Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 89 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাধিকা প্রেয়সীবরা,        বামা দিক্-মনোহরা,

কনক-কেশর-কান্তি ধরে ।

অনুরাগে রক্তশাড়ী,        নীলপট্টমনোহারী,

মণিময় আভরণ পরে ॥ ৮৯ ॥

rādhikā preyasī-barā,        bāmā dik-manoharā,

kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare |

anurāge rakta-śāḍī,        nīla-paṭṭa-manohārī,

maṇimaya ābharaṇa pare || 89 ||

     Śrī Rādhikā is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dearest sweetheart. She is strong-willed by nature; she charms the whole world. Her complexion is golden like the filaments of a lotus. She wears a crimson petticoat to express her hidden love. She looks enchanting wearing her dark blue dress and adorned with jeweled ornaments.

     टीका–नीलपट्ट-कृष्णवर्ण-सादृश्येन । अनुरागे–अनुरागेण हेतुना । वामा–वाम स्वभाव ॥

Kṛṣṇa’s Favorite: Śrī Rādhā

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In the commentary on the pīriti sukhera duṅhu bandhu segment of the previous verse, it was said that without Śrī Rādhārāṇī, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is unable to find joy even in the company of countless gopīs. In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya explains the reason for that by describing Śrī Rādhārāṇī. He first says, rādhikā preyasī-barā, bāmā dik-manoharā, kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare. Śrī Rādhārāṇī is the crest jewel of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers. All of the vraja-gopīs who are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers are to be regarded as Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bodily expansions; Śrī Rādhā is incomparable in beauty, good qualities and prema. We find the following description in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, chapter 4:

kṛṣṇa-kāntā-gaṇa dekhi tribidha prakāra | 

eka lakṣmī-gaṇa pure mahiṣī-gaṇa āra ||

brajāṅganā-rūpa āra kāntā-gaṇa sāra | 

śrī-rādhikā haite kāntā-gaṇera bistāra ||

lakṣmī-gaṇa tāṅra baibhaba-bilāsāṁśa-rūpa | 

mahiṣī-gaṇa baibhaba-prakāśa-svarūpa ||

ākāra svabhāba bhede braja-debī-gaṇa | 

kāya-byūha-rūpa tāṅra rasera kāraṇa ||

bahu kāntā binā nahe rasera ullāsa | 

līlāra sahāya lāgi bahuta prakāśa ||

tāra madhye braje nānā bhāba rasa-bhede | 

kṛṣṇake karāya rāsādika līlāsvāde ||

gobindānandinī rādhā gobinda-mohinī | 

gobinda-sarbasva sarba-kāntā-śiromaṇi ||

     “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lovers are seen to be of three types: the goddesses of fortune, the queens of Dvārakā and, best of all, the beautiful girls of Vraja. They are all expansions of Śrī Rādhikā. The lakṣmīs are partial expressions of her vaibhava-vilāsa and the queens represent her vaibhava-prakāśa. The Vrajadevīs are all unique in appearance and nature. They are expansions of Śrī Rādhā’s body and are the instruments of rasa. Without many lovers the rasa does not come forth, so there are many manifested in Vraja with various natures and sentiments favorable to the līlā. They cause Śrī Kṛṣṇa to enjoy the rāsa-līlā and other pastimes. Śrī Rādhā gives joy to Govinda, enchants Govinda and is everything to Govinda. She is the crest-jewel of his lovers.”

     The reason that Śrī Rādhārāṇī is everything to Govinda, and the crest-jewel of all his lovers, is that present within her is the mahābhāva (great love) known as mādana, which intoxicates the transcendental young God of Love Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This treasure of love belongs only to Śrī Rādhārāṇī. She possesses extraordinary qualities that have arisen from this mādanākhya-mahābhāva which are not possible in any other lover. A few of those qualities can be seen in this verse from the Bṛhad-Gautamīya-Tantra:

devī kṛṣṇa-mayī proktā rādhikā para-devatā |
sarva-lakṣmī-mayī sarva-kāntiḥ sammohinī parāḥ ||

     “Śrī Rādhikā has been described as devī, kṛṣṇa-mayī, para-devatā, sarva-lakṣmī-mayī, sarva-kānti, sammohinī and parā.” These qualities have been explained in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.84-88:

debī kahi–dyotamānā paramā sundarī | 

kimbā kṛṣṇa-pūjā-krīḍāra basati nagarī ||

kṛṣṇa-mayī–kṛṣṇa yāra antare bāhire | 

yāṅhā yāṅhā netra paḍe tāṅhā kṛṣṇa sphure ||

kimbā prema-rasa-maya kṛṣṇera svarūpa | 

tāṅra śakti tāṅra saha haya eka-rūpa ||

kṛṣṇa-bāñchā-pūrti-rūpa kare ārādhane | 

ataeba ‘rādhikā’ nāma purāṇe bākhāne ||

     “The word devī means a brilliant and most beautiful young woman; or it can also mean the abode of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and worship. Kṛṣṇa-mayī means one for whom Śrī Kṛṣṇa is within and without; wherever her eyes may fall, Kṛṣṇa appears. Or, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form is filled with the nectar of love and his śakti is identical with him. Through her worship she fulfills all of Kṛṣṇa’s desires; she is therefore known in the Purāṇas as Rādhikā.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.30.28 says the following:

anayārādhito nūnaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ | 

yan no vihāya govindaḥ prīto yām anayad rahaḥ ||

     During the great rāsa dance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Śrī Rādhārāṇī from the circle of gopīs and disappeared. When searching diligently for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the other gopīs came upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus footprints. After seeing that Candrāvalī and their other rivals had become extremely perturbed, Śrī Rādhā’s gopī friends said, “This girl has surely given abundant service to Bhagavān Lord Hari because Govinda abandoned all of us and led her with great pleasure to a secluded place.” From Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 4.89-95:

ataeba sarba-pūjyā parama-debatā | 

sarba-pālikā sarba-jagatera mātā ||

‘sarba-lakṣmī’-śabda pūrbe kariyāchi byākhyāna | 

sarba-lakṣmī-gaṇera teṅho haya adhiṣṭhāna ||

kimbā ‘sarba-lakṣmī’–kṛṣṇera ṣaḍ-bidha aiśvarya | 

tāṅra adhiṣṭhātrī śakti–sarba-śakti-barya ||

sarba-saundarya-kānti baisaye yāṅhāte | 

sarba-lakṣmī-gaṇera śobhā haya yāṅhā haite ||

kimbā ‘kānti’-śabde kṛṣṇera saba icchā kahe | 

kṛṣṇera sakala bāñchā rādhātei rahe ||

rādhikā karena kṛṣṇera bāñchita pūraṇa | 

‘sarba-kānti’-śabdera ei artha bibaraṇa ||

jagata-mohana kṛṣṇa, tāṅhāra mohinī | 

ataeba samastera parā ṭhākurāṇī ||

     “Therefore, Śrī Rādhā is to be worshiped by all. She is the supreme goddess, the guardian of all and the mother of the entire world. I have already given one explanation of the phrase sarva-lakṣmī: she is the basis of all the goddesses of fortune. Or, sarva-lakṣmī means she is the presiding deity of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s six opulences. She is the greatest of all śaktis. Sarva-kānti means that all beauty and grace rest within her; the loveliness of the lakṣmīs originates in her. Or, the word kānti can mean the totality of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires; all of his desires live in Śrī Rādhā. Śrī Rādhikā fulfills all of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s desires. This is the meaning of sarva-kānti. Śrī Kṛṣṇa enchants the entire universe, but Śrī Rādhā enchants even him. Therefore, she is the supreme goddess.”

     For these reasons, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s most beloved sweetheart. Moreover, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya describes her as vāmā, meaning she is strong-willed by nature. aher iva gatiḥ premṇaḥ svabhāva-kuṭilā bhavet; ato hetor ahetoś ca yūnor māna udañcati. “Just as the movement of a snake is by nature crooked, in the same way, the movement of prema is naturally crooked. Therefore, with or without cause, the pride of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and his Vraja girlfriends may at any time appear.” Śrī Rādhārāṇī is above all others. We see the following in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.160-162:

gopī-gaṇa madhye śreṣṭhā rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī | 

nirmala-ujjvala-rasa-prema-ratna-khani ||

bayase ‘madhyamā’ teṅho–svabhābete samā | 

gāḍha prema-bhābe teṅho nirantara ‘bāmā’ ||

bāmya-svabhābe ‘māna’ uṭhe nirantara | 

uṅhāra bāmye uṭhe kṛṣṇera ānanda-sāgara ||

     “Among all the gopīs, Śrī Rādhā Ṭhākurāṇī is the best; she is a jewel-mine of pure and passionate love. In age, she is neither youngest nor oldest. She is equable in disposition. Though deeply in love, she remains strong-willed. From her contrary nature, indignation rises within her, causing Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s ocean of joy to swell.”

     Moreover, Śrī Rādhārāṇī is dik-manoharā, meaning she captivates all the mobile and immobile creatures in all ten directions. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda has described Śrī Rādhā’s enchanting form in his Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.29-39:

vara-sīmanta-rasāmṛta-saraṇī-dhṛta-sindūra-surekhām |

śrī-vṛṣabhānu-kulāmbudhi-sambhava-subhaga-sudhākara-lekhām ||

smaratu mano mama niravadhi rādhām |

madhupati-rūpa-guṇa-śravaṇodita-sahaja-manobhava-bādhām ||

surucira-kavari-virājita-komala-parimala-malli-sumālām |

mada-cala-khañjana-khelana-gañjana-locana-kamala-viśālām ||

mada-karirāja-virājad anuttama-calita-lalita-gati-bhaṅgīm |

atisukumāra-kanaka-nava-campaka-gaura-madhura-madhurāṅgīm ||

maṇi-keyūra-lalita-valayāvali-maṇḍita-mṛdu-bhuja-vallīm |

pratipadam adbhuta-rūpa-camatkṛti-mohana-yuvati-matallīm ||

mṛdu-mṛdu-hāsa-lalita-mukha-maṇḍala-kṛta-śaśi-bimba-viḍambām |

kiṅkiṇi-jāla-khacita-pṛthu-sundara-nava-rasa-rāśi-nitambām ||

citrita-kañculikā-sthagitodbhaṭa-kuca-hāṭaka-ghaṭa-śobhām |

sphurad-aruṇādhara-sīdhu-sudhā-rasa-kṛta-hari-mānasa-lobhām ||

sundara-cibuka-virājita-mohana-mecaka-bindu-vilāsām |

sakanaka-ratna-khacita-pṛthu-mauktika-ruci-rucirojjvala-nāsām ||

ujjvala-rāga-rasāmṛta-sāgara-sāra-tanuṁ sukha-rūpām |

nipatita-mādhava-mugdha-mano-mṛga-nābhi-sudhā-rasa-kūpām ||

nūpura-hāra-manohara-kuṇḍala-kṛta-rucim aruṇa-dukūlām |

pathi pathi madana-madākula-gokula-candra-kalita-pada-mūlām ||

rasika-sarasvatī-gīta-mahādbhuta-rādhā-rūpa-rahasyam |

vṛndāvana-rasa-lālasa-manasām idam upageyam avaśyam ||

     “May my mind always remember Śrī Rādhā, who appeared from the ocean of Vṛṣabhānu’s family like a lovely crescent moon. She wears a beautiful vermilion streak in the part of her hair, which is like a channel for the flow of nectar. When she hears about Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form, qualities and so on, she spontaneously feels lovesick. In her beautiful braid she wears a splendid garland of soft and fragrant jasmine flowers. The movements of her large eyes, excited with joy, defeat the dancing of a restless wagtail. Her captivating gait is graceful like that of an elephant king in rut. Her delicate and charming form is yellowish in color, like a fresh golden campaka flower. Her soft, slender arms are adorned with jeweled armlets and bangles. At every moment, her extraordinary and astonishing beauty creates wonder in all the young women. Her delightful, gently smiling face is more radiant than a full moon. She wears strings of tiny bells around her shapely hips, the embodiments of ever-fresh rasa. A colorful bodice covers the beauty of her flawless, golden-pot breasts. The nectar of her beguiling reddish lips allures Śrī Hari’s mind. Her exquisite chin is adorned with an elegant dot of musk, and her lovely nose is enhanced by the luster of a large pearl set in gold and jewels. Her body is the essence of the ocean of the nectar of passionate love. She is the embodiment of happiness. The enchanted deer of Mādhava’s mind has fallen into the well of nectar that is her navel. Her bodily luster is made brighter by her ankle bells, necklaces and earrings; she wears a crimson dress. Gokulacandra becomes intoxicated by love when he sees Śrī Rādhā’s footprints on the pathways. Those whose hearts and minds long for vṛndāvana-rasa should sing about the mysterious and extraordinary form of Śrī Rādhā as described by the rasika Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.”

