṅkaja-kuḍmalāya

svānanda-pūrṇa-rasa-kalpa-taroḥ phalāya |

tasmai namo bhuvana-mohana-mohanāya

śrī-rādhike tava nava-stana-maṇḍalāya || 36 ||

“O Śrī Rādhikā! I bow to your youthful breasts, which are like golden lotus buds in a pastime lake. They are like nectarous fruits from a tree that fulfills your desires and are the enchanters of the world-enchanting Śyāmasundara.”

The Fruit of a Rasa-Kalpa-Taru

 

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s stream of visions continues. Enticed by the mādhurya of Śrīmatī’s breasts, he repeatedly relishes the stream of sweetness within the visions. Just as experiencing a vision is wonderful, the lack of experiencing a desired object causes the mind to scatter. The premika’s life is based on a series of experiences obtained by meditation, dreams and visions. kṣaṇaṁ caraṇa-vicchedāc chrīśvaryāḥ prāṇa-hārinīm. The kiṅkarī feels deep sorrow if she is away from Īśvarī’s lotus feet for even a moment. This condition comes spontaneously to Śrīpāda. A sādhaka must first make some endeavor; after that, it becomes spontaneous. The experience of being situated near to Śrī Rādhārāṇī while in a state of spiritual absorption is so pleasant! After the vision finished, Śrīpāda’s heart was filled with anguish. He cried, “O Rādhā! Just once take me to the kingdom of līlā. I have no one in this world but you.” By Śrīmatī’s mercy, he obtained a vision of the remainder of the līlā.

Śrī Yugala are sporting on the bank of the Yamunā and have entered a secluded bower. The kiṅkarī follows them like a shadow, always engaged in sevā. Śyāma is overwhelmed by the beauty of Rādhārāṇī’s form. The free-spirited Śrī Kṛṣṇa has no control; even he is controlled by Śrī Rādhā’s boundless beauty. Śrīpāda said, śrī-vṛndāvana-candra-durmada-manaś-caurīṁ kiśorīṁ smara (Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.43). “O mind! Always remember that jewel of adolescent girls who has stolen Śrī Vṛndāvanacandra’s heart by her beauty and sweetness.” Śrī Yugala are eager for vilāsa (love-play). Understanding that their vilāsa had begun, the kiṅkarī comes outside the bower. She relishes the sweetness of their love-play by watching through an opening in the bower. She is blessed to relish the beauty of Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts as she restored Śyāmasundara’s tilaka on the bank of the Yamunā. She experiences them now as golden lotus buds in a pastime lake. The golden lotuses make the lake more beautiful. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts nourish the supreme beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastime lake. Other than her rasikā-sakhīs and mañjarīs, no one knows this secret. Śrī Rādhā is an ocean of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nectarous pastimes. A wealth of Kṛṣṇa’s sweet and endless play exists within her. Engrossment in the body and things related is not the way to experience this secret. The great teachings of the ācāryas support the weak sādhaka. They remove the deep engrossment in the body and establish engrossment in the svarūpa. Having experienced ecstasy within the pastimes, the kiṅkarī understands the secret. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts are svānanda-pūrṇa-rasa-kalpa-taroḥ phala. They are like the fruits of a kalpa-taru that fulfill Kṛṣṇa’s desire to taste śṛṅgāra-rasa. The truth of this is demonstrated through the transcendental līlā. The pure intuition of the kiṅkarīs is an example of that. They are blessed to relish the sweetness of each of Śrīmatī’s limbs through Śyāmasundara’s enjoyment on the field of līlā. Just as the juicy fruit of a kalpa-taru is most delicious, this fruit of the rasa-kalpa-taru is most delicious to Śyāmasundara. Śrī Rādhā’s breasts enchant Śyāmasundara, the enchanter of the world. The world is moonstruck by his form, qualities and pastimes. ye rūpera eka-kaṇa, ḍubāya sarba bhubana, sarba prāṇī kare ākarṣaṇa (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.102). “One drop of his beauty drowns the entire world and attracts all the living creatures.” rūpa dekhi āpanāra, kṛṣṇera haya camatkāra, āsvādite mane uṭhe kāma (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.104). “Kṛṣṇa was amazed to see his own beauty and wished to relish it.” Such all-enchanting beauty can be found nowhere else. After experiencing it for themselves, the vraja-gopikās said, trailokya-saubhagam idaṁ ca nirīkṣya rūpaṁ yad-go-dvija-druma-mṛgāḥ pulakāny abibhran (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.29.40). “O dear one! After seeing your world-charming beauty, not only men and women, but cows also gaze at your face with unblinking eyes. Parrots, mynahs and other birds sit on tree limbs meditating on your form, like sages with closed eyes. The deer worship your form with offerings of love made through their gazes. With hearts delighted by prema, the trees and creepers reveal their joy by showering you with a stream of nectar.” Govinda Ācārya has said, ḍhala-ḍhala kāṁcā aṅgera lābaṇi abanī gaḍiyā yāya, (yāra) īṣat-hāsira taraṅga-hillole madana mūrachā pāya. “The earth is intoxicated by the beauty and charm of Kṛṣṇa’s youthful body. Madana, the god of love, swoons in the waves of Kṛṣṇa’s subtle smile.” Śrī Rādhā’s breasts are the enchanters of Śyāmasundara, the enchanter of the world.