     Another reading is bāma-dike manoharā, which means “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beloved Śrī Rādhā looks very beautiful standing at his left side.” Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda wrote the following in Saṅgīta-Mādhava 2.43:

cetaḥ kām api kunda-sundara-sudhā-niḥsyandi-mandasmita-

jyotir-mohana-vaktra-candra-vigalat-premāmṛtāmbho-nidhim |

pratyaṅgocchalitānurāga-sahajānaṅgotsavaikāvadhiṁ

śrī-vṛndāvana-candra-durmada-manaś-caurīṁ kiśorīṁ smara ||

     “O mind! Always remember Śrī Rādhā, the indescribable jewel among young women, who steals the lovesick mind and heart of Śrī Vṛndāvanacandra. An ocean of sweet love flows from her captivating moonlike face, illumined by the luster of her gentle smile, beautiful and oozing nectar like a jasmine flower. Passion surges through her every limb; she is the singular limit of the natural festival of love.”

     Then, to describe the beauty of Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s complexion, dress and ornaments, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, kanaka-keśara-kānti dhare, anurāge rakta-śāḍī, nīla-paṭṭa-manohārī, maṇimaya ābharaṇa pare. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, whose complexion is golden like the filaments of a lotus, looks enchantingly beautiful as she stands on the left side of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose complexion is deep-blue, like a brilliant sapphire. The love for Kṛṣṇa in her heart manifests as a scarlet petticoat on her lovely form. Red is the color of anurāga or passion. Śrīmatī keeps her love for Kṛṣṇa hidden in her heart; accordingly, she wears a scarlet undergarment. Śrīmatī is devoted to Śyāma, so she has great fondness for the color blue. She always looks very charming in her elegant dark blue dress. For Śyāma’s happiness, Śrīmatī adorns her graceful limbs with ornaments made of gems and jewels.

Paddhati

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Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 88 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

রাধাকৃষ্ণ দুঁহু প্রেম,        লক্ষবান যেন হেম,

যাহার হিল্লোল রসসিন্ধু ।

চকোর-নয়ন প্রেম,        কামরতি করে ধ্যান,

পীরিতি সুখের দুঁহু বন্ধু ॥ ৮৮ ॥

rādhā-kṛṣṇa duṅhu prema,        lakṣabāna yena hema,

yāhāra hillola rasa-sindhu |

cakora-nayana prema,        kāma-rati kare dhyāna,

pīriti sukhera duṅhu bandhu || 88 ||

     Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s mutual love is like gold smelted a hundred thousand times. It is like billowy waves in the ocean of rasa. Kāma and Rati meditate on the love in Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s cakora eyes. Love is a friend to their happiness.

     टीका–युवयोर्मुखचन्द्रयोश्चकोराविव ये नयने तयोः प्रेमाणं रतिकामौ ध्यायतः । যাহার হিল্লোল इत्यादि–श्रीवृन्दावनस्य सम्बन्धे लीलारस एव सिन्धुस्तस्य तरङ्गरूपः श्रीराधाकृष्णयोः प्रेमाः ॥

Gold Purified a Hundred Thousand Times

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In this verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya describes the sweetness of rasa and the purity of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s mutual love. Reflecting upon this purity, he first says, rādhā-kṛṣṇa duṅhu prema, lakṣabāna yena hema. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s mutual love is pure like gold smelted a hundred thousand times. The more times gold is smelted, the purer it becomes. But regardless of how much base metal is mixed with the gold, after being smelted five times all the base metal is gone and the gold reaches its purest state. Therefore, no one ever smelts gold a hundred thousand times, nor is it necessary. Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is saying that if it were possible that gold smelted a hundred thousand times existed somewhere, then Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love would be similar to that in purity. But such gold does not exist. Therefore, there is nothing comparable to Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love. In this particular kali-yuga, Śrī Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu took Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s bhāva within his heart and clearly demonstrated the purity of her love to the people of the world. In the final verse of Śikṣāṣṭaka, he says the following:

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām 

adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā |

yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo 

mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ ||

     Śrī Rādhārāṇī said to her priya-sakhī, “O friend! I am devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. He may embrace me, hold me tightly to his chest and take me only for himself, or he may wound my heart by not letting me see him. Loved by many girls, he may sport with them anywhere and everywhere. Why not let him do what he wants? He is the lord of my life; there is no other.” Śrīman Mahāprabhu has personally revealed an extraordinary inner meaning of this verse in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 20.48-62:

āmi kṛṣṇa-pada-dāsī, teṅho rasa-sukha-rāśi, āliṅgiyā kare ātma-sātha |

kibā nā dena daraśana, jārena āmāra tanu-mana, tabu teṅho mora prāṇa-nātha ||

sakhi he! śuna mora manera niścaya |

kibā anurāga kare, kibā duḥkha diyā māre, mora prāṇeśa kṛṣṇa anya naya ||

chāḍi anya nārī-gaṇa, mora baśa tanu-mana, mora saubhāgya prakaṭa kariyā |

tā-sabāre dena pīḍā, āmā-sane kare krīḍā, sei nārī-gaṇe dekhāiyā ||

kibā teṅho lampaṭa, śaṭha dhṛṣṭa sakapaṭa, anya nārī-gaṇa kari sātha |

more dite manaḥ-pīḍā, mora āge kare krīḍā, tabu teṅho mora prāṇa-nātha ||

     “‘I am a servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. He is the embodiment of nectarous joy. Embracing me, he makes me his own. Or he may cause my body and mind to waste away by not letting me see him. Still, he is the lord of my life. O friend! Hear the conviction of my heart. Whether he shows me affection or pierces me with misery, Kṛṣṇa is the sole lord of my life. Charmed by me in body and mind, he abandons the other girls and reveals my good fortune. He gives them pain by sporting with me where they can see. Sometimes he is a greedy, arrogant, deceitful rogue who keeps company with other girls. He flirts with them in front of me, just to cause me anguish. Even so, he is the lord of my life.

nā gaṇi āpana duḥkha, sabe bāñchi tāra sukha, tāṅra sukhe āmāra tātparya |

more yadi dile duḥkha, tāṅra haila mahāsukha, sei duḥkha mora sukhabarya ||

ye nārīke bāñche kṛṣṇa, tāra rūpe satṛṣṇa, tāre nā pāñā haya duḥkhī |

muñi tāra pāye paḍi, lañā yāṅ hāte dhari, krīḍā karāñā karoṅ tāṅre sukhī ||

kāntā kṛṣṇe kare roṣa, kṛṣṇa pāya santoṣa, sukha pāya tāḍana bhartsane |

yathāyogya kare māna, kṛṣṇa tāte sukha pāna, chāḍe māna alpa sādhane ||

sei nārī jīye kene, kṛṣṇera marma-byathā nāhi jāne, tabu kṛṣṇe kare gāḍha-roṣa |

nija-sukhe māne kāja, paḍu tāra śire bāja, kṛṣṇera mātra cāhiye santoṣa ||

     ‘I don’t care about my own suffering; all I want is for him to be happy. I have devoted myself to his well-being. If it makes him happy to give me misery, that misery is my greatest joy. If Kṛṣṇa is drawn to the beauty of some girl and wants but cannot have her, he becomes sad. I fall at her feet, take her hand and bring her to him. By arranging such pastimes, I make him happy. When his lover becomes angry with him, Kṛṣṇa feels pleasure. He enjoys being chastised and scolded. Appropriately, she begins to sulk, delighting him even further. With a little charm from Kṛṣṇa, she soon gives up her anger. Why does such a girl continue living? She knows nothing of Kṛṣṇa’s inner pain, but still directs her anger at him. She only cares about her own happiness. Let a thunderbolt fall on her head! I only want Kṛṣṇa to be happy.

ye gopī mora kare dveṣe, kṛṣṇera kare santoṣe, kṛṣṇa yāre kare abhilāṣa |

muñi tāra ghare yāñā, tāre seboṅ dāsī hañā, tabe mora sukhera ullāsa ||

kuṣṭhī-biprera ramaṇī, patibratā-śiromaṇi, pati lāgi kaila beśyāra sebā |

stambhila sūryera gati, jīyāila mṛta pati, tuṣṭa kaila mukhya tina debā ||

kṛṣṇa mora jībana, kṛṣṇa mora prāṇa-dhana, kṛṣṇa mora prāṇera parāṇa |

hṛdaya-upare dharoṅ, sebā kari sukhī karoṅ, ei mora sadā rahe dhyāna ||

mora sukha sebane, kṛṣṇera sukha saṅgame, ataeba deha deṅa dāna |

kṛṣṇa more ‘kāntā’ kari, kahe ‘tumi prāṇeśvarī’, mora haya ‘dāsī’ abhimāna ||

     ‘If some gopī who dislikes me pleases Kṛṣṇa and he desires her, I will go to her home and serve as her dāsī. Then my happiness will grow. The wife of a leprous brāhmaṇa became the crown-jewel of chaste women when she served a prostitute for the sake of her husband. She stopped the movement of the sun, revived her deceased husband and satisfied the three principal deities. Kṛṣṇa is my life, the treasure of my life, the life of my life. I will hold him to my chest, serve him and make him happy. This is my constant meditation. My happiness lies in service; Kṛṣṇa’s lies in loving union. Therefore, I give him my body. Kṛṣṇa makes me his lover, says to me, “You are the Goddess of my life.” I consider myself his maidservant.

kānta-sebā sukha-pūra, saṅgama haite sumadhura, tāte sākṣī lakṣmī-ṭhākurāṇī |

nārāyaṇera hṛde sthiti, tabu pāda-sebāya mati, sebā kare dāsī-abhimānī ||

ei rādhāra bacana, biśuddha-prema-lakṣaṇa, āsvādaye śrī-gaurāṅga rāya |

bhābe mana asthira, sāttvike byāpe śarīra, mana-deha dharaṇa nā yāya ||

brajera biśuddha prema, yena jāmbūnada-hema, ātma-sukhera yāhe nāhi gandha |

se prema jānāite loke, prabhu kaila ei śloke, pade kaila arthera nirbandha ||

     ‘Service to one’s lover is full of happiness and sweeter than union. Evidence of that is Śrī Lakṣmīdevī, who, though situated on Śrī Nārāyaṇa’s chest, is inclined to serve his lotus feet as though she were a dāsī.’ Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu relishes Śrī Rādhā’s words, which are symptoms of the purest love. In such a state, his mind becomes restless and sāttvika transformations pervade his body. He can no longer sustain his mind and form. The pure love of Vraja is like gold from the Jāmbū River; there is no trace of the desire for personal happiness. To teach the people about this prema, Mahāprabhu composed this Sanskrit verse (āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām) and then explained its meaning in these Bengali verses.” 

     In these lines of poetry, Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s words revealed the purity of Śrī Rādhā’s love in a very simple and straightforward way. Nothing in the world compares to this. According to the love of the premika devotee, Śrī Kṛṣṇa shows his love toward him or her. This is the natural dharma of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose essence is eternity, knowledge and bliss. Therefore, it should be understood that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, thoroughly enchanted by Śrī Rādhārāṇī’s love, also expresses his pure love for her.