ghana ghana āṁcara, kuca-giri kāṁcara, hāsi hāsi tahi puna heri |

janu majhu mana hari, kanayā-kumbha-bhari, muhari rākhali kata beri ||

yaba mana bāndhala, indriya phāṁphara, tāhi milala āna āna |

kāṭhaka putali, aiche muruchāyata gobinda-dāsa paramāṇa ||

In pūrva-rāga, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, “After I saw the bodice covering her breasts, it seemed as though my mind had been stolen, poured into two golden pots (golden breasts) and sealed with lac (reddish nipples). When my mind had been captured, my senses also became perplexed and joined it. The mind is the king of the senses. Therefore, along with the mind, the senses were captured. If by seeing her breasts even a heartless wooden puppet swoons, what can be said of the sentient?”

One thing worth noting here is that Parabrahma Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not some henpecked male. He cannot be subdued by any means other than prema. All of Śrī Rādhā’s limbs are formed from the essence of mahābhāva. Therefore, Śrī Rādhā’s limbs are most capable in the matter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s absolute submission. This secret is mentally perceptible by the vraja-rasa-worshiping bhāgavata-paramahaṁsas. Karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and even bhaktas endowed with wealth and knowledge are forever deprived of this rasa. Even among the devotees of vraja-rasa, only those who follow the bhāvas of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs and mañjarīs understand the meaning of this. After seeing in līlā the amazing power of Rādhā’s breasts to give happiness to Kṛṣṇa, Śrīpāda joyfully exclaimed, “I bow to Śrī Rādhā’s breasts!”

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Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 35 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

सान्द्रानुराग-रससार-सरःसरोजं

किंवा द्विधा मुकुलितं मुखचन्द्रभासा ।

तन्नूतनस्तनयुगं वृषभानुजायाः

स्वानन्दसीधु-मकरन्दघनं स्मरामि ॥ ३५ ॥

sāndrānurāga-rasa-sāra-saraḥ-sarojaṁ

kiṁvā dvidhā mukulitaṁ mukha-candra-bhāsā |

tan-nūtana-stana-yugaṁ vṛṣabhānu-jāyāḥ

svānanda-sīdhu-makaranda-ghanaṁ smarāmi || 35 ||

“I remember Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts, which are filled with the nectar of personal joy. They are like lotus buds born in a lake of the highest rasa of love and nourished by the glow from her moonlike face.”

Lotuses in a Lake of Love

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Śrīpāda’s mind is absorbed in Śrī Rādhā’s mādhurya. In the previous verse, he relished the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts while serving Śrī Yugala in one end-of-night pastime. Śrī Rādhā is the embodiment of mahābhāva. Her form is shaped by mahābhāva. There is no experience of that form outside of bhāva (love), so it must be understood through bhāva. It is not like a woman’s body made of the seven elements of the material world. Śrī Rādhā is most beautiful when she is with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Her beauty is the essence of all beauty. One must experience her form with a pure heart. kṛṣṇera biśuddha-prema-ratnera ākara; nirupama-guṇa-gaṇa pūrṇa kalebara (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 8.181). “Rādhā is like a mine replete with jewels made of pure love for Kṛṣṇa. Her body abounds with incomparable qualities.” You must awaken your svarūpa and understand it. You must erase the mundane male-female concept from the heart and become a mañjarī.

sādhanao ekhāne siddhio ekhāne, bhābera gocara se |

ekhāne yadi tā, dekhite nā pāo, marile dekhibe ke || 

“Sādhana is for this world; siddhi is also for here. That is attainable by bhāva. If one cannot experience it here, how will he experience it just by dying?” (Sādhu-Vāṇī) Śrīpāda has submerged his mind in the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts without hesitation. There is not even a trace of bodily consciousness. Although his body is spiritual because he is one of Mahāprabhu’s companions, he has forgotten everything in the mood of a rādhā-dāsī. So much tenderness and sweetness are aroused in the sādhaka’s heart when he conceives of himself as one of Rādhā’s dāsīs. As the fortunate sādhaka continues to devote himself to Śrīpāda’s lofty teachings, an eagerness for tasting vraja-rasa will awaken in his heart. Śrīpāda’s words have great power. They will awaken a profound longing in the sādhaka’s heart and bless him with a taste of the subject matter’s sweetness. 

When Śrīpāda’s mystic vision ended, a cry of lamentation arose from within his heart. He felt an intense burning sensation. dīnā dāsīke ekabāra līlā-rājye laiyā yāo. dekhā diyā prāṇa rākha, maritechi ei dekha, karuṇā-kaṭākṣa kara dāna. “Just once take this poor dāsī to the kingdom of līlā. Show it to her and save her life. I’m dying; please look at me. Bless me with your compassionate glance.” He was crying in anguish. Like lightning, a vision of līlā suddenly appeared. Śrī Rādhā-Śyāma were roaming about on the banks of the Yamunā, which were illuminated by their beautiful lusters of blue and gold. They were engrossed in leisurely play. None of their sakhīs were present, so they enjoyed without hesitation. Śrīpāda was there in the form of a loyal maidservant. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa consider the kiṅkarī to be the embodiment of devotion to their amorous play. Therefore, they have no hesitation in their play; rather they immerse themselves more deeply. These girls are called mañjarīs (meaning sprigs, sprouts or shoots) and are also mañjarīs by nature. They increase the king of bees’ yearning for the fully blossomed flower. They express the beauty and sweetness of the flower. What a pleasant nature! This is the highest stage of disinterest in sensual pleasures.

Exhausted from their love-play, Śrī Yugala sat on the jeweled steps of a Yamunā ghat. To please them, the Yamunā’s banks and water have arrayed a collection of incomparably beautiful things. Countless flowers like red and blue lotuses and white water-lilies have bloomed in the blue waters of the Yamunā. Joyful ganders sport freely with their geese. A cooling and fragrant breeze bearing droplets of Yamunā water has been blessed with yugala-sevā. Various kinds of trees and creepers on the riverbank were blossoming with abundant flowers. The area resounded with the chirping of birds. The cuckoos sang and the peacocks danced. The buzzing bees enjoyed the nectar of various flowers. The couple engaged in so many juicy conversations. Through sevā-rasa, the kiṅkarī succeeded in tasting Śrī Yugala’s unique beauty and sweetness. Śrī Rādhā looked at Śyāma’s face and saw that the tilaka on his forehead had been slightly smeared by the drops of perspiration from their love-play. Śrīmatī decided that she wanted to restore those tilaka lines. Understanding her svāminī’s mind, the kiṅkarī brought her a jeweled tray bearing a paintbrush and paint made from yellow orpiment (haritāla). With deep concentration, Śrīmatī recreated the tilaka on Śyāma’s forehead. She placed drops of paint, one by one, above his eyebrows. This concentration took shape in Śrīmatī’s face and eyes. The sādhaka should meditate on her painting: “I want to experience this form, this mood, this attentiveness in my heart and mind.” A gentle smile appeared on Śyāma’s face when he saw Śrīmatī’s absorption. The kiṅkarī got a taste of hāsya-rasa (the rasa of smiling or laughing). Suddenly, Śyāma threw the bowl of haritāla into the deep waters of the Yamunā. Surprised, Svāminī said, “Oh! What have you done? There are still two or four dots left to replace on your tilaka.” The kiṅkarī said, “Rādhā! There is no more haritāla paint here.” Then, Śrīmatī carefully removed some of the haritāla used to paint dolphins on her breasts and created the remaining dots on Śyāma’s tilaka. It seemed to the kiṅkarī at that time that profound love in the form of Rādhā’s breasts had appeared as a pair of golden lotus buds in a lake of the highest rasa, nourished by the glow from her moonlike face. When they saw the beauty of Śrīmatī’s breasts, both Śyāmasundara and the kiṅkarī felt they had attained success. Mahābhāva is the condensed nectar of love. The essence or most delightful part of that is mādana. Śrī Rādhā’s heart-lake is full of mādana-rasa. In the lake of mādana-rasa, the golden lotus buds are Śrī Rādhā’s budding breasts. It is as though the essence of rasa in her heart has manifested externally. It is experienced through līlā (pastimes). Svāminī and Śyāmasundara abound in līlā. Without līlā, one gets no experience of their forms, qualities and so on. Every experience of such things comes from tasting līlā-rasa.

There is no possibility of nectar in a budding lotus, but these amazing golden lotus buds are filled with the nectar of svānanda, personal joy. That nectar is cooling, delicious and intoxicating. The gopīs do not seek their own happiness; therefore, it goes without saying that Śrī Rādhā, the crown jewel of gopikās, does not seek personal happiness. The glow of Śyāma’s happiness is reflected in Śrīmatī. gopikāra sukha kṛṣṇa-sukhe paryavasāna. “The gopikās are happy when Kṛṣṇa is happy.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 4.189) Or, the word sva can also mean a person’s loved ones. Her breasts are the embodiment of condensed rasa meant to bring joy to Śyāmasundara, who is a million times dearer to her than her own life. Or, the word ghana can mean cloud. Like a group of clouds, Rādhā’s breasts shower her beloved Śyāmasundara with a stream of nectar, cooling his viraha-burned heart and giving him supreme joy. The rasa of Śrīpāda’s vision has manifested in verse form. Suddenly, his vision ended. In external consciousness he prayed, “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s golden lotus-bud breasts.” Praying focuses the mind. In the sweetness of prayer, there is no connection with the external world. In order to taste this sweetness, the sādhaka also must be silent about external matters.

yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī |

yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ ||

“Where a worldly person is asleep to self-realization or the kingdom of līlā, a contemplative sādhaka remains awake. Where the world is awake to external matters, the contemplative sādhaka ever sleeps.” (Śrī-Bhagavad-Gītā 2.69)

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 34 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

वृन्दाटवी-प्रकट-मन्मथकोटिमूर्तेः

कस्यापि गोकुलकिशोर-निशाकरस्य ।

सर्वस्वसम्पुटमिव स्तनशातकुम्भ-

कुम्भद्वयं स्मर मनो वृषभानुपुत्र्याः ॥ ३४ ॥

vṛndāṭavī-prakaṭa-manmatha-koṭi-mūrteḥ

kasyāpi gokula-kiśora-niśākarasya |

sarvasva-sampuṭam iva stana-śāta-kumbha-

kumbha-dvayaṁ smara mano vṛṣabhānu-putryāḥ || 34 ||

“O mind, meditate on the golden juglike breasts of Śrī Rādhā, which are like a jewel box containing all of Kṛṣṇa’s possessions. He is the indescribable young moon of Gokula who manifests in Śrī Vṛndāvana as the enchanter of countless gods of love.”

The Jewel Box Holding Kṛṣṇa’s Wealth

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: Although Śrīpāda is a nitya-siddha-parikara, in the previous verse he renounced everything and resolved to remember the dust from Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s lotus feet like a sādhaka in whom rati has not yet appeared. The sweet hum of rādhā-dāsya is present even in sādhaka-consciousness. This is the nature of rādhā-dāsya. Such a sweet mood of devotion cannot be found anywhere else. Because Śrīpāda is a recipient of Mahāprabhu’s exclusive mercy, he has become submerged in the glorious rasa of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust. He is deeply absorbed in his svarūpa. His mind goes nowhere but Svāminījī’s feet. If the bee of one’s mind gets a taste of the nectar of her feet, it stays submerged in it forever. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has said, yan-mādhurī-divya-sudhā-rasābdheḥ smṛteḥ kaṇenāpy atilolitātmā (Vraja-Vilāsa-Stava 3). “Her sweetness is like an ocean of divine nectar, by remembering only a drop of which, I have been stricken with extreme thirst.” The ācāryas are our role models; we must shape our bhajana-life by following them. Their devotion to Śrī Rādhā is incomparable. Svāminī’s lotus feet are everything to them. How can I show my face to Svāminī if I bear various kinds of obsessions with the body and related things? One must be humble to dedicate the rest of his life to the embodiment of mahābhāva. The Gosvāmīs’ instruction is to give up everything and take exclusive shelter at Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. braja-pura-banitāra, caraṇa-āśraya sāra, kara mana ekānta kariyā (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 68). “The best thing is to fix your mind on the lotus feet of the girls of Vraja and take refuge in them.” One must take refuge wholeheartedly. It is impossible to accept exclusive shelter without being absorbed in one’s svarūpa. Śrīpāda’s citta (mind, heart) is devoted to mahābhāva. It seems that Śrī Rādhārāṇī has pervaded his citta and taken her seat there. By the power of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, a stream of divine visions appeared before the devoted Śrīpāda.

It is the end of night (niśānta-kāla). How beautiful are the delightful bowers of Vṛndāvana! Śrī Yugala are sleeping in the bower house, bound in close embrace. This is not like worldly sleep; it is the languor of rasa. The kiṅkarīs have awakened and begun their respective sevās. Having been touched by yugala-rasa, a gentle, fragrant breeze brings joy to everyone’s heart. After placing the articles for Śrī Yugala’s sevā in the appropriate places, the kiṅkarīs gazed at the unparalleled beauty of the youthful couple through an opening in the bower, filling their hearts with the joy of love. At Vṛndā’s signal, the parrots and mynahs awoke the couple with their soft and sweet singing. Śrī Yugala slowly gave up their sleep and sat lazily on the bed. It seemed that the total beauty of the three worlds had been gathered in one place. All their limbs were loose and relaxed. Their clothing and ornaments had been cast off. As they yawned again and again, it seemed as though their sweetness and beauty were overflowing. They each licked the honey of the other’s beauty through the corners of their eyes. To drive Śrī Yugala’s drowsiness away, one kiṅkarī placed spongy balls of nectar in their mouths. Their heads were swaying gracefully like lotuses of the morning. After washing their faces with fragrant water and drying them with soft cloths, the kiṅkarīs offered tāmbūla to them. Jeweled lamps were glowing. Śrīmatī said to Śyāmasundara, “Dress and decorate me quickly; otherwise my sakhīs will arrive here soon and make fun of me.” Śyāmasundara was filled with joy by Śrīmatī’s order and he immediately began to dress her. Śrīmatī was being dressed by the embodiment of śṛṅgāra-rasa.(1) The kiṅkarīs provided the articles of clothing.