     Then Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, yāhāra hillola rasa-sindhu. In his commentary on this segment, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda has written, yāhāra hillola ity ādi–śrī-vṛndāvanasya sambandhe līlā-rasa eva sindhus tasya taraṅga-rūpaḥ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇayoḥ premāḥ. The meaning is that the līlā-rasa of Śrī Vṛndāvana is like an ocean; its endless, billowy waves are śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-prema. Pure, sweet Vṛndāvana, like an ocean of līlā-rasa, is boundless, unfathomable and difficult to enter. In that ocean, Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love swells in endless waves. Two kinds of oceans are seen: one with waves and one without. An ocean’s pleasant-sounding, continuous string of waves enchants the eyes and mind of one who experiences it. In the ocean of Śrī Vṛndāvana’s sweet and pure līlā-rasa, Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love billows day and night with endless waves of emotion. The heart and mind of one who witnesses this become utterly captivated. Even though these waves of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s love are difficult to comprehend or enter, at present, in the yuga of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas sheltered at his lotus feet have revealed the mystery of this love through various means in their books. In this way, they have bestowed upon even the poor, lowly and fallen people the great fortune of bathing in those waves. Therefore, those who have obtained a human body in this particular kali-yuga but are unable to experience a drop of Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s waves of love are the most unfortunate jīvas in the universe.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya then said, cakora-nayana prema, kāma-rati kare dhyāna, pīriti sukhera duṅhu bandhu. In his commentary on this segment, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda wrote, yuvayor mukha-candrayoś cakorāv iva ye nayane tayoḥ premāṇaṁ rati-kāmau dhyāyataḥ. “Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa! Like cakora birds, your eyes drink the sweet nectar of each other’s moonlike face. Even Kāma and Rati constantly meditate on obtaining such love.” The purport is that the function of prema is to cause the lover (āśraya-tattva) to relish the sweetness of the beloved (viṣaya-tattva). Prema is the natural instrument for, or doorway into, tasting mādhurya. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s mutual love causes them to taste each other’s sweetness, mainly through the chalices of their eyes. Through their eyes, their playful, amorous moods are revealed; through their eyes, they taste the sweetness of each other’s beauty. Therefore it has been said that Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s cakora-like eyes drink the sweet nectar of each other’s moonlike face. Their love is fully expressed through their reciprocal gazes, which even Kāma and his wife Rati always contemplate in hopes of attaining such affection for each other. In this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is revealed as Madana-mohana, or “one who enchants even the god of love.” rādhā-saṅge yadā bhāti, tadā madana-mohanaḥ; anyathā viśva-moho’pi, svayaṁ madana-mohitaḥ. “When Śrī Kṛṣṇa is with Śrī Rādhā he is Madana-mohana; otherwise, he is himself charmed by the god of love, though he charms the whole world.” Similarly, if Śrī Rādhā is not with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she becomes dejected and suffers feelings of separation. For this reason he says, pīriti sukhera duṅhu bandhu. Just as a friend increases the happiness of a friend in various ways, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa increase each other’s enjoyment of love. In the matter of tasting the nectar of love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa cannot be happy without Śrī Rādhārāṇī, even in the company of countless other gopīs. Other than Vrajendranandana, no other form of Bhagavān, including Dvārakānātha, can give Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī the joy of love.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 87 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

বচনের অগোচর,        বৃন্দাবন হেন স্থল,

স্বপ্রকাশ প্রেমানন্দঘন ।

যাহাতে প্রকট সুখ,        নাহি জরা-মৃত্যু-দুখ,

কৃষ্ণলীলারস অনুক্ষণ ॥ ৮৭ ॥

bacanera agocara,        bṛndābana hena sthala,

svaprakāśa premānanda-ghana |

yāhāte prakaṭa sukha,        nāhi jarā-mṛtyu-dukha,

kṛṣṇa-līlā-rasa anukṣaṇa || 87 ||

     Vṛndāvana is a place beyond the reach of words. It is self-manifesting, a condensed form of the joy of love, where happiness is conspicuous. No one suffers the miseries of old age and death. Everyone enjoys the sweet rasa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes at every moment.

टीका—श्रीवृन्दावनं विशिनष्टि “বচনের অগোচর” इत्यादिना । বচনের অগোচর—अनिर्वचनीयं निर्वक्तुमशक्यमित्यर्थः ।।

The True Nature of Śrī Vṛndāvana

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: In order to reveal the truth of Śrī Vṛndāvana, in this verse Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya first says, bacanera agocara, bṛndābana hena sthala. Just as the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ācāryas have established the spirituality and eternality of Śrī Bhagavān’s identities, pastimes, forms, associates and so on, in the same way they have ascertained the spirituality and eternality of his abodes. The material world is a transformation of prakṛti or the external māyā-śakti, but Śrī Dhāma is a transformation of the internal cit-śakti, though residing in the manifest world. Śrī Dhāma’s foundation is in the sandhinī-śakti. Although Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is situated in the visible world, it is spiritual or beyond the world. Therefore, it is in all respects detached from the material part of prakṛti. There is much scriptural evidence that Śrī Vraja Dhāma is beyond the material world, eternal, transcendental, imperceptible to the physical eyes and outside the reach of the mind and words. Chāndogya-Upaniṣad 7.24 says, sa bhagavaḥ kasmin pratiṣṭhita iti sve mahimni. “Where is the Supreme Being called Hari situated?” The reply: “He is situated in his own inconceivable glory.” Śrī-Gopāla-Tāpanī Śruti says, sākṣād-brahma-gopāla-purīhīti. “Vraja Dhāma, the abode of Śrī Gopāla, is directly brahma.” In the Varāha-Purāṇa, there is a narration regarding Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma’s transcendental state: anyera kācit sā sṛṣṭir vidhātu-vyatirekiṇa. “Brahmā creates everything in the universe, but Mathurā is created independent of Brahmā; that is another kind of creation.” The following is seen in the Pātāla-Khaṇḍa of Padma-Purāṇa regarding Vraja’s eternality: ṛṣir māthura-nāmātra tapaḥ kurvati śāśvata iti. “The ṛṣi named Māthura perpetually performs austerities here (in Mathurā).” There is no reason to doubt the eternality of the place where Māthura Ṛṣi incessantly performs austerities. Incessant austerities are not possible in a place that is not eternal. The transcendental nature of Vraja has been described in the Ādi-Varāha-Purāṇa: bhūr bhuvaḥ svas talenāpi na pātāla-tale’malam; nordhvaloke mayā dṛṣṭaṁ tādṛk kṣetraṁ vasundhare. Śrī Varāhadeva said to Śrī Dharaṇī, “O Mother Earth! I do not see anywhere within Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka or Svargaloka, in Pātāla or even the higher worlds a place so pure as Mathurā.” There is a statement in the Pātāla-Khaṇḍa of Padma-Purāṇa in regard to Vraja being imperceptible to the physical eye: tejomayam idaṁ ramyam adṛśyaṁ carma-cakṣuṣā. “This radiant and delightful Vṛndāvana Dhāma is invisible to the physical eye.” By implication we can understand that Śrī Dhāma is also beyond the range of speech. Therefore Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, bacanera agocara, bṛndābana hena sthala.