hari nija āṁcare rāi-mukha mochai kuṅkume tanu puna māji |

alakā tilaka dei siṁthi banāyai cikure kabarī puna sāji ||

mādhaba sindūra deola siṁthe |

katahuṁ yatana kari ura-pāra lekhai mṛgamada-citra suprīte(2) ||

“Hari wiped Rādhā’s face with the border of his cloth. He again rubbed kuṅkuma on her body and painted tilaka on her face. Mādhava braided her hair and applied vermilion to the center part. With great affection, he carefully drew pictures on her breasts with musk.” (Govinda Dāsa)

Meanwhile, the sakhīs entered the kuñja with their smiling faces veiled. Then Śyāmasundara drew pictures of dolphins on Śrīmatī’s breasts. The transcendental young god of love, the enchanter of countless other gods of love, has appeared in Śrī Vṛndāvana. He is known as Madana-Mohana when he is with Śrī Rādhā and is influenced by her rasa. rādhā-saṅge yadā bhāti tadā madana-mohanaḥ; anyathā viśva-moho’pi svayaṁ madana-mohitaḥ (Govinda-Līlāmṛtam 8.32). “When he is in the nectarous presence of Śrī Rādhā, he is Madana-Mohana (the enchanter of the god of love). Otherwise, without Śrī Rādhā, the one who enchants the whole world is himself enchanted by Madana.” Śrīpāda Līlāśuka has said,

cāturyaika-nidāna-sīma-capalāpāṅga-cchaṭā-mantharaṁ

lāvaṇyāmṛta-vīci-lolita-dṛśaṁ lakṣmī-kaṭākṣādṛtam |

kālindī-pulināṅgaṇa-praṇayinaṁ kāmāvatārāṅkuraṁ

bālaṁ nīlam amī vayaṁ madhurima-svārājyam ārādhnumaḥ || 

“We worship that blue adolescent boy who is the ultimate embodiment of boundless intelligence and skill; who slows the gait of the gopīs with the sparkle of his sidelong glance; whose restless gaze is like a wave of nectar; who is warmly welcomed by the side-glance of Śrī Rādhā; who is fond of the sandy banks of the Yamunā; who is the origin of all the avatāras of love and the sovereign of sweetness.” (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Karṇāmṛtam 3) Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says the following in his Sāraṅga-Raṅgadā commentary on the phrase kāmāvatārāṅkuram in this verse: prākṛtāprākṛta-kandarpa-nidāna-vṛndāvanābhinava-kandarpam ity arthaḥ. āgamādau kāma-gāyatryā kāma-bījena ca tasya tad-rūpenopāsyatvāt. koṭi-madana-vimohanāśeṣa-cittākarṣaka-sahaja-madhura-taralāvaṇyāmṛtāpārārṇavena mahānubhāva-cayenānubhūyamāna-tat-tan-mahābhāva-nivahena śrī-madana-gopāla-rūpenādhunāpi vṛndāvane virājamānatvāc ca. “Śyāmasundara, Vṛndāvana’s youthful god of love, is the source of all mundane and transcendent gods of love. The scriptures prescribe that he should be worshiped with the kāma-bīja and kāma-gāyatrī. He is the enchanter of countless gods of love and the attractor of all creatures. He is a boundless ocean of the sweet nectar of natural beauty and charm. The high-minded ones experience his mādhurya through mahābhāva, the topmost level of prema. He is forever present in Śrī Vṛndāvana in the form of Śrīman Madana-Gopāla.”

The transcendental young god of love is carefully painting pictures of dolphins on Śrī Rādhā’s golden juglike breasts. Those golden pots are like storage containers for his most precious possessions. It is as though all the treasures of his life are kept there. This realization awoke in the minds of the sakhīs and mañjarīs after they witnessed Kṛṣṇa’s eagerness for līlā. The sādhaka also must immerse himself in this sweet thought. Those who become agitated by masculine desires during meditation do not have the qualification for the most confidential pastimes. tatrāpi parama-śreṣṭha-śrī-rādhā-saṁvalita-līlāmaya-tad-bhajanaṁ tu paramatamam eveti svataḥ sidhyati. kintu rahasya-līlā tu pauruṣa-vikāravad-indriyaiḥ pitṛ-putra-dāsa-bhāvaiś ca nopāsyā—svīya-bhāva-virodhāt (Bhakti-Sandarbha 338 Anuḥ). “Among all types of worship, service to the charming Śrī Govinda along with the most beautiful Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the best. However, those who become agitated by masculine desires are not qualified to meditate on Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda’s most intimate pastimes. Nor can one be in the mood of a father, son or servant because it would be incompatible with his mañjarī-bhāva.” Śrī Vṛndāvana’s nectarous pastimes are not to be contemplated by a person with a perverted mind, polluted by lust. I want a mind moist with bhakti-rasa. I want to forget my body and things related and identify with my svarūpa. ātmānaṁ bhāvayet tatra tāsāṁ madhye manoramām rūpa-yauvana-sampannāṁ kiśorīṁ pramadākṛtim. “The sādhaka should think of himself as a beautiful adolescent cowherd girl among Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs and mañjarīs in a bower in Vṛndāvana.” If his svarūpa-consciousness has been awakened, he may blissfully meditate on Śrī Rādhā’s breasts. In his kiṅkarī-form, Śrīpāda is watching Kṛṣṇa paint figures on Śrīmatī’s breasts as though they were vessels holding his most precious possessions. All the senses of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the moon of Gokula, are immersed in Śrī Rādhārāṇī. Śrīmad Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmipāda has written, vraja-candrendriya-grāma-viśrāma-vidhu-śālikā (Śata-Nāma-Stotra). “Śrī Rādhā is the resting place of Gokulacandra’s senses.” While displaying his expertise in painting pictures of dolphins, Śrī Hari freely boasted to the sakhīs about his previous night’s pastimes with Śrī Rādhā, causing her to contract her eyes in embarrassment. Suddenly, Śrīpāda’s mystic vision ended and he felt distressed. In sādhaka-consciousness, he said, kumbha-dvayaṁ smara mano vṛṣabhānu-putryāḥ. “O mind, meditate on Śrī Rādhā’s golden juglike breasts!” The rāgānugīya-sādhaka’s favorite sādhana is to perform mental service during smaraṇa. Why are you hesitant to meditate on Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s breasts? One should meditate on something pleasant. yugala-vilāsa smṛti-sāra. “The pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the highest meditation.” The sādhaka should immerse himself daily in contemplating his siddha-svarūpa; otherwise he will not be able to meditate on yugala-vilāsa. Hearing about one’s favorite līlās, meditating on them and mentally living in Vraja are the most important internal sādhanas. If a sādhaka wants to easily make his life peaceful through a meditation that flows like a river, then he must hear and recite books that describe the nectar of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. This will nourish his cherished practice of meditation. The charming pastimes will spontaneously appear in a mind and heart purified by śravaṇa-kīrtana. In the next verse, Śrīpāda once again obtains the good fortune of relishing the beauty of Śrī Rādhā’s breasts through līlā.

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1. Śṛṅgāra means the erotic sentiment as well as elegant dress suited to amorous activities.

2. Another reading here is citraka pāṁte.

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Kṛṣṇāhnika-Kaumudī 3.61

यत्रोत्फुल्ल-सरोरुहोत्पलचलत्कह्लार-रक्तोत्पलैः

सत्कारण्डव-हंससारसबकक्रौञ्चादिभिश्चञ्चलैः ।

वाप्यो रत्नतटीः सरांस्यपि सुधा-न्यक्कारि-वारीण्यथ

प्रायाद्देशमयं तमेव शरदामोदं नवो मन्मथः ॥

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 ||

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. 

Śrī-Rādhā-Rasa-Sudhā-Nidhiḥ 33 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

 

दूरादपास्य स्वजनान्सुखमर्थकोटिं

सर्वेषु साधनवरेषु चिरं निराशः ।

वर्षन्तमेव सहजाद्भुत-सौख्यधारां

श्रीराधिका-चरणरेणुमहं स्मरामि ॥ ३३ ॥

dūrād apāsya svajanān-sukham artha-koṭiṁ

sarveṣu sādhana-vareṣu ciraṁ nirāśaḥ |

varṣantam eva sahajādbhuta-saukhya-dhārāṁ

śrī-rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum ahaṁ smarāmi || 33 ||

“I have left far behind the hope for familial bliss and boundless wealth, and for a long time I have been indifferent to other sublime sādhanas. I now constantly remember the dust from Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet, which rains down a natural and astonishing stream of joy.”

Remembering Śrī Rādhā’s Foot-Dust

Rasa-Varṣiṇī-Vyākhyā: At the end of his mystic vision, Śrīpāda’s heart and mind were overwhelmed with feelings of separation (viraha). He humbly prayed, “I long to serve you; please cast your merciful glance on me.” This is the highest level of trust. Though understanding the difficulty of attaining something, one must not abandon hope. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmipāda has discussed the trust of a bhakta in whom rati (love) has appeared. Śrīpāda is in the kingdom of mahābhāva, so his trust is very strong. “Without seeing you, I am unhappy and the days and nights pass slowly.” Śrīpāda’s condition is like this. Deeply humble, he thinks of himself as a sādhaka in whom rati has not appeared. There is no progress without mercy, so he longs for Śrī Rādhā’s merciful glance. In the next moment, he thinks, “How can I get Śrī Rādhā’s merciful glance?” He remembers the glory of Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust. In this verse, he expresses his whole-hearted devotion to the dust of her lotus feet while in external consciousness.