     Then he says, svaprakāśa premānanda-ghana. Just as Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s vigraha (body) is self-manifested, Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma, which is a transformation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sandhinī-śakti, is similarly self-manifested. For this reason, the following has been written in Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 5.18: sarba-ga ananta bibhu kṛṣṇa-tanu sama, upary-adho byāpi āche nāhika niyama. “Like Kṛṣṇa’s body, his dhāma is all-pervasive, boundless and eternal. It extends above and below without restriction.” Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa-vibhūti, an expansion of his own form and nature. Therefore, like Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body, it is also self-manifested. Because it is self-manifesting, it exists in the highest realm of the spiritual sky while also being always present in that same form on earth. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmipāda has written, tad evaṁ tad-dhāmnām upary-adhaḥ prakāśa-mātratvenobhaya-vidhatvaṁ prasaktam; vastutas tu śrī-bhagavan-nityādhiṣṭhānatvena tac-chrī-vigrahavad ubhayatra prakāśāvirodhāt samāna-guṇa-nāma-rūpatvenāmnātatvāl lāghavāc caika-vidhatvam eva mantavyam;…eka-vidhatvaṁ tasyācintya-śakti-svīkāreṇa sambhāvitam eva (Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Sandarbhaḥ 106 anuḥ). “Śrī Bhagavān’s dhāmas are self-manifesting; they are famous for appearing in both the upper part and lower part, meaning in Paravyoma as well as on earth. Actually, because Śrī Bhagavān’s eternal abode appears in both places, one should think of the dhāmas as identical. Just as Śrī Bhagavān’s vigraha appears in many places at once, so should his dhāma be understood. The qualities, names, forms and so on of both dhāmas are celebrated as being identical or of one kind. Moreover, if this identity is accepted, it becomes easy to understand the tattva. Otherwise, the existence of endless dhāmas in the spiritual sky as well as in endless material universes is beyond imagination.”

     That transcendental Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma is the playground of Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana and Śrī Rādhārāṇī, the embodiment of mahābhāva. Is there any doubt that it is a condensed form of the joy of love? Śrīpāda Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī has written the following in Śrī-Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 6.10:

premānanda-rasātivihvalatame nānā-camatkāra-bhṛd-

divyāneka-maṇi-sthale bahula-sad-vallī-dru-gulmādike |

divyaiḥ pakṣi-mṛgaiḥ sarovara-saric-chailādibhiś cādbhute 

śrī-vṛndā-vipine kadā nu lalitaikātmyaṁ kiśoraṁ bhaje ||

     “When shall I worship the most charming, inseparably united Śrī Yugala-Kiśora in the wonderful Śrī Vṛndāvana, which is filled with lakes, rivers and mountains, pervaded by beautiful birds and animals, decorated with many kinds of splendid trees and creepers, adorned with astonishing and delightful bejeweled locations, and always overwhelmed by the nectar of joyful love?”

     Then he says, yāhāte prakaṭa sukha, nāhi jarā-mṛtyu-dukha, kṛṣṇa-līlā-rasa anukṣaṇa. Both the manifest and unmanifest displays of Śrī Vṛndāvana, the place of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s confidential pastimes, are truly inexpressible, made of sat, cit and ānanda, and are the condensed forms of the joy of love. Hence, cinmayānanda-rasa is always present there. All the mobile and immobile beings there are joyful. Because it is beyond māyā, no one suffers the miseries of old age, death and so on. Everyone enjoys the sweet rasa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nectarous pastimes at every moment. 

     In the visible manifestation, meaning the Vṛndāvana we can see with our physical eyes, we encounter old age, death, disease, grief and other miseries. The eyes of common people are shown these things so their worldly view of Śrī Dhāma is not disturbed. The purport is that if the outward-looking people of the world do not see the old age, death, sickness and sorrow of the residents of Vṛndāvana, they will all come to Vṛndāvana seeking immortality or freedom from misery. But this is not of true benefit to them because they are not qualified for either bhakti or residence in Vraja. If they take up residence there, their worldly view will be disturbed and the mystical nature of bhakti will also be harmed. We see all kinds of humans, animals, birds, trees and creepers in the visible manifestation of Vraja. By the power of Śrī Dhāma, they inevitably obtain a saccidānanda body and proximity to Śrī Bhagavān. Because of this, Śrī Bhagavān says the following in Padma-Purāṇa: idaṁ vṛndāvanaṁ ramyaṁ mama dhāmaiva kevalam. atra ye paśavo pakṣi-vṛkṣāḥ kīṭā narāmarāḥ. ye vasanti mamādhiṣṇe mṛtā yānti mamālayam. Therefore, all living beings of Vṛndāvana must be understood to be saccidānanda in nature. If someone considers the Vrajavāsīs to be like creatures of the material world, ordinary jīvas bound by karma and afflicted by old age and death, then because of that offense he will not attain the supreme path of service to Śrī Rādhā. Śrīmat Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda has written the following in Vṛndāvana-Mahimāmṛta 17.83-84:

svānanda-sac-cid-ghana-rūpatā-matir

yāvan na vṛndāvana-vāsi-jantuṣu |

tāvat praviṣṭo’pi na tatra vindate

tato’parādhāt padavīṁ parātparām ||

yadaiva sac-cid-rasa-rūpa-buddhir

vṛndāvana-stha-sthira-jaṅgameṣu |

syān nirvyalīkaṁ puruṣas tadaiva

cakāsti rādhā-priya-sevi-rūpaḥ ||

     “Even though one has entered Vṛndāvana, as long as he does not think of its residents as embodiments of condensed saccidānanda or filled with transcendental rasa, he will due to this offense be unable to attain the ultimate state of rādhā-dāsya. When a person free from deceit understands the transcendental nature of the mobile and immobile creatures of Vṛndāvana, he or she obtains a mañjarī form that is suitable for Śrī Rādhā’s intimate service and becomes radiant.” Then, blessed to constantly enjoy the līlā-rasa of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava, who are supremely joyful, the sādhaka is crowned with success.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 86 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

নরোত্তম দাস কহে,        সদা মোর প্রাণ দহে,

হেন ভক্ত-সঙ্গ না পাইয়া ।

অভাগ্যের নাহি ওর,        মিছাই হইনু ভোর,

দুঃখ রহে অন্তরে জাগিয়া ॥ ৮৬ ॥

narottama dāsa kahe,        sadā mora prāṇa dahe,

hena bhakta-saṅga nā pāiyā |

abhāgyera nāhi ora,        michāi hainu bhora,

duḥkha rahe antare jāgiyā || 86 ||

     Narottama Dāsa says, “My heart always burns from the lack of devotee association. There is no limit to my misfortune; I am engrossed in illusion. Misery has awakened within me.”

Desiring the Association of Devotees

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Through his instructions to his mind in the previous verse, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya revealed his wish to always keep awake in his heart the desire to give up all aspirations but prema and to serve Parama Īśvara Hari Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He further wishes to always long for rasika-vara Śrī Govinda or Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava in Śrī Vṛndāvana. Now, overcome by humility, he is thinking that these qualities which are common to the great devotees have no possibility of appearing in his mind, which is deeply attached to sense objects. But if he could get the association of some great bhakta who possesses such devotional qualities, the power of the bhakta’s association and compassion could cause those qualities to be transmitted into even his mind. Without the association of such a great soul, the fault of being averse to Śrī Bhagavān is not removed, the self-concept of being connected to the body and all related to it is not destroyed, and the powerful desire to attain śrī-kṛṣṇa-prema and taste the Divine Couple’s sweetness is not produced. Śrī Bhagavān’s compassion appears within the jīva through the channel of a great soul’s mercy, not independently. For a jīva afflicted by worldly life, the mercy of a sādhu is paramount; getting Bhagavān’s direct mercy is secondary. Moreover, the mercy of the sādhus is not attainable without getting their association. We therefore see the following in Mahārāja Mucukunda’s words to Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.51.54:

bhavāpavargo bhramato yadā bhavej 

janasya tarhy acyuta sat-samāgamaḥ |

sat-saṅgama yarhi tadaiva sad-gatau 

parāvareśe tvayi jāyate ratiḥ ||

     “O infallible Lord! When the time arrives for a worldly person’s earthly bondage to end, he encounters a sādhu. When this holy association occurs, attachment arises in him for you, the sole refuge of the saintly and ruler of the high and low.” When the jīva repeatedly hears the naturally God-related narrations from the mouths of great souls, faith in Śrī Bhagavān appears in his heart. Gradually some taste develops from hearing these discussions and then the practice of śravaṇa, kīrtana and the rest of the nine kinds of bhakti causes prema, the fifth goal of life, to begin to unfold.

     Feeling very humble, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya laments, narottama dāsa kahe, sadā mora prāṇa dahe, hena bhakta-saṅga nā pāiyā. He feels a powerful burning sensation in his heart due to the lack of devotee association. He thinks that it is very difficult for him to obtain such mahat-saṅga, which is the most desirable of all things. In the Ādi-Purāṇa (as quoted in Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa), Śrī Kṛṣṇa says the following to Śrī Arjuna:

mad-bhakto durlabho yasya sa eva mama durlabhaḥ |

tat-paro durlabho nāsti satyaṁ satyaṁ dhanañjaya ||

----------------------------

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ |

mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās te me bhaktatamā matāḥ ||

ye kecit prāṇino bhaktā mad-arthe tyakta bāndhavāḥ |

teṣām ahaṁ parikrīto nānya-krīto dhanañjaya ||

     “O Pārtha! One who is dear to my bhakta is very dear to me; truly, no one in the world is more dear to me. Those who are devoted only to me are not my true bhaktas; those who are the bhaktas of my bhaktas are the best of all. I am purchased by those devotees who renounce their friends and relatives for my sake, not by others.” One of the best ways to attain Bhagavān’s mercy is to consider the association of devotees to be precious. This is substantiated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s words above. The mercy of a bhakta is obtained through bhakta-saṅga. The more a great soul’s compassion falls upon a fortunate jīva, the more the jīva becomes qualified to obtain Bhagavān’s mercy and prema.

     Then he says, abhāgyera nāhi ora, michāi hainu bhora, duḥkha rahe antare jāgiyā. Though being the embodiment of prema, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya ascertains with deep humility that he has been deprived of the association of devotees because of his own misfortune. He says, abhāgyera nāhi ora, meaning, “There is no limit to my misfortune, yet I madly think I have the good fortune to be a bhakta. In fact, though being unfortunate, I deceive myself by thinking I am fortunate. After awakening in my heart, this misery has remained to sting it.” Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya’s humble words remind us that we often think of ourselves as actual bhaktas or bhajanānandīs, resulting in self-complacency. In fact, the nature of bhakti is insatiability. premera svabhāva—yāṅhā preme sambandha, sei māne—kṛṣṇe mora nāhi prema-gandha (Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Antya 20.28). “The nature of prema is that wherever a relationship of prema occurs, the devotee thinks, ‘I have not even the scent of love for Kṛṣṇa.’” By causing an insatiable desire to awaken within the sādhaka, bhakti ensures that humility, the life of bhajana, remains active in his heart and mind. The sādhaka then reflects upon his wretched condition and prays to Bhagavān with a sorrowful heart:

mat-tulyo nāsti pāpātmā nāparādhī ca kaścana |

parihāre’pi lajjā me kiṁ bruve puruṣottama ||

     “O Puruṣottama! There is no one in the world as sinful and offensive as I. I can only ask that you forgive my transgressions. I feel ashamed to offer such a prayer at your lotus feet.” Because the sādhaka possesses all good qualities, his lamentation causes Śrī Bhagavān’s compassionate heart to tremble and release a ceaseless flow of mercy upon him. After that, nothing is unattainable for the sādhaka.

Śrī Śrī Prema-Bhakti-Candrikā 85 (comm. by Śrī Anantadāsa Bābājī Mahārāja)

আর সব পরিহরি,        পরম ঈশ্বর হরি,

সেব মন! প্রেম করি আশ ।

এক ব্রজরাজপুরে,        গোবিন্দ রসিকবরে,

করহ সদাই অভিলাষ ॥ ৮৫ ॥

āra saba parihari,        parama īśvara hari,

seba mana! prema kari āśa |

eka braja-rāja-pure,        gobinda rasika-bare,

karaha sadāi abhilāṣa || 85 ||

     O mind! Give up everything else and hope only for the loving service of the Supreme Lord Śrī Hari. Always long for Śrī Govinda, the best of rasikas, in the village of the king of Vraja.