He first says, dūrād apāsya svajanān-sukham artha-koṭim. “I have abandoned the desire for familial bliss along with the desire for boundless wealth, knowing them to be obstacles to remembering Śrī Rādhā’s lotus foot-dust. I now meditate on that dust.” In his sannyāsa life, Śrīpāda had acquired great vairāgya, giving up his desires for family, wealth and so on. By the mercy of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, his heart and mind were bathed in a stream of vraja-prema-bhakti and he became known as a bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa. He therefore had a natural distaste for anything other than Kṛṣṇa. When a sādhaka develops a natural distaste for worldly sense-objects such as sound and touch, that is true vairāgya. viraktir indriyārthānāṁ syād arocakatā svayam (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.3.30). kṛṣṇa-pāda-padma-gandha yei jana pāya, brahmaloka-ādi-sukha tāre nāhi bhāya (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 6.136). Śrīpāda’s bee-like mind is enticed by the fragrance of Śrī Rādhā’s lotus feet. After smelling the sweet aroma of her lotus feet, the sādhaka has no attraction to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone (without Rādhā). Needless to say, sense-enjoyment is insignificant to Śrīpāda because he is devoted to Śrī Rādhā. He does not want sense-enjoyment. He has no taste for any other spiritual goals or practices. Therefore, he said, sarveṣu sādhana-vareṣu ciraṁ nirāśaḥ. “For a long time I have been disinterested in the well-known sādhanas like sacrifices, worship, silent prayers, austerities and so on.” In the past, Śrīpāda had been a muktivādī (one who desires liberation). The result of performing sacrifices, worship and so on is to attain the heavenly worlds. Though being disinterested in that, his desire for mukti was strong. In the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata-Mahāpurāṇa, which is honored by the most devout, it is advised that even mukti should be abandoned, considering it to be hypocrisy and a powerful obstacle to bhakti. dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.2), praśabdena mokṣābhisandhir api nirasta (Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary). The meaning is that the only purpose of the parama-dharma ascertained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to satisfy Śrī Bhagavān. Never mind the desire for dharma, artha and kāma, even the desire for mukti is considered as deceit or fraud or darkest ignorance.

ajñānatamera nāma kahiye kaitaba |

dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa-bāñchā ādi saba ||

tāra madhye mokṣa-bāñchā kaitaba-pradhāna |

yāhā haite kṛṣṇa-bhakti haya antardhāna ||

“The darkest ignorance is called kaitava or deceit. It includes the desire for dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa (virtue, wealth, sense-enjoyment and liberation). Among them all, the desire for mokṣa is the foremost deceit. It causes one’s kṛṣṇa-bhakti to disappear.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Ādi 1.90, 1.92)

By Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s mercy, Śrīpāda has been blessed to find vraja-bhakti. Therefore, it is appropriate for him to abandon all practices and goals other than bhakti. The bhakta has no desire for the catur-varga or four goals of human life. Even though the catur-varga present themselves before him, the bhakta who is devoted to tasting bhakti-rasa has no interest.

ko nv īśa te pāda-saroja-bhājāṁ

sudurlabho’rtheṣu caturṣv apīha |

tathāpi nāhaṁ pravṛṇomi bhūman

bhavat-padāmbhoja-niṣevaṇotsukaḥ ||

Śrī Uddhava Mahāśaya said, “O Bhagavān! Those who serve your lotus feet have no difficulty in attaining any of the four goals of life. Still, O Supreme Being, I have no desire for them; I am only eager to serve your lotus feet.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.4.15)

dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa āpani āise |

tathāpiha nā cāya nā laya mora dāse ||

“Virtue, wealth, sense-enjoyment and liberation all came to me. Still, I do not want them. I will not accept them as my servants.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam)(1)

This is the nature of Śrī Bhagavān’s devotees, but Śrīpāda is one of Śrī Rādhā’s kiṅkarīs. They have no interest in getting Govinda without Rādhā. Therefore, it goes without saying that Śrīpāda will spontaneously abandon all the chief sādhanas. Magnanimous Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas have no desire to even say the names of things to be attained through other great sādhanas.

puṇya ye sukhera dhāma, nā laio tāra nāma, puṇya mukti dui tyāga kari |

prema-bhakti sudhā-nidhi, tāhe ḍuba nirabadhi, āra yata kṣāra-nidhi prāya | ityādi |

“Do not speak of virtue, which is the abode of happiness. I give up both virtue and liberation. Prema-bhakti is like an ocean of nectar; submerge yourself in it continuously. Everything else is like an ocean of salt.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 71-72) 

Prema-bhakti cannot tolerate a separate purpose. Bhakti means having the desire to serve Śrī Bhagavān. On the path of attaining prema-bhakti, even other sublime sādhanas are considered to be obstacles.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam |

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā ||

“The highest devotion, uttamā-bhakti, is service that is favorable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, devoid of any other desire and not covered by jñāna, karma and so on.” (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.1.11)

Uttamā-bhakti reaches its peak in mañjarī-bhāva-sādhanā. Even though taking shelter of such a pure path, a jīva like me is deprived of prema because of desires for profit, adoration, fame and so on. antarāya nāhi yāya ei se parama bhaya (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 39). “My greatest fear is that these obstacles will not go away.” If there are no other desires remaining, why in the yuga of Śrī-Śrī-Nitāi-Gaurāṅga, the incarnations of love, is there such a lack of prema seen in jīvas like me?