टीका–एक व्रजराजपुरे–मर्त्य व्रजमण्डल इत्यर्थः ।*

Cherishing the Hope for Loving Service

     Sudhā-Kaṇikā-Vyākhyā: Through giving instructions to his own mind, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya is encouraging the sādhaka-bhaktas of the world to give up all other aspirations and hope only for the loving service of Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava. First he says, āra saba parihari, parama īśvara hari, seba mana! prema kari āśa. Bhakti means sevā or service: bhaj ity eṣa vai dhātu sevāyāṁ parikīrtitaḥ (Garuḍa-Purāṇa). Therefore, a bhakta who has firm faith in bhajana has no other desire in his heart than to serve Śrī Bhagavān. As a result of forgetting Śrī Bhagavān from beginningless time, the jīva has become bound to worldly life. From beginningless time, an empire built upon the desire for various kinds of sense enjoyment has continued in the hearts of the jīvas bound by māyā. Consequently, when a sādhaka first enters the path of bhakti, it is natural that some desires other than for service to Bhagavān remain. If other desires remain in the heart, bhakti has only a faint presence and does not produce its fruit of prema. By taking shelter of sādhu and śāstra, one understands the true nature of bhakti, gives up all desires other than for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and performs bhajana. For this reason, in the discussion of the nature of bhakti in the Śāṇḍilya-Bhakti-Sūtra it has been said that sā parānuraktir īśvare. “Bhakti means transcendental love for God.” In his commentary on this sūtra, Śrīpāda Svapneśvarācārya says, anus tu na lakṣaṇāntargataḥ kintu bhagavan-mahimādi-jñānād anu paścāj jāyamānatvād anuraktir ity uktam. “The word anu is not included in the definition, but bhakti is the attachment to Śrī Hari that arises after a person learns of the Lord’s glory and the nature of devotion.” (Anu means after and rakti means attachment or affection.) Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya thus says, āra saba parihari: Understanding that all other desires are impediments to pure bhakti, the sādhaka should just abandon them and perform bhajana.

     Because he is giving instructions about the worship of Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he says parama īśvara hari. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the cream of all vedānta, has described Śrī Kṛṣṇa as sarva-avatārī, the mūla-tattva or fundamental principle of all the forms of Śrī Bhagavān, or as the svayaṁ-rūpa, the natural form. Not only Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but all the śruti-śāstras have confirmed Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord or the source of all incarnations. kṛṣṇa eva paro devas taṁ dhyāyet taṁ raset (Śruti): “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is indeed the Supreme God; meditate upon him, love him.” kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (Bhāgavata): “Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān himself.” mattaḥ parataraṁ nāsti kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (Gītā): “O conqueror of wealth, there is nothing beyond me.” īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Brahma-Saṁhitā): “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, the embodiment of being, consciousness and joy,” and so on.

     Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s status as Supreme Lord is also known in another way. To give us a hint of the nature of God, the Vedas have said, raso vai saḥ. “Bhagavān’s svarūpa (true form or nature) is rasa,” meaning he is rasamaya, made of nectar. Rasa is Bhagavān’s svarūpa, so manifestations of various rasas are seen in his various avatāras, but in no avatāra do all rasas gather simultaneously. In contrast, Svayaṁ Bhagavān Parameśvara Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti: all rasas are fully manifested in him. This is because he has so many qualities that nourish rasa. The Gosvāmīs have described those qualities as his mādhurya or sweetness. This extraordinary sweetness is only revealed in his Vraja. Because Śrī Kṛṣṇa completely steals everyone’s heart and mind through this mādhurya, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya has described him as parama īśvara hari, the Supreme Lord Hari.**

     Then he says, seba mana! prema kari āśa. As we mentioned, bhakti means sevā or service, so the bhakta’s heart is always filled with the hope or desire for service to his chosen deity. But sevā without love is not pleasing to the deity, so the hope for obtaining love is deeply rooted in the sādhaka’s heart. The hope to attain love is the hope for service. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not pleased by service devoid of love, so without it, sevā cannot be attained. Therefore, Śrī-Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Ādi 7.145 says, premā haite pāya kṛṣṇera sebā-sukha-rasa. “From prema he gets the nectar of joyful service to Kṛṣṇa.” Previously, in verse 79, Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya said, prema binā āna nāhi cāu. “Desire nothing but prema.”

     Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas are not devoted to Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone; they worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa together. Earlier it was said, yugala caraṇa sebā, yugala-caraṇa dhyebā, yugalei manera pirīti (43): “I shall serve Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, meditate upon their feet and dedicate the love in my heart to them.” rādhā-kṛṣṇa sebana, ekānta kariyā mana (76): “O mind! Just worship Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa exclusively.” rādhā-kṛṣṇa kara dhyāna, svapneo nā bala āna (79): “Meditate upon Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa; do not speak of anything else, even in dreams,” and so on. For this reason, in the current verse he says, eka braja-rāja-pure, gobinda rasika-bare, karaha sadāi abhilāṣa. We have said that Śrī Bhagavān is the rasa-svarūpa, the embodiment of rasa. Being the rasa-svarūpa, he is also the enjoyer of rasa. Śrī Bhagavān’s natural enjoyment of prīti-rasa (the joy of love) is his personal treasure. Time, karma, māyā and jīva know nothing of such love. An extraordinary natural quality of Bhagavān is that he is a rasika, a person of taste and feeling, who appreciates excellence and beauty. Without this rasa-relishing nature, Śrī Bhagavān would not be able to perform his līlās. The reason is that it is impossible for any kind of desire to arise in Bhagavān, who is ātmārāma (rejoicing in himself) and āpta-kāma (satisfied). Though Bhagavān is pūrṇa-kāma (one whose wishes have been fulfilled), his self-evident nature is that he wants to taste prīti-rasa. Because other forms of Bhagavān are satisfied by tasting the prīti-rasa mixed with aiśvarya-jñāna*** in a bhakta’s heart, they are known as rasikas. But Svayaṁ Bhagavān Vrajendranandana relishes the prīti-rasa of the residents of Vraja, which is devoid of even the scent of aiśvarya-jñāna. He is therefore known as rasika-śekhara, the chief of all rasikas. Because he above all enjoys the mādanākhya-rasa of Premamayī Śrī Rādhārāṇī, he is called rasika-vara, the greatest of rasikas.

     Śrīla Ṭhākura Mahāśaya says, “O mind! Always long for that best of rasikas, Śrī Govinda, your long-desired, beloved deity Śrī Govinda, who is devoted to his loving pastimes with Śrī Rādhārāṇī.” The object of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas’ worship is the graceful Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava among their friends. The bhaktas always carry in their hearts the desire to serve Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava directly. At the time of bhajana, along with śravaṇa, kīrtana and so on, they think of their own siddha-svarūpas in Vraja Dhāma. They contemplate their cherished sevās while meditating on Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava’s aṣṭa-kāla-līlā. Then, at the time of siddhi or complete maturity: sādhane bhābiba yāhā, siddha-dehe pāba tāhā. “Whatever I contemplate during sādhana, I shall attain in my siddha-deha.” By faithfully following this psychological system, the bhakta attains in the siddha-svarūpa the long-desired sevā she contemplated during sādhana and is thus blessed with success.

*Viśvanātha Cakravartipāda notes that this village of the king of Vraja is the earthly one.

**Hari is a name of Kṛṣṇa that means ‘one who takes away or removes evil or sin.’

***Knowledge of God’s majesty