Śrīpāda’s heart and mind have gotten a taste of the supremely nectarous foot-dust of Śrī Rādhā. Because of this, he considers other pleasurable things to be insignificant. No one indulges in a lesser pleasure when he has found the greatest. If one finds gold, he is not enamored by the chickpeas in his fist. If one gets a cintāmaṇi (thought-gem) in his hand, is he still attached to searching for glass? When Śrī Bhagavān wanted to give him a boon, Śrī Dhruva Mahāśaya said, 

sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito’haṁ 

tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam |

kācaṁ vicinvann iva divya-ratnaṁ 

svāmin kṛtārtho’smi varaṁ na yāce ||

“O Lord! It is true that I engaged in austerities to attain a king’s throne, but in the end, I got you, who are hidden within the gods and sages. If someone searching for glass finds a heavenly gem, he will no longer desire glass. In the same way, by getting you I have attained success and no longer pray for a boon.” (Hari-Bhakti-Sudhodaya 7.28) Experiencing Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust is even more intense and it is said to be like a kāmadhenu(2) who bestows prema.

In this verse, Śrīpāda says, varṣantam eva sahajādbhuta-saukhya-dhārāṁ śrī-rādhikā-caraṇa-reṇum ahaṁ smarāmi. “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s lotus-foot-dust, which rains down a stream of natural and astonishing joy.” In this world, the jīva’s desires are limitless: bhinna rucir hi lokaḥ (Raghu-Vaṁśa 6.30), aneka lokera bāñchā aneka prakāra (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Antya 20.17). Still, everyone’s desires have one root. The philosophers have accepted a universal cause on which everyone’s desires are strung like flowers on a thread. sukhaṁ me bhūyāt dukhaṁ mābhūd iti. Everyone wants happiness. The hope is that misery will not be the rival of happiness. The infinitude of the joy of brahman has been ascertained at the end of the Ānanda-Mīmāṁsā in the Taittirīya-Upaniṣad. The bhakti-śāstras say that the joy of brahman is insignificant compared to that of bhakti.

brahmānando bhaved eṣa cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ |

naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ paramāṇu-tulām api ||

“If the joy of brahman were to be multiplied billions of times, it would still not compare with even one drop of the ocean of the joy of bhakti.” (Śrī-Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhuḥ 1.1.38) Śrīmat Sanātana Gosvāmipāda has written, brahmānando’nirvācyas tasmād apy ādhikyena bhajanānando’nirvācya-taraḥ, tatra ca premānando’nirvācya-tamaḥ, tatrāpi virahārti-dvārā jātaḥ san paramāntya-kāṣṭhā-viśeṣa-prāptyā parama-mahā-nirvācya-tama ity arthaḥ. (Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛtam 1.7.126 Ṭīkā) If, according to the Ānanda-Mīmāṁsā, the joy of brahman is indescribable, then, because the joy of bhajana is greater than the joy of brahman, it will also be more indescribable. Moreover, bhajanānanda becomes concentrated and is converted into premānanda. Thus, premānanda will be the most indescribable. Vraja-prema is born from the pain of separation. Gopī-prema, specifically, is defined as the pinnacle and thus will be supremely indescribable. A stream of that supremely indescribable joy from Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust rains incessantly on those who remember or take shelter of it. That stream of joy is both natural and amazing. The stream of premānanda is natural because it is filled with pure mādhurya and is devoid of the scent of aiśvarya-jñāna. It is amazing because it is filled with wonder. This wonder is born from joy, not from fear. Wonder brings joy and joy thrills the heart. Then the spiritual world is sweet, the material world is sweet, Govinda is sweet and Śrī Rādhā is even sweeter. 

madhura haite sumadhura, tāhā haite sumadhura, tāhā haite ati sumadhura |

āpanāra eka kaṇe, byāpe saba tribhubane, daśa-dike bahe yāra pura ||

“Their forms, qualities and pastimes are sweeter than sweet, sweeter than that and even sweeter than that. A single drop of their sweetness pervades the three worlds in all directions.” (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam, Madhya 21.139) Śrīpāda said, “I remember Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust, which rains down a natural and amazing stream of joy.” One unfailing way to get prema is by serving the foot-dust of a great soul. Some curious person said to a great soul, “I have taken the dust from the feet of many great souls but I have not obtained prema.” In reply, that high-minded person smiled slightly and said, “You have no doubt smeared the foot-dust of great souls on your body, but you must also smear a little on your mind.” That service must be done with faith and trust, in a mind purified by true devotion. Śrīpāda wants to smear Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust on his mind; therefore, he says smarāmi, “I remember.” Or, with great humility, Śrīpāda considers Śrī Rādhā’s foot-dust to be most difficult to attain and has thus resolved to remember it in its absence. It has also been indicated that when one remembers Śrīmatī’s foot-dust, one should also remember one’s own cherished sevās that are performed during the nectarous līlās. This is the best sādhana for the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇavas. sādhana-smaraṇa-līlā, ihāte nā kara hela, kāya-mane kariyā susāra. “Do not neglect the practice of līlā-smaraṇa; following this process with one’s body and mind is very powerful.” (Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 14)

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1. I was unable to find this verse in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛtam.

2. A heavenly cow yielding all desires (Apte